The city was drab.
So many buildings of different designs, some made of wood and stone, some of brick or even metal. The designs were sterile; they were kept to the theme that the Kingdom of Lalon maintained.
He had heard that the neighbouring kingdoms were more lax about people and their homes, but who knew if that was even true.
They ran across the different rooftops, jumping over alleys and crossing over streets, making short work of the distance back to the church.
"Feln! We might make it back before supper!"
He hoped so, he just wanted to go home. But, they were still quite a distance away.
They had been told over and over again that the Fracture had made the scale of the world much larger, without it, cities would not even be a fraction as big as they were today.
He had never really believed Mother Meredith, but now he thought that it might be true.
He wished he listened to her more.
"We have to slow down! The buildings are becoming too far apart! We have to drop down into the streets!" Feln called out.
"You're right! But I think that the guards will be looking for us by now! And you don't exactly blend in!"
They found a narrower building that had lots of exterior venting and pipes that allowed them to climb down. Dropping down into the alleyway, they managed to avoid the crowds of people on the main road. He scrounged through the alleyway, finding an incredible amount of garbage and an even fouler smelling black tarp.
He picked it up with a single hand, trying not to gag.
'...it will have to do…'
Hof was starting to get a little fidgety now, his mind starting to get the better of him without the adrenaline.
"Hey, Feln? Do you think that they'll catch us?
Feln didn't understand why Hof would suggest thieving if he was afraid of getting caught. "Haven't a clue. I think that they'll be looking for us, but I didn't take anything… that bastard also shot at me… So, maybe they'll just say all's fair and call it a day?"
"..." Hof was not convinced. He looked regretful. A little guilty even.
"Well," He continued, "It doesn't change anything. If they do catch us, I'll just say it was all the magnificent and marvellous me! I won't let them take the both of us!"
"...that… you can't Feln… I was the one who said we should go to the apartment…"
"Oh? But I want to! Just between the two of us. You wouldn't last out there. If they throw you out the gates, how will you survive? For me, it will just be going back to how my ancestors lived. The wonderful wild and me!"
"...thanks, Feln…"
He just smiled in response.
He couldn't let them harm his one and only brother. 'How could I live with myself, then?'
They wandered through the street, slipping through the crowd, making sure to disturb as few people as possible. They were cautious. They were careful. They couldn't draw too much attention, lest someone be on the lookout for them. Eventually they made their way to the city centre, the statue of the first king looming above them. It was an oppressing presence in the city, although Feln wasn't sure why. No one else seemed to notice it, even though it gave him an unsettling feeling.
He felt like it was watching. Judging. Telling him that he could be so much more.
But what would he know? He was no common peasant, he was a the first king. His eyes saddened, his ears drooped. 'And what am I?'
Hof was getting ahead now, he needed to move, so giving one last resentful stare towards the statue, he turned back into the crowd. His figure quickly getting lost amongst the sea of people.
_____
Half a world away, across vast oceans, split mountains, and expansive abysses; inside the tallest tower of an obsidian black fortress. A youthful looking man was sitting atop a throne, an unsheathed sword laying across his lap. The man intently staring upwards, a shining night sky replaced the ceiling. A small, knowing smile graced the lips of his intimidating and domineering face. Night black hair, a short black beard; both perfectly groomed, paired with a muscled body; it's very fibres screaming perfection. The man was the very definition of power, with a mighty white crown sitting atop his head radiating a soft light.
"Yet another has noticed one of the remnants. Although he doesn't seem to realise what it truly is? Perhaps, it is time for the council to reconvene once again. What say you, Dawn?"
As he finished speaking, a beautiful, fiery haired woman with a radiant gold crown appeared before him in a blast of orange light, her soft voice echoing through the chamber.
"I think it is a fantastic idea! It has been far too long since we saw the others."
The man smiled even wider, "We are in agreement then."
As those words reverberated throughout the chamber, the stars surrounding the fortress seemed to fall from the sky, trails of sparkling light flying down and crashing upon the world. Yet, few noticed, and those who did knew... they felt the thrill of change...
_____
"Make haste, Hof! We need to get inside before she comes up to our room!" A cloaked figure could be seen holding out a white furred hand out for a smaller figure. Pulling Hof onto the ledge running around the outside of the church, he started to edge towards an open window. His and Hof's room. They both clambered inside, Hof falling onto Feln's tail.
