A castle reaching the clouds, and streets flourishing with the ever growing population of people. The scent of flowers and street food wafting in the wind, enveloping the local atmosphere, screams and chants of merchants bargaining their goods to nearby folk…This is the Kingdom of Yelsh, within the capital Thrite
When there is beauty there is surely ugliness amongst them. Amongst the great Kingdom of Yelsh, the slums lay in the coast of Thrite. Worn streets, weathered houses if any at all, the smell of sewage and rot consumes the air in a dense musk. Crime lurking in every corner with beggars following in wake, a boy scrapes by covered in ragged cloth not even qualified to be called clothing grasping a worn leather cover.
Greasy brown wavy hair with scattered knots all over, a wasting of limbs as if it's been days without food, a hollowed face, brown eyes, and a short frame. This boy is Yone, a native of the western Slums. Sprinting with all his might through the barren roads of the slums, Yone clutches an old leather cover with all the effort his malnourished fingers could muster. Upon reaching a small alley veiled in darkness, he crawled into what seemed to be his home of sorts, a hole at the end of the alley covered by what appeared to be some drift wood from the nearby coast. With the opening of his home cracked, he made a fire with parts of the crumbling wood and ungrasped the leather cover he was keeping secure only to reveal what seems to be a mysterious looking book.
The book was Indigo blue with weird looking symbols scattered throughout it, a pure gold trim on all edges of the book with elegant and beautiful designs pouring towards the middle of the book wrapped in the gold of the trim. The edges of the pages immersed in the very same gold.
This must be a fortune — Yune thinks
Yone had discovered the book while searching the slums for food and later found out that a group of people wrapped in cloaks had mistakenly dropped it while going through the area. Unable to read or write or even speak, the book had no use to him but the fascination Yune holds for the world and the people bathed in riches was astounding.
Yune holding something so alien to him almostrelishes at the thought of the amount of money he'd make selling the item, let alone just selling the leather cover to any nearby merchants…heh
That thought was swiftly broken thinking of how the merchants would take advantage of his poor state and likely lable him a thief.
In poor taste he just impulsively opens the book to, in a way, send a huge fuck you to the people who dropped it.
Finders keepers he thinks
Yune discovers that not only are there words he clearly cant understand there are also drawings of something like engravings on a wall. The spherical shapes and designs peak his curiosity with some of the lines leading to one another with another unfamiliar symbol in the middle of the circles.
I wonder if this is what the noblemen call Magic…?
Eyes filling with money signs, but even more his mind was brimming with fascination and wonder at the thought of being able to even grasp a fraction of what the famous magicians can accomplish.
Yune felt kind of at a loss because although he has limitless possibilities in his hands, he can't understand any of it and even though that is the case he cannot go to anyone since all the people in the slums only care about personal gain and the slight problem that he can't even speak…
Left with this dilemma he decides to close the book and put the leather cover back on and hides it within his shelter.
He hopes that one day he can achieve enough to venture out and discover that which he couldn't grasp before. No matter how much time went by the mere thought of casting magic kept Yune driven. With the book hidden he seeks to learn the local written language of the humans; Aina.
I can't even speak — how and who will I find, Yune contemplates
Weeks pass by with Yune wondering the streets in search of someone to teach him but everyone seems to have their own problems and don't even bother entertaining Yunes situation until…
A known kind old man of the slums, a smile filled with sincerity printed on his face presents himself to Yune.
The older man in aged clothes, not quite as weathered as Yunes scraps but getting there, silver hair and skin like that of a dried grape with a walking stick that looks like it's where Yune got his drift wood for his shelter. A slight slouch do to his age in a poor environment requiring lots of standing. Carrying sincerity in his expression but also an unknown sharpness in his eyes like he's observing his surroundings all the time.
Inquiring about Yunes troubles, constantly seeing him trying to get the attention of the slum folk — The old man asks, " what is it you need so desperately from the people around."
Yune who obviously can't speak doesn't quite know how to respond in a way the old man will understand… trying something,Yune covers his mouth and signifies to the old man at his lack of ability to speak.
The old man somewhat gets what the boy was trying to do and replies, " Can you not speak?"
Yune nods his head excitedly at the thought that someone is actually listening to him and understands him
"I doubt you know how to write so I'm sort of at a loss to understand what it is you desire…"
At the moment the old man says something about writing Yune jumps up trying to pinpoint that not being able to write was the problem he faces, if he learns how to write he'll inevitably learn how to read.
"I don't understand your erratic behavior…Was it something I said that you desire?"
Yune nods agreeably
"Hmmmm you desire the means to learn how to write?"
YES…Yunes thinks but just nods to let the old man know
"You are in luck, I happen to know how to read and write but if you want something from me I'll need something from you."
In confusion Yune signals to go on
"There were strange people that came through the town a couple weeks ago, I happened to hear that they dropped a book wrapped in a leather cover, if you find that, I'll teach you"
…"You know what a book is right…?"
Yune froze up in shock of what he just heard, what would be the point of learning such things if he loses the very thing he is learning the skill for.
Yune reluctantly nods his head for now to the old man but begins to think of what to do
"I wish you luck in hopes that you acquire what you desire, my name is Shrew it is a pleasure."
"I'm unsure what your name is if any so I'll just call you boy from now on"
Yune nods.