Beverly cleared her throat.
Nico narrowed his eyes. He felt there was more to her words than she had let on.
Deciding it was a conversation for another time, he dutifully stored that piece of information in the back of his mind. Being hunted to the ends of the world by a group of angry beasts was not on his to-do list.
"What about the other races, then?" The boy asked.
The ginger-haired woman heaved a sigh of relief. She inwardly smirked. It seemed as if Cynthia's son knew when not to ask questions. An excellent trait if you wanted to live longer, she thought.
Shaking her head, Beverly answered. "Well… The Elves and fairies mostly keep to themselves. As long as you don't steal any of their crops, you'll be okay. Dwarves, however, are a different breed altogether. To put it simply… don't insult their creations in front of them. If you must, do it where no one can hear you. You'll save yourself a lot of needless trouble that way."
Nico's mouth twitched. He wanted to ask how his mother's childhood friend knew all this but refrained. The boy couldn't shake off the feeling that she had learnt this through personal experience, though.
As the wyvern continued flapping its wings, the boy eventually became lost in his own thoughts. He recalled the memories of his early childhood when he and the rest of his peers in the same generation were unaware of the harsh reality of this world. Life was peaceful.
The day his parents had sat him down, however, and explained to him the current status quo of the world, his emotions had experienced a great upheaval.
Shock. Rage. Confusion.
To say that Nico's worldview had come crumbling down would be an understatement. Finding that the peace he had experienced early in his life was nothing but a frail illusion left the brown-haired boy at a loss.
Ever since he had learnt of the alien invaders, Demons, who sought to take over his world under the command of their ruler, the Devourer of Souls - one of the seven mighty Transcendent that lorded over all creation - the boy began noticing the dark undercurrents swirling beneath the surface.
It did not take him long to note that nestled behind the facade of peace and prosperity, large swathes of tension ran through the world. The Demons were becoming increasingly rampant with their attacks.
The Descender Association was desperately conscripting more and more recruits to combat this. Still, that did nothing to ease the precarious situations many people found themselves in on a daily.
Nico began paying more attention to the Descenders, fearsome warriors who fought on the front lines against the invaders. They were the elite force Crelerath offered. The best of the best.
Ranging from heaven-defying talent, astonishing mastery over combat, and a furious determination to repel these corrupted abominations from the core of their being. There was a reason Descenders were famed all over the world.
They were the strongest.
Nico hoped to emulate that strength.
No, he had to.
The boy clenched his fists tightly.
That incident had strengthened his already obsessive desire to grow more powerful and vanquish the Demons that were threatening to take over his world. Nico didn't want other kids to grow up and one day find that they had taken their peace for granted. Just like him.
In addition, as long as one Demon remained in Crelerath, there still existed the risk of his family dying at the hands of those repulsive beings. Nico wanted to prevent that at all costs.
Besides, what better way out there to become a mighty warrior than to be bathed in Demon blood?
Nico grinned darkly.
Shifting his gaze, he stared at the horizon. The blue skies had dimmed a little, a sign of the passaging time. They were coming closer to the East Leaf Wilderness with every passing second.
As far as he knew, the nearest city - the City of Valdence - was little more than a quarter of an hour away from the Training Camp and fell under the domain of the Bellson Family, a large-sized noble house who had deep ties with the Merchant Association.
The East Leaf Wilderness was a place of strategic importance for the merchants, who sought to hunt the elusive Shadow Fang Leopards. A rare species famed for having fine pelts and hides used in creating luxurious fabric for those in the upper class of society.
Demand was high.
This species of leopard were bordering on extinction. Because of being mercilessly hunted by hordes of avaricious tradespersons seeking to line their own pockets, they had retreated into the depths of the woodland.
Now, only an occasional sighting here or there from passing travellers allayed people's fears that they had gone extinct.
With a sigh, the boy studied the female in front of him.
Dressed in red robes with a scythe embroidered on the seams, she appeared eye-catching. Her ginger hair flapped in the wind. Nico had to dodge a few strands of her hair to keep them from whacking him in the face… or, even worse, getting in his mouth.
"Hey, Aunt Beverly. Can you tell me about your job as a Temple Priestess?"
Not expecting such a random question, Beverly took a few seconds to form her response.
"If I'm being brutally honest, it's boring. I miss my action-packed days as a Descender. All I do now is just praise the Ancestor, make sure that everything is in order, lead some prayer services for those who want to worship and sort through a load of paperwork…" she grumbled. "...The only reason I signed up to become a priestess in the first place was to gain access to the historical archives that ordinary clergy members lack the clearance to retrieve. I never knew it would be this boring, though."
'Interesting...'
"Can you tell me any historical secrets? Or perhaps something related to the prophecy?" Nico hid the smirk that appeared on his face.
If he knew anything about his aunt, it would be that she loved talking about ancient history. Especially if asked about it.
The prophecy he had mentioned suddenly came into existence sixteen years ago, stating that the Oracle - the royal advisor to the Dragon King and a once powerful warrior who had laid waste to many Demons, besides sending waves of fear through his opposition during the Second Great War - foresaw a harrowing calamity destined to befall Crelerath in the coming future.
Initially, many people panicked but soon calmed down after remembering the existence of Transcendent Temples. They had faith in their ability to protect them.
Now that Nico thought about it, there wasn't much known about the Prophecy. The details were purposefully kept vague.
He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
Nico wanted to see if he could get any extra information regarding the Prophecy.
