The white was absolute, a blinding canvas stretched taut across a brutal horizon. The wind, a living entity with teeth of ice, howled its dominion, tearing at the already ravaged landscape and spitting forth a stinging mist of snow.
Each gust clawed at a lone boy's tattered furs, offering no warmth, only a mocking reminder of his sudden descent into this hell.
His breath plumed out, a fleeting ghost against the endless white, each exhalation a ragged sigh against the burning in his lungs. His legs burned too, muscles screaming with the effort of dragging his weary frame through the knee-deep snow.
He was a stain on the purity of the tundra, a broken silhouette against the storm's breath.
From the swirling white, two shapes detached themselves. They were low to the ground, moving with a predatory lope.
The amarok, the low-level Menor-class mythi. Not dogs, but creatures of shadow and sinew, their skeletal frames held together by spite, their eyes burning with a cold, malevolent light.
They weren't formidable individually, but hunger made them bold, and two against a man on his last legs was a certainty.
Just keep moving.
The boy thought, his mind a mantra of desperation.
But the amarok were moving in closer and closer, like a pack of hungry wolves.
Shit!
The tell-tale shimmer of what seems like a panel appeared beside him as he extended his hand and the out of thin air, a full black sword that looked so dull and enclosed that it'll be easily mistaken for a club.
This dark excuse of a weapon was all he had left.
He focused, drawing on the barely perceptible fluctuations in the frigid air.
The amaroks were still coming closer as the boy still tried to make a sense of where they were exactly.
Growing frustrated, he then shouted "Come and get me you canine fucks!" Ashe widened his arms out and clenching his weapon tight.
And just like that, the first one lunged, its skeletal claws snapping but the boy sidestepped just in time, though it was a sluggish, desperate movement.
He then thrusted the sword upwards. It grated against the creature's frame, finding purchase in a brittle joint. The amarok shrieked, a dry, rattling sound like wind through dead branches.
The second one attacked from the side without warning and the boy immediately twisted, his body screaming in protest, and brought the sword down in a clumsy arc.
CRACK!
It connected with the creature's skull as the sickening crack echoed in the wind.
A dark shadowy ichor, splattered on his already stained clothes and body. Then taking a short few breaths to stabilise himself.
But it was soon short lived as the first amarok, wounded but not defeated, scrabbled at him with surprising speed. Its claws raked across his arm, tearing through the thin layer of fur and drawing a bead of crimson.
Argh!
Pain, sharp and immediate, jolted through him.
But then in an instant, he saw it--an already open wound on it's right arm as the amarok then limping, preparing for another attack as it growled.
A moment of stillness fell as the two of them just glared at each other in silence and were slowly prancing around.
The amarok now lunged forward, darting across the snow despite it's wound and then the boy, with a guttural cry, plunged the dull sword into that point.
The beast convulsed and its shadowy form flickering violently as it collaped onto the snow---It was finally dead.
The boy just stood there, chest heaving not basking in his victory, but the taste of blood and exhaustion were so thick his mouth as just looked lost and gazed on.
The panel of before then flashed back right infront of him.
[Two lower class menor dispatched.]
[Rewards gotten: 0]
[Rejoice for you grow stronger!]
Then it vanished, the boy looking in utter confusion as he then knelt down into the snow.
That's it…?
No rewards?
And what does it mean by I grow stronger?
He stumbled, his legs finally giving way. He fell face-first into the snow, the cold seeping through his worn clothes, a numbing embrace that whispered of surrender.
The situations he's been through had taken everything.
He huffed and wheezed, his breath dragging sluggishly through the snow as his body cried out for rest.
The cold was a siren's call, a promise of peace that he was almost too tired to refuse.
Just for a moment…
Let me rest...
His mind lapsed at it snapped back to a week ago.
Not to whatever led him there, not to the fights he's been in, but further, to a sun-drenched kitchen and the unwavering smile of his mother as his father sat at the dining table and drinking coffee discussing with another girl.
***
A groan escaped his lips, swallowed by the thick blankets. Not the biting cold of the tundra, but the stale, close air of his small room.
The usual early morning inertia clung to him like a shroud, the leaden weight of sleep reluctant to release its hold.
Sunlight, weak but present, filtered through a thin curtain, painting stripes across the cluttered room whie his clothes lay draped over a rickety chair, sketches of strange creatures adorned one wall, and on a small bedside table sat a framed photograph.
Him when he was younger, beaming, stood beside a man with kind eyes and a warm smile---his father.
