The room was dark, barely illuminated by the faint light of a magical lamp floating in the corner. Aaron, eyes wide open, snuggled under the blanket next to his sister, Safira. Their father, seated on a wooden chair beside the bed, held an old book with worn covers and singed edges.
In a deep, measured voice, he began to read.
"Centuries ago, this world was very different... There were no elves, no dwarves, nor any beasts with human form. Only humans walked these lands, without magic, without monsters, without guilds. Everything was... common."
Aaron frowned.
"So how did everything change? Where did the others come from?"
His father smiled, without lifting his gaze from the book.
"It is said that a man, a simple peasant, found a stone buried beneath a dry tree. He touched it, unaware that in doing so he would awaken something that should have remained dormant: an ancient demon, from the times before time."
Safira, already half-asleep, opened one eye.
"A demon?"
"Yes. Enraged at having been awakened, it cast a curse upon the world. The sky split in two, and by dawn, almost all of humanity had changed. Some woke up with pointed ears, others shorter and stockier. Some acquired animal features: tails, claws, fangs... It was the birth of the races."
Aaron sat up a little, his eyes wide.
"Wow! What else happened?"
"The demon not only altered the humans... it also sowed the world with deformed creatures, born of chaos. It filled the lands with these living forms, guardians and horrors. But in its fury, it also left something else."
Their father looked up, gazing at them seriously.
"Magic."
"Magic?" Aaron whispered.
"Yes. Aetherian. A power that all living beings began to feel within them. A gift... or a curse. Since then, the kingdoms formed guilds to fight against the monsters and study the secrets of the Aetherian and the stone that started it all."
Silence filled the room for a moment. Then, Aaron hugged his blanket.
"Dad... is that story real?"
The father closed the book carefully.
"No one knows for sure, son. Some say it's just a myth... others claim the demon is still sleeping, waiting for someone to find it again."
Safira was already snoring softly. Aaron, however, had his eyes fixed on the ceiling, dreaming of the split sky, of magic and monsters.
The father stood up, extinguished the magic lamp with a whisper, and left the room, leaving the door ajar.
One night, the two children arrived home, exhausted from spending the whole day outside playing with their friends. They opened the door.
"Aaron, our parents are going to scold us for coming home so late."
"If that happens, Safira, I'll blame you to save myself."
"Hey! You're mean!" Safira looked around and noticed their parents were not in the living room. "Maybe they are already in their bedroom. Come on, let's go see."
In the darkness of the hallway, the children's laughter died away. A suffocating stench, like rotten meat and wet earth, stung their noses. The air felt thick, heavy, like a blanket covering their bodies. Safira, who was ahead, extended a trembling hand toward her parents' bedroom door. She pushed it slowly, as if the simple act of opening it weighed a thousand kilos. The door groaned. A ray of moonlight filtered through the window, revealing the scene.
What she saw froze her completely.
Their parents' bodies lay on the wooden floor, contorted at impossible angles, covered by a layer of already dark, dry blood. Their mother's face was pale, and their father's eyes were open, fixed on the void.
Safira's scream caught in her throat, turning into a sharp, broken sound. A moan of pure horror.
"Mom...? Dad?" she whispered, her voice so thin she barely recognized it. She crawled across the floor, unable to feel her knees, until she reached their side. Her tears fell uncontrollably, splashing her father's lifeless face.
"Why...? Why did they do this to you?" Her weeping filled the room, a desolate sound the moon seemed to ignore.
Aaron remained at the entrance, as if stuck in the doorframe. His body wouldn't respond. He couldn't breathe. A distant ringing settled in his ears, and his wide-open eyes couldn't look away from his father's motionless figure. He remembered the words his father had told him hours ago: "It is said that a man, a simple peasant, found a stone..." Could this be the curse? Had an ancient demon reached their home? Everything that had been a fascinating story suddenly felt real, tangible, a horror that had reached out and grabbed them.
Years later...
It is a peaceful day in a medieval world full of magic and fantastical creatures. Safira and Aaron walk together along the stone streets of the town, surrounded by merchants, adventurers, and common folk.
"Alright, we're here, Aaron," Safira says, pointing to a huge building with a carved wooden sign: Adventurers' Guild.
Upon entering, they find a bustling hall full of life. People of different races laugh, drink beer, and converse animatedly. There are elves with pointed ears and an elegant appearance, semi-humans with animal features like wolf ears or cat tails, and other completely strange races... A true melting pot of cultures.
"Wow! Look at all these people! There's every type!" exclaims Aaron, spinning around with eyes bright with excitement.
"Yes, yes... well, let's get to why we came," Safira replies with a slight smile, trying to maintain her composure.
