Chapter 1: Bittersweet Preparations

Quiet mornings. A blissful pleasure to the average person, yet one such luxury that Mikey could never seem to afford. Despite being one of his last days at the orphanage, his brothers and sisters were relentless. First light was not accompanied by the chirping of birds, but rather the distinct pounding made by the twins, Rolin and Dyno.

"Wake up! Breakfast! Wake Up! Breakfast!" Rolin and Dyno took turns chanting, slamming their fists on the door between each chant.

It took about thirty seconds for Mikey to realise they weren't going to stop anytime soon. Throwing his pillow to the door, Mikey whipped his left hand around and projected a glowing aura around it. Magically infused, the pillow seemed to phase straight through the door with a twinkle of light.

A brief thud, an obnoxious cackle from Dyno and the pair of them chasing one another down the hall let Mikey know the hit was successful, but then so was their chanting. Provoked into sitting up, Mikey forced himself up and out of bed.

"Little shits," he uttered whilst dragging his feet to the chest of belongings at the foot of his bed.

As Mikey was getting changed, he glanced to the otherside of the room. Mikey's roommate Liam seemed to have already left - and quietly at that. Much like the rest of the rabble in the orphanage, Liam was often neglectful of Mikey's desire for a peaceful sleep. Though it seemed Liam thought to be respectful at least once in his life.

"If only the others had the same idea," Mikey mumbled as he took his leave from the room once changed. His usual outfit was a pair of brown leather pants and a white button-up shirt, though the shirt was stained with countless scars of food fights and pranks between the kids.

Like a busy road, Mikey always felt inclined to check left and right before making his way into the hallway. However the hallway was quiet. Making his way for the stairs down into the dining room, Mikey slowly descended upon what he'd least expected.

"Happy birthday!" the kids and caregivers of the orphanage all carolled around the dining table. In front of the table, holding a tall chocolate cake with fifteen candles spiralled on the top, was none other than Liam.

Liam's long, brown hair was rather tidily slicked back. A grin showing unusually large fangs greeted Mikey as descended the stairs.

"About time your lazy ass got out of bed," Liam chuckled whilst he held out the cake.

The dining table was covered in enough platters and dishes to feed everyone in the orphanage. Pancakes, freshly baked bread, fruits and eggs all filled the room with an excitable aroma for many of the kids. The fifteenth birthday in the 'Zeal Mar Keistar Orphanage' was the only birthday celebrated so largely for the children, as it was the day they were sent off to venture the world on their own.

Mikey let out a light blush followed by a half-hearted smile whilst gazing upon the room. Taking the cake and closing his eyes, only one wish seemed to show itself inside his mind.

'I wish I knew who I was,' Mikey thought to himself as he blew out the candles. This prompted a round of applause, though the clapping from the children was mostly due to it meaning they could dig in.

"Let's eat!" one of the caregivers called out, pulling a chair out at the head of the table for Mikey to sit down.

About two hours later, after they'd finished eating, the children began cleaning up the table. Mikey and Liam had taken the opportunity to make their way into the city. The two of them, being roommates for the past nine years, had grown the closest in the orphanage. Liam was only thirteen, so he still had a couple years before he could leave on his own.

Making their way to a seaside bench, the two sat down and looked out over the water. By now it was just before noon, when the city was at its liveliest. Sailors took to the high seas and dock workers transported crates along the road not far behind Mikey and Liam.

"Fifteen," Liam mumbled with an envious look towards the ocean. "Where will you head for first? I'm sure Alphadel would take you. They're always open for mages with tale-"

"San Lenard. I'm headed for San Lenard," Mikey replied as he rubbed the back of his hand where a glowing 'X' gleamed back at him. "Besides, that old academy is nothing but fairytales and nonsense."

Liam glanced down at the mark on Mikey's hand.

"You think you'll find anything in San Lenard? Mostly traders and merchants there isn't it?" Liam asked, though he grew hesitant. "Unless you're interested in, ya' know, the more criminal side of things."

"I don't know what I'm interested in, but a path to anywhere passes through San Lenard," Mikey responded, though noticed the uncertainty in Liam's voice. Slapping him on the back, Mikey made an effort to chirp-up.

"You'd better take care of our room while I'm gone. I don't want Dyno blowing holes in the walls or anything. Speaking of," Mikey turned to reach into his back pocket and pulled out a small amulet. It was a silver snake head, though it had two green gemstones in each of its eyes.

"I saw it advertised as some sort of good luck charm," Mikey explained, before sarcastically putting on a wiseman's voice. "Wear this and you shall find yourself in possession of whatever you wish for most!"

"Yeah right, I'm sure it worked a charm if it was for sale," Liam chuckled while taking the charm and looking down at it with a relieving amount of gratitude before placing it around his neck. "Hope nobody caught you stealing it."

"Theft?! Me?! Please. I made a trade Liam, nothing more than a trade. One stone for one teeny chuck of silver," Mikey continued his sarcasm, although Liam seemed to notice how much he was forcing his smile.

A few moments of silence passed before Liam spoke up.

"Thanks Mikey," Liam replied. "I'll meet you out there in a couple of years, yeah?"

"Well I won't be waiting around," Mikey grinned in response, though his smile slowly dropped into a more bitter expression. "I'll be gone before first light. There's some shady captain that's leaving early tomorrow, gave me a bit of a discount if I agreed to help out the cook."

