Part 1

*This story is not a BL and contains many mysterious events. I would say it focuses more on the anime's storytelling style. So if you enjoy the anime, you will probably like this story as well

*The names of all places and the events that occur are fictional creations from my own imagination

The man, his blond hair gleaming in the sun took a seat. He was dressed in the elegant fashions of a bygone era, his attire a quiet relic from the 1910s. The afternoon light as golden as his hair bathed their white palace in a warm, ethereal glow and his gaze settled fondly on his young son. The boy was hunched intently over a flower bed wholly absorbed in his examination of the blossoms.

The father a man of perhaps thirty-one, possessed a singular, remarkable feature a magnificent head of long, blond hair. A gentle breeze whispered through it, lifting the strands like a soft caress

Having finished his close inspection, the son began to meticulously transcribe his observations into a small notebook. Then he turned and approached his father, his face bright with a hopeful smile

"Father" Kiyoshi began his voice brimming with anticipation "today I am twelve years old. Now you must honor your promise"

The Year 1891

The tiny village of Hischeria was bathed in the harsh light of dawn. The melodic calls of birds soared into the sky a stark contrast to the silent, sweat-drenched farmers already toiling in the fields. The relentless sun demanded their labor and their comfort.

"Please Mother... no more!" grumbled the black-haired boy Hyunjin grimacing as his mother firmly pushed a piece of bread into his mouth

"You must eat Hyunjin. You need your strength for the long walk to school" she insisted

The twelve-year-old boy chewed reluctantly, enduring his mother's scolding until a sudden, urgent knock echoed through their small home. His mother hurried to the entrance, where a farmer a friend of her husband delivered the news with a grave face.

"Mrs. Mitsaha !! I'm afraid …. Mr. Holmes has injured his hand"

"Hyunjin! Watch over your little brother! I will be back soon!" Mrs. Mitsaha's voice was laced with fear as she rushed out, the door swinging shut behind her.

A cold dread settled in Hyunjin's stomach. Heart pounding with worry for his father, he went to his five-year-old brother, Kiyoshi.

"Don't be afraid, little brother" Hyunjin whispered softly, stroking the boy's hair offering comfort he himself did not feel

After a tense wait, Hyunjin began mechanically clearing the table and washing the dishes, his mind a whirlwind of anxiety "I will be late to school" he murmured to the empty room

Then the door burst open. Hyunjin froze. The sight of his mother's tear-streaked face and his father's heavily bandaged hand the cloth stained a deep, frightening red all the way to the forearm sent a shock through his system.

"Father... what is this?" Hyunjin stammered, his eyes wide and fixed on the gruesome injury.

"I... I'm fine son. It's just a cut" Mr. Holmes said his voice strained but trying for reassurance.

Mrs. Mitsaha gently guided her husband to a chair and brought him water

"Go to school … my son" Mr. Holmes instructed Hyunjin.

Hyunjin stared in disbelief "But you're hurt! I'm not going"

"You will go, Hyunjin" his father refused, a flash of anger in his tired eyes "You must prove that the descendants of Hischeria are as talented and educated as anyone in Marshallan"

"Father, why?" Hyunjin's voice broke, desperation pouring out "Why must I study just to prove our worth while you work like a slave for the Marshallans? Look at your hand! Do you expect me to believe they didn't do this to you?" Tears streamed down his face "They mock me for studying in their city! They look down on me every single day! Why must we endure this humiliation?"

"So you still do not understand?" Mr. Holmes's voice thundered through the small house, and Hyunjin flinched. his father had never shouted at him like that before.

Mr. Holmes moved closer, his anger melting into profound intensity. He knelt wincing slightly and placed his other hand on Hyunjin's shoulder "That is precisely why you must be strong So you can stand tall against their scorn and prove, once and for all that we are their equals in every way. You will study. You will become a teacher or a powerful doctor—a man of respect in that very city. Then people will point to you and say with pride 'There stands a son of Hischeria.'" A faint weary smile touched his lips "I am sorry I raised my voice"

A new resolve hardened within Hyunjin. He wiped his tears and lifted his head his gaze steady "I will do it Father. I will make everyone proud of us"

He gathered his books and walked to the door. "Goodbye Mom and dad, Goodbye Kiyoshi"

Thus began the pivotal day when the boy named Hyunjin set out for the main road to board the communal wagon to Marshallan, for there was no school in his own village.

