From the age of 6-7, the boy lived in the attic of the estate, taken care of by the butler because his mother didn't have time to care for another child.
The butler treated him with care, the only person in this place who helped him develop his knowledge.
For two years, he was not allowed to go downstairs; naturally, he was introduced to Gromgilda, who was already very severe at that time and perceived him as an enemy.
The boy was considered the third adopted brother; the first son never came home. Harold didn't even know his elder adopted brother's face.
When the butler left, the boy would start crying at night into his pillow. He himself didn't understand why he was crying—because he was kept here without being let out, or because every night it was the only calming thing.
The butler fed him; only this dinner resembled more of a dog's than a human's. Leftovers from the table were brought to him as dinner, lunch, and evening snacks.
During these two years, Harold learned the language. He dissected every word, reading various books he found in this place. He was strictly forbidden to go out among people or leave the attic.
The butler taught him various manners at the old table in the attic, showing him how to eat. Apparently, his mother was afraid that this boy would make a bad impression.
Thus, while reading geographical books or some old, dusty historical reports, he learned about currency.
In the whole world, there was a single currency—gold coins. There was no concept of "copper" or "silver" coins; gold was valued by quantity—the more in the country, the more expensive everything else was.
However, in some countries, gold was painted in a different color, showing a different design.
Harold was in the Bear Kingdom, where the coin had the corresponding image of a roaring beast.
The butler came upstairs to Harold every day; he was somewhat taciturn. One day, the boy asked the butler's name. He sighed heavily as he left the boy's room.
The young, mild-mannered man always helped him, even in various difficulties.
Harold turned eight, and he continued to live in the attic of the mansion under the butler's supervision. His days were filled with studying books and learning the basics of manners and etiquette.
Although he remained isolated, his desire for knowledge and understanding of the world did not wane.
One day, when the butler came to the attic, he brought an old map of the Bear Kingdom with him. It was a map depicting various locations, rivers, mountains, and forests. Harold looked at the map with amazement, absorbing every detail.
"In the evening, when silence fell, Harold, sitting by the window, peered into the darkness beyond the attic.
He was curious about what lay beyond the walls of the mansion and what the external world looked like, about which he knew so little.
At that moment, an idea began to form in his mind—to escape from this confined space and learn more about the world around him.
He decided that it was time to leave the attic and explore the surrounding world, despite the prohibitions and restrictions imposed on him.
The next day, when the butler came to the attic, Harold asked him about the outside world and the possibility of leaving the estate.
Although the butler initially responded to this idea skeptically, he saw in the boy's eyes a spark of determination and curiosity that made him think.
— No… — came the calm reply of the butler as he left the attic.
He locked the door. It was to prevent Harold from escaping under his own pretext.
The boy fell face-first onto the bed, screaming from unbearable mental pain. He had spent over two years here, sitting in a square room without any real life.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he lay on the bed, trying to hide his sobs under the thick blanket. At that moment, someone knocked on the door, and a small piece of paper slipped through the medium-sized gap along with a thin booklet.
Harold wiped his nose, got up from the bed, and approached the door. Taking the thin blue booklet, a smaller piece of paper fell from it; he caught it with his hand as it fell to the wooden floor.
The attic itself was not suitable for living: rusty, creaky boards, many items with moth holes. Everything looked neglected and abandoned. The ceiling was probably covered in layers of dust and cobwebs, with visible water stains.
Old, warped beams were hidden under dust and cobwebs. Old boxes and crates were scattered in the corners, covered in layers of dirt and dust. The furniture, if any was under the old sheets, was likely worn and covered in rust stains.
There were old pieces of furniture here and there, such as chairs or tables, but they looked unusable due to age and damage.
Perhaps there were old boxes with various items, covered in cobwebs and dust, as well as bags of clothes that were probably out of fashion or no longer usable.
Harold turned the white scrap of paper, examining it from different angles. His wet eyes skimmed over the text.
"A-u-d-o-w-i-n," — Harold pronounced syllable by syllable, rubbing his eyes.
"Audowin, your humble butler..." — the boy read in his mind. A faint smile appeared on his face.
So Harold learned the name of the butler who had been working so hard to help him, despite his silent nature. Harold looked at the thin blue booklet.
— Alright, he said, sitting on the bed, turning on the only glossy lamp in the room.
The child rejoiced in all the books he had the chance to read. He wasn't as smart as the children in this family, and he didn't even understand the full meaning of the words, absorbing various texts written in the book.
"Not a complete guide to elements and techniques,"— the boy read to himself.
"Geotaday - mystical practice / occultism: To use various paranormal abilities, techniques, and elements, one must master Geotaday. To fulfill the conditions, people recite mantras, draw seals, or worship one of the occult avatars, absorbing their power. There are countless ways to discover new mystical practices, about which even the world itself is unaware.
"Hyote - spiritual energy, important for performing various basic occult practices.
"Hyote can only be summoned when a person's body is ready to contain it. There are also people who do not feel Hyote within them even when summoning a spirit; the connection is severed. Moreover, there is a theory in the world that everything consists of this Hyote, it's just that some need to exert more effort to unlock the branches within themselves.
