BLACK AND WHITE

I

15 YEARS LATER

"Now,Landsman Ogre!Attack tech:Death sweeper!"

A highly skilled yorkur tamer called at his towering monster,urging it use its most powerful skill.The monster in turn obliged its commander ,waving its giant axe and sending multiple slashes of purple energy beams that seemed to multiply as they raced towards a rival monster that had reached its limit after a long period of battle.Upon impact, a huge explosion erupted engulfing half the battle ground in the middle of the huge arena,much to the excited cheers of the overflowing crowd.

Many miles away in small community,Leaflet village,a trio of boys watched the battle taking place from the window a local weapon and accessories shop.One of the teenage boys,brown haired with reddish pupils was celebrating loudly,carrying a smaller boy about 6 years old on his shoulder,who was equally as jubilant as he was.

"ALRIGGGHTT,LANDSMAN OGREEE!"they bought flung their arms over their heads in unison, almost knocking the little boy off his shoulder.The brown haired boy tightened his grip on the legs of the toddler whilst the younger boy gripped the face of his senior,covering his eyes in the process."Aedean,my eyes!!"shouted the brown haired boy stumbling backwards a bit.Aedean,who was wobbling on his shoulders was hellbent on holding on for fear he would fall off,even if it it meant clutching to a pair of eyebrows."Dylan,I'm gonna fall off!"he shouted above him.Dylan balanced himself in time and the danger was averted

"Haha,you two are the worse!"the other boy laughed. He was about the same age as Dylan,only taller and he was blonde.A cool personality and flair seemed to ooze from him as he simply stood there chuckling arms folded and watching the comical scene playing out in front of him.He was shortsighted and wore a pair of small spectacles.

"Like you're one to talk,Eliott!"fired back Dylan."You're like the evil uncle in the late night horror shows!

"Ehhhhhh!?!?!"cried out Eliott,in surprise."How....y-you.....well,Aedean,doesn't think that,do you Aedean?"

"Of course not!Dylan,how could you say that?Can't you see he's more of the grumpy old aunt who's always at all the family reunions?"laughed the little boy from the comfort of Dylan's shoulder

"Just kill me now!"chuckled Eliott.As the holographic television switched channels,the boys sighed in contention and moved back from the window.It was high noon but a certain amount of peace seeped through all the corners of Leaflet village.Even though it was small, it was usually very busy as it was a village mostly of commercial traders who lived there.The mini metropolis attracted merchants from all the small neighbouring towns and cities.The buildings here were usually tall,made of brick and concrete and lots of marble pavements covered the village.A church laid in the square of the village,carrying a gigantic bell which was a major landmark for visitors and travelers.It rang twice a day,at midday and at midnight.With the travelers checking in to various motels and inns,traders plying their daily activities and shoppers going about their busy schedule with a clear blue sky just overhead,one could not help but be overwhelmed by the level of orderliness and calmness in this small community.

Trudging on a path through a grassy plain,the boys chatted amongst themselves on the journey home,mostly answering questions from the youngster who was still on Dylan's shoulder and was yet to understand all about yorkur battles.But still, his love for the epic creatures rival that of the average yorkur tamer.They had trekked from a nearby village to watch a much anticipated local semifinal match.

"But I dont get why Tobias doesn't just call out landsman ogre when the battle starts!He'd win easily and not have to keep fighting for long"complained Aedean."Well,you see,yorkur battles aren't just about powerful monsters.Its also about a unique style or strategy a tamer uses with all his monsters."answered Eliott."A tamer accommodates his monsters in a small energy charged device that gets its unique powering from the same thing that powers all life force in Aldea......"

The three boys chorused in unison.".....mana!".They gazed down the fields and valleys from the path on the mountain side,observing different small sized creatures scurrying through the plains.Eliott took it as a cue and continued his explanation to the youngster."Yorkur vary in size and types.There are monsters little enough to fit in your pocket and some as massive as an entire island!"

"Whoooaaa!I didn't know that."

"It's true, Aedean!And that's why they are also separated into types of power and of course,class!They are A class yorkur,O class yorkur and S class yorkur!Even though they are powerful magical creatures, yorkurs will reach the full potentials of their abilities under a skilled tamer.And thus,the yorkur battle leagues were born.A tamer powers his yorkur loader with his mana,making it possible for the creatures to use more powerful and incredible abilities.Thats why humans and yorkurs have been able to live together for hundreds of years now,"

"Wow!Yorkurs sure are cool!"

