Khazak, living in a small village in the forest between the mountains, was 17 years old. Although he presented himself as a mature man, he was still a child. Since he hadn't heard from his father since his childhood and his mother had died when he was only 8 years old, he lived with his uncle Ronny.
Ronny was a blacksmith, so Khazak grew up being familiar with swords, axes, and other such tools. He enjoyed wandering around the village, but when he returned home, they were not alone. Most of the time, his 15 year old cousin Roran lived with them. He had lived with Roran since childhood.
Since their village was close to a small Dwarf village, their situation was better compared to other villagers; at least they could go to bed with full stomachs. Of course, they didn't have enough money to feed a fourth person, but they managed to feed themselves.
One day when Khazak and Roran were wandering around the village they saw Lucia, Lucia was the daughter of a common baker and was roughly the same age as them. With her orange, slightly curly hair, eyes that resembled a forest and numerous freckles, she was a true beauty. While Khazak was rather indifferent to her due to her being not his 'ideal type', Roran was smitten by her.
The moment Roran saw her, Roran abondoned Khazak and started to make advances to Lucia. Khazak sighed and began wandering through the village. He lightly kicked a stone he saw along the way and it ended up rolling to rest in front of old man Reagon's house. This small action seemed like a part of the daily life in the village, but it might have held greater significance in Khazak's thoughts. The stone's rolling, the tranquil atmosphere of the village, and Khazak's inner world seemed to be connected in some way.
Reagon had told Roran and Khazak stories from his life since their childhood and, these stories were often quite exaggerated., Thinking it might be a sign, Khazak realized that he was actually just bored. So he decided to go to Reagon's house, he knocked on the door, but there was no answer. After a few attempts, Roran came to his mind, and in frustration, Khazak gave the door a light punch. He was really annoyed by the thought of Roran selling himself for a girl then he heard a voice from inside. "Alright, alright, I'm coming, damn it!" After a few light footsteps, the door was opened.
The person who answered was man about 185 cm tall with a long beard and little bit long grey hair, a shadow of his former self. In his glory days he was filled with endless vigor and incredible strenght but it all have faded with age. He was holding a large cane, which looked it had been made of pine or oak. "Come on in," said Reagon, who was like a godfather to Khazak.
In Reagon's house, there was always a supply of seed cookies. It was hard to believe that he made them himself. They were suspicious that Reagon had a daughter, but there was no evidence to support it. If he did, they would probably have known about it by now.
Khazak went inside, and the crackling of the fire was soothing. Uncle Reagon sat in his usual chair in front of the fire, with his seed cookies and chamomile tea. Khazak was surprised to see chamomile tea instead of the usual tea; it was as if Uncle Reagon had sensed his frustration. Reagon sat down next to Khazak and asked, "You seem upset, son." He glanced around and added, "Is this about Roran?" He had a condescending smile on his face even though he tried his best not to show it. Khazak thought, 'It's as if you can read my mind old man…' "Yes, Roran sold me out because of that damned girl. He must love that girl more than he cares about me," With that, Reagon gave Khazak a light pat on the back and burst into laughter. "You've really grown up, haven't you?" Reagon's face took on a nostalgic expression as he said,
"When I first met you, you were just six year old kids. Back then, you used to come to my house every day,"
"Just to listen to those exaggerated stories," said Khazak with a calmed down expression.
"They're not exaggerated or anything; all of those are things I actually lived through," Reagon said with puffing his chest
"Is that so?" Khazak replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Of course, it is. What do you think these muscles are for?" Reagon said and he started to tell one
"Oh no, here we go again."
