**Years ago**
Nash:
I was born into a loving family.
My mother was beautiful, and my father was a respectable man. The village I was born in loved them, and they loved it back. They would do anything for their people.
I was only ten years old when I vowed to be a man just like my father. And find a woman who was as loving and caring as my mother. Because despite being peasants and having such low affinity for magic, they were still the greatest examples to me.
I came from a lineage of magicless mages on my father's side; and though my mother had some Healing magic, no matter who married into the family, the magic of the other would never pass down. There was only one hereditary magic ability that was inherited, and even then, the ones who had it were one in every hundred. No siblings, just a constant streak of only children. I was one of them, and my parents loved me regardless.
For a while, it seemed that I was born of no magic. I couldn't manifest. I couldn't become. I couldn't gather mana. And I couldn't cast an incantation of any kind. It seemed that I would carry on this magicless torch on…
But one day…
***
I sat in the middle of a burning house. Frozen in shock as I held both my parents' hands under the heaping wood of the fallen beams, blazing before me.
I said and did nothing amidst it. Eyes wide open, tears running down my face, and the fire… the fire touching me, but I refused to burn…
When the rescue mages came, they were in utter shock at the sight of me. The Child Who Did Not Burn… The Wonder Child… were names they had given me.
As they took me out to safety, I watched as our humble little home burned to the ground and my parents long gone with it.
For a while I did not speak.
I remained in shock for a few weeks, recovering in the Valley hospital. I was there for a while until they moved me to a foster home on the outskirts near the Forest jurisdiction where I had seen better days.
"Careful, it's the kid that burned his parents to death!"
"They say he has no magic, but I bet he does! I bet his magic is Cursing!"
"Cursed Child! Cursed Child! Watch out! He's gonna curse us all!"
"He'll burn us with his hellish flames!"
"Run! Here he comes!"
The others teased. But I got used to it.
My voice was the last to come back after being in a state of shock for so long. And when I finally spoke, it was, "Papa… Mama…"
When I first said it, the other foster children had been around. They laughed endlessly at me, and once again, I remembered the day like it was happening. I stayed still on my bed, eyes wide and unable to move.
After a while, the other children had gotten bored of their mirth. Teasing had turned into animosity, and they ended up just seeing me as some freak.
Even the fosters were concerned about me, but not in the way I'd have hoped.
"We need to get him out of here as soon as possible…"
"But where? No one will adopt a child like that."
Even the adults did not want anything to do with me.
I stayed at the foster home longer than the other kids. When I was sixteen, I had gotten used to my episodes. Though… now and then they would occasionally come back. When I thought about it, however, I learned to cope with the sadness.
What had previously taken months to recover from now took only weeks. Two, to be exact. Even so, no parent wanted to adopt a kid who needed two weeks away simply to recover from a trauma that happened to them years ago… so there in the foster home I remained.
I got used to the fosters, and they got used to me, but I knew deep down I was the bane of their existence. I was the kid told to go back to their room whenever there were new adoptive parents who came to visit. I was unwanted because of the way I had become. And for a while, I blamed myself.
Why am I so weird… I thought. How come I can't just be normal like the other kids? Why do I always freeze up? Why am I like this? … Why did I not burn?
The thoughts persisted, and I was lost in them each and every time I had an episode.
And since I was prone to this state every two weeks, I decided to lock myself in my room so as to not be a bother.
I didn't know why, but it seemed my body had adjusted to the time like clockwork.
It wasn't long after that I had found out that I had magic abilities after all…
***
I was now twenty-one, and my time in the foster home had come to an end.
The fact that they kept me for so long, even though the fosters didn't quite like me because I was bad for business, made me grateful regardless.
"Thank you for your hospitality," I said as I bowed to them outside the entrance doors.
"Please don't cause any trouble out in the world…"
"I won't."
One of the fosters clicked their tongue and turned around, heading back inside like my send off was a waste of time.
"Just get a regular job, try to fit in, and don't ever stand out too much. Lest you want others to find out about your condition."
"Okay."
It was a bit of cold advice, but I appreciated it anyway and smiled to myself. Perhaps my standards on love were that laughably low.
It was then that I heard a man's voice, perhaps in his mid-thirties.
