Chapter 1: A Night to Remember

Shimmering rays of light peaked over the horizon and welcomed the land of Weyard with its warming glow. Birds began chirping and filling the air with their morning songs. A gentle wind weaved its way across the country side and through the streets of the town of Cyril, a town nestled by the mountains north and west of the city of Kalay. Only a few shopkeepers and merchants occupied the streets preparing their wares for the day's market of consumers.

In a house near the northern end of town slept a boy in his upper teen years. His blond hair became more matted as he unconsciously rolled over onto his back. The morning light from the celestial body Sol filtered through the curtains of his upstairs room and cast rays of light onto his face. Life suddenly began to fill his body as the paralysis of sleep wore off. His closed eyes squinted under the light being shone into his eyes and he lifted an arm up to shield his eyes. With his arm somewhat shielding his eyes, he was able to slightly open them revealing his majestic ocean blue irises.

Vaguely was he aware of the door to his room opening, yet he still had that tingle in the back of his neck that his door was being opened. From just waking up, he was too tired to look over to confirm this feeling; however, he soon became aware of the creaking floor of his room meaning that someone was coming near. He leaned his head over with eyes slightly opened just in time to see a figure towering over his bed come toppling over onto his body.

"Geronimo!" the feminine voice sounded out quite loud as she toppled on top of the half-sleeping boy.

"Ohhh…" the boy cried out in pain under the weight of the person on top of him. "You're crushing me, Mom!" he said irritated as he squirmed around trying to get her off of him.

"It's time to get up," she said still lying perpendicular on top of the boy. "Here, let's open up these curtains." She got half way up until she was kneeling on his bed. Then she shifted one leg on the other side of the boy and straddled his legs as she leaned over to pull the curtains apart.

Get off of me right now! he exclaimed mentally. "Owww…" the boy hissed as the morning light pierced his eyes like daggers, temporarily blinding him.

"There you go," the mother said satisfied that the curtains were open wide enough. She slowly leaned back away from the curtains and eventually off of her son's bed and was once again standing next to his bed. "If you get up now I'll make you breakfast. Don't sleep your day away. There's much work to be done. I've already been up for hours."

Well good for you… he thought spitefully. "Okay…" the boy muttered loud enough for her to hear. Please just leave me alone and let me sleep.

"All right. I'll be out in the kitchen when you're ready."

The boy sighed a very heavy grateful sigh when he saw his mother leave his room and partially shut his door. He laid there in his bed for a moment or two thinking to himself.

"Why does she have to do that?" he wondered out loud to himself. "I'm almost 18 years old. I'm not a kid any more. I don't understand why she does that and only to me! Ugh!" He placed his hands behind his head and just stared up at his ceiling and stretched a few muscles as he continued to mull over this thought. "I don't even want to get up." After another few seconds he inhaled sharply and stretched out more vigorously and yawned. "Whatever… Another day in the life of Ryo, I guess…"

Ryo swung his legs over his bed and sat for a moment to orient himself with his surroundings and allow the blood to flow through his veins. He rubbed his eyes free of sleep and stretched his arms out once more letting out a great moan. "Yeeeaaah, thaat felt good. Now to find some clothes and head to the kitchen…"

While it was harvest season, the weather bordered on the precipice between warm and cool. After a quick search through his dressers, Ryo picked out a pair of loose fitting dark blue pants, white A-undershirt, a lighter short-sleeved blue tee shirt with some white strips on the sleeves, and a brown belt. Then he went over to his closet and slid the door open and grabbed for his favorite brown boots. As he put the boots on his feet from a sitting position on the end of his bed, Ryo's eyes fell upon the long cloak that was dangling from a hanger in his closet.

"Hmph." Ryo narrowed his eyes in contemplation as he focused his attention to the mysterious cloak that he had for as long as he could remember. For some odd reason, though, the black cloak seemed to emanate a soft blue hue which he never noticed before. After rubbing his eyes again and staring back at the cloak, the blue aura seemed to dissipate. "I must be seeing things." He shook his head and rubbed his eyes again and finished putting on his boots.

