The sky was adorned with black clouds.
The atmosphere around me became cold and gloomy.
I stared at the grave in front of me.
There were no more tears left to shed.
It hurt to lose someone dear.
My grandfather, who raised me, had passed away and left me all alone.
The funeral had ended long ago.
Leaving me alone at the grave.
Unable to leave and let go of my grandfather who had passed.
"Grandpa, what should I do now?"
That was a question that would never be answered.
When I was five years old, my parents abandoned their responsibility for me.
Since then, for ten years, I lived and was raised by my grandfather in this small village.
Now that he was gone, I would be alone.
What should I do after this?
Go on an adventure, maybe?
No, a sixteen-year-old like me would only die, devoured by wild animals if I left the village.
The best solution was to stay in the village.
Living off the money sent by my parents.
But that would mean doing nothing.
"Maybe living without you will be very hard, Grandpa."
"No matter how long you talk to him, he will not rise from his grave."
Who is this woman who cannot read the situation and says things like that?!
She's just making me angry!
I turned around.
My eyes saw a beautiful woman, like an angel collecting souls from graves.
She had wavy pink hair, skin as white as snow, and a mature, sensual body.
She wore a black suit and a coat draped over her shoulders.
"Get lost! Or I will chase you away!"
My heart was dark. Why did she appear now?
"I understand your feelings, but I bring important news.
Though this is not the right time, you need to hear it."
Her words made the atmosphere tenser.
"Speak quickly!"
"Listen carefully. Your parents... they are gone."
"What?"
My heart stopped beating.
It felt like being hit by a reality too heavy to accept.
The tears that had refused to fall now flowed endlessly.
"Why now? Why is everything happening today?"
This is a day filled with the deaths of my family.
Truly my day of misfortune.
My future may be filled with gloom.
I looked up at the gloomy sky.
Trying to hold back the sadness in my heart, trying to be strong.
Water fell on my cheek.
It seemed the sky was crying along with me.
"What should I do after this...?"
Work? What kind of job could an ordinary kid like me do?
Begging might be my only choice now.
That's the only way I could survive.
"The rain has started.
First, let's find shelter.
Then we can talk about your future."
"Is there anything to discuss...?
My only option is to become a beggar."
"The cause of your parents' death, their inheritance, and your education; we need to discuss all that."
"Can that change my destiny of becoming a beggar?"
"You were never destined to become a beggar."
"Let's go to my house."
Suddenly, a wind blew around us.
Suddenly, my body was lifted into the air, causing me to panic.
"What is this?"
"If we walked, we would be soaked before reaching your house.
That's why we are flying."
The pink woman said casually.
"Are you a mage?"
"Yes, I am a mage."
A mage is the noblest profession among all professions.
The profession that contributes the most to humanity.
Bringing humans from the era of slavery to the era of glory.
Mages have the power to change the world with their will.
Controlling elements with limitless potential as their weapons.
Defeating dragons and other ancient races.
Making humans from a lowly race into a strong race.
"I apologize for my rudeness earlier."
"Don't think about it, I am not angry at all."
"That's my house."
I said while pointing to a house on the edge of the village.
We landed there.
I opened the door before inviting her in.
It was a simple and old house.
Consisting only of a living room, one kitchen, and two bedrooms.
The furniture was made of wood and already worn out.
Some cracks had appeared on the walls.
Light could also enter through gaps in the roof.
My grandfather and I were entangled in poverty and simplicity.
Yet, our lives were enjoyable.
"My name is Arcaniel, without a family name because I am a commoner; just call me Arc.
What is your name?"
"My name is Sariel.
I was a friend of your father's, we went to the same school.
I also know about you from him."
I see... a friend of my father. In that case...
"Ms. Sariel, please sit anywhere.
Make yourself comfortable."
"No need to be too formal, just call me Sariel."
"Alright, Sariel."
After we both sat down, we started talking.
"How well do you know your parents?"
"I don't know them at all.
I don't even know their names."
I had been separated from them since I was five years old, and lived without them for ten years.
I had a faint visual memory of their faces, though not in detail.
I had also forgotten their voices.
My grandfather never talked about them.
He considered them failed adults for not wanting to take care of me.
That's why he always kept quiet when I asked about them.
"I understand, and I don't blame you.
It's their fault for neglecting you."
"If I may ask, why did they abandon me?"
That had always been a mystery I wanted to solve.
"You were actually created by accident."
"Was I accidentally created by a failed experiment they conducted?"
I had heard that my parents were mages, and mages often conducted experiments.
"No, that's not what I mean."
Sariel seemed to struggle to explain.
"When two people love each other, they usually can't control themselves.
They might engage in nighttime activities without using protection, leading to a mistake."
"I see... so I was created out of lust.
They must have played nightly until they ran out of protection.
Hahaha! What an unfortunate fate...
Not born out of love, but out of lust."
I laughed with irony.
No wonder they abandoned me, I was a child they didn't want to exist.
"Don't make it explicit! It's too dirty to think about.
And don't laugh, as if trying to swallow a bitter reality."
Sariel said, closing her eyes.
"Then, why did they die?
I heard rumors that they were mages."
"Mages are not almighty beings."
Sariel's face was filled with sadness, her eyes looking far away as if gazing at a dark past.
"Your parents died in the fight for the inheritance of the Life Sage."
"The Life Sage who is the most contributing mage to humanity you mean?!"
"Yes, that mage is who I mean."
The mage who freed humans from slavery.
The creator of all kinds of animals.
The controller of life.
The dragon and god slayer.
The Life Sage was an unparalleled powerhouse.
Some even worshipped him as a god.
His legend had spanned thousands of years.
Even I, living in a remote village, knew about him.
"But, even though they died, they managed to obtain the Life Sage's inheritance."
Sariel took out a book.
It was an old book, already yellowed.
There was no cover, but a majestic golden light emanated from it and covered it.
With just one look, I could understand that this book was priceless.
"This book is the inheritance they managed to get, and it's also their final gift to you."