A stake ran through the person's stomach as if it was nothing. Blood flowed on the already ruined deck like it was water. Severed arms and even intestines filled the already sinking ship. Fire ate everything on its path.
Vega crouched shakily inside a surprisingly intact barrel. His teeth chattered. His body couldn't handle the cold anymore. Luckily fire, threatening to eat him, was subdued by the platter of the rain that slowly got heavier, washing away the blood and body to the ocean.
He regretted his choice boarding the ship to get away from his old life in the city. With only tattered clothes on his body and the magical water pouch, he looked desperately at the sinking ship.
####
Vega ran and hid inside an empty tavern. The musky smell of the dust on and rotten alcohol made him scrunch his nose. The door was opened, peeking out, it wasn't the guard, but a man wearing a sailor outfit holding an old paper that looked slightly similar to a map.
"We have to go here!"
"But captain, there's nothing there!"
"Listen, I heard there are several islands beyond this area. No one explored the place yet. We can be the first and plunder the whole riches for us!"
Vega had eavesdropped on the ship's captain from under the table listening to the plan. The captain talked to three men debating whether they want to go through with the crazy plan or not. The captain hid his agenda to get his own promotion. Nothing beats the feeling of holding a treasure chest on his own. With a little bit of persuasion, all of the crew nodded hesitantly.
Even though he had known the plan was crazy, Vega didn't have any choice. He chose the unknown adventure rather than getting caught to rot in jail, for a crime he didn't commit.
At early dawn, Vega tiptoed hiding from the guards on the port, and looked around for a place for him to stay on the ship comfortable. Several empty barrels on the side of the ship invited him in. Luckily, his body was still small, and he fit perfectly inside. The only problem was the musky smell on the barrel, but he hoped with time he got used to it.
After a while, from the slight cervix on the barrel, he saw darting legs running left and right preparing the ship to take off. He was elated knowing that his journey going to start. Finally, getting away from his awful life being a homeless orphan living on the streets. He smiled waiting until the ship took off.
Inside the barrel, Vega didn't know how long he had stayed hiding inside the barrel. His leg had started to hurt and his throat was tired from consuming the bread that started to stale. He gulped the water from the magical water pouch he got from his grandfather. He used the water to push the bread inside his stomach and kept living until he landed on an island.
Unfortunately, his life would change forever when the sound of metal clashing and shouting woke him up. The last thing he remembered, the ship had already gone quiet. Pushing the barrel lid open, he peeked outside looking at the sight before him. Everything was a mess. The smell of the blood and spilled alcohol assaulted his nose. The stale bread he had just taken tried to escape. Fast, he climbed out from the barrel and vomited emptying his stomach.
Hoping to find something for him to eat, he scoured the ship's deck to find anything for him but found nothing. He sat down crying knowing that his life might be over.
A rough poking on his shoulder from a slender finger woke Vega up. He saw three blurry silhouettes standing tall in front of him.
"Who is he? Is he okay?"
"Of course, he is not okay! Look at him wearing that!"
"Shush, be quiet. See! Look at his eyes! So creepy. Why is it red like that?"
Vega noticed the melodic voice belonged to a beautiful girl with her yellow hair flapping dryly under the wet rain. He wiped his crusty eyes, blinked, and saw the people behind her. The strangers' faces were clean, without dirt, with a hint of blue eyes. Even the boy and the girl behind the leader had a clean white robe on them that seemed to repel the water from the rain that was still splattering on his skin. All wore a weird leather strap on their waists, seemingly holding their bulging pouch.
"Here, drink this!" The girl who stood closer to him offered a weird flask containing a green liquid.
Vega saw the fingers that were holding the flask long and pretty; the girl wore an expensive ring on her index finger with a dark red color crystal.
Vega shook his head. Knowing that anything being offered by a stranger, a noble at that, wouldn't do him any good. The rejection brought fury from her followers.
"You….!" the similar-looking boy and girl stopped talking once they saw their sister lifting her hand stopping them.
"Stop it, Mola and Mila."
