Chapter 01 ~ The Awakening (part 2)
Akira groaned as he lay sprawled on his stomach across the rough wooden floor of the carriage, one hand clutching his pale blue hair in pain and confusion.
"Itatata... What’s happening to me? Why can’t I control it?" he muttered, his voice strained with both surprise and frustration.
All around him were feet—mud-stained boots, worn sandals, cracked leather soles. And rising from them, the unmistakable sound of laughter echoed through the carriage.
Akira turned his head, his once-violet eyes now darkened by the dim light filtering through the wooden slats. And there—at the very center of the laughter—he saw him.
A boy with silver hair, laughing so hard his eyes were shut tight. His skin was pale, almost flawless, and although his clothes were rural and simple, they were still of better quality than Akira’s patched and faded attire.
On either side of him, two other boys laughed as well—one with dark black hair and the other a dusty brown.
These three were the only ones laughing in the otherwise somber, tension-choked carriage.
Outside, the driver's voice cracked through the air like a whip, followed by the snapping of reins.
“Hyaaah!”
The horses neighed sharply and stamped their hooves against the ground. Then, with a shudder, the entire carriage jerked forward. Wood groaned, wheels creaked, and the rhythmic pounding of hooves began—steady, powerful, unforgiving. The forest around them shifted as they moved deeper into its shadows.
The silver-haired boy finally opened his eyes—brilliant green, sharp and glinting with arrogance.
“Akira,” he sneered, “I still can’t believe they brought you along. Would’ve been easier if you just ran off into the mountains and hid until they left.”
The black-haired boy on his right added with a chuckle,
“Who votes Akira gets sent back first?”
Both he and the brown-haired one raised their hands with grins.
“I do!”
There was no free space for Akira to sit. He remained on the floor, squeezed between shuffling feet, tucked in awkwardly like an afterthought.
The silver-haired boy leaned forward. “Not that they’d let you go back anyway.” His voice shifted, deeper and serious now. “Come on, we all know the truth. We’re from Drogarran, the Earth Kingdom, right?”
He swept his gaze across the children packed into the carriage.
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A heavy silence fell.
“Let’s not pretend. Except for Akira, who’s going to be turned into someone’s house slave, we’re all the same. Whether we’re turned into knights or soldiers or laborers, we’re slaves. That’s all we are. Isn’t that right?”
The children averted their eyes, their heads slowly lowering. Even the blonde girl who had saved Akira earlier now curled into herself. She clutched a lock of her golden hair with one hand, her head buried between her knees, as though trying to disappear—seeking shelter inside a shell made of imagination and denial.
But Akira rose.
His expression was no longer timid. His violet eyes were sharp now, intense. His blue eyebrows furrowed as he stared down the silver-haired boy.
“Hah?” the boy scoffed. “What’s with that look, Akira?”
Akira’s voice came firm and unwavering.
“You’re wrong, Serio. I... I’m not a slave to any human. And I never will be!”
Serio stared at him, green eyes narrowing coldly.
“Oh yeah? And what exactly can you do, huh? Everyone in the village knows you’re worthless. Can you save us from this? Can you overthrow the Earth Kingdom of Drogarran?”
Akira clenched his fists. His teeth ground together.
“I… I can—!”
CLACK.
A wooden window at the front of the carriage slammed open.
“You little rats!” barked the silver-armored knight driving the caravan. “One more word and I’ll toss one of you out—straight into the forests of Orrgwen!”
A chill swept through the children like a gust of ice.
But Akira didn’t sit down. He stood, his violet eyes burning like embers as he locked eyes with the knight through the narrow window.
The other children gasped. The air froze.
The blonde girl’s golden eyes widened in shock. Why isn’t he sitting? her thoughts screamed silently, trembling behind her lashes.
Serio’s jaw clenched. His green eyes flickered with tension.
This idiot…!
The knight at the front slowly removed the steel visor shielding his face.
His eyes were shadowed. His expression—stone cold and monstrous.
“Oi, boy,” he growled. “What’s with that look in your eyes?”
The horses halted.
The world outside grew still. The surrounding riders pulled on their reins, confused, their horses snorting and shifting.
“What’s wrong, Willian?” called out one of the knights.
He dismounted and walked briskly toward the back of the caravan.
“Looks like we’ve picked up some extra cargo,” he muttered darkly.
The road beneath their wheels was dusty and dry, snaking through the dark forest. The air hung thick with something primal.
“I don’t like this stop,” another knight muttered. “You know where we are, right?”
Willian ignored him. He unlatched the wooden back of the carriage.
It creaked open.
The children shrank back in fear—all except for Akira, who stood firm, unmoving, his eyes set.
“You. Blue hair. Out,” Willian commanded.
Akira took a step forward. The wooden floor echoed beneath his feet.
But suddenly—
Serio moved.
He stepped in front of Akira, back straight, head bowed slightly, blocking the way with his body.
His silver hair fell across his brow as he spoke.
“Please… forgive him.”
His voice was low, but steady.
“Akira’s never known fear. Ever since we were kids, he’s always been like this—stubborn. It pissed me off so much, I used to beat it out of him. But deep down… deep, deep down, I’m begging you.” He exhaled. “He’s not afraid. But he’s fragile. Like a flower.
So I’m begging you, from the bottom of my heart—please, don’t leave him here. Please.”
The children sat frozen, watching.
Their breaths were silent. Their eyes were wide.
No one dared speak.