"In a person, there are three streams of Hyote (mystical, material, and elemental). Not everyone in this world can practice mystical energy or Geotaday, as not everyone's soul is subject to the spirit. Skills practiced in summoning an entity into the spiritual shell. Under these conditions, the use of his skills is very diverse; the worst-case scenario is that the entity will consume the person if they are too weak in spirit.
"Cultists are the most famous users of Geotaday; all six senses surpass human capabilities, forging, modifying, and controlling the magic of this spirit.
"One of Geotaday's techniques: Borrowing—absorbing 5% of the spirit's power, releasing Hyote outward, increasing all of a person's senses several times over.
"A person's strength increases when they exceed the limits of spiritual power, marked by rank definitions."
Harold turned the page.
"Material energy or Hadatay: Power is based on a person's will, the foundation of all martial arts. Unlike spiritual and elemental energy, Hadatay does not use magical power; rather, it is supernaturally physical strength from numerous workouts. The most severe training can elevate beyond normal human physiology.
"One of Hadatay's techniques: Bando - the martial art of monks."
Harold turned the page.
"Elemental energy or Metagrid: the art is passed down through genes from parents. The element itself can be deeply rooted in the closed roots of spiritual energy. If the mother possessed the fire element, as did the father, the fire was also passed on to the child. There have been cases of blood mixing between the fire and water elements; in such cases, the child was born without the gift of elements, despite mastering two elements from an early age, which meant death from organ overload.
"There have been cases where children could develop elements separately, slowly going mad for one simple reason. Their energy simply couldn't handle weak stress; to reach a few ranks higher. Even at the diamond level with four elements, it's quite difficult to cope."
"Cult Master - the highest rank of those who possess all the elements of the main elements. He is capable of summoning (View Hippo) - the highest manifestation of strength, a form capable of uniting all the power of the cult master, increasing strength by orders of magnitude. This skill is only one: when the Cult Master is ready to die, his body turns to ashes, the Hippo soul reincarnates into another Cult Master from different nations. Hippo's knowledge is transferred to another along with Limbo during meditation."
"By cultivating 'Cult Master,' they went to Limbo through the gates. In this way, people could find Hyote in themselves and summon the spirit to make a contract. If a person has a sense of mystical energy."
"One of Metagrid's techniques: Claymore - a magical tattoo that appears when the wearer has enough magical energy. In this case, one of the main elemental tattoos appears on the body:
Fire - water - earth - nature - air - light - darkness. And then, in training, other tattoos may appear on the body, adding a variety of different elements."
Harold scratched his head, threw the book to the ground, and understood nothing, falling onto his bed. Harold frowned, closing his small red eyes.
At 13 years old.
Harold was brought into the living room, still not understanding why he was brought here. It was the first time he saw his foster mother and sister in the same room.
It was a gloomy evening, autumn, rain pouring down heavily, and huge golden lamps illuminated the room. Harold stood in the middle of it, looking at them.
The boy was not in the best condition, his long hair in tangles, looking like dirty rags.
He hadn't been groomed for so many years, he was dressed in rags, and they weren't even going to dress Harold in the official attire of these people.
— Show me, — the woman said coldly. She was sitting on the couch with Gromgilda, who was looking at me. This girl was addressing Harold.
— What? — Harold looked questioningly at the woman.
She reached out to him, looking into his eyes, trying to find something there.
— Do you really not understand what I want? — The girl looked the boy up and down, sitting on the couch like on a throne, crossing her legs.
— No… — the boy answered quietly, lowering his head.
The woman suddenly stood up, a sharp slap resounded on Harold's cheek, and he fell to the wooden floor. He lowered his head, not understanding what was happening.
— You ungrateful child, I gave you a home, food, and you can't even show me your magic? Why did I raise you? — the girl sharply asked the boy.
— I don't know how to do what you do, — Harold answered quietly, looking at the wooden floor.
To the woman's surprise, she jumped up, that was the last straw. She grabbed the boy by the collar, showing him her daughter.
— Show! — she declared solemnly.
Gromgilda in a fur vest sat on the couch, her golden eyes gleaming. The girl raised her right hand, showing sparks of lightning, looking at Harold with her haughty gaze.
— But I don't know how, — the boy whined.
The mother threw the boy to the ground like a stray puppy. He didn't stand out much, skinny, 145 centimeters tall, he was shorter than his step-sister at the age of 13.
The girl took a piece of wood from the fireplace, charcoal, still cold. She approached the butler, standing at attention.
— Do it, — she handed the wood to Audowin.
— In front of my eyes, so I can see, — the woman threatened.
Audowin approached the boy without hesitation, his lips pressed together, but showing no sign of pity.
The butler weakly hit Harold on the head, the pain was not felt. He tried to pretend that he was doing it with all his might.
The boy covered his head with his hands, it irritated him, he tried to keep silent, it was much better for him that way.
— Leave if you can't teach the child his place, I'll do it myself! — the girl shouted in rage.
— You'd better not show up in my house! — the woman accused, starting to beat the boy with her feet.
His body was so weak, open wounds began to appear on his face. He felt intense pain in his abdomen.
— Why are you doing this?! — little Harold cried in tears, curling up, trying to avoid her blows.
— Shut your mouth, who allowed you to speak in this house! — her furious gaze gleamed in the candlelight, liquid began to drip from her mouth from such strong anger.
— Ugh!
The boy coughed up a cluster of blood on the floor from a strong blow to the stomach.