Chapter 1: Aiden Hollow
Darkness.
Silence.
In a thick grey fog, an old man with ghostly white hair took quiet steps.
A white blindfold was tightly wound around his eyes.
One might believe that the man was blind, but they would be mistaken.
Deeper in the fog, sinuous black figures twisted and slithered.
The man did not want to draw their attention to himself as he moved towards a dark temple.
As he approached the massive arched doors of the temple, he could discern dried blood staining their rusty handles and the stairs leading to them.
As if someone had tried to get inside, close to death.
Creak.
The man pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
Within the temple, four rows of gray benches lined each side, and in the center loomed a white inverted cross with strange symbols written on it.
~Արքայազնի սկիզբը~
"Initium principis," the man whispered.
Under the cross, the chilling cries of a terrified child could be heard coming from a black basket.
The man walked up to the child and let out a sigh of resignation.
He was clearly disappointed in himself.
Step. Step. Step.
The man was startled when he heard hurried footsteps behind him, and the doors of the temple slowly creaked open.
However, his mood quickly changed when he saw who came in.
He was relieved.
He had been waiting for them.
…
In the small town of Nafas, the third lunar month failed to bring its expected burst of color.
Instead, a single crow sat perched on a dead tree.
The dark sky hung above, with clouds gliding across it.
In a quiet corner of the town, Aiden Hollow, a 7-year-old boy, sat on a staircase outside of a shabby tenement house he and his parents lived in.
He looked at the sky in a daze.
A gentle breeze brushed his skin.
Since he was a little child, his parents constantly moved, but he finally settled in the small town of Nafas for the past year.
Because his father was a high-rank swordsman, Aiden's family had enough money, so the relocations were not a problem.
He didn't have to worry about food or clothes.
He was very intelligent from a young age.
He learned to read very early and enjoyed all the books related to plants and materials from around the world.
He especially loved books related to Alchemy.
His parents were incredibly supportive and consistently surprised him with new books. They wanted to see their son grow into someone great.
His mother doted on him, and she always felt bad whenever they had to move.
It could be said that he had blossomed within his parents' love.
While other children played around, running through the narrow streets between stone and metal houses, he gathered knowledge, absorbing the world's secrets.
Typically, children began their education at the age of eight, but he had an overwhelming thirst for knowledge and wanted to know everything there was to learn.
He looked up and gazed at a beautiful carriage moving without the help of horses.
Its wheels were engraved with green patterns.
This was the power of Alchemy.
He sighed, stood up, and ran into the house.
His father sat in the seat by the fireplace, sharpening his sword.
He was a strong, middle-aged man with bright eyes. There were two strange black lines tattooed on the inside of his right wrist.
"How is the book, Aiden?"
Sitting down at the table, Aiden enthusiastically spoke a few words about the Regenerative Essence blends he had learned about.
His father pulled his sword from the fire and stood up.
"Keep on studying. In a year, there's the provincial exam for Scholars. I think you're ready."
"Please stop bothering him about it. Our Aiden will definitely do well on the test," Aiden's mother said as she set the food she had just purchased from the neighborhood market on the table and motioned for her husband to take a seat.
Aiden's father, Tarik, leaned his long, single-handed sword against a stand and took a seat at the table.
Aiden's mother handed him a few pieces of red meat.
As they were eating, the sound of footsteps came outside the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Brother! Open the door!"
Aiden immediately rushed to open the door.
An older man with dark eyes was standing outside.
Upon seeing Aiden, the man ran his fingers through the kid's hair and grinned.
"Aiden, it has been over a year since we last saw each other. It is good to see you again."
Ante's parents immediately stood up.
With a smile on his face, Tarik yelled out, "Felipe! Hurry inside. Aiden, get a chair for your uncle," he urged.
With a hopeful gaze toward his uncle, Aiden grabbed a chair and set it down next to the dinner table, carefully wiping the dust off it.