His gaze lingered on the photo for a moment, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touching his lips before fading as the day's obligations resurfaced.
I need to get up...
He thought, his mind a sluggish computer booting up.
The test is today.
He laid there for a beat longer as if he was a slow computer trying to load, then with a groan, he pushed himself out of bed.
Oh yeahh!
The test!
His mind now fully aware of everything.
He immediately got up while his muscles still protested with dull aches. He stretched, a slow, deliberate extension of limbs still heavy with sleep, before shuffling towards the small, adjacent bathroom.
The brief shower was a jolt to his system, the lukewarm water a temporary defiance against the perpetual chill that seemed to seep into everything in Greenland.
As soon as he got out, he dressed quickly in practical layers: a thick thermal undershirt and leggings, wool trousers, and a sturdy, windproof jacket made from treated animal hides.
Can't go freezing to death on my way there hehe...
He chuckled to himself.
The boy then stepped out of his room and went into the living room of their small apartment, where he saw a woman with her
sprawled face down on the worn wooden dining table.
Scattered around her were papers, they looked hastily written business plans, rejection letters with official-looking seals, and bills that seemed to multiply like the relentless snowfall outside.
Another late night huh...
The boy thought, a familiar ache tightening his chest.
She needs to stop pushing herself everytime.
He walked closer to her.
He knew she was trying, desperately trying, to keep their small light bulb flickering in the harsh winds of their reality.
"Nera?" He said softly, gently shaking her shoulder.
Nera stirred with a groan, lifting her head groggily. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her hair disheveled. "Kaju?"
"Uhh...what time is it?" Her voice was thick with sleep.
"Almost time for school." Kaju replied gently.
"I'll be going now..."
"You should get some rest."
She then rubbed her eyes. "School… right."
"Aren't you going to eat something before you go?" Her concern, even in her exhaustion, was palpable.
"There's a test." He said, grabbing a couple of dense, dark loaves of rye bread from the counter.
"I'm not even hungry." He said with a faint smile.
"You shouldn't skip breakfast, Kaju," She said, her voice laced with the quiet worry that he knew so well.
"I'll be fine..." He said, and he hugged her tightly. The warmth of her embrace was a stark contrast to the cold air that awaited him outside.
"But at least eat something." She pressured, hugging him tightly and not letting him go.
"Alright... Alright." He chuckled, tapping for her to release him.
Kaju then carried some loaves of bread and stuffed it in his mouth and rushed towards the door, his mouth still stuffed as he waved a goodbye.
He stepped out into the biting air of the
morning. The buildings around them were solid, modern structures, built to withstand the unforgiving climate, yet everything bore a dusting of permanent snow.
A high, imposing wall loomed in the distance, a stark reminder of the threats that lurked beyond the relative safety of the city.
The cold wind whipped around him as he walked, a constant, invisible presence.
Their street, like much of their district, sloped downwards. He greeted some neighbors as he walked, their faces etched with the familiar resilience of Greenlanders.
His mind drifted, his gaze catching a brightly colored poster plastered on a community notice board. It depicted a heroic figure battling a colossal sea serpent amidst towering icebergs.
Below it, in bold letters:
×The Pride of Greenland Needs You!×
Further down, smaller posters featured smiling images of a man and a woman.
×Our Shield and Our Spear×
The captions proclaimed.
The man's name was Herald while the woman's name was Lyra. Everyone knew who they were in Greenland. They were like the symbols of hope, the reason many felt safe in a world teeming with mythi.
Maybe this year…
Kaju's jaw tightened. He clenched his fist, his knuckles white against the cold, and glanced back at their small apartment building, a silent promise forming in his heart.
He then continued his walk, the half-eaten loaf of bread clutched in his hand.
A short walk brought him to the elevated platform of the city's overground subway. He ascended the steps, the rumble of an approaching train growing louder.
Inside, the carriage was a mix of students, workers, and the usual early-morning commuters, their faces a blend of weariness and anticipation.
He got in and paid the fare. It began to move as the landscape outside the windows was a blur of snow-covered buildings and frosted trees.
After a while, the train hissed to a stop, and Kaju disembarked, joining the flow of students heading towards the sprawling concrete complex of their high school.
He hurried through the gates just as the first bell rang, a collective sigh of relief echoing through the crowded hallways.
Just made it in time...
He thought, a familiar knot of anxiety loosening in his stomach.
He then spotted a boy, someone he saw as his only friend, leaning against a locker, a wide, easygoing grin on his face.
