"Curses Were Once Blessings Which Were Corrupted By The Evil That Runs The World"
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The old earth. A section of the world which was left as a constant reminder of the greatest atrocities committed by mankind.
In this world's golden age, humanity's own spawns of sin sprawled around the old earth, spreading curses followed with chaos. Eventually, the world had been invaded by a foreign "neighbors".
In this part of the world, all that remained were desolate continents, blanketed in withered flowers which constantly radiated malevolent aura.
One man's sin, became the world's stepping stone into an inevitable second blood war.
***
"Hurry up and push it out already, Aaliyah."
The disgruntled voice came from a middle aged woman who wore a black tunic robe with a white sash across her torso.
Her hair was black with white stripes, and her eyes were a deep shade of grey, which looked well with her few wrinkles despite her age.
She hunched over in front of a woman who was lying on a medical bed, with both her legs braced apart.
Her pained grunts echoed across the hollow room where six supreme generals were standing behind the disgruntled woman. The only people standing in the room other than the generals were a man who stood across of a young dark haired girl.
The disgruntled woman took a few seconds to glance over at the man and the child. Her eyes appeared indifferent, though deep behind that indifference was a sense of controlled contempt as she glanced at the man.
Though her attention was quickly stolen by the sudden burst of malevolent energy which radiated from the woman's body.
"Come on Aaliyah, give it one more push."
After a few still moments, the pained grunts from the woman were replaced by the sounds of cries. A baby was brought into the world.
The disgruntled woman had now cradled the newborn in her arms and brought the child close to her chest.
Once she had immediately wrapped the child in a thick blanket, the young girl had called out to the woman.
"Grandma?…"
The woman didn't bother to spare the child a word or glance. Instead, another voice called out to the woman.
"Well, Aiko?"
Aiko had turned to face the eldest of the supreme generals. Her expression was blank, yet somber when she replied:
"It's a healthy boy."
"Let me hold my son…"
Aaliyah had called out from the medical bed. Sweat raced down her trembling figure, though she had managed to weakly hold out both her arms.
Though her words fell on deaf ears. The only one who seemed to acknowledge her presence was the man who stood in front of the young girl, who gave a smirk over to Aaliyah.
"Well done, my wife… you've birthed my son."
Suddenly, a surge of anger filled Aaliyah's entire being. Though she quickly fell back to the bed, her eyes were filled with contempt toward the man.
The eldest general said to aiko:
"Aaliyah will raise Jason until he is of age… and once he is, we will begin."
The light in Aaliyah's dark grey eyes momentarily faded as she watched Aiko cradle the young child.
'Mama…'
After a few silent moments, Aiko slowly walked past the lined formation of the six supreme generals.
"Selene… come with me."
The young girl who stood behind the man had nodded and obediently trailed behind her grandmother. Before she caught up to her, she noticed a dazed yet slightly fascinated expression on the long haired general's face.
'…'
***
Cold rain cascaded from the grey sky on this morning. On the wide muddy streets of the massive village, there were few people, and the only ones on the streets were covering their heads with their overwear.
One young boy had suddenly began running through the streets. The bottoms of his muddied shoes made the puddles splash a few inches into the air.
The young man's face was covered in rain, his breathing heavy from the running. One rain drop managed to hit his dark grey eye.
"Ah!, damn."
The young man wiped his eye. And once he finally reached a seemingly small structure, he took a breath before he pushed the tall door open.
In an instant, he was met with countless voices of people who were currently inhabiting the grand hall.
The young man had noticed that many adults from renowned sorcerer clans were there, along with their children who appeared to be the same age as him.
The young man's dark grey eyes had darted around the grand hall in search of his mother and older sister. And after a few moments, amidst the nonstop talking, the young man heard the voice of an older girl that sounded familiar.
"Don't start this now Aaliyah… I'm only here for Jason's orientation."
The young man's eyes were then focused on a pale scar faced woman who wore a black scarf around her neck and her jet black hair tied in a ponytail.
Beneath the scarf, she was clad in a slightly loose tunic, with black bandages covering both of her forearms, and a long skirt.
