An old, stone-built village with rotting floorboards and roofs for those still living with wood in their homes.
Moss covered most of the buildings and could often be dangerous.
The biggest building was the church in the village which had also become an orphanage over time. Though the church officials were more corrupt rather than those that should follow their faith.
But there is a prophetic child within the Church's orphanage that holds great power. A power that was easily despised and hidden from the rest of the world.
This child is named Tsunayoshi. He owns no last name and is only seen as a poor orphan boy.
That's who he was, and who he should've always been.
He was the useless child of the town. The boy could barely walk in a straight line much less read and write even with the help of the orphanage caretakers.
They say that as if he's the only child who does this.
The orphanage has long since been corrupt. A rotting building that all of them despise, a lack of food and water, as well as proper clothing.
They were all filled with grime and dirt but perhaps the hope that remained in the brunet's eyes only rekindled the other children's anger. Perhaps it was the way that Tsuna was newer than the other children.
Whatever the reason, Tsuna was the useless one. Not anyone else.
So imagine everyone's surprise when Dame-Tsuna was chosen by the wealthy noble.
An extended hand covered by a pristine white glove waited in front of the small brunet.
Tsuna stared at the hand blankly, "Why me?"
The man smiled at the hesitant child, "Because you are destined for far greater than you know," he said in response.
The answer made no sense to the brunet.
He was the smallest and weakest child out of all the others. Surely this must be a mistake.
But the man only remained waiting patiently. His eyes were full of a type of urgency that seemed too complex for the brunet to comprehend.
Tsuna took the hand hesitantly, cringing slightly when he dirtied the glove.
The man nodded toward one of the other people waiting by the large carriage, "We will be going back now."
His smile was gone as he gave out the command.
There were some whines and complaints from behind that nearly made the brunet stop but one look from the man and he knew it wasn't an option.
The nobleman gently pulled the brunet to the carriage. He let go of the small hand to get one foot in before picking the child up to get in the carriage completely.
Tsuna was put down on the opposite side of the man and he quickly noticed how comfy the cushions were.
There was a quick comparison to the rotted benches inside of the orphanage but he didn't have much time to ponder when he was called on.
The man cleared his throat and smiled, "My name is Kawahira, and you are?"
He didn't know Tsuna's name? That's a bit strange.
The brunet shifted nervously, "Tsuna," he mumbled quietly.
There was a soft chuckle from the man, Kawahira, that startled the brunet, "I know that, I meant your full name," he explained in amusement.
Tsuna flushed in embarrassment, "Tsunayoshi," he paused, "That's all I can remember from my name, " he admitted shyly.
His last name had always been lost on him. It would've been denounced either way since he would have become a peasant had this man not taken him, so Tsuna couldn't see the importance.
Kawahira nodded his head, "I wouldn't have expected you to, Tsunayoshi," he said with familiarity and understanding.
Tsuna only nodded, unable to voice his curiosity as it seemed to get lost on his tongue once the sun began to shine into the carriage.
He's never seen the sun shine so brightly before. It was always dim and gloomy in Naminori, or at least in the orphanage.
Tsuna was never allowed to leave the orphanage for some reason.
The man chuckled again but couldn't possibly bring Tsuna from staring at how beautiful the scenery was as the sun peeked through the forest trees.
The bright sun burned his eyes, causing the child to squint in response.
It was still beautiful no matter how painful it was to stare.
The scenery changed and turned into a lightly pelting rain. So gentle and caring that Tsuna couldn't stop the hand that reached out to feel it.
A few drops touched his face making the brunet stifle a giggle
He was pulled back to the man in front of him when the man gently tapped his shoulder.
Tsuna pursed his lips as he attempted to will away the embarrassed red on his face, "Sorry, I got distracted."
Kawahira waved off the apology with ease as he began to speak, "We will be passing through the six different regions until we reach yours."
The brunet tilted his head in slight confusion. The people that worked in the orphanage spoke of the six regions as places that were impossible to go to, and yet this man said it so casually.
There was a chuckle from the man, "The seven regions are where the more wealthy nobles live, thanks to the emperors of each region," he explained.
Tsuna nodded slowly to show he was listening, "What are the different regions?"
A hum this time was the brunet's response, "Sky, Rain, Mist, Cloud, Sun, Storm, and Lightning," he said gently.
There was a buzz in Tsuna's core as each region was listed off.
Kawahira continued, ignoring the eager look coming to life in the child's eyes, "The royal family of each family has these attributes like others but it's far more powerful than the average flame user."
Tsuna pursed his lips, "How did they come to be?" he asked in a squeaky, timid voice.
The man paused as he looked over, "At the beginning of time, there was a constant war between flame-users and monsters that now live on the outskirt of towns and villages." He waved his hand as small images of monsters appeared.
