Chapter Text
It was dawn; the first rays of sun were peaking over the horizon; everyone was asleep in their beds, all safely tucked up.
That was when the screaming started, rousing the town. A deep red glow from a fire was visible from the opposite side of the village.
The overpowering odour of smoke was thick in the air. Every step taken, the more powerful the smell, the stench of a building that was ablaze. It lingered in the air; eyes watered and throats burned. The further into the cloud of smoke, the more agonising it got to breathe.
The house was devoured by the scorching blaze. A dense smog blanketed the atmosphere as thick black smoke billowed into the sky.
The fire burnt hot and fast, unlike any that one had seen before. Fire peeked through the obliterated walls, licking up in the air with the wind. The flames burnt amber, almost livid purple. The heat was oppressive.
Embers fell onto the street below, shielded by darkness, as the smoke swallowed up the sky.
A subtle shift in the breeze brought noxious smoke towards the village, like dirty flakes of snow, showering everything, raining down, and sprinkling onto the ground. The burning was acrid; it clung to everything.
The fire was over almost as quickly as it started. Ash covered the street, crisp in the light of the rising sun.
All signs of life were buried under rubble.
The house next door was covered with a heavy crust of ash, which sat lifeless on the roof.
In the midst of the wreckage sat a boy.
~
Grimmore was a small town, unbeknownst to the rest of the world. The village centre was bustling with life, with its people going about their daily business. The baker by the river gave away sweet treats to the children, who all gathered at the water mill for their daily lessons. The spinster was down by the river with a group of mothers, idly chatting while washing their clothes, watching over the children from afar. Despite it being so early in the day, there were plenty of people seated at the tavern tables across the way. The town square was always so busy, day after day, never a quiet moment, so different from the rest of the village, which seemed otherworldly in comparison.
The town itself was hauntingly beautiful. Sinister pine woods loom over from all sides, trees tall and narrow. Ever-present fog leaks from the treeline and sweeps the streets. Each cottage is identical to the next, the only individuality coming from the small flower beds lining the properties. A large watermill sat upon the fishing river flowing through the centre of the town square, with a stone bridge on either side. Pens housing poultry, pigs, and cows surround the grassland around the edge of the town, the farm going most of the way around. There was a small stable with fields for the horses, and the remaining land was being sown for crops. The town itself looks crude. With its decaying rooftops and ominous scarecrows. Grimmore had a frightening atmosphere.
Most towns were famous for at least one thing, whether it was their extravagant architecture, location, or robust wines. However, there was nothing significant about Grimmore. At least that's what was perceived.
Grimmore is located far west, in the woodlands of Fayglen. Its treacherous path leaves no easy feat for your average traveller; all who have stumbled upon the village arrive in bad shape, beaten, or weakened. No one stays long, and most people never come back.
A dark aura shadows the town. With no outside help, its people have to fend for themselves; farming, fishing, and hunting are how they get by.
In Fayglen, the majority of people are born with a class, a set of predetermined powers, some practical, others powerful, while a few are completely useless for that person's surroundings. For example, a scout, a thief, or an assassin are all quick on their feet and good at hiding, but that only serves a purpose at certain times or never at all. Grimmore was a small town where the community all makes an effort to stay alive together; everyone pitches in; there is no money and nothing to be stolen, rendering a lot of classes almost useless.
There are also the magic classes, like bards, arcane magic, sorcerers, and so many more. These people are feared by non-magic users; everyone with magic, whether they were born with it or acquired it, becomes an outcast the second they acquire their class.
So for thousands of years, magic users have been treated as if they didn't exist or have been subjected to torment and bullying.
People don't like how destructive a few people with magic have been, so they ignore all the good it can do.
Not every person is born with a class; some gain theirs through life experiences, whereas others do not get one at all.
When a baby is born in Grimmore, they must visit one of the town seers; only they can identify someone's class and soul energy.
Whether you have a class or not, everyone is born with soul energy; this determines your power limit.
This brings us to Han Jisung, a man small in stature. He has black hair, round eyes, and chubby cheeks. He is often seen with a squirrel perched on his shoulder.
