The Moon Thief

"I know what happened." Luian took a deep breath.

"Your grandfather did not tell you what happened so that you did not seek revenge. However, you have a right to know what happened. You are no longer a little boy. Moreover, the things I will tell you, can give you a full understanding about how the way Ainsar World works."

"I'm listening." Heinald nodded.

"Your mother and father fell victim to a betrayal. They were trapped by a Ainsar named Mirron they newly met. Both were almost close to being Level 2 Ainsar, so they needed a lot of resources. They made a plan with Mirron to go to the Hell Islands in order to get some Lava Hound eggs from there. Even one egg was very valuable.

I don't know what happened there, but they managed to get one egg. However,your parents failed to leave the Hell Islands. When they were trying to escape, Mirron trapped your parents and took the egg and ran away. When Lavs found out about this, he went after Mirron to the Raveneye Kingdom for revenge, but Mirron was a member of a family called Santerr and the leader of the family was Level 3 Ainsar. Your grandfather was only Level 2 Ainsar, so he could not do anything. Your grandfather was subjected to a curse by the leader of the Santerr family. He would normally have killed your grandfather immediately, but he wanted him to die slowly and in pain."

"Some nights my grandfather was suffering from pain. Is it because of curse?" Heinald clenched his fists.

Luian nodded.

"Why? Why did he want my grandfather to die slowly and in pain?" Heinald asked.

"Because he wanted to do. He wanted to do it and did it. Do you understand? The strong is always right. That is why nobody spoke about the injustice done to the your family." Luian shook his head.

"Level 3 Ainsar..." Heinald was in thought as he played with the splinter on the table.

The rest of the night passed with sporadic conversations. The tavern remained calm all night long. The next day, they started to move along the winding roads of the mountain range. Heinald and Luian had reached the Obelisk Pass when it was getting dark. Heinald understood why it was given such a name. The pass was located on the hill between the two mountains, with obelisks on either side.

"Let's wait here until morning." Luian looked around.

He pulled the Horse Carriage near a large rock, which reduced the force of the wind as the big rock was on the windward side. Heinald waited vigilantly all night, and through his eyes he could see quite clearly even in the dark, and if something came close he wouldn't miss anything.

Except for a few strange sounds and strong winds, the night passed smoothly. At dawn they set out again and crossed the pass. The sight of the Wasteland began to catch the eye as they descended the winding roads of the mountain. On the other side of the Geros Mountain Range, the Wasteland greeted you first. The Wasteland was a region that really deserved its name.

The soil was completely dry and the number of living being. As Heinald entered the boundaries, he noticed that the energy around him changed. He was beginning to feel a small amount of Elemental Energy. Kingdom of Southstorm was located 300 miles North-West side of the Wasteland. Heinald and Luian made their way through the Wasteland, and after a two-day journey they entered the borders of the Kingdom of Southstorm.

Their new goal was to reach Sky City, located in the center of the Kingdom of Southstorm. Sky City was the capital of the kingdom and the royal palace was located there, and of course most of the powerful families of the kingdom were there.

"What kind of person is the leader of the family?" Heinald asked.

"Marcus Rinemoth ... He's not usually very involved in family affairs. He's more focused on his own development. He's pretty cunning, he's good at seizing opportunities." These were Luian's impressions about the head of the family.

"Which department is your work in?" Hienald asked.

"I am working on plants. You already understand from the materials I brought to my grandfather. I am trying to find new effects that have not appeared before by researching various plants. Thus, I make interest agreements with Ainsars who deal with Potion Brewing."

After the ten-day journey of Luian and Heinald, the huge walls of the city of Sky City began to appear. Apart from the walls, the only thing visible was the royal palace built on the hill. Heinald was excited, he was going to see a city for the first time. Sky City had four entrances and exits, north, south, east and west. After a short check, they entered the city from the south gate. Sky City was a city where only Ainsars and their servants lived. Ordinary Knights and people could not live and shelter here. Non-Ainsar people could not open any shops in the cities and towns of the Ainsar Kingdoms; they could only work as servants there.