"But he is rude, sister," said the boy, Mola. His sister nodded, agreeing with his brother.
"No problem, but after we search the ship, we'll bring him to the elders. We can get contribution if he has the talent," the leader spoke softly, almost to a whisper.
Vega felt his throat dry and took a sip from the pouch. The three newcomers took notice of it, and Mila snatched the pouch. "Give it back!"
"A simple yet crude magic item," she said, sneering. She threw the pouch back to the kid. Feeling the glare of her older sister, she stuck her tongue out.
The older sister shook her head and looked back at Vega.
"No, we're not going to take your pouch. It's not that impressive." The leader paced around the ship and occasionally raised her hand doing something strange.
"Uhmm, who are you?" Vega looked around the trio curiously.
"Of course, we're from around him. Dummy!"
Here? At the edge of the map? Even pirates want to avoid visiting this place. Vega's knowledge of the continent was only based on the map he sometimes saw inside the bar he visited running errands for his late grandfather.
"Where? Everything was just water," he replied pointing at the ocean surrounding the sinking ship.
The sister answered coldly, "Near the island. I know you can't go anywhere, so just follow us." She offered her hand.
Vega hesitated, but then if he stayed here, his life would be over. So finding his confidence, he hesitantly put his dirty hand on the leader.
The girl frowned holding the dirty hand but then regained her bearing. After she helped the boy stand, she wiped her hand behind her robe, feeling disgusted.
"What's your name? I'm Druvinnia Helshound."
"I'm Vega. Nice to meet you, Dru..vain?" Vega tasted the weird-sounding name but still couldn't get the accent right.
"No, just call me Vin." She frowned, hearing the weird pronunciation of her name, and decided that the boy wasn't from any place that knew her status.
Vin walked briskly to the edge of the deck and waved her hand. From her pouch, she took a magic item. The boat grew bigger until it landed on the calm water.
Vega's mouth opened wide, shocked by the weird magical thing that had happened before him. 'A wizard!' The word comes to his mind. After seeing the hand waving toward him, he woke up from the stupor and approached the trio waiting for him. When he arrived close to them, he felt his feet lose touch with the wooden deck. His body floated.
Flailing his arms wildy, Vega was afraid of the empty space under his feet. 'Am I floating?' Sensing that the laugh was directed at him, he tried to calm himself but failed.
"What's happening?" He said after landing on the firm magical boat.
Vin and the twins ignored his questions. He shrugged and just sat down. The wooden hull was surprisingly soft, and he sat there comfortably.
The journey felt relaxing compared to the traumatizing journey he just had. Vega looked around. The calm water surrounded him, curious about what awaited him when the boat reached the land.
Once, he heard water splashing around him and a silhouette of a giant water creature. The trio knew what they were doing, and each took something and dropped them into the water. A bright spark followed, and a ringing sound reached his ears.
The ringing sound stopped making the monster chasing them sink back down. Vega relaxed afterward. The boat rocked but traversed the water calmly. He only sat there while occasionally drinking the water from the pouch. He knew his stomach was on the edge of asking for more food. He could only pray so he could step back on the land.
The vision around him changed, and his eyesight worsened. The mist rolled slowly, covering his view. He only saw a slight glow on the head of the ship. An exchange of weird noise and the boat still moved to part the fog around him. After a while, Vega saw the mist dissipate.
He could finally see the land got closer and closer. He saw shadows of buildings filling the edge of the island. In the middle of the island, a mountain stood alone. The tip emitted flashes of light. Vega saw a group of people run fast approaching the port. They all lined up neatly, forming two lines.
The boat arrived slowly. After Vega stepped his foot on the deck, the boat disappeared inside Vin's pouch.
Looking around he saw the people bowed toward Vin. But Vega noticed their movements were stiff as if they were robots. He noticed in the middle of each person's forehead. A stone, not bigger than a thumb, was embedded in each of them. The color and the stone reminded him of the ring worn by Vin. The faces that were greeting him showed little to no expression. His skin crawled at the sights. He walked faster and followed the trio who was ahead. Not daring to look behind.
