Chapter 1 Ariel Debut 

A purpose, a place, a home—I've never thought of these as I journeyed forward; I just simply walked forward, hoping to find something to look forward to.

The boy who's quite short and wears brown and ragged clothes that cover his up until his legs, pants and trousers that cover up his whole leg almost leaving no skin to be revealed, yet still able to walk around normally, has brown hair that's quite short and pure yellow eyes that almost reflect the sunshine.

'' I wonder how people find purpose in their lives. I've wandered and journeyed for long, yet I haven't found something to look forward to—a place to call home or people to know''?

in a small village made of sand and many mountains to climb, the little camps and small buildings that are mainly built by stones and sand that's all one story tall, however, all provide quite the resources needed to survive in this village's sometimes harsh weather.

Tourists mainly visit the small village for these very mountains; they attract quite a few tourists every year, even though most of them come for business regarding merchants and sales.

Though the village is small, its charm lies in its merchants and their unique sales throughout the many months and years that almost always attract quite a lot of tourists' attention, and many of them managed to get quite a fortune from selling these exotic items that aren't commonly known.

walking down the streets '' I don't have much currency with me at the moment; this is quite the problem; not having any currency available is a huge blunder for many. Should I find a place to work? Hopefully, they'll allow 15-year-olds like me to work.''

the little boy without any money to fend for himself and no one to rely on just walking down the street, hoping to find something to fend for himself. In this heat-stricken desert, not everyone is kind enough to offer help to some random kid who's without value or use; only people who have used them and not thrown away are granted the best life.

'' Yet here I am, just your typical kid that was thrown away at a young age to fend for himself, with nothing to show and almost no value to himself, merely a shell that offers nothing'' sad and disappointed, he keeps on walking forward without any purpose, just seamlessly walking around. He then arrived at a small shack.

'' home sweet home, though I live on alone I do sometimes get pity's money from charity, thanks to them every month I get around 100 dollars'' enough to get me a whole weeks' worth of bread but after that I'm back to broke again,

pity's money is money for homeless and sheltered kids who have no place to live or lost their parents due to war, ''truly fitting for someone like me who has nothing and is mostly living on bread, and on a rare chance I do sometimes get rice on a plate though it happens once or twice a year, and after living like this for 10 years I got used to it,

I shouldn't take it for granted, I should treasure it for it's the only thing keeping me alive'' inside isn't much to be said a simple room with a small bed, a bathroom next to it, it's a small structure nothing too special '' long as I get to breathe and have a roof above me that's all I'm asking for, nothing more nothing less,

I'm quite satisfied as long I can breathe that's all I need, I don't want to ask for more'' these thoughts make him fall asleep in his small bed that's enough to take his whole body making him stay warm and cozy, makes sleeping far easier for him '' just the simple thought of sleeping just feels so nice, I'm so grateful just for this simplicity in my life'' satisfied he dozes off to sleep, he reminisces the past. 

Once upon a time, there was an orphaned child in front of an orphanage, simply lying there without any sign of a person, just a child crying alone in its lonesome state. After crying for a while, a person appeared, and that person came and took the child into the orphanage. The orphanage accepted the child with open arms and tried their best to take him into custody.

After 4 years of slowly taking care of him, on his 5th birthday, a sudden tragedy happened. Most of the kids there, excluding him, suddenly lost consciousness, only to be confirmed to be dead. Through some weird supernatural instance, the boy was left alone with no one to rely on.

no one to be with, only to fend for himself alone, he walks forward, hoping to find something or someone.

But unfortunately, no one came to his aid; he only had himself and no one else. Throughout his 15 years of living, he managed to, for the most part, make a living through scraps and bread.

waking up 

'' It's nighttime? I must have slept for a good while huh that's not good I need to go work somewhere'' in a deep voice and somehow struggling to stay awake, he lies down on the bed again hoping to wake up and move again after a while he manages to wake up and move about, he hears a strange sound something he's never heard of in his life.

 '' Soon the princess will fly, the king will soar, and the people will fall, the golden light will be dark, and the world will be ruined, the witch will emerge in dark and complete her mission of being a savior and soon even that boy will eventually fall.''

the lyrics heard by that weird sound we're somewhat eerie and almost seemed to foreshadow future events the boy heads outside to check whatever he just heard, he to his surprise finds a man sitting in a carriage smoke coming out from him,

black clothes that cover up his whole body making almost nothing to show for himself, the moonlight was enchanting him making him seem like a completely different being, surprised to say anything he silently watched the man in front him, 

'' Hey there little boy, what you are doing here?'' suddenly the man looked at the boy and broke the silence between them and he replies with '' Well I was sleeping, and then I woke up heard you making a weird sound and came here'' the boy explained things to the man in front him, making it. 

'' a strange sound? you say, you must mean this'' suddenly the man in front of him brought a small music recorder, something aliens to him, surprised and curious he gets closer to the man to touch it '' do you want to touch it? cause I bet it's something you've never seen before, something so rare to you, how about that if you prove your value to me, I'll give it to you, simple as that.''

stopped in his tracks and was surprised, speechless, and astounded, unable to move or even speak, simply unable to say anything in front of the man who made a proposal to him with a sinister smile, the man slowly explains to the boy.