Hyunjin sprinted to the usual spot, his heart sinking as he saw the heavily-laden wagon already beginning to pull away, the horse straining at its harness. He gasped for air, his lungs burning

"Damn it... I can't miss it!" He forced his legs to run faster

"If I don't make it today, I'll be left behind!" he cried out desperately, pushing himself until he drew alongside the slow-moving vehicle.

"Hyunjin!" a voice called from the back. It was Ren, another student

"Ren!" Hyunjin shouted back.

Ren leaned out over the wooden sideboard, stretching his arm down. "Give me your hand!"

Hyunjin grabbed it and with a firm pull, Ren hauled him safely aboard the creaking wagon.

"Why are you so late?" Ren asked.

Catching his breath, a triumphant smile spread across Hyunjin's face "I'm never late for anything"

Ren like Hyunjin was a descendant of Hischeria. Together with about twenty other students, they commuted daily to the city of Marshallan carrying the hopes of their village with them

On that day, as Hyunjin departed with the other students, his journey truly began. But it was not merely the path to school; it was the first step into a living hell he never could have foreseen, a future heralded only by the inexplicable chill and feverish heat waging a silent war inside him

The sun bled its final, orange light over Hischeria as the wagon carrying the students from Marshallan creaked into the village. The journey back was always silent, the weight of the day's slights heavy upon them.

"I just don't understand" Ren murmured his voice thick with dejection "Why does Marshallan hold such a deep grudge against us? Why are we always their victims?"

"I don’t know either" Hyunjin replied, his own sorrow laced with a grim determination "But I suppose I'll only truly understand when I'm older" He clenched his fists "We are like slaves to them... but I have to believe that one day, someone from Hischeria will rise up, save us and force the world to see the truth"

"Such grand dreams are not for children to worry about. Don't be a fool" cut in a sharp, dismissive voice. It was Ayumi The girl was a study in silence with short-cropped hair, wide, doll-like brown eyes and a perpetually detached expression. She was the antithesis of the talkative Hyunjin and Ren

Finally, they arrived The students disembarked slowly, but this homecoming was different. An unnatural stillness hung in the air. No farmers called out from the fields, no villagers chatted in the lanes. The silence was deep, profound, and utterly terrifying

A cold knot of dread tightened in Hyunjin's stomach as they all walked warily toward their homes

"Goodbye, Ren" Hyunjin managed, forcing a strained smile before turning to his own door.

He pushed it open, and his heart seized. The interior was chaos furniture overturned, their few belongings scattered across the floor like fallen leaves.

"M-Mother! Father! Kiyo—" His scream was cut short as a crushing blow to the back of his head plunged him into blackness.

That was the moment Hyunjin might have wished he had never been born. The moment he lost everything in a single, brutal instant: hope, family, future …. everything

He awoke to a spinning darkness, his vision blurry As his eyes focused, they widened in pure, unadulterated horror. His mother, father, and little brother Kiyoshi were bound before him, his parents on chairs and Kiyoshi tied to his mother's legs. He tried to lurch forward but rough ropes dug into his own arms, securing him to a chair

"What... what is this?" he stammered his voice weak and thready from the blow "What's happening?"

"My son... are you alright?" his mother sobbed.

"Hyunjin are you hurt?" his father's voice was strained with a terror that Hyunjin had never heard before

Then two tall masked figures emerged from the shadows, their faces completely obscured. One of them raised a large canister and began to douse Hyunjin's family in a pungent, clear liquid. The other stood directly in front of him, a silent menacing statue.

"What are you doing? Stop! STOP!" Hyunjin screamed, his voice cracking with panic.

The man in front of him gripped his chin, forcing his head up "Look child. You must watch. You must see how your family is burned by the Marshallans"

Hyunjin sat frozen, his mind refusing to process the scene. The world seemed to slow down, the edges of his vision darkening, until a sharp click broke the silence. A flame sparked to life

"Noooo! Stop! Don't do this! PLEASE!" Hyunjin shrieked, throwing his body against his restraints

The screams of his family erupted, a sound of pure agony that would be seared into his soul forever. The roar of the fire joined them, and above it all, he could hear Kiyoshi's small, terrified wails. Hyunjin thrashed with every ounce of his strength, the ropes burning his skin.

"Stop! I beg you, I'll do anything you want! ANYTHING!" he screamed, his voice raw

But the screams began to fade, swallowed by the crackling inferno a horrifying sign that life was being extinguished.

