For as long as I can remember, I was raised in hiding. I know nothing of the light from the sun; living by the light of oil lamps, candles and the moon. We had moved in the darkness, behind whispers and cloaked in hoods, my parents never told me why we had to live this way; the nomadic lifestyle with no place to call home. Two words were always used to quench my thirst for the truth, 'To survive'. Now, without knowing the truth, I am alone. My parents who I had always been with had disappeared in the morning - I believe that was what it is called when the sun comes out - the night had never felt colder. The autumn which I turn sixteen, I have no one to call family.
I dare not move in light of the sun; the disappearance of my parents had instilled in me, a fear of the light I have never knew existed. There is no one I could turn to, no means to learn who I am and why I had to live in safety of the dark. Then I knew, there was a place I could go to, a place my parents once told me held the secrets of many. That is where I have to go, the Archaic Library of Origins. I set forth to leave the place of my hiding, glad that the library was not far away, glad that my parents had decided to stopped at the capital of Aluin and grateful to find that it was not opened at night.
Feeling that luck was on my side, I scaled the walls to find an entrance. Strangely, there were no guards. Were these books so unimportant that it needs no guarding? Or was there something happening in the capital that no guards are available? This was very disconcerting; it did not bode well. I have no choice, I needed entry. There were answers I needed to find and I was sure it was inside the library. An opened window, a chance for the truth. I slipped in quietly.
Once inside, I met; not just a few shelves of books but walls of shelves as far as the eye can see. I know not how I should locate the information I much covet but something was pulling me along the shelves. Somehow, my heart seemed to know where to find it, somehow my hands pulled out a book. It was titled, "A World before Ours: The Humans". What did it mean? A world different from now had existed? And what are humans? Was it a race? Questions upon questions flew into my mind as I flipped opened the book.
It was a history of the human race, something called science existed then, what is science? Is it some kind of rare material? A rare gem? Why was it so important that it is written as a part of the human race? Does it not exist now? In the book, it was said that humans drove themselves to near extinction, not until they created the races that we have today. Overpowered by their creations, many of them did not survive. Illustrations of how a human looked like were in the book, and I looked exactly like them. Am I a human? As I continue turning pages upon pages, I reached a section, "Last of the Humans" describing that there were only three humans left that are known to be still in existence and in it, were the names of my parents.
I am a human? Is that what I am? Why was it that I cannot be seen in the light? My parents…are they alive? Are we being hunted? The book mentioned that the whereabouts of the last remaining humans were unknown, but there are those looking for them. There was a legend that the one who found the last of them will have access to insurmountable riches, never-ending knowledge and great powers. But it is just a legend, no one knew whether it was true; however, it did not stopped hunters from hunting down humans. Was this why my parents disappeared? They were caught? Why did they spare me then? What should I do now?
I left the library through the same window in which I came. Carefully, I went down the wall and moved in the shadows of the houses; avoiding the light that was cast upon them by tall and slim structures which my parents called 'street lights'. I finally made it to my hideout, a crevice in the wall that opens up when I push the key stone by the wall. It was not a big room, but it had all that I need to survive for another week or two. I sat down on the floor in the darkness and sighed, I had no idea where my parents were and had no idea where to begin searching. As I pondered on where to begin, I hear the trap door opening... I stiffen where I sat. No one knew about this hideout except my parents and I, could it be, I hoped desperately in my heart, that it would be my parents. Waiting with abated breath, I listened for their voice but the voice that greeted me was far from what I had hoped. It was a voice that I have never expected to hear again.
"Adrian...Are you here?" asked the voice, I hesitated, I do not know if I should answer. Was he an ally? Or was he a foe? The last time he left, it was without a word and I was only six. I gulped and decided to answer him, "L'ciel..."