"Ow! Watch the tail!" Feln lightly hissed, a hushed apology quickly meeting it, "I'm sorry!"
Much to Feln's horror, their cover of darkness was suddenly ripped apart; the mana lights turned on, Mother Meredith standing in the doorway. Her old and husky voice strife with anger and concern. "You should be! How dare you sneak out! Again! After I had to convince the Guard Captain to let you out last time! What did you do this time? Steal? Trespass? You better explain yourselves right now!"
The two boys both winced at the sudden increase in volume, the only thing more frightening being the tone. Feln quickly raised his hands, and began to construct a story that he hoped the elderly nun would believe. "Mother! Listen! We didn't steal anything, I swear! We just explored a little! "
Hof looked like a stunned rabbit, his mouth locked open and his eyes as wide as saucers.
Mother Meredith's face twisted into a scowl, her withered features becoming sharp as a knife. "I'm not stupid, young man! Gods be good, Feln! You're covered in Blood! And unfortunately for you! My vision still works perfectly fine!"
He blanked. He had forgotten all about the blood. He didn't know what to say, there was no way she would believe he just fell over, the wounds were too deep, not to mention what happened to his hand.
"M-Mother!" Hof stuttered, "It wasn't Feln. It was me, It was my idea!"
Mother Meredith was stunned, her face softened, letting out a heavy sigh "Hof. You're not the one bleeding. Whatever idea you two hoodlums cooked up, you were clearly not doing the stupid part." Once again sighing, she said, "Hof, go wash up and get your supper, I'll talk to you later. Feln, come with me. We need to clean up whatever filth is hiding in those wounds after this little outing."
She walked back out the doorway, leaving no room for disagreement. So giving one last sad look to Hof, he went out of the door and followed.
They went through the many corridors inside the church, the many other children there staring, whispering, and giggling as he trailed after Mother Meredith. He clicked his tongue, 'Little bastards.'
"Quickly, Feln. We don't have all night."
Entering the very room, he instantly recognised that it was the infirmary. 'Ah, I haven't been here in quite a while.'
Mother Meredith rummaged through a draw of herbs and oils, looking for medicine and bandages she could use. Still facing away from him, she began her supposed lecture. "Feln, do you know why your body is stronger than so many others your age?"
Feln paused for a moment. That was not the question he was expecting. "Because, I am a beastman?"
"Well, that is true. But, the actual reason is because of the Fracture."
That wasn't surprising; often, everything could be traced back to the Fracture.
Mother Meredith continued, "We haven't taught any of you this, yet. Because frankly, there was no need to. And I don't want you repeating this either. But, it appears that you are hellbent on getting yourself into trouble, so, it would be wise for me to tell you the bulk of what we know." She gestured to a pair of seats next to a desk. "Sit over there."
He took his seat, paying rapt attention to Meredith, very rarely would anyone tell them anything interesting. If she was willing to, he wouldn't refuse.
She brought over a pair of scissors and various bandages and oils, placing them gently on the desk, before placing her seat next to him. She began by cutting away the filthy tarp he was using as a disguise.
"Well, for starters, the reason we are so reluctant to speak of the Fracture; is because we know next to nothing about it. What we do know is just bits and pieces of the whole; fragments of the truth. But, let me be clear on one thing, we know that Fracture was the origin of mana. The very beginning of this era. It was the rapid expansion of an energy so powerful, so unusual, that it reshaped nothing and everything to suit itself." She began cleaning the wound on the side of his head, her pale blue eyes seemingly seeing through him.
"No one alive today was there when it happened, but the records that are passed through the church all say the same thing. A blinding light, yet seemingly pitch black. A deafening sound, yet seemingly silent. A true oddity. And the result of this oddity? Mountains moving, oceans disappearing; veils of energy isolating vast amounts of land, and entire chunks of earth suddenly flying up into the sky." She started bandaging the side of his head. "Yet, the truly interesting thing that happened that day. Was the sudden appearance of nonhumans..." She paused for a moment, cleaning a particularly bad gash on his face. "They were sentient. They were alive. And they were born with this new energy that had only just been discovered by humans. But, it was different. It wasn't twisted and corrupt like the tainted. It was stable and calm in nature, just like humans. But it wasn't the same exactly. For beastmen like you, the mana inside your physical bodies is strong. But, manipulating that magic outside their body proves difficult for them. They are a mighty race, yet their appearance and physical strength has made them outcasts, even amongst nonhumans." She sighed regretfully, "Dwarfs also had a strong internal concentration of magic, yet they could also manipulate it quite easily through a medium, like hammers or weapons. Their talent for craft makes them a very respected people. Then we have humans, not as strong as dwarfs, but stronger in the ethereal. They could manipulate mana in any way, but they didn't weren't naturally gifted for the most part. Finally, the elves. The most magically strong of all the races, yet the most physically weak. They are rather isolated, for fear that they might contract illnesses or become the subjects of brutality. There are other races, but for now you don't need to know about them."