They were horrible-looking creatures. The one conjured up in indigo misty flames was dark blue and had acidic drool leaking from its mouth. Its teeth looked sharper than the stones in the village's river.
"We were losing badly and needed salvation. That's when an extremely powerful sky named Sepira rose to join the fight alongside her equally powerful elements."
Tsuna listened in avid interest as the image moved into one of a woman and six other people next to her fighting the monsters.
"They had successfully warded away the monsters to the outskirts and created the seven regions. In each region, there are festivals celebrating each of these heroes."
The brunet eyes twinkled in awe, "I've heard that story before," he mumbled gently.
Kawahira nodded, "That's not surprising, books aren't often in poorer villages such as yours due to the literacy rate," he explained. "Besides, I don't believe you got out enough to hear these stories verbally, yes?"
Tsuna nodded quickly in agreement, "I was considered unlucky and useless, I guess."
There was a purse to the man's lips, "Unlucky and useless? Why is that?"
The brunet shrugged his shoulders as his eyes traveled to the floor of the carriage, "I always kept my distance from others, so they probably just were being careful."
Though it would've been nice to have friends to play with. He had gotten one too many injuries due to his time spent near the river.
At least the spirits at the river were nice. They would often keep him from falling and hitting the sharp rocks.
Kawahira looked like he had more to say, but the carriage stopped.
Tsuna looked over and his eyes widened in awe.
They were in front of a gorgeous castle that was the color of marble almost.
Outside, waiting for them, was a woman that looked similar to the hero Sepira. Behind her were two younger girls watching in curiosity.
She had the same dark blue-green hair and bluebell-colored eyes with an orange mark under one of them. She wore a white dress with simple orange accents.
The man moved an arm in front of the brunet when the carriage door was opened. He stepped out first and then helped Tsuna down.
The woman waiting stepped forward, crouching down to see the brunet at eye level, "Hello, Tsunayoshi, I've been waiting for you," she admitted with a giggle.
The brunet blinked in confusion, "You know my name, miss?" he tilted his head to the side slightly.
The woman nodded gently, "My name is Luce Giglio-Nero, the Emperor of the Sky Region," she introduced herself gently.
No wonder she looks like Sepira.
The woman, Luce, stood up, "I would like to talk with you privately, so follow me, Tsunayoshi." She turned around and began walking with the two children trailing behind her.
Tsuna hurriedly followed the woman, noticing Kawahira following as well.
The walk was long, which gave Tsuna time to admire the interior of the halls they were walking through.
All of the walls were decorated in various shades of orange. The different shades made it look like the sun was setting and rising.
None were too bright but the perfect shade instead.
In all honestly, he found it to be quite beautiful.
They stopped at a pair of dark brown doors with carvings of flowers which were similar to the mark under Luce's and the two children's eyes.
The woman waited at the door as two servants appeared to open it for her.
She said a small thank you before walking in with her children tailing behind her.
Tsuna hesitated, wondering if he was really welcome. It wasn't until a gentle hand pushed on his back to make him move, did he walk into the room as well.
Luce had sat down on the sofas inside the room, talking animatedly to a boy standing next to her.
He had black hair and dull, silver eyes that would resemble the moon if they were just a bit brighter.
Tsuna walked over and stood next to the boy. It was an automatic response that felt like instinct.
The boy gained a spark of shock in his eyes before it swiftly went away. He nodded slowly, still seemingly confused by the brunet.
Luce giggled as she signaled for Tsuna to sit on the chair next to the sofa.
The brunet flushed red as he went to sit where he was instructed to do so, "I'm sorry, Miss Emperor," he said bashfully.
Another giggle escaped the woman, "You're fine, Tsunayoshi," she leaned forward, a serious glint taking over the kindness. "As I said before, I have been expecting you for quite some time ever since I saw you in one of my visions," she stated.
Tsuna felt his breath get caught in his throat, "Visions?" he timidly asked.
There was a sigh this time. A tired sigh that spoke volumes of her weariness, "Yes, in my vision, I saw you and a few others successfully defeating the world of the monsters that have been coming back."
Tsuna recalled when Lady Ann told the other children at the orphanage not to go near the forest at all because scary monsters were lurking. He thought that she was exaggerating so that the children wouldn't try to go too far into the forest, but now he's thinking otherwise.
Luce continued, "You will need to be trained diligently and protected just as well during your stay here," she admitted.
She moved a hand in the direction of the boy with silver eyes, "This is Bermuda, he will guard you," she announced, shocking both boys.
The brunet looked at the other boy, Bermuda, and smiled shyly, "It's nice to meet you, Bermuda, I will be in your care," he made a small bow from where he was sitting which was mimicked by the other boy.
Bermuda didn't speak which confused the brunet, but he didn't comment on it.
Instead, Luce began to speak again. Her bluebell eyes grew more serious as she stared at the young brunet, "You will begin your training immediately as we try to remove the seal on your magic. You must keep up," she said urgently.
