"Abel... because of one mistake I made, I've caused pain and suffering to thousands of innocent people. Everything I'm doing now, is to make up for it however I can... I dream of the day when these people can wake up without fear." 

As my teacher and I stood over the edge at our usual spot, we looked down at the village where laughing children were running around and the young women were drying their laundry up on long lines. 

No sign of fear or worry could be seen on their faces, but we both knew the adults wore smiles to hide it from the innocent children.

My teacher's voice sounded especially weak that day. It was unlike himself. The teacher I knew was anything but weak.

My heart dropped at the thought that his age had finally caught up to him. In hopes to shake off my fears, I spoke.

"...As long as you're here, these people can live without fear."

My teacher slowly turned his head and faced me. I couldn't see his expression with the bright sun behind him, but for some reason I thought he looked sad.

"Promise me something."

"..."

"If you can... help them even after I'm gone."

"...But I'm weak... I can't be like you."

"Maybe not yet, but one day you'll be even stronger than me."

"You keep saying that but-"

I still remember the touch of my teacher's wrinkled hands that day. His grip was so strong making it almost uncomfortable. It relayed to me his desperation.

"Sigh... alright, I promise."

***

I woke up from my dream.

'It's been a while since I heard teacher's voice... I wish I could've seen his face.'

It had already been 4 years since then.

If I had to choose two moments that changed the course of my life, one would be the day my teacher saved me from poverty and the other would be the day when I made that promise.

One granting me another chance at life and the other leading me to my ruin.

'You were wrong about me...'

With my left arm and both eyes gone, I sat chained to the wall on the cold floor of a cell. I could feel the chains draining my mana and energy. I had long lost track of how many days I was held captive and it didn't take long for the silence and darkness to make me lose my mind.

My insanity replayed moments of my past, so vividly I believed it was real every time. But sooner or later I'd wake up, only to realize my harsh reality. 

After a few moments of sanity, I once again fell into another episode from my past.

***

My earliest memory was when I was 6 years old. I woke up on a cold snowy day on the side of the streets. All I had was an old blanket that was big enough just to cover my body and my parents were nowhere to be seen. It didn't take long for me to realize that I had been thrown away. 

I don't remember anymore what my parents were like, but I must've really loved them because I cried a lot that day. Or perhaps I was just scared, to be alone. 

My crying stopped only after I got beaten up by the bad kind of adults for being loud. 

The bruises from that day continued to ache for years, and I never cried on the streets again.

The next few days, I experienced what starving was like for the first time. The pain kept me up during the night, making it impossible to find rest. At first I survived by rummaging through leftovers in the trash and eating dead animals, but realized an easier way to survive.

I started stealing.

Not a lot, just enough to survive. I stole fruits from the vendors, old bread from homes, and on lucky days, a few coins from the pockets of a rich noble child. I soon realized I had a gift for stealing, because I never once got caught. 

I should've been more careful then, and warry of the other kids living on the streets. They noticed my success and grew jealous. It wasn't long until they rattled me out to the adults.

From the furious look on their faces and sticks in their hands, I knew it wouldn't end with just a beating.

So, I ran.

I ran as fast as I could hoping to lose them. I slid through alleys, over the roofs, and under the bridge, but somehow the adults were still getting closer. It was like they were using magic, but in reality I was just slow. 

I could hear the angry shouting from behind me telling me to stop. As the voices got closer I was unable to fight the fear, and I looked back.

At the moment I didn't realize there was someone in front of me and by the time I did, it was too late for me to stop. I closed my eyes and crashed into them.

Or I thought I did, but there was no impact. When I opened my eyes, I realized he was an old man- if I had a grandpa somewhere in this world, he would be about this age.

He had his hand out in front of me, leaving a small gap in between us. Somehow that hand stopped me from crashing into him, and what surprised me even more was that my feet weren't touching the ground. 

That was the first time I ever saw magic, and also the day I met my teacher.

***

"CLANG!"

I woke up at the sound of the metal bowl in front of me. Although I couldn't see, I knew a tasteless porridge was in it. The same kind I'd been eating since I was locked up in this cell. 

"Eat."

That's all I heard before the silence returned. I leaned forward as much as I could with the chains holding me, and reached out for the bowl with my right hand. As I moved I felt a sharp pain where my left arm was removed, but I didn't stop.

Even as I lost my mind, my body couldn't refuse the food. Starving wasn't something I ever wanted to experience again.

I gulped down the porridge, which tasted like nothing at all. I couldn't even tell if I was eating. Perhaps this was also all just a dream. 

I leaned back against the wall, and my unstable mind drifted into the past again. 

