Fragarach

City of Phelise

Chapter 1: City of Phelise

In the Dark age where humans and demi - humans fought alongside each other to fend off the demons that served the demon lord.

But even in these Dark ages, abuses in human territories never cease. The rich nobles kept enslaving the poor, their fifteen year old sons were taken as soldiers. “Sacrifice is inevitable” those are the words that the nobles keep saying whenever they take a boy as a soldier.

Demi - humans saw these everyday yet they cannot interfere and disrupt the relationship between both sides, killings from both sides is the least they want. The demi - humans decided to overlook such a thing.

The end draws near, champions from both human and demi - humans failed to defeat the demon lord. When all hope was lost and the end of the war is at hand, an angel descended from the heavens. The angel fought the demon lord in their stead, the fight lasted four days which gave the humans and the demi - humans enough time to recover. In the end the angel sacrificed himself and sealed a part of the demon lord, weakening him.

The humans and demi - humans were the victors. They received a prophecy that the demon lord shall rise again, after hearing the rise of the demon lord in the future, both humans and demi - humans created a place to nurture exceptional talents that holds a great help in the future.

Holy and sacred swords were given to the humans and demi - humans by the creator to help them with their confrontation against the demon lord.

After 300 years.

[Present time]

“Stop! Please stop it, it hurts!”

Cried the boy who is being bullied by other kids his age.

They grab both of his skinny arms while the other kid gave him a heavy punch. The bruises on top of other bruises are made before it could even heal. The kids seem to enjoy what they do, there are adults around but still the unjust treatment continued.

“What did you say earlier? Say it again, I want to hear it.”

Says the kid who keeps throwing punches on Raven’s stomach.

[Raven is the name of the protagonist of this story]

Raven’s body started shaking in agony a while ago, he lifted his shaking head to face the kid who asked him to repeat what he said. Blood started flowing from his mouth as he tried to speak.

“I- wil- beco-me strong and p-protec-t every-one from the demon lord” he repeated in a soft voice.

His voice barely had force in it, after repeating what he said, the other kids tighten their grip on his arms and started to punch him again.

“How can a skinny guy like you achieve such a feat?”

The kid holding his left arm said after a few punch to the chest.

“Best like to you, you idiot.”

The kid holding his right arms mocked.

They keep beating him up until he lost consciousness, his body fell lifeless as the kids let go of his arms and left laughing at the fun they had. The adults just stare at the beaten kid and continued to their daily routine.

“I will..I..wi- ugh”

The boy kept mumbling even after he fell unconscious.

[This scene kept happening for the last ten years, his body failed to grow because of the beating he got every single day in the last ten years. The boy is now sixteen years old without a single friend that stand alongside him.]

After a while the boy woke up from his unconsciousness, his small body slowly started to rise from the ground. The blood on his nose and mouse had gone dry that he had to wash it off cleanly before going home. He walk a hundred meters before he could reach his house, at the door he tidy his clothes and practice his smile before entering.

[Creak]

The door creak as he open and enter their house. It is already time for supper so his mother is getting the food ready.

“I’m home” he said in a soft tone.

He tried to control his trembling voice so that his mother would not know that got beaten up by some kids on the street. But his mother noticed some bruises on his face and a bruise on his left shoulder. His mother stop what she is doing immediately after seeing her child covered in bruises.

“What happened to you? Who is it this time? His mother said in a sad tone.

She was alarmed as she immediately put the food on the table and rush to his side to check.

“I’m sorry Mom, I fell on the stair on my way home, this is nothing.” He said while controlling his trembling voice.

He control his voice perfectly but his mother does not seem to be convinced with his reason and inspect his body more. Her eyes move checking on his body, Raven relax his muscles to stop the shaking and keeping her mother from figuring out the condition of his body.

“That’s new, I never knew you can get bruises like that after a fall from some “stairs”” she doubted.

Unable to make her son confess, she left with her doubts and went to the table.

“But-“

Before he could support his reason, his mother interrupted.

“Enough with that we’ll talk more about it later, let us eat before the food gets cold.” She said with a soft tone.

Defeated, her mother walk back to set the table, there are only two persons who live in this house, Raven and his mother.

“Come and eat” his mother invited. “Oh and wash your hands before you eat you hear me?” She reminded.

Raven walk towards the sink, he took some water from the bucket and wash his hands. His mother made the final touches when she felt his gentle embrace on her back.

“Mom, thank you for loving me even when I only brought you hardship.” He said meekly.

