Prologue 2: The Middle

Austin wasted away idling by until he was 17. He recalled a saying he heard somewhere once that he hadn't really registered before," You are the master of your own mind."

He closed his eyes, picturing a small room with four shadowy visages. Three of them were bickering back and forth for the best course of action to lead to a happy future, the fourth one was cowering.

Austin realized that the fourth one was him. The fourth stood up and it's shadowy mass expanded and congealed into a human visage. "Silence," Austin ordered.

For the first time, in his life, Austin's mind was clear and free. He had utter and complete silence. He shed tears, thinking that he will finally be able to live his own life and do what he wanted to do.

Once the euphoria settled down, contemplation set in, "What do I like?"

He wasn't allowed to have likes or dislikes while abiding by the voices, that was something that they had, not him.

He then despaired. "How do I care about something?" He froze. He didn't care about a thing. There was nothing he cared about. His family and friends they were there, but it was as though he was meeting them for the first time despite having known them forever. It was like they were strangers who he read about, not people he loved and cherished.

So what if his mind had peace, he had lost something vital in the process. The feelings and attachment he had to those that cared about him.

For the first time in his life he felt alone.

That night Austin made a decision that would forever change his life. "I may not recall the feeling I placed on those people, but they do. Because I once cared for them, I won't let them realize anything has changed."

Austin succeeded acting as though nothing was wrong to everyone, except his brother.

August came to him," Austin, are you okay? You've been a bit odd lately."

Austin stood in silence.

"You don't have to tell me what's going on if you don't want to, just tell me when you are ready to, okay?"

Austin silently nodded his head.

It was a brief moment, in August life and he probably forgot it even happened, but to Austin it meant so much more.

Austin felt as though he had his first real connection.

Now feeling that maybe there would be bright future ahead of him, he hunted for the things that he liked doing.

The answer he got was gaming, web-novels, manga, comics, and almost all things nerd. Though above that was an unprecedented addiction to all things fantasy.

Austin loved fantasy and particularly wizards. He couldn't explain it, it was as though something inside him resonated with it. Though a problem arose as he grew closer to adulthood.

Austin while a hard worker, had no talent to speak of and no goal he wanted to achieve, his answer was to apply for jobs wherever he could, but his luck was against him.

No replies from anyone. Austin kept up an ultimately futile job hunt for eight years.

His family while loving, could no longer afford to keep sheltering him. It's not that they didn't love him, but that they thought that he was not even trying.

August was the only one, that didn't believe that. He took it upon himself, to share his home with Austin, now 25.

Austin grew more and more depressed. He knew he was nothing but a burden on his brother, no matter what August said to counter.

Austin heard August through the wall talking to his fiancé. "Yes I have plenty of room for the both of us." Silence. "What are you saying?" Silence. "My love... what your asking... that's..." Silence. "Of course I love you, if I do that though what would happen to him?" Silence.

The call had ended and Austin had a good idea what her end of the conversation was, an ultimatum Her or him.

Austin felt a sharp pain in his heart. He was still causing trouble to the person he cared about most and even causing a fight between him and the one he loves most. Austin decided to make the choice for August.

Austin packed a bag. carrying only his clothes, a pocket knife, and few books. The rest of the night Austin researched the local, geography, wild life, and ways to make fires, and secure a water source.

The one saving grace about his soon to be homeless-ness is that he was in the country.