Heinald was exploring his surroundings with admiration. He had never seen such large and grandiose buildings before. Since the only place he visited in his life was a small town, the liveliness of this city made him feel different, there were too many people around. Most of the people he had seen so far were Apprentice Ainsar, and a few Level 1 Ainsar. Luian was also Level 1 Ainsar, so the Apprentice Ainsar, feeling the energy emanating from him, bowed their heads as they walked the road.

There were a lot of shops on the streets of the city, but interestingly, they all sold the same stuff. All shops were selling Potions, Herbs, Formulas, Spells and Weapons.

"Probably, there are strong families behind these shops." Heinald thought.

"Avarage Ainsars and their families live in these parts of the city. The mighty Ainsars and their families live in the center of the city, around the Royal Palace. " Luian returned to Heinald and began to provide information about the city.

"Which family rules this kingdom?" Heinald asked.

"The Hubeth Family. The leader of the family, Penoth, is a Level 3 Ainsar. He appointed his son as king, but of course the real power is himself. Most of the shops you see are actually owned by the royal family."

It took them a few hours to get to the middle of the city, and indeed it was clear that powerful Ainsars lived in these areas. There was almost no Apprentice Ainsar around, most of the people he saw were Level 1 Ainsar. There were no double or triple-storey houses around like the other side of the city, there were villas and mansions.

When they came to a mansion with white walls, they stopped. This was the mansion of the Rinemoth Family. The mansion covered a large area. It was a very large and imposing mansion.

"Sir Luian, welcome." When the guards at the gate saw Luian, they opened the door and let them pass.

When Heinald walked into the mansion, his mouth remained open, and there were gold-plated paintings on the walls, which were obviously elaborate. Inside was quite large and spacious, with lots of corridors and doors, but there were not many people around, they saw only two Apprentice Ainsars around.

"Lord Marcus's room is upstairs. When we get to him, do not be disrespectful. Choose your words carefully." Luian made some warnings to Heinald before appearing before the family leader.

Heinald nodded.

When they got upstairs, they started walking down a long and wide corridor. At the end of the corridor was a large door. Two middle-aged men in white robes were waiting outside the door. The man standing to the right of the door knocked on the door when he saw Luian.

"Enter!"

"Lord Marcus, Luian and his guest is here." The white robed man lowered his head.

"Let them come."

When Heinald and Luian entered, they immediately bowed to Marcus Rimenoth. Contrary to what Heinald had expected, Marcus did not have an aged appearance, on the contrary, he had a vigorous body and long black hair. There was not a single wrinkle on his face, and he seemed to have a body even stronger than the strongest knights, though not obvious due to the robes he was wearing.

"Master Marcus, this young man's name is Heinald. He's quite skilled at Potion Brewing, he managed to make his first potion on his fourth attempt. I thought you should definitely recognize him." Luian introduced Heinald.

He felt a lot of pressure when Marcus turned his gaze at him. He had become Level 2 Ainsar long ago. 

Heinald immediately bowed his head.

"How old are you, young man?" Marcus asked.

"I'm seventeen, sir."

"Oh? You are quite young. What skills do you have about Potion Brewing?" Marcus was surprised at the age of the young man across from him.

Did this young man really know how to brew potions?

"I can brew Constitution Potion and Low-Level Healing Potion, sir."

After a slight frown, Marcus Rimenoth looked into Heinald's eyes. He felt at that moment he was naked. After a few seconds, Marcus pursed his lips and stood up. "Interesting, no lies in your eyes. Come with me. Let's go to the Potion Lab. I'm curious about your skills."

Heinald and Luian followed Marcus to the Potions Lab, which was built under the mansion. Heinald could not hide his astonishment at the laboratory he saw. There were every size of every tool needed for Potion Brewing. Marcus asked the servants to bring the ingredients needed for the potions.