"Perrin!!"
"Perrin!!"
"Perrin!!"
The scream of that name awoken the boy who lay still on a bed. The bed wasn't a cozy one but twas manageable. On that bed lay a teenager, dark skinned with a mole on his chin. The hairs on his head were bushy but they were well kept.
"Perrin, are you still in bed??" The feminine voice that called out before spoke.
"No ma, I'm up" the dark skinned teenager replied as he stood up from the bed.
"Hurry up, we're getting late already. Remember you wanted to work in a guild"
"Yes mum, just give me a minute"
Perrin took a piece of cloth hanging on his wooden door and dashed out to have his bath.
Minutes later, he surfaced back to the room where he had a change of clothes.
"What took you so long?"
"Sorry ma, but I'm ready now" the smiled, revealing his set of white teeth.
"Have you had breakfast?"
"Breakfast can wait but the guild tests can't" Perrin said as he grabbed his sack bag and dashed out.
"You silly br--" his mum followed behind.
His mother Darna, a well known harlot in the whole of Falme had him without knowing his father. She alone had catered for her boy and now he's old enough to take decisions for himself.
***** Wind Eagle's Lair*****
Darna creates a large eagle made entirely of wind and hopped on it. She stretched out her pale palms as she helped her son climb the eagle.
"Mum, I'm gonna be a great mage, much greater than mages of the Malfoy seat" Perrin said with boldness and enthusiasm.
"I hear you, you haven't even unlocked your reishi"
Reishi, the basis of magic. The power source of magic in this world.
"Don't worry, with time I'll unlock it" Perrin said as she clenched his fist.
" He still believes he can make it when he's already passed the age 9 years ago, this brat" Darna thought.
Darna had regretted her promiscuous lifestyle but the one thing she did not regret was that she had Perrin as a result of it. He had brought the sweetest creature she had ever known to life. Seeing her baby boy struggle and strive knowing it was all for naught made her heart bleed. When Perrin was 12, he hadn't unlocked his reishi when the expected age should have been 10 so she took him to meet a mage physician. The results were tragic; Perrin cannot produce reishi, meaning he can't be a mage. Although Darna had tried to dissuade Perrin from becoming a full fledged mage without letting him know of the situation but Perrin has remained adamant.
"If only he knew" she thought as a drop of tear flowed down.
"Mum, why are you crying?"
"It's nothing, I'm just realizing that I would be alone if my son passes the guild exams" She replied as she wiped her tears.
"C'mon mom, I'll always be there if you need anything, besides I'll be visiting from time to time"
"But how?, Republic City is very far from Falme" Darna complained .
"Don't worry, I'd write letters" He said as he hugged her tight
"Woah, calm down, remember we're up in the sky, I don't want to crash "
"Oops sorry" Perrin apologized as he let go of her.
Hours later
"It's really a long ride to Republic City" Perrin said as he let out a loud sigh.
"Fortunately we're here" Darna said as her wind eagle swerved down , landing on a large open space.
"Ok, I'll bid you goodbye here, I have a lot of things to attend to"
"Mum, I'm making a promise to you today"
"What is it?" Darna asked inquisitively
"Mum, I'll become famous, so famous that you wouldn't have to do that useless job all in the name of surviving!!" Perrin screamed at the top of his voice
"Ssshh!!" Darna ordered him to quiet down.
"If you don't make it, come back home immediately, I'm already getting lonely" Darna said
"I'll be writing you letters" Perrin said with a smile on his face.
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"It means I'll win and get accepted in one of the 7 guilds of Republic City" Perrin answered confidently as he beat his chest.
"Continue going forward and you'll see the gate of the Republic City" Darna said as she was about to take off
"So you mean I haven't gotten there yet??, that's unfair!!"
"Be a man, this is as far as I can go, Love you!!" With this Darna took off.
"Seriously??"
As Darna drove back she felt very empty. Her baby boy has finally grown and left her. A drop of tear flowed down.
"Don't worry, he can't use reishi so he'll definitely fail and come back to me" She wiped the tear and moved on.
Perrin continued walking. He had walked for over an hour and still hasn't seen the gate of Republic City.
"Wait, does this mean I'm lost??" Doubt and anxiety began flooding his mind.
"Oh no, what should I do?"
"Hey, are you lost?"
Perrin heard a voice from above him. He looked up to see an eagle made of wind just like his mum's magic
"Wind Eagle's Lair" he whispered
"Um, I'm heading to the Republic City, I think I'm lost" Perrin said
"No you're not, it's just up ahead. Mind if we give you a lift?"
"S-sure, thanks"
The eagle swerved down to meet him. There were two passengers on the eagle. They wore the same outfit. A dark cloak with a large magnolia flower symbol.
"Hop on" the one riding the eagle stretched out his hand to help Perrin get on top of the eagle
"Thanks a lot"
"No problem" the eagle took off with a strong speed.
"Woah"
"So what brings you to Republic City?"
"I'm here to enroll for the guild selection exams" Perrin answered with confidence.
"Oh, I see, what's your reishi attribute?"
"Um, I don't have any yet" Perrin answered shyly.
"Whaat??" The two passengers almost shouted immediately.
"Man, you've got balls" the other passenger who had been quiet all along spoke up.
"You do know that's a waste of time" the rider said trying to dissuade him.
"We won't know unless we try" Perrin answered with confidence.
"I like your guts" the other passenger said as he patted Perrin on the back.
"Okay we're here, Welcome to Republic City" the rider said as he passed the gate, revealing a city of beauty.
"Wow, it's beautiful" Perrin marvelled.
"It seems like this is your first time here"
"Yeah, I always imagined it would be beautiful but this is beyond my imagination"
"By the way what's your name?" The rider asked
"It's Perrin Phantomhive"
"Phantomhive huh, well the name's Neville Goddard" the rider responded.
"Well this is as far as we go so you'll have to find your way to the arena" Neville said as he pulled over as the eagle landed in an open space in a market.
"Thanks a lot"
"No worries, just helping out" Neville replied.
"Perrin Phantomhive" The other passenger called out.
"Yes?"
"Let's meet again"
"Huh?"
With that the eagle took off in the same direction they came.
"Ok, that other guy is kinda weird" Perrin picked up his bag and continued walking.
He stopped by an apple store.
"Please how much for an apple?"
"7 yuls"
"Jeez, that's expensive!!"
"Welcome to Republic City son" an old man passing by said.
"I only have 25 yuls with me and I have other things to get too"Perrin said.
"Don't worry, I'll pay for the kid" the old man said as he gave Perrin an apple.
"Thanks man" Perrin shook him in the hand as a sign of appreciation. As Perrin's hand came in contact with the man, the eyes of the man glowed purple.
"Chaos, I see chaos"
"What?"
"Son, the road ahead of you is very rough. You shouldn't give in to despair or you'll fall into chaos" the old man said and in a twinkle of an eye, he vanished"
"What the hell was that?" Perrin said in shock.
"Well you see things like this in Republic City" the apple dealer said as he laughed at Perrin's composure.
"Republic City is something" Perrin whispered before gulping a bite of the apple.
*************
An old lady sat at the top of a castle. Her haid was as white as wool and wrinkles dominated her physique.
"So what do you have to say?" The old woman asked.
The old man who had just spoken to Perrin appeared behind her.
"He has entered the city, this might spell doom for us" the old man answered.
"Republic City is about to change, would it be for good or for worse? Only fate knows" the lady answered ans she walke d back inside her room.
"For now we do nothing, let's wait and watch"