The weather was so dire that if anyone were to look at the sky, clouds of black and a few streaks of lightning crawling on it were the only things available in one's view. Constant roars of thunder could be heard all over the earth, shaking the very foundation of the entire world.
In the Kalayaan village, a small place where everyone was free to do anything they wanted, where there were no rules to follow other than the rules of the jungle, everyone living there, or even those who were there to pass by, were greatly shocked by the sudden phenomenon happening before their eyes. As far as their understanding would lead them, this sudden phenomenon was no less different than the sign of the end of the world.
Some people trembled in fear and tried to hide in the very corner of their house. They prayed to God to spare them at least somehow, promising that they would repent without fail just for God to forgive them and not bring them to the sea of fire.
Some people were rather nonchalant though. They watched the ire sky, thinking that it was only a sudden change of weather in an unusual way. Although it was rare, it was something that occurred occasionally as they thought that this, too, would soon pass.
But it was the fact that this sudden event was too rigorous. This made even the most arrogant man in the Kalayaan village frown over it. They felt like mere ants in the face of this storm, as though their lives could be taken away at any moment. Just what in the world was going on?! They all couldn't help but ask in their hearts.
However, would their power and understanding give them the answer? Of course not. Their low position in life and limited knowledge of the world would only let them think so far that this phenomenon was just an unsual change of weather or the sign of the end of the world. To what truly it was, they were bound not to learn it even when their bones had already turned into ashes.
And just as some of the people had expected, the rigorous weather soon changed. The rumbling of thunder calmed down as the thick dark clouds slowly dissipated. Until finally, the clear blue sky reigned over the land again.
Those people who were frowning over the sudden phenomenon, had their haughty grins back on their faces. As they thought, there was nothing to be feared. This unusual change of weather couldn't be a sign of the end of the world.
Meanwhile, those people who hid at the very corner of their house in extreme fear had become lively again. Upon noticing that the rigorous weather was slowly calming down, they all jumped for joy and left their burrow, ready to cause havoc in their wake.
They had forgotten that just a few moments ago, they were praying to God, promising him to repent for them to be forgiven and not be thrown down in the sea of fire.
Since this wasn't the end of the world, what's there to fear? What was important now was that they survived the imaginary event they thought was about to happen.
But the existence of these side characters wasn't important now.
Somewhere in the Kalayaan village, in one of the tall structures that stood there, the Heavenly Tavern, a group of six children, all of whom were about thirteen years old, could be seen gathered around. They were sitting by the small rectangular table, two for each of the longer sides while one for the shorter. A total of six.
Five of the six children had stern expressions. The five of them were looking at the other one, the boy sitting by the shorter side of the table with only one chair. Only he was sighing and had a bitter smile among them all.
This boy had deep black hair. His eyes were as black. The name was Dugo Zugath, the one who appeared to be the leader of this little group of kids.
But a marking could be seen on his right cheek, making him appear to be a slave of someone. However, despite that, his demeanor was no less different compared to those powerful Awakeners.
His nonchalant gaze was deep, making it hard to fathom whatever was in his mind. His disposition was firm, as though he would remain standing even if the sky fell on him.
In his hand, a flat and round object was resting. Its size was about his palm and it looked ancient. On its surface, the object was divided equally into six sections by a carved line. Each section had a symbol carved in the center of it.
And the symbols were: Heart, Eye, Fist, Horn, Tail, and a single Wing.
"As you all know, the task given to us was extremely hard. To say that it is impossible is not an exaggeration at all." Dugo, swept his gaze at the other kids around him as he said. But this time, his expression was exceedingly serious. His eyes flashed in a faint luster as he went on, "So if possible, I ask you all to agree and join in to form an unbreakable bond between us. Let us be sworn brothers and sisters, no betrayal even in the face of death."
"..."
For a moment, no one among the five other kids replied. But it could be seen that they were already considering the matter carefully.
"I have already said that I will follow you, Dugo. So I'm fine with it." Until then, one of the five children finally answered. She was Samantha, the one sitting next to the other girl on Dugo's right side. A slight smile appeared from her stern expression as he stared at Dugo intently.
Even without considering the matter carefully, Samantha could already tell the severity it held. There was no way she could achieve the 'task' given to them alone!
And since she accepted the power of the "eye symbol" just now, she was naturally prepared for the responsibility. There was no way that she would act carelessly and make the wrong choice.
Being with these people was naturally the best option she could have to achieve that impossible task. In fact, even with those people around her, it was still uncertain if they could ever achieve it. So, the best choice, was to form an unbreakable bond with these people.
But then, even if she didn't obtain the power of the symbol and received that impossible task, she would still follow and be with Dugo. Not to mention this guy was so mysterious, she felt that being with him was the greatest choice she could ever make in her life. So what was there to turn him down?