"Excuse me… I'm looking for the one they call The Wonder Child?"
The foster lady blinked.
"Err, sorry… um, he also goes by Na—"
"He's right here." She pointed at me. "He's twenty-one now, so he is free to leave of his own accord. There will be no papers to sign, and there is no cost; he is yours for the taking." No hesitation, no remorse. She just wanted me gone.
"I see! Well, thank you very much!" he said.
The foster lady loosed a breath and proceeded to the door, shutting it and leaving me with the odd man.
"Why is it you are looking for me? I am an adult now, and no longer need a guardian," I said to him. "Unless you've got labor you need taken care of, I'm happy to work for you at whatever cost you find suitable for me." I was oddly polite despite the disrespect I was given most of my life.
"Oh, I wasn't going to adopt you," the male replied. "Nor do I have any kind of work for you… Though, I probably should have thought of that sooner—your physique is remarkable! I bet you could haul tons of boxes on your own to our new home!" The way he acted was odd, but there was a friendliness about it that I couldn't quite grasp. His hair was long, black, and he had a white-streaked bang that fell over his right eye. His uniform was like a black kimono, and he didn't come alone…
"Is this the guy, stupid old man?" another male behind him asked, sauntering in out of nowhere, having entered through the fog of the trees.
I didn't even sense his presence. Black messy hair, bangs that obscured his eye just barely, silver chiming cross earrings, a dark jacket with black fur on the hood, black pants, black boots, and hands in his pockets all the while.
"Can you be respectful for one goddamn minute, you damn brat!" the older male barked at the younger, disregarding one.
"I don't mean to interject, but if it's not for adoption or for work, what is it that you want from me?" I asked.
The presence of these two was different than anyone I had ever met. And the younger one there seemed to be about my age, yet… not only did I not sense his presence, but I also didn't sense mana from him at all. I didn't know anyone else aside from my father who was like that. And there'd be no way he was a cousin, the family bore only children.
"I'll cut to the chase since the old man here likes to beat around the bush," the younger black-haired one spoke. "I'm here to fight you."
I blinked, bland expression overtaking me.
"Me?"
"Who do you think? You see anyone else around?" he said in such a nonchalant and dismissing tone, then faced the older man one last time. "Minus him. He doesn't count."
"How rude!" the older man spat.
"Shut up."
They began to bicker as we stood just outside of the foster home I had lived in since I was ten. The place was surrounded by trees, and it was near the Forest Kingdom. It was still morning, and the fog rested on the lands ever so.
"Earlier you called me by one of my other names… The Wonder Child… I'm assuming you know of my past?" I asked the older one.
"Sort of… not really." He stopped his quarreling to say, focusing back to me. "I only know that name because that was the name used when a local told me you fought that Grade 2 beast on your own, and won… Err… Greed, what was that beast called again?" He shifted his focus to the younger male with black hair.
"I don't know… it was like a Basilisk or something…" Greed replied.
"Ah, yes! That's it! A Basilisk! Good old overgrown chickensnake."
"Or 'snakecock.'"
"Oh, ha-ha… you're hilarious, you stupid punk," he retorted to Greed. "Anyway, uh, you recall fighting that thing, right?" he questioned me.
"Yeah," was all I said.
"That's no small feat, young man! Even fighting Grade 3's solo is tough work for mage knights."
"So, you want me to fight this guy"—I gestured my thumb to Greed—"a mage with no apparent magic."
I heard Greed loose a sharp breath at that, like how I said it was meant to insult even though that wasn't what I intended. It was only a hunch…
"Exactly! And depending on how you do, I'll let you join our Guild."
When the older man said that, I didn't know what to think.
Ever since I found out that I actually had a magic ability, a lot of unwanted attention had come my way that I could have quite frankly lived without… Ironically, even with it, nobody wanted me. So why now?
Joining a Guild… I had never even considered it.
"And why should I trust you?" is what came out of my mouth. "I don't even know your name."
The older male laughed and then said, "You bring up a good point. Simply put… you can't!"
I went silent. I was half expecting him to sell himself, but he didn't. He just continued to wear that cheery eye-closed smile across his face. He also didn't answer my second question…
I put down my bag and took off my coat. I wore only a white tank and brown pants, with brown boots. My hair was short, yellow-orange. I was dingy, to say the least.