"When I was young, I was just like you—though, of course, much stronger. In my twenties, they were recruiting soldiers for the war against the demons. When the commander saw a young man as charismatic, strong, and handsome as me, of course they enlisted me in the army right away. When I went to the capital of humans. They assigned me under a dragon rider. If I remember correctly, his name was Hedric. He had a very strong bond with his dragon. They could somehow talk with each other but we couldn't hear them. The war lasted for a very long time. Out of the twenty of us who began the journey under Master Hedric, only two of us remained: Kharoas and me… At that moment, as if it were a twist of fate, Master Hedric's dragon had two offspring, and they needed a caretaker. Master Hedric chose us, and from that day on, we both became dragon riders. My dragon was female, while Kharoas's was male. As the war continued, Kharoas strayed from the path and left Master Hedric's side. Then, when news came that he had killed 30 soldiers with his black dragon, Master Hedric took his own life. With that incident ı made an excuse to the uppermans and they let me retire with that left the army and moved here... Honestly, I still miss my dragon. She had shimmering scales that resembled bright lapis lazuli; she was very beautiful," Reagon said, a hint of tingling in his voice. She breathed fire with hues of yellow and blue, and she was a very noble and intelligent dragon... Did you know that dragons are as intelligent as humans? Dragons can't speak aloud, but they can communicate by sending mana to each other, sharing their mental waves. You can talk to them, and even show them images or thoughts you create or see in your own mind. When I first came here, I was very lonely, but you two young ones came every day and kept me company, saving me from that solitude. These cookies you see on the table were Master Hedric's favorites. He would always treat us to them. I truly miss those youthful days. Live your life well, my child, so you'll have stories of your own to share with young ones like you."
"I'm really impressed, old man. The stories you told us were always about how you shaped this and that, and never this in-depth. "
"Yes, it might be a bit like that. Seeing you angry and lonely today made me open up for some reason... My child, even though I describe it this way, the battlefield is no different from a hell. I don't think it will come to this, but if it does and you gain power, use it to save people from this hell."
"As if I'll ever have such a chance."
"Well, at least you've heard it from me."
"Alright, old man. It's getting late, and I don't want Ronny to worry. I should head out."
"Take care of yourself, Khazak. Don't be too hard on Roran; you're both young. Maybe you should also consider looking for a girl."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not a flirt like Roran. Finding a girl who matches my ideals is quite difficult."
"If you say so, then let it be. Take care of yourself, Khazak."
Khazak leaves the house as the sun begins to set. He stumbles his way back home, feeling increasingly annoyed whenever he thinks of his cousin's face, though he secretly envies him. When he arrives home, he encounters Uncle Ronny.
"I'm back, Uncle Ronny."
"Welcome home, Khazak. Where have you been?"
"I was with Uncle Reagon. By the way, where's Roran?"
"He said he'd be staying at the baker's house today. I don't know why, but I trust the baker, so it's not a problem."
Upon hearing this, Khazak first goes through a moment of motionless. Then, realizing Roran's intentions, his face flushes bright red. He goes to his room, punches the wall in frustration, injures his hand, and then throws himself onto the bed. As Khazak sat alone at home, Roran was set to spend the night of his life. Meanwhile, they had plans to train with the swords they had forged from the evening's wood. Khazak is overtaken by fatigue, attributing it to the tea, and falls asleep.
In the morning, Khazak heads towards the blacksmith's forge. Uncle Ronny asks him for help with a few errands, so Khazak takes some wood and sets off for the carpenter's workshop. On his way, he encounters Roran, whose face seems to be practically glowing. This only adds to Khazak's frustration, and Roran upon seeing him he waves his hand and says;
"Aah, Khazak, so you're here. What are you up to?"
"It's clear that I'm doing harder work than you."
"Do you even know what I'm doing?"
"Uncle Ronny mentioned that you stayed at the baker's."
Roran's face starts to smile as he puts his hand behind his head.
"Man, it was truly a wonderful evening."
Khazak becomes even more frustrated but tries to hide it.
"Just mind your own business, Roran."
Khazak grumbles to himself as he walks away, dropping off the materials with the carpenter before heading home. On the way, he encounters Lucia. Even though he'd rather avoid a conversation, Lucia notices him.
"Hey Khazak, what are you doing around here? Is Roran nearby?"
Even in a place where Roran isn't around, Lucia's attempt to find him after such an evening, this nails the last straw for Khazak. He replies sharply, "No," and then quickly walks away, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.
On the way, Khazak curses Roran under his breath. When he gets home, he finds Roran helping Uncle Ronny with blacksmithing work. Khazak grabs a book and heads to his room. Although he tries to read for 5-10 minutes, he quickly becomes bored, as he isn't very proficient in reading and writing.
A wave of exhaustion washes over him, and he places the book on his face, falling asleep that way. But meanwhile a strong type of energy starts to concentrate in the forest.