A Galaxy unregistered on the map of the Void Heaven Tower.
Human Realm.
A Valley presents itself from its obscure entrance, surrounded by mountains. In the middle of the Valley, exists a village or town as it seems to have the capacity to contain over a hundred thousand people just based on the building distribution.
This is Saryo Valley Town.
This is the only place Tatio had known his whole life. Tatio was a small boy with a wiry build, grass-like black hair, brown eyes and a slit pupil like a snake's, his brown and rough skin also look like snake scales.
In a town filled with humans and dwarves, he stood out more than everyone else in the town. That's why he hates the town, his appearance attracts too much attention and trouble to him. He is one of the town freaks.
Tatio was walking in the town market, with his whole body covered from head to toe, not allowing one bit to show. He was going to buy provisions and medicine for his sick mother, he could make a mistake any other day but today was not one of those days.
Standing in front of a roadside peddler, he waited for the customer he met there to finish their transactions before he came up to the peddler. A middle-aged woman who seem to be impatient, "What do you want?", she barked without raising her head to look at him.
"Udoos root ma'am," Tatio said as respectful as he could be while hoping the price is not too much for him to bear. The Udoos is a plant that is commonly seen at the base of the mountains making it a fairly risky venture to harvest some of them, the leaves and the fruit are useful for making a medicinal bath for the warrior children who could afford them. The root is quite useless but it could still be used to enhance the medicinal nature in some medicinal broth but that is a general perception.
Tatio knew it could be used for more than that as he'd read in a book his father had left behind for him. His father was one of the healers in the town before his death, so his book should hold some credibility to them since the rest had pretty much been stolen by now. As for the rest of the herbs needed he'd gathered what he could find at the plain surrounding the town not daring to go far from the town with wolves and other beasts roaming the whole field and mountain. That was also the reason he'd settle to just buy the root, if he were to be found with the whole plant, it might incite the greed of others.
"Ten coppers!" She demanded, sensing her annoyance he quickly paid the amount and left the place, seeking to quickly return home.
"Why are the number of merchants coming to our town increasing in number?" A murmur entered Tatio's ears as he was leaving trying to leave the market, not bothering himself with the gossip Tatio wanted to return home but the market was crowded. Far more crowded than what was normally seen.
"I heard that there was a prophecy of a great evil coming." Another person did a poor job whispering.
"Yeah... I think the demon god's people have recuperated enough to attack the human worlds now." One said with his tone implying his confidence in his information, "The prophecy spoke of a great evil in the thousand realms with a god servant and a demigod."
"Where did you hear that?" Someone asked.
"My brother is a servant of the town lord's manor... He said the old heroes of five thousand years ago would be creating an academy for all. The new generation of heroes would emerge from there to battle the great evil." The informer claimed confidently, "If you are lucky enough to get admitted, a spot on the demon-destroying army is already guaranteed. It is the same as rising into the heavens with a single step."
"All nobles are already preparing, it is said that the grand opening would be in five years."
"The Juneron empire also intends to create another academy for only humans who would be in charge of defending the human realms, this only pales in comparison to the Hero academy."
"J...Juneron? You mean the top empire in the human world?" Someone said astonishingly. Even people at the edge of the world such as them know of the Top three empires in the human world. Juneron empire is an empire of magic, the Aruthus empire is an empire of knights and swords and the last is the Umbryon empire.
Umbryon empire is an empire dedicated to the worship of gods, Umbryon the god of light and the primordial beginning is the strongest of all the gods and the lead opposition against his brother Emrod the one from darkness and the leader of the demon pantheon.
Now that Emrod is planning to attack a thousand worlds with his demon horde, Umbryon would surely help them bring peace to the mainland as he'd done five thousand years ago.
"Indeed, I heard that recruiters for the Juneron Academy would be here anytime soon. This is the reason merchants are entering our town." The informer concluded causing all including Tatio who had unknowingly reduced his walking speed.
Tatio looked around and saw everyone who had been listening, he picked up on their emotions, The informer was emitting satisfaction, excitement and expectation. Tatio, knowing his abilities concluded that the informer was most likely sent by the town lord to spread the information covertly. This excited him too, who would have thought he would be born in an era of legends, maybe he could join the army of the hero and gain some glory for his mother. He promised himself his mother would never go hungry or sick again while he could do something about it.
This thought followed Tatio as he moved towards his house at the edge of the slums in the town.
Moving past an alley, Tatio felt a strong emotion of hatred from the corner and without thinking he ducked.
WHIZZ!!!
A sharp sound resounded, as a wooden sword blown by his hair, taking a bit of it. His hood was now opened and his face was open for all to see.
"Haha!!... I told you the freak would dodge it!" A familiar and hateful voice resounded as Tatio looked up.
He was already surrounded by a group of five boys, around age 15, their leader was wearing leather armour, and a gauntlet while holding the wooden sword that missed Tatio. His looks were ordinary with brown hair and pupils, the only outstanding thing about him was his build. Despite being fifteen years he was built like an adult.
"Dario..." Tatio spat, his hateful nemesis's name is Dario Saryo, the son of the town lord and his everlasting bully.
"Freak, what have I always told you about uttering my name?" Dario responded with a rhetorical question followed by a kick which caught Tatio in the guts, sending him sprawling back into the alley he popped out of.
HAHAHAHA
"Freaks are freaks, see him struggling to get back up." The boys jeered at him, surrounding him.
Tatio struggled to get up but was kicked back down by another, before being dragged by the arms deep into the alley.
Cough Cough
Tatio coughed as he sensed the emotions surrounding him. Fear, disgust, anger, hatred, pleasure and one which gives him the tenacity to endure everything... Jealousy.
