A long time ago in the Kingdom of Gesneria in one sunny afternoon, there was a child in a courtyard. This child is a fit young man who was not yet reached puberty. People at this age, they like to play in any way possible as long as it is fun; and more so with others kids of their own age, even if they are sociable or not. However, sometimes, some children may be bruised or sprained because of how the game was to be physically involved. And for other reasons for that, children who played with each other may had fallen into arguments and may had fight with each other in face of disagreement.
"…"
But in this case, the child went too far.
"…"
His playmates, all of which who is surrounding him at the moment is in the state of shock and fear. They formed a circle around the child in question, unable to speak. This questionable child had done something horrible, too brutal for his age.
"haah…haah…haah…"
Breathing hard, he was standing, looking down, staring right over in front of another child beneath him. It was one of his playmates. But they had a fight, and it was all too clear who was up and victorious.
*gasp*
His hands, closed in a fist, were all bloodied. And his playmate beneath him, is all bruised and bloodied: nose broken, face almost disfigured, gasping hard for air, and cannot even move an inch.
"M-m-"
With this kind of violence at hand, it does not take too long until some adult showed up.
"Make Way!"
And that adult is not just "some", for he is an extremely important figure of the Kingdom. He had a ring at his left hand, glimmering by the sun. It was one of a kind that marks his blood of importance. Soldiers of Knights and Mages followed behind of him, prepared to defend this adult figure with their own lives.
"What is this commotion!?"
The child with bloodied hand knows that voice very well, and had his eyes over this adult. For he is his,
"F-Father…"
And the King of this Kingdom.
"Alister! What's the meaning of this!?"
"I…"
"!!!"
The King saw the disfigured child with his own eyes, and wasting no time, he glanced back and commanded,
"Kiara! Ludo!"
"Yes Sire!" A Mage and a Knight, they've answered in unison as they went and knelt beside the disfigured child. Kiara held her hand to the child's face and casted a spell,
[Rapha!]
It was a healing spell. Green sparkling light emerges from her hand. In due time, the labored breathing of the child has gone soft. She glances over at the King and said to him,
"Sire, he is now going to be fine. His life is not in danger anymore."
"Will he be fully healed?" The king asks, looking at the face of the child, "his…"
Kiara glanced back to the child, "I… am not sure, but we will try with as best as we could."
"Send him to your ward. Ludo!"
"Yes Sire!"
Ludo stood up and went on ordering his men, and one of them came running with a large white cloth with two long wooden sticks in his shoulders
The king glares intently at the young Alister as the man in a monocle came beside him murmuringly in a tone of defeat says,
"Pardon Sire, I did not teach him better. I will see to it that-"
The king shook his head sideways and looks at this man with a monocle, "No Gregor, I will handle him." Then, he gazed at the disfigured child being carried away by his men, "Tell me, who's poor child is that?"
"I believe sire that 'tis of the child of Lady Mia."
"Then I must meet her later, explain this… terrible situation."
"At what time sire?"
"Around early evening. Do I had anything going on at that time?"
Gregor shakes his head from side to side once, "No sire, Thou art free at that hour."
"See unto it then pronto."
Gregor bowed and promptly went away. The king then turned his eyes to the surrounding children and announced,
"Children, playtime is over! Return to your home at once!"
Afterwards, the King then see Ludo in an eye-to-eye contact and moves his head to one side to give a signal to help him scatter the dread-stricken children. Ludo gave him a nod and commanded the knights presently in location to escort the children away from the King. Alister nervously stares at his father the king as the latter started to speak in clear dominating tone without looking on his young boy,
"…Why?"
Alister lowered his head, "F-father, I…"
"Speak louder!" The king roared and glared at him, "And look at me with your eyes!"
The young boy lifted his head and saw how fierce his father's expression unto him.
"Ah-a-I-I…"
He stuttered profusely, then,
"SIRE! IT's MY FAULT!"
Another child voiced loudly as he came rushing unto them, and this child came between the father and son, and wasted no time to say his piece,
"Sire! It's not his fault! He-" the child glances quickly to Alister and back to the king, "He protected me! I…I was weak! Punish me! Not him! I swear in House Bogazi's name!"
Alister had his jaw agape staring at this outspoken child while the king glared at him intensely. Then, not long after, a bald knight came rushing unto them and quickly picked this child up by his armpits,
"HEY! LET GO!"
"Apologies sire!" The bald knight bowed his head quickly and in a shameful expression as he marched off with the child while still holding him up.
"HEY! I'M NOt finished! hey!..."
And then they went farther and farther from the king's sight. After that spectacle, the king then had his eyes on Alister and speaks,
"That kid… is he saying the truth?"