Ryo stood to his feet and was pleased with just how much flexibility and comfort his entire outfit allowed. He took one last glance into his closet and noticed a certain item peeking out from underneath a pile of clothes. Ryo reached for the black handle and pulled out a full length solid wood katana. After taking a brief look over the wooden blade and running his hand over the divots in the blade, he brandished the weapon and sank into a fighter's pose. He practiced several elegant strokes of the sword with skills he had forged from using a weathered scythe on the family farm. Something this time felt different though. He felt more relaxed, more confident, more experienced. Perhaps it was because of a restful sleep. Or perhaps it was the countless hours spent every night the last few months hidden in the fields at night honing his skills with the weapon. But there was no denying that something about holding a sword just felt right. Like he was born to wield a sword. Like destiny.

Ryo finished a final stroke and then slide the weapon smoothly into his belt as if to sheath the blade. He relaxed and smiled confidently to himself. "I'll ask them again. Maybe if I show them my skills, they will listen to me…" He placed his practice sword back into hiding and slid the closet door shut.

A short walk out of his room and around a corner led Ryo out into the kitchen where his mother was sitting at the table reading something. She had an empty plate in front of her with small scraps of egg left on it.

"Morning, Sunshine!" she chimed looking up from her reading.

"Morning…" Ryo muttered still somewhat tired from his rude awakening.

"What'd you like for breakfast? Eggs, cereal, pancakes… Just let me know and I'll make it for you."

"Hmph. Okay." Ryo glanced at some of the things she had mentioned. He was hungry but nothing really seemed to catch his attention as something he wanted to eat. Then a conversation, or rather heated debate, came to his mind about last night. "Did… umm… you and Dad talk about yesterday…?"

"About what?" his mother asked as she still read the paper.

"About-ta… me taking classes to… use a sword…?" Ryo reiterated slowly trying to gauge his mother's reaction. But as he spoke, his mother's countenance began to sour and so did his once brimming confidence.

"Yeah, we did. And like we said yesterday, your dad and I don't have the money right now to pay for lessons. And besides, he doesn't think that it's a very good idea. What would you do anyways? What's the point of it? Are you gonna beat up on the other kids or something?"

"What?! No!" Ryo stated forcefully, appalled that she would think that. "I just think that it would be helpful with the increase in monster sightings and attacks outside of town."

"So you want to go out and kill monsters, is that it?" his mother asked while raising her voice.

"No!" came the exasperated reply. "I said nothing about killing monsters! It's for self-defense. Protection. In case if I would ever need to go outside town."

"But you don't need to go outside of town. These 'monster attacks' or whatever they are happen far away from the limits. There's no need for you to take sword lessons because someone needs to take over your father's business someday. Your brother Erija is gone away for more learning in Tolbi and Marche doesn't seem to know what's going on. And we won't even go anywhere with your other brother."

"What if I don't want to take over? What if I want… to do something else…?" countered Ryo.

"Really like what?"

"Uh… hmmm… I don't know… maybe like an Alchemist or something…" Ryo said.

"Mmmhhhh…" his mother sighed skeptically. "You've been reading those weird books again, haven't you? That stuff is make-believe! It's not real! It's about time that you stop fantasizing and start living in reality. Someday you'll need to support yourself and a family with a real job. If you stay here, then you'll be guaranteed a job working in the fields like your father as well as his craft of woodworking. That's how things are done. That's how things have always been done for a long time now. It's time you start accepting that."

Ryo stood there in front of his mother in silence as he absorbed the words that she had just spoken to him. His countenance visibly dropped and his whole posture sagged. "Do I even have a choice in the matter?" Ryo gritted as he crossed his arms and slumped his body position onto one leg. He could feel the tension rising in his body as well as his temperature.

"Well, yeah, of course you have a choice. But with harvest here, someone needs to help your father out in the fields. Have some breakfast and go out and help your father. It's about time you kids start helping out around here. I'm the woman around here and it should be you boys who should be working, not me."

A sigh escaped from Ryo's lips. So that'd be a no: I don't have a choice. Doesn't she see that I contribute more than Erija ever did and certainly more than the other two now! Does she not realize that?! He stood on the spot for another few seconds and hesitantly asked, "So, about the sword training…?"

"For now, the answer is still a no. Like I said, we don't really have the money right now. And I would feel safer if you weren't waving around a sword. Next thing you know you'll be swinging it inside the house and then something will get broken or you'll cut yourself and then what? Besides, someone needs to help your father with… Hey, where are you goin'? You haven't had any breakfast yet."