The ability to sense the emotions of the people around him was something he'd always have, something he was born with same as his inhuman appearance. Of course, his appearance isn't the cause of jealousy, it's his aptitude. They were tested a month after birth and Tatio had a grade seven talent which was far more than anyone ever recorded in the town. Only the children of nobles had that type of talent but instead of nurturing him, he was abandoned by the town leaders.
This made Tatio feel special. At least all was not lost on him but while Tatio was enduring the attacks he felt something abnormal. He felt malice.
Unknown to him, while Dario had always been jealous of his talent, Dario never feared him as he did today. Dario always thought of himself as the next leader of the town, so he never did more than bully Tatio but the situation changed a few days ago when he heard the news from his father.
Initially, Dario was ecstatic about the prospect of being brothers-in-arms with the hero, he forgot about Tatio who was the only one in the current generation with better talent than him. He was discussing it with his friends when one of them, Miho, informed him about Tatio. When the possibility of Tatio being picked over him surfaced, it annoyed and scared him to the extreme. The bullying lesson today is the result of annoyance.
Tatio had no idea what was going through their head even after he felt the malice, he expected it to be the normal routine of beatings.
"We should break him!" A voice said, startled Tatio looked up to catch the face of the speaker. Average bothering ugly, with a nasty pimple beside his mouth, Tatio knew him well and if Tatio and another does not exist he would probably be the freak of the town. His name is Miho, the worst one and the one Tatio dreaded the most. While almost everyone feared, was disgusted by him and even jealous of his aptitude. Miho takes it ten steps further.
Miho is the most cowardly and self-conscious of all their age. He always expressed an extreme amount of fear of Tatio, he was also the most dangerous one, the one always trying new ways to hurt him. The devil whispering into the ears of the group. He was the one who hit him first years ago, before that it was just mocking words. The first to smash a club on his head.
If those were the limit, he wouldn't terrify Tatio. His emotion while doing it could be likened to that of a street rat tasting royal delicacies for the first time. It went beyond excitement. it is this conflict between his pain and the excited feedback he receives from Miho that scares Tatio.
"What--?" The rest were also surprised. This was breaking new grounds, they'd beaten him Tatio frequently that he might have fractured some bones in the process but they had never aimed to break him before. This looked like a new realm they were breaking into.
"Yes... If we break his bones or mind he won't be present for the selection tomorrow." Miho said, his face looking ugly, "So we break him or he climbs us."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The alley was silent for a moment before Dario commanded, "At him!!!"
The boys surrounded Tatio as they start to beat him mercilessly. Blood was dripping from him as he went unconscious and came to multiple times during the beating. But all these details do not seem to faze his tormentors as they were purposefully being cruel on this day.
A few moments into the beating and Dario commanded softly, "Stop!"
"Hoist him." He ordered them as he held him up by his arms, his legs dangling, Tatio was going into shock from the abuse he suffered from his torturers. Holding his right arm taut, Dario brought down the wooden sword on the elbow joint skilfully.
BAM!!
The expecting bone-breaking sound was unheard as a tender palm held the wooden sword in place.
"What--?" They all flinched as they looked at the hand, before they could talk, a scene that would forever be etched in their minds happened.
Following the hand, other parts of the body were revealed as if they came from a portal, revealing a silhouette standing just before them as if he had been there all the while.
The person standing there was a tall boy, with wheat-coloured skin, hair black like the abyss, and total black eyes with many colours swirling around in them. His face was devilishly handsome and his ears were a little bit elongated like a vampire's or a half-elf.
"Why?" His voice was soothing almost making their anger vanish, they all know who he is, he is the hermit's son and the second town freak. No one knows his name, but they know he is getting in their way.
"Shadowless bastard get---" Miho, the most cowardly one lashed out with his mouth in a moment of extreme duress but was kicked away before he could finish his statement.
Shadowless, this is something people noticed after many times of being distracted by his handsome face. He does not have a shadow. He does not talk, he arrives at the town every sixth day of the week and he just watches civilization as if it is a strange concept to him. He has no shadow, and people have claimed that he is a ghost, causing many strange rumours to emerge about the hermit.
"Why?" He repeated the first question he asked.
"What do you mean, Why?" Dario was the first to snap out of the shock, "After everything we've done?"
"Stay out of our business or you get it!"
The guy still stood there like a zombie without his master, confused he uttered without leaving the sword.
"Get him!!" Dario was pissed so he hollered at the rest of his crew, from the way Miho was launched they figured that they can't handle him alone.
Letting go of the sword, Dario punched out at the confused guy, who dodged it as he staggers forward.
"Bastard!!" Dario screamed when he realized that he'd missed.
Shadowless kicked forward, catching another one in the face sending him sprawling unconscious making two down. Using the recoil from the kick he appeared before Dario who had just gotten his balance, with a sweep of his legs, Dario finds the ground getting closer. Dario quickly realized his face was about to reach the ground, he tries to move his hands to support himself only to feel a blow behind his head.
With his legs on Dario's head, Shadowless looked at the remaining two standing lackeys, "Hmm... I'm done."
With that said, he moved towards Tatio who was already down half-conscious, "Don't do that." He said.
The two lackeys, who were sneaking up behind him to attack him quickly dropped their weapons and moved back to carry the rest out of the alley, leaving Tatio and his saviour.
Looming over Tatio, Shadowless studied him for a few minutes before hitting him rhythmically on his chest.
Cough Cough Hack Cough Cough
Tatio started coughing violently, spitting out some volume of blood and bile. This continued until his situation stabilized, while shadowless stayed by his side until he could see Tatio rousing before he disappeared.