Today marked one year since his father's death. Which meant Alexander Dezoment had been slaying Abyssals for a whole year to pay off the debt that he inherited from him. Not the big, scary, strong Abyssals like demons and ogres. Not even small-fries like goblins or imps. He'd been slaying slimes and Abyss-bugs (similar to regular bugs, but about half the size of a human child and a have bright violet eyes), that pose a bigger threat to crops than they do humans. Both of which also only pay two coins for each corpse he brought to the debtors for disassembly and sale of the monsters' body parts.
"Only five slimes and two bugs today? Ye must wantah be in debt forever, lad!" exclaimed a big, fat man whose stained white shirt failed to cover the entirety of his hairy belly. This was one of Alexander's filthy debtors, Big O. He doesn't know his real name, but that's what everyone called him. He was Mayor Jet's -- his main debtor and the village leader's right hand thug.
Alexander ignored his remark, as he always did. And Big O scoffed at his silence, as he always did. After a year, Alexander thought that he would've learned that he wanted this to be a quick interaction. Exchange the corpses for coin, and skip the un-pleasantries. Big O dug into his dirty brown trousers' pockets and handed Alexander four coins.
"You're short by seven more coins," he said. The fat thug let out a hearty laugh, getting some spit in Alexander's face, which he quickly wiped off.
"Da boy can speak!" he said.
"The boy wants the entirety of the fourteen coins he is owed!" the boy spat back, with venom in his tone. The oily-faced man raised an eyebrow and stood taller, he was nearly twice the boy's size in both height and width.
"The market's down for slimes and bugs, lad. Yer gonna have to hunt some more," he said. Alexander glared at him with hate in his dark, black eyes, "Those are the last four coins I need to pay off the debt..."
The thug did not appreciate the spiteful tone in his voice. He suddenly raised his hairy hand and swung it against the boy's left cheek, launching him to the dirt. The man spit at the dirt barely missing the boy's face, "Lad, da next time ye point those empty eyes of yer's at me face, I'll beat ye tah death,"
"Ugh... noted..." Alexander groaned, slowly lifting himself off the floor and dusting his now-dirty black cloak.
---
The outskirts of the village were still and quiet. No slimes slithering, nor abyss-bugs crawling. Just a soft breeze that lightly rocked the nearby forest's tall trees and gently swept Alexander's messy black hair from his eyes.
The peaceful, calming setting reminded me of happier times...
---
He was seven then. Alexander's father worked as a village watchman, except he rarely ever actually worked due to the relaxed nature of the village. The quiet town only occasionally had visitors that came to sell their wares, buy their goods, or lucky enough to find a life outside of the village and only returned to see their old friends and family. And the Abyss had not opened yet, meaning there were no monsters to be wary of. The most he ever had to work at that point was when two teenage boys had a fist-fight over one of the girls.
His mother was like anyone else's in the village. She cooked, cleaned, and took care of him. Alexander tried hard to remember her face, but for some reason, he couldn't. The only memories he could gather about her before the Abyss was that she used to read him tales of Heroes.
They lived a quiet and content life in the peaceful village where nothing had ever happened. At this time, seven year old Alexander had wished for adventure. He had wanted to be a hero from the stories his mother read to him. He often caused trouble and made his parents worry, but he could never escape the boring peacefulness of his life... until the Abyss opened.
---
The Abyss first opened above the Royal Capital, sending hundreds of Abyssals to kill hundreds of people. The news made it quickly to Alexander's village, and the watchmen tried to be vigilant and ready. But nothing would prepare them for what was to come.
A fourth of the village were slaughtered. The watchmen started the battle with warcries and a strong will to fight... It took less than ten minutes for half of them to run in cowardice and the other half to struggle to a slow, painful death. Alexander's father was one of the smart ones that ran. The Abyssals pushed through the village with ease and eventually one of them found where Alexander and his mother hid. She died trying to protect him. And as everyone gave up hope and the Abyssals reached near the end of town, they were finally saved. A former Royal General had arrived with a few dozen soldiers. They were able to force the Abyssals to retreat. Alexander's village was considered lucky compared to attacks on other villages and towns.
The battle had lasted just under twenty minutes. The first five were fought by the watchmen, the next five was when they began to retreat, the last half was fought by the actual soldiers.
The village (and the land of Terra-Vi) eventually rebuilt, but with many of their men dying, the village was desperate for a strong leader. Then came Aaron Jet, a confident merchant with a group of mercenaries who helped rebuild the village back to normalcy, albeit by heavily taxing the people and turning many of them into debt-slaves for their bidding.
History would remember the Abyssal's attack on the village as a tragedy that could've been easily prevented by better training and weaponry. This was because the Abyssals that attacked the village weren't at all actually threatening by modern standards.
They were attacked by a small army of a hundred goblins... An entire village was almost brought to destruction by what was now considered "small-fry". Alexander's mother was killed and his father was sent to a drunken downward spiral by "small-fry". His life, as he knew it, was ruined by Abyssals seen as weaklings...
He often thought about that day
How his freedom and peaceful life was taken away. Not by the Abyss. But by his own lack of strength. By his own weakness.
