The darkness surrounded Hikaru's soul as he shot across the stars.
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"Little further! I see the head!" said the doctor.
The doctor wore a cloth to cover his face as he reached down to do his duty to assist in the birth of the woman's son. The woman with reddish brown hair and blue eyes yelled out. Suddenly a black flash of white and black mana exploded across the land nearby it seemed to emanate from an Island off the coast of the village.
"What was that?!?" said a man he was cloaked and looked out the window his face hidden. Then the woman screamed as her heart strained, a soft malevolent whisper surrounded her. then, she took her last breath as her child cried the cries of life.
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"Kaelen!" cried out Ruben.
He was a boy with longer blonde hair and red eyes he was 16 and the son of the Rich in the city of Gagdred.
"what..." Kaelen groaned half-asleep.
Kaelen Eiji was the boy's name he also was 16 and had longer dark brown hair and reddish eyes. He was resting on a table at the local tavern where he and his friends had spent the previous night listening to the tales of the adventurers that pass through. the town they grew up in, Gagdred was a hotspot of wandering adventurers in the southern lands of Lucienda the region where they lived.
"Come on it might rain soon and then we'll definitely be late!" Ruben begged.
"Liar." Kaelen mumbled.
Kaelen gathered the strength needed to get up from where he had been resting and walk with Ruben to the viewpoint.
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Raechele was sitting up on her bed it was a pinkish-white room large in size full of colorful decorations.
"I better get ready... todays the day." she whispered to herself. then when she stopped a group of maid's entered her large room.
"My lady please excuse us!" shouted the head maid she and the others scrummaged through Lady Raechele's belongings and tidied up her room as they did.
"This is one thing I'll miss, Mistress Zeylin..." Raechele spoke in a soft tone remembering her life as it had been. She Raechele Royma was a noble's daughter in the town of Gagdred on the southern side of Lucienda. Her whole life she was pampered and taken care of as if a baby. She stood up as the maid's surrounded her and began to dress her accordingly.
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"I feel sick..." Kaelen mumbled dragging behind Ruben.
"I told you not to eat the mushrooms the freelancer's brought" Ruben laughed at Kaelen's error.
"Not my fault, who am I to deny a gift from adventurer's much older and wiser than myself." he shot a foolish comeback trying to make it seem as an excuse.
"Come on were almost there!" Ruben shouted to the far behind Kaelen. The pair were walking around one of the many long bends in the spiraling city. They looked around the corner and saw a group of many young children born and raised in Gagdred. Those who were there were from many different families and classes. In Gagdred class was nothing to the young-folk it was merely a joke and a mirage to them. Though the same can't be said for their parent's. Some there were dressed in rags and garments long overdue for a change, while some wore extravagant dresses and suits. It was as if perfect.
"Kaelen! Ruben!" shouted Raechele from the group of no longer children.
"Raechele!" Ruben shouted he wore a big smile and was fond of her, Because of this he rushed to her leaving the poor sickly Kaelen to his own devices.
"Don't wait for me or anything..." Kaelen groaned holding in his vomit.
"Your father let you come?" Ruben asked. Raechele laughed at his question.
"You have known my father for how many years? you truly believe he would allow such a catastrophe!" Raechele laughed. "No, It was my lady Zeylin who allowed this "Detour" from my errands to see you both."
"I'll have to thank her!"
"Ughhh"
"Kaelen! my god are you dying!" Raechele rushed to him with urgency. He just looked up and gave her a quick nod. "what did he do now?"
"galphor mushrooms..."
"The same galphor mushrooms from last year's advent!" she looked at the innocent Kaelen with mal intent.
"Yes, and from the same party of adventurers as well..."
"You have quite the mouth Ruben..." Kaelen mustered his strength to stand tall.
"You have quite the immune system! Seriously any normal person should have died ages ago from those." Ruben argued. Raechele laughed, Kaelen and Ruben smiled admiring it.
"The Advent... Our Advent..." Ruben said. He looked over at the other boys and girls gathered at the Viewpoint on the tip of town and looked then towards the dawning sun.
"sixteen years of life..." Kaelen said.
Though it feels more like 34...
Kaelen thought about his previous life on earth and the time he died it caused a long gone sadness to swell once more. the truth Kaelen could remember only the last few years of his previous life, it had all faded into a blur after he was reborn into this new world which he still knew so little of.
"That's right, so now we chose our path!" Ruben said with excitement.
"If it can be called that... Choose... what a joke." Kaelen said with a broken tone in his voice.
"Yes, I suppose you're right... we all do have only slight room for change some more than others." Raechele said.
"We don't need to dwell on that now... It's our last night together. Then tomorrow we part ways." Ruben said with an angered tone as he did not want to dwell on the fact they would have to separate. In the end though he found it was an inevitable fact that needed to be talked of.
Parting ways, sounds so small two words that could change or even end a persons whole life. Raechele and Ruben don't really get a say in what they can do after the advent of choice. Since I'm only an orphan... some things never change huh... how unlucky does one have to be to be born alone twice.
"Kaelen, don't worry" Ruben said he had a smile on his face. the same smile he wore everyday of his entire life. "we will see each other again." he spoke with determination. that determination is what allowed Kaelen to believe Ruben would go far in life. Ruben stepped forward onto the edge of the small stone ridge of Gagdred hundreds of feet from the dirt of the ground level.
"Ruben! what are yo-" Raechele was interrupted by Ruben's yell.