"So, you are here," said L'ciel as he lighted a torch and set it upon the bracket on the wall. L'ciel was as I remembered him, like every other werewolf, he walked on his hind legs, has a snout and keen ears, but unlike most werewolf, he was raised by my parents. He partially raised me before disappearing one day without a word, "L'ciel, I'd never expected I'd see you again..." I said coarsely. "I'd never expected that I have to find you," he answered sadly, "What do you mean, you have to find me? The sadness in your voice...you have news of my parents, don't you?" I said with fear in my heart. L'ciel nodded gravely, " You see, kiddo, back when you were six, your parents told me that I had to leave in order to protect you. I was tasked to set up hideouts in various locations so that your parents can safely travel with you and show you the world. This room, it was prepared for you by your parents and I..." L'ciel started to explain, I could not help but interrupt, "How does travelling around with me, keep me safe?" I asked in bewilderment, " And what does it have to do with my parents' disappearance?" I continued impatiently.
L'ciel held up his hand to stop me, "It all leads up to your parents' disappearance..." he said, I stared at him and kept quiet, taking the cue, L'ciel continued, "There is no safe haven for humans, which is what you are, in this world. Your parents knew that by travelling around, they will avoid detection. Although they had stayed in the same location for six years without being found, it was too big a risk to continue staying when you were already at the age of curiousity. In order to prevent you from wandering out of the hideout alone, they decided to travel and show you the world," L'ciel paused and looked at him, wondering if I had heard what he had said, "How do you come into the picture?" I asked. "Your parents gave me the freedom to travel around the world when I was of age, I only returned to them when I found out that your mother was pregnant with you, I knew I had to stay by their side. I had to protect them. I had to protect you. It was so hard to leave them and you, but your parents insisted that they needed my help to set up places to hide. So, I left with great reluctance. For the past ten years, I have managed to set up hideouts in every major city in the world, allowing your parents to travel to different places with you. This is the one time that I had the chance to meet them. But it was too late." L'ciel said sadly, his eyes have begun to water.
"If only I was faster! If only I had figure it out! Your parents...they were taken by the Hunters' Guild... We were going to meet up yesterday night while you were asleep to discuss where to go next and what to do... I was delayed as I was gathering some materials to pass it to your parents. As I reach our meeting place, I was stopped by two hunters from the guild, they had surrounded the area and forbade anyone from entering or passing through..." said L'ciel coarsely, "I couldn't do anything, our top priority was to keep you safe, I saw them putting your parents in cages before leaving the area. They are headed towards the Courts,"
"Why?" I asked angrily as I struggled to withhold tears that threatened to flow down my eyes, "Why? Why is that your top priority? Why didn't you save my parents? Why!? Why did they take my parents!?" L'ciel kept quiet. He had no answer to give me as tears streamed down my eyes. There was no point in holding back any longer, this was too much to take, "My name...it's not in the book about humans," I said as my voice shook. He looked at me with wide-eyes, "So you have found out," he said, I looked at him, my tears have stopped. "Your existence is unknown. You are a child born in shadows, you are child born of science and magic," L'ciel said looking straight at me.
"Science? Magic?" I was confused, from the book itself, science had ceased to exist. Magic prevailed. "You will be able to use science and magic, you are able to use them both in balance... You will be the one to turn the wheels of fate." L'ciel continued, looking straight into my eyes. I know not the future that lies ahead of me, it was fearful. I did not have my parents with me. L'ciel... how much does he know? How much will he tell me? The wheels of fate and I, why are we connected? I was silent...
"I'll leave you be..." said L'ciel, I looked up at him startled, "Are you going to leave me alone here?" L'ciel soften and looked at me, "I need to find a way to save your parents..." he replied. I nodded, "How can I help? What can I do?" I asked earnestly, hoping very much that I can help in any way in order to release my parents from whatever, whoever had taken them from me. "Stay out of the light and... here - " L'ciel handed me some books, "- read these up. Your parents wrote them, these books contain all their research," he said and continued when I look at him questioningly, "You'll understand more about this current era and how it came to be and I believe you might find yourself in them too..."