---
Alexander shook himself out of his thoughts and quickly returned to scanning the area for Abyssala. But of course there weren't any more slimes or bugs to be seen in the fields and outskirts of the village. Alexander had been slaying them daily for a whole year at that point. He assumed that they must've moved into the forest to avoid being hunted. It was a logical explanation as he remembered them coming out of the forest multiple times.
However, nobody ever enters the forest. A few curious villagers have before, but nobody ever exits. Even the birds stay away from there.
Many theorize about nests of abyss-bugs or slimes that become threats due to their sheer number. Some even whisper of more dangerous creatures lurking there. Alexander gulped as he thought back to whispers he overheard from his caretakers about a possible Abyss opening in the forest.
Going into the forest was most definitely a risk, but a risk that he thought he had to take. He refused to spend one more day as a slave to his father's debts. This was finally his chance to live his own life, free from his father's sins... At that thought, he gripped his old dagger tight and walked towards the forest. And he whispered to himself in reassurance, "My fear will not take my freedom from me,"
---
Entering the forest made it seem like the day had suddenly ended with how dark the area was compared to the village outskirts. The trees blocked out nearly all sunlight and the calm quietness of the fields was replaced with the eerie silence and the feeling of being stared at by the trees. The only sounds Alexander could hear was his heartbeat and the crunching of twigs and leaves under his footsteps. He felt the dread increase with every step that took him deeper into the darkness and the staring trees. His hear beat quicker and his eyesight grew dimmer, soon the trees disappeared from his vision. Then, the sound of leaves and twigs under his feet was soon overtaken by his pounding heartbeat. His harsh, ragged breathing joined the drumming beat of his heart. He took his dagger out with shaky hands and continued down the dark path with trembling legs. They may have taken his freedom, but he would not let fear take it. Fear will not take his freedom. It's within his reach, he can't stop now. Freedom... freedom... freedom...
"Seven coins,"
Alexander jumped and awkwardly lowered his stance, readying himself to fight. Sweat poured down his face, his heavy breath painfully squeezed the air out of his lungs, and his weakened legs could barely hold his own weight. He wondered what was wrong with him. Hunger? Exhaustion? Stress? Fear? Poison? Magic? Why was he fighting just to stay standing?
"Your will is strong, lost one,"
"W-who's there!?" he yelled, cracking his voice.
"I'm not sure... An angel, maybe... or was I a devil? Perhaps a monster of the Abyss... maybe the Abyss itself?... I do not remember... For now, you can think of me as a simple shepherd," the voice replied. It seemed to come from every direction and echoed throughout Alexander's mind.
"What... do you... want?" he whispered, struggling to catch his breath.
"Seven coins. The price of your freedom,"
"Over... my... dead... body," the boy managed to growl out.
"I see... your freedom costs more than just 7 coins? You are willing to die for it?"
I fell to my knees as my legs finally exhausted its remaining strength.
"Then, this shepherd will set you free, lost one..." A woman -- no, a man appeared from behind a tree. He (or was it she?) had long, flowing hair that reached his shoulders. His hair seemed to be split into two colors. The right side was white and pure as snow, but the left was as dark as the night, somehow even darker than Alexander's own hair. He wore modest, simple gray robes with a white shirt and pants underneath. He was tall and had facial features that reminded Alexander of statues and paintings that decorated Mayor Jet's office... yet, had even more grace and elegence in her -- his stature. His eyes, however, were covered by a red blindfold.
His appearance shocked Alexander into speechlessness. Even in the darkness of the forest, he seemed to glow. The boy felt his breath return as the mystetious figure approached him. Only then did Alexander notice that he was dragging a sword across the ground. A dark blade with crimson dropping from its ends. He had recently used it.
"Lost one, I shall gift you the power to take your freedom," he said. His voice now calmed Alexander's heart and invited him to reply, "...how?"
"That is not an answer you need to know, nor the question you want to ask,"
"...why?"
He smiled and Alexander felt his legs regain their strength, "I can see myself in you... Your will to fight for your freedom... That fire in your eyes never died as I overpowered your spirit... your spirit is worthy..."
The thought of a life where he was free crossed Alexander's mind. In that thought -- no, in that memory, he was with his mother and she was reading him the old tales of righteous heroes, beautiful princesses, powerful magic, and great evils to be conquered that she usually read to him. He remembered crying to every story. He didn't know why, but maybe it was because even then, the heroes seemed so far away from him. And he thought about how his tiny hands could never save any princesses, conjure any powerful magic, or conquer any evil. She tried to comfort him by telling him that she and his father would always love him, no matter how strong he was.
He smiled at the thought. Her love for him got her killed. His father's love for him died with her. Now, he was alone with nothing but his own weakness and his father's failures passed down to him, "I accept..."
The mysterious man smiled and removed his blindfold, revealing bright, violet eyes that stared into my soul. He felt his body go limp and his eyes close. And before he drifted into unconciousness, he heard, "Gaze into the Abyss, and the Abyss will gaze into you. I curse you, Alexander Dezoment. This power is yours, but I mark you as a cursed one. Doomed by the Abyss... Fight against your fate, rebel against it,"