The doors opened slowly in the pale moonlight of Avitou City. A small figure with black hair snuck inside after dark. It coughed loudly, trying to cover its mouth with its sleeve. But it was far too late; a match flickered and lit a candle.

  “Well, Tutsoi. You’re home quite late, aren’t you?”

  Tutsoi looked down in shame, his cracked lip spilling blood that seeped through his fingers. The woman standing in front of him instantly attacked him.

  “Oh, what happened, Tutsoi?”

  Tutsoi had tears in his eyes; he just backed away from her.

  “It was nothing, just jerks.”

  She smiled and grabbed a piece of cloth. She brought down his hand and tapped on the wound, sighing.

  “Why didn’t you defend yourself? Your Resonance could have made it easy to deal with them.”

  Tutsoi didn’t answer for a few moments. All it was now was his older sister treating his wounds.

  “Kylia… I’m sorry.”

  Kylia, Tutsoi’s older sister, leaned back for a moment in near disbelief.

  “Sorry for what, Tutsoi?”

  Tutsoi brought his head down, his hair covering his face. He squeezed his pant legs intensely.

  “I’m supposed to be a prodigy… but I feel like all I do is fail…”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Kylia reached up, gently lifted Tutsoi’s chin, and met his eyes with her own.

  “You’re anything but a failure to me, Corrin. Who cares what they see? Who cares what you’re supposed to be?’ Because you’re already doing so much. You’re already everything to me.”

  Tutsoi jumped forward and hugged her tightly.

  “Everybody expects so much of me, Kylia… It’s all because of my stupid black hair.”

  They hug for a few moments longer before Kylia pulls him away.

  “Then prove to them that you’re more than what they expect, because you are. You and your black hair.”

  Tutsoi thought of his black hair; the sole reason he was named a prodigy. Being born with black hair as a pure-blood Anees is incredibly rare and is usually called a gift from the gods. Blackbornes, as they were called, were gifted in the art of harnessing the Ani in the air, and therefore obtained a Resonance sooner.

  Tutsoi, at that moment, gained a new sense of ambition. Days were long, but he utilized every moment. From that day forward, he longed to prove to everybody that he was even greater than they anticipated him to be. He put his hardest effort into learning every technique in the books and mastering every single one. The weight of the eyes hung over him as he learned, but that did not stop him.

  He trained from before dawn to after dusk, and came home to spend what little free time he had left with his sister, catching up, talking about their days, and eating warm home-made foods. In that time, Kylia too was highly favored in the public eye. She passed her final exam with flying colors, landing a solid spot in the Information Division, the most elite squadron in all of the Avitou guard.

  Tutsoi walked out of the Academy after dark in the evening, five years after that day, his ambition became a reality.

  “Tutsoi! Wait up!”

  Lukas ran up to Tutsoi. They had just finished their training, and now Tutsoi was cold and tired. He was ready to go back home and spend a bit of family time with his sister.

  “Hey, Lukas. What’s up?”

  Lukas walked alongside Tutsoi as he went. The air around them froze in place; the wind was scarce.

  “How did your mock final go?”

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  Tutsoi smirked; he knew he had aced it. He knew every form they presented and executed each flawlessly. He knew he was held to higher standards than the other teachers, but everything, even higher standards, told him that he had passed the mock final.

  “It went great. I’m going to ace the final in a few months when I turn seventeen. I’ll be even greater than my sister is now, and greater than my father was before me. I won’t just settle for being great; I’ll be the best, Lukas. I want people to look upon me knowing that I exceeded everything they thought I’d do.”

  Lukas smiled. He, too, was a skilled swordsman; number one in his grade and number three in the entire academy's ranking. Tutsoi knew that he and Lukas would grow together to join the Information Division and figure out why so many strange creatures had begun appearing near the city on the lake.

  “I admire your ambition, Tutsoi. Really, I do…”

  The two then bid each other farewell, and Tutsoi left. Lukas went back to the Academy; his father did run it and live there, after all. Tutsoi walked through the snowy city until he reached the familiar shabby brick home. Even with an Information Division soldier's salary, they could not afford much besides this home and good food. The position was more about prestige and chivalry than anything else.

  Tutsoi was ready to see what Kylia had made for dinner. She left early that morning with a note that she’d be back tonight, and if not, to find something in the pantry and cellar. He hoped that she was back; her cooking was always much better than Tutsoi’s was. As he opened the door, however, a sight he never thought he’d see lay before him: blood smeared the walls, a shattered sword littered the ground around a pool of blood.

  Sitting on the counter was a note that read, ‘Abandoned windmill, come alone, or your sister dies.’ Tutsoi’s heart began to pound. The abandoned windmill? It had stood tall just outside the city walls for centuries. Apparently, before the snow began to fall more heavily in recent decades, it was used to cut wood to make houses. Now, it was the only part of the old Avitou still standing.

  Tutsoi gripped his fists and ran out of his house. He was still cold, still tired, but a new energy and warmth surged through him. He had to save his sister; he had to save Kylia. The world felt like it was caving in around him, like nothing but fear was flowing through him. As he ran, people he knew asked where he was going. He was a popular fellow, but unlike on a usual day, he did not stop to chat; he ran right by them, paying them no mind.

  He ran to a very specific section of the wall, a part where he and Lukas had snuck out together as children to see what life was like beyond the confines of Avitou City. He loosened the brick and ran for the windmill. He could see it in the distance, a good ten-minute walk from the walls, not far. Was his sister really in there? Was she hurt? He longed to find her okay. He arrived and caught his breath for a moment before heading inside.

  The silence was deafening, the wooden door he opened squeaked before closing, and stopped. The entire windmill was leaning a few degrees to the right, and everything was lopsided. In the middle of the windmill was a large wooden beam, and tied to it was Kylia. Tutsoi immediately jumped forward and pulled out a knife to cut the ropes.

  “Tutsoi… Is that you…?”

  “It’s okay, Kylia, I’m going to get you out of this!”

  Suddenly, a hand grabbed Tutsoi from his nape and threw him aside. Tutsoi twisted and landed on his feet, spinning to look at his attacker. Before him stood a large black man. Tutsoi had never seen a man with such skin color before, though he had heard stories of the Mostiis in the past.

  “You mustn't get your prize just yet. You haven’t earned it.”

  Tutsoi readied his sword and form. The man pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed it into Kylia’s leg as she screamed aloud. Tutsoi gasped.

  “Don’t tempt me to do it again, understand, Tutsoi? Drop the weapon, or I’ll kill her right now.”

  Tutsoi contemplates what to do for a few seconds before he leans down and gently drops his sword. He hopes desperately that the man won’t harm Kylia again.

  “Good. Now, we should start with introductions. My name is Nevarii Shaliim. Your name is Tutsoi Ika, is that correct?”

  Tutsoi doesn’t answer.

  “That’s good. Now, you’re going to help me with a little something I need done. There's one within the walls named Lukas Hisstion. I need you to kill him.”