The blissful summer breeze finally graced the lands of the great Constantine Empire. Like any other, classes are parted to titles and while others indulge themselves to luxury our main character for this book was next to a baker.
The wood he had chopped was then placed on a sturdy wooden cart he made himself after seeing the innovative carrying piece of device made by a Franvir.
In a world where heavenly beings once resided on earth and walked its grounds, Constantine became the empire that homes all the descendants of the gods and goddesses. When the goddess of life, Buhay, decided to create humans to care for her former home, the classes was formed.
He is now residing in the Western Kingdom of the Constantine Empire where majority of the residents are humans. In short, they call this as the smoky mountain of Franvir also known as Free men, and slaves. The kingdom of lower race, the humans. Unlike any other kingdoms, the west lived like it was a large village. Almost everyone knows everyone and the King of the West is human as well, so he was compassionate to his people. Within that Kingdom is a place called the Golden Egg. Contrary to the name of the village, it is as simple as any other without the outside perspective. You go out of your house and you will find yourself a bakery, to the left is a furniture shop and a few more steps is the main market.
The boy whistled as his thinly arms pulled the handle of the cart with all his strength. Concentrating the force on his palms, his stomach naturally squeezed in effort. After awhile of futile attempts, he decided to lessen the weight and mentally noted to himself to go back for them later.
"Found some good chops today, kid?" A blacksmith smiled at the twelve year old boy, showing the last tooth hanging loosely on his upper gums.
The boy stopped and winked, "the rain had done some damage but it became a blessing in disguise." He told him.
"Nature must be a giving one."
After exchanging words with the people from the smithy, leaving them laughing to their hearts content, he went to the market stall vendors and the old ladies that sat on the worn out rags with their cards on the floor. They told stories of affairs and family feuds, even concluded a supposed theory that the Princess of the West Kingdom was to marry an Evangelos.
"HEAR ME!" A voice broke through the laughter. It was a scream with contempt as if the man was saying it towards the vast skies that he can't reach, "Make it known to me what is peace?!"
A man ran in the middle of the village, swinging his twig like a weapon. The children ran to their parents, the vendors moved their items to safety. The man swung his arms and pointed at the crowd that grew bigger.
"Everything is a lie! Everything!" he continued to shout.
The women beside the boy who delivers wood clicked her tongue and returned to her seat, shuffling her cards again for another round.
"That Crazy piece of lizard is awake again, huh." she muttered more to herself but her friends who heard that returned to their seats and set the stage for their card game.
Mr. Crayson is a known figure in Golden Egg. He is not a leader nor a general, but he is known for his mental condition. He frequently shouts, even in the middle of the night. He says things that was deemed absurd by the villagers. Once, he claimed that he was an Evangelos and that he survived the Great War then the next day, he'd claim he was human. His claims kept changing day by day.
Rumor has it that he truly was an Evangelos but others said he is born and raised in this very village. He is one of Golden Egg's mystery.
The delivery boy then brought the wood to a small establishment with its doors covered with cloth. He invaded that tiny space that keeps its privacy and drop the heavy handle on the floor.
"Sir. Emin! I brought the wood you ordered!" He called out to an empty room that had nothing but parchments, books and writings on the walls. It was a mess and not even a corner of his house left clean.
Emin, the owner of the house jumped in surprise from his slumber among his books. He scratched his beard and stretched his arms, making a sound as it unties the knots in his joints after sleeping on the cold floors with only a hard book as a pillow.
"What'ya got, kiddo?" He scratched his eyes carrying dark circles, "oh! The woods!"
Upon seeing the cart with his order, Emin walked up to it in attempt to get some pieces and burn his furnace with it. He had been eating cold soup during the chilly nights and it was just bad luck that he had ran out of his stock of wood. Fortunately, he met this twelve year old boy named Van.
Emin's forehead crumpled when Van covered the cart with his body, he glared at the man demanding,
"And the payment?"
The older man scowled, mentally cursing the kid for being stingy but then again, this side of him was one of the reasons why he liked transactions with Van. Despite this thin veil and his free entry, he never stole anything in his house and only cared to be paid with what is worth of his hard work.
With a scratch of his head, he lead the boy further inside his lair. From the entrance, the limited view can only give a bad impression because of its messy state. However, the inner part of his house is as astonishing. This was not the first time Van had visited his space, but new things keeps piling up that he can't help but be amazed everytime.
Last time, he discovered a small piece of jewelry that has the colors of the sun when it sets. Apparently, it is made of pure gold and is used as a mere piece of clothing in the Holy City — the capital of Constantine.
