1 Prologue (1/5)

""You sure you guys can keep up? We can have Uncle Jugo switch with y'all if you'd like."

Sans Amata hoisted the enormous basket up onto his shoulders, the handwoven straw container filled to the brim with light pink, wriggling fish. A strong, salty wind rose up, blasting the baskets lid shut for the black haired youth as he looked back, crimson red eyes gazing towards the two young men attempting to lift a second container of fish from the wooden fishing boat. The straining expressions on their face elicited a smile on Sans's visage, forcing him to suppress a chuckle as the two boys managed to bring the fish up to shoulder length after some fierce struggling.

"Shut...up," Kindo, the boy on the right, muttered as he ambled forward, the weight of the basket making his knees shake. "Don't...say...anything!!"

Andan, the one on the left, let out a small grunt as he nearly fell over. "Why....are you....so damned.....strong!!"

Sans readjusted the shoulder straps on the basket as he turned around, ready to leave the shore. With the boat tied to the wooden stake and the fishing net stored by the beat up palm tree, everything was already set for the three of them to head off. "You guys can't blame me for this. It really is a shame that you, as teenagers, are weaker than an eight year old. Maybe I should inform Dana about it. Wonder how that would influence your chances?"

The two soon to be stragglers seemed to perk up after hearing this statement as both of them discovered a newfound strength. With this spike in energy, they completely overshot Sans as they practically sprinted back towards the village with the container held high. Even Sans was impressed at how fast they moved, especially considering a significant length of the way home was straight up sand which should've made walking and running that much more difficult.

"Its amazing what the power of desperation can do for a person." The boy muttered as the wind ruffled his hair.

Sans shook his head softly as he started his own walk, though at a far more casual pace then the ones Kindo and Andan had set. While the basket was indeed heavy, he wasn't really in the mood to run back like a cat with its tail on fire, wasting excessive amounts of energy for no reason whatsoever. As someone who constantly had to run numerous chores on a daily basis, preservation of ones own stamina was essential. This was something he had learned early on when he had overworked himself to the point of being in a near comatose state despite possessing near adult level endurance.

"The fish have been caught and need to be handed in to Brock and Dasna for gutting, the weeds in the west crop need to pulled out before they have a chance to fully grow in, and then I have to attend classes with the other village children. So many things to do with so little time to do it. Maybe I should play hooky...and then get my ass kicked by father for skipping."

Sans dug his bare feet into the sand with each step as he followed the same path the two teenagers had taken. "Let's just head on home for the time being. Hope those two didn't drop the fish."

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The village of Arina, that's what Sans's home was called, named after one of the founders around a century ago. It was a peaceful, tidy little sanctuary nestled comfortably a mile or so away from the shore, an almost perfect spot that provided the residents with every thing they could possibly need.

The soil around the area was rich in nutrients, allowing them to grow many different types of fruits and vegetables, and the ocean offered up numerous other sources including a variety of food as well as ingredients needed for every day items such as soap. In terms of hospitable environments, the originators of Arina had certainly picked out a prime spot that would last the citizens for generations to come. With the pros far outweighing the cons, no one within the limits of the village had ever even brought up the idea of leaving their own little makeshift paradise, content to live off the land.

At least that's how it had been since the beginning, since the very conception of Arina some centuries ago.

Nowadays, it was different as people became more and more curious as to what lay beyond the confines of the land they dwelled upon. Sans himself was even immensely curious as to what the outer world was like and had secretly vowed to go and find out one day with some of his friends.

Of course, perhaps the ones that were most influenced by the idea of travelling away from Arina were Sans's parents, Noah and Yaon Amata. The couple had been discussing taking the large Barque (a sailing vessel with three or more masts) out with a couple of other adults to locate a possible new location to allocate to. They denied Sans's request to join them, claiming he was far too young mentally despite having the strength of an adult, and brushed aside any rebuttals the youth constantly hit them with on a daily basis. Even after years of pestering and bickering, they stood firm on the matter and maintained their stances without budging a single millimeter.