Knowing that talking to her would do no good and knowing that the longer he stayed the more frustrated he would become, Ryo decided that it was best for him to leave and eat breakfast another time, especially when his mother was not around to bother him. "I… uh… forgot something in my room… besides, I'm not that hungry right now anyways…" Ryo then turned and headed back for his room. Once inside, he shut the door and leaned his head back against it and slumped to the floor. As he let out a heavy sigh, he felt his stomach gurgling. "Now I'm annoyed and hungry," he surmised.

He then glanced at his closet where he kept the one thing that would clear his head of his annoyance with the situation. "If she only knew that I've been training myself." He leaned his head back against his door again. This time, the irony of his mother's words struck him differently. He couldn't help but smirk. "If she only knew…"

x x x x

The light faded across the horizon from what seemed like a perfect day as the stillness of the evening settled in. Shimmering colors and shades of purple, blue, and orange painted the perfect ending to a perfect day in the city of Cyril.

Ryo wiped the sweat out of his eyes and ran his fingers though his blond hair. He gazed out over the sprawling fields of wheat that surrounded Cyril underneath his favorite tree. After working the fields all day, he leaned back and finally relaxed, admiring the dazzling colors of the sunset with awe. He looked on with his sea blue eyes wondering what was beyond the horizon. Cyril wasn't a bad town to live in. It was a simple, unassuming place where life moved at the gentle pace of the seasons. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the world than what lay before him.

"What good are dreams if you're not allowed to pursue them?"

His eyes fell to his side and to a book that lay next to him about the Fivefold Star. It was one of his favorite stories about the lands beyond his hometown. The bookshop owner told him that it was actually a history book about the end of the Golden Age of mankind written by a historian by the name of Dantaron. A story of five Adepts who swore an oath to fight for the future of Weyard and whose efforts help to seal Alchemy's great power from those who would use its power for evil. His parents had thought that the book was just the work of someone's imagination and not a history book. Despite that, Ryo still insisted on getting the book. Even if his parents were right and it was the work of someone's imagination, Ryo still wanted to believe that somehow, some parts of it were true. He had spent many an afternoon acting out the exploits he read about in the book and imagining that he too was able to wield the elements as they did.

He reached out and gently set his hand on his prized book, running his fingers over the embossed etchings of the five pointed star on its cover. "Books like this one are one of the few things that we have had enough money to get…" Ryo sighed as he retracted his hand to meet his other hand behind his head. "Living the life as a farmer or even as a carpenter just doesn't interest me. Why can't they see that?" He shifted his gaze to the ever lowering light of Sol and the fading colors of the evening and felt himself getting lost in deep contemplation.

"You're thinking about it again, aren't you?" a voice from behind teased.

Ryo jumped at the voice and turned quickly to see Daishi coming up behind him. Daishi's short brown hair shifted slightly as he gave a half wave to his friend. "Don't do that! Scared the crap out of me!"

Daishi chuckled. "Sorry about that. Thought you heard me come up." He tossed a pebble at Ryo's feet. Dai leaned up against the tree and gazed across the fields himself. "The call of the wild, the allure of the unknown."

Ryo turned to face him, a hint of defiance in his eyes. "I just don't understand why I can't explore, why I'm stuck here on the farm. Everyone else gets to live their dreams!"

Daishi sighed, placing a hand on Ryo's shoulder. "Your dreams are important, Ryo, but so is your family. Besides, you've got your whole life ahead of you. Maybe one day, when the right opportunity comes…" his voice trailed off, not wanting to get Ryo's hopes up too high.

"I asked my parents if they would let me get sword training. I mean… more than what we've done here at night."

"Oh yeah? What'd they say?" Dai inquired.

"Said 'we don't have the money', and that 'I'm needed in the fields', and blah blah blah. My mom thinks that I'm just gonna be running around the house swinging it around breaking stuff." Ryo shook his head.

"Well… Yeah. I can see you doing that…" Dai chuckled sarcastically.

"Hey!" Ryo objected.