"…Yes." Alister answers in a timid way, and continued, "They… They were bullying him! And I saw no one stopping those bullies!"
"Bullies?"
"Y-yes… But those others ran away after I gave that bully what he deserves!"
The king held him on his shoulders and knelt, he shook Alister as he said, "No! That is not right! Don't do it ever again!"
"B-But-"
"There's a right way for things to go! And what you did… there will be consequence."
"C-consequence? But all I did-"
"Is not befitting of a prince!" The king interruptingly scold him and sighed. After a pause and a momentarily glance from afar, he raises his hand up. "…see this ring, my father said that this is blessed by the Goddess Aliya herself."
"…Grandfather said that?"
"Yes," the king nodded, "Moreover, he also told me that the blood of the first king, Ithere, flows unto this, and that only the truest of his blood can fit this ring. You know what that means son?"
"It-it will always fit me whatever the size of my finger?"
"Correct," the king nodded again, "But know that it will not fit you until you prove that you are truly the blood of Gesneriaceae… and to do that, you must know and tend your actions unto what is right and what is wrong. Do you hear?"
Alister gave him a nod as he stares at his ring, then he speaks,
"Can I try it to fit on me? I-I know it will not fit right now but, J-just..."
The king smiled, "It will not I tell you, but… the time will come. If you do already have the grasp of righteousness, I will bequeath this unto you. Do you understand?"
The young prince gazed then unto his eyes and said with a single nod, "…I understand."
The king nods in satisfaction and smiled… but behind that smile, is a trickle of melancholy. His ring glitters with the afternoon sunlight.
***
"PAAAAAAAAAN!" The beastkin named Tulfar bellows with horror and disbelief as he saw his own son consumed in one swoop by some kind of monster from the ground.
"What…the…fuck...?" Ishnaia was stunned in disbelief, and Alister could only had his jaws agape.
"PAAAAN! PAAAAAN!" Tulfar continued bawling his son's name as he rushed at the hole left by the monster, hoping to find something there, something hopeful.
*rumble*
Then the ground shakes again and Alister, without thinking, ran towards him and shouted,
"HEEY! GET AWAY!"
However, the mourning beastkin still rushes unceasingly with no intention to listen to anyone or anything at all. Ishnaia, by instinct, looks down beneath her, then to Alister, then to Tulfar, Then beneath her again. Down there where her eyes are, is a pebble.
She gulped and picked it up, gazed at Tulfar and held the pebble with a fistful.
She closes her eyes, breath in and out, and opened her eyes, gazing at Tulfar again, but now with akin to eagle eyes. Then, she took a step back and positioned herself in preparation of the pitch of the pebble. Thus, with a twist of hip and with one single swipe of her hand, she threw the pebble straight; zooming into Tulfar's head with high precision.
*smack*
It hit precisely in the middle of his forehead. The momentum which came with it made Tulfar flew backwards in a few steps, pushing him away; enough for letting him to avoid the incoming attack of the monster from below ground in a jiffy.
*CHOMP*
As soon as Alister saw how Tulfar managed to avoid the monster, he paused. He saw that Tulfar becomes unconscious. Then he took a quick glance back at Ishnaia, and glared at the monster. He gritted his teeth. With no respite, he rushed again towards the monster.
"HAAAAAAGH!"
He unsheathed his rapier and charged, rushing blind, just like a bull. He will never forgive this monster for what it had done. As he seethes in anger, his desire gradually becomes something barbaric -
and that is, to just brutally kill this monster.
"DIE YOU MONSTER!"
Without restraint, he roared. The only thing on his mind after all is to kill this monster. It became his temporal obsession. He did not even notice that his companion, Ishnaia, supports him behind by continuously pitching bigger rocks at the monster who swallowed Pan to delay its burrowing to the ground.
"Hurry Alister! Fuck the monster up! Use your fucking arrows!" she cheeringly shouted; even though Alister never heard it. His concentration mutes everything that is unnecessary to his goal.
*SCREEEEE*
With this obsession at hand, The ring on his hand glimmers menacingly. Little did Alister know something is happening to him:
*Stab*
He became faster, as he quickly worked his legs on a leap to stab the monster without any grace or style.
"ROAAAAAGH!"