She gave him a moment to think, "And of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Bloodlines, affinities, even a mana imbalance in the body can cause changes to the physical and magical abilities of the person. The standard of their race might not be the standard of them." She finally moved onto his hand.
"Which relates back to you. For a beastman, you are an abnormality. You are stronger, faster, bigger, and tougher than any beastman I've seen your age, even the more unusual ones. As you grow, you will get stronger. However, it can only take you so far. If you want to be the best version of you, you need to put in the work. And this is one of the points I want to stress to you, you must be very mindful about you; yourself. In the future, if you so much as touch someone the wrong way, you could do some serious damage."
He felt his heart drop. He might have liked to mess around and get up to no good, but he never really wanted to hurt anyone. He had been that kind of person once. It didn't feel good.
She finished cleaning his hand, starting to bandage it.
"As well as the fact that if you continue to do these dangerous exhibitions, you could risk the safety of the people that follow you. What would have happened today, if Hof had been the one inside? What if his hand had been hit like this? Or his head? He wouldn't be able to walk it off so easily. But the true message I want to give you, and this is the most important thing to remember. You're not the strongest. There are people out there who'll be able to throw meteors at you, summon oceans on top of you, open caverns beneath you. Some might even move the stars to harm you. If you anger the wrong person, you won't live very long. Which I think you caught a glimpse of today. Judging by how quiet you've been since you came back, and the fact that I've never seen you get hurt like this. I'd say you got quite shaken up."
Feln turned his head away, filled with shame. "That… How did you know?"
She wolfishly grinned, "I didn't. But now, I do. You don't run a home like this for as long as I have without learning a few things."
"Mother, how old are you?"
She suddenly tightened the bandages on his hand, making him jump in pain, his face scrunching up.
"Cheeky bastard." She scolded, before leaning in and lowering her voice to a whisper, "But, if you must know, I am ninety-six."
Of course, he knew she was old, but he didn't think she was almost a century old. 'Her mana must be strong.'
"You said that I have a very strong mana concentration in my physical body, right? Is there any way to measure it? What is the other part?"
"Oh, yes. You have a very strong potential for the physical body, even now your body is passively drawing in mana to fuel its own growth. As for the other form of mana, there is what is called the ethereal body. It holds mana, much like the body, but is almost exclusively used to use magic outside of oneself. It is the other half of the mana balance. If you have particularly strong mana in either body, it will increase your mana concentration. You'll learn how to train the ethereal body later, because unfortunately, only noble blood is permitted to make use of it before their first test. This answers your other question. The kingdom provides one free test when you turn sixteen, if you score highly enough they'll send you to a mandatory military school for two years. Which one depends on your results. Just know, scoring low is inadvisable; the kingdom does not care for those with little potential. After that, you'll have to pay to take the tests again."
He closed his eyes thoughtfully, before hesitantly opening his mouth again, looking slightly embarrassed.
"What is it, child? You might as well spit it out, there isn't anything more you can ask that I will chide you over."
Reluctantly, he asked, "Do you remember how old I am, exactly?"
Meredith looked at him, before lightly chuckling. "You'll be fourteen at the end of this year."
He gratefully looked at Mother Meredith, "...thank you…"
Her eyes shined for a moment, her wrinkled face widening into a large smile, "If you want to thank me, seriously think about all that I've said." She stood up, turning towards the door. "I'll have one of the others bring you your food here, you'll eat it, and immediately go to wash up; you smell horrid."
He averted his eyes for a moment, thanking the Gods that he had fur, otherwise Mother Meredith would see how red his face was…
"It is good that you know shame, it will help you learn."
…She knew him too well…