His uncle saw his actions and laughed.
"Aiden, your uncle hasn't forgotten his promise to you." When he finished speaking, he pulled out four books from his bag and placed them on the table.
Aiden was excited and picked up one of the books.
It said "Colors of Alchemy: Gravity" on the cover.
He opened it and started to read.
Aiden's mom kindly glanced at her son and said to the older man, "Felipe, your younger brother is always thinking of you. You should stay for a few days."
Felipe shook his head.
"Ivet… I have many matters to attend to these days. I must head back before dark today. After this busy time, I'll come back and see you guys." He gave Aiden's mother a regretful look.
Tarik sighed. "Don't listen to my wife. Matters of the Empire are more important. We can meet next time." He said.
Felipe glanced at Tarik, "Brother, isn't Aiden 7 years old? Is he good with swords, just like you? I could take him with me."
Tarik smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"You know my boy, he is very gentle. Aiden has been smart since he was a child and has always loved to study, but he is not good with blades. I do not think the Lucius Army would take my son. This year, we want him to take the Scholar Exam."
Felipe rubbed his forehead. "I understand," he said, looking at Aiden.
"You want to be an Alchemist, Aiden?"
Aiden nodded.
"Yes! I want to create new materials and help the Empire."
…
Time passed, and dusk quickly approached.
The family continued to sit around the table, as if unwilling to part.
Finally, Aiden's uncle, Felipe, stood up from the table.
Tarik got up, pulled his wife, and was about to bow to his older brother, but he quickly pulled them up.
"Tarik, what are you doing? If it weren't for your help back then, I wouldn't be here today. Leave the formalities behind." Felipe said sincerly.
Aiden looked at his dad and uncle with a curious face.
That night, he went to bed early.
…
It was early morning of the following day.
It was still dark outside and gray fog moved through the streets.
In the middle of the fog, black lightning blasted the buildings.
Terrified by the noises, Aiden opened his eyes wide.
He slowly threw off the blanket and looked around the house.
"Mom?" he called out.
He just woke up. Naturally, his father often left for work early; however, his mother should have been at home.
With this in mind, he thought that perhaps his mother had stepped outside.
Slowly, as the wooden ground creaked under him, he made his way to the door, pushed it open and looked outside.
His eyes slowly moved down.
On the floor right next to the open door, there lay a body—a lifeless corpse. The dagger was embedded in the neck of the corpse, eyes wide open, and blood gushed from its mouth and cheeks.
Aiden looked at the lifeless body; something caught in his throat. He remained silent, gazing at the dead form.
"Mom?" Finally, he managed to utter with great difficulty.
Blood flowed down the corpse's neck, staining the stone staircase beneath. It was fresh.
The blood formed a gruesome pool as it descended the steps, meeting another lifeless body at the bottom.
Similarly, this corpse bore a silver stiletto thrust mercilessly through its neck.
As if the brutality wasn't enough to guarantee the kill, a golden dagger with a blue dragon engraved on it had been ruthlessly driven into the victim's temple.
Aiden, his eyes wide open and trembling, his mouth slightly ajar as if struggling to find the strength to fully open, fell to his knees in a pool of warm blood.
His gaze was fixed, motionless, on the lifeless figure at the bottom of the stairs.
His hands began to tremble, his chest started to rise and fall at an unnatural pace.
His body began to convulse.
In his eyes, the first tear appeared.
Then one after another, tears of despair began to flow down his cheeks, landing in the puddle of blood where Aiden had now sunk his hands.
His mouth open, trembling and crying, he whimpered, "D-d-dad?! DAAAAAD!" He screamed, his heart shattered.
With trembling hands, he crept through the puddle of blood.
He crawled towards a woman's body. Toward his mother's body.
"m-Mom? Mom?! What happened?!" Snot and tears flowed down his face as he hugged his mom's body tightly.
Aiden tried to feel; he tried to sense the last traces of his mother's warmth.
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