The Day it all Began

      ※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

The fire crackled warmly in the fireplace, casting flickering shadows on the wooden walls. A woman with striking vermilion hair reached for a book beside her chair and gently opened it. Her name was Scarlet Astra. The wooden floor gave a soft, rhythmic creak as the children settled around her, their eyes wide with anticipation, ready to lose themselves in the folk tale that was about to unfold.

“Long ago, three sisterly deities existed that bestowed life on the world. The youngest of the three, Atelia, bestowed the gift of knowledge. The middle sister, Phila, granted the strength of willpower. The eldest, Ela, granted the power of emotion. These three deities ruled over humans and all creatures alike. Everyone and everything highly respected and loved these individuals. That is, until a fourth deity appeared.”

“Their name now lost to time and forbidden to utter, the deity made way to unleash a tide of sin upon the world. The once peaceful world collapsed, wars raged, and blood was shed in the sky, earth and sea. The three deities had to sacrifice everything—even their lives, to finally end the long battle. Yet sin, though subdued, had endured. It lingered in the shadows, whispering like temptation through the cracks of the broken world.

“The peace maintained before was broken, and the alliances between the different races tore apart after the collapse of prosperity. Each defected and became their own. The humans, being the weakest, struggled with this change.”

A young boy in the crowd raised his hand.

“If that's the case, how have we survived for so long, Mother?”

She turned to look at him with a gentle, faint smile.

“Well, Gawain…I don't mean to scare you. But we are close to breaking that thin thread we walk upon. The humans have made an Academy in the Kingdom of Regelia. It's open to children of all races, but its importance goes beyond education alone-other races lack such systems entirely.”

Gawain’s eyes widened as he immediately understood what his mother meant. The academy was more than just a simple place of education, it was a fragile catalyst for peace with the other nations. Without it, the Kingdom–no, the entire world would be at war with each other.

“To this day, we are still fighting over territory. It might not be a full-scale war but thanks to the Academy, they’re only skirmishes. The continent of Feroa is not vast; there is only so much space we can all have. Each race has its territory. We aren't living in the Kingdom of Regelia, where the humans live because we defected and settled on the outskirts of the beastman territory. Even there, life was not as great, so most of us decided to leave and find comfort here.”

Scarlet face turned one of sorrow as she spoke, the children now realizing the weight of their current predicament.

 “If you ever meet someone that's not human, avoid them as best as possible. Everyone is hostile towards someone of a different race, especially humans. Because they know we are the weakest and cannot retaliate. It’s better to tell you all these things now rather than learn it too late.”

The children whispered to each other to express their newfound knowledge and worry.

“Now, now– I wouldn’t worry so much for the time being. The adults are here to protect you, not to mention the strongest of them all is right in front of you. That said, I have things to do now, so today's storytime is over. Scurry along now, I’ll be here at the usual time tomorrow!” 

The children rose from the floor and slowly made their way out of the cabin. As Gawain reached the doorway, he paused to turn and look at his mother. She returned the gaze with a reassuring smile on her face and gave him a small wave.

“I’ll see you later, Mom.”

“Take care, Gawain. Be sure to return later so you can help me around the house, we can talk more about this then; I love you.”

    ※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

It was winter, and like any other day during this season, it was frigid. One's breath could be seen as it was exhaled. With snow covering the ground, villagers carefully moved through it–some removing it from the roofs of their frail houses. Others were heading to their livestock to obtain their daily necessities. 

Amongst the quiet activity a young boy with dark brown hair and emerald-like eyes ran across the snow, paying no mind to those around him. 

“I hope she's there today!”

He told himself as he was headed to the shoreline.

The village where the boy resided was near the vast sea. To the residents, it was considered the edge of the world.

He continued running, heart pounding with nothing but excitement, waiting to see his beloved friend of the sea. When he reached the shore, he looked around to make sure if anyone else was there. Once certain that there wasn't, he called out to her.

"Adrannese! Adrannese!!!"

A few moments passed by as the water remained calm. The water began to stir and slowly but surely, a figure could be seen beneath the water. Out and then a young siren burst out, laughing as she emerged out of the sea. Her violet hair clung to her shoulders and lime eyes stood out in the dark sea. She smiled and waved to the young boy with a big smile.

"Hey, Gawain, I'm glad you came out today."

“I’m happy to see you, Adrannese! I learned something new about world history today.”

