its been 4 hard long years and we've worked our asses off, i was 14 and so was alex in fact our birthdays weren't to far apart, i was gonna turn 15 tomorrow and alex would as well in the next 9 days.
we have been stealing for the past 3 years but we were finally able to work a year ago so we actually did manual labor and surprisingly me and Alex prefer it to stealing and who we work for it out there... the farmer.....i know i know i know the irony of it rightttttt? but he never figured out that it was me and alex that stole from him or he would've never hired us, We must've been pretty slick for him to not put two and two together. Or maybe, in some odd way, it's like life giving us a chance to make things right
we've been getting a good amount of money to be able to buy potatoes and some carrots and tomatoes here and there but we still struggle. some of the guards knew our faces when we stole things so yes....we still had to sneak around, but our abilities did help. at age 13 kids unlock abilities, now some are mages where they can use many different forms of magic but some just had family genes to thank.
now if its from your family gene you can use it many diffrent ways and can even find loopholes but that can be very risky, but not as powerful most of the time.
now if your a mage you have a energy that can run out called mana, now with mages if they run out of mana and over due it they usually get a pop on the butt and a good nights sleep but, if its a family gene then it usually does physical or mental damage to your body if you over due it.
now the gene abilities dont require mana just mostly stamina and the ability to control it which is the hardest part.
me and alex both somehow had inherited our families abilities, alex can control flames and mine....well its a bit confusing and im still working on controlling it, mine feels more like a curse and if i over due it the afterward affects are painful as hell.
Sadly, when i sleep at night and have a nightmare i lose control almost like my ablility is protecting me. and Alex's, well his afterward affect if kinda obvious he over heats, he'll end up with fevers or even his flames will start to burn him to some extent. dont ask how we figured it out let just say sometimes the easy route is harder to find and the hard route well its rough.
"damnit ash your on another planet again", with this i was brought back along with the laugh of alex.
"what sorry al i was just in my own mind". after saying this he only sighed "i can tell...anywaysssss please tell me im not the only one excited to turn 15 , before we know it we'll be joining the the battle school". his happiness and excitement was radiating to much for me as i just groaned and responded.
"thats if we make it in", i said ruining his little moment only for him to be depressed.
As Alex's nonchalant "hmmmmm" echoed through the room and randomly jumping up, he launched a punch, his fist engulfed in playful flames. It was a typical move for him, always loving the flare of a dramatic entrance, especially when it was just the two of us at home, away from prying eyes.
I dodged his fiery punch with a nimble tilt of my head, my movements a dance I'd mastered over countless encounters. My hand shot out, clasping his wrist.
The sensation was immediate, a rush of power that sang through my veins as I pulled at the energy of his fire, extinguishing it effortlessly. This was a part of my power, my will imposed upon his flames taking the energy of it out which extinguished it.
As I met his eyes, ready to deliver a look that would remind him of the seriousness of our training, I was instead greeted by that all-too-familiar grin. It was the same one that had been etched in my memories since we were kids, a grin that could make the weight of the world seem lighter. And just like that, my stern demeanor melted away, replaced by a softness reserved only for moments like these between us.
" i would say were pretty good ash, were better than most kids at our age when it comes to ability control", he said with a confident smirk.
"only and i mean only because we had to alex, we had to either fight or die". i said while rolling my eyes at his eagerness. Remembering our first couple months here.
our first adventure into the forest just beyond the town's edge? We stumbled upon a creature, barely a level 1, and thought we were in for an easy fight. Little did we know, it was being stalked by something much bigger. That's the law of the wild, right? The strong survive by preying on the weak. And just our luck, a massive level 5 decided to drop in on us, a wolf-like beast, but unlike any ordinary wolf—this one was enormous, a true behemoth of the woods. It was a heart-pounding moment that tested our mettle,
nearly dying we killed the beast collected its claws and fur to sell only to be told we stole it and had people chase us. they said theres no way kids of our age could beat a beast of that rank.....let me explain.
theres a ranking system 1-10 of mythical beasts and the higher the number the harder to kill. so thats why they didn't believe two kids killed a level 5 beast . so the towns people once again hated us calling our family frauds and theives....yeah me and alex were theives but his mom wasnt, she was innocent as cant be on top of that! we had to steal to survive until we could get a job, the kids there bullied us and we couldnt do anything about it, they were of higher class families and if they wanted to they would force us to move , they treated us like puppets and one day me and alex swore to make them pay cause we had finally had enough....anyways, it was rough but we got through it together once more. but ill tell you what fighting that level 5 was no walk in the park, we had broken ribs, blood everywhere. our abilities drawbacks started kicking in causing alex to get burned and me lose contol over my ability. it was luck that we survived and i would never fight one of those things again, i hate beast they're scary. more terrifying than demons, thinking of which thats the new talk now, how demon and humans have became allies but i wonder why?? they wont tell the people anything
and, the only way to figure it out is if your military or a high class personnel or had a high class family.
Alex and I retreated to our shared room, feeling every bit of our financial pinch. We've got just the one bed between us, so we take turns on it. Generosity has its price, doesn't it? We gave our other bed to his mom, after all. It's a bit of a tight squeeze, but it's these small sacrifices that keep us grounded and remind us what's important.
Ah, it was finally my turn for the bed, and I practically sprinted towards it like a long-lost friend. I embraced its softness, feeling the weight of the day lift off my shoulders. As my eyes grew heavy, sleep welcomed me with open arms, drowning out the words flowing from Alex's mouth. "Damn, why can't you greet me like that... Damn, that bed looks so comfy." Alex huffed out.
I can't blame him, though. The allure of a good night's sleep is hard to resist, especially when you're met with a bed that seems to be calling your name