Somewhere in the village of Bellwade, there's a house up the hill, slightly far from everyone else, and inside the abode, a father and a boy no older than twelve.
They are poor, the house barely supports its weight with spare wood and rusted nails, yet the boy doesn't complain, it was a shelter made by his father.
The boy sat on the floor, cross-legged, they had no furniture, not even a single bed, only a thin blanket.
「It's not much, but it'll warm your belly.」
The father placed a bowl of stew, and the stew has more water than flavor, but he sipped it slowly, grateful for the heat.
Beside the hearth, his father stirred a pot with a calm expression.
「...Father, do you think I'll ever awaken an essence..?」
His father paused, the spoon stopped stirring, and then, gently, he set it aside and turned to face him.
「Essence or no Essence... you're still you, aren't you?」
The boy's fingers tightened around his bowl, with a slight tremble in his voice, giving his father concern.
「But... everyone else has something. Even the kids younger than me... they can use spells, or strengthen their bodies... and I—I don't even have a Grade. Not even a flicker.」
His father let out a quiet sigh, not annoyed, just tired, the kind of sigh shaped by years of working with little and living with less.
He walked over, crouched down in front of his son, and placed a hand on his head.
「Listen, you were born without it. That's all there is to it. Some folks get these cool magical abilities... some get nothing, but they're still the same human being.」
「...You never had one either, did you?」
「Yet I'm still here... still your father.」
His father gave him a pat on the head and a small smile, and this warmth, this moment, lingered in the tiny home like the last ember in the fire.
『Meaning it wouldn't last long...』
As the boy enjoyed the moment, everything shattered, and suddenly he saw himself kneeling, and it was his fourteen-year-old self, fire everywhere in the village, explosions, screams of the villagers, destruction and chaos.
「F-Father...? Where.. are you..?」
He whispered as tears already slid down his cheeks, he stood up and looked for his house uphill where his father had just been earlier.
He ran and ran toward the house and the screams grew further——
「AHH! G-Get away!」
「M-Mommy..? where are y——?」
「Please, spare me... I-I'm begging you!!」
「Run! Ruuun!——」
The boy didn't care about the cries of the people, he kept running until he finally made it to his house, but there was no warmth, only a huge fire that brought down the ceiling and walls, falling apart with each sparkle of flame.
Through the smoke, he saw his father crushed beneath the wood and concrete, still breathing, but barely.
「No.. No no no, no.. Father!」
The boy rushed through the smoke and used all his strength to lift the wreckage, but the heat was unbearable, it burned both his skin and his father's.
「S-Stop! Listen.. L-Listen to me my son, turn around and run!」
「No! I won't leave you, I would never!」
The boy only injured himself more, his father freed his arm and grabbed his wrist to stop him from going further.
He didn't want his son to continue hurting himself just for his sake.
「Stop! I'm.. I'm fine, get out of here...」
「NO! I... I wouldn't leave you here, I will never——」
The boy kept resisting again and again, but he couldn't proceed, his father's grip always held his wrist in place.
And then he let go, but the boy didn't try lifting the wreckage now, he didn't understand why he let go, until his father's hand slid along his cheek and told him...
「... I will be fine.. your father is strong, he will definitely free himself and be with you again... because he loved you.. Don」
His father smiled weakly. Tears slid down the boy's cheek, more than before, he hesitated before standing up and ran away. He couldn't look back anymore.
The father looked down and his hand fell to the ground, tears slid down his cheeks too, accepting his fate, but he was finally happy for his son.
The fire grew bigger and more fierce, only his silhouette could be seen, his skin already burnt, his legs and spine crushed, the screams and cries from the burning villagers fading, and then...
* A huge explosion
The boy heard the explosion from where his father was trapped. That sound alone almost made his heart combust.
***
Days later, after he was found on the dry ground, inside the abode of a Perceptionist, he sat on the pallet, and in front of him sat the Perceptionist herself.
She used Perception-Type Essence to heal his wounds. The burnt skin on his arm and hand had become a scar, but it was slightly faded now.
「You're healed now.. what happened to you?」
His eyes widened slightly as the memory came flooding back, he didn't want to tell her, yet he did.
「M-My village was destroyed.. my... my father is...」
He trailed off, he didn't want to continue, and the Perceptionist understood him well, because she didn't want him to continue either if it would hurt him more.
The Perceptionist smiled softly from her seat, trying to comfort him.
Looking at him, she thought, he went through alot didn't he? At such a young age...
*「 V F U U U . . ! 」A distorted-like swoosh sound, heard only by the Perceptionist, as her vision went dark and white. After she activated her Essence, an informative text appeared next to Don, visible only to her.
[ Essenceless ]
[ Grade : None ]
[ Race : Human ]
「So... he's... a normal human...」
The boy stood up from his seat and started walking toward the exit, but he stopped when the Perceptionist called out to him.
「Wait..! Tell me your name first!」
The boy turned his head to meet her eyes, quiet curiosity in his gaze. He eventually answered her, though his voice had changed slightly.. it was now filled with despair.
「I'm.. Don... Don Seifzani.」
Don finally left the room and was greeted by the morning sunlight, leaving the Perceptionist smiling in quiet respect.
Even though Don had no Essence, he still had his will and courage... or something else, something that remained dormant.
『 Shadow Lord: Chronicles 』