Brain R. Blacksmith and The Three Paths

Brian Rousell Blacksmith, he was but an ordinary boy forged from poverty who worked at the Tea Shop. Growing up, he always had to work, never going to school due to his low income and because of the neglectance of his parents.

His father would go off to work to only get drunk and loud, quickly ending with him fired in less than a week. While the mother's situation was no better, for her actions were clear and deliberate, for the matter.

Once her husband would leave for work, it was then time for her to quickly wash up and get dressed to then get picked up by a friend to head off into, yet another club, to beguile as many men and women as possible to earn money for herself. In other words, prostitution.

All the while they forget their only son, Brian. When this would happen, it was the only time that Brian was allowed out of his room for his existence did not appease his mother nor father.

Dirty, sick, hungry, cold, and alone. Those were the only human traits the poor boy had ever learned in that house. The only thing that still kept him going and eventually became his catharsis which was the fact that he could look up at the firmament through the only window in the house, his room. Always hoping if he would ever receive true love or at least feel amorous in his parents embrace or words at the least. At the same time also hoping it wouldn't snow because of the lack of heat that the house could provide. But sadly God decided to pour white, cold, beautiful snow into this world of his.

"Why is such beauty so painful to me? Your white and clean yet your intentions are so brutal" the boy would complain to himself.

In present time, every moment when Brain would get the chance he would stare out the window of the Tea Shop to only recall the horrible memories he called childhood. 

But at the very least the Christmas lights, carols, snow and radio station patched up the hole in his heart. The only love he knew that seemed to appease his chest.

*ring* the bell on the shop's door sang, another customer had arrived.

"Welcome, dearest customer, to our humble teahouse." Brain boosted with energy although he hated people.

The old man chuckled "Uh ha ha, no need for such welcoming. I have only come here out of pure curiosity. There are not many Teahouses in this part of the map."

"You are indeed correct, sir. Please, look around and buy whatever catches the eye."

"Now, now boy. There is no need to rush me. Who do you take me for, a fool?" The old man said in viscous tones with a touch of capricious attitude.

"Rush…? Rushing? Sir, whatever do you mean? I promise you that my words are sincere and hold no thoughts as such."

"Oh, my. Then it appears that you have even fooled yourself over the years, Brian. Since the beginning you have learned to only trust yourself but over the course of years, lost your worth."

"Wh-What? And how do you know my name- - are you stalking me! Please leave this shop before I call the police!"

"Calm down, you are too noisy, the morning has yet to finish, boy."

Brian was confused and yet curious at the same time. He did know what to do in this situation. So the best course of action was to stay silent and watch.

And so he did.

The old man pursued looking in the shop as if he was searching for something in particular, all the while Brian just stared. 

Voices, as in whispers, started to arise from all corners of the store from every colossal tap that the old man made with his cane.

"Say Brian, have you ever heard of the tale of Three Paths?"

In fear Brian was too scared to responde. He's never experienced or heard of anything that was happening right now. The lights were so dim it turned green, and under the shelves tree roots grew rapidly and even bent the shelves a little out of place, cold mist was up to knee level but you could still your feet, owl hoots were vague but still loud enough to rattle one's brain including other sounds you would have heard in a dark night forest. 

"N-no, sir, I have not"

The elder gave out a big laugh. "AHAHAHAHA, of course you haven't— no one as a matter of fact." His voice quite downed to a whisper. "But…but. You can most certainty read it off of a book"

Brian was even more scared but much much more confused. "Can, you perhaps tell me of the story if I could be of any help to you" his voice wavered.

The old man proceeds, "Why of course Brian. But before I begin, may I ask a question?" Brian was hesitant but said "Sure, why not".

The old man smirked sharply and said in a devious, gruesome way possible that you can imagine while delving nearer to the boy. "Can you perhaps tell me how such a popular tale has yet to come out of one's mouth?". The air has turned and shifted thin, Brian was now on thin glistening ice— 

"Woah, woah woah. How can a story be popular and not be heard of through talking? And I never even heard of th—"

"CARWYN! I'm talking. You can just do that. This is storytelling 101." Brian said with passive aggressive annoyance.

"Sorry, just curious."

sighs "As the narrator was saying."

The air has turned and shifted thin, Brian was now on thin glistening ice one wrong move and he'll slip along with his life he thought. "No, sir. C-correct me if I'm wrong but tales are meant to be told. A-are they not?". 

The man chuckled once more, "HAHAHAHA, why yes, Brian. Of course, but unfortunately this isn't the case for most stories. No, no, no!" He said slowly "Unfortunately not. For you see Brian, the most well known are never told, because you are already expected to know; and so they are never taught, because you would be better off not knowing anything, especially if it should have never been there to start with."

