The boy lied down on the grass, his messy white hair touched the ground. His black eyes stared above, at the sky. There was complete silence around him.
They say that beyond the sky, there are other realms, just like ours… but what is beyond all those realms? Does it just end? Why does no one try to find out? These thoughts raced through the boy's head.
"The world beyond the realms…" He spoke these words quietly.
"Talking to yourself now, Zero?" Another boy sat down beside him.
Zero jolted at the voice, as he didn't expect anyone to find him.
"Dammit Cryos! You scared me for a sec!" He said before lying back down.
"Thinking about that 'Beyond the realms' stuff again?" Cryos's light blue hair drifted in the wind as he asked.
"Yeah, I am…" Zero answered.
"Well, I don't think you'll get any answers soon. I was reading in the royal library, then I decided to do a bit of research for that dream of yours. I looked for hours yet I found nothing on whether a place beyond the realms even exists or not!" Cryos said, trying to get the idea out of Zero's mind.
"So what if no one else has answers!? I'll just find them myself or something!" Zero said, showing no signs of losing interest.
"Look! I'm ju-" Cryos got cut off by Zero before finishing his sentence.
"I'm not just going to give up on my dream! There has to be something out there!" Zero clenched his fists.
Cryos sighed. "There's no changing your mind…"
"Damn right!" Zero said proudly.
Zero stared upward again, but he felt something strange. It felt as though the sky were staring back…
"Say… are you still planning on taking the fragment exam?" Cryos asked.
"Of course! What better way to get closer to the place beyond the realms than becoming a fragment knight?" Zero replied.
"I'll receive the memory fragment of my late mother, I don't have to take the exam for a fragment since I'm a royal. Although I don't agree with that unfair system…" Cryos said.
"She was the princess of another kingdom, wasn't she?" Zero asked.
Cryos nodded.
"Yeah, she was the princess of Borethain. Pretty sure it's far up north somewhere."
"Well, I hope I get something good if I pass."
"I'm sure you will." Cryos said as he got up on his feet.
"I need to head back now, there's a banquet I need to attend." Cryos left after saying these words.
Guess I should go somewhere else as well. Zero thought before standing up.
***
Zero walked around the city for a while, passing by alleys and bustling markets. Eventually he came across a statue.
The statue stood in the middle of the city, and it was made out of stone. It was the statue of a man. Its hair went to its shoulder, and it had some type of robe that covered the entire body, shoulders to feet. Its arm was raised toward the sky, palm wide open.
"Looking at the statue, kid?" The voice came from a bald-headed man behind Zero.
"Yeah… I've seen it many times, but I don't know that much about it, only the fact that he's some great hero." Zero replied.
"It's a statue of Solren Auric, the fragment knight who saved this kingdom 100 years ago. He was the third bearer of the light fragment. The light fragment has been passed down in the Auric noble family since, but none have been able to match his power."
"There have been many people who've saved the kingdom before, no? I've heard of a few of them." Zero asked.
"There are statues of those people scattered across the kingdom aswell."
"I see…" Zero spoke quietly.
"Well! I've got to get going now! See ya, kid!"
Zero nodded.
"Thanks for the info, sir!"
Wait, isn't the fragment exam tomorrow? I should go sign up now! He thought.
***
Zero entered a big tavern with a pointy roof. Inside, there was no one besides a woman. Her hair was long and pink, and her ears were pointy. She sat at one of the tables in the middle. She stared at Zero through her glasses, judging him.
So they rented a tavern just so people can sign up? I don't know about this… Zero thought.
"Excuse me, miss elf? I'm here to sign up…" Zero said.
Her soft voice spoke. "I know, please fill out this application form!"
The elf woman gave Zero a quill pen.
***
Name: Zero.
Age: 16.
Place of residence: None.
The elf woman looked at the form Zero filled out.
A street rat, huh?
"Alright! Please exit through the back door!" She said.
"Why can't I just leave through the fro-" Zero got cut off by the elf woman.
"It is required that you leave through the back!"
"Ok…" Zero sighed as he went to the back.
Zero reached the back door, but just as he was about to open it, the floor underneath him just disappeared.
Huh?
Zero started falling.
"WHAT THE HELL!?"
Zero looked up, the surface only seemed to get further away. Zero tried stopping his movement with his hands and feet pressed against the sides, but it had no effect. Then Zero saw the bottom, and he saw his life flash before his very eyes.
Suddenly, Zero felt a strong gust of wind move upwards. Zero started to slow down, and then managed to land without any injuries.
"I'm… alive!?"
Zero looked forward and saw many type of people. Some were in good shape, some weren't. Some were tall, some were short. Some carried weapons, some didn't. It was just a room filled with different people. The walls, roof, and floor were all gray.
"PARTICIPANTS! WELCOME TO THE FRAGMENT EXAMS!"