On a bright and beautiful morning, a 14 years old boy with white hair named Jin woke up, rubbing his aching back because of the terrible mattress he slept on.
Jin's body was thin and weak. There were a few minor wounds on his body, but he still looked somewhat healthy.
"This stupid mattress…" Jin cursed quietly.
He pushed himself out of bed and went to wash his face.
His grandfather, Adrian, was in the kitchen cooking when he noticed his grandson coming out of the room.
"Good morning, boy. Did you sleep well?"
Jin answered with a pained sigh.
"My back still hurts from yesterday."
"Hahaha! Why don't you buy yourself a new mattress then?"
Jin scratched his head in annoyance.
"I don't have enough money to buy a new one."
"Anyway, I'm heading to the public bath now, and I'll pick some eggplants and herbs from the farm."
Adrian smiled kindly.
"Alright. Be careful, and come back early. Today's food is delicious."
Jin smiled while standing by the door.
"Look at this old man bragging about his cooking."
Then he left the house and headed toward the public bath.
The residents of the poor alleys in Anvil didn't have the luxury to own their private baths in their homes, but there were public baths available for them in the western part of the city.
Anvil was an important agricultural city located in the northern side the continent of Marta. Many medicinal herbs and crops were grown there and then supplied to different cities across the continent.
The city itself was relatively small compared to other cities, but its population was quite high with about 2 million residents living inside the city.
This created a serious economic problem and a clear gap between the social classes.
More than 60% of the city's population lived in poverty, while those who were slightly better off were far fewer.
Of course, the richest people controlled the markets, trade, and farms. They enjoyed many advantages that the poor citizens could only dream of.
As for the city itself, it was surrounded by tall walls nearly 17 high.
On top of those walls were patrols watching the surroundings.
Some of those guards were Awakened—people who possessed supernatural powers that ordinary humans didn't have.
Although Jin didn't really know anything about those powers, he knew that powerful humans existed.
Inside the city were many markets and stalls where merchants sell all kinds of goods.
The roads were paved with stones and gravel, while most buildings were made of wood.
When Jin arrived at the public bath, the children greeted him as usual, joking and gathering around him.
Even though Jin was naturally a quiet and somewhat secluded person, he didn't mind the kids getting close to him.
After all, the children liked him. They thought he was special because of his white hair.
White haired people were extremely rare, which made the kids curious and eager to play with him.
Jin greeted them, then went inside the public bath, paid the entrance fee, took off his clothes, and threw himself into one of the baths with a long sigh of relief.
"Ooooh… this feels amazing. Baths really are the best!"
Jin sighed comfortably, dipping his head under the water before leaning back and thinking about his simple dreams.
Jin loved books because they were the only thing he enjoyed doing, so his simple dream was either to one day own a personal library... or to become a rich farmer.
He stayed in the bath for about an hour before leaving and heading toward the farmland to begin his daily work.
When he arrived, he carried a basket on his back and started picking eggplants and herbs.
This was the routine he followed every day for six hours.
While working, Jin noticed some farmers whispering to each other.
Their expressions looked tense, which made him curious about what they were talking about.
So he moved a little closer, crouched down, and pretended to pick vegetables while secretly listening to their conversation.
"I can't believe that happened in just one night," one of the farmers said.
"Fuck… this isn't good, did Avaghida village really get destroyed overnight?" another asked, his voice slightly louder.
"Shhh! Shut up, you fucking idiot! What if there are soldiers nearby? Lower your voice," someone warned nervously while looking around.
"Hey… I heard it was a pack of wolves," one of them whispered.
"Wolves? Are you stupid? Do you think wolves can destroy buildings too?" another farmer mocked him.
"Then do you think they were Chaos Creatures?!"
"You two idiots better lower your voices or I'll kill you myself! Do you want us thrown in prison or what?!"
"Why are you so scared, you coward bastard? Everyone already knows the rumors. That truth can't be hidden anymore."
At that moment, a well dressed man who looked like a wealthy merchant approached the three farmers.
"So? Have you decided or not? My caravan won't wait long," the merchant said.
"We're not ready yet. I still have some work to do… and I'm not even sure if what happened in Avaghida was caused by Chaos Creatures," one of the farmers replied quietly.
The merchant looked at him with contempt and spat on the ground.
"Fuck you, my information is reliable and my cousin is living near Avaghida so i know it is true !"