'' It's quite simple. I merely need you to die. A valueless child, someone who was born from nothing, someone who believes he's empty and just content with everything, someone who doesn't want to ask more than what he got, someone who's simply a fool, a person who's happy with his whole life, do you really think you can live this life for long?''

After saying all these things without hesitation, he asks him, do you want to live a life of freedom? a life where you can get anything you want, a life where you can eat all you want, a life where you won't have to worry about storms or any natural disaster,

That type of life is the freest you could ever get; it's something that only a few managed to obtain, risking their lives back and forth, sacrificing something or someone who's important to them in order to win a war and live a peaceful life.

They all at some point discarded their past selves in order to move forward to a better life, to a new dawn in their lives, a new chapter, so to speak'' yet again speechless and astounded by the man's words, they shook him to his core. After trying to speak for a while, he finally finds the right words to say.

'' Will the payoff really be worth all of this? Is all that happiness really worth it, despite losing many things? Is it really worth it in the end if you're alone? If you lost everything?''

the boy asks the man with a determined look at his face. The man smiles and says,

'' There's no such thing; it all depends on how you've lived your life from start to finish; it all takes one step forward to a journey of change and growth, a journey of self-discovery.

a journey of gain and loss, and lastly, a journey of the end, so are you ready to show your value to me?'' the man asks him again, and after hearing all of this, he decides. '' I'll do it no matter what it is; at least I know now it's better than accepting that damn empty and boring life where nothing happens.''

''{I merely needed a spark to pull me along, a motivation, so to speak, and from here, my life changed as I moved forward to a dangerous and risky yet rewarding life—something I've never dreamed of in my entire life, and so I moved forward}. ''

The boy asked him, '' You still haven't given me your name; what should I call you?''

The boy asked him, and the man thought and thought for a while until he came up with an answer.

'' You can call me the lonely traveler, Solaine.''

the boy smiled and said,

'' Nice to meet you, Solaine. I'm Ariel, just simply Ariel.''

and with this, both of them are well acquainted with each other. Solaine walks up to Ariel,

'' Ariel since you're willing to show your value to me,

You won't be able to go back to that life anymore; it's going to be completely different from that empty life you had prior to meeting me.''

Solaine asks Ariel one last time if he's ready to go with him, and he replies with

'' This time I want to make the effort to change. I've had lots of time, yet I wasted it all this time. I want to change everything and live a life without regrets about what I could have changed and what I can change now.''

With that answer, Solaine brings his hand closer to Ariel, asking for a handshake:

Alright, then take my hand and don't look back ever, because the moment you do, you'll go back to being empty, and this chance will never present itself ever again.

His one and only chance is finally at hand.

Every fear and doubt must be discarded in this very moment in order to move forward, and thus the boy takes his hand without any hesitation and sets out for his new life. 

'' So, Solaine, where are we headed?''

straight out of the bat, Ariel asked him, Solaine with a solemn face whilst looking ahead of him in the carriage.

'' in an abandoned factory of what used to be remains of creations of something.''

confused Ariel looks around for an abandoned factory, but it's to no avail. In the darkness of the night,

Solaine looks at the moonlit sky. '' It's a beautiful sky outside. It's truly sad. No one cares about the sky.

They're all working in the morning till night and then sleeping it all away, wasting such a beautiful

moonlit sky''

Ariel was captivated by his speech of the sky and yet again speechless to say anything.

After laying down to see the sky he's yet again astounded 

 the carriage stops moving and

They arrived at the destination, a big factory that's full of moss and vines.

It was clear that it's

abandoned, and therefore Ariel understood that this is where he would test his value and prove himself.

Solaine hops out of the carriage and walks straight to the entrance, standing next to it.

'' Ariel, there's a certain problem I need you to solve; by solving it, you'll be able to prove your value.''

After hearing what he said, Ariel slowly hopped out of the carriage and walked towards him.

'' So, what's the problem, Solaine? This factory is long abandoned; I'm not sure if there's any problem to solve here'' confused Ariel questions him about the problem and location.

'' I wouldn't have brought you here if there wasn't anything here; inside, you'll see what I meant by problem: good luck, don't die.''

Ariel trembles as he heads towards the gate, and so it closes, leaving him inside while he's outside.

Inside was a huge structure that had stairs leading to it on both sides. It looked like it was on the verge of destruction as he kept on slowly walking on it. He went upstairs, and there stood alone a man standing there, wearing a shirt that covered his chest, leaving his arms. He was a tall figure, almost as tall as Solaine, at least that's what Ariel believed.

The man slowly walked closer to Ariel.

'' So, what brought you here? Did he bring you here? That damn traveler? Guess it was really fate that brought us here, huh''

he moves faster and kicks him in the stomach. '' Well, I don't care, I can't let you get out here alive'' suddenly Ariel is on the ground coughing blood from the damage to his stomach.

'' What the hell, happening here? Is that the problem?