Jisung was cursed from birth; he was born without a class but gained one through unspeakable tragedy. Let it be said that Jisung does not like his class; he lost so much to gain it. It is very dangerous and extremely frowned upon; nothing good has ever come from someone with his powers, only chaos and destruction. The old lady who raised him was one of the only people who knew the truth when he was growing up; she decided it was best for everyone to believe he was classless, like he was read as a baby.
That, however, didn't stop Jisung from sneaking off at night to the clearing to practice.
He happened upon this clearing by chance. After the accident, his grief took him running deep into the foggy woods.
That’s where he found it.
A big open field, in the middle of the clearing, stood a small, decrepit shack aligned with a bench. Wildlife had taken over; there were signs of life everywhere. So different from the cold wood that reeks of death just a few steps away. This is where he made himself a home, a secret place that only he knew. Throughout the years, Jisung came here often. When he was old enough to be trusted, his escapades weren't limited to nighttime adventures anymore.
This is where he taught himself to control his power and keep that part of him contained.
When he turned 17, he got an apprenticeship at his father's old job at the blacksmiths.
The man who trained him was friends with his father and decided to take him under his wing. This was always going to end up being Jisung’s job; his dad had always planned to show him the ropes so they could work alongside each other one day. Jisung wanted to honour his father's memory and decided to become a weaponsmith.
The elder who trained him was reluctant to take him on, but he decided to anyway. It wasn't as rewarding as other jobs, as weapons were not in high demand, but he was happy here. They supplied swords and daggers to the town guardsmen and those whose classes benefitted from owning them.
Jisung does, however, work another job on the side, which is where he gets the majority of his business trades.
He is a fletcher. He trades bows, arrows, and quivers to hunters or to people who just want more than basic rations and could go hunting themselves. Most exchanges were usually made by trading a weapon for food.
Jisung is a perfectly capable hunter himself, but he prefers making the bow to shooting it. The main reason for his lack of hunting is that he hates skinning animals. But when no one is in need of weapons, it's the last resort. This happens every other month, way more than Jisung would like it to. He uses the pelts for clothing and bags; sometimes he trades them for more sewing equipment if he is running out. Miriam, the old lady who raised him, taught him how to sew to make clothing and blankets—just some basic things so he wouldn’t have to rely on others.
Jisung, however, doesn’t like letting things go to waste, so after he is done collecting the hides or pelts, he then proceeds to take all the meat off the carcass, keeping what he needs and then giving the rest to the village elders to put into the food storage. This is the place where people who can't work or have nothing to trade can go to get meat. This is also where the farm produce goes. But unlike meat, everyone is allocated a set amount of vegetables a week to get by. They have people deliver it house by house to make sure everyone is well. Most people trade with hunters for meat, but not everyone has something worth offering.
Now at the age of 19, Jisung has almost full control over his power, is an actual weaponsmith, and has even made some friends along the way. Technically, there is only one who is alive, but that is not important right now.
~
“Oi, Felix, Come here, bro.” Jisung mocked his friend, who was struggling with his shield, losing balance under the weight of the wood. “How are you just as bad as the day we started?”
“Bugger off, Jisung. Not everyone is a fast learner like you.” Felix laughed, trying to dive out of the way of the incoming dagger.
“Fast learner, it’s been two years.” Jisung laughed at the absurdity of the statement, finding his friend's struggle amusing.
Felix dove forward, finding an opening in Jisung’s defence while he was busy laughing. Using his dagger, he drove it forward into the space where his friend was just standing, losing his balance when Jisung stepped out of the way and fell to the ground.
Jisung offered his friends a handup, who gratefully took it, pulling Felix into a half hug. “That was a good move.” He smiled at the boy, offering him congratulations on his good plan, even if it wasn’t executed well. “Did you want to continue or take a break?”
Felix beamed at his friend, happy with the praise. “Let's keep going.”