*Slash*
It is as if time slowed unto him, he became stronger as he dragged his rapier outward with ease. Its greenish blood spilled unto him. Then, he stabbed it again, then drag his rapier outward, then again,
*KeeeeHH!*
Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Slash, Stab and Sla-
*Snap*
The rapier broke, snapped its blade as attempts to slash the monster in the umpteenth time. Alister glared madly at the broken blade, and then, to this green-bloodied monstrous mouth. Not thinking straight, Alister strikes its wound with his broken rapier at hand, ripping it off further as he pushed his hand with a force inside, and pokes the broken rapier with its broken blade into its monster's mouthful interior…
*KeEeeeEH!*
But as soon as he done the deed and and pushed his hand inside the monster's mouth through the wound, the ground shook as the monster lifted itself, dragging him along upwards, and shaking itself madly, and Alister painfully released his hold to his broken rapier inside the monster, and he was thrown away at the bottommost pond, his arrows inside the quiver spreads out everywhere from the air. As soon as he hit the ground, his body rolls at the flowing waters of the pond.
"Alister!" Ishnaia cried loudly as she rushed towards the beaten Alister. Downwards, she traversed, ignoring the earthshaking caused by the monster, fleeing away at the scene, and even those debris caused by it that which impedes her.
"Gh…!"
Nevertheless, Alister is still conscious. He raised himself up and walked in clear exertion. But… no matter his effort be, he lost his balance and fell. Right before he hit the ground, Ishnaia came beside him and caught him freely by her arms. She amusingly said while helping him on his feet,
"Fuck Alister, what the fuck was that showmanship? That shit's awesome, but fucking dangerous!"
Alister muttered, "Y-you remembered…"
"Huh?" she gave him an asquint look as she put his arm over her shoulders, and hers on his waist.
"My… Name…"
Then he glanced directly at her eyes for a moment and closed it. In that few second, Ishnaia squinted her eyes to him in a conscious thinking. For she saw his eyes was not of normal: His sclera was of red, his iris was of gold, and his pupils was of black, but slitted; the likes of which can only be seen by Snakes,
…or Dragons.
But as he opened it again, it went back to normal. Was it just her imagination perhaps? Anything can happen on this world after all.
"Where's…" Alister muttered.
"That son of a bitch?" Ishnaia glanced back up from whence she came, then back to him, "It ran away."
"What…?" Alister had his eye open wide and tries to wiggle away from Ishnaia, she reacted,
"Shit, hey! The fuck you doing?"
"I'm alright milady, if we make haste, it is possible that we….gh!" Alister felt a sharp pain and uncontrollably bent his knee.
"Fucker," Ishnaia squinted unto him and irately reprimanded, "You're a fucking prince, right? Act like one!"
"I know!" Alister vexedly replied, "And I'm doing what is right! To save Pan!"
Ishnaia gritted her teeth, "And what do you wanted to do with the way you are? Huh!? Fucking find its dirthome till you drop!?"
"Yes! And the more we stall, the less his survival is! So BACK OFF!"
Alister pushed Ishnaia away forcefully and successfully wiggled out of her arms, but as soon he done that loathsome deed,
*Smack*
Ishnaia punched him to his cheek. Alister didn't have enough time to react and fell to the shallow watery ground of the pond, in which he unintentionally sucked the liquid, making him cough furiously as he crouch up.
"You did not see that coming do you?" Ishnaia glared down at him, "That's because you're being an asshole. And you know what? I saw it right away and smack the fuck out of it from you. So, have you pull your shit together now? Or asshole is still at your head?"
*Cough, Cough* "…Haaachk," Alister breaths in and out with his mouth, "Yeah…My sincerest apology, that's…" He raised his eyes up to Ishnaia, "very unbecoming of me…"
"Tell you what Sir Prince. Face it. I don't think we could save Pan… as… much as we wanted to."
"…You are right" Alister looks downcast, "I just thought, we had the power to make the difference…"
"…I"
"Hmm?"
"…Nothing," Ishnaia glances away upward, "it's just that…the fuck?" and furrowed her eyebrows.
Alister turned his eyes over where Ishnaia's eyes are, and he saw that there is a young teenage man with a short red hair, but had a long-braided ponytailed hair from the back of his head, sitting atop with a maen fruit on his hand, eating it while his eyes on them. Seemingly, there's a sword at the both side of his waist. its hilt and sheath are of its different color; one is red, and the other is black. This young man speaks,
"What? Don't mind me, go on with the drama." *munch* he took a bite, then chewed and gulped, "…It's been a while since I went to see a show! I mean, that was awesome back there!"
"W-how…who the FUCK are you!" Ishnaia furiously yelled at the young man, and the latter was taken aback by it and is amused,
"Whoa! Such words! Think I'm falling even more for you!"
"…?" Ishnaia raises her eyebrow, vexed by this weird fellow. Is this guy a pervert?
"Ah well," the young man threw the remaining maen fruit behind him and jumped down, "didn't know the killer arsonist's a prince, and he had an assistant at that! His consort! Damn! A girl is involved after all! I hope I knew that beforehand, cause I'll be more motivated doing this contract! Ha! It seems that we hit the jackpot, right Bear!?"