Her expression beamed with curiosty. With graceful movement, she pulled herself out of the water and sat on a nearby rock right beside him. Despite the cold weather she seemed unaffected, her shimmering tail had faded and turned into a pair of legs.

“Oh? Do tell–I want to hear everything they told you.”

She turned to him with a bright, curious smile.

“Do you know about the three deities?”

He asked, half-expecting a no as an answer.

“Of course.” She replied with a nod.

“They’re highly revered, I'm pretty sure just about everyone knows or at least heard about them. However, I think there are a few who doubt they ever existed. But still, countless stories have been told about them for centuries.”

“Wow…I didn’t know that. They must have been awesome!”

“What else did you learn?”

“Well…” Gawain hesitated, his voice softening before saying more.

“They said all the races don’t get along with each other. Anymore at least.”

His expression turned uneasy, avoiding looking at her as if afraid of what she may say.

“Do you believe that, Gawain?” Adrannese asked gently.

“I’m not sure.” He admitted.

“I don’t know anyone else from another race besides you. I haven’t interacted with them to give a clear answer. But…I do know I cherish our friendship, Adrannese. I can’t imagine you ever wanting to do anything to harm me.”

Gawain's cheeks flush bright red, and he looks away to hide his embarrassment.Adrannese, seeing this, pounced on him from the side with a playful hug.

“Aww, my sweet little Gawain! You’re my precious friend as well. I have kept this contact between us a secret because my fellow Sirenfolk would not look kindly on it.”

“I haven’t told my family or anyone else about you either.”

She smiled and gave an understanding nod in return.

 “Yeah…let’s keep it that way.”

Adrannese stayed silent, hesitating for a moment before she spoke.

“Did they not tell you…about the war that ended ten years ago?”

As Adrannese said that Gawain looked at her confused, not knowing what she was talking about.

“War? What war?”

Seeing his reaction she sighed softly.

“So they didn’t. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. The war talked about in legends happened ages ago, yes–but there was a recent one that lasted for fifty years. It only ended ten years ago. I assume they told you of the Arcane Academy at least? The humans built that as a temporary truce to end the war, and it has stopped since.”

Gawain was baffled, shocked even. He was wondering why his mother had decided not to say anything about this earlier.

“Is…that really true?” He asked, wanting to make sure.

“It is. Some of my family participated in it. So I can say for certain that it's real.”

Gawain did not know whether to feel betrayed or just plain curious towards his mother about why she kept this information hidden.

“Thank you for telling me that, I wish I could stay longer” said Gawain as he reluctantly pulled away.

 “But I have to go help my mother with some chores. I’ll see you tomorrow, Adrannese.”

Gawain gave her a quick hug before standing up. He waved goodbye to her as he walked away.

“Goodbye, Gawain! Have a nice day!’ She called to him, as she waved back.

But once he vanished from her view, her expression changed. Her smile faded instantly. She turned slowly to face the cold, black sea, her eyes narrowing.

“How Gullible he is.” she murmured.

The water rippled as one by one, several sirenfolk arose. Their glistening heads breaking the surface, eyes fixed on her.

“Go.” She ordered calmly.

 “Tell the others that it will happen tonight. Let them know that we accept the deal. The humans are already warning their children–it is clear they are growing cautious. We’ve allowed them to stay for too long. They’re getting comfortable. If we let them be any further, they’ll become a threat.”

A sneer came from one of the sirenfolk.

“Ha! A threat?” No, those feeble humans could never endanger any of the other races. They’re nothing more than a nuisance.”

Adrannese eyed them and nodded.

“You’re right, my apologies for the slip of the tongue."

The sirenfolk murmured to each other and nodded in agreement then swam away. Adrannese lingered a bit longer, her voice soft and cold.

“Well then, Gawain…tonight, we feast."

With a quiet splash Adrannese submerged, disappearing as if swallowed by the sea’s icy depths.
    ※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※
The moonlight cast its rays upon the quiet land, silvering the rooftops of the small village. Families were having their last meal of the day before heading to bed. Gawain sat at the wooden table, poking his fork at the food in front of him. His mother sat across from him and silently watched out of concern before speaking.

“Aren’t you going to eat? What’s wrong?”

Gawain didn’t look at her and he continued to poke the food. He spoke in a low tone when he replied.

