Winter has come. It's the tenth day of the first month of winter. Soon, it will be my 9th birthday, on the sixteenth. In this world, it's a very important day. I don't receive gifts every year, only every third. The number three is very important here.

On your ninth birthday, your third, third birthday, you are considered of age, sorta. You're ready for school, and responsible for yourself, but you are still a citizen of which-ever city you grew up in. School is broken up into chunks of three, lower middle and high, each three years long. When you reach 18, you are completely of age, and no longer considered a citizen. Citizenship is earned. Normally, you are allowed to stay for the duration of your last school year, but the city is well within their right to throw you out if you cause trouble.

You regain your citizenship by joining the order of the sword or shield in whatever city you want to live in. Serving in the proxy town guard proves your willingness to defend the city.

Alternatively, you can pay your way out of it...

Your spouse shares your citizenship, and your children "borrow" it until they come of age at 9.

My parents are not actually citizens of Bightkeep, so they live outside of it.

Which means I can't live in it normally. Luckily, I am going to live there as a student, and the city granted me a citizenship.

But that's still a few weeks away. The school year starts on the day of the winter solstice, which falls on the 28th of December in this world.

Right now, I'm at Alfred's shop.

My parents are ironing out the details of me and Tony's cohabitation for the duration of our education, together with Alfred.

Dad wanted to make a "prenup" in case one of us wanted to move out, or in case we had a falling out. Probably a smart move, though I doubt we're going to need it.

But it's fine.

It gives me an excuse to stay after closing.

Which, in turn, gives me an excuse to talk with Emelia.

"So, are you looking forward to moving out?" [Emelia]

"I am, I am. It's a big change, but I am ready for it." [Nathan]

Not like it's actually my first time living alone. That helps quite a bit. I never went to boarding school, so I was quite a bit older when I moved out the first time. Though I guess this is going to be a lot like boarding school.

"Tony and Sarah are both acting brave, but I know they're both gonna be homesick." [Emelia]

"They're gonna be fine. It's healthy to get away from your parents. And it's not like they won't visit, it's not really a long journey, they won't even need to stay the night if they don't want to." [Nathan]

"That's true, and I can imagine that both you and Tony are going to come crawling home for a cooked meal!" [Emelia]

She said with a mischievous grin.

Little does she know that I'm perfectly capable of cooking.

"Well maybe you should learn how to cook then, so we won't need to eat Alfred's cooking when we do visit." [Nathan]

Nor does she need to know..

"Well, maybe I will." [Emelia]

Slightly taken aback, she responds with reddened cheeks.

"I'll look forward to it then." [Nathan]

I say with a kind smile.

"Well I hope you'll also come visit us! I'll make you all a great shepherd's pie!" [Graham]

"Oh, hi Graham. What are you doing here?" [Emelia]

"Have a deal with your dad. Gave him some wood for wands and I popped in to discuss payment." [Graham]

"But didn't you come to pick up Sarah earlier? Isn't she having a sleepover with Sam?" [Emelia]

"I was going to. Something came up. Caitlyn picked the girl up instead. You remember Caitlyn, my wife." [Graham]

"Ye-yes.. " [Emelia]

She once told me that Aunt Caitlyn scares her so much she once had a nightmare about her.

Not that I blame her, I never liked her either.

We hear a door open, and my parents saying goodbye to Albert.

"That's my que, see you later kiddos." [Graham]

"See you uncle Graham." [Nathan]

"Nathan, are you ready to leave?" [Jessica]

"Yes mom. See you later Emelia." [Nathan]

"See you later." [Emelia]

Leaving the shop, we head for the pier.

Dad's familiar, Tera, hops onto my shoulder and nibs at my ear. It leaps back onto my father before I can catch it, looking back at me playfully. It does that every now and again.

"You are getting quite close to Emelia I see." [Jessica]

"Indeed." [Shale]

"So what?" [Nathan]

"Nothing, nothing. Just wandering if we are gonna need to renegotiate the living arrangements with Alfred in the future..." [Jessica]

"Mom!" [Nathan]

"Do not tease the boy." [Shale]

"Oh come on, you saw the look on the girls face Shale." [Jessica]

"All the more reason not to tease the boy." [Shale]

"Aww, you are no fun dear." [Jessica]

Mom seems to be in a good mood. She rarely acts this freely.