They start to walk through the guild, observing every corner. Aaron stops to stare intently at a group of elves talking to each other with an almost magical elegance.
"Look, this is where you sign up," Aaron says, pointing to a counter where an elf in a light green tunic awaits them with a cordial smile.
"Good morning, are you here to register?" she asks.
"Yes, that's why we came," Safira replies.
"Perfect. Just fill out these forms," she hands them two sheets and points to a free table.
They sit together and begin to fill in the data. Aaron, unable to help it, keeps looking around in amazement.
"Hey, did you see the elves? They are beautiful, their pointed ears look great. And the dwarves! They all look so old and wise with those huge beards..."
Safira raised her head, her brow furrowed and her eyes sharp as knives.
"Aaron! Can you stop talking? I'm trying to concentrate," she said in a low voice, but charged with annoyance.
Aaron shrugged, smiling as if he hadn't noticed.
"Sorry... it's just that all of this is so new. I've never seen so many races together. It's amazing."
After a few minutes, they return to the counter and hand over the sheets.
"Perfect! Come back tomorrow morning to receive your adventurer card," the elf tells them, kindly.
The siblings stay at the guild to grab a bite to eat. As Aaron walked between the tables, some conversations stopped. Several people looked at him with the same curiosity one would give a creature on the verge of extinction.
"Does it bother them so much to see humans?" Safira's eyes darted back and forth, looking at the other species with a tight scowl.
"Maybe they find it curious to see humans. Remember we don't see them every day." Aaron takes a bite of his beef. "Delicious!"
After a while, the two leave the guild heading home.
"What a drag to have to come back so early tomorrow," Safira sighs, stretching lazily.
"Come on! We've already signed up for the guild! It's what I've always dreamed of!" Aaron smiles from ear to ear.
"I only joined because you were excited about it... and to end all these monsters."
"Hey, if you don't want to, you don't have to join, I don't want to force you to do anything."
"I already told you, I'm doing it for you and because I want to finish off all those damn creatures." Safira clenches her fist hard, her knuckles turning white from the pressure. "I'm sure they are the culprits for our parents being murdered." She stops clenching her fists and smiles at Aaron. "And for the money, so I have reasons to do it."
Aaron's lips trembled to form a slight smile. After a while, they arrive home, chatting while eating a piece of bread.
"How can you say that, Aaron? Grape pie is more delicious than strawberry!" she continues eating her piece of bread.
"No! Are you crazy or something? Strawberry pie is a million times better than that messy grape pie!" crumbs of bread fly from his mouth and fall onto the table.
Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. Safira gets up and goes to open it; the sound of her talking to someone can be heard. Aaron notices this and goes to the door.
"If you don't pay me the rent today, grab your things and get out of here!"
"I promise we will pay you next month, just let us stay a little longer," Safira looks at the dwarf, her voice broken.
"Then if you don't pay me, grab your things and get out right now!"
"But...!"
After a long argument, Aaron and Safira are sitting on a bench. Aaron looks at Safira.
"I'm a little hungry and sleepy, Safira."
"Let's go eat something and look for a place to sleep, maybe on this bench, I don't know…"
The two stare at the dark street, watching people walk towards their homes; the cold of the night did not improve the condition of these siblings.
The next day, Aaron and Safira are already at the guild. Aaron, as always, is excited watching all the incredible races inhabiting the place. After a while, they approach the elf at the counter.
"Good morning, we came to pick up our adventurer cards," he shows a smile from ear to ear.
"Of course," the elf replies, "I just need to scan you."
She stands up and takes a magic staff, starting to murmur strange words. A green aura surrounds the siblings for a moment. Then, the elf sits down again and begins to create their cards with magic.
"What was all that?" Safira asks, bewildered.
"You're incompetent, Safira," Aaron replies proudly. "What the lady did was analyze our Aetherian."
She hands the card to the siblings, who observe the card intrigued.
"Look! We're both Warrior types!" his eyes shine. With an excited voice, Safira only looks at him indifferently.
"In a few moments, you will begin your training to start working at this guild."
"Thank you very much!" Aaron is still excited and ecstatic.
After a while, the two find themselves in a hall with many other species; Safira observes the entire room, confused.
"Why are we in this hall, Aaron?"
"Well, we're going to take the test."
"What?! There are tests too??" she swallows, her voice increasingly agitated. "I'm terrible at tests, I won't pass the trials!" her eyes nervously dart around the room.
Aaron looks at Safira smugly, showing a bright smile.
"Are you that stupid? But I'll help you if you buy me that food I saw at the market."
"Ugh! You're a jerk, but I'll do what you want," she clenches her fist, frowning with a defeated look.
Instantly, an elf with long, beautiful blonde hair appears; his passing leaves an aroma of flowers. He stands in front of everyone.
