Chapter 1: The Boy Who Wanted to Be a Farmer
The first thing Kael Veyron remembered was warmth.
Not the warmth of the sun.
Not the warmth of a fireplace.
It was the warmth of someone's arms.
A woman's arms.
Kael didn't remember her face.
He didn't remember her voice.
He didn't even know if she had been his mother.
But somewhere in the deepest corner of his mind, buried beneath years of forgotten memories, there was a single image.
A dark figure.
A black cloak.
A pair of arms holding a newborn baby.
And four small rings.
The rings were strange.
Each one was different.
The first was engraved with the letter K.
The second bore the letter I.
The third carried the letter N.
And the fourth was marked with the letter G.
The dark figure placed the four rings on the newborn's fingers.
Then they disappeared into the night.
The baby was left alone.
Abandoned.
The baby was discovered at the edge of a small commoner settlement.
Wrapped in a thin blanket.
Alone.
No family came searching.
No noble house claimed him.
No one knew where he had come from.
So the boy was given a name.
Kael.
And he was taken to an orphanage.
That was where his life truly began.
As the years passed, Kael never took the four rings off.
People often assumed he wore them to show off.
They were wrong.
The rings were the only things Kael had from before the orphanage.
The only clues he had about his origins.
The only connection he had to a past he couldn't remember.
He wore them because he wanted answers.
He wanted to know who he was.
Where he had come from.
And why someone had abandoned him.
But for now, those questions had no answers.
So Kael simply lived.
And he was happy.
"KAEL!"
A wooden bucket flew through the air.
Kael caught it without looking.
The little boy who had thrown it froze.
Kael slowly turned around.
The boy was barely six years old, with messy brown hair and an expression that screamed trouble.
Kael stared at him.
The boy stared back.
"Give it back."
"No."
"Kael."
"No."
"Please?"
Kael sighed.
"Come get it."
The boy's eyes widened.
"You know I can't reach that!"
Kael looked at the bucket in his hand.
Then at the boy.
Then at the bucket again.
He had forgotten that he was holding it above his head.
"Oh."
He lowered it.
The boy immediately snatched it from his hands.
"Thank you!"
He ran away.
Kael watched him disappear around the corner.
Then he shook his head.
"Little demon."
"Who are you calling a demon?"
Kael nearly jumped.
A girl stood behind him.
She was around his age, perhaps a year younger, with long brown hair tied into two messy braids.
Her name was Mira.
And she was the second biggest troublemaker in the orphanage.
Kael pointed toward the boy who had just run away.
"Him."
Mira crossed her arms.
"You threw the bucket at him."
"He threw it first."
"Why?"
"Because I wouldn't give him the apple."
"Why wouldn't you give him the apple?"
"Because it was mine."
Mira stared at him.
Kael stared back.
"You have three more."
Kael glanced at the apples sitting in the basket beside him.
"...That's not the point."
Mira sighed.
"You're impossible."
Kael smiled.
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I'll take it anyway."
Mira rolled her eyes.
Kael laughed.
This was his life.
Simple.
Quiet.
And, as far as Kael was concerned...
Perfect.
The orphanage wasn't anything impressive.
It was an old wooden building on the outskirts of a commoner settlement.
The roof leaked whenever it rained.
The walls creaked whenever the wind blew.
The windows were old.
The beds were uncomfortable.
The food was sometimes terrible.
But Kael loved it.
Because it was home.
There were thirty-seven children living there.
Thirty-seven.
Kael knew every single one of them.
He knew who cried when they had nightmares.
He knew who hated vegetables.
He knew who always stole extra blankets during winter.
He knew who was afraid of thunder.
He knew who pretended to be brave.
And he knew who would immediately start crying whenever they lost a game.
Kael knew them all.
And they knew him.
To the younger children, Kael was their older brother.
To the older children, Kael was the guy who was always forced to do the heavy lifting.
To the orphanage caretaker, Kael was apparently a walking disaster.
"Kael!"
He froze.
That voice.
He slowly turned.
An elderly woman stood at the entrance of the orphanage.
Her gray hair was tied behind her head.
She held a wooden spoon.
That was never a good sign.
Kael pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"Who else?"
Kael looked around.
The courtyard was empty.
"Nobody?"
Miss Elara narrowed her eyes.
"Get over here."
Kael immediately started walking backward.
"I suddenly remembered I have something to do."
"What?"
"Something important."
"Such as?"
Kael looked toward the sky.
"Thinking."
Miss Elara raised the spoon.
"KAEL."
"Coming."
Kael walked toward her.
Miss Elara handed him a large basket.
"Take this to the market."
Kael looked at the basket.
Then he looked at Miss Elara.
Then back at the basket.
"That's a lot."
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Kael."
"Yes?"
"Carry the basket."
Kael sighed.
"Fine."
He grabbed the basket.
It was enormous.
A normal person would probably need both hands.
Kael carried it with one.
Miss Elara stared at him.
Kael stared back.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You were staring."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"Go to the market."
Kael shrugged.
"Fine."
He turned around.
"Kael."
He stopped.
"Yes?"
"Don't drop anything."
Kael looked at the basket.
Then at his hand.
"Don't worry."
He smiled.
"I won't."
Kael walked through the village.
The commoner district was always busy.
Merchants shouted from their stalls.
Children ran through the streets.
Farmers pushed carts filled with vegetables.
The smell of freshly baked bread filled the air.
Kael liked this place.
There were no magnificent castles here.
No grand towers.
No legendary heroes.
No famous magicians.
Just ordinary people living ordinary lives.
Kael preferred it that way.
After finishing his errands, Kael returned to the orphanage.
The sun was beginning to set.
He could see the fields stretching beyond the settlement.
Rows of crops.
Green grass.
A small wooden fence.
Kael stopped.
He stared at the fields.
"Beautiful."
"What is?"
Kael turned.
Mira stood beside him.
"Nothing."
"You were staring at the fields."
"I like them."
"Why?"
Kael shrugged.
"They're quiet."
Mira tilted her head.
"You're weird."
"Everyone keeps saying that."
"Because it's true."
Kael ignored her.
He continued staring at the fields.
Sometimes, he imagined himself living there.
A small house.
A few chickens.
Maybe some crops.
He'd wake up early.
Work until sunset.
Eat dinner.
Sleep.
Then do it all again.
It sounded perfect.
"Kael?"
"Hm?"
"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Kael didn't hesitate.
"A farmer."
Mira blinked.
"A farmer?"
"Yes."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"You don't want to be a knight?"
"No."
"A famous adventurer?"
"No."
"A powerful magician?"
Kael looked at her.
Then he started laughing.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Why are you laughing?"
"I can't use magic."
Mira's smile faded slightly.
Kael looked back toward the fields.
He didn't sound sad.