“Can you tell me why we moved here? And…you’ve never really talked about my father, I wanted to know about him as well as you. Since you’ve really never spoken of your past before.”

She opened her mouth but nothing came out. Hesitation was holding her back but she sighed and decided that it was finally time to tell him about her past as she's carried this weight for too long. 

“Your father and I…we both met in the Kingdom of Regelia around maybe ten years ago.”

As the mention of ten years ago Gawain's eyes twitched, remembering what Adrannese had told him. Scarlet took no notice of this as she was looking elsewhere when speaking.

“The Kingdom was in a state of innovation so there was a lot going on. Both of us attended the Arcane Academy, we got to meet a lot of new people. Of course the tension was there since the idea of different races coexisting was still hard to believe or even accept.”

She gave a small laugh as if being nostalgic of the memory before continuing.

“Your father was…one of the class clowns. He was very outgoing and despite the hostility others bore him, he managed to make friends. He would always pester me but I ended up growing fond over time. We competed with each other because beneath his easy going attitude he actually gave effort in his battle studies. He was strong, a true rival.”

Her then happy mood turned sour as her tone diminished.

“A few years pass by and here comes our senior year. We were assigned a mission, the Academy usually gave out missions to their best students. I was pregnant with you at the time, around three months in. That wasn’t going to stop me though, especially since I was just twenty-one, and reckless."

Her fists clenched.

“The rain was coming down hard that day and it was dark. We were heading to the Dwarven Kingdom of Deswary.”

“While the King and Queen had the political power they usually sent commands to students in the Academy on their behalf. Though, of course they wouldn’t give it to any regular student, only the most exceptional they could trust. It was only us two at the time that were available, we were going to deliver an important message but as we were getting near the border…we were ambushed by dark elves.”

“I don’t blame them, they were clearly wary, especially with how the world works today. The elven border is right next to the dwarven one but we never expected any of then to be there. But one of their arrows hit your father, he couldn’t react in time. It was far too late to save him. After some tense talk all they could do was apologize and they went on their way. They let me pass as they didn’t want to cause a bigger issue to arise since I was carrying a message ordered by a king of a nation."

All she was doing now was looking down at the table, clearly holding back tears.

“I completed the mission and when I returned I let the King know of what happened but he brushed it off, that only his service would be remembered. Like if he just didn’t care, I was so angered I clearly made it show. I couldn’t live in a Kingdom that clearly didn’t value its people, so I left and took with me others that had the same thought and here we are today.”
She wiped the small tears that came out and gave a smile to Gawain so as to not worry him.

“Well enough of that, everything's fine now. But I hope you at least found some comfort in learning about the past, remember that I'll always be here for you Gawain.”

Gawain was happy that his mother had told him what he wanted to hear. He had learned about the outside world a bit better. Though what really bothered him is that she still did not mention anything about the recent war. He felt the need to ask her, to ask why exactly he had kept this information from him. Whether it was to make him feel safe or some other reason entirely.

“Why…did you not mention anything about the war that just barely ended ten years ago…?”

Silence. Almost deafening, that lasted for a few seconds.

“Who told you that?” She demanded

“My friend,” Gawain replied. “a siren.”

Her expressions shifted from confusion to irritation followed by disbelief.

“What?”

“Yeah,” Gawain said casually, oblivious to his mothers growing alarm. “I've known her for quite some time now. Her name is Adrannese.”

Her face instantly went pale. Fear flickered in her eyes as she locked them on Gawain, unblinking as if she were looking directly into his soul.

“Gawain…did this Adrannese you speak of have violet hair? green eyes?”Her entire focus was directed at him, her voice trembling with urgency.

“Y-yes?” He stammered, confusion arising.“Why are you so worried mom?”

She burst up to her feet. The seat scraped violently against the floor as she slammed her hands on the table and edged a little closer to his face.

“You have been meeting with the princess of the Sirenfolk! Do you have any idea what this means Gawain?! We have to-”

She was cut off by an eardrum shattering explosion coming from outside. The force alone shook the walls.

You could then hear wails from outside followed by more blasts. In the next instant something–or rather someone rammed into the house removing a significant portion of the structure. The kitchen which was once next to the dining table was completely gone.

What stood in front of Gawain and Scarlet was a towering beastman, his sheer size and muscle mass made Scarlet look like a Dwarf. His silver colored pelt had darker patches and scars that looked like he had countless battles, were all around his body signifying his old age. He had a humanoid appearance and a wolf-like face. He gave a quick snarl and his lips curled into a dangerous smirk.

