DEATHWISH

If you had the capability of travelling across the entire kingdom continent of Ottilia, and you managed to speak with everybody in Ottilia, try and asked them which among the four main duchy of Ottilia is their favourite.

I'd bet you anything, that almost none of them would pick Cherith as their favourite. Especially between December to February. For the snowstorm hit Cherith like waves hitting the beach.

And yet, to the folks if Cherith, there's nowhere else they'd rather be. To them, the beauty of the constant blanket of snow was unmatched. To them, the snow was a symbol of strength and security.

One might wonder why is that so? Well, aside from the village of dwarven blacksmith, there's only two people who lived in Cherith. Soldiers...and war refugees. So compared to the constant death and starvation they faced, Cherith is a haven.

Although, right now, a freezing carriage driver would violently disagree on the Cherith's beauty.

"God fucking damnit!" Dylan loudly exclaimed as he burst into the dining hall. "Why the fuck is Cherith so cold!"

The bustling of the diners stopped. The atmosphere is awkwardly silent. All the maids and the servants looked at the young man.

"What do you mean, Dylan?" A nearby maid innocently asked him. "Isn't Cherith cold all year round?"

That naive question sparked off a parade of giggles. "Yeah Dylan. You've been here how many years already. You should've been used to this by now. Hahaha."

Dylan gritted his chattering teeth. He wanted to retort, but chose not to. Increasing his body temperature takes precedence over everything right now. He went to a corner, and dragged one of the Fire Crystal that kept the entire hall warm. He took a seat between the diners, and enjoyed the warmth coming from the crystal. Accompanied by a symphony of chuckles and mockery.

At the food counter, a pair of sympathetic eyes are watching. Those beautiful jade green eyes belongs to the young lunch lady, Maya.

"Gosh, could you at least wiped that drool from your mouth Maya." Her friend who worked the line with her jested.

Maya was shocked. She didn't realized her friend was standing beside her. Hurriedly, her fingers touched the corner of her mouth. She was relieved to find that it was dry, and immediately frowned at her friend. "I was not drooling. See that?"

"Ceh, you might as well have. Rather than looking from afar, why don't you feed him? I'm sure he would be very happy."

Maya's eyes went back to Dylan. "You think so?"

"Of course. Now go."

Maya reached for a tray. Then a bowl. And filled the bowl with creamy Quake Rabbit soup. With a loaf of bread besides the bowl, she carried the tray to Dylan.

"Maya. You shouldn't have?" Dylan stood up and took the tray from her hands. "I can take the dish myself you know."

Maya smiled. "I know. But it's getting late. And you look quite miserable already. Figured it's better you eat sooner rather than later."

"Hehehe, our lunch lady is not only beautiful. But also kind hearted." Dylan smiled even wider. Than the smile disappeared as he turned to the rest of them. "See guys. Instead of mocking me, can't you at least have an inkstain of sympathy in your blackened hearts?"

"Ceh." The rest of them clicked their tongues, and took their seats. They resumed eating.

Maya sat in front of Dylan. She had a bowl of soup of her own. She wasn't really hungry. Just wanted to eat with Dylan.

Dylan doesn't noticed that. He was too hungry. After half of the bowl was empty, and a quarter of the loaf was gone, Dylan happily exhaled. "Ahhh, now that is the best meal of all. You're the best, Maya."

"Hehehe, I'm glad you like it. Do finish your meal, alright?" Maya said. Her cheeks began to bloom a shade of red.

"Of course. Wouldn't want to waste this lovely meal."

As his eating was a little bit calmer, Maya asked the question everybody's been curious about.

"So, errr...Dylan?"

Dylan's spoon still happily travelled from the bowl to his mouth. "Huh? Yeah, what is it?"

"Are you okay?"

"Hehe, why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean, you look pretty rough. Do you get into an accident or something?Or...is it the soldiers?"

The reason why Maya is worried is because some soldiers, especially the new ones, often bullied the servants and the maids. They have yet to undergone the strict discipline of Blaze Wolf Military, so they can get quite a bit unruly. Maya was afraid that that's what happened to Dylan.

"Heh, they wouldn't dare to. Even if they did, I would've gone straight to Master Aelius."

One of the servants sitting nearby cannot stand it anymore. "Then what the fuck happen to you, man? Is it that horrible?"

Dylan stopped eating and let out a sigh. "Haih, you nosy lot." He paused for a bit, looked around, felt that there's no way of getting out of telling them, and reluctantly opened his mouth. "I...I helped Young Master Utu shovelled snow from the courtyard."

"Huh? That doesn't make any sense. What would the Young Master do at the courtyard?" Someone asked.

Some one else answered. "What else? He wanted to train of course."