"Wow, I knew you were built, but I can't help but admire! See that, Greed! You two can hit it off; you both like working out!"
"Could you shut the fuck up, old man? That doesn't mean jack shit," Greed disrespectfully said.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that? You know what? I'm gonna root for the other guy there just 'cause you like to disrespect your elders all the fucking time!"
"No loss of mine."
The older man scowled at him and clicked his tongue, facing me after. "Hey 'Tank', kick his ass for me, would ya?" he requested.
I readied myself and got into a fighting position, making my way further out from the foster home and onto the clearing. I didn't want to waste any more time. Regardless of whether this Greed guy really had no mana that I could sense—and perhaps no magic even, it was precisely that reason that I was on guard with him the most… For I refused the idea that that was all there was to him.
"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get—" I hardly finished my sentence.
When I saw Greed again, I felt my eyes quiver and my muscles tremble. What was this?
"Good. If there's one thing I hate, it's wasting time," he agreed; his presence alone sent shivers down my spine. How could one be like this with no aura? What was he? Who was he?
As he stepped forward, I felt my heart drop, and his face became a shadow to me, revealing only his eyes—if black could glow. In an instant, he dashed forward, and I barely caught sight of it… If it were magic, then I could—
When his punch arrived, my reflexes told me to block even though I had initially wanted just to take it so I could let my magic do its thing. But it didn't let me. It was as if my body was trying to tell me—scream to me—DON'T LET HIM HIT YOU.
My body reacted instinctively and threw up my arms to block as his punch landed. I shot back with a force so strong that it sent me into the trees. My feet dragged over the ground as I forced myself to a stop. And when I looked at my forearms where he had struck, a bruise formed…
My magic, why hasn't it—
"So far, you don't seem like that big of a deal," he taunted, slowly walking toward me, and throwing his hands in his pockets once more.
I ground my teeth, and he dashed. Again, he was in front of me with another strike in less than seconds.
"Show me what the big deal is all about!" he uttered as he shot a kick right at me without removing his hands from their designated place, and I dodged, flipping backward multiple times over the ground and once in the air, yards away from him.
From under me as I completed my backflip, the air rippled, and the trees behind me swayed. The gust that passed made contact with a tree from behind, and a loud blast echoed.
I looked back hesitantly, witnessing a tree in the distance that had been shattered by the mere gust he caused.
That was from his kick?
A trail of sweat ran down the side of my head.
"Good thing you dodged that. I doubt you would have been able to block that one," he taunted again.
He was right, though. I still had a bruise from his punch earlier, and I was still trying to figure out why… my magic… it was Adaptation, so why was it not working now? Why was I not able to adapt to his punches and restore this wound?
When I looked back, the guy met up across from me like he had just taken a mere stroll… "Seems you're still trying to figure out your ability," he observantly implied. "The old man wouldn't tell me what kind of ability you had, but that's fine. With the way you are right now, this won't take very long."
My eyes and muscles still twitched, but I had agreed to this fight. And I didn't know why, but this was a fight I absolutely wanted to win.
I thought of my mother and my father. Their faces as they burned… still held smiles. Smiles that not even death could take away from them. It was that moment that made me vow to be like them. If I were going to die here, it would be with the biggest smile. Like a real man, my father always said.
My aura burst, and Greed halted from his stroll, hands still in his pockets as I roared and my aura bent the trees around us.
"That's what I came here to see," the older male commented, sitting atop a high branch nearby, arms hiding underneath his kimono with one reaching out from under the eri to rub his chin.
Since my body won't adapt to his attacks, I will force myself to adapt to him. That thought rang in my head as I charged; muscles flexed, fists clenched, and head faced down to the ground, squatted. When I whipped my head up to face Greed, my face had the biggest smile from ear to ear and tears of joy fluttered upward from the remembrance of my parents. And I swore I saw a smirk flash on Greed's face at the sight of me.
My aura roared, and my muscles cut sharper, hair fluttering up. I stepped once and cracked the ground. Greed had done the same, his hands still in his pockets. But his facial expression had changed from disregard to that of utter amusement.
