The rain pounded on the dirt road of Mulsivar as Reinhardt Revont, with his red hair and blue eyes, held the reins of the carriage led by two white horses, running across the muddy off-road. Galloping towards home, beside him sat Reina, one of the king's elven daughters, her white hair whipping wildly in the wind, red eyes full of worry as the storm lashed out.
From the corner of their eyes, a woman stumbled and tripped on her own feet, coming from the coastline.
Drenched in rain from head to toe, her soft aqua hair complemented her sharp crimson eyes—eyes so distinctive it was impossible to look away. Reinhardt pulled the reins on the horses, stopping the carriage. He noticed she was clenching something—not a mere bundle of rags but something cone-shaped pressed onto her chest. Blood steadily dripped from the bottom of her clothes.
Reina leaned forward.
"Where are you from?"
The woman wouldn't respond. The wind blew her cape off, revealing the blood-drenched woman, drowning in tears trickling down her face, as she hesitantly handed the pile of rags to Reinhardt. He reached to take it, and she collapsed, a bloody pond spreading across the road.
"She's dead," said Reina in a soft tone, trying not to cry.
The silence was shattered by the wind blowing hard against the rags. It lifted the edge, revealing a baby's face. The baby stared back with its crimson eyes.
"Just like her mother," said Reina.
Reinhardt nodded at her comment, a frown on his face and a confused expression. He hesitated to take the child into his home. He turned his head to Reina's face, with tears falling from her cheeks. Something inside him broke, and his tears followed.
Then, as if a miracle occurred, the skies cleared, the rain stopped, and the sun glimmered onto them.
Reinhardt took a breath.
"This child was left alone," he said boldly. "Let us take him into our arms and treat him as one of our own..."
14 years later
Damien Lucas Revont
The warmth of the sun's rays hit my back as Noelle and I chased each other through the manor's garden, her white hair reflecting the sunlight, her pointed ears twitching, and her two different-coloured eyes—one red, the other blue. Her laughter bubbled like a stream, contagious. I couldn't resist and couldn't help but laugh with her.
She was the only one in the family who truly saw me for who I am—not an outsider but a sibling, her brother. Precious moments like these helped my worries and thoughts drift away like a cloud.
"Catch me if you can!" she shouted and darted ahead into the field of flowers.
I lunged forward into the flowers but paused for a moment among them. That fragile peace shattered the moment I heard his voice. It was Ken, my older brother, standing a couple of feet away, with slightly pointed ears, dark blue eyes, and white hair.
"Well, well, lookie what we got here. Damien's wasting his time playing with a child."
Ken's voice was dripping with that familiar disgust.
He stood in front of Noelle, towering in height over her.
She looked up at him with innocent joy and greeted her older brother. He smiled back, but his blue eyes felt like an endless ocean. I feared that if I stared too long, I would drown.
"Hey, Noelle. What did we say about hanging out with this loser?" he asked with a smirk.
"As for you, Damien, you should be training, not fooling around like an idiot."
Staring at the grass, I forced myself to look at him.
"You're ri—"
Noelle cut off my words, filled with confidence and despair.
"It's not him," Noelle said. "I asked him to stop and play for a bit. And he is not a loser—he's our brother!"
His eyes narrowed.
"Brother? He's everything but. He's weak, clueless, and he isn't even related to us. He's probably some commoner trash dropped for our dad to pick up and toss sooner or later."
He spat and turned, leaving the field of flowers.
A cold silence remained as the wind brushed against us.
I clenched my fist and bit my tongue, holding back the cruel words I had for him. I knew I couldn't beat him—not yet, at least.
Today was the day of the Garden Spirit Ritual. I was happier than I'd ever been. I could finally prove my worth in this family. This was the day when all the noble and commoner children aged 12–16 would travel to the Garden of Spirits, located in the central part of the city, which itself was in the middle of the continent.