As they walked in deeper, Van noticed an unfamiliar artifact that he had not seen since he visited last. Noticing that the kid was not following him, Emin looked back with his languid eyes. He went beside the curious boy and showed him the item.
"My partner found this far west of the border," he told him as he fidled with the lock and finally opened the brown box.
"Far west? Isn't that an abandoned place where notorious tribes used to live in?"
"That crazy woman knows no bounds."
Emin twisted a protruding key like thing by the side of the box a few times and only until when he released it did it made a tune, making Van stare at it in awe.
"In the capital, they call this as a music box." Emin educated him, "sometimes, noble women put their jewelries here. It's often gifted by a love one or a friend."
"But where does the sound come from?"
"It is generated by magic of course!"
Van, who was full of skepticism grabbed the box and placed it near his ears. When the song ended, he twisted the knob like thing and listened carefully. After a few seconds, he handed the box back to Emin and narrowed his eyes.
"Come on, its mechanically generated." The kid told him, entering the room where, what serves his memory right, is the original home base of knowledge.
Emin laughed mockingly, "how can a brat like you distinguish from magic and mechanic?"
Van never got to experience proper education unlike other privileged youngsters so his primary knowledge first came from survival second, his curiosity and third from Emin himself.
"Your knowledge had gone rusty?" Van mocked him instead and sat on the chair, "should I run this place instead?"
"This brat!"
"I remembered such mechanism before," He truthfully answered this time and looked at the papers laid down on his long table situated in the middle of the room, "my mother told me how to differentiate them."
With the integration of magic and mechanics that also serves as a sign of peace between the Evangelos and Humans, time could only tell where the recent technology from two different subjects with contradicting principles and theories could go. It went far as to blur the lines between magic and science so it really was hard to tell the two apart. However may that be, what caught Emin's attention was something else.
At the mention of his mother, Emin flinched. Van is an orphan that the slums took care of. He is a bright child but no one knows exactly what his history is all about. He had mentioned some of his past, but he seldom tells a story.
Emin's curiosity ate him up, he wanted to know where his knowledge came from. He wanted to know why such a gem is living in a mud.
"And what had your mother said about it?" Emin was trying to be careful, a rapport is the best strategy to make him open up, but this child is like a porcupine.
"Speaking of my mother, my payment must be this one right?" Van smiled as he waved the two papers with a sketch of a map on a small brown parchment.
Annoyed, he pushed the child away from his chair and sat down comfortably, "as information said, it's probably located on the encircled area of that map." Emin sighed.
Van observed the paper and it was drawn as accurate as it can be. The encircled area is quite far from where he is, but within a few days, he will surely reach the place.
"What is that place even?" Emin can't help but ask him.
Van gave out smile, "the home country of my mother, I'm going home."
The older man was surprised with the news, but he immediately schooled his expression. When the transaction was done, Van went out of his place with a cheeky smile,
"Thank you for the full payment!" He waved the papers, "your order is not complete, by the way!"
Emin froze on his spot and looked at the cart of logs that truly is short in number. Before he could nag at him, the boy's figure disappeared and he could only grumble curses. He took back his past compliments.
The older man picked up the heavy metal handle of the cart and pulled it inside his home.
"Bloody—!"
He stumbled. His eyes widening upon seeing that familiar leather boots and corset, showing the curvy figure of a woman. Her ginger hair flowed vibrantly down to her waist as she wait for him.
"Hey Emin!" She greeted him with a grin, "feel suffocated yet?"
"Trespasser medal will be hanging on your neck soon."
She laughed at his reply, mumbling how this man had never changed over the years that they had not met. The ginger haired woman sat on the table with her legs crossed, her bright eyes examining his humble place.
"Heard your meeting with the kid, did he not know the place he was going is a dangerous land?" She told him.
"He said it's where his mother lived." Emin replied with a heavy sigh as he organized some other books away from his chimney. The two looked at each other knowingly.
"A half-ling?"
Emin shook his head, "still no sign."
"Does he know?"
"The kid is like a porcupine, he seldom slip up about his mother nor his father." He sat on the floor, "Seeing you here, there must be a problem in the capital." Emin guessed, not really interested in the possible events. He expected another joke from the visitor but her grim expression alarmed him.
"There is..."
"What is it?"
"The hero, Eoghan Vangelis Martell is dying."
A news that was first discovered in the house of Martell reached the ears of Emin from the far west of Constantine. He lost all his strength.