***

On the day I first encountered my teacher, he saved me from the adults that were chasing after me. He paid them back double for all that I had stolen in the past, and apologized in my stead. I thought it was strange that he would do so much for someone he just met, but it didn't matter. I knew he was my last straw of hope. 

While I thought of 13 different ways on how I should use this old man, he reached out his hand.

"Will you be my student?"

...Student?

It was completely unexpected. 

I felt my heart race, as it thumped loudly in my ears. I was sure the old man could also hear it.

I knew the old man was a mage. So, as his student...wouldn't that mean... I'll get to learn magic?

There was no reason to hesitate so I grabbed his hand and followed him.

As we traveled together through towns and forests, he taught me about the world. I was more interested in learning magic, but I was afraid he would throw me away if I complained. 

So, I played the role of what I thought was a perfect student.

After a few lessons, I soon realized the topics all had the same focus. It all centered around the Great War between the Midland and the North that occured 40 years ago. 

The North was an evil the world hadn't expected during the peace they had, so when they suddenly attacked the Midland, it was chaos.

The North was strong. They sent armies with thousands of trained soldiers from multiple directions. They wiped towns, killing innocent women and children. Unlike the slightly tanned skins you see in the Midlands, the Northerners were pale as white as if the dead had risen from the dead. They terrorized the people as they walked around with red blood splatters all over their bodies.

'Ghosts' is what the people called them.

During the first 20 years of the war, it seemed like the Midland had no hope. They lost battle after battle. However, that all changed when prince Titus joined the war. At the time he was only 15 years old, but was strong enough to defeat the captain of the knights. They say his aura shined in a gold color that no one had ever seen before. 

'A gift from the heavens', the people said.

The next 10 years, he fought many battles eventually ending in the Midland's victory. The entire world celebrated him and thousands showed up around the castle on the day he was crowned king. 

Although King Titus ended the war and brought peace to the Midlands, it didn't mean there were no more Northerners. There were still many left that were in hiding. Unable to forget the the pain the midlanders went through, and the fear that was planted in them, the people demanded that the rest of the Northerners be found and killed.

The good king that he was, listened to his peoples' voices and ordered his knights to hunt for the rest. They were ordered not to stop until all evil was wiped from the world.

Once again, the people celebrated their king.

"...So what happened to the rest of the Northerners?"

Before I knew it, I had become deeply immersed in the story of the past. I truly wondered if the king was actually able to rid the world of all evil. But instead of answering my question, the old man put a hand on my shoulder and stopped me from my path. We were walking as my teacher talked and I didn't even noticed how far deep into the forest we had come.

"Master Kin."

'!!!'

In the blink of an eye a figure appeared in front of us, with one knee on the ground and his head lowered. 

"Eli I told you, you don't have to do this every time." 

My teacher walked past me and raised the man up. I couldn't see the man with my teacher standing in front of me, but for some reason I couldn't move my body either. I could feel all the hairs on my skin standing up as if it was warning me.

"This boy here is my new student."

My teacher moved to the side and put a hand on my shoulder. I could finally see the man.

"Abel, this is Eli."

He was 6 feet tall, with a young handsome face. His eyes were slightly slanted upwards and his skin was pale. As pale as a dead man's. 

He was a Northerner.

***

"BOOM!"

This time I woke up from the loud sound of a bomb. The ground I sat on was shaking and small rubble fell on my head.

'The explosion happened nearby....'

By concentrating all my senses to my ears, I could make out sounds. 

Screams. Blades colliding. Horses.

There was a battle happening outside.

'Have they finally found me?'

I leaned forward and shifted my weight forward. My legs were too weak to stand on my own, so I used the chains to hold my body up.

I grabbed the bars in front and stuck my face through. 

"I'm here!!" I yelled.

I didn't know where I got the strength from.

'i'm okay dying alone... but if they're here then I can't die yet.'

For four years I poured my heart and soul into protecting them. I threw away all pride and bowed my head in front of pigs. I took punches for the ones too weak to take them, got stabbed on multiple occasions, and got labeled a traitor and a monster.

But most importantly of all... I ended up giving them my heart.

'I never should have made that promise...'

"I'm here!!!!"

I shouted again and heard a pair of footsteps rushing closer. It belonged to just one person. 

'Where are the others...? Are they safe?' I wondered.

As they got closer, I could tell from the smell that the person was a man.

"...Step away from the bars." He said.

I moved my shaking legs and walked backwards until my back touched the wall. 

"CLANG CLANG SLASH!"

I heard a blade cutting down the bars. I could tell from the sound that he was a skilled swordsman, and his form played out in my mind as if I could see.

That's when I noticed something was off. His technique was different than what the northerners used. His was closer to...

"Don't worry, the knights of the kingdom are here. You're safe now."

...who I had thought were my captors till now.