The curse of one family is what brought the end of the world's happiness. To be thankful of one's heritage was no longer a habit of someone, but more so a burden.
This at least, was something known to be true to a certain man who had lost all hope to live, after he was discarded as useless by his own family.
With nowhere left to run, he was forced to eat remains of food he'd find in trash cans, and beg for money in the streets of Kyoto. It was no exaggeration to say that this one boy was the trash of society. And why does he suffer like this, you ask?
In a world of magic, those who are not capable of developing their magic circuits, are useless for the future of their own blood. And even being patient, such patience ran out in his 17th birthday, and so, he was discarded.
"Humans are cruel by default.." This is what he told himself every single day that he'd be living without shelter. His body seemed to be weakening, he was so thin that his bones were the only thing noticeable about him. His naturally dark hair changed and was now white as snow. It almost seemed like he aged in a few days. The boy's vision seemed to be fade, and the only thing helping him move along was a small dog he'd met in one of his hunting sessions for food. They formed a bond, and even though the dog was never named, they were like family at that point.
However, knowing that the boy was still alive, angered the higher ups in the magic society of the city, and ordered an assassin to take care of him. They did not want a single flaw of the magic world living.
And so.. In the middle of the night, the sound of two bullets echoed through the dark alleys of Kyoto. These two weren't aimed at the boy. It was the small animal that perished first. And the loud noise got the boy to wake up, rushing to the aid of the animal, with no answer coming from it.
"Please.. Stay with me! We were going to get out of here as soon as I had enough money! You can't die now, please don't leave me alone. Please.. Just please.. Don't leave me alone.. Why.."
He couldn't get the words of out. All that was left for him to do was to gaze up at the person responsible for this atrocity. His blurry vision couldn't help him identify the killer, but that wouldn't matter anyway, he knew he was next. No matter how close to blindness he was, the feeling of having a weapon pointed at him was too familiar to not recognize.
"I'm sorry child.. This isn't anything personal, I promise. I wish that you can rest in peace now."
The boy finally heard the voice. It was man's voice. With no mistake. His voice was shaky, like he was in between tears as he spoke. And the trigger was pulled, the bullet piercing the boy's chest. His lifeless body now on the floor, right next to the last friend he made. He could feel drops of water falling on his face. Could these be his killer's tears? No, there were too many of them to say that those were tears. That was rain. Even if his sense of touch slowly faded away, the feeling of rain falling on his body was oddly refreshing. It's as if the skies lamented his death, and parted him away with a cry of the earth. And so.. His life, or better said, death, greeted him with complete darkness.
Or at least, he did think he died.
"Welcome, child of the dragon. Welcome home."
That voice screamed danger to the boy. Making him regain his senses and open his eyes again. However, he was no longer in a dark alley in the middle of Japan. It could be said that where he was, has beauty beyond comprehension. Like it was a place where the Gods would rest.
"Who.. Who said that? Is someone there?" The boy asked, looking around confused. The starry night sky and beautiful glowing flowers hypnotizing him quite easily.
"Of course, it was me. The famous wizard of Camelot, and teacher of the legendary King Arthur. Even though my real name is something humans cannot utter, you can just call me Merlin. Merlin-san would work since you're Japanese."
The owner of the voice finally revealed himself amidst a shower of beautiful flowers. Clad in a magician's robe and wielding a staff, the man who seemed to be someone you'd find in a medieval movie, finally presented himself.
"You… you're.. Um.. Heroic Spirit..? But Merlin… you… "
Speaking was as hard as it is. He felt his chest tighten due to how nervous he was, and his throat had gotten dry, getting the legendary magus embarrassed by the boy's reaction.
"Now now, I'm not dead yet. I wouldn't call myself a Heroic Spirit on my own right. But you, nameless child of the dragon, you are the closest thing to one. Reaching out to you on time was truly a relief. Your soul nearly got taken by Gaia." Merlin said casually, patting the boy's head.
