Rise of the Karsa King

"Hahaha! Catch me if you can!"A boy tore down the dirt road, laughing like he didn't have a care in the world. Chestnut-brown hair bounced with every step, and his golden eyes gleamed with mischief. He wore a blue shirt with the long sleeves shoved up to his elbows, black trousers, and brown shoes slapping hard against the ground.In his hand, a piggy bank full of silver coins rattled with every stride.The sound was beautiful. He could have listened to it all day."Hey! You little brat! Give that back! It took me a whole month to save that!"Behind him, an old man in a cook's apron was bellowing at the top of his lungs. His face was red. One arm flailed in the air, as if he could grab the boy from that far away."No way! Hahaha!"The boy glanced over his shoulder and stuck out his tongue.Villagers leaned out of doorways. A woman carrying a basket of vegetables stepped aside without even looking surprised. This was clearly not the first time."Brat," the old man muttered.His legs gave out before his anger did. He stopped in the middle of the road, hands on his knees, chest heaving. Sweat dripped off his chin and into the dust.Footsteps stopped beside him."Mr. Jalert."It was a man with black hair and a scar across his cheek. He was dressed far too formally for a chase like this, and he wasn't even out of breath. His eyes were already fixed on the small figure running in the distance."Leave this to me. I'll get that piggy bank back, and I'll straighten out my student while I'm at it."Mr. Jalert looked up at him. For the first time that morning, the old man smiled. It was a small, hopeful thing."Please, Teacher Geons."Geons gave a short nod.Then he moved.He didn't shout. He didn't hurry in a way that looked like hurrying. One moment he was standing there, and the next, the road was swallowing the distance between him and the boy, step after calm, steady step.Far ahead, the boy's pace had started to drop.His breath came fast and ragged. His legs felt heavy, like someone had tied stones to them. He slowed, bent forward, and took a long look behind him.No old man. No teacher either.A grin spread across his face."Yeahhh! This money's going straight to grilled meat! Hahaha!"He jumped, lifting the piggy bank high over his head so every villager on the street could see it. Some of them just shook their heads. One old man sighed like he'd been waiting for this exact moment."Stop right there, Cylus."A boy his age stood in front of him, blocking the road. Blue hair, blue eyes. A white shirt with a blue stripe running over the shoulders, and white trousers with the same blue lines down the sides.He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.Cylus didn't slow down. If anything, his grin got wider."Heh. I'm Cylus Vergil, the future Karsa King! I won't stop for anyone, unless it's my own heart telling me-"He didn't notice the shadow stretching over the ground beside him.He didn't notice it getting closer, either.*PAMM!*"Owww... that hurts..."The world tilted. He folded to the ground like a wilted plant, and a lump started swelling on his head almost immediately. The piggy bank slipped from his fingers and rolled across the dirt, coins clinking softly inside.A girl stood over him, fist still raised. Orange hair, violet eyes, and not a trace of sympathy."You're such an idiot, Cylus."She let out a breath through her nose."You're fifteen. You'll be sixteen soon, just like the rest of us."Cylus groaned into the dirt. "...Lilia. That was too hard.""It was exactly hard enough."The blue-haired boy still hadn't changed his expression. His voice stayed calm, almost bored, like he'd watched this scene a hundred times before."Teacher Geons must be close. Lilia, take him to the teacher.""Got it."Lilia grabbed the back of Cylus's collar and started walking. His heels dragged through the dirt behind her, leaving two crooked lines on the road."Wait, wait, my piggy bank-""Someone else will carry it.""But my grilled meat-""Cylus."  "...Yes." 

The villagers watched them go. Nobody stopped her. Somebody even clapped.

"Look at that. Lilia and Eran again."

A woman at the roadside leaned toward the mother beside her, voice low but not low enough.

"They're so good at the Junior Karsa Academy. I hope they grow up to be proper Senior Karsa Users. The kind who actually serve the village.""Mm. Not like some," the other mother said. Her eyes drifted to the boy being dragged through the dirt.Neither of them said his name. They didn't have to.Geons was close now, his footsteps unhurried."Teacher Geons," Lilia called, still gripping Cylus's collar. "We caught Cylus.""Good work, Lilia."He rested his hand on her head and patted it twice. Lilia's chin lifted a little. She was trying very hard not to look proud.Then Geons turned his eyes on the boy at her feet.It wasn't an angry look. It was worse. It was steady, and it didn't leave.He bent down and picked up the piggy bank."Cylus.""...Yes, Teacher.""You skipped lessons. Again." A pause. "It's fine. You'll clean one whole section of the academy grounds."Cylus let out a long, shaky sigh.Then he stopped moving.Arms flat. Face in the dirt. Like a man who had finally made peace with the end."Hey. Cylus. Get up." Lilia crouched beside him and poked his shoulder. "You can't just pass out here. Everyone's watching, you know?"Nothing.She started patting his cheeks. Light at first. Then not so light."Cylus. Cylus!"A few steps away, Eran stood with his hands in his pockets and his eyes fixed firmly on the sky. His ears had gone a little red.Footsteps again. Quick and slightly uneven."Teacher Geons! The piggy bank?"It was Mr. Jalert, still catching his breath, one hand pressed to his side. Geons smiled and held it out to him."Here you go. I'm sorry about my student, the brown-haired one down there. I'll make sure he's dealt with properly."Mr. Jalert took it and glanced at the boy lying face-down in the road. For a moment, he said nothing.Then he laughed."It's fine, it's fine. That brat's the one who keeps buying my grilled meat. Every month, without fail. That's how I filled this thing up in the first place."He tucked the piggy bank under his arm, still chuckling, and walked off with a lighter step than he'd arrived with.Behind him, Cylus mumbled something into the ground.Nobody could tell if it was an apology or a complaint.