Mikael was a young boy and an orphan who lived in a port town he did not even know the name of. His skin was rather pale and his hair was thick and blond. But the most noticeable aspect of his appearance was his eyes. They were crimson red, which was highly unusual. And because of his eyes and pale appearance which made him look sickly, people tended to avoid him. Afraid that "something" might happen to them if they were too close to the thirteen-year old boy.
Mikael was indeed unique, not only because of his appearance, but also because of his special eyes. They could see things that normally shouldn't be when he strained them. He could see the "scent" of people and the trail they left behind. If he concentrated he could sense the presence of others even through walls and he could see the aura of people. Mikael associated this aura with how powerful a person is. While most people have a faint aura, some have more powerful ones, which are often the auras of wizards. People well versed in magic and some of the most powerful humans in the world.
Today though, Mikael saw something very surprising and at the same time horrifying to his eyes. He saw a man come out of a small shed in high class clothing and had an aura so large that it flowed out of him and surrounded a radius of multiple meters.
The man wore a black suit jacket, unbuttoned with a black vest underneath, embroidered with golden roses. The inside of both the jacket and the vest appeared to have a wine red color that matched the man's tie. His pants were also black, which was natural, and he wore fancy brown shoes. His hair reached down to his shoulders and was a beautiful silver and he had a mustache the same color. On his head he wore a dark fedora with a small white feather tucked into the band embroidered with golden thread.
However, the most peculiar feature of the man was his eyes, a light blue and shone brightly like diamonds. They were so beautiful and it looked like they could see through any lie and deception that may be thrown towards the man.
Mikael's interest was piqued. This man was too interesting and too unnatural to leave alone. He thought that this could be both a perfect target for some money because of his appearance, but at the same time he was a wolf in sheep's clothing because of his huge aura. Either way following the man might lead to something more interesting than doing nothing else than scraping together some food and continue an empty life into tomorrow. Silencing his fears, Mikael started to follow the mysterious man's scent that was left behind like a smoky ribbon tied to the his back, marking the route he went.
After following him for som time, they wandered into the fish market, stock full of people going about their ordinary days. The man quickly disappeared into the thick crowd, but that was no problem for Mikael since he could continue to follow the man's scent, even if it was hard to push his way through the many people shopping.
This slow "chase" continued for around five minutes when the trail suddenly ended abruptly by an alley devoid of people. Mikael was clearly puzzled by the occurrence. This had never happened before and people don't just stop existing. Thinking about what could have happened, Mikael's questions were quickly answered by a voice coming from directly behind him.
"What do we have here? I'm very fascinated by how you managed to follow me in that thick crowd. It was obvious you did not follow me via sight, but rather you sensed my presence. So, I completely erased it so that I could lure you here, and have a nice little talk with you."
Mikael, still partially in shock turned around quickly, putting up some distance between them by jumping back. When Mikael looked at the man, he saw that his eyes were full of curiosity and devoid of prejudice. And as both their eyes met, the mysterious man's eyes began to slightly widen as if he had seen something totally unexpected, but then his mouth formed a smile.
"Are you living alone? Or do you have parents or such?"
It was an unexpected question posed towards Mikael. How would that information be of use to him? The situation seemed bad. He had no clear way to escape and escape itself would be futile since the mysterious man could probably quickly apprehend him.
Mikael was slightly afraid of what would happen but still, it might be worth trying to get the conversation along and maybe even get something out of it in the end. Whether it be food, money or something else entirely.
The man also seemed interested in Mikael, though that could be for either good or bad reasons. Contemplating it for a few seconds, Mikael concluded that the possible rewards outweighed the risks. Getting acquainted with the man, who was obviously quite wealthy, could maybe help him get out of the poor life of an abandoned orphan. Steeling his resolve, Mikael responded to the man's question.
"N-no... I have no parents, and no family either."
Hearing the response, the man once again broke into a little smile.
"Good. Then I have a proposition for you, little lamb. How about you come along with me and become a part of my family. Effectively making us parent and child. Though the roles might slightly differ from the common stereotype."
The comeback was so unexpected that all Mikael could think was: "Huh?". What kind of ulterior motives lay behind the man's words, he wondered.
"Why would you want to adopt me?" Mikael asked with a confused look in his crimson eyes.
"The reason is quite simple. You have unique blood and unique abilities. If you continue to live as an orphan on the streets, those abilities would amount to nothing more than petty theft. However, becoming a part of my family means receiving an education. In exchange I want to take some samples of your blood for my research."
The offer sounded too good to be true. It had to be fake. However, the look in the man's eyes were genuine and held no lies. Mikael could see that much through his own crimson red eyes. Even if it was sketchy, he might not live much longer here in poverty. Barely scraping enough food for the day. As they say: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained".
"...Sure. Though, you never introduced yourself."
"Yes, yes. My name is Siegfried. And you are...?"
"Mikael."
"Well then. How about we head to my home. I did originally come here to get something, but a little detour wouldn't hurt."
And with that, Siegfried started to walk further into the alley with Mikael following right behind, curious and still slightly nervous about how this would unfold. After turning the corner further in, they could see the backdoor to a local restaurant. Siegfried was heading straight for the same backdoor which led Mikael to become confused.
"Aren't we going to your house?"
"We are indeed."
"Then why are you headed towards the backdoor of that restaurant?"
The question was a very natural one. Would a man with these fancy clothes live in a small restaurant? Highly unlikely. It was rather strange if that were to be so. Posed with the question, Siegfried looked enthusiastic and replied.
"I'll show you something very interesting. Look, just watch this."
Approaching the door Siegfried put his hand in his suit's inner pocket and pulled out a shiny golden key inlaid with three white gems in the bow. Having reached the door he inserted the key and twisted it in order to unlock the restaurant's old and rough backdoor. At the same time, a faint light shone from the keyhole, as if some extraordinary magic was happening right before Mikael's eyes. Opening the door, there was no restaurant at all. On the other side of the door was what seemed to be an opening into a hallway way too fancy for a local restaurant. It was all so strange that the only thing Mikael could do was stare in astonishment into the weird hallway.
"Come along then. It's very handy eh, this key. With it, any door can lead to anywhere. Oh, and if you did not already guess it, I'm a wizard."
Hearing that answer wasn't all that surprising actually. Mikael had seen Siegfried's aura, which was so powerful. It made sense that he would probably be a wizard, some of the strongest people in the world. He took a deep breath, quelling his fears and nervousness somewhat. And with the gained courage, he stepped through to the home of the mysterious man, Siegfried, a powerful wizard and now stepped into his new life as part of this wizard's family.