Tsuna bit his lip and began to shuffle his hands in his lap. The cloth he was still wearing was filthy from when he had previously been pushed down into a puddle of mud. He had gotten in the way of a few of the older kids and it resulted in him being punished for being a nuisance.
"I'm not very good at many things though. I'm sorry, it's just really hard to do a lot of things."
The woman's eyes softened slightly as she touched Tsuna's hand gently, ignoring how dirty it was, "And that will be fixed soon, but the only way to fix it is for you to try your absolute best," she said in a motherly tone that nearly made the child tear up.
When was the last time someone talked like that to him?
The brunet nodded, his breathing slowing down to a pace that brought up the question of when it had gone erratic in the first place.
Luce leaned back and waved her hand which brought forth a different, startling man, "This is Jaeger, he will be teaching you in basic self-defense," she introduced, "He will teach you well considering he teaches Bermuda as well."
The man, Jaeger as he was called, was terrifyingly tall with a scarred face. The rest of his body was covered in black clothing that reminded Tsuna of the garbs the priests would wear at the orphanage.
He had cold, red eyes that were terrifying to look into but also fascinating. He had a frown on his face that seemed to deepen by his scars.
Tsuna bowed slightly, "Thank you very much, I'll be in your care, Mr. Jaeger," he greeted, surprised that his voice didn't stumble as badly as it would with the priests at the church.
Jaeger smiled slightly, a comforting little thing, as he bowed, "I'll be happy to teach someone as polite as you, Young Tsunayoshi," he said with a smug little glance toward Bermuda.
Bermuda frowned slightly as he glanced at Tsuna.
Luce had watched in amusement before clapping her hands together, "Bermuda can take you to your room," she said with a smile. "Sir Jaeger still needs to watch over my girls as I meet with Kawahira."
Tsuna nodded as he got off the chair, unsure of how to say goodbye to the woman. After a moment of pondering, he bowed slightly to her, "Thank you very much for your kindness, your majesty."
The woman giggled, "You're so polite and cute, Tsuna," she said, causing her two daughters to nod along with her, "I do hope that won't change."
Tsuna felt his face go red in embarrassment and was quick to follow Bermuda when Luce waved them off to leave.
Bermuda walked a bit quickly and it made it difficult for Tsuna to keep up.
He continued to walk, not caring that Tsuna obviously couldn't keep up properly. He only stopped after reaching a pair of wooden, orange-amber doors that mixed beautifully like the stars.
Bermuda turned to Tsuna sharply, "This is your room," he stated crassly.
Tsuna pursed his lips and stayed where he was, "Do you not like me?" he asked curiously, wondering what he did.
Bermuda scoffed and opened the door, "Not everything is about you," he responded.
The brunet paused and began to worriedly fret, "I didn't mean that, Bermuda," he said quickly. "It's just…It'd be easier to at least tolerate me if you have to protect me, right?"
Bermuda paused and attempted to hold back a sneer, "As I said, not everything is about you," he huffed. "I can do my job without caring about you."
There was a nod from Tsuna as he walked into his new room, "Thank you thou-"
The door shut loudly, cutting the brunet off.
Tsuna sighed as he looked away and into the void of a room he now had. It was brightly lit due to the big window near the back that lead to a pure white balcony. The room he was in, was not fit for a child. A bed the size of five men laid across and curtains made of strong fabric, the color of amber.
The walls were a off-white color and had minimal decoration.
It made the room feel so much more spacious than the comfort of his room in the orphanage. Even if that place wasn't always safe, it's all he knew.
He backed up against the door and curled into a tight ball trying to curl in on himself, to make the walls seem even closer than they are.
Hot, scalding tears slipped down his cheeks as the gravity of his situation set in. His hair was stillmatted together as was the dirt on his clothes and skin.
He's not sure if time passed or if it all stayed the same, but there was a light knock on the door that made his head turn up.
With shaky legs trying to calm down, Tsuna stood up and pulled the door open.
Jaeger was on the other side of the door with a scowl on his face that quickly melted into a gentle, comforting smile at the small child before him, "I have come to inform you that, if you are comfortable with it, some maids will come in and bathe you."
Tsuna froze as he shook his head quickly, "I-I can do it myself." He didn't mean to sound so abrupt, he had been taught by the orphanage caretakers and the priest that it was horrible manners.
The smile on the man's face stayed the same though, it didn't fade nor become annoyed, "Alright, may I fill the bath for you then?"
The brunet nodded slowly, not meaning to look so scared since it was also horrible manners.
A hand gently touched the top of Tsuna's head. It wasn't firm nor soft but felt as if it was waiting for permission. It pulled away when it didn't receive any.
"I'll go start the water."
And as Jaeger left to a small offside room, warmth blossomed in Tsuna's chest.