"Yo Kaju." The boy said while noticing him and walking closer.
"Kenny." Kaju smiled back.
Kenny was a head taller than Kaju, with a mop of unruly dark hair and perpetually cheerful eyes. He wore slightly less practical, more style-conscious clothes.
"Didn't think you'd actually come..." He said.
"Why though?"
"Do I look like someone that misses school." Kaju playfully said.
"Nahh... It's just cause it's unusual for you to becoming this late." Kenny said.
"Yeah you have a point..."
"Sorry I did oversleep." Kaju chuckled.
"What were you even doing that stressed you out that much to make you sleep like this?" Kenny called out, slapping him on the shoulder.
"Uhh..." Kaju looked away for a split second and then looking back at Kenny.
"I was just studying y'know." He replied.
"I see..."
"Well... ready to ace that history test?" Kenny said while smiling.
Kaju shrugged, a wry smile playing on his lips. "As ready as I'll ever be."
A group of students passed by, their voices hushed with excitement. "Did you hear? That kid from the other school unlocked his Vesta yesterday!"
Kaju's ears perked up. "Unlocked his…"
"...what?" He asked, his interest piqued.
Kenny leaned in conspiratorially.
"Apparently yesterday, someone unlocked their Vesta..." He said.
"Really? Here?"
"The last one was Herald..."
"And that was before we were even born right?" Kaju said.
Kenny replied with a nod.
"From what I've heard..."
"He's already been scouted for the Academy."
"But ahh..."
Kenny's eyes glazed over, a dreamy look settling on his face. "Imagine… getting into the academy."
"The money they must be offering…"
"How his family must feel…" He trailed off, lost in his own thoughts.
Kaju too, trailed off in his own thoughts.
They stood there for a moment, both caught in the allure of a better future, the reality of their impending test momentarily forgotten.
"Ahh… The test!" Kenny said suddenly, snapping back to attention.
They both realized they were blocking the hallway and quickly made their way towards the classroom.
***
The test was a blur of dates and names. For some, it seemed effortless; for others, including Kenny, it was a grueling exercise in memory recall. When the digital timer on their screens reached zero, a collective sigh swept through the room.
Kenny emerged from the computer lab with a look of mild relief on his face. His mind flashed with the score he saw on the screen when he was done.
It was a 52/100.
"Well." He said with a weak smile.
"At least it's not failing."
Kaju followed shortly after, letting out a small puff of air.
"How'd you do?" Kenny asked, genuinely curious.
"Uhh... I got a seventy." Kaju replied.
Kenny let out a whoop, clapping Kaju on the back. "Nice one, man!"
"You always ace these things." He said.
"Well... I wouldn't call it acing..." Kaju humbly said.
"It's more like I don't know..."
"Actually studying!" He said as he looked at Kenny with a prosecutor's eye.
"...You got me... Hehe..." Kenny chuckled while looking nervous.
"I actually couldn't study pretty well for this..."
"Y'know how I'm always busy." He said while suddenly looking down for some reason as Kaju just stared at him and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah... Don't worry man..."
"It'll be better." Kaju said while giving a warm smile with Kenny smiling right back.
"Thanks man." Kenny said.
Meanwhile inside the lab, a boy around their age stared intently at his screen, his jaw tight.
The number 65/100 glowed back at him.
He'd overheard Kaju's score and a dark glare settled on his face, his fists clenching at his sides.
This kid… I can't just stand him...
The boy thought.
He fidgeted with barely contained anger when two other boys, identical twins, approached him.
They were from the same slightly more affluent neighborhood as Michael and mirrored his fashionable attire.
"How'd it go, Michael?" one of them asked.
While the other twin, peered at the screen. Their eyes flicked from the 65 to Kaju and Kenny, who were now chatting near the exit.
A silent understanding passed between them.
"Don't worry about it, Michael." One of the teens, Kai, said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"It's just Kaju."
Michael's face immediately flushed crimson. He stood abruptly, pushing his chair back with a screech. He stalked towards the exit, his eyes locked on Kaju's back.
"Zaran!" He snarled, his voice laced with barely suppressed fury.
Kaju and Kenny turned around, surprised. The sight of Michael's enraged face sent a ripple of apprehension through Kaju.
Kenny, with a knowing look, simply raised a hand to his own face, a silent signal of impending trouble.
The other students in the hallway paused, sensing the brewing confrontation as Michael finally reached them and stared with murderous intent.
---The end of chapter 1---