"Are you ready for school?" [Shale]

"I don't really know. I'm not sure what to expect." [Nathan]

"Do not worry, you're gonna do just fine." [Jessica]

"You have friends, they will help you if anyone give you trouble. They are good kids." [Shale]

"I know." [Nathan]

We reach the town center, passing the town well as we head for the pier.

"The sea is beautiful tonight." [Nathan]

"It often is when it is cloudy." [Jessica]

"It was clear skies when we got here." [Shale]

"That was hours ago though. Look, you can see the stars around the horizon, there's just a big cloud above us." [Nathan]

"..." [Shale]

"That's a very dark cloud.." [Jessica]

"... That is not a cloud.. Nathan, get back." [Shale]

"Eh?" [Nathan]

"Stand back Nathan. Now." [Shale]

"Dad, what's wrong?" [Nathan]

"Nathan, listen to me, stand back!" [Shale]

As I stagger backwards, mother's and father's backs start glowing. Mother's glow blue, father's glow red.

They invoked their auras.

Hundreds of enormous stars appeared in the sky, lined up in rows and clusters.

Two rows stretch from the horizon over the sea up above our heads, and are joined in a cluster above us. Another two rise from each side of the village, joining the other rows above us.

Except..

They aren't stars.

I've seen these before. Many times.

They are the crystals that line the sides and legs of the lizards that live in this world.

"Behemoth." [Jessica]

"Get ready." [Shale]

Hundreds of air clones appear across the town center, moving in all directions.

I stagger backwards, inching away from the creature above us.

Dad mumbles something so fast I can't discern the words.

Plates of dirt are pulled from the ground, floating around him like shields.

The ground beneath me moves, twisting towards him. I stumble and fall. It gathers around his feet, his legs, his hips, it's up to his waist. It lifts him up, gathering around him like a steep mound.

"Tera!" [Shale]

"Aria!" [Jessica]

They yell the names of their familiars. The next moment, two giant lizards, each the size of a house, appear in the town center. One made of steam, another of moving mud.

The ground beneath me continues to move, I clamber across the ground, trying desperately to get up and away.

Dad starts moving his arms in big wide arcs, hurling large rocks from the ground around him at the sky.

What is this?!

A jolt rumbles through the ground, knocking me off my feet as I try to stand.

Dust and dirt is thrown at me from all directions.

I cover my head as silence settles down.

Through my fingers and the dust that fills the air, I see several towering pillars raised from the ground towards the being.

Each of them covered in glowing crystals.

No.

They are not raised towards the creature.

They come FROM the creature.

Each of them piercing an air clone.

I raise my head, and look towards my parents.

As I do, the air clones around me starts to flicker and fade.

One pillar stands out from the rest.

Part of it shimmers, as an air clone, unlike the others, fades into existence.

Pierced by a pillar.

Coughing out blood.

One hand raised towards me.

Eyes staring into my soul.

As their light is extinguished.

The hand falls down, the body goes limb.

A second with the weight of a year passes. The pillar starts to twist and turn, crawling around the body, covering it like a snake about to strangle it's victim.

Next to it, the large lizard made of steam dissolves into glowing particles, like manaflies.

Illuminating the world like the colored lights at a festival.

Like gentle fireworks.

I reach out my hand, and grasp one within my hand.

Holding it close, opening my hand, the light extinguishes.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" [Shale]

Dad screams.

The mound grows bigger, and he hurls boulders at the sky at tremendous speed.

The lizard next to him roars with a ferocity that shakes my very being. All around it, hundreds of spikes grow from the ground and shoot upwards.

I stagger backwards, staring at the spectacle in front of me.

Above me, impacts can be seen, shaking the large being above us.

Pebbles and dirt rains down.

I stagger backwards, distancing myself from the madness in front of me.

Dad and Tera cry out in rage and pain, screaming their roars at the sky.

I stagger ba-

I stumble.

The world turns dark.

And I fall.

I fall.

All of the light disappeared, there is only darkness.

I fall.

Impact.

I land on my back.

The air is knocked out of me.

I can't breathe.

I CAN'T BREATHE!

COLD!!

FREEZING!!

I struggle to get up, my head striking a wall.

There's walls all around me.

A wall.

One wall around me.

My head breaks the surface, I gasp for air!

In a panic, I struggle to stand.

I'm drenched.

The water is freezing cold.

There is no light.