All in all though, the village was a happy one, a total of 560 residents who lived day to day with not a single worry in the world. The children got along splendidly, the adults went about their chores in carefree manners, and the elders sat around whilst weaving tales and myths about the olden days when they were young, recounting exaggerated stories they had been told from their own mothers and fathers. It was all like something out of a story, an isolated paradise in which minimal problems arose.

As Sans reached the storage shed, the place where the teenagers of the village would go to gut and then preserve the animals that were caught, he took the time to look around. He had already arrived at the shed but had yet to see any sign of either Kindo or Andan, them having disappeared completely from view about half a mile back. It didn't really bother him too much as the simpletons tended to lose focus, goofing off and slacking on the jobs given multiple times throughout the day. However, it did make him wonder where they could have gone this time around.

"They probably went to Dana's," a voice said, cutting into as well as perfectly reading Sans's train of thought. "They have no self control. Unlike me who has plenty of it to go around...I could literally power the entire village with it."

Sans turned around, red hues zeroing in on the feminine figure standing in front of the Storage room door with a small smirk on her face. After a few seconds, the youth broke into a smile of his own as he set the basket down onto the grassy ground, slipping his arms out of the straps. He had thought he wouldn't see her until the end of the day so his morning was already brightened as he flexed his shoulders, rubbing the ache out of them. Even if he did possess freakish level strength for a kid, walking such a long way caused the leather to chafe and the weight to irritate his muscles.

"Hey mom," Sans said in a chipper tone. "Didn't expect you to be out here. I thought you guys were going to be loading the ship with supplies today."

"I mean...I had to see my son before I left," Yaon Amata responded back, red hair fluttering in the soft breeze. Her black eyes squinted, hints of amusement and laughter in her unflinching gaze. "You never know if I'll be gone for a week or a month so I need to get a good look at you before I go. I see you're working hard just like your father."

"....You just want to get out of work again don't you?"

Yaon said nothing, just turning her head to the side and giving a small shrug in response, which was the only reaction Sans needed.

His mother was worse then the horny duo who could barely even carry a single basket of fish. While he loved his parents dearly, one was a hard worker with an easygoing nature while another was a simple slacker whose only good points were her beauty, kindness, and ability to cook. When it came to anything else she was downright terrible and Sans wasn't afraid to call her out on it either as she always tried to find ways to ditch her duties, e it feigning sickness or pretending to have some other task.

"Where will you guys start searching first?" Sans asked, opting to change the subject. He never took too many jabs at Yaon, mainly because she was quite fragile when it came down to her feelings. "Uncle Jugo said the crew would have enough for about a month's trip."

Yaon grinned from ear to ear as she stepped forward and ruffled Sans fluffy black locks, her small hand combing through it rather roughly. "We want to head North for now. Yeeeeeeeeee, I'm hella f*ckin excited. This is gonna be f*ckin awesome!!!!! Your uncle wants to set sail in about an hour or so. He spouted some sh*t about early birds and worms."

"Mom, you're swearing again," Sans pointed out as he pried her hand away from his head. "If you're not careful, Uncle Jugo will chop you again. Also, itd probably be best if you head on back before they decide you're not worth taking."

Yaon seemed to momentarily freeze at the subtle threat that Jugo presented, making her rethink what she said rather quickly. Without even thinking twice, she twisted around and began to walk away, blazing red hair flying in the strengthening breeze. "Bye Sans, I'll be sure to pick you up something nice from wherever we end up."

As quickly as she appeared, Yaon disappeared as she rounded the corner of a nearby house. It became quiet once again, silence falling over the young adolescent as he went back to work, picking up the basket of fish and setting it inside the storage room for the teenagers to gut and clean. The hardest part of his day was now complete as he closed the door and made sure it was firmly in place, unable to be opened by the wind. While he still had more tasks to complete, Sans felt much better now that he had eliminated the catching and the sorting of the seafood.

Now all that was left was to pull weeds and attend his classes. After all was said and done, he would be free for the rest of the day, allowing him to continue his adventure with his own friends.