"Unfortunately, no can do, kid." The brown-haired boy failed to see the ginger-haired woman clutch her face. The hue of her caramel-brown eyes morphed into a crimson shade.
She inwardly cursed.
'This damn prophecy!'
Beverly gritted her teeth. She found the pain flare up, robbing her of the ability to speak, whenever she thought of disclosing the more clandestine details of the Prophecy.
Just as Nico was about to protest and ask for the reason why, she cut him off. "T-This is for your own benefit. The less you know, the better. At least until you have grown strong enough…" Beverly silently panted before she continued as if nothing was wrong. "However, I can tell you this. After perusing through the Temple's archives, I discovered traces of an Ancient Empire that lived long before Dungeons and Demons descended onto our world."
Nico's ears perked up.
"The Archives stated them to have been master Crafters, even greater than that of the Dwarves. Their natural affinity for Metal and the combined knowledge they had gathered over eons made them fearsome opponents. Since you're a curious little bugger, can you help me?" Beverly took a shaky breath.
She had successfully paused the advance of the crimson energy.
For now…
"Sure…" the brown-haired boy replied, unsure of why his mother's best friend required his help.
"If you ever come across the symbol of a circle embedded within an upside-down triangle, let me know immediately," Beverly spoke with a serious tone.
Nico promised to keep an eye out in case he ran into it in the future. Soon, a comfortable silence descended on the duo. An hour later, Blackie passed through a set of towering mountain peaks, before slowly descending.
As they continued to dive, advancing past a barren mountain, the outline of a forest appeared in Nico's vision.
Tall, healthy trees rose into the air. Their canopies must have provided plenty of shade to the forest dwellers, the boy thought. He squinted. Just at the cusp of the entrance to the woodland, three buildings made of lumber stood.
He could barely just make out what seemed to be three monuments erected in front of the wooden structures. Their metallic surface reflected the glare of the sun, almost blinding Nico.
From high above, it looked like an outpost guarding the world against the dreadful horrors habituating the depths of this wilderness. The wyvern glided for a few moments and soon landed on the ground with a thud. Its claws left a lasting imprint on the earth.
Nico jumped off the creature's back. His pack slung over his shoulders.
Gazing ahead, he found they were in a large clearing. The ground beneath their feet was dry, yet possessed an ever so slight softness to it as if it had rained a day or two before.
A cursory glance revealed many other trainees standing in place, waiting to be let in. Huge metal gates barred them from entering.
With Blackie's imposing features, many people began looking his way.
Nico shuddered, feeling their curious gazes on his skin. Ignoring the stares, he turned back to bid Beverly farewell.
"See ya later, kid." The woman reached down and ruffled the boy's hair. An action which caused his cheeks to turn bright red. Beverly's mischievous smirk was the last thing Nico saw before she and her mount soared off into the sky and left.
Nico was now all alone.
He had made it to the Training Camp.
***
After a few seconds, Nico felt the heat in his cheeks disappear. Straightening his posture, he tried to salvage any remaining crumbs of dignity he had left after that woman's mortifying displaying of affection.
It was at least better than what his mother would have done. Just imagining the embarrassing things Cynthia would have done if she travelled with them caused Nico to cringe inwardly.
The brown-haired boy shook his head.
He had a proper look at his surroundings this time.
The first thing he noticed was that the trainees had separated themselves into different groups.
To the far right, there were those who were well-dressed and carried themselves with a noble air. Quite a few had haughty expressions on their faces, sending disdainful glances towards the other novices.
In the middle - the group with the largest number - the trainees had a laid-back air to them. Most were brimming with confidence, however, the occasional one or two seemed as if the nerves and the wait were eating them alive.
Last, to the far left, a sole person stood. He paid no heed to the jeers of the other students, particularly those who came from the heirs of the upper echelons of society. A numb look was perpetually on his face.
Red hair with tanned skin, a stocky yet tall physique. Pointed ears. A golden shield in his grasp. He studiously cleaned the aegis often, making sure it gleamed brightly in the sun's light.
Nico gasped.
'A half-blood.'
It all made sense now.
The reason that person stood all on his own was purely because he was a half-blood. In Crelerath, most people ostracised half-bloods, viewing them as something impure.
And for that very reason, half-bloods usually had a rough childhood. Not accepted by society and having no race with which to call home, they had to learn how to fend for themselves at an early age.
Nico sighed and decided. Walking up to the stocky male who still had hints of youthful innocence on his weathered face, the brown-haired boy stood beside the shunned hybrid. A determined expression took hold of his features.
He had nothing against half-bloods. In fact, he viewed them with the utmost respect. He truly admired their grit - never mind the fact that half-bloods often ended up being the strongest warriors in times of need.
From experience, Nico knew that when someone found themselves surrounded by darkness, hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel, all it took was one person to reach their hand out. One person to show their belief and the impenetrable blackness would not seem so daunting any more.
So he might as well try… and gain the friendship of an excellent warrior-to-be along the way.
Nico grinned.
The red-haired youth beside him sent a quizzical glance in his direction but said nothing.
He had already learnt a harsh lesson in the past about expecting things from others. For now, he would see how events played out before coming to a judgement.
"You there, with the birthmark. Kindly step away from that half-blood." An extremely arrogant voice streamed into Nico's ears. Just hearing that grating voice for the first time, was enough to set the boy on edge.
An instant dislike sprouted in Nico's chest.