In a world divided in two by a vast and uncharted sea, not every human is born favoured.
On one half, the Fortunate beings of the Land of Fuyu live prosperous lives filled with wealth and bountiful resources. On the other half, the Unfortunate of the Land of Hinkon hopelessly crawl down barren streets, clawing at survival in an unprosperous land.
That was until, fifty years ago, when everything began to change.
When demons—beings possessing unfathomable powers but unable to survive in this world without submitting themselves and their power to a human host—appeared.
The Unfortunate of Hinkon who possessed these powers were labeled by the Fortunate as Underdogs—savages who threatened the wealth and prosperity of Fuyu.
As the cold winds rattled the decrepit roof, Tuziku sat quietly with his family at the old wooden table. His eyes rested on a single boiled potato. With the barren soil of Hinkon, a harvest of four bland, dry potatoes was considered very fortunate.
"Pops, how much longer are we going to have to deal with this?" asked Tuziku, as his little sister's stomach grumbled while she stared at his untouched potato.
"Here—you can have mine, Celia," Tuziku said with a forced grin.
His father sighed. "Don't worry, son. Master Jilaal promised he would soon give us a place to stay in the Land of Fuyu, so long as I keep working hard."
Tuziku slammed his fist on the table.
"You've been saying that for over a year now! Do you really think any of those greedy tyrants will help us?!"
"Calm yourself, Tuziku," his mother said softly.
Frustrated, Tuziku stormed outside.
"Don't you think you should have told him, honey?" she asked.
"Don't worry. I'll go get the kid and break the tension with the good news," his father replied.
Tuziku's father calmly approached the cliff where Tuziku stood, gazing at the marvelous night sky.
"The view from here is quite pleasant, isn't it, Tuziku?" he asked with a bright grin.
Tuziku ignored him.
His father sighed. "Listen, son. I know how desperate you are for us to have a decent life, but you must always remember—great things take time. And I have some good news. I finally got permission from Master Jilaal to bring you along to work with me. You'll finally get to see the other side."
Tuziku gasped. "Is that really true, Pops?"
"Yeah. Tomorrow I'll take you. I couldn't get permission to bring your sister since she isn't old enough to help on the farm, but don't worry—once she is, I'm sure I'll get permission."
"That's amazing, Dad!"
Tuziku bowed his head.
"I'm really sorry about earlier," he mumbled.
"It's fine, son. More importantly, it's getting late. Let's go inside before your mother starts to worry," his father said with a grin.
"I'll be right behind you. I just want to gaze at the night sky a little longer," Tuziku replied.
"Alright. Don't stay out too late."
His father returned to the house.
Tuziku lay on his back, staring up at the sky, ever focused on the sublime art painted across its canvas.
Footsteps approached behind him.
"Okay, I'm coming now, Mothe—"
A mysterious creature flew straight into Tuziku's mouth.
CHAPTER END