Solaine told me to risk my life and beat him. Is he serious? This is bad. I have almost no combat experience. I have to somehow get away from here or else he will definitely kill me''?

Panicking and scared,

Ariel tries to run away; however,

that man catches up, yet again kicks him in the stomach, making him incapable of standing up. '' Is this little kid serious? I thought he'd be much stronger or smarter; maybe this is a disappointment. Well, I guess I'll leave him alone; he'll die on his own anyway.

Coughing blood repeatedly and in pain, not being able to get up scared, crying Ariel,

'' Damn it, what the hell? I thought after I said all that I might just have a chance to change myself. I thought maybe I'll be able to move forward. Is this really how I'm going to die? without accomplishing a single thing?? You must be serious with me. 

Pissed off and enraged, Ariel tries to get up through sheer will and manages to stand up while holding his chest to somehow stop the bleeding.

The man is surprised and walks slowly in front of him before going in to punch him. '' Just a little punch should put him out of commission, but what's this bad feeling I'm getting from him? It's almost as if I don't finish this soon, something bad will happen.''

punching Ariel in the face; however, he manages to dodge it at the last minute by falling backwards and manages to somehow injure the man with a fluke:

'' owww, what the hell did you just do? HOW THE HELL DID YOU INJURE ME? Wait a minute since you got that?''

Ariel was holding a glass shard and managed to stab his chest, and thanks to that opening, he moved forward. '' Screw you, bastard, this is payback. It's time for me to kick your ass.''

He punches him in the face with a clean hit into the ground. He puts both of his hands on his neck, trying to choke the life out of him.

'' If I do that, you'll die quickly and painlessly. If I did it I will have proved my worth to him, I won't die here. Not now, not ever. I'll move forward with my own ambition and value, unlike you, of course.''

using his strength to quickly finish the job, however,

the man manages to grab his arms and force them out, which gives him the chance to kick him yet again in the stomach. '' I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you. Value? Ambition? Please don't joke with me.

Only the strong get to dream of such stuff. Only those who've sacrificed almost everything in their lives can dream of such things. You'll never reach that because you're just a brat who knows nothing of the world, of this cruel and dangerous world. That's why you're better off dying.

because you don't have any value and your ambition is low, not grand. That's why you'll lose to me; that's all it is.''

Astounded, Ariel tries to get back up but instead slides away from the pain.

'' Screw you, I had the chance to change many times, yet I've only used it to fool around and believe I was content with everything, I was merely running away from the problem, not accepting the core of it—my weakness, that is, which is the core of my problems.

{Ahh, I see now that's why Solaine sent me here and wanted me to die; he wanted the '' me'' to die—the me who's given up and kept running away for 10 years, the me who accepted everything—well, that makes sense now.''}

Slowly backing away from the man, he rushes forward. Ariel figures he'll go for a punch and puts his guard up, hoping to block the next one that can end his life. He closes his eyes, hoping he won't die.

To his surprise, a huge gust of wind destroyed the wall to the right of the man, and with no time to react, the huge gust of wind completely tore off half his body in cold blood, sending him flying towards the outside and, in front of him, Solaine and his carriage.

'' What the hell just happened? Did I win? Even though I didn't do anything, did Mother Nature bless me? Had I been in his position, would I have been blown to bits? Like that in a gruesome manner? ''

Shivering and scared to think, he passes out due to his injuries.

...

After a while, he wakes up with bandages covering his whole body and is not able to move while facing the beautiful moonlit sky yet again.

'' Solaine? Did I, do it? Or am I just dreaming? Did I prove my value to you? I hope I did.''

 speaking and worried about what Solaine would say and without looking back.

'' You did well, much better than I anticipated. I honestly didn't think you had it in you to do this or say this stuff. Though granted, you did get lucky there, or else you would have lost your life. I have a little something to give you. No matter where you go or what happens, never lose this or break it because if you do, I'll be gone.''

Solaine handed him his music recorder, something incredibly important to him.

'

' Wait, why would you give something this important? There's no guarantee I'll keep it safe.''

Solaine, after hearing this, looks at the sky.

'' No, I know you'll keep it in your journey. No matter where you go, this moonlit sky will always keep us accompanied, and we'll surely meet again.

So, during this time, do keep it safe for me. I don't want anyone else other than you to do it.''

{I don't understand why Solaine would give me this; however, I'll take it because I'm sure that's how we'll eventually meet again sometime in the future}

He looks at Ariel with a sad yet somewhat smiling face. 

after hesitating for a bit, Ariel with a smile in his face as he looks up to Solaine. 

'' Fine, I'll take it, but at least promise me that one day you'll come back and take it from me.''

After hearing this, and with a serious expression Solaine stands up and bows his head to him.

'' In my king's name, I promise I will come back one day, and I will take it from you.'' 

with a genuine smile from Ariel his journey finally starts 

This is a story about a boy who travels the world in search of his own value and a place where he belongs. Throughout many tragedies and miracles, there stood one man who managed to meet a fitting end to his life and those around him. this is the story of Ariel.

Ariel Debut End