Once he heard the firm tone of her voice, his face dropped a little.
'Here they go again…'
During the fifteen years of his life, Jason by now had grown accustomed to hearing his older sister's constant bickering with their mother.
'Please don't go making a scene in front of all these people'
Taking a quick breath, Jason walked over to the two women.
Once selene's eyes fell onto her younger brother, her eyes lit up a little as she grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"What's up dork."
Jason couldn't help but chuckle.
***
Jason spent a few moments impatiently conversing with his older sister and their mother. Occasionally, he glanced around the grand hall at the other kids who would soon be his classmates.
Though the first one to catch his eye was a white haired girl who stood next to her mother.
The girl wore angelic white robes. And her skin had white patterned markings which sprouted along her arms and legs.
As though feeling Jason's eyes latched onto her, the girl turned her head to the side and made eye contact with him. Jason felt his heart stop for a split second as his face flushed.
He expected a look of disgust, but received a simple soft smile from the girl before she quickly turned to face the stage at the front of the grand hall.
Once everyone heard loud footsteps, the room immediately fell silent. From the side entrance of the stage, the five supreme generals had emerged.
Everyone's eyes were more fixed on the eldest general who stood in the middle of the lined formation. Once the whispers calmed down, the older general spoke.
"As I'm sure you're all aware, today marks the moment in which your lives will change… in this academy, you'll all learn to utilize your sorcery and become fine weapons which will determine the world's future."
"I would advise you all one thing… from this point on, you are no longer children. The world will not continue to pamper you."
At some point, the elder general glanced toward Jason for a brief moment, and then continued with his words.
"Those of you who are the heirs to prestigious sorcerer clans… know that you are destined for great things, but also know that fortune favors the bold."
"Soon, the world will look to the next generation as its saviors, and if you have the will to do whatever it takes to protect this world and its people, I can assure you that soon your efforts will be repaid in kind."
The old man's speech went on for another few minutes. And once it ended, the grand hall was cleared with Jason shooting one last curious glance toward the white haired girl.
Suddenly, he felt a slight sting at the back of his head. Once he glanced back at his older sister who had struck at his head, he shot an irritated glare toward her.
"What the hell?!"
The older girl simply smirked and laughed in an exaggerated manner.
"Quit staring at that girl, little pervert."
Jason's face flushed. He couldn't help but manage a small smile, seeing the more playful side of his older sister rather than her usual brooding expression.
"That might be the first time I've heard you joke in a while."
***
A few days after orientation, Jason had arrived at the rusted brown academy gates. The academy resided in a nearby mountainside just out north of the tribe.
The academy was large in size. Though Jason couldn't really see as well due to the thick mist that blanketed the academy.
Once he passed through the guarded gates, he was greeted with a two sided rectangular shaped pool, which had six circular stone platforms in them where six students meditated.
From here and there he heard instructors reprimanding incompetent students and troublemakers who bickered with each other.
Once he had entered the academy, he walked through the narrow halls and after a few minutes, he found his classroom.
He took a deep breath before entering the room. And once he did, he immediately locked eyes with one of his two classmates.
It was the same white haired girl who he had seen during orientation just a few days back.
She was sitting on the front rowed long desk, and fixed her pristine cloudy eyes on the boy who had just entered the classroom.
The girl greeted him with a smile and said:
"Oh! I thought you were our instructor for a second."
She let out a small chuckle. Jason walked toward the seat next to her and simply gave her an uncomfortable smile.
Once he sat down next to her, he glanced over to his right and noticed a frail young man who sat at the far end of the long desk, just at the corner of the room.
The boy had jet black, unkempt hair. His pale skin was rough and had a few dirt spots which complimented his shadowy oversized robes.
Suddenly, the girl had broken the uncomfortable silence.
"Well since our instructor isn't here yet, why don't we introduce ourselves?… my name is Aria."
Jason seemed a little startled once the girl's eyes had fell toward his own. With a stutter, he replied:
"My name is Jason."
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Continued in chapter 2: Stepping Stones
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