Fig, bouncing from one tree to another and returning home, with his face full of excitement, suddenly felt a sound wave coming from the direction where his tribe was. He then saw huge smoke in the sky.
He picked up his speed, swiftly jumping from tree to tree, swallowed a gulp, and "boom!"another sound wave, much bigger than the last one, made Fig almost deaf. He fell to the ground, covering his ears, his hands shaking, the ground trembling, and hundreds of trees falling from the sky.
His heart pounded hard, He then leaped from trunk to trunk, his agile body avoiding a tree falling on him.
The moment he reached home, what he saw made his body freeze.
Thick black smoke covered the sky, and the scent of burning wood and the stinging smell of flesh filled his nose.
His legs gave out. "No... no, no, noooo!" His voice cracked.
Bodies were everywhere. The houses of the Regoblins had turned into ashes; his family's bodies were brutally torn apart, discarded on the ground.
Great Mother, who had taken care of him, was lying in front of him, her back split open by force. The chief's corpse was slammed against the wall, his head nothing but splattered remains.
Then he saw Rakan.
The only brother he had, fearless, dashing, and his role model, was standing there, a sharp spear stabbed in his stomach, his hand twisted, and his chest bound by a heavy fist, the area around him crushed almost to make a lake.
"Sob, sob, waah, waah, waaaaaaaah!" Fig collapsed, his heart breaking into two parts.
He screamed until his mouth had no voice left, his tears ran down, and his body was totally exhausted.
For the next three days, he cried and cried. He even made a cycle in which he would cry, then collapse, then cry, then collapse, and repeat.
Then, on the fourth morning, Fig's eyes were swollen, his lips dry, and his stomach growling from the last three days. He gathered a bit of his courage and left for the heart of the forest, where his master had been waiting for him for the last three days.
Like that, Fig lost his second family, The curse that had been growing within him for the last three years took action today, It failed to kill him but lived up to its name for causing misfortunes.
It was morning time, but thick trees covered the sky, and sunlight rarely touched the ground.
Fig's legs were soaked with mud, each step taking more energy than usual,head down; he didn't even bother jumping from trees like he always did, It was the first time he lost everything.
Fig then arrived at his master's place. Before he even knocked, the door opened by itself, and white magic came from inside, cleaning his clothes, body, and even fixing his hairstyle.
"Ah, little one with guts, you're late. What were you doing these past three days?" he questioned, but then he saw Fig's face and chuckled. "Hahaha! Were you playing with poison mushrooms these past few days?"
Fig didn't answer, His lips were trembling. Seeing it his master's laughter die in an instant and seeing Fig's almost emotionless eyes, he asked, "Something happened, right?" The air around them became heavier.
Fig tightened his throat, trying to open his mouth, but no words came. His master narrowed his eyes and started a fire to cheer him up; he tried his best to make the fire as beautiful as possible by mixing different colored flames.
Two hours passed, and then Fig finally spoke a few words and explained the whole incident to his master. While telling the story, he was unable to control his emotions and began crying.
His master silently listened to the whole story. Then he placed his hand on Fig's shoulder; his hand was weightless but enough for Fig to feel it.
"Disciple, look at the fire. It can either consume you or make you something stronger. Which will you choose? Will you be consumed by the fire or burn for it forever?"
Fig looked into the fire and responded, "I'll choose to become stronger."
"Now that's my disciple! We begin your mana training from tomorrow. For now, see this bottle in my hand? Drink it," he said, giving the bottle to Fig.
"Yes, Master." Then he drank the whole bottle filled with elixir and slept like a baby for two whole days; the elixir cleaned all impurities from his body and even made him stronger and healthier.
The next morning, when Fig woke up, his master took him into the deep chamber carved with ancient runes on the walls. The air was filled with dense mana; it was the perfect room for Fig to start sensing the mana he had never felt before.
"To wield the mana, you must first sense it," the master demanded. "Close your eyes, sit down, breathe calmly, and feel the mana around you."
Fig sat down in the middle and then slowly started breathing. At first, Fig didn't sense anything, but as time passed, he began to feel the warmth in the air. Then, in just a few hours, he was able to feel the mana.
The master whispered, "This is mana, the thing which can become hope and despair at the same time. Now I will slowly transfer the method that helps to gather mana in your brain," while touching his head to Fig's head.
Days passed, then turned into weeks. Fig started to draw mana into his brain. Every day, his mind burned through exhaustion, During this time, the master was always there correcting his breathing, stopping him at crucial times so he wouldn't fall to his inner demon.
He always demanded that Fig should gather more mana. One evening, when Fig had completed his daily training, the master spoke while Fig was eating food.
"Fig, listen, don't go down the path of revenge, it's full of bad emotions."
"Revenge? What is the meaning of it?" Fig questioned, his mouth full of food and his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Ah, it's like finding the person who murdered your family, so you try to kill him for your inner peace."
"Yes, master, I understand I won't be blinded by revenge, but I will kill him if he appears in front of me," while Fig finished his food, he stood up from the chair and went to continue his training.
"That's my disciple, cute on the outside, strong on the inside. Alas, tomorrow I will get rid of that little curse," then he vanished into thin air; he starts preparing for tomorrow.