"IS THIS WHAT YOU CAME TO SEE!?" I shouted. My heart and mind were full of smiling memories flashing of my parents. And then when the last one arrived—the last memory of the fire that had taken them—it fluttered past, leaving my mind like the burning of a page onto the next chapter.
My heart leaped, surging goosebumps throughout my body that became the pillars to my wicked smile.
Finally, he took his hands out of his goddamn pockets and threw them flexed wide to his sides, shouting back, "THAT'S MORE LIKE IT, YOU FUCKING TANK!" His eyes were wide with welcome; no fear existed in them. "COME ON!"
I dashed first, and he followed suit until we eventually clashed. I, the light in the fog, and he, the black wolf from it.
Our fists met one after another, blocking with our offense, neither of us moving into defense. Fist after fist, the ground shook. Fist after fist, it cratered. Fist after fist the trees shattered. And I swore, even if it was a glimpse, I saw the ones from the foster home watching from afar.
And then.
I threw a right hook, and so did he, both of us aiming for each other's faces.
Our fists met their mark. A perfectly landed strike was made to his cheek, making his face ripple upon impact. He took it like a champ, like his neck was supported by traps of steel. Though I didn't manage to move him, a trail of blood streamed from the side of his mouth. And that was all I needed to see before I was sent flying past multiple trees.
His strike had shattered my cheekbone; it felt as if I had been shot half a mile through the forest. And I crash-landed somewhere deep within.
I breathed so heavily that each inhale felt painful. I definitely had broken bones in different places. Had that punch of his been of magic, my Adaptation would have activated and restored me, but that… that was not magic… by the fucking Keeper, that was not magic.
I'd probably be dead had I not forced an adaptation onto myself before all of that. And ironically that's when I figured out why I was not able to adapt at all…
Then I heard the applause of one man, followed by that same middle-aged voice, "Right on! I think that's enough for today. Keeper, Greed, you could have lightened up just a little…"
"No way." Greed said, "I saw fire in his eyes, and I wanted to meet him where he was. A person like that deserves my all."
His words gave me chills. Not the fear kind. No… the kind that made you want to follow someone.
The older man studied the look on Greed, who had seemed to be his pupil. He then looked at me and said, "Let me heal you up really quick, big guy!"
***
It was night, and the three of us sat by a large oak.
We camped there that night and ate game. The next day, we would start our travel back to the Valley Kingdom, where their Guild was stationed.
The older one, Asura, whom I came to know, had healed me with some kind of magic that wasn't of his own, but was at the same time… it was hard to explain, but the point was I was healed.
He told me that he was building a Guild and was looking for members to fill it, but not your typical members. Rather, members who were seen as misfits and wouldn't normally be chosen by any other Guild. Guess it made sense why they had come to me.
Aside from them, there was the 1st Vice Captain, Code, the 1st Exec, whom they did not name… the 2nd Exec, Raeyn, her sister Ophelia, a guy named Havoc, a cyborg named Brand, a crazy chick named Star, and some prodigy Greed picked up from the Sky jurisdiction who had made a crystal tree back in her hometown… I didn't quite understand, but she was their newest member, and she was already their 1st Ace. They also had a large wolfdog—a breed which I thought went extinct… And other than them, that was it.
"So, what say you, uh… Nash was it?" Asura implied.
I faced him.
"Wanna join our Guild?" he asked informally.
"But I lost."
"My boy, the point wasn't to win. The point was to see what you were made of. You made Greed here bleed from the mouth. Not many people could make that happen. Plus…" He had an ominous and creepy look brewing on his face. "I'm interested in your magic ability!"
All it took was a swift jab to the head by Greed, and just like that, the two of them were bickering again… I think I had seen them argue more times today alone than I had potential adoptive parents come to visit me… which was about zero, so that wasn't much of a comparison.
"On one condition," I said. They both stopped their arguing and paid attention to me. "I want a rematch."
Greed smiled eagerly and said, "Time and place. Name it, and I'm there."
"Now, now, we just met. That fight was just a one-time thing to gauge strength. We need another heavy hitter in the crew after all." Asura leaned over to me. "Let me train you to use your ability to its max, and then you two can rematch all you like."