The rest nodded sympathetically. Young Master Utu had been training frantically since he was nine. And since he turned twelve, his training only increased in its volume and intensity. In fact, Mister Quidel even said that that child's self training rivalled the training of Vitalux's Royal Army.

May frowned. "Did the Young Master forced you to shovel snow for him?"

Dylan rolled his eyes. "Pfft, that kid? Come on Maya, you know how that kid is. He would go to the kitchen to get a drink himself rather than call one of us. Do you think he would have the gall to order me to freeze to death?"

Maya's expression relaxed. Indeed the Young Master had a kind heart. "Then..."

"Well, I couldn't just let the kid do it himself. He looked so sad. A child shovelling snow. Remind me of myself back home, you know. I gotta stop and help."

The dining hall went silent. There's no chuckles and giggles. No jokes and sarcasm, nor an ounce of mockery. All were lost in thought. Or rather, their thoughts were singularly focussed on one person. The Young Master. Utu Brandr.

That kid was the sweetest kid ever. Most of the servants and maids here were refugees, saved by the Brandrs and brought here to live in Cherith. They came from across the sea, a land known as the Human Alliance. And the children of the nobles there were the worst. Treating anybody below them like they aren't even human. To compared the nobles to Young Master Utu would be like comparing a toilet to Heaven.

"Hey Maya. You've been here quite a long time, right?" One of the maids broke the silence.

"Urmmm, yeah? What of it?"

"Do you know why the Young Master is like that. I mean, from what Mister Quidel and Chef Angus said, the kid is pretty decent. Why would he put himself through that?"

Everybody turned to Maya, causing her to hesitate a bit. It's not a secret, why Utu behaves like that. It's just, Maya felt like it's not her place to tell. But she also knew these colleagues of hers. There's no way they'll let go a piece of gossip just like that.

"Well...it's probably due to the Ignition Ceremony. There's about a week left, right? Maybe that's why Young Master Utu is even more anxious."

The rest of them opened their eyes wide in realization. Of course! The Ignition Ceremony.

The Ignition Ceremony is the Brandr family's New Year Celebration. Every New Year's Eve, the entire family pilgrimage to the icy tundra of Lavos, their Northern neighbor to receive the blessing of the Holy Fire on Avernus volcano.

For every twelve year old Brandr, Ignition Ceremony is a point that will shape their entire future. Here, upon receiving the blessing of the Holy Fire, their core shall be awakened. Which will determined who they are. Mana core or Arma core. Magic user or Aura user. A Mage, or an Auror. So, it is understandable why Utu would be so nervous.

"Hang on, I don't understand." A servant interjected. "Why would the Young Master be worried? Whether he's a Mage or an Auror, who cares. He's smart, and from Mister Quidel and Chef Angus's stories, he's pretty strong as well. So what's the problem?"

All eyes turned to Maya again. "Well, the problem is, if Young Master Utu failed to awaken a Fire core, he can't be the head of Brandr. The Duke of Cherith, one of the Four Pillars of Ottilia, has to possess a Fire energy core. And he is the Duke's son. Can you see how much of a burden is on his shoulder?"

Everybody went nodding again. That particular servant though, was unconvinced. "But-but... he's only twelve though. Why would he want to be the Duke of Cherith so much?"

Maya shook her head, indicating she didn't know. At this point, Dylan interjected. "It...probably had to do with that incident when he was nine."

"Oh? What happened?"

Dylan deeply inhaled, as if trying to gather strength. "Fuh, I remember that night. I was the coach driver. I was...transporting...from the port to the Duke's main residence."

"Wh-what are you transporting?"

"Not what. Who." Dylan took a sip of his now lukewarm tea. "I was bringing the...dying Duke home."

Everybody gasped. Duke Aelius was strong. Even among the Four Pillars, they all admitted that he was stronger. To be the one to badly injured the Duke, how strong was his opponent?

"Then what happened?"

Dylan drew another long breath. "Well, it's as you're expect things to turn out. The Duke's sister, you know High Priestess Nerine, was waiting. She healed him. Everything was fine. Except for one thing."

"It was late at night, so nobody would expect the Young Master to be there, but he was. Utu walked in, and saw his father covered up in bloody bandages. It must've been horrifying for him." Dylan drank the rest of his tea after finishing his story.

"Poor kid. And then? What happened next?"

Dylan scoffed. "Dude, I was just a carriage driver. I was behind closed door. But whatever happened, after that night, the Young Master began training like crazy."

Dylan left to wash his bowl. Leaving everybody in silent contemplation.

Meanwhile, the much talked about Young Master was standing alone in the middle of the courtyard. Under the drizzling snow. His eyes were closed. His left hand tightly grabbed the sheathed kopis dangling by his side.

Utu took a step forward...