Except for a small hole above me.

The wall is covered in stone.

Cold, hard, stone.

Bricks.

I'm in the well.

Thunderous roars echos around me.

Pebbles rain down from above, hitting the water, the walls, and me.

Screams blends into the roars.

Cries of Horror.

Hows of pain.

Wails of names.

My skin crawls as I recognize the names.

I stand there, stunned.

I don't know how long.

The screams subside.

The roars grow distant.

Soon, all I hear is my ragged breath.

And monstrous stomps.

In a panic, I cover my mouth.

For minutes, I stand there, trying to strangle my sounds.

The sounds settle.

And silence falls like a boulder on my chest.

I can't feel my toes.

My body shutters.

The water is freezing cold.

I try to climb the wall, but it's damp and slippery.

I'm trapped.

Trapped in this freezing hellhole.

Water up to my shoulders.

Above me, stars have re-appeared.

The little light they offer is not enough for me to see.

My hands run across the wall.

I can hardly move them.

I'm shivering.

I can't find a foothold.

"Please.." [Nathan]

I can't find it.

I can't feel it. My hands are too cold.

Wait.

WAIT!

I have a heating crystal!

Ecstatically, I reach into my robe, into the pocket with the crystal.

It's not there.

My blood chills.

It's not there.

Where is it!?

Where?!

When did I lose it?

Before I fell?

Then it's all over.

It's too cold, I can't stay here.

I can't get out.

I can't get out!!

In a panic, I run my hands across the wall, all around it.

I move round, trying desperately to find a foothold, anything to let me out.

I'm stuck in a hole the width of a door.

My foot hits something.

Something round.

Instantly, I stop moving.

Did it fall out of my pocket as I fell? When I was in the water?

Then-

Then it might be here!

Diving to the floor, I run my hands across the ground.

I found it!

Standing, I hold it in my hands.

Slowly, as if not believing it, I pour mana into it.

When I release it, it glows faintly, and starts to warm my hands.

Tears cloud my eyes.

I can see again. Its warm.

I wipe my eyes, and take a deep breath.

I need to get out of here.

I take a look around.

The walls around me are smooth, but above my head there is a slight bump in the wall.

I reach up, and touch it.

It's not enough to use as a foothold.

But it seems lose.

Can I pull it out?

I put the crystal into the pocket, extinguishing the light.

Using both hands, I try to wrestle it out.

It budges, but it's clear that it's stuck.

Cursing under my breath, I put more weight into it.

It doesn't budge any more than before.

Damn.

I take out the crystal, and hold it up to the brick.

There's several cracks in the mortar.

That explains why I can move it.

If I can scrape away the mortar..

With a slow movement I pull out one of my daggers.

Holding the crystal in one hand, and the dagger in the other, I start scraping away the mortar.

It's slow work, and I'm freezing. But I can't put any more mana into the crystal. It would stop glowing.

Dust and rocky grains fall on my face and get in my eyes. I keep focusing.

I need to get this brick free.

I give it another pull.

It comes loose!

Crystal back in the pocket, dagger back in the scabbard.

I put the brick into the whole so it sticks out of the wall perpendicularly.

It's solidly in there.

Okay.

Grabbing it with both hands, I pull myself out of the water.

Okay.

I can hold myself out of the water. For now.

I push myself up, and put a foot in the hole that I stuck the brick in.

Stretching my leg, I push myself against the other side of the well.

The walls around me aren't as damp as they were below.

I try to push against the sides with my foot.

It slides a bit. Not too much.

It might just work.

Pushing against the wall with all my strength, I take my foot out of the hole to try to push myself upwards.

And promptly slide down into the water.

I'm soaked. Again.

Damn!

God fucking damn it!

I pull myself up to the brick again, put my foot in the hole and push myself against the wall.

I try again. Back in the water.

Again.

Again.

Again!

Finally, I give up.

I'm soaked, I'm freezing. I can't feel my toes.

I take the crystal out. After powering it up, I put in on my ankles, resting it between my feet.

Slowly, I feel the warmth spread across my wet clothes.

Trying to rest for a minutes, I look up.

There are no stars. The sky is covered in clouds, slightly orange.

A fire must have started.

I haven't seen one all the time I've been in this world.

Slowly, I regain the feeling of my feet.

I'm still chilled to the bone.

But my clothes are becoming damp instead of soaked, and I'm no longer shivering.