Behind Brian was a glowing blue light behind the bricked walls. The whole shop was trembling, then slowly an entrance was slowly forming, shifting and shaping. Brian's fear slowly felt like curiosity.

The old man proceeded his rambling swiftly and calmly in such an eerie manner. "It all first started in our head, Brian. We are first amazed or frightened, questions arise from beneath our consciousness to the tip of our brain, never knowing it was there to begin with. Then for most they share their thoughts to spread curiosity as if it were a disease infecting the other person's brain, to only start wondering and trying to search for the answer. They search and search and search… to only end up not finding anything. Straying away from their main objective they then go back in their brains digging for an idea, a crouch to satisfy their curiosity, their hunger for knowledge. 'Ahh, yes' they say. There was never a need for an answer to begin with, they had their minds, Brian. All along it was already there. They just had to build on what they already had, yet not so simple. Do you perhaps know why it is so hard for us to grasp on things so quickly?"

In pure astonishment and interest to know Brian replied "Deception…". The old man grinned, "So you finally understand. This world was borned from deception, hatred, and sin. It was only later on that love seemed to come. Adam and Eve, The Olmpians, Santa Claus. No story can be made without the bad, Brian, but it can most certainly be made without good. They tell us to help the homeless yet they don't do so themselves but when they do, for most it just so happens to be displayed on your little devices you humans love to watch so much. Very few are kind, Brian, very few things in this world are real. Most of the things that are real are hardly nice or good to see or hear, the other few percent are. The ones that aren't, that is what you call a myth. That is how it was forged and it still carries on over one's dead body as well, no?"

Brian was left there silent and ears open as he started, yet different from how he started. "There are three paths that forges us, Brian. Curiosity, Manipulation, and Violence. With these three, all sorts of bad can form under its category that slowly blend with others to form different varieties of harm. Order was never an option at the beginning; leaders had to vigorously find ways of stability and balance. And so there were six founding fathers who were on board with the same exact idea. A creatine for peace, hope, and love. To not have a world with no wrong but to have a world with both a balance of wrong and right. Let it be war that can bring sadness and morel for peace, or something as little as a lost item, to have hope to find, or maybe even love for a child, a birth of life. A making of another side, another three paths of the other. Forming six paths creating a human. Brain, if you turn and look at the entrance behind you, that is the gate to the paths. They are in need of a new carrier to guid the hero. Brian, once you get in you can not get out. You must decide now or die, reliving as a new person in another world". The old man implied.

Brian thought long and hard and said "…take me where exactly?"

The old man continued "Brian there was, believe it or not, a time of magic once upon a time. Until the destruction of one Demi-god almost destroyed the world of mortals, which would have thrown the lunar system off of balance causing the universe to go to ruins. Now that the use of forgotten magic is being used for bad purposes and evil, the 11 Mallaithe Ābebochi ( Mall- e- heth and ah-bee-bo-key) (Cursed flowers) will awaken and come again to finish what they have started. You must find the 7 fragments to awake the six founding fathers from their tomb in the world of Glastoria. And you must do it in the span of 3 years" . The old man took a moment to look at the freighted boy and said with great compassion "I do believe in you Brian. Or else I wouldn't have never come here. Please, you must believe in yourself and carry on. You will accomplish greatness, my son".

Brian felt a sensation in heart that he had long for from his biological parents, yet found it in a stranger that he had just met. He felt frustrated because this isn't how he wanted to feel acknowledged. Instead of getting angry his face felt hot then his vision turned blurry, flown with drops of salty liquid, and his nose ran stuffy and drippy with snobb. How was it that this man knew what Brian wanted? How was it that the old man knew what Brian was searching for? 

All Brian ever wanted what's to feel a nice amorous embrace from his parents arms, but instead he had words that blanked his cold, broken, heart. Brian knew how to be kind but didn't learn how to love… no one taught him.

The old man said one last thing to the boy at that very moment "Except death as a choice and cycle, not an option. Be accurate, not precise. Also say hello to the Grim Reaper if he ever comes your way or hates him, for all I care, but…but… remember one simple thing for me before you should take your leave. THE DEAD SHOULD ALWAYS STAY DEAD, AND SO SHOULD THE THINGS THAT DIED ALONG WITH THEM." Brian looked around as the room was getting dark and his mind was getting dizzy. "Oh! And one more tip Brian". 

Brian struggled to keep his gaze at the old man as shadows started to arise from behind his back, screaming soft cries of pain and sorrow, all pointing at the passageway. "Carwyn Oswal. He shall be the first in your mind after you have met the other founding fathers."

Then everything went black as Brian's body was getting sucked in the passage.

Knowing nothing but the book in his inventory and the name Carwyn Oswal.