Jisung and Felix were in the clearing, training hand-to-hand combat. They had a dagger each and a small shield; they were diving and dancing around each other. More time was spent playing than actually training. The clearing had evolved into the perfect training grounds; they stored all the weaponry Jisung made in the small shack when not in use; it was lined with bows, swords, and shields. Targets had been carved onto the trees at the edge of the clearing for archery practice, and from years of use, the grass had been squished in one part of the field, taming it; this is now used as an arena. They had even dragged a cauldron out here for Felix to practice making his potions.
To the side of them on the small table was a small squirrel, tucked up in a handmade bed, soundlessly sleeping away the afternoon.
The squirrel that follows Jisung is named Hunny. Jisung made a few beds from animal pelts, string, and straw, then placed them around his house and throughout the clearing, making it so the squirrel can rest wherever he pleases, although, when the boys aren’t training, he likes to sit in the breast pocket of Jisung's shirt. Jisung decided to make Hunny a bed after almost crushing him in his sleep several times. The stubborn squirrel refused to leave his side.
It was a sunny afternoon, perfect weather to test Jisung and train his powers even further, and for Felix to go around picking the rare herbs that grow throughout the clearing.
This became a habit for them both: they would meet in secret at the woods edge, then go to the clearing. Jisung would accompany Felix to protect him while he gathered the ingredients for his potions, and then they would both train. It took some time for them to get used to this routine. Especially the last part where Jisung used his power.
When Jisung first started using his power around Felix, it was a scary thing for the both of them. It wasn’t just a terrifying power to see up close, but neither of them knew whether or not Jisung had enough control not to hurt the other boy. They soon realised that even if he didn't have full control yet, he was certainly skilled enough not to injure Felix.
The two boys were both 13 when they officially met, with Felix being born one day after Jisung. They met through rather unfortunate circumstances; it wasn’t an instant friendship like you would expect from two outcasts. It may have even involved a slight kidnapping, but only for a brief period of time.
Felix was also a loner growing up; he was called a witch and abandoned by all but his parents. He learnt the hardships of the world for someone different, someone born with a magic-based class.
The day they met, the poor boy just wanted to pick herbs for his potions when he stumbled upon a clearing that was occupied by Jisung, who was using his powers. Terrified, the young alchemist made a run for it, alerting Jisung in the process.
Fear overtook Jisung. He had been seen.
His sheer panic made him slightly reckless; only one thought went through his head was that ‘he had to stop them.’
Jisung had always kept his power hidden and had been very careful. That was until now. The person would talk, and his secret would be found out.
Jisung did the first thing he could think of: he used his powers to restrain the other boy and lock him up in the shack.
It didn’t take long for either of them to calm down, especially when Felix noticed that Jisung was just as scared as him.
The alchemist completely calmed down after the very rushed, very wordy explanation that came from Jisung’s lips. “I am not going to hurt you; I just panicked when I saw you run off. You can't tell anybody what you saw; you know what everyone would do if they found out.”
Felix did, in fact, know how badly one could be treated because they were different. And Jisung was as different as it could get; he could be hanged for simply existing; his class was the most despised of all.
Jisung let the boy go and apologised for capturing him. Expecting the other to leave, Jisung slumped to the shack floor with a shaky sigh. Yet the other boy remained; being a curious soul, he instead asked many questions about the other class, as it was a very rare one. A buddying friendship blossomed after their misunderstanding. Two kids: one hated for the class he was born into, and the other lived life in secret to avoid the same fate.
The boys had seen each other around town before; it's a small village after all, so, of course, they knew who the other one was. The witch and the orphan, but that was all they knew of each other; distancing themselves from the rest of the world was easier. Felix spent his life searching for ingredients to make potions. He spent a lot of his time reading books on different recipes. Through a large amount of trial and error, he has come to be a very powerful little alchemist. All the while, Jisung spent his days mastering his power through training.
When Felix turned 18, he got a job working with the village medic, learning first aid and making potions to help cure illnesses. He had been working there for around a year and had already learnt so much.
With both boys busy working, they treasured days like today when they got to spend time together goofing off.
Today was like any other until they heard a roar. The beasts of the forest had never travelled this close to the clearing, but more importantly, it sounded like people shouting.