A hall, the sound of something dripping. It's dark, but in the middle of the hall, there's a light. I look ahead and see a woman sitting in a chair, her throat slit, her blood slowly dripping like droplets. With a sudden impulse, I wake up, throwing myself upward.
"W-what was that? A dream?"
What I had dreamed would later reveal its meaning. I place my hands on my face to soothe myself and confirm the reality I was in.
This dream was just a reminder to wake up and tell myself that it wasn't an illusion. A fateful and real nightmare, and the pain in my chest had a cause: Loss.
I looked to my left and right; there were just small chairs and a fireplace to my left. I woke up in a bear-skin cushioned bed.
After four days of rest, I finally got up, not knowing where I was, and headed to the door by my side. As soon as I opened the wooden door, on the other side, there was an old hunched man preparing tea. The old man noticed me, looked up, and said:
"So, you've regained your strength, boy. Sit down, you must be hungry."
For some reason, I felt comfortable in this place. It was a simple, small house, but cozy. As the old man asked, I sat down at his table.
There were bread, leftover cake, and immediately my stomach growled. I began devouring whatever was in front of me, without even asking what it was. The old man sat across from me and said:
"Boy, I found you many miles away from this continent, in a mountain pass, fallen in the snow... what happened?"
I kept eating in silence. I was just a ten-year-old child traumatized by my own family. What could I say? Watching my mother die, I became a different kind of person. Some feelings were lost.
The old man looked at me with pity. I had seen that look many times before; it was familiar. For a moment, I stopped eating and asked:
"Where am I?"
"You're on the continent of 'Gracya,' which is to the west of the continent where I found you."
"I was on the 'Ynadril' continent, and this man brought me to Gracya. How long exactly was I unconscious?"
"How long have I been out?" I asked the old man while eating a piece of cake.
"At least four days, maybe five," he answered, looking me in the eyes.
The old man stood up and said:
"Come outside, and see for yourself where you are."
I put some bread in my pocket, stood up, and went outside the small house.
When I opened the door, I was blinded by a ray of sunlight. I put my hand in front of my eyes and looked around. There was grass, and a small waterfall came down from a mountain (not far behind the old man's house), the water flowing down into a creek, which ended in a cliff about thirty meters away. Tall trees surrounded us. Where exactly was I?
"Everything around here belongs to me. I conquered it with my efforts. You can stay until you recover," the old man said as he walked toward the small creek. It was a beautiful place to live. For the first time, I could experience the meaning of "peace" in many years.
Days passed, one after another. I sat a bit behind the cliff, leaning against a tree. I heard footsteps approaching; it was the old man.
"Every day, you come to this place, lean against this tree, but what's going through your mind? I'm curious. Are you ready to tell me what happened?" the old man asked as we watched the horizon.
"I was expelled, so to speak, from my home. I have nowhere to go."
I continued looking at the horizon as birds flew south, signaling that winter was approaching.
"My mother was killed in front of me. My brother tried to kill me, and my father... well, my father ordered them to make me disappear, nothing more."
"I asked what's going through your mind," the old man said in a serious tone, wanting a more implicit answer?
"Revenge. I want 'power' to destroy the kingdom of Unandir. I want to bathe it in flames."
"People who seek revenge never end well. After you get your revenge, what do you plan to do?" the old man asked.
I stood up, turned to the old man, and said:
"I have nothing to lose. Once I get my revenge, I'll think about what to do next."
"You want power? I can give it to you, but you'll have to do something for me."
I was a little curious about how such an old man could teach me something, but what did he want in exchange?
"Let me change you. Give me the opportunity to transform you into a different kind of person. Let me implement my philosophy in your concept of humanity," the old man said, looking at me.
Without hesitation, I agreed to the old man.
"I recognize talent when I see it."
"But what do you know about 'power'? Do you even know about mana?"
The old man immediately showed a surprised expression and then started laughing.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha, boy, do you know who I am? I'm the former leader of Organization Zero. My name is Altair."