His mother could not see her face but she knows that her son is sad through his voice.

“What are you saying? Mothers are bound to love their children whoever they might be. So don’t that me for something that I would do otherwise.” She said as her nose redden.

She started to weep because of what her son is experiencing in his young age. She rub off her eyes of her tears.

“Even so I am still thankful.” he said.

His mother face him with a redden face and pat his shoulder.

“That’s enough drama or the food will be cold.” She ask as they walk towards the chairs.

His mother’s pat on the shoulder stings a bit due to his injuries but he endure it for his mother.

After eating, he help his mother clean the table, his mother notice that he is not in a state to help her clean.

“I can handle things here, you go wash up and sleep early. A growing kid like you needs lots of sleep.”

He nodded in reply and went upstairs, when he finish washing up, his mother finished her work as well. He said good night and went into his room. Instead of sleeping he trained his body without his mother noticing, he only started doing his training for the last three years.

[The next day]

The same thing happened, he got beat up by other kids, and the adults only gaze on his beaten body, his training only help his body withstand a few number of hits, without proper training it is impossible to withstand all the punches and kicks that the other kids always give him. The kids who beat him up today also notice it.

“Did he get a little tougher to knock?” the kid said as he wipe his hand of a little blood of Raven.

“I felt it too, though I am just holding his arm I feel that his body got a little tougher.” The other kid agreed.

“Maybe he developed a little resistance, so what?” the kid with a classy outfit said.

Like every time this happens, they left his motionless body on an alley where they beat him. Everybody who walk through the alley disregard his body on the ground.

Aside from being bullied he is also despised of everyone who knew his existence because of his purple hair that is believed to be the first fruit of chaos that welcomes bad things to happen. He is the only one from their family to have shown a purple hair, but even with all that is against him he strived even harder and used that as fuel for his goal to defeat the demon king. That way maybe everyone would open up to him and would see him as a person and not a bad omen.

The same thing happened to him the following days. They would throw him into the river, beat him to death, tie him to a tree upside down, threw rotten vegetables at him. And do other things to ridicule him and every time he would still get back up and live for another day, just like a bamboo in a raging storm even with all the hardships that he face, he never forgot to smile because of his mother and a certain person whom he really admire.

[Until a certain day]

“We have a very special guest for today”

The kid with the classy outfit said when they are beating Raven, his eyes widened when a young lady appeared behind on one of the kids who are beating him, she is the one that Raven admired for the longest time. Her appearance baffle him as to why would she be with the kids that beat him and what’s worse is that she saw him in his pitiful state.

“Why are you here? It is dangerous here.” He ask in confusion.

He look at her with a confuse expression and she stare at him with a cold expression. His heart beats a little faster as his fear that she might end up like them and bully him.

“You really have the nerves to say that?” she said in a cold tone while glaring at him.

Sweat slide in his cheeks as he is more confused of what he had heard.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” he asked.

He keep his voice from shaking and embarrass him even more.

“She told us that she caught a glimpse of you keep staring at her for the past three years now.”

The kid with the classy outfit announced. Raven could not believe what he said and slowly move his head towards the young lady, he saw pure anger in her eyes. Sweat starting to pour out from his forehead as he saw the young lady.

“You looking at me gives me the creeps, how dare a peasant like you even dare to look at a goddess like myself?” she said proudly as she shove her hair on her shoulder.

Her words struck an even heavier blow than the punches that he had all those years. The other kids held his arms tightly, he can’t believe what she said, despair embrace him as tears started to pour from his eyes.

“Before you save the world from the demon lord, you better save yourself first.” The kid in the classy outfit ridiculed.

“Teach him a lesson, I don’t care what you do to him.” She said in a loud voice.

One of Raven’s last strands of hope is severed, her voice keep ringing to his ears like an echo. They start to beat him up again, his somewhat lifeless body fell on the ground without any movement, showing no signs of resistance they tied him up and carry him far from the city then toss him in a large lake.

“Let’s see you survive this one”

The kids laugh as they left him to drown, even when drowning he didn’t struggle and accepted his fate.

He fell deeper in to the lake as the light from the sun slowly disappeared as he slowly reach the bottom of the lake.

The city of Phelise is not as astounding as it seems, this place devour every one with a low status, an unforgiving environment where money controls everything. This is the city of Phelise.

“A destined [the fateless child] has arrive, [you poor soul]” a voice mixed with a soft and a weird and ominous voice spoke out of nowhere as two eyes glow in the dark.