Rebirth



The Rumor and the Cave
The air was cold around the lifeless landscape that were the deep outskirts of Fiore. The area was very rocky with the large amounts of talus. As well, the craggy surface lied on an angle, further hindering coordination. These were the parts of the country that no one would really go to. There was usually no point. There was no hidden magic, no hidden treasure, no surplus of food or water, no civilians...it was just dead. However, recently, a few mages would travel walk past this barren landscape, and could hear the echo of footsteps and faint noises, that almost sound like crying, coming from the interior of a solutional cavern that was formed from all the scree of the land. This cave is said to be one of the ultimate treacheries of the country. Brave mages are often left scarred if they happen to go into the cave. These are the few that actually do make it back it. For most people who enter the cave, there is no return. Not even deep into the cave's interior, and one is quickly robbed of sight and lose sense of where they are, where they are going, and where they just came from. It drives people to insanity, the idea of not being able to use natural human senses to understand their surroundings. As well, they are completely and utterly alone. There is no life in the cave, nothing to communicate with, and traveling in groups is pointless as any group that enters would just lose sense of where their comrades are. So, the idea that anyone could be alive in that cave would become nothing more than a rumor.

Of course, as time progresses, and the number of people, who say they can hear the noise, increases, more adventurous mages try to take their chance at becoming famous by finding out what the noise is. At this point, a group of four mages make their way up the uneven rocky terrain towards the treacherous cavern. As they get closer, they hear a noise that sounds like footsteps walking towards the exit of the cave.

"Do you guys hear that?" One of the mages say softly, "It sounds like it's coming this way."

"Don't anyone here chicken out!" bursts a second mage, "This is our chance at the big shot! Whatever it is, we'll grab it and take it back as proof that we are the greatest mages in all of Fiore."

The footsteps then begin to sound even louder, and the echo becomes less apparent. A voice says slowly and calmly, "Invidia...He said 'Invidia'..." As the voice becomes clear, one of the mages takes a step back, but the one that shouted earlier, grabs the collar of the retreating mage's shirt and pulls him up to the front of the group. The mage begins to quake, fearing for his safety. He holds his hands up, preparing to cast a magic circle, and right then, a small boy, about 10 years old, with light blue and orange hair, steps out of the cave, wearing tattered gray clothing with a white hood piece, that is perhaps a couple shades darker than it should be, due to all the dirt that the boy gathered in the cave. The boy rubs his eyes in the light of the outside world. He blinks a couple time, squints, and then fully opens his eyes, revealing the irides of his eyes to be bright red in color, with strange dark crimson circles surrounding both pupils.

"It's so bright out here..." The young boy says softly, "Wait...where...where am I?"

He looks to his left and right, only seeing the vast amounts of rock that cover the crag. The boy almost seems hesitant to walk out further, considering he sees no better place beyond the cave to find refuge. When he spots the mages in front of him, his eyes widen in the shock. The quivering mage in front of the boy casts his magic circle, releasing a binding spell that functions using the several loose rocks, that surround the area, as a medium. The boy steps back and holds his hands up in a subconscious reaction, consequently casting a Disassembly Magic spell, separating the rocks into several small pebbles, and countering the spell.

"Y...You're a..Deva!" The mage says, apparently aware of the boy's race by his strange talent in the magic arts.

"He's one of those Unorthodox Mages! We have to capture him!" One of the mages shouts.

"But he's just a kid..." Says the mage is standing in the back of the group.

However, the other mages ignore the last one and run at the boy, casting magic circles and preparing to release their spells. The boy's face becomes expressionless. He lifts his right hand, and the mages rushing at him are repelled with a great force. The mage standing behind all of them, watches in amazement, as his comrades are all brought to the ground by the boy's power.

"Telekinesis" The mage says, realizing the type of magic the boy just used.

The boy gingerly walks past the defeated mages, his steps uneven. As one of them struggles to get back up, the boy lifts his arm slightly, and plunges it downward, with the his hand in an open palm, creating a telekinetic force the slammed the mage's head back into the ground. The boy then walked past the last mage, without even looking in his direction.

Masson's Invitation
The boy had made his way into th kingdom of Fiore. The weather had grown bad, since he had left the crags. Rain fell in continuous streams, leaving large puddles in the ground. With each step, the boy's bare feet would splash into a puddle, bringing up several drops of water. The boy was tired, and his vision was blurring, though it was already hard to see with all the rain that was falling.

"I'm so hungry..." The boy said in a quiet voice to himself.

He did not know where he was exactly and where he could go to find shelter. Anyone that passed by him would give him a cold stare, and then look away without paying him anymore mind. The boy walked over, and leaned his shoulder against the wall of a building, as he stumbled into an alley. There, he collapsed onto the drenched ground, unable to continue standing. He pulled his upper body up, to lean against the side of the building, his face, dripping wet with all the rain that had fallen. As he felt himself losing consciousness, a boy, about his age stepped in front of him, with his umbrella shielding both of them from the harsh weather.

"Hey you! What's your name?" The other boy said in a somewhat loud voice.

"I'm..." The first boy struggled, as if trying to remember who he was, "I'm...Atrax Noctua..."

"Alright Atrax, here..." The boy said as he handed Atrax a piece of warm bread that was previously packed in a brown paper bag. Atrax took the bread and began eating it.

"Try not to eat it so fast, I can't spare too much, ya know..." The boy said, while watching Atrax eat. "Hey, are you an Unorthodox?"

Atrax stopped eating and looked up at the boy, when the boy asked the question. He remembered what happened at the cave, when one of the mages called him an "Unorthodox Mage." Atrax wasn't sure if he should answer the boy's question.

"Ya know, you're real quiet. I hope your strong." The boy didn't wait for Atrax to answer, somehow he just knew. "C'mon, let's go to my guild, Phoenix Fireheart. Everyone there will like you."

The boy pulled on Atrax's arm and brought him in the direction of the guild's location.

"Oh by the way, I'm Masson Yaju. From here on out, we're rivals! Okay?"