"You're peeling potatoes? Pft, I'm sure if you let him know of the shit you could do he'd give you something a bit more interesting to pass the time," Liam cackled out, his brows raised in surprise by Mikey's willingness to do so.

"It's work Liam. Work will suck no matter where I go - besides, I heard the captain's daughter was a-" Mikey looked out to the passing ships with a keen interest, letting a sly smirk slip onto his face.

"Ah yes, of course. Mikey's nose will lead him wherever there's a dame to be chased or a lady in need," Liam rolled his eyes with a chuff of disappointment as he interrupted him.

"I was going to say a mage," Mikey replied quickly, looking away to hide his shame. "The rest is just a bonus."

The two of them found themselves lost in conversation for hours. As they reminisced it eventually grew time to return home. Mikey still needed to pack, though it seems Liam had other ideas.

"I'll see you at home yeah? I'm supposed to pick up some food for tomorrow before we get back," Liam said, waving Mikey off in somewhat of a hurry. "Thanks for the necklace again!"

"Yeah, no problem. I better not see it being resold at the market!" Mikey chuckled, waving him off and returning home.

The evening passed by like a breeze. Before Mikey realised it, many of the children had been put to sleep and he remained alone at the table with one of the caregivers, Maryanne. The two of them went through the necessary paperwork for him to leave the orphanage, as well as providing him with an adult passport. It's then when Mikey settled on a family name for himself: 'Drewitt'.

When Mikey eventually went to bed, letting his head hit the pillow, he came to see Liam's bed still empty. He'd not returned since their little walk earlier in the day.

The quiet creaking of the door and a cold hand woke Mikey in the early morning. He'd asked Maryanne the night prior to wake him when she got up, as she was the earliest bird in the orphanage.

Swiftly changing into his day clothes, Mikey noticed a leather studded vest folded neatly on his chest. A small note rested on top of it:

'Godspeed, Your First Family.'

Pulling it over his torso, hiding the stains of his mischievous childhood, Mikey looked over to notice Liam had returned some time in the night. Buried under the blankets, Mikey gave him a mock salute before he swung his backpack over his shoulder and headed off.

Gulls had begun to take to the sky with the first departure of ships at the port. A salmon pink seeped from the very edges of the horizon as the sun approached its ascent.

"Captain Tornstar!?" Mikey called out from below a red-sailed galleon. The ship had the markings of a veteran military vessel. Chips and painted over patchwork littered the hull.

"Eh?!" a young voice shouted out from the deck. Appearing from over the railing was a young white haired man, baring a scar over his right eye. A golden lion shoulder guard was strapped over a red fur coat. The man looked down at Mikey with a brow raised.

"My name's Mikhail Drewitt! I spoke with you earlier in the week!" Mikey explained, his hands wrapped around the straps of his pack.

"Sir!" the captain replied from above.

"Uh, pardon?!" Mikey frowned in brief confusion, before his brows shot up in shock. "Of course! My name's Mikhail Drewitt, sir!"

"Well what the seven Hells are you doing down there then?!" Captain Tornstar called out over his shoulder as he turned and returned to business aboard the ship.

As Mikey made his way up, he scanned the visible crew preparing the ship. Odd characters were in abundance, with no two people looking alike. Dumbfounded by where he should be, Mikey soon looked to the fast approach of a tall red-headed woman. Her pale skin contrasted her dark autumn leaf eyes, allowing for her overpowering glare to hold Mikey's uninterrupted attention.

"Mikhail I presume? As clueless as I was warned. Head downstairs, the chef is waitin for you. His ridiculous hat is impossible to miss," the woman said with a dismissive gesture towards the stairs towards the rear of the ship. "I'm the first mate, Diana Nightingale. Any questions, you come to me."

A large crash could be over the rail, as a few of the sailors seemed to have dropped a crate from a wagon. Without notice, Diana stormed right off to scold them. Before heading to where he was needed, Mikey looked out over the city one last time. It's as he looked over that Mikey noticed someone sprinting through the crowd of port workmen.

"Mikey!" the little figure called out, carrying something in their hands. It was Liam.

"Liam?!" Mikey ran to the railings of the ship, a great smile escaping him.

Liam continued his sprint until he reached the edge of the dock. Seeing Mikey on the galleon above, he used the momentum of his sprint to throw what was in his hands up to Mikey. The throw however came up completely short, as the lengthy, cloth-wrapped object failed to clear the railing above. Falling towards the water under the ship, it halted its fall below as it was surrounded by a blue glow. Mikey, leaning over the railing, extended his hand towards it and held it with a telekinetic grip.

As he pulled it up towards himself, Mikey grabbed onto one side of it - the shape of handle revealing itself under the cloth.

"I wasn't sure if I'd finish it in time!" Liam called out from below.

Revealed from beneath the cloth in Mikey's hands was a steel shortsword, sheathed and attached to a leather belt. The pommel of the sword was a wooden carving of an eagle head. Mikey strapped the belt on then unsheathed the sword, a polished glint reflecting back in his eyes.

"Take care of it! It was hard fuckin' work!" Liam grinned from below, bringing his hand up for a salute to Mikey.

Mikey struggled for words, though managed a salute in return before heading for the stairs which beckoned him.

"I'll see you soon Liam," Mikey murmured to himself.