"That's right.But some are even better than cool.Some......are gods.They are so powerful that they have gone down in history as legends. They have the power to change time,and the course of history itself.They carry so much power over the natural world that some are even worshipped,others feared.Humans lucky enough to be partnered with such legendary yorkur have not only been able to push the power of the creatures further but also their's as they are bestowed with supernatural powers,far stronger in some cases than their partner monsters "

"Like the two legendary dragons of Aldea?"asked the little boy,wiggling his legs atop Dylan's shoulder whilst the older boy battled to balance him."Exactly.............Vulcage and Ragzagog!Thanks to these two dragons,humanity has enjoyed peace for decades now."Eliott smiled ending his lecture.

"Man,I sure would like to be a powerful tamer some day."laughed Aedean

"Really!?That's awesome " said Dylan for the first time since they started for home."But,you're gonna have to compete with me to be the very best because my dream is to be the very best yorkur tamer!"He clenched his fist,a fire lighting up in his eyes which was easily contagious for it sparked a flame of desire in the younger boy as well."Alriiiiight,get set Dylan cuz I'm gonna battle you for the title of strongest someday".

"I'm looking forward to it!"Dylan replied with a fist bump, his burning desire not dying in the least."Clowns!I'm surrounded by clowns!"chuckled Eliott,a hand on his forehead.

"What was that?!!"flared Dylan,playfully at his friend

"What did ya sayyyy?"copied Aedean,gritting his teeth also in mock anger.A cool breeze oozed through the mountain side and the sun kissed the earth lovingly.

Evenings were always captivating at the orphanage and that evening was no exception.Sitting undisturbed in a clearing just on the outskirts of the wood,away from the nearby village,one couldn't help but get the feeling of home standing in this humble settlement.Streaks of sun rays shot across the orange evening sky as the sun danced slowly over the horizon and a most pleasant northwards evening breeze flew through the land.A group of children laughed and played in a nearby clearing within a large field of barley and wheat,which provided a source of income for the orphanage as well as food.Dylan,who was seen as more of an older brother figure being one of the oldest kid in the orphanage, was being chased round the clearing by the children and he readily welcomed the attention and played happily with them.With a backdrop of a most captivating atmosphere as well as the cool breeze and sun rays seeping through the tall stalk of shining golden wheat,the peace and serenity that exuded from this setting seemed to double in that moment.

Sitting on the porch across from the field was Julianne herself who was taking in as much of this scene as if she could never get enough of it.Next to her was Eliott who had seen to assisting her after dinner that day and keeping her company.He was equally enjoying the peaceful atmosphere as he sat there smiling and chuckling occasionally, arms folded in his usual fashion and only speaking when Julianne made conversation with him.

"You sure you don't want to join him?He looks like he could use a hand?"Julianne giggled as Dylan got overpowered by half a dozen kids."He looks like he got it covered"chuckled Eliott.

Julianne's eyes sparkled lovingly as she watched the playing children. "All of the kids love you boys so much.You both affect them in a way I can only hope to.It seems like only yesterday I was scooping up you two from my doorstep and now look at you.I sure am glad you two came into my life when you did".Eliott,in his usual composed manner,simply sat there with his eyes closed reflecting deeply on the words of the older woman.

"I like to think of you both as a reward in two fold for some good I did in a past life.To be honest,I don't know what I would do without you boys.You two are the line holding this place together.You've brought joy not just to the children's lives but mine as well.I wouldn't give up what we have here for anything else.I really wish it could be like this forever,you know.......but....."she sighed.

Eliott's eyes shot open immediately, to peep at Julianne from the corner of his eyes.He knew what was coming next.

"But as much as I dont want to admit it,the fact remains that you boys wont always be here.Someday you boys will definitely leave here to go walk your own paths.Whether someone decides to take you into their family or you boys decide to go start your own, the result is inevitable.........you boys wont be here forever. So there you have it,Eliott.I've said it.What do you think?You ever dream about leaving someday?"Julianne asked,tilting her head to the side and smiling lovingly but Eliott could have sworn that he saw a teardrop glisten momentarily against the setting sun from the edge of her eye.

He looked up at the sky,observing some yorkur flying high into the sunset and he wondered what it would be like if he eventually left the orphanage.Whilst being an excellent judge of personality and a good mind reader,he was aware his caretaker worried about their departure someday but he hadn't given it proper consideration.And he wasn't sure if he was ready to even think about that at that moment."Well,.......I..............."