"Gaia.. Nameless child of the dragon? I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a worthless child with no magical qualities who's meant to die. Is this heaven or hell?" The boy asked confused, it was too peaceful to be hell, but it didn't seem to be a place you'd call heaven either.
"Hm.. Well. How can I say this? You're alive, and yet you're dead. You're full of strength, yet you're powerless. You're in heaven, and you're also in hell. That's how'd I say it. Welcome to the Reverse Side of the World. Your progenitor wanted you to be here eventually, but who knew that killing you was the condition? How surprising.~"
Despite saying something that could be considered cruel, the mage had such a relaxed smile on his face, that anyone with a short fuse would easily think they were being played with.
"Regardless of that, small child! We have only five minutes to talk. So I'll make it brief. Here are your options. Allow me to help you live, and walk next to your equal in the real world of magic, or let Gaia take your soul and force you to serve the Earth as a puppet for the rest of eternity." Merlin laid down the important details, waiting for the boy's answer.
"It seems too one sided to sound true. What do you want from me if I choose your side? And besides, what do you mean by the 'real world of magic'? You don't expect me to believe someone like you right? I know your backstory." The boy asked, suspicious of the mage. For anyone who's seen the Legends of King Arthur, the existence of Merlin was always filled with mystery, and of course, that left the boy doubtful.
And this, made Merlin sad. It wasn't real sadness however, but more of a playful one.
"Siiiiigh, why am I treated like a villain everywhere that I go? Well, I guess I'm forced to answer in that case. You see… the Throne of Heroes no longer exists. And there's a reason for that. I want you to restore the Throne, and also, restore the balance in the world of magic. Sounds simple, right?"
The pressure was high. Leaving an entire association, or better said, leaving an entire side of the world in a person's hands was too big of a task, no matter how strong he'd be. And in the boy's case..
"I don't know if you found out by now.. But you're asking someone who can't even use magic.. Restore balance to the world of magic? There's a limit to what I can do." The boy uttered in complete defeat, and got answered by a big laugh by the old mage.
"Pffft, who said you couldn't use magic? You weren't blessed with a name, were you? That's the problem. Your name, no, your true name is what will unlock your power. And besides.. I did say you'd be walking right next to your equal, didn't I? You won't be alone. As long as you trust your partner, and your partner trusts you, you will never be defeated."
Merlin approached the boy, resting his hand on the boy's chest, and so his body began to glow. Some sort of ritual began, and the boy was scared.
"Now, I'll send you back to your own world. As soon as you wake up, you will have a contract with your partner, please don't get scared otherwise she might not like your reaction and end up killing you."
There was a moment of silence, but the boy seemed even more scared than before.
"It was a joke! A joke! Don't worry about it, she'd never be hostile against her own blood. I think. Ahem, anyways. I will bless you with your true name, and unlock your true power. Of course, using it won't be possible in your current body, but you know, practice makes perfect." Merlin said, keeping his calm smile.
The boy's body slowly began to disappear, indicating that the ritual that would send him back to the world he came from was almost complete.
"I expect great things from you… Albion."
Those were Merlin's final words, and so, the boy who's name was revealed to be Albion, was sent back to where he came from. However, things were different. Rather than a dark alley, he was in a dark and yet shiny cavern.
Before he could even stand up, he was greeted by a small girl with white hair, wearing what seemed to be a dress fitting for her child like size.
"I see that you're finally awake, master." The girl said, smiling as she helped him get up, quite easily, as if she had monster like strength.
"Huh…Good morning. I'm your master hm… Wait… WHAT?!" He'd immediately spring himself to better composure, staring down at the girl quite afraid. And realizing that his vision had returned to him, smiling became inevitable.
"Just like I said. Even though the term of master and servant doesn't really leave a good taste in my mouth, I'd rather call ourselves lovers. So please, treat me well!"
That innocent smile, followed by incredible strength. The boy who's name was dedicated to the legendary dragon, had a new world to explore. Alongside this small girl clouded in mystery, a life filled with pain and suffering was yet to reveal itself to haunt him.
"You know.. Despite being saved.. I really don't have a good feeling about this."