Cursed boy [V0, Ch.1]

Light created darkness. Life resulted in death.

Pleasant feelings changed into despair.

Creation leads to destruction and destructions triggers new beginning.

Everything strives for eternity – to nothingness, because this is only constant creation.

But what exactly is this eternity? If everything leads to end, then what's the purpose of life and what's the point in living? If everything that we can get from life is regrets and sadness, then why we should continue it?

Why? What started everything? And even more importantly – who?

Everything must have started somewhere. Our goal should be to try and reach the end of every mystery. To understand the world, we need to live in it and experience it by ourselves.

In a world, full of miracles and curses, a boy was born.

Just another child, like many other in this world… or that's what it should be.

In reality, this child was different. Since his birth, he was deemed as 'cursed child' by fortuneteller and prophets from church. They saw him as something that should never exist in the first place.

His parents firstly did not listen to this future telling but with the flow of time they started to treat his as a waste. They remembered one prophecy that said 'it will die 5 years after being born, but it's better to throw it away already'.

Since he won't live for more than 5 years, it's not necessary not to let him live for at least this few years, or that's what his parents thought.

He also had a sister. She, on the contrary, was called 'miracle child' or 'angelic apostle'. She was always treated with love and attention from their parents.

Life of this 'cursed child' was filled with mistreatment from this around him nearly since his birth.

One of the reasons is that he was strange, a misfit.

He never cried, just watched what is happening around him. Sometimes even maids caught him looking at the pictures in books when he was 3 years old.

Since the prophecy was told, he was treated even harsher and was allowed to go out of his room only on special occasions.

Even though he was only few years old, he was emotionally mature. By looking at him, one could think 'life is brutal and unequal'. He wasn't thinking that way. He was always grateful for being able to live, always thought that everyone treats his as everybody should be treated. In other words: he was naïve.

His life was about to change on the day of his supposed doom and death.

[1005th year of the Northern Calendar]

Boy called 'cursed being' turned 5 and was heading to his household with his mother in [Holy Kingdom], a place of his birth. He was already tired from long journey after sightseeing the capital city. His home was on the east of the capital and due to his mother wish they traveled by mountains near big sea alongside with their escort. Based solely on the amount of people guarding their carriage and how luxurious it looked, it was easy to understand that their origin wasn't that of an ordinary people.

Road, despite being so close to the mountains, was very wide and comfortable to drive by. Yet, these huge mountains were colorless, depressing and upsetting. Why was everything looking so miserable and melancholic? It's all because it was supposed to be the end for the boy. Last day of living for somebody that was deemed to be a brood of evil.

Weather was clear before, but at that moment a storm has come. It was out of the blue, nothing was telling that the weather will change so badly, even worse that they were close to sea, so their fell will result in death in case of landslides. Nobody knew that nature wasn't what they should be concerned about but creature that created it.

When everyone was panicking due to change in the circumstances they heard a laugh. Laugh so strong that it was clearly heard across few kilometers from where it came from. It woke up the boy and made guards stand in fear and despair as the started to witness with their own eyes what was the cause of this commotion.

Black figure emerged from behind the mountains. It was a dragon, creature feared as the strongest monster amongst living beings. It was feared not only because of its strength but also because its intelligence comparable or even higher than human's. Among dragons there are also ranks, but it was clear that it wasn't some ordinary dragon. It was as huge as this mountain, a being so large must have been one of the most powerful creatures in existence.

To cause such a storm, landslides, to laugh with such force, to intimidate just by staring at its prey. It was a being that humans could compare to gods. When it started to come closer, they understood – they are doomed. From the shadows of the twilight emerged black and purple scaled dragon longer than 200 meters. Beast among beasts, apex predator and being that could be worshipped as a god or deity.

What was its purpose? To kill its target – the boy. Dragon started to attack with its tail and claws. It began to use fire breath, dragon's specialty. Humans were dying one by one. In the end the only carriage that was left after beast's rampage was the one where boy and his mom was in.

Before destroying the carriage dragon said 'I wish you farewell as well as more luck in your next life'. Dragon began laughing once more because it knew that something like next life doesn't exist.

Dragon grabbed carriage with its hand and threw it into sea. Nothing could save the boy from it. Struggling to get to the land was futile as it was too big distance to travel for somebody who doesn't even know how to swim. Another obstacle was that dragon throw the carriage right into underwater spikes reef.

The boy was severely injured and was losing a lot of blood. His conscious was fading away as he was dying. The only feeling he had left was regret, regret, that he wasn't able to achieve anything and was unable to save anyone. His pure heart began to fill up with despair and sadness.

"I wish I had power. I wish I had more time. I wish that world wouldn't be so unfair. I just wish that rest of my family is safe." - His thoughts filled up his mind and he began to accept his death.

