Beginning

It was late at night, around half past eleven. The temperature outside was rather low and cool, but bearable.

The sound of crickets and wind-blown leaves relaxed the environment, making it pleasant and great for falling asleep.

It was just a prairie, not very large, next to it there was a small forest from which the incessant sound of crickets and owls came.

Built on that prairie was a small country house. It was completely made of wood, which was very worn and ruined. Inside that house lived an old man with his grandson. Oldgure, a sixty-five-year-old man, was sitting on a small chair next to a bed, in which Cesar, his grandson of just eight years old, lay.

"It was a gigantic expanse of an undefined rock... On it, randomly positioned, there are small lights... The sky is completely white, covered only by strange purple and blue clouds... " told Oldgure to Cesar.

He used to tell Cesar some stories to put him to sleep. Every time before turning off the light, Oldgure sat in his usual chair and started telling.

"This place, called Vèiger, was the place where all the truths were hidden, the place that the 'villains' wanted to keep secret from the population... " he was interrupted for a moment. He had noticed the heavy eyes of Cesar, who was about to fall asleep.

"Were you already falling asleep, Cesar?" he asked sadly. As every night, he was extremely immersed in his story and wanted to finish it.

Cesar, opening his eyes and rubbing them lightly, nodded.

"Grandpa... You always tell me the same stories... " he said sorry. He didn't want to offend his grandfather, but at the same time, he thought he was a little crazy.

"The same stories, you say...? I thought you liked them... ".

"Yes, they are beautiful stories... But hearing them every night is not nice... ".

"You never told me anything like that... I thought you liked them so much that you wanted to hear them every night haha... " he said ironically.

"I'm sleepy... " said Cesar, who kept yawning.

"All right, Cesar... sleep, that tomorrow we continue our training, you do?".

Cesar had already fallen asleep. Oldgure, however, was also beginning to be rather sleepy, so after checking the front door of the house he reached his small room and put himself in bed.

Before he fell asleep, however, his head was filled with questions.

"I wonder if everything I'm doing is right... ".

It was morning and Oldgure was awakened by the sun's strong light.

"I forgot again... " exclaimed, suddenly getting out of bed.

He had forgotten to close the "shutters," as he calls them. They were wooden boards that he used to place in front of the windows to block sunlight.

He went to check in Cesar's small room if he was already awake.

Their house was indeed very small. In addition to Oldgure and Cesar's small rooms, there was a small living room that served as an entrance.

"Cesar??" he exclaimed, not finding him in the bed. With the corner of his eye, he saw his tuft of black hair, with some red tinge, sticking out from behind the glass.

"But what... " he thought, rushing outside.

"Cesar? What are you doing out there?" he asked, standing before Cesar, who was staring at a point inside the forest.

He turned suddenly to his grandfather, looking down.

"I... Here... Nothing... " said very confused.

Oldgure did not understand, but perhaps he did not want to understand.

"Come inside, Cesar... you know it's risky to stay outside in plain sight... ".

He was aware of all this. The grandfather was wanted by the government of the country in which they lived, he hid inside that house eight years before.

**

The world was divided into eleven nations, which governed independently of each other. This organization of nations was created after the Second World War, which ended eight years earlier.

All eleven nations, however, had united themselves within a single great world alliance, which was entered into by the nation 0, also called "Kormany Nation".

The Kormany were the government of nation 0, but they were recognized above all for having sanctioned the alliance and having created the "peaceful" world that there is today.

**

Cesar heard the grandfather's command and returned to his home. 

On the same day, Oldgure left for a supply trip.

"Cesar, I'm going to the village nearby to do the usual refueling, you remember to stay in the house... ".

"Yes, Grandpa!!" he exclaimed full of energy.

"We do the training afterward, right??" he asked.

"Sure, Cesar... " he said before saying goodbye and heading for the village.

It was a village not far from their home. In the middle of it, there was a small castle but high enough to be seen from far away.