Vega looked curiously around the stalls littering the beach. At the stalls, around the port, ordinary people, at least, muttered, arguing about some prices. Some agreed, shook their hands, and swapped items—various items are displayed on the stalls. Foods, accessories, weapons, and clothes were some normal-looking items. Sometimes Vega spotted a weird-looking apparatus and glittering stones being sold on the stalls. Knowing that the items were unlike the normal items he find in the city, he couldn't wait to live his life here.
Not long, the group finally arrived in front of a building made from sturdy wooden planks. The trio bowed; Vega looked left and right and followed. After waiting a long time, he heard a noise. Stealing glances, he saw a figure come out of the building. The person wore several accessories on her. He spotted a long silver necklace, three bangles on each wrist, and a blue cloth wrapped around her head.
"Elder," Vin started. "Nothing's on the ship. No sign of people and no trace of magic used."
The woman in question frowned, "It's okay. I'll ask the head to talk to the Tower."
The woman finally noticed Vega behind the line. With her gaze, Vega felt his head pound and a trickle of liquid from his nose. He wiped it and saw the blood on his fingers. After the woman drew her gaze, the pounding on his head subsided.
"Who?" She said tilting her head at Vega's direction.
"A survivor we found on the ship. His age qualifies him for testing." Vin bowed.
"Bring him to the old Gondor; you know the rules. If he is found to have talent, you can get the added contribution." The woman said, turned her back towards the group, and returned inside.
Vega could only walk following Vin. Who is Master Grondor, he didn't know. But at least he was safe from his old life. The sand on his feet felt soft and a little hot. Living on the island could be a huge change for him.
A couple of groups with several kids around his age followed their guide. Like Vin, all of the guides were similar to Vin's age but they mostly had darker skins compared to his group. Vin, Mola, Mila, and he had lighter skin. It could be because Vega lived in the city his whole life, but the three could be because of their status. Everywhere Vega landed his eyes, light skin like Vin, Mola, Mila, or even him, was a rarity on the island.
His group merged with the others and they arrived at the testing place. Looking at the tall palm trees waving around, Vega was sure that he had arrived in a different land. He noticed a basin filled with water in the middle of the clearing. A man wearing some wooden bangles played with his beard waiting for the kids to finish chatting.
After the place was quiet, the man started his speech, "I'm Master Gondor, in charge of you new weaklings today. Hohoho." Grondor said happily, and his eyes twinkled.
Vega's skin crawled hearing that. It felt as if the eyes saw through him. Shuddered, he focused on the next words the master was saying.
"One by one, you are expected to submerge your hands in the bowl. Some of you may pass and be chosen to be the apprentice here, but for some, you're not lucky. You have to serve us for three years before being freed to become an ordinary citizen."
Vega recalled the memory of the robotic people greeting Vin at the port and shuddered. That's what the master meant with ordinary citizens. Just a lifeless puppet without any emotions serving the nobles.
One by one, the old man Grondor called the children and asked them to put their hands inside the basin in the center. Every time the kids put their hands inside the basin, Master Grondor shivered happily.
Vega observed the whole process trying to figure out what was happening. But nothing happened, besides Master Grondor shouting 'pass and fail' every time someone put their hands in the basin.
The line got shorter and shorter. The girl before Vega failed the test. And she cried dramatically. But after Master Grodor pressed a crystal on her head, she quieted down and approached the line of similarly expressionless apprentices who failed the test.
It was finally Vega's turn to do the weird test. Nervous, he slowly approached the basin with his legs shaking afraid that he would fail whatever the weird test was.
Arriving at the basin, he saw how short it was. It was only a little taller than his waist. He looked inside and noticed the water was shimmering blue.
"Faster, kid!"
With nothing else to do, Vega prayed to whoever that can hear his prayer and dipped his hands slowly into the cold water. When his hands submerged inside, his mind suddenly went blank.
In the darkness, a blue glowing orb started to take shape. A melodic voice lulling him to come touching the orb. When he finally touched the orb, the vision disappeared and he was back standing in the clearing. The next word from the old master changed his life forever.
"Pass!"