Chereads / The Black Flames / Chapter 3 - Oisin

Chapter 3 - Oisin

"Mm..." Oisin raised his arms, stretching for a while, "I slept too early last day."

Usually at that time of night, he would go to the bridge near his home and just sit there, pretending to meditate, or he would go to different places pulling different types of pranks. That day however, was obviously special.

Oisin likely possessed a Grade S artifact's recipe hidden inside his robe. It was a strange feeling.

"What will happen if I craft a Grade S artifact? Can I destroy the world" he asked himself, while preparing to get out of the house. He wanted to walk around, and make his way to the bridge.

Oisin always found the nights to be strange. It had a very strange aura that days never seem to have.

People say to not go out at night.

Monsters will catch you. Then they will eat you up.

That is why Oisin started to go out at night. He wanted to see how monsters look like. But he never found any. At one point, he started to doubt if monsters even exist. Fortunately he later learnt from some elders that monsters do exist. The adventurers train for their whole lives so that they can fight monsters and keep people like him safe and sound.

Moreover, Lumen was the capital city. There was no way for any kind of monsters to get in. At least not any kind of monsters that Oisin knew of.

"I think I could become an adventurer..." he murmured while walking under a nearly full moon. The fall from yesterday was still hurting him quite a bit. His knees would produce cracking sounds if he tried to walk too fast.

"If I become an adventurer, then I will get to use so many artifacts. Magic is really fun too...

"But I wonder if that is possible for me. As far as I know, the guilds take loads of bribe to register someone as an adventurer. Unless of course, they belong to some noble or royal family. And.. I'm broke. 

"What if I sell this artifact recipe? I don't think I will need to worry about anything in life again if I do that...

"...

"But I will not do that. I want to craft this artifact one day.

"If I craft The Black Flame, everyone will recognize me. My name will be there, painted in golden ink. It is a much greater success.

"Right... in the end, it's a gamble. Who says that I won't get robbed after I sell this artifact? And who says that I won't fail to ever craft this artifact?

"I have to live according to my ambition. Otherwise I have surely failed. Plus, I don't want to live like a rich bum. They disgust me.

"Hmm...

"It's final. Moon bears my witness, I have decided to craft this artifact."

Oisin took a deep breathe. By then, he had reached the wooden bridge. In fact, he was standing in the center of it. He raised his chin to look up at the moon. It was slightly curved, like an exaggerated grin. He said it louder,

"Moon bears witness! I have decided to craft The Black Flame!"

...

"What is that kid shouting?" an adult man wearing an iron helmet asked his partner. 

"I can't hear it. But he does seem suspicious."

"I think he has some mental problems."

These people were the guards of the old temple. They did not just let Oisin get away, they decided to tail him for a day. Even if nothing was found on Oisin's body, what if he had used magic to hide whatever he robbed from the underground chambers? Despite everything, the old temple was still one of the most ancient structure in the Kingdom. 

Oisin sat on the bridge, still staring at the moon.

The moon also stared back at him.

He started to think about his future course of action. To be able to read the recipe, he needed to get stronger. He needed knowledge. He needed help.

But Oisin knew of no one that could help him out with this.

He did not know anybody he could trust so much.

He does not remember his parents. His first memory was that of an orphanage, where the owner of that orphanage dies after being burnt alive from a raid by some bandits. Then he was taken to the capital, and sold as a slave to a noble. But from there he managed to escape, along with his elder 'brother' Bern, around the age of 12.

Oisin could tell that the noble did not care about bringing him back. In fact, he met the noble sometimes after. Perhaps he showed mercy.

Ever since, Oisin bore a form of grudge. He wanted to prove himself to them, and everyone, that he can be better than everyone else, and that in every way. So he saved money for a whole year, and brought an over-sized robe with the intention that he will use it for at least ten years or so.

In truth, the robe was really of a great quality, and that befitting of nobles to wear. He always wore it with great care, so it does not get tainted. The reason is that he did not want to look weak, or poor.

Although this did not earn him any extra prestige. Even if a boy from the slums wear a king's crown, people will know it's a boy from slum wearing it. So he sought real status.

Real power, real fame.

But beware, Oisin is not after all these for greed; He is only ambitious.

Eventually, he learnt to read and write in the Vepera language in a local school from a free education event. He learnt quite fast, because he knew that he has to be a quick witted person to stand at the top.

"God. Help me," he pressed his face in his thighs as he felt extremely lonely all of a sudden.

Oisin also wants to go to heaven one day.