My back against the wall, my feet in the hole, I breathe a sigh of relief.

I can finally relax.

Above me, the sky is still orange.

The fire must still rage above.

Slowly, my eyes close, and I drift away..

And wake up, just in time to brace-

Splash

- as I hit the water.

Now I'm drenched again.

Drenched, and cold.

Shit.

God FUCKING DAMN IT!

I hit the wall.

"WHY CAN'T I CATCH A FUCKING BREAK!?" [Nathan]

I hit the wall again.

Calm down. This isn't helping. I need to get out of here.

I pull myself back up, foot in the hole, back against the wall.

Alright.

Calm down.

Feeling the wall around me, I find some cracks in the wall.

With my dagger, I try to scratch at it. Some of it comes lose.

I keep scratching at it.

Slowly, I create a wedge that I can use as a hand hold.

This might work. If I can make a line of handholds, I might be able to climb.

I rearrange myself so I have one leg in the slot, and one bracing against the other side. Using the crystal to light up the wall, I scratch another hand hold into the wall over the slot.

Once I'm satisfied I can use it, I put my dagger in the scabbard and try to grab onto it.

It's stable enough.

I can climb like this.

I take out my dagger, and scratch at the mortar again, creating another hold.

If I want to climb like this, I can't use the crystal to glow. And I have to take off my boots. They aren't made for climbing..

I climb back down into the freezing water and take off my boots. trying my best to only get as wet as I have to.

determined, I get back up. One ledge at a time, I scratch my way upwards. Hours later, my fingers and toes bloodied and torn, I take a break close to the top.

I can see the edge.

Just a bit more.

I take out my dagger. It's chipped badly from scratching at the mortar.

The tip is practically missing.

Like the skin on my fingertips.

Forwards.

I scratch another hole on the wall.

Another.

Another.

I'm almost there. Just one more and I can reach the edge.

My fingers hurt like nothing has ever hurt before.

Even my toes are torn to shreds.

I use the last hand hold, and pull myself up.

Grab the edge of the well with the tip of my fingers.

I reach my other hand up, grab the bricks-

And they come lose.

I fall.

All the way to the bottom of the well, I fall.

I hit the water like it was concrete.

Slowly, I stand up.

I-.. I stand up..

And I start to sob.

I can't.

"I can't do this." [Nathan]

"This is too much." [Nathan]

"Why must I struggle, just to have everything crumble?.." [Nathan]

"WHY?!" [Nathan]

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!" [Nathan]

"WHY?!?!" [Nathan]

"Why..?" [Nathan]

I wail against the walls of my prison.

I don't even have the strength to pull myself out of the water anymore...

I just..

Stand there..

Sobbing.

Shaking.

Broken.

As I stand there, looking up at the sky from my stone prison, the sky starts to brighten.

I see clouds.

God I hate clouds.

I hate clouds, I hate water, I hate bricks..

All I hear is the clashing waves.

And the guy who keeps yelling.

...

What?

Yelling?

"..eck t.e ru..le, so..one mig.. .ave su..i.ed." [???]

That's a voice.

Someone's out there.

"Help! HELP!!" [Nathan]

"Yo. .ear. ..at? .om.one.. ..ill ...ve, .ur.. up!" [???]

"Help! Help!" [Nathan]

A head appears above me.

"Help!" [Nathan]

"Someone's down here, get some rope." [???]

They lower rope down for me. There's a loop at the end.

I put my foot in the loop, and give it a tug.

Slowly, i move upwards.

They help me get over the edge.

It's snowing. First snow of the year.

A flake hits my cheek.

I look around.

There's rubble all round. Smoke is rising from several of- What used to be houses. Not a single one is left.

There are these.. These lumps. seven feet tall. Like a hard boiled egg made to stand end end.

They're all around the place. At least one or two near each house. Some of them are covered in rubble.

A few charred. Like giant lumps of charcoal.

I turn around.

There is one where mom was.

Another where dad was.

All that is left of them. Fleshy tombstones.

I fall to my knees.

The snow falls on my face. It covers my hair.

Tears streaming down my face.

Everything is gone.

Everyone are gone.

Suddenly, the sun comes up.

I feel the warmth of the sun on my chilled skin.

As it shines on this barren paradise.

In the ashes of my world.

I am all alone.

End of arc 0:

It's a wonderful world