"But seriously, you know the dangers that lurk beyond the safety of our town. The animals are becoming more aggressive, and your parents are right to worry," Dai reasoned. "Ever since the eruption of Mt. Aleph…"

Ryo's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Yeah I know. But I can't shake this feeling that there's more out there for me." His eyes were fixated on the horizon and the ever dimming light of Sol. "Like, why did Mt. Aleph erupt? I thought it was dormant. And what are those purple stones people keep talking about? I want to know the answers but nobody knows anything. I… I want to find out for myself…" his voice trailed off in disappointment.

"You're really set on this, aren't you?" Seeing his friend nod his head in agreement, Daishi grinned mischievously. "Well then. If you are that eager, why don't we sneak out tonight? After the harvest festival, or, maybe during it, when everyone's busy with the festivities, we can have our own little adventure."

Ryo's eyes lit up at the proposal and turned to his friend. "You serious? Like actually?"

Daishi nodded. "As serious as a drought in the desert. We'll go to the outskirts of town, not too far, just to get a taste of adventure. Plus, I know that you can handle yourself with a sword. I have the bruises to prove that."

The pair laughed at the comment. Thoughts of having his own adventure, like the ones the heroes in his book had, further imprinted a thirst in his soul. A life of monotony and routine as a farmer was simply suffocating and would not be a fulfilling life. But, that could change. Even if but for a brief moment. They wouldn't go far. What could it hurt? They'd be back before anyone would realize.

"I heard there is a cave nearby. That would be a cool place to check out. Or something like that…" Thoughts swirled in Ryo's head from the stories and books he read. Chivalrous knights of old and their exploits in righting wrongs and saving fair maidens; battling and even taming mythical dragon beasts; exploring mysterious caverns filled with ancient, powerful relics; warriors wielding strange powers that could change terrains, command the undead, or even predict the future – he wished some of that were true. And maybe they would find something valuable in the nearby caves. It was all exciting.

"We won't have that much time though," Dai reminded, bringing Ryo back to reality.

"Oh, right." Ryo felt his excitement diminish slightly. However, the anticipation was still palpable. It was all just too exciting and now, he couldn't wait until tonight to have his own adventure with his best friend.

"Do you think Alchemy is real? Like, do you think people really could cast fireballs and stuff?"

"I don't know, brother," Dai shook his head. "The answer is out there somewhere. But I still can't believe you asked about it though."

Ryo distinctly remembered asking his parents about it. And the instructors. And the elders. And passing merchants.

"I couldn't help it. But everyone acts so weird about it. Like, talking about Alchemy or even mentioning it is taboo or something. Even when I asked our instructors, they said that anyone who claimed to wield such powers were either deceivers or worshippers of the dark arts and should be avoided as outcasts," Ryo scoffed. "Still," Ryo lifted a hand. "Wouldn't it be cool if we could do those things…" He imagined what it would be like to harness the power of the elements, bending them to his will. He had read about the once four illustrious clans and the mysterious powers they controlled: Mercury - controller of all things water and ice, Venus - controller of all things related to the earth, Jupiter - controller of wind and lightning, and Mars - controller of all things fire. Of all the clans, Ryo still couldn't decide which element he felt affinity for. "What element would you have?"

Dai thought for a moment. "I would probably have to say earth. Or maybe fire. No. Wait… Definitely fire. So I can watch things buuurrn." Dai lifted his hand and curled his fingers as if holding fire in the palm of his hand.

Ryo laughed at his friend antics. "Ok, pyro."

Just then, a gently breeze wafted across the fields bringing with it a slight chill down Ryo's spine. Wind. Maybe wind was his affinity. But alas, there was no one alive today who could conjure such "miracles" as his parents called them.

"Still would be cool though if I could do all of those things. Or…even any of those things for that matter…" Ryo mused. He held out his hand and pictured forming a fireball in his hand and then throwing it with an outstretch of his palm. Of course, nothing happened. But it was still a cool thing to think about.

Ryo stretched out. "I wonder if Hammet has seen anything." Hammet had frequented the town and played a vital part in its founding. Not only was Hammet a proficient merchant, but he also traveled to more places all over the world than anyone he knew. Surely he might have seen something or know something. Or even any of the various other traveling merchants.