I was intrigued. This was the first encounter of any kind that I've had where people weren't scared, mocking, or judging me. In fact, though I lost that battle, it had excited me more than discouraged me.
To fight someone so powerful who was my same age… I looked over to Greed, and I could tell with just one look; his eyes told a story that most people could not even comprehend. I bet he had gone through much worse than I in my lifetime. And I'm willing to bet he's the type that would never boast about it. In fact, even if I were to ask, he probably would brush it off and still not tell me.
Those were the eyes that had seen many battles and many deaths. I respected him immediately.
"Alright, fine," I tried to say as nonchalant as possible. Asura, though, was a lot sharper than most. I just knew he caught my hidden glee.
"Then it's settled! Welcome to the Black Wolves!" Asura and another girl welcomed me unanimously.
"The Black Wolves? That's the name of the Guild?" I questioned. I couldn't help but laugh. The name was perfect. Like black sheep, but we were no longer the prey. It sparked my heart.
Wait…
Who the hell?
"IT'S A FUCKING GHOST!" Asura screamed. "I KNEW THIS PART OF THE FOREST WAS HAUNTED!"
"Stupid old man. It's just Ophelia," Greed debunked.
The ghost, Ophelia, giggled. She had black hair with a strand of blonde to the side, a corset under her similar dark jacket with a black fur trimmed hood. Her stomach showed, and her skirt was just a bit too short with only a single stocking on one leg. Combat boots on her feet. Choker on her neck, and decorated with smaller goth jewelry. Yeah, this chick definitely broke some hearts.
I also couldn't help but notice the eyepatch on her right eye. Best not ask.
Like a shift in the air, Asura begun reprimanding, "And just where the hell were you this whole time!?"
"Relax geezer, I was just trying to find signal on my comm. My reel wouldn't post…"
"THAT'S WHY!? And I'm NOT a geezer… Keeper, you pick up after Greed."
Greed started chuckling, and I couldn't help but be intrigued once again.
"You post reels?" I asked.
"Yeah… And who are you big guy?" she unashamedly queried back.
"YOU JUST WELCOMED HIM, AND NOW YOU'RE ASKING WHO HE IS!?" Asura crashed out.
"Nash," I pleasantly answered, ignoring Asura's quirks.
"Nice to meet ya! You know who I am, the boys here already introduced me, but you can call me Ophy for short!"
"Ophy…" I repeated. She was hot.
"Also," Asura interrupted my study of her. "Adaptation is your magic ability, correct?"
"Aye."
"That's a rare ability. It only comes from a certain bloodline of magicless mages, once every starlight moon."
"Aye," I said again. "It's a hereditary ability that gets passed down to one out of every hundredth child. And to make it worse, those who are born in the bloodline are never born with siblings; we are always only children. I actually didn't know I had this ability until my parents died, and I was the only one who survived due to the inability to be burned… well, I suppose I was burned, too, at first and perhaps died, but I was reborn with what I call Lives. I believe I gained it along with my trauma that day."
I barely realized I had averted my eyes to the ground. When I faced back up, they each wore solemn looks on their faces.
Fuck. Did I just kill the mood? I thought it was just basic information… Shit I've really lost touch with my social awareness ever since being at the foster…
"I see," Asura replied, not even lingering on it. "Let me help you master that ability. I'm an expert in magical prowess. I even taught this guy how to fight, and he doesn't have a lick of magic!" He laughed at Greed.
Greed snapped at him after that, while Ophelia tried some game, making a disgusted expression as she ate it, complaining, "Who cooked this? And is this possumrat?" She gagged. "So gross…"
"Hey I cooked that! A 'thanks' would be appreciated, missy!" Asura barked.
"Thanks for ruining my appetite…"
Asura bickered at them both now. It was like he was fending off two brats.
I just sat there observing their chemistry, like this was their way of coping. It was ironically healthier than the other types of relationships I had seen in a long time… because it was honest.
But no magic? Seemed like a stretch at first. But I truly didn't sense any mana from him at all. Guess my hunch was right.
I snickered at the irony.
We took turns talking, and I told them my life story; they listened eagerly, letting me talk the whole time as I explained my ability, how I can only adapt nine times, and how because it was linked to my trauma, I had to recoup in a closed-off space for at least two weeks at a time, restarting my Nine Lives all over again afterward.
