A New Morning

Rising out of his bed with a hastening breath of air being inhaled, Silver got up, rubbing his eyes out of exhaustion, and he quickly recalled what had happened yesterday. 

His father had been possessed by a spirit. Not just any spirit, but a Manifestation, which was a soul that was unable to move onto the Middle Realms, the lands of the dead, purely because of the malevolence that sprouted from it after it became a spirit. However, what was bizarre was the fact that the Manifestation seemed terrified of something, as it gazed towards the skies inside his father's body.

"…Ha… I don't even know how my father managed to get possessed by a spirit in the first place. It must've been recently, as it is taught in the schools that the evil of a Manifestation cannot be withheld for long."

"But, since we said a prayer and his screams subsided, I think the spirit is gone now."

Silver sighed and focused on another subject. His primary education, otherwise known as, school, which he was reminded of, just now. He has had to stop going to school for quite a while now. Even though his father was a knight, he didn't bother spending most of his money, and kept most of it away, while he spent a minuscule amount on food and alcohol.

He was a lazy man, yet was also the only family that Silver and Ariadne knew.

"…These books have told me of a different world…" Silver said as he gazed towards the window that was veiled by the curtains. "The world of the educated. The world that can afford jobs, and can head to universities and travel to different countries. Due to my interests, I only know how to speak eloquently, sometimes not even on purpose which is why I sometimes prefer not to speak, and read, while my sister only knows how to be neat and organised, and she also is quite sociable."

"…Father cannot provide us with enough." Silver realised. "I regret saying this. My father has also been grieving since our mother's death. But, soon enough, he might not even find enough time to buy food and leave us to starve and fend for ourselves. I need to do something before that. I need to…"

At that moment, an idea arose in Silver's mind. He could join a Mercenary Troupe. Illegal places where those, ranging from as young as 5 to young adults, could be assigned commissionary work, which was often dangerous, but people needed money, after all. 

What made this seem great to those who could not afford necessities, was that the Mercenary Troupes handed out around two or three copper pennies with either a sword or a shield on them, called "crowns", and the payment ranged to even silver coins, called silver crowns, and crown crests, the gold coin. This was the currency system used in most countries in the eastern part of the continent in this age, first minted by the demi-god sovereignty, the Great Monarch of Contracts & Worth, the Majesty Asorta.

"…I know that the Gods have gazed upon me. But, I cannot even use my gift for now, as they have only given me an Oath. If I want to survive and gain that true power, I need to find enough money to live, and live properly."

Silver left his room soon afterwards, and went towards Ariadne's room quickly, which was just down the hallway. Unfortunately, the floor creaked quite often, so awakening his father was quite a worry. But, this time, his father snored more deeply than usual.

"Ariadne… Ariadne!" Silver's eyes darted to her bed, where she slept without a single sound. 

He also noticed that she looked particularly different this morning. Perhaps it was because she often didn't want to end up looking like herself normally, as her resemblance to their late mother seemed to ache their father's heart even more, causing him to fall into a greater depression.

But, despite that, Silver never harboured any resentment for his sister, as he knew that they were two parts of one whole; as twins. 

He shook her awake, and as she rubbed her eyes and got up, he told her of his plan. "I'm going to head into a Mercenary Troupe."

"…You… what?"

"I said… I'm going into a Mercenary Troupe." Silver repeated, with a hint of anticipation for what his sister would say next. "We need money, after all, and father, even though he's in service to the Count that oversees the town, we don't get enough of anything from him…"

"…Then, I'm joining you too." Ariadne nodded, earning a surprised glance from Silver, who braced for her reaction.

"What?"

"I'm joining you, I said. Because I know exactly how much our father is struggling. The only reason why we haven't reported him to the priests is because he means too much to us. We both know that he is… pitiful, but he has done the most he can. Still, that is not enough for us…"

Silver agreed. She summed it up perfectly. He was once hardworking, someone capable enough to become a knight of the town of Castor, under the servitude of a renowned Count who dealt with numerous other towns and counties. Yet, now he had become someone so pathetic that he had been possessed by a spirit, and it seemed to be quite easy for the malevolent spirit to do so as well, as he fainted without any chance to resist it.

"So, then… if you're so adamant about joining with me, what Mercenary Troupe should we go ahead and visit?" Silver inquired. And, Ariadne already had an idea of where to go.

***

With haste, they made it out of the two-storey building made of wood and bricks that they called their home, and headed towards the streets. Mercenary Troupes often hid in plain sight, to avoid the ever-scanning gazes of policemen and those policing watchers that were employed by them.

And so, the destination that Ariadne had in mind was past the abandoned building near Cradle's Cup Street, past the old church chapel, that was called the Golden Cross Chapel, abandoned due to the Templar knights that trampled all over it a few months past, declaring it a place of sacrilegious activity and blasphemy due to dealings with the Lucent Aurelian Lotus Order.

"…Woah… I don't think I've been here before…" Silver gasped, noticing the entirely abandoned building. "Are we heading to those places…?"

"What places?"

"You know… the dirty places? The slums?"

"Nope. We're going to this place over here." Ariadne pointed at the place beyond the old church chapel. "Also, don't ask how I know this place. Since, unlike you, someone who barely goes out, I sometimes go exploring the town from time to time."

Silver rolled his eyes. It was true that he didn't often go out, but he did leave the house on some occasions but just tended to stay away from places like these. They had gone past the abandoned, old church chapel, and entered a small inn that looked similar to those which you would find in the town's large slums. The inn had a large signboard ahead, on top of the second floor, which said the simple words, "Jin's Inn." 

Ariadne walked towards the wooden door entrance first and knocked on it hard. And then, it opened slightly, to reveal the face of a scruffy man with streaks of white in his black hair.

"…It's you again." He growled, with a fierce presence that overwhelmed them. "What do you want?"

"…Well, we two want to join your Mercenary Troupe."