"Everyone! listen, for years we have lived in this beautiful town of Gagdred and enjoyed the pleasures of the peaceful age given to us graciously by our king and his royal guard. Listen tonight is our last here..." everyone in the area began to look at their close friends who they had spent their lives with. "We separate tomorrow to each our own.... some will leave for the great northern towers to join the military, some will venture to the great dunes of Southcrest to research the wisdom of the ages and attend the universities there" He looked at Raechele for that is where she was off to after the festivities would wrap up. Her noble blood allowed her free passage to any school of her choosing. "Some... will go off to the guild halls in search of gold and adventure for private parties or public the way of glory and honor!" he shouted half the men raised their hands shouting as that is where they would venture off too the next day. They, just like Kaelen had listened to great tales of adventurers of ages present and past and yearned for it. They were all fools, they listened to only what they wanted to hear. To be exact the glory and honor part.
They'll all be dead in a week.
Kaelen thought to himself about the stories he had listened too the ones of near death experiences and dangerous monster's of old slaughtering hundreds. Unlike the others he would listen to the tales of how to survive, See Kaelen had a goal.
I gotta... Find her... I heard her that night... I need to learn about this world and magic and how I can obtain the power to find and then protect her forever. I wont lose her... not again.
The guilt of Natsumi's death was still heavy on Kaelen. even though he saw himself no longer as Hikaru, though he saw Hikaru as dead. the fool still felt as if he bore the weight of a dead man's crimes. He was a truly foolish child even after all the time he had to recognize this he still acted clueless.
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The groups of now 16 year old's gathered in the ceremonial tower atop the city next to the cities main government facilities. The children and their parents gathered and one by one were called to the front of the chamber which was full housing 100 children and families. One by one the children came and spoke to the magistrate from the Capitol city and chose a path, the path was then announced to the audience once decided upon. It was followed by cheering and shouts. Ruben went and chose Guild. Raechele went and chose University. Kaelen went and chose Guild. In all 10 children chose university, 30 children chose the military, and 60 chose the Guild a growing profession in the land of Lucienda with the Star beats being on the rise for the last 16 years. After the ceremony everyone dispersed to the festivities set up through the city.
Ruben finished his speech and the others all dispersed as the day had finally come the many shops and trading posts were decorated like they were every year for the Advent an event for the coming of age of the next generation of the human race. every 16 year old in Lucienda would leave their homes after choosing a path and go and fulfill their role in society. the day went on and on many groups wandered having fun, fighting, talking, and so many other things many activities were put up. and as the night came on the fire mages put on a firework show for the whole town to witness and watch in awe. In long past ancient days magic was supreme in the land and used by all to an extraordinary extent. Now for some unknown reason over the past 1000 years it has slowly diminished though some bloodlines remain strong in the subject they take on the roles of mages. All people have the ability to use some magic by manipulating the mana through their soul-heart and beyond that to those who wished for more power there was a greater magic a long forgotten art that lurked nearby in the depths of despair. Throughout all the people in this world there was one who had no ability to use his own magic. For his soul was not native to this world.
As the festivities finished the small trio of Ruben, Raechele, and Kaelen now feeling much healthier after enjoying some holy tea made by local healing mages made they're way to the viewpoint from earlier. it was very late and all that was left were a few stray fireworks being lit by some young children who had most likely stole them.
"The stars are out." said Raechele looking up at the galaxies and stars surrounding their world the thousands and millions of cosmos. Kaelen and Ruben joined her and leaned against the small wall looking up to the sky as a few fireworks shot off from the field outside the city of Gagdred.
"I enjoyed this." Ruben said.
"Me too" Kaelen joined in.
"I depart for Southcrest in the morning..." Raechele spoke softly with a hint of sadness in her voice. the two now "men" by the kingdom's standards looked at each other and smiled.
"I shall join my uncle and his clan in their Guild party." Ruben said confidently and proudly.
"I..." Kaelen's smile faded. He reminisced on the similarities between this moment and moments like this in his past life. The uncertainty of what to do with his life and if he even was born with a purpose. But after comparing the two persons that made up who he was, he found unlike his past life this time he had a goal... a purpose... to find Natsumi who he felt was alive and out there he could sense her and he knew that his purpose and mission in this life was to survive and find her search everywhere and learn everything about the two worlds he knew.
"I will leave... and join the guild... then I'll search the world and learn everything I need too."
"Right." Ruben said as soon as Kaelen finished. He got in between Kaelen and Raechele and wrapped his arms around their shoulders hugging them close. Kaelen and Raechele smiled. "We must see each other in the future. We cannot let this be our last meeting." Ruben did not wish to leave his friends that he had grown up with behind.
"Yes, I agree. You must both come to Southcrest to see me one day!" Raechele insisted with a nobley and prideful tone.
"Hey why do we have to come to you?!" Kaelen argued.
"Because I'm going to be in one place not wandering the continent."
"Makes sense but still, you do some work every once in a while."
"enough both of you..." Ruben stopped their arguing and began to laugh. the two stopped bickering and remembered the first time they met. 11 years ago in the city shopping district Raechele caught Kaelen and Ruben fighting and split them up. they reminisced and laughed.
"Look old man Dalie is in on it too!" the group looked and saw a middle aged man igniting a firework one level below them whilst running from a guard. The firework flew right past them and exploded in the air showing the crest of Lucienda the proud kingdom where they live. That was the last thing Kaelen could remember of their time that night... Because later he went to the guild and was offered a few certain mushrooms from a few certain adventurers...