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Chapter One: A Shining Light in the Midst of War

On a cloudy day, a small group of eight refugees were passing through a city that was completely destroyed by war. It was a terrible scene, houses and buildings completely destroyed, the street had large holes and a silence that makes anyone uncomfortable. Walking around the town a little, the group found a good place to camp, so they stopped the wagons to prepare the camp as soon as possible, because it was going to rain. Then the adults started unloading and packing up for the night. The children, getting off the wagon, immediately ran to an abandoned house in front of the camp.

- Look how happy they are - said a woman taking the pots from the wagon.

- This is good for them, to forget all the horror they went through during this war. - A man agreed, petting one of the horses.

Nearby, a boy walked up to an old man who was leaning against the rubble of a liquor store. This child had brown skin, black hair, his eyes black, which was rare for such a person in this world.

- Grandpa, can you read it to me again? - the boy handed the old man the book, on the cover was written "The Legend of the Hero". 

- I've read this book a thousand times for you, go play a little. You are only six years old. Enjoy your childhood. - He said this looking at the boy's book, while scratching his goatee. 

- Play? How am I supposed to play? We're in the middle of a war. - The boy said this looking at the book, "I wish I could be strong like this hero, to end all the evil in this world.

His grandfather laughed loudly. He turned to where his fellow refugees were and said:

- You are looking a lot like your father. Always with a non-stop fighting spirit.

- And he was strong? - the boy asked, looking at his grandfather.

- I don't know. But he was pretty reckless. - Looking at his grandson, he was clenching his fists. - You shouldn't worry about that, you can't even use magic. You'll end up being more reckless than he is.

The boy's face got all frowny. After all this talk, they went to the tent where there was an old woman, who was stirring a large pot. She was his grandmother, who went by the name of Mary, with gray hair, thin, and a friendly look.

- Mary, is lunch ready? - The old man shouted excitedly, but a shell hit him in the face before he could finish his sentence.

- Don't say that, you old fool. I'm almost done. - She said this with an angry face.

The boy walked past her, heading straight for the wagon.

- Roy, dear, would you like to eat now? - The lady asked him.

- No, Grandma, thank you.

His grandfather coughed intensely.

- Are you all right? - Roy asked his grandfather with a worried face.

- Of course I'm fine my son," he said, sitting down next to the gray-haired lady.

The boy already knew it was a lie.

- It's been a long time since this old man has been like this," he thought. He got into the wagon and lay down.

He looked up at the cloth roof of the wagon, trying to think, but was interrupted by the sound of explosions not far away.  

His focus at that moment was the war and how weak he was.

- I want to be strong. But how can I be strong, if the world needs magic... I can't do a simple spell. Damn... Damn... I am too weak. - He thought about it so much that he even fell asleep.

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Roy was dozing off, but a big bang woke him up. Startled, he looked outside the wagon and was totally horrified to see what was happening. The camp was being attacked by demons. Some had purple skin with very sharp teeth, others were reddish in color with incredibly giant arms and legs, had horns and black armor. Roy looked to the side and saw these same monsters attacking the refugees, saw the children, the people being killed right before his eyes. At that moment the boy could not move his body or speak, because he was paralyzed with fear, and the more and more he heard the laughter of the monsters, the more fear took over his body.

- I found one more. - A demon appeared in front of the boy, grabbing him by the neck and leading him to where some dead bodies were.

 He looked around and saw his grandfather and grandmother, with a few more children in the confusion, and he wanted to react and do something. Anger surged through his body, he looked for anything to attack, spotting a machete, he grabbed the tool, clumsily started to run.

Once, while he was hiding, he saw allied soldiers fighting demons, so far so good, but what intrigued him the most was the arrival of a man, a general in golden armor and with his sword, he had swift and accurate strikes on the enemies.

Roy, remembering this, began to imitate the soldier's movements perfectly. The demons saw a thin boy, so thin that his arms and legs looked like dry twigs. He also carried a machete and was walking towards his enemies, almost falling down. They started to laugh, it was the most obvious reaction.

- Hey kid! You'll be dead before you get here! - said one of them, laughing.

He didn't retreat, he tried to take down as many of them as possible. But his physique was still that of a six-year-old, one of them stopped him with a kick to the face.

- You piece of shit! - one of them said, knocking him to the ground and laughing non-stop.

- Stupid kid! - he yelled as he kicked him several times. - I admit you had guts. 

They laughed, while beating him.

"Damn, I'm too weak". Roy thought without stopping. 

But a large fireball hit the monsters, catching them off guard. They looked frightened. Several soldiers in white armor surrounded the place.

- WOOOOHOOO! That was a good fight, kid! You lost big. - A woman came out from among the soldiers, laughing nonstop.

She had one red eye and one dark blue eye, white hair with black highlights, and a body that was clearly beautiful for any man.

- Attack! - one of the demons ordered.

Roy tried to watch the scene, but because of his injuries he fainted.

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Waking up startled, Roy looked everywhere and realized that he was no longer in the camp of his fellow refugees, he was now inside a tent, with several first aid kits around him. Roy looked at his body and saw several bandages covering him, he touched his forehead and felt that it was also bandaged. "I look like a mummy," he thought. Just then a soldier arrived, looked at him, and shouted:

- He's awake, Captain!

Entering the tent, Roy realized that the captain was the same woman as before. She came over and knelt down beside him.

- Are you all right, young man? - she asked with a worried look on her face.

- Yes, I think so. - He said this, sitting up in bed.

At that moment he remembered his grandparents and the other refugees. So, without further thought, he got up quickly and ran until he reached the camp, but it took a while because of his injuries. When he got there, he saw many dead people. He searched so hard, but could not find his grandparents. Falling to his knees on the ground and looking at that scene, he began to get teary-eyed.

- No, no. - He started to cry and even vomit a little.

- The elderly and some of the children are fine. - The captain came close to the boy and rubbed his back lightly. - I lost some of my soldiers too, they were not easy demons to kill.

- They are dead. I was a coward... - he said, squeezing her hand on the wet earth.

- But you had the courage to face those demons. Even though you were weak.

- For what? What's the use of having courage if I can't save everyone? - she asked, screaming with rage.

She felt nostalgic. She had heard this from a certain person who was quite charismatic to her. Now it came from a six-year-old. "That idiot," she thought to herself, cracked a smile and said:

- The child... I am captain of the White Beast squadron: Yuki Bonnie. I am inviting you to be in my squadron.

- Why should I join? - she asked as she looked at the crying captain.

- You have demonstrated everything a soldier should have: courage and the will to protect what is most important to him. - She pauses dramatically to take a breath and points her finger in his face. - Besides, in my squadron, you will become much stronger.

Roy looked at the captain, she had an encouraging smile. He wiped his tears and spoke with an air of acceptance of the determination.

- That's good. But first... - She began to remove his armor. Her soldiers' eyes widened at his beauty that Captain Yuki Bonnie had. - I can't feel much mana on you. I wonder if that pays off in something else.

So she armed herself to fight.

- Isn't she? You want me to fight with you? - the boy asked, backing away a bit.

- YES! - he answered with a laugh.