"Be strong... my son..." his father's voice emerged, a ragged whisper fighting its way through the flames "Avenge us... Avenge Hischeria..."

They were his last words

The sudden, sharp pain of an injection pierced Hyunjin's neck. The horrific scene swam before his eyes before everything went dark once more

When he awoke again, he was on the floor, his hands free. He pushed himself up, his eyes struggling to adjust in the dim, smoke-haunted light. And when he saw, it was as if the whole world had collapsed into an endless, lightless void.

Where his family had been, there lay only grotesque, charred forms still smoldering like embers in a dying fire. Only fragments of bone remained.

A broken, guttural sound tore from his throat as he crawled forward through the carnage. His trembling hand reached out, his fingers brushing against a blackened piece of bone a charred rib, impossible to identify, that could have belonged to his mother, his father, or his little brother. It was still searingly hot, but he was numb to the pain. He lifted the fragment, and it crumbled to ash in his palm. A final, devastating scream erupted from the very core of his being, a raw, agonized cry that echoed through the empty shell of his home and out into the silent, complicit village

"This is a dream... This can't be real," he whispered, his voice a shredded, broken thing, denying the ashes that stained his hands

Suddenly, Hyunjin's eyes snapped open. The sound of his owner's shouting clawed him back from the depths of sleep.

"Hey, idiot, get to work! How long are you going to laze about?!" the man bellowed.

Seven years had passed since the inferno that consumed Hischeria. Hyunjin was now nineteen. In the immediate, chaotic aftermath of the tragedy, he had been found alone and catatonic. Deemed too young to fend for himself, he was sent to Marshallan, unconscious and unaware.

Over the years, he had heard whispers fragments of conversations between people that suggested a handful of Hischerians had been rescued. But he never knew who were they, or their fates. He didn't know if Ren or his other friends were among them, or where they could be now. He had awoken in this city to the grim reality that his only path to survival was to become a slave to the very people who had destroyed his world. He endured the daily humiliation, swallowing his pride and rage, all for one purpose: to uncover the truth about what happened to Hischeria, a place now forbidden for anyone to enter

Mechanically, he placed bottles of beer on the shelf and began wiping down the sticky tavern tables. The clatter of dishes and the boisterous laughter of patrons were the soundtrack of his servitude.

"Hey, I'll have your best beer" a young man called out.

Without turning or looking, Hyunjin placed a premium bottle and a clean mug on a tray and set it on the table

But then he froze. The person wasn't an old, grizzled regular. He was a young man, likely Hyunjin's own age. It was only his voice unnaturally deep and resonant that had suggested otherwise.

That was my first encounter with Hyunjin. I remember it vividly: the way his dark, hollow eyes widened as they met mine. He wore a faded blue shirt, its fabric stained and worn thin. Long strands of his black hair were hastily tied back from a face that was a mask of detached resignation, as if the very concept of feeling had been scorched out of him

"So you are one of the descendants of Hischeria?" Felix asked

"Yes" Hyunjin replied, his voice short, cold and utterly indifferent

"Are you satisfied with your current situation?" Felix asked, making a subtle gesture to encompass the grimy tavern.

"I suppose my suffering pleases the Marshallans greatly" Hyunjin retorted, a bitter edge sharpening his tone "So I should ask you: are you happy about it?"

"Who said I was one of the Marshallans?" Felix smiled

"Then who are you?" Hyunjin asked, his feigned indifference beginning to crack.

"I am one of the Hischerians" Felix said, lowering his voice.

Hyunjin's eyes widened in disbelief. The vague whispers of other survivors had never felt real until this moment. The idea that one stood before him, not as a broken slave but as a man dressed in expensive clothes and moving with such audacious freedom, was staggering.

"What... are you saying?" Hyunjin breathed, his voice trembling with a mixture of hope and long-suppressed anger "How can a Hischerian walk around here so freely, dressed like that, coming and going as he pleases?"

"If you want the answers," Felix said "come to this address tonight"

He stood up and moved closer. He was much shorter than Hyunjin, a fact that seemed to startle him for a moment. Maintaining his composure, he swiftly slipped a folded piece of paper into Hyunjin's hand.

Hyunjin gritted his teeth, a sudden tightness seizing his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"I want some beer!" another man roared from across the room

Without a word, Hyunjin slipped the paper deep into his pants pocket and moved to serve the customer, the ghost of their conversation haunting his every step

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