Scarlet instinctively prepared for combat but as she reached for her hip her hand met an empty hip realizing her sword was not there. Being in a peaceful village for quite some time dulled her senses and made her careless to not carry it close by. Leaving her unarmed in the worst possible moment. But it seemed like she recognized this individual and called out his name.

“Ferros…the Ironhand!” she cried.

A deep, raspy laugh answered her. "Ah so you remember me, Scarlet Astra the Herald of Flame!”

Scarlet stepped in front of Gawain to shield him with her body.

“Fret not, Scarlet,” he rumbled with a menacing voice. “We’re not here for him. We’re here for you.”

Before she could even ask for an explanation the battle had already been engaged. With no sword all she could use was her flame magic and try to avoid his fists which even as they didn't hit anything you could feel the pure power they held just from a shockwave.

“Gawain, run! Now!” she shouted.

Gawain stood there for a moment, deep down he knew realistically he would only be a hindrance. He had no powers, he was weak. He knew he could not do anything to help his mother. So he ran, he ran as quick as he could out of the house.

Where do I even go? I don’t know any place outside the village. Besides, mother was the strongest adult in the village, if she's struggling then what chance did any of them?

He was in a panic trying to find the best possible solution. He noticed an axe stuck to some small logs of wood and yanked it free. He held it with trembling hands both due to the cold and the fear.

That's right…Adrannese! if I go to her at the shore maybe I can ask her for help. She can get her friends to help us! Mother panicked when she heard her name but I don’t know why yet…

But before he could even start heading for the shoreline he felt an intense pain in his legs. 

“Eh–?” 

The world tilted. Before he realized it he was already crashing on the snow feeling the icy ground on his face. He lifted his head to look down to see his bloody legs as his bones were sticking out, they were broken.

“AAAAAURRGGHHAAAA!” His bloodcurling echoed through the icy air as it could be heard for miles.

“Shut yer trap kid! You’re going to make me deaf.” 

A beastman interupted, this one actually looked like a human but still had features like an animal, fox ears and a tail. Another one was beside him laughing as they both looked at the defenseless Gawain. 

Gawain continued to scream as the pain wouldn’t let up. One of the beastmen got irritated and immediately got the axe Gawain dropped and struck it to his back. Not being enough to kill him he continued to scream in agonizing pain. 

“You idiot, that only made it worse!” 

one said as he hit the other on the head.

“Oh look, here she comes. Lift him up.”

He was held from both arms by the beastmen as their claws sunk into them. Soon came into view a person he called his friend. The violet hair shined brightly along the flames, the bright green eyes he once thought were beautiful gazed at him as if he were prey. A malicious smile creeped on her face. 

“Hello, Gawain. Do you like my present?”With a theatrical flourish, she extended her arms out in a joyous mood. As if she were showing off the ruin she herself brought upon him. Gawain, still in pain, managed to let out some words.

“Adrannese, what are you doing here?” He asked in between pained breaths. “You have to get out of here!” he warned her.

Adrannese looked surprised but then quickly burst out laughing.

“There is no way you are this dense! Hahaha! Oh Gawain…i’m the one that told them to come here in the first place. I’ve been looking for your mother all this time and it was thanks to you that we’ve finally found her. You’ve basically been my personal spy, I thank you for your idiocy.”

Gawain was distraught, to think that his only friend was actually an enemy. His chest felt hollow. She was a pretender, someone who was just using him to get what she wanted. He felt betrayed, his only friend was a lie. Before he could ask why they were looking for his mother, Scarlet and Ferros’s battle brought them to where they were. Though Scarlet seemed to have been defeated.

“Mother! Let her go, you bastard!”

She had multiple bruises and her clothes were damaged. Her hair was untied and messy. Though despite being pinned she had been glaring daggers at everyone present.

“Why are you doing this?! What did we ever do to any of you?!”

Gawain shouted questioning their assaulters. 

“Well? Scarlet Astra, should we tell him? Or will you do the honors?” asked Adrannese as she looked at her.

Scarlet had grunted, trying to look away from Gawain who was now looking at her.

“Mom? What…are they talking about?”

She refused to speak. Ferros opened his mouth to answer for her.