Ken had already bonded with a whopping three spirits: earth, air, and water—a feat even rarer for a noble. But now it was my turn, along with Ben, my other older brother. He was only a year older than me and not as cruel as Ken, though he still teased me often enough.
I truly believed I could earn four spirits. Getting four was like being hit by lightning a thousand times, but after everything I'd suffered, I felt like it was finally my turn. Then Ken would accept who I am. My father would finally notice me, and Noelle and Mom would be proud.
As the carriage carried us to the Garden of Spirits, Ken and Ben took turns mocking me.
"You'll be lucky to get one spirit," Ken sneered.
"Imagine if you got none—that would be hilarious," Ben laughed, wiping a tear from his red eyes. "That would be priceless."
I scoffed. "Wait and see. I'll get four spirits and shove it up your a—"
"Language, Damien."
Mother interrupted, her worried eyes looking at all of us. She then continued,
Today is a special day for Ben and Damien. You three should be like your sister and be polite. Especially you, Ken. Be nice," she said with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah, just like me," Noelle chimed in.
My parents laughed at Noelle's comment, her cheer brightening everyone's mood. Soon, the gates of the city opened, taking us from the quiet countryside into the bustling streets of Navir. We had barely left the manor before we arrived at the Spirit Garden.
I saw crowds of angry commoners with their kids arguing to enter, guards pushing and yelling at them as if they were beasts waiting for scraps.
"Why aren't we in line?"
"We are nobles. We are a priority. And we are stronger than mere commoners. Though…" His voice dropped to a whisper only Mother could hear. "I do think it's unfair."
It was time. After the Royal Family went, it was our turn. My heart raced. This was the time I finally showed everyone who I am.
As we entered, I glanced at Ben's red eyes and red hair, bright with excitement. I was just as excited—no, I was way more excited.
As we got off the carriage, the doors creaked and began to shut, creating a loud echo rolling throughout the garden. Everyone shivered at the surge of energy that swept through. Except me. I felt… nothing. Probably too distracted by the door.
I looked around. My eyes widened as a breathtaking forest appeared in front of me, right in the heart of the city. It looked as if it were almost never-ending. Ben's expression grew serious.
A chill slid down my spine. It felt as if the entire place was telling me not to go any further. I looked at my family—they were all amazed, basking in the wonder. Not me. I felt unwelcome.
I looked and saw hundreds of different-coloured spirits hovering over the blades of grass. Fire, brown for earth, blue for water, and light grey for air. Their tiny bodies flickered like living lanterns.
Then I felt the gaze of a thousand eyes raining down, judging me.
Ben ran into the short blades of grass in front of the forest, and two spirits zipped toward him. One orange, the other blue, floated into him, flashing a bright light.
Ben's expression lifted, his smile stretching ear to ear. His eyes closed, and he looked at us. "I got fire and water! Let's gooo!"
Ben ran back to us, and everyone praised him.
"Good job. Those spirits are versatile together," said my father with a proud expression, closing his eyes with satisfaction.
"They are compatible," my mom said, clapping for him.
"That's so cool! I can't wait till next time to see my spirits," Noelle said. Then she added, "Now it's your turn, Damien."
I nodded, meeting her warm smile, and walked up to the garden while she and Mom waved at me.
But Father watched me with a look I'd never seen before—almost worried... which only made my heart race faster as I stepped off the cold stone. The sharp tap of my boot sank into the grass, softening my steps. The blades of grass grazed me as I kept moving forward.
Nothing was happening. No spirits were coming. It was as if a predator had entered their territory, and they were trying to disappear.
.
The next step I took made all of the spirits shoot away faster than ever, as if they never wanted to meet my gaze again.
My chest tightened. The world dimmed to grey. The forest became eerily empty. My heart stopped, breath tearing from my lungs. I collapsed, eyes shutting.
The last thing I saw was a blurry figure rushing toward me, and Noelle's voice breaking through the darkness.
"Don't leave me, brother!"