1 Chapter 1: Prologue

"Who are you?" said a kid with bloody hands. My blood to be exact.

"I'm Zeph and one day I'm gone.*Thonk*"

Holding my shirt and pulling my face into his punches, he punched again, this time with a lot more force. 

"You think I care about you kid, what are you gonna do? Fight back? You don't even have a familiar, you're weak. All I ever see you do is work like a dog. Maybe if you weren't so weak this would be more fun"

*BASH*

*Bas...*

Ba...

The sound and pain started to fade away and all I knew next was I passed out. It's nothing new to me, not even the first time this week. But that's my life. I was born in a small town but moved to Afron for work. Afron is a large kingdom located roughly in the heart of Epoya. This central kingdom is famous for its familiars.

Familiars are creatures that each person has. Some are monsters or mythical creatures from lore, some are weak, and some are strong. Science tells us that familiars are born from eggs, but some spiritual leaders believe that our familiars are born inside of us when we are born. And they dont take form till they have an egg to materialize. But people who want guaranteed powerful familiars, it's best to spend more money for rarer eggs, the chances of getting a epic class Familiar from a common egg is rare. very very very rare. So rare that it has never happened before. So for people who want powerful familiars, you need a lot of money. Mostly nobility, the rich, or the government can get rare eggs and with them powerful familiars. I personally like the second idea, if familiars are connected to us, maybe mine could be strong but I don't know.

My status in Afron is obvious as by the fact I'm getting beat, is that I'm poor. so poor that I had to get a job to go to Uher Familia Academy. Named after Uher the God of Justice. The last person to have a documented legendary familiar, he is considered one of the most powerful warriors to ever live. I don't know why but they hired me to be a janitor at one of the best schools in the nation. But since I'm not rich or my familiar was born yet, I am beaten, berated, and broken by my classmates weekly.

I am judged for red eyes and dark black hair, my darker tone of skin and my skinny stature, I get called Demon, cursed child, and other names by kids who hate me for being different. but I'm not different, atleast I think I'm not

....

I wake up and all I see is the sun. A bright ball of light, burning my eyes. I hear a worried woman's voice

"Zeph, finally your awake" 

"Hey Monica, long time no see. How long have I been out?" 

Monica is a 17-year-old girl with blonde hair and white smooth skin, you could easily mistake her for an angel. She's one of the good kids at this school who helps me out. She found me knocked out on the first day of school on my way home. she's helps me out everytime she finds me and feels like she pity me because I'm poor. Or she's just always this nice to everyone, I don't know.

" Oh if I had to guess, maybe half an hour?"

" Thank Uher, the tournament hasn't started yet. How much longer Monica till Willow is done?"

Willow is Monica's familiar, Willow the caladrius, a pure white bird known for healing people, even their illnesses. It's a rare familiar. I heard her parents pay nearly 100 thousand silver for its egg.

I wish mine could be as amazing as hers but I found my egg. I found mine a year ago when I was 14, during the last battle tournament. I was laying in a tree watching the fireworks above the stadium go off with their bright and vibrant colors and as they were flying through the sky, I heard this loud boom. It looked like a meteor falling through the sky. But thanks to the fireworks, it easily blended in with the chaos in the sky

I see the flying object enter Hell's Cave. It's a popular cave known for scaring kids with ghosts and scary monsters but the city decided to close it down after repeated reports of kids getting hurt there, but I didn't care if ghosts or monsters were in there, I was going in.

I followed the dark wet cave with my hands on the walls trying to not run face into a wall. Everything was going slowly till I slipped on loose rocks, I guess the meteor broke a wall in the cave and picked myself up and saw the meteor buried in the ground with flames around it. But thanks to the meteor I see an altar, on it is a black egg. I've never known that eggs come in this big of a size and being black. I touch it and I feel this warmth, I was startled that it was alive. I was even more startled when black flames appeared on the walls, candles self lit and the meteor and it's flames were gone. The walls went from a wet wall, chipped and carved out of a mountain, to gently placed stone tan bricks. I looked behind me, the entrance was now covered in a large red curtain. I went to grab it and try to see where I was, but i couldn't touch it, my hand passed through it. I was confused, terrified. I look around and  see 6 people standing in front of me, where the altar used to stand. 3 large men and 3 women, all wearing these soft golden robes, covering their face. I wanted to ask where I was, but when I tried to talk, I felt like my words were taken from me. I could see their lips were moving, but I couldn't hear them talking either.

Then suddenly I felt a soft hand on my body, two of the women came up to me and hugged me.

All I remember next was hearing all six of them saying "Welcome…" They went silent again and next thing I know is I woke up. outside the cave. In pain, so much pain. Next to me was the egg I saw. The egg is the only reason I believe what happened in there wasn't a dream. But i still wonder about the egg, or my egg now i guess. What will it be?

But hey, as long as my familiar is awesome and cool looking I will be happy, I hope that it will hatch soon because it's been a full year since I've had it and it's weird for an egg to not hatch after 6 months. I wish it hatches tomorrow because tomorrow I will be turning 16 and a Familiar would be an amazing birthday gift. I brought the egg with me because I wanted to ask one of my teachers what he thought after the tournament.

Speaking of the tournament I push willow off and get up.

"Come on Monica, let's go before the tournaments start, I don't want to miss a single thing" 

" I know it's your first time and everything but I don't see what's so cool. All it is is just familiars fighting each other." 

"Ya, that's sounds AWESOMEEEEEEEE."

We run for a few minutes till we get into the stadium and find seats near the bathrooms. Yayyyyy, we love the smell of puke and sadness. I look around me and almost all the seats are packed. I see my teachers, my classmates, nobility and even military generals here. This is a big event. I wonder how much it costs to enter. Since I work at the school and attend it, I got in for free. nice. But who cares. Not me that's for sure, it's the Uher Familia tournament. And it's about to start.

A skinny man wearing a suit and a top hat with a long mustache walks slowly towards the center of the stage. He sticks out his arms and swoosh, the sky becomes dark and flames appear at the entrances and all along the walls.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, I am the referee of today's annual Uher familia Tournament. Here there are only 2 rules. That's it, only 2. So please remember them, they are 

Rule 1. If you wish to stop fighting, please raise both your hands and say aloud "I forfeit" where you will automatically quit the match and must leave the stage.

Rule 2. And the second and best rule, give the audience what they came for and fight till you drop.

Are you ready? "

The audience comes alive and screams of joy for the blood that's about to come.

"Good, that's what I like to hear.

Now, lets begin"