In this world… not every human being is born equal.
...For as long as mankind could remember, the world has been divided in two by a vast sea.
On one side—Fuyu, a land of wealth and power.
On the other—Hinkon. A land where people struggle… just to survive
However, one day, everything began to change…
…
Year 1942, Somewhere in the Land of Hinkon…
Cold winds rattled the decrepit roof as Tuziku and his family gathered around the old, wooden dinner table. His eyes rested on a single boiled potato.
With the barren soil of Hinkon, being able to produce a harvest of four bland, dry potatoes was considered very fortunate.
"...Now, let us thank the land for blessing us with this harvest," Tuziku's mother grinned.
She held Tuziku's hand.
"...Pop's, are we going to have to keep eating potatoes forever?"
"How much longer are we going to have to deal with this?!" Tuziku asked, his voice trembling with frustration.
His little sister's stomach grumbled, her plate empty, as she stared at his untouched potato.
"Here—you can have mine, Celia," Tuziku said with a forced grin.
Celia gasped, her eyes lit up with excitement.
Grooowl...
Tuziku's stomach growled.
His father sighed. "Don't worry, son. Master Jilaal promised he would soon give us a place to stay in the Land of Fuyu, so long as I keep working hard."
Thud!!
Tuziku slammed his fist on the table.
"You've been saying that for over a year now!"
"Do you really think any of those greedy tyrants will help us?!"
"Calm yourself, Tuziku," his mother said softly.
Frustrated, Tuziku stormed outside.
"Don't you think you should have told him, honey?" she asked.
"Don't worry. I'll go get the kid and break the tension with the good news," his father replied.
Tuziku's father calmly approached a cliff where Tuziku stood, gazing at the marvelous night sky.
"The view from here is quite pleasant, isn't it, Tuziku?" he asked with a bright grin.
Tuziku grunted.
His father sighed. "Listen, son. I know how desperate you are for us to have a decent life, but you must always remember—great things take time."
"...I have some good news."
Tuziku looked at him with curiosity.
"I finally got permission from Master Jilaal to bring you along to work with me. You'll finally get to see the other side!"
Tuziku gasped. "Is that really true, Pops?"
"Yeah! Tomorrow I'll take you. Although, I couldn't get permission to bring along your sister since she isn't old enough to help on the Master's farm, but don't worry—once she is, I'm sure I'll get permission."
"That's amazing, Pops!"
Tuziku bowed his head in guilt.
"I'm really sorry about earlier," he mumbled.
"It's alright, son. More importantly, it's getting late. Let's go inside before your mother starts to worry," his father said with a grin.
"I'll be right behind you. I just want to gaze at the night sky a little longer," Tuziku replied, wearing a smile.
"Alright. Don't stay out too late."
His father left to return to the house.
Tuziku lay on his back, gazing at the countless stars painted across the night sky.
Suddenly—
Footsteps approached behind him.
He sighed, "I'm coming now, Mothe—"
As Tuziku turned, for a brief moment, he caught a vague image of a shadow figure.
Suddenly, a mysterious creature flew straight into Tuziku's mouth.
CHAPTER END