"Good morning everyone, my name is Rowan, I am a Master level, and from now on, I will be your guide in your training. Now take a seat to begin the test."
Everyone in the hall sits down at the wooden desks. Aaron and Safira sit next to each other. Aaron leans towards Safira.
"Hey Safira, that elf looks like a woman, doesn't he?" he whispers to her.
"Haha, it's true, he looks like a pretty girl. I'm sure any man would fall for him," the two laugh, trying to suppress the sound of their giggles.
"Your tests are ready, I will go to each table leaving them," he begins to hand out the exams. Seeing the page, the faces of the species change; everyone sweats cold, their eyes move nervously, and one person's mouth trembles. Upon reaching them, the elf smiles in a forced way.
"Oh, are you humans? It's a bit rare to see humans here."
"Yes, we are," Safira says, noticing the elf's forced expression.
He finally leaves the pages for each of them and walks away.
Safira lowered her gaze to the exam, and her face immediately paled. The paper trembled in her hands, like a leaf in the wind. She swallowed hard. A drop of sweat rolled down her temple, and her fingers could barely hold the pencil.
"What... is this?" she muttered, as if the test were speaking a foreign language.
Beside her, Aaron was already frowning, his gaze fixed on the sheet. He confidently put down his pencil and began to write without hesitation. His movements were quick, confident, as if he already knew all the answers. Safira looked at him out of the corner of her eye, with a mix of astonishment and desperation, and murmured:
"Hey... pass me something, I don't understand anything..."
"You two, humans, minus one point for cheating on the exam!" the elf points at them, shouting in a forceful voice. The two jump out of their chairs from the elf's shout.
"But we haven't done anything!" Aaron says. Everyone in the hall starts laughing.
Several minutes later, everyone finishes the test. Rowan looks at the exams, a little disappointed.
"You can now leave, in a few minutes, you will be given the results. Remember that the minimum to pass is 6.65. You can go now, we will give you the results tomorrow."
After several minutes, everyone leaves the hall, some crying for not having passed and others jumping with happiness.
"I'm so mediocre, I passed the exam by the minimum," Safira looks at her exam with a disappointed face.
"I would have gotten a perfect score if it hadn't been your fault!"
"And you're only mad about that!?"
Aaron notices a group of semi-humans bothering an elf; without thinking, he runs toward them.
"Aaron! Where are you going now?" Safira also runs after Aaron.
"Hey, don't bother the elf!"
The semi-humans turn to look at Aaron, who is standing next to them; they start laughing when they see the human.
"What? A weak human is going to tell us what to do? Get out of here."
Without a second thought, Aaron closed his fist and threw a punch straight at the semi-human's face. The impact was dry and fast; the subject fell backward with bulging eyes, staggering as if the world were spinning.
"Idiot, now you've bought a ticket!" roared another, a semi-human with wolf ears, advancing with his fists ready.
When he tried to hit Aaron, Safira intervened like lightning. With a single hand, she caught the aggressor's arm in the air. A hollow sound of tense, cracking bones filled the silence. The semi-human shrieked, doubling over in pain as his eyes filled with panic.
"A-Ah! Wait, please! We won't do anything else, I swear!" he pleaded.
The faces of his companions showed shock, their eyebrows shooting up as their mouths opened wide in surprise. After a few seconds, Safira released the wolf semi-human's hand. They leave, frightened to see such a monster of a woman.
"Th-thank you for helping me, I really appreciate it," the elf says, looking down and nervously touching her hands.
Aaron looks at the elf, with her blonde hair and honey-colored eyes and her typical wizard staff; he simply smiles at her. Seeing Aaron's smile, she shrinks back and looks away, blushing.
"Let's go, Aaron," Safira says.
"W-Wait!" exclaimed Freya, raising her voice higher than usual. "I want... I want to invite you to eat, for helping me."
Aaron and Safira stopped dead. Their faces, dimmed by hunger and exhaustion, lit up as if they had just heard they won the lottery.
"Really!?" they said in unison, their eyes so wide they almost popped out.
Freya nodded timidly, avoiding their gaze and fidgeting with the fingers of her tunic.
"Y-yes... It's the least I can do."
They remain seated; Aaron eats like a pig, while Safira and the elf sit next to him. Safira looks at the elf and smiles at her.
"And what is your name?"
"M-my name is Freya," she says, not making eye contact with Safira.
"Nice to meet you, Freya. My name is Safira and this one here," she points to Aaron, who continues to eat like a complete animal, "well, this pig you see here is my brother Aaron."
"Nice to meet you, Freya," Aaron says, devouring his meat.
Instantly, Rowan appears and communicates to everyone:
"Now comes your real test, time to teach you about the Aetherian."
To be continued.