"Elioooooooottttttttttt.........helllllpppppp"Dylan's voice rang all through the yard as he got piled by the children, causing Julianne and Eliott to laugh again,their initial worry and conversation dissipating into thin air."Got it covered huh?"chuckled Eliott as he rose from the porch.

That night,Eliott lay atop his mattress on the top bed of the bunk bed he and Dylan shared.All the other children had been seen to bed in their reserved room by both of them and they had made sure that the house was secure before they retired in for the night.They had the luxury of their own room as Julianne felt they deserved their privacy,that being one of the few things she could afford for the boys.Eliott's mind had wandered back to his earlier talk to his caretaker and now he was deep in thought about the issue.Dylan who had bottom bunk was busy reciting a list of chores for the boys the next morning."........So yeah,we're gonna have to clear the drainage pipe for the crops.After that we're gonna have to go get a new security software disk for the greenhouse which means going over to Techmo's and its absolutely important that we get back by noon because we also need to....."

"Do you ever think about leaving someday?"Eliott cut in abruptly.

Initially taken aback for a moment,Dylan paused and thought for a bit.He hadn't expected that question in the least and was certain that Eliott had been listening to him the entire time. But then he had brought up an interesting topic and he smiled to himself glancing upwards as if peering through the mattress to look at Eliott who was out of view.

"Mhmmm,yeah!You bet!Someday I'm gonna go to the city and get into the big leagues.And I'm gonna become a champion yorkur tamer".Typical,Eliott thought to himself.He wondered how with the simple life they led and with their responsibilities, all his friend could come up with as a reason to leave was to become a tamer.He was not impressed. As much as he cared for his bestfriend and valued their friendship,he had always thought Dylan a bit immature and reckless and always saw it as his duty to look out for him when he was doing something he thought was stupid. He was about to scoff at his reply when Dylan continued. "And then I'm gonna come back here,and build an even bigger house for all of us.Then I'm gonna expand the farm and buy Julianne a cattle or something.Also....".Punching the air excitedly, Dylan vowed."....I'm gonna build a proper playground for the kids.I already promised Aedean that I would.I swear I will".

Eliott chuckled this time quietly. "Not bad"he thought.Maybe his answer wasn't so dumb afterall.He was looking at the big picture and not just himself. "What about you,Eliott?What do you plan to doing in the future?"

Still unsure,Eliott fantasized for a moment."Well,I guess it would be cool to be a popular yorkur tamer, going around battling and inspiring.Just the title of a tamer alone would earn one so much respect and recognition.".Then he threw his arms behind his head."But let's face it,for guys like us,being a yorkur tamer is a far fetched idea.We'd have better luck trying a different career choice.I mean,What do we even know about being a yorkur tamer?How would we get monsters?Where would we even start with everything?"reasoned Eliott."Well,...."Dylan replied."I think registering as a tamer with the tamers association should be a good start.We'll be 16 next week,the exact age a inspiring young person is allowed to wield a loader officially and become a tamer.We should go to Acremon and apply.You and me together!".He was beginning to sound excited like he usually did when concocting some really bad plan according to Eliott.

"Woah!Woah!Who said anything about leaving so early already?"he protested."Well....what did you.....have in mind?"inquired Dylan yawning loudly.

"Well,we have alot of obligations to this place in case you forgot.Besides instead of chasing after a fantasy, we would be better off learning a trade or something. Like I was thinking about the other day when we visited Big Ben's robotics and mechanical workshop. He might just be willing to take us in as apprentices.Imagine learning how to design our very own robot or maybe something better.How cool would that be?"lectured Eliott. No reply came from the bottom bunk however and Eliott could tell that he had gotten through to his friend who was obviously reconsidering his earlier stand.He smiled to himself. "See?.Even you must realize it too.We could work hard and focus on the opportunities we have in front of us right now.Not chasing off after some improbable dream.Dont you think so too?"But it seemed like Dylan was too deep in thought for no reply came still.

"Hey,I brought up that idea because I wanted your opinion also.Whats with the silence?".Still no response.Eliott was getting irritated and he flared up."Dylan!"he said sternly,flipping himself over on his bed to check out the bottom bed.And this time,a reply finally came from the brown haired boy.A snore resonated round the room,indicating he was fast asleep at this point.

Eliott chuckled quietly,and shook his head as he slumped down back on the bed closing his eyes. "i***t!".