He always wondered what life was like outside of town. Even more so since the explosion of the once thought to be dormant Mount Aleph nearly a month ago. The plumes of smoke from Mount Aleph billowed out for miles and Ryo could have sworn that the haze glistened with a slightly violet hue. Panic set in quickly and the rumors started as people attempted to postulate the cause of the incident. But despite the elders and leaders' best efforts to quell the rumors and panic, there were still those people who insisted that the gods had been angered, or that the world was ending, or numerous other conspiracies. It also didn't help matters when the local wildlife became increasingly more aggressive and sightings of "monsters" became more prevalent. Venturing outside of town soon became disallowed by the mayor's edict in the efforts to minimize casualties and injuries from these attacks.

"Who cares? We are gonna miss the festival if we keep yapping here though," Dai remarked impatiently. "Besides, your woman Tinaro will be there," Daishi insinuated, raising an eyebrow.

Ryo's face reddened slightly at the mention of her name. Tinaro was a local girl, same age as him, who had caught his eye a few years ago, and she had been the center of his thoughts ever since. Her dark blond hair and emerald eyes had a way of making him feel both nervous and excited every time they talked. Not only was she smart and made it look easy, but she was popular with everyone. And her smile… her gentle features… her simple elegance… her pristine manners… it was no coincidence that she had caught the attention of all the guys in their class, including Ryo. He couldn't help but be enraptured by her.

He found kinship with her and comfort with her and they had spent countless hours together over the years studying alone together that few others had the opportunity because of their shared intellect. She never judged him or made him feel guilty for having smarts or being slightly socially awkward. They helped each other… they strived to better each other… They just… clicked. For years. And it was only recently that Ryo realized how much of an impact Tinaro had on him over the years and how much affection he had for her…

"What?!" Ryo felt his face getting hot. "She-she's not my woman. Besides, we're just friends!" The thought of her continued to make his face flush with color. For now…

"Uh huh. Riiiigght. Come on, Ryo. You know you like her. I see how you look at her…" Dai smirked, his mischievous grin widening. "She's going to be at the festival tonight, isn't she? Making her big speech?"

Ryo gave him a stare, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Yeah? And?" he replied defensively, trying to play it cool. "It's not like I'm going to ignore her or anything. She's just a friend, that's all."

Daishi chuckled, not fooled for a second. "Sure, she's just a friend. That's why you get all nervous every time she's around, right?"

Ryo's eyes widened and he felt his cheeks flush even more. "I-I do not!"

"Oh, so you don't get all flustered when she laughs at your jokes or looks at you?" Dai teased, pushing his friend's buttons.

Ryo felt his face grow hotter and looked away, unable to meet Dai's eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled, trying to change the subject.

Daishi's smirk grew even wider at his friend's discomfort. "Ah, the ever stoic Ryo, hiding his true feelings. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Unless of course, it's to get you to talk to her," he said with a laugh.

Ryo rolled his eyes and pushed himself to his feet. "You're terrible, you know that?"

Daishi chuckled. "Someone's got to keep you on your toes, your head out of those books and back into reality sometimes, buddy. And maybe, you'll be able to get a chance to dance with her tonight." Dai grinned again, getting one last playful jab at Ryo. After hearing Ryo groan, he continued, "Anyways. Get yourself ready. I've got girls to charm and food to scarf down. After that, our big adventure!"

Always thinking of girls and your stomach. Shaking his head with a smile, Ryo dusted off his pants. "Alright, alright. Let me get ready. And maybe I will get the courage to ask Tinaro to dance. Or…maybe, I'll just trip over my own feet again and make a fool of myself," he said with a chuckle. Or I'll finally confess my feelings for her.

Dai clapped him on the back. "That's the spirit! You'll do great, buddy. Just remember, if you need a wingman, I'm here. And if you do trip, I'll make sure everyone knows it was part of your charm."

The friends shared a laugh, the tension of the earlier conversation dissipating like mist in the morning sun. Ryo couldn't help but feel a bit better knowing that he had someone who understood him, even if it was just Dai. His mother's words from earlier in the day still stung, but the promise of a secret adventure and the potential of a dance with Tinaro was enough to keep his spirits high.

And I will hopefully be able to talk to Tinaro longer than just a few minutes, Ryo thought to himself giddily. I can't wait. And I have a feeling that this will be a night I won't soon forget…

x x x x