‘The world is so vast! There’s so much more out there than these small woods. I can’t wait until I grow up and get to use magic and travel the world like my Uncle and Father before me! It feels so good to just think about it!

My thoughts stopped when Uncle Yian began speaking again. My ears perked up as I could feel an enormous smile donning my face.

“The Savage Plains is not only the largest but is also the strongest region in all of the Dacia continent! Well, we are only the strongest when we work together. You see Raiden, unlike the other regions, the Savage Plains isn’t all under one banner. There are various small and large tribes and families alike. There we believe that might makes right, and rightly so I may add. Unlike in the Holy Dragon Empire and Berulia who hide behind their masks of fake morals and nobility. In the Savage Plains if you do not have the power to defend yourself you can only blame yourself. We stick to our families, to protect our loved ones, and should anything befall them then as a family we strike back. In the Savage Plains tribes of various belief all fight amongst each other for fame, glory and the various resources available to all. Though everyone may think of us as barbaric, we simply follow the laws of nature. Do they not do the same? Do they not order those below them as they please because they are stronger than them? We simply do not hide behind a veil of hypocrisy. Conflicts are settled with honor and the strength of your sword arm or magic out on the battlefield. Rivalries are always welcome, but there has never been irreconcilable grudges. Although there are always conflicts, we always try to settle things with as little bloodshed as possible. There are bigger threats to our survival than petty squabbles among warriors and which mage has the flashier spell.”

Uncles voice passionately began to describe the inner workings of our true home. His eyes gleamed with a nostalgic light that longed for his home. Intrigue and wonder welled up inside me as I continued to hear more about the place were my father and uncle grew up in.

“Conflicts can be resolved in various ways: through tournaments, in single combat, battles of life and death, and in the most extreme cases war. You see Raiden, we understand that in nature one must be strong to survive. Thus, if your strong you may live as you please, no one will obstruct you. Yet you must understand as well that petty grievances are not your opponent’s fault. They are yours. He or she is just like you, trying to life their life to the fullest, your views are each your own, and the only way to resolve your differences is through battle, or negotiate your way out of them. The winner is the king and righteous, while the loser is in the wrong. It is that simple, for that very reason everyone in the Savage Plains use all their effort in becoming stronger. Be it through Might or Magic, when you can hold your ground and stand high is when you can consider yourself someone of the Savage Plains. We don’t wantonly go looking for trouble, the only moments a true Verum can go into conflict is to defend his or her loved one’s honor, or for the sake of his family and tribe.”

His voice trailed off, becoming but a whisper of his passionate expose that had just transpired. Uncle’s eyes seemed distant and melancholic for but a split second.

“Though we may compete with each other on a regular basis, should the Ignis Imugi ever call for help we all band together and defend our country. They are the gatekeepers of the passage leading into our Savage Plains. Whenever the Holy Dragon Empire has tried to invade, they have been the ones standing at the front lines to stop them. The Ignis Imugi holds every tribes fear and respect. Respect because they guard our homeland with their lives on a daily basis, and fear because every member is a seasoned veteran. From ages past every tribe sends warriors to their tribe to test their might and join in the defense of our homeland. The gate, the Serpents Maw, which holds the Empire at bay day after day is led by a man named Regius, the Serpent of the South. As a country we are divided, but we stand united against any and all adversity. We know we are all different, we understand that everyone has the right to fight for their own beliefs and desires. That’s is why instead of whining about it like some of those ‘gracious’ nobles, we accept our defeats and use them to better ourselves. Rarely has there ever been conflicts that bring grudges so deep that they escalate to war. War amongst the tribes only ever happens when the survival of the tribe is at stake and they both require the same resource. For example, a decade ago two tribes went to war for the use of crop lands due to expanding and not being able to feed their members. This rarely ever happens since there is so much space and food available, usually the weaker tribe will just move and find another place.”

‘A place to call home… I wonder if I will ever get to meet my tribe… I wonder which tribe I’m from. A place where I can run and play with others. I love Uncle, but I miss Mom and Dad. I wonder where they’ve went to explore when they were young… I want to explore the world with my family and friends like they once did. Maybe I can visit all the places they did.’

I looked up to see Uncle Yian who was ready to go to sleep. I wanted to ask him when we would leave but… I didn’t want to make it seem like I didn’t like it here. Sure it may be boring but, this is also a peaceful kind of home. He noticed my hesitation and motioned me to speak. “Uncle, for how long are we going to stay hiding in this place?”

-----

Yian looked at Raiden with saddened eyes. “The night is growing late child. We will discuss this another day.”

As Yian walked out the room, Raiden couldn’t help but puff his cheeks.

