Birth To End (1)

The world was still,silence hung over the air except for the ringing sound resulting from the clashing of two swords against each other.

'Klang!'

"I'm going to kill you." The hatred in the man's voice was palpable as he applied more and more pressure, forcing his opponent to be pushed back.

A blue light enshrouded his sword strengthening it, applying even more pressure on his opponent.

The man could see blood dripping down from Adrien's face, his face scrunched up from the pain.

'He's out of mana.'

This gave more confidence to the man as his movements intensified, disarming his opponent.

The sword flew out of Adrien's hands, yet he didn't show any panic. He was calm, he always knew this day would come.

Death was a constant companion throughout his life.

Adrien fell to the ground, and stayed down. He had lost the will to fight since his body had reached its limit long ago.

The man slowly edged towards him, his venomous gaze threatening to spew out.

"How could you just leave her to die like that ?" The man asked, gazing down at me his sword raised high up in the air.

Adrien seemed to contemplate the man's question deeply before giving a sheepish grin and shrugging his shoulder.

"You're a fucking monster." the man said bringing down his sword.

"I know." Adrien said,closing his eyes.

••••

Adrien Savtior was a child of misfortune.

He was born on rather gloomy day, rain was gently patting down the dry soil, giving it a glistening glow. Dark clouds hung over the sky casting a dull shade on all.

After enduring a precarious labour his mother gave birth to him.

"Gasp"

The mid wife gasped upon witnessing the scene before her. The child which had just been born was floating in the air. He didn't fly far away as the umbilical cord was still intact.

Blood flowed down the newborn's body slowly, he opened his eyes for the first time. A deep blue light enshrouded his entire body basking the room with a strange warmth.

" A child b-blessed by m-mana." A look of fear and worship went through the midwife's sweat stricken face.

A playful smile spread on his mother's face as she whispered, "I wouldn't expect anything less from my son."

No cries were heard that day, only the hysterical shouting of the people present in the room.

•••

{7 years later}

A brisk breeze embraced the field of flowers, it was spring, the time of love, youth and passion.

Adrien was on his knees, picking petals to make a crown for his mother. Not that far away, his parents watched him while they enjoyed the spring breeze under the shadow of a tree.

" I can't believe that he's already seven." Adela rested her head on her husband's shoulder while he squeezed her hand tenderly.

"He still doesn't look it though." ,Dron said cupping his chin thoughfully.

"He's just a little slow, I had my growth spurt pretty late too you know."

Adela's smile widened, " -and I prefer him to remain our little boy for as long as possible."

Adrien was seven years old now.

His childhood for the most part had been uneventful till now. The only problem was that he wasn't that equipped socially.

Adrien's parents had tried to set up playdates with other children of his age but he hated indulging them. He would much rather read a book or pick flowers, much to the disappointment of his father.

There was one aspect he shined in though,

'Whizz'

A blue light spread from his palms and covered the flower petals he had collected, they levitated in the air, coming together to form a flower crown that looked pretty.

After judging his work and nodding in approval, Adrien started running towards his parents.

"I'm still not used to that but I guess it's not that surprising since he's got your genes." Dron gently brought Adela's hand toward his lips and gave them a gentle kiss.

It was indeed true that Adrien had hit the genetic lottery. His father was a warrior of high esteem in the world, he was renowned throughout the Kingdom as a brave and hardened warrior who fought in the war valiantly.

Dron watched with a smile as Adela rushed to embrace their son and gave him a kiss on his rosy cheek.

Dron might have been famous but Adela was the real powerhouse.

She was the...Hero.

A being sent by the heavens to prevent calamity. She had accomplished feats that no normal mortal could have ever hoped to accomplish and had already saved the world twice.

There wasn't a single soul in the entire Aruv continent that didn't know of her and being her son, it was no surprise that he turned out to be a prodigy in magic.

It was the only possible outcome.

Dron watched as he saw Adrien place the flower crown on Adela's head, internally sighing.

Dron always had certain expectations of his son and he often had a hard time confronting the truth that Adrien was the opposite to all of them.

He didn't like training, he didn't seemed to want to make any friends either. The boy seemed trapped in a bubble which only included their little family.

Dron worried about him, worried that he was too soft for the world.

"Papa!"

Adrien's voice broke him away from his thoughts and he found the boy standing in front of him holding out a flower crown in his tiny hands.

"Show me your head!" Adrien commanded prompting a chuckle from his father.

"Okay..okay..calm down Adrien." Dron lowered his head and saw his son's innocent smile.

'Adela's right...I'm just overthinking things.'

Dron too wanted him to remain their little boy for as long as possible.

But Dron's worries were for naught.

Their world was a cruel one, violence and betrayal leaked from every corner of it. To remain unscathed would be challenging for any normal person.

But Adrien wasn't too soft for their world.

He was a perfect fit.

A bit too perfect, they just hadn't realised it yet.

•••