Inside that village, Oldgure used to buy necessities with the little money he had.

He had no job, so the money was given to him by a villager called Yuusaba. They had become quite close friends and Oldgure could now trust him.

However, among the narrow streets of that village, Oldgure was not seen favorably. 

Oldgure used to tell his strange stories not only to Cesar but also to the inhabitants of that village, which is located in Nation 1.

He used to climb over a small stage to start telling stories. People were very tired of this and began to see him with contempt, some even insulted him.

He did not give up and kept telling his stories. 

He was not going to tell stories that day, however. It was the usual day of the week when Yuusaba would give him that little money to buy water and food.

"How much money did you spend last week?? Haha... " asked Yuusaba.

"I spent it all week, I did not waste them... ".

They met in the usual house of Yuusaba, which was inside one of the many palaces of that village. It was built in a nineteenth-century style, the streets were small and the inhabitants wore elegant clothes. It was a fairly wealthy village, but Yuusaba was not in a good economic situation. Despite this, he was still willing to lend a hand to Oldgure.

Yuusaba knew of Cesar's presence, he felt obliged to give them a hand with some money.

The days passed and Oldgure was particularly obsessed with training for Cesar.

"Cesar, be committed! You have to reach the Vèiger... How do you plan to achieve it like this?".

"Again with this story... Grandpa, the Vèiger does not exist!! It is only an invention of yours!!".

"What?? Do you not believe in the existence of the Vèiger?".

Cesar stopped and made a disapproving face.

Cesar knew of his grandfather's reputation in the nearby village. Just after learning how the villagers treated him, Cesar began to doubt his grandfather and saw him as slightly crazy.

[...]

They were at home, Cesar had just fallen asleep and Oldgure sat down on a chair in the living room, resting his arms on the side table.

"Still nothing... Yet I've been training him for a while now... " he thought to himself.

"Still no sign of power... At his age, some symptoms should have already manifested themselves, but nothing... ".

"Tomorrow I have to leave, I'll leave Cesar alone for a few days... Will he be able to stay alone??".

These thoughts did not leave him alone and would persecute him even for the whole night.

[...]

"Cesar... " exclaimed, calling Cesar to report the expedition.

"What is it??" he asked, coming from his room.

"Today I have to leave for a few days... I will enter the castle that I often talk about... ".

"Ohh... Okay... " he said worried. That castle had always been the subject of discussion between the two, Oldgure had always been insistent in telling him that he would like to take a look inside it.

**

Around the world, in some countries, there are these castles. They can be found in the middle of some villages and are extremely guarded.

The nations had agreed that no one could enter those castles, and anyone who ignored this law would be killed without mercy.

The origin of these castles was not known, how old they were, and who had built them. They were taken into custody by the Kormany and guarded by many guards.

**

"Yuusaba will take care of you these days, when I come back we'll go ahead with the training, okay?".

"All right, Grandpa... ".

The days passed but Oldgure did not return.

Cesar began to worry a lot, but the tragic news was given by Yuusaba when he went to see him one day.

Yuusaba found Cesar sitting on the edge of the front door, waiting for his grandfather to return.

"Cesar... " he said with a gloomy air.

"Yes, tell me... " replied Cesar with a melancholy air.

Seeing Cesar standing up, Yuusaba advised him to stay seated.

"I tell you honestly and without going around... Your grandfather is probably dead since he never returned... ".

Cesar stood still. It was sudden news, he didn't expect it at all. He was still convinced that his grandfather could come back, he did not want to accept the news. He saw him as a crazy man, it's true, but he loved him very much.

"It can't be true... he's still on the road... " he said with his eyes paralyzed.

Yuusaba did not want to add any more words.

"No... It can't be... " he said, getting up and going to hug Yuusaba crying.

The days passed and Cesar was convinced of his grandfather's death. He continued to live alone for another eight long years until Yuusaba showed up at his door with some disconcerting news.