“Uncle Yian!”

“No Raiden, we will not be discussing this yet.”

“Why!” The child’s brow furrowed while his armed flailed in the air with annoyance.

“Boy, I will say this once and ONLY once. You are not ready yet, the world abroad is harsher than you can imagine. The dangers that plague you more complicated than any child has a right to know. Just this once... I promise we will discuss this when you’re older.”

“Uncle you always say that. I never get to see anything beyond the river or the mountains. It’s not fair. I’ve heard so many of your stories. You and Dad adventured when you were younger. Why can’t I go and explore!”

“Raiden, I will not repeat myself. Go to sleep.”

With anger Raiden rushed to his room. As he slammed the door, he could hear his uncle sighing. A slight feeling of guilt rose in his heart. Yet it was quickly squashed in the wave of displeasure towards his uncle. He couldn’t understand, his uncle was always more vibrant when he told him of his various escapades. The way he told his stories exuded such joy and wanderlust that made Raiden unable to understand why he couldn’t do the same. There was nothing in these woods that threatened him, even the small packs of predators that he had encountered hadn’t given him any trouble. As these thoughts swirled and cycled in his mind they amplified. Soon he would make a decision that changed his life as he knew it. Raiden went towards his desk, beside it was the pack he used to gather provisions every day.

‘I’ll show him. I know these woods. I know them better than HE does. He never leaves the house, he never lets me explore, he can stay here and ROT for all I care!’

His decision made he packed his bow along with its quiver, his knife and a few of his favorite berries he had left over from the days gathering.

Unbeknownst to Yian, his nephew had begun to sneak out from his own window. If anything could be said about the training given to Raiden, it was that it was incredibly thorough. Having learnt to forage, track, hunt and even hiding his presence in the woods had all become engrained in him for the past year. Raiden was no doubt a gifted child, and while the harshness of the training couldn’t be disputed, there had always been a lack of real danger. While smart and quick for his age, he was still a child, lack of foresight and recklessness went hand in hand with confidence in his abilities. However, this arrogance was never shown in front of his uncle. If Yian knew this, he would have probably kept a better eye on him. Soon Raiden was climbing down the tree that sat beside his window, quietly sneaking towards the clearing of trees in the distance. He looked back for a moment and his emotions once again began to stir. He steeled himself and left, heading towards the river that marked his imprisonment in this mundane forest.

-----------

As the morning sun rose my body began to stir. It had been a long night, most of which I had spent fretting and thinking what to do about Raiden. He has the spirt of both his parents, maybe even more… and that just makes his curiosity for the world so much the greater. I felt an audible sigh depart my lips.

‘Maybe it was for the best. I wouldn’t be able to protect him forever, and this can’t go on much longer. This has made too big of a divide between us and it wouldn’t surprise me if the child came to resent me soon. There is just so much that it was hard to know where to begin. Should I tell him about our family? His ties with the empire? Why his parents died? Ning, you really didn’t leave me an easy job as usual. You were always the type to run off and leave the clean up to me. Argh, if I ever get my hands on you when I become part of the Visary I’ll…’

Leaving my inner griping and resigning myself to speak with Raiden sincerely about our circumstances I walked towards his room.

Yet something felt… off. By this time the child was usually stirring, sure he may be quieter due to his anger at me, but there would at least be some rustling of blankets and clothes as he got ready for his day. The hairs on my neck began to raise themselves one by one as this foreboding feeling grew. With every step I denied the possibility and before I knew it I was sweating, rushing towards the room were my last link to sanity slept. As I got closer and closer, the short hallway felt so long, it seemed like seconds began to stretch themselves just to inflict more and more anxiety on my already worried psyche. Then it dawned on me, I couldn’t feel his presence. I stood outside the door for a brief moment that seemed without end. My senses began to sharpen and yet still nothing.

‘BANG’

In my hurry to get in the room I applied too much force and broke the door. I smiled, a crooked smile, the child would surely make fun of me.

‘Yes, he must still be in bed wrapped in the blankets. We’ll have a laugh about this blunder, and all will be made right. How the years have rusted my mind. Losing my cool over nothing… I suppose that is also why we got into a fight yesterday. Surely I’m just overtly sensitive from having to confront our troubles much earlier than expected. Father would scold me if he saw me like this. Raiden might even be hiding, planning on playing a prank on me to have a little revenge for not allowing him to explore the wider forest. Why I remember when Ning and I would try and scare father. My head hurts just thinking about all the trouble we caused our old man.’

As I lifted the blankets to wake my nephew up, trying to be understanding of why he overslept. Yet as the covers came to the side, I suddenly felt my breath get caught in my throat.