1 The kingdom of blood

Running across the town attracting weird glances from the people nearby, I quickly fill the bucket I'm holding with water, quickly returning from the direction I came. Despite it being heavy, I'm used to the weight and brute force my way through it.

My name is James, a generic name it is. I'm of common blood, meaning I'm at the bottom of society. People with noble blood are usually rich and powerful, simply because those with noble blood are the only ones able to use magic.

Being at the very bottom, I have to run all the way into town and take water from the community well before running all the way back for my parents. This is not unusual, children performing chores and even jobs for their poor parents just so they can live in their houses.

Running through the town, I'm aware of the stares and even the mocking laughs people give me. The town is for the citizens, those without magic but still somewhat rich and have connections.

Our world is divided into four classes:

Those who are royalty, having influence, amazing magic and even superior physical strength than commoners.

Those of noble blood, possessing magic and are normally magic knights or adventurers.

Citizens, who made a name for themselves by having either connections or having bribed their way into the towns.

And finally, common folk. We posses no special traits, no magic and no physical prowess. In fact, we're weaker than even citizens due to starvation and the fact that we're unable to train our bodies like the rest.

We live in a complete separate location than the rest, at an area known as the lower district.

Trash, waste and crime empowers the entire area, not a single magic knight would reduce themselves to serving the trash of society while the adventures never bothered looking at the lower district.

Adventurers were paid by commissions, meaning if you wanted an adventurer to help you, you'd have to pay the guild a commission fee. Most people in the lower district didn't have moeny, causing the area to fall to the hands of numerous crime organisations.

My mother, a magic knight recruit, lived and commanded one of the only safe places in the area, a small unnamed village.

My mother was not a magic knight. Magic knights were the ones who slayed monsters and fought dragons, while my mother was a reject.

She was of noble blood, but for some reason her magic was low- making her only able to conjure up one or two fire balls per day. That was the only thing she could do, and that was her limit.

Still, just one of these fire balls was enough to kill a normal person even with armour on, and thus many people who could not survive in the lower district flocked to her for safety.

She took advantage of this, using them to build houses and farm crops, eventually a small village had formed with around a hundred people living inside.

Nobody tried to mess with the village, with my mom as the leader and the numbers of people living inside, it was simply not worth it. We were tough opponents, and had no money whatsoever.

My dad used to be a knight, a person born in the town as a citizen. He had trained his body and learned how to fight, and became a guard who helped with problems regarding people without magic. Such as robberies and small fights.

My father had fallen in love with my mother, and after hearing that my mother's own father had kicker her out to the lower district, he quit his job and chased after my mom and thus, we are now where we are today.

They had two children, twins actually. Me and my twin sister, Ann.

Both of us had noble blood flowing through us, but my sister was always the favourite. My father had named me, my mother named my sister. I never knew why, but my mom simply ignored me, using me as an errand boy.

I was born with very low magic and a horrible use, my magic was based on sight. Infrared vision, that was the magic I could use. It allowed me to see heat, allowing me to spot animals and humans very easily.

My mother used me as a tool, with me helping her in looking for food and gathering water from the town. Most of our village ate their own crops, and they gave a certain percentage to our mother, the chief of the village.

Whenever I find an animal, my family gets to eat it; except me of course. I never complained though, as I loved my father and I couldn't care less as I loved seeing him happy. At times he stuck up for me, however I refused his help as I knew it could only turn out bad as mother was the head of the village.

My sister was much like mom, she blindly hates me, not sure where the hate comes from but I never spoke up as it'd only make her hate me more.

My sister inherited my mom's power, actually, she inherited much more. She had enough magic to coat her sword in fire, and enough to send multiple fire balls in the blink of an eye.

My mother was training her to become a magic knight, something she could not be. And as she placed more importance of her, my sister grew more arrogant as she sometimes beat kids from the village as 'they were too weak to be her sparring opponents' or atleast that's what she said.

And even though she was an absolute brat and my sister, I often stared at her. How could I not, even though she was just 18, she had small but sexy tits, visible from the cloth she wore. Her thin slender legs sticking out of the short pants she wore, and her red hair which was tied in a ponytail was flowing in the wind, even her silky smooth skin was perfect.

Her eyes, they looked sharp but were also mesmerising in a way, which only added to her youthful charm.

"James, put the water next to the table. Dinner will start as soon as your mother returns from her scouting." My father spoke, motioning his hand to the table which was poorly made, but in much better condition compared to the rest of the village.

I nodded affirmatively, before placing the heavy bucket near the side of the table. Feeling like a massive weight leaving my hands, I felt great as I stretched my arms. I had been carrying that for over four hours, the town was far away and there was no other water nearby. Many people in the village made their kids go take the water from the town.

I was somewhat muscular, my slightly toned muscles showing through the short sleeved shirt I wore. My father, however, looked like a muscle builder. No wonder, he was a knight after all.

The wooden door to my house opens, slight creaks surfacing as a woman enters the house, my mother.

She sits at the table, a smile on her face. "I caught a few rabbits, I shared one with Herl and I took two for us." She proudly said, all of us surprised at the fact she got a rabbit, since there were rarely any animals inside the lower district.

A few conversations took place, none of them was I included in. I ate some cabbages grown by the farmers before going to my room, which really was a small room just barely enough to fit a small hay stack where I could sleep in.

As I dozed off asleep, I wondered what life could've been if I had more power- no, even if I had more power, no one would listen to me. I didn't want to become a criminal, if there was anything I could wish for I would wish for...

Some power that would make people listen to me, I wonder if there was magic like that.

As I fall asleep, my mind dreaming of many things I did not understand, before waking up due to a loud sound ringing in my ears.

I wake up, slightly opening my eyes before squinting at what was in front of me.

"Assimilation complete- Welcome, host!"