"If you want, then I shall grant you power that you need." - In the middle of despair and regrets he heard voice. It was very pleasant one, calm and soothing.

"Huh? I feel like I heard some kind of voice… but… it's impossible. I'm under the water, everything I said was said in my mind." - Boy thought that he was hallucinating on the brink of death. – "It sounded so realistic and on the same time very strange." – He started to doubt his own mind. Confusion of his was great and began to rise with each second. – "I guess my mind is playing tricks on me, it's like last hope before my death." – in disbelief that he might be saved he started to curse his own life. Only thing he asked it why it needed to be him, why he had to go through all of this.

"What you heard isn't your imagination. I'm really here. Everything that happened to you, your misfortune, your pain, your anger and wrath. I know it all, I can feel it, I can understand it. How you lived, how you were treated, how you were falling into despair. I've been watching you for a long time, or rather I understood it long time ago. I saw your life and now one thing is clear for me. It's not like the god hates you. It's more like he is scarred of you." – Mysterious voice confused boy even more. How could god be scarred of him? So many questions and so few answers. Even if not everything will be revealed in the future, some part of the mystery is fated to be discovered.

"What? I don't understand even a bit of this. What does that mean? Who are you? Why are you here? What do you want from me? The longer I think the more questions are being created where one answer might lead to even more ambiguities." – Boy finally understood. He wasn't alone, there was somebody else there. Somebody that knew feeling that he also experienced.

"It doesn't matter who I am, at least not for now. Firstly, listen to what I have to say. You said that you want this world to change, right? By yourself, you can't do that, nor you will have a chance later as you are right now. You need the power to be able to speak highly about your ambitions. You can't change anything only with your ideas, right? You need to take actions that will make you closer to your goal, to your dreams and hopes, to things that you could fight and die for just to prove your value.

In this world there are only few places that might make you stronger. There is a land called by humans as cursed where you can learn anything. Magic, swordsmanship, forging, just everything if you have courage and talent to it. It's a place filled with different kinds of beings. From the ones that were send there by mistake to creatures that were locked because of their threat to the world. You can say that they are ones like you, possess a threat so great that it is needed to seal it away.

Anyway. The price one must pay is their humanity. I can send you there, but you will lose what is needed to be a human, or at least you feeling will be radically changed. You will feel the world differently from normal humans. You will live and die with different values, thoughts. That's the price that might make you go mad and fell into even deeper despair.

If you succeed, then merits will be incomparable. Strength that you will possess, knowledge that you will acquire, emotion that you will lose. That's what will grant you power that you desire and seek so much.

Do you want to be able to get this kind of power while knowing the cost that you will have to bear?"

"Yes! If... if that will make me the one that changes the world then yes." – Boy agreed without hesitation. There won't be any merit in declining anyway, as he was already dying.

"Alright then. It seems that you are prepared and you won't regret your today's decision. I think it's high time to start.

Open black hole that will sink everything into the abyss. Use this power to create breach in this space. Link it with the land of cursed. Allow this young one to cross over.

Now when the preparations are completed, I bid you farewell.

May the Spirits keep you safe.

Chaos Magic, Dimensional Rift."

In the middle of the ocean, a green crack arose. It opened and as a crevasse and swallowed this child with the water surrounding him, a child that was drowning from water, was bleeding out due to his wounds, was losing his hopes for survival, was dying in pain, alone, in worries and lost hope. Everything was like that because that was his fate. How unfair this world might be, that's the question that might be answered only by tales and stories.

As he was travelling, he once more heard the voice of the mysterious person that saved him.

"What I gave you is only a possibility. You are the only one that can gain profits from it. To get stronger you need to work hard for it. Nothing is free in this word, not even this favor. We both have similar goals, that's all. You might be useful to me in the future so until our next meeting become strong, strong enough to shake a mountain or crush Spirits with your magic.

I have high expectations towards you. Don't let me down and get to the top.

I pray for your success and achieving your dreams."

"Can I as least know why you're helping me?"

"Yes. It's because I'm one of the four."

"Huh?" – Boy couldn't have understood that was the meaning of this words, nor he would be able to for a long time.

"Ah, also I gave you a gift. A blessing to be exact. It's in your right eye and it's called [Solomon's Judgement]. You won't be able to use it for now, nor you will know it's effects, but in the future it will greatly help you once you will get out of that place.

As for now, goodbye."

"Dreams, huh? Never had any, not since that day. The day I was born, what a cruel day and terrible world to live on.

Also this 'gift'. I don't know what it is, nor if it really will be useful. I guess I just need to wait now and then see by myself it's greatness.

For now, I will just sleep when I'm getting transported. It feels so comfortable…"