“Your mother participated in the war twenty years ago. She was no ordinary woman. At the time, she was only eight years old when her parents discovered she had an amazing affinity for fire magic which most humans don’t even have the access to magic. For a few months she honed it without guidance but then the King soon took notice and they took her away from her family. They molded her into a weapon with no guidance, no choice in the matter. Only orders and people to kill.”

“By fourteen despite being human, she was already considered the strongest human in existence. Every race in this world knows about her...because she has killed at least one royal of each race that participated in the battlefield. She was a menace.”

His words struck like daggers, a hint of anger in his voice. Gawain kept looking at his mother only for her to still look away.

“Which is why after her disappearance everyone has been looking for her, for some type of revenge. Like us for example are the lucky ones to have found her. Though of course love and peace dull even the fiercest of warriors. Now being dwindled by love for her son and corroded by this peaceful no-name pathetic village. She has fallen so low.”

 He sneered while spitting at the ground.

“Despite the humans being at war the Academy was still being built during it which is why by the end of the war it was basically finished. Leaving room for the King of Regelia to negotiate a peace treaty…for the time being.”

He got up from on top of her.

“With that being said, I think we’re done here.”

Scarlet finally turned to look at her son. Her eyes softened, you could tell she felt apologetic. Though she was only met with an expression she wished not to see.

“Gawain…just know that I-”

A silver flash. Her throat was sliced by Ferros’s claws. Her death was almost instant. Blood flowed out as her body collapsed to the ground. Gawain had to look at the light fade from her eyes.

“No,” Ferros snarled as he loomed over her corpse. “You won’t get to say goodbye. Just like we couldn’t to ours…when you killed them.”

Something in Gawain snapped. 

He split into a fit of rage despite being injured everywhere. The claws dug deeper in his arms but he did not care for all that remained was rage.

“I’ll KILL YOU!” His scream was raw, feral.

 “I’LL LOP OFF THAT HEAD OF YOURS! I’LL KILL YOU– I’LL KILL YOU–ILLKILL YOUILLKILLYOUILLKILLYOUILLKILLYOU!”

Gawain repeated and repeated until he tired out. He managed to set one of his arms free even if it meant pulling his arms from the claws that were holding him and ripping his flesh. 

With his bloodied fingers he grabbed a small pointy rock from the snowy ashen ground and drove it upward and used its edge to carve open Adrannese’s left eye. She shrieked in pain and backed up from him. Before everyone else could lunge in retaliation and kill him she halted them.

“No! Leave him!” She said as she grabbed hold of her bleeding eye. They all froze.

“If we kill him now it would be a mercy, leave him to rot, to die slowly within this icy cold grip of death alone. His injuries would not let him die peacefully anyway.”

Adrannese glared down at Gawain, her remaining eye looking at him with piercing contempt.

“We’re done here. Leave, at once. We finished what we came here to do.”

They had let Gawain go and he fell to the ground, defeated. He accepted he was already going to die. He watched them slowly leave as none even dared look back. His vision then focused on the body of his mother who he wished were still alive. He began to cry but even the tears brought him pain as they froze. His body began to feel extremely cold. From blood loss and the temperature. 

I’m going to die here…I'll at least die next to my mother…

He told himself as he was about to close his eyes and accept his fate. But an angelic voice stopped him in tracks.

“Ahh—I finally found you.” 

He managed to look at her. He did not know who she was but by appearance alone he would describe her as an angel. That blinding light shone in the darkest of nights. Hair flowing like a bold flame, short dark magenta, eyes a rich and glowing molten gold. 

“I would have not noticed you if not for your power surge earlier. I have been looking for countless millenia and finally, here you are.”

The girl knelt beside him and reached for his hand. When their eyes locked on each other she smiled at him.

“I will save you from your misfortune.” She whispered. “Do not fear. Fate will lead you to be the beacon of hope for this world.”

Her expression softened further, a strange longing gaze in her eyes. “Oh…how I have missed you, my salvation.”

Gawain could feel a strange sensation coming from the girl's hand. His pain was slowly withering away. She continued to smile, keeping her focus solely on him.

“From this moment, I am yours, body and soul. Fate has guided us together, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The healing magic seemed to have had a numbing effect, almost addicting. Everything the girl was saying felt like a wonderful spell. He wished to be with her so much that he spared no effort to just surrender to her completely.

“My name is…Loreley.”

And with those words, the wheel of fate was set into motion. That none could ever stop.