Suddenly one of them noticed something.
"Hey… wait Is that boy listen to us?"
All four of them turned toward Jin.
Jin froze for a second. Then he grabbed an eggplant and quickly stood up, trying to run away.
"Didn't you notice him before you started talking?! Are you all fucking idiots?!" the merchant shouted at the farmers before chasing after Jin.
But before Jin could escape, the merchant grabbed him by the neck and pulled him back.
"Listen here you little brat, If any guard hears about what we said, I'll break your legs and cut out your tongue. Understand?"
Jin started trembling.
"I-I didn't hear anything, I swear I—"
Before he could finish, the merchant slapped him hard and kicked him.
"Pretending to be ignorant, huh? You little rat."
He continued kicking Jin several times until the farmers stepped in to stop him.
"Stop! Stop! He's just a child!" one of them said while standing in front of Jin.
"A child my ass. Because of him we could end up in prison, you idiots," the merchant snapped before glaring at Jin again.
"You better take my warning seriously. I really will make you completely disabled if anyone hears about this."
After that, the merchant dusted off his clothes and left.
"I'm sorry, kid… but eavesdropping is a bad habit," one of the farmers said apologetically to Jin, who was still lying on the ground in pain.
The other farmers scratched their heads awkwardly, then all of them left, leaving Jin alone.
Jin groaned in pain, cursing under his breath "fuck you…"
He slowly stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes.
"Damn it… I'll kill him someday," Jin muttered angrily as he gathered the vegetables that had fallen from his basket. Some of them were already ruined.
Biting his lip, Jin collected what was still good and decided to head back home.
Unlike usual, the city felt a bit quieter, and there were more guards gathered around than normal.
Of course, this wasn't something Jin was used to see.
"What's going on? Why are there so many guards?"
"Are they really scared of a pack of wolves? Hah… idiots."
Jin assumed the conversation he heard earlier was just about wolves and that the merchant and farmers had exaggerated out of fear.
He kept walking, limping slightly, until he reached his house and knocked on the door.
His grandfather Adrian opened it.
"Ah, Jin, my dear grandson, I—"
He suddenly stopped.
"Wait… what happened to you?! Who did this to you?"
Adrian stared at Jin's swollen face and the bruises on his legs.
"Just an ugly rich merchant," Jin said casually before walking past him into the kitchen.
"Anyway, I'm hungry."
He put the basket down and sat at their small table.
Adrian stood beside him.
"Won't you tell me what happened?"
"Nothing happened. Just give me the damn food," Jin muttered, wiping his nose. He felt like crying from the pain, but he held it in.
Seeing this, Adrian stopped asking and began serving him food.
Then he sat down beside Jin.
"I made a nice soup today. Look at it here's even some meat in it Haha"
Adrian laughed happily while scooping food into his own bowl as well, clearly pleased about having some meat.
"Hmph… looks good."
Jin started eating.
He enjoyed the taste of the food. He truly loved meat, but since their financial situation was tight, having meat regularly was difficult.
While eating, Jin remembered the farmers' conversation with the merchant. He felt a bit angry again, but he was also curious about the merchant's reaction.
So he asked his grandfather.
"Grandpa… what are Chaos Creatures?"
The spoon in Adrian's hand suddenly fell and clattered loudly onto the floor.
His expression changed completely.
"Where did you hear that?" Adrian asked, his hand trembling.
Jin looked at him in confusion.
"Uh… Grandpa? Are you okay?"
"I said, where did you hear that?!"
Adrian slammed his hand on the table, knocking both his and Jin's food onto the floor.
Jin was shocked by Adrian's sudden outburst.
"Grandpa…?"
Adrian's hands were shaking. He grabbed them tightly and spoke again, his voice calmer but still tense.
"Jin… just tell me."
So Jin began telling him about what he heard between the farmers and the merchant, including what they said about Avaghida .
As Jin spoke, Adrian's expression gradually grew darker… and far more serious.
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Meanwhile, deep within a forest...
A tall creature dragged a corpse with one hand and that body was horribly disfigured and parts of its flesh already torn away and eaten.
Behind it, dozens of smaller creatures hopped around excitedly. Each of them dragged several corpses—bodies that were twisted into horrifying shapes.
Suddenly, the tall creature stopped.
Slowly… it turned its head toward the north as a twisted smile was spreading across its upside face...