"That's all?" Greed insinuated. "We got a chick who's a fuckin' kleptomaniac that shares a body with her emotionless twin sister, a five star chef who's a massive control freak, a guy that can't decide if he's tired or hyper, needs fourteen hours of sleep daily and needs to shit at least six to seven times a day, a chick who's basically a barbarian with a superiority complex and brings home large animals to beat up, a chick with a tail, and a fucking cyborg…" He sighed and went on, "Anyway, you sure that's all? No other little quirks?"
It was like what I had just told them was absolutely nothing at all. It felt weirdly refreshing…
"Well, there is one more thing…" I brought up. I might as well say it since we're on the topic. "I've always wanted to be a social media fitness influencer."
There was dead silence between the three of them. I couldn't tell if they were just soaking that in or had thought I was joking. Had I just topped the rest of the ridiculousness they had at home?
Then Ophelia started laughing joyously; her laugh was just as sexy as she was.
And then Greed gave a soft chuckle, which then bled into hysterical laughter. I knew I shouldn't have shared that part. It sounded ridiculous anyway…
"I think that's great!" Asura complimented. "That's why you asked Ophelia here about the reel she was posting. You're the most normal out of the whole group!"
At this point that sounded like an insult…
I looked at him with utter bewilderment. "Really? Even more normal than this Code fellow?" I asked after they had told me a little bit about him earlier.
"Code has fuckin OCD or some shit. Plus, he never says it out loud, but I swear the dude wants to be a famous chef at some high-end Valley restaurant one day. He's such a nerd with food. You're gonna be eating five-star courses once you get back to the Den with us!" Greed proclaimed.
Even though it seemed like they were shit-talking their own friends, the light in their eyes glinted at the way they talked about them. I could tell that, underneath the surface, they truly cared for each other and considered each other family.
I couldn't help but laugh as we continued to share stories and talk about the other members. I had smiled today more than I could count during my time at the foster. I felt as though I smiled as much as when my parents were both still alive. This joy, it was the same as theirs. These people… these people are who I wanted to be around always. On top of that, who they were… I wanted to be just like them.
***
**Present. Valley Tournament**
As Nash sat within the sand crater on the battlefield, he heard nothing but the crowds roaring. Rok! Rok! Rok! They all seemed to cheer. He tried desperately to search for the cheers of his comrades, but they were muffled by the sheer numbers in the colosseum.
Head down, hair a mess and fallen over his face, he debated with himself what the best course of action would be to take: adapt now and potentially avoid losing, or play it smart and risk the chance of winning.
He began thinking, If I lose, no one will see me differently… except myself. What was the point of winning? It was the thoughts of a lesser man.
Then, amidst the loud cheers of the crowd, he heard footsteps down one of the halls. He did not know why, but he homed in on that sound.
It was only when he saw him that he understood.
"There you are…" Nash whispered.
"Nash!" the male in the hallway shouted. The audience heard his voice from wherever they sat, silencing the erupting cheers of the audience despite being only one voice. "You just gonna sit there and lose? Or do you want to win and rematch with me, like a real man!?"
Rok darted his eyes to the male. And so did the audience as they began muttering to themselves.
As for Nash, when those words were spoken, it was like a jolt of electricity coursing through his veins. His light-blue eyes glowed from the shadows, and an aura emanated from him.
The sound of a large clock gonged behind him once more, and all the damage done to him was recovered.
"Five…" he said under his breath, head still down.
"What kind of morale boost was that?" Rok questioned.
And then Nash adapted again… "Four."
His aura burst, and the pressure that radiated from him was so dense that it could be seen rather than sensed. The color of light blue emitted like blue flames, and his hair shot up from the mere pressure of the aura alone. He blew away the sand with each step he took, and even Rok had shifted his stance backward despite being a distance away.
Just like that time when they met, his face bore a proud smile. A smile that belonged only to those who knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they would win. A smile that only belonged to champions.
"Kick his ass!" Greed bellowed from the hallway.
Nash looked Rok in the eyes, replying finally to what he had asked,
"The kind meant for a real man."