When the people were released by the new king of Mitos, a husband and wife, Lionel and Eve, respectively, left the city. They went to Evalesc, a city known for being a sanctuary and refuge for outcasts.

From outside, the city was unkempt. Moss and vines crawled up the walls. The grass was tall near the doors. Animals roamed freely at the front. Some people were tending them. Others lounged around doing nothing or pretended to be busy.

Lionel and Eve stopped at its gates. They saw the men behind it, staring at them. It wasn't a pleasant greeting, but they were let in.

Inside was not much different. It was more vibrant. The dwellings were mostly huts, made of stones and twigs. There were some houses made of stones and bricks. Those had a myriad of colours, vibrant and lively unlike the residents. Despite how people sneered at one another, their actions spoke for them.

Lionel and Eve knew they made the right choice.

Within the year, they settled down and adapted to the people. Soon after, Eve became pregnant.

There was a custom in Evalesc that when a child was born, the leader would greet that child and give it a blessing. So, when Eve gave birth to her son, Ethas, the leader named Eva, visited them.

Eva exuded charisma solely on her looks. Her light brown wavy hair matched her brown leather attire. She wore a long sleeve crop top and jeans with a backdrop measuring down halfway between her thighs and knees. Her eyes were dark brown. They turned golden under the sun. A leather circlet embroidered with flowers sat on her head. The flowers symbolize unity and purity. And to Lionel and Eve, it seemed to have a calming effect.

When she entered their abode, she did not say a word. Instead, her attendees led the ritual. Eva simply did what was needed without speaking a word until the end. She took a quick minute looking at Ethas. His short, thick black hair. His brown eyes were like hers except for the left eye. There was a small part of his upper eye that was green, and the rest was brown. Eva gave a soft smile. She placed two fingers on Ethas's forehead and kissed her fingers. She then uttered the words: "May the winds of fortune bring happiness."

The years passed as Lionel and Eve learned to tend the cows, goats, pigs, and chicken on the front fields. Ethas had no choice but to learn from his parents. He was always wrapped tightly to the backs of either one of them. When he was able to walk, he made friends with the animals. When he was able to talk, he talked to them. The animals returned the kindness with their company.

The happiness he knew came to an end as he entered his early teen years.

Mitos sent an army to take Evalesc by force. The people of Evalesc, of course, retaliated. They gathered their men. They gathered their weapons. They stood guarded at their front gates.

The leader of Mitos's army gave them a final warning to surrender. Evalesc refused.

As a first act, Mitos formed a line of children. This confused and enraged Evalesc. The thought of putting children to war was abhorrent and immoral. So, Evalesc waited to see what would happen. With a signal from the leader of Mitos, the children sent a flurry of magic. The phenomenon took Evalesc by surprise. Luckily, the magic was weak, taking out the protections and scraping the people. The children were seen as a threat, and Evalesc fought back. Mitos retreated when the frontline was broken.

That did not stop them from trying again.

A second wave came a month later. Evalesc was prepared for more of the unexplained attacks. The children's magics were definitely stronger and more accurate. Still, the preparations held their grounds. Evalesc did struggle, and they did succeed in the end. There were more casualties on either side compared to the first fight.

Inside Evalesc, Eva stressed about the unexpected war. She never really believed in miracles and magic. The ritual and customs simply gave hope and peace of mind to everyone. To hear about the phenomenal occurrence made her rethink her role. Perhaps there was a purpose for her, after all.

The citizens speculated pure discrimination and homicide. Mitos was using them to experiment with whatever new weapon they had discovered. Lionel and Eve did not doubt that accusation. They knew what Mitos was capable of, making use of anything at their disposal was child's play, literally.

The third wave came after six months.

Lionel went to the frontlines and tried to convince the children to stop. There was a delay in their action, yet not enough to stop them. Evalesc had no choice but to fight once more.

Inside the city, Ethas became restless. He wanted to know what was happening. His mother kept him and herself locked in the house. She tried to calm him so that he would stay out of danger. Unfortunately, Ethas slipped from her attention and exited the city.

He witnessed the colourful display of magics flying toward the people of Evalesc. It was not a battle anymore. It was a massacre, a one-sided fight. He spotted his father struggling to dodge and parry the projectiles. Ethas ran to his dad. A stray fireball curved towards him. Caught by surprise, he slipped, dodging the hit.

Lionel saw Ethas. He ran to protect him as another magic was coming.

Then, a wooden cross twice the size of Lionel crashed down from the skies in front of the two, blocking the projectile. Everyone stopped to see the event. Lionel grabbed Ethas and crawled away from the piece of wood. The ground beneath it turned black as a horde of shadow arms used their hands to crawl all over the cross. Once the brown turned to black, the appendages melted, and a frail, skinny man was revealed. He had a similar circlet to Eva sitting on his head. His seemingly unkempt long black hair covered his eyes. A sword was situated in his spine on his upper back. The wooden cross shattered then reassembled into a pillory and stock, restraining the man's limbs and head.

He then spoke: "Unfair... no..., unjust. Must one side only know magic?" He bit on his front teeth, showing his pearly whites. He inhaled. The flow of air became visible as it became blue around his mouth. Unbeknownst to everyone else, he was absorbing the magic around him.

Mitos issued the command to continue their assault. No magic was manifesting. Everyone was taken aback. But that did not stop Mitos. Instead, the soldiers marched forward and grabbed the children to use as shields.

Lionel became enraged by such cowardly acts. He then noticed that only certain kids were used. They were ones who were not dressed a lavish as the others.

"How immoral and corrupted must you be to use the poor?" he growled to himself.

The unknown man then seemed to respond to those words: "All actions have consequences. Good or bad. Karma, as some will say, may be the final judge." The pillory broke. The man's hair flew back as if combed by the wind. A tattoo of what seemed to a scale was revealed. The base lined his chin. Its pillar ran up the middle of his face to his forehead. The beam went across and curved down to his eyebrows. Three lines formed the strings that crossed his eyelids to his cheekbones, where half of a circle made the pan on either side. The wooden splinters struck the ground and morphed into eight rounded pillars. With a daunting tone, he dictated, "Those who use children as shields will be arrested." He raised his arm. The sword on his back removed itself and flew into his hand. He struck the sword into one of the wood pillars.

Instantaneously, all the soldiers who were holding a child had pillories formed around them. They tripped from surprise. Others tried to release their child shields before being targeted. Unfortunately, that did not work. They already committed the crime.

Mitos had no idea what was happening. So they had to retreat.

Still on the ground, Ethas stared in awe. A mystical being stood before him. A being that protected him, his family, his home. It was the day Ethas decided to devote himself to the greater existence beyond the humans. It was also the day he believed humans could not function well without that greater guidance. He asked for the name of his savior.

"Provertus. Fair upon even grounds. Rules are meant to be followed. Just to ensure all can strive. Changes are needed if many are suffering." Then, he resumed his normal form of being in a pillory with ragged hair.

Ethas and Lionel guided Provertus to the city.

Back at Mitos, the king was angered. He lashed out at the poor children. Everyone tried to stop him. They explained the events. The king at first refused the excuse. Then, he pondered about it. The possibility of the creation of greater beings intrigued him.

○/~《-¡-》~\●

"You're treading on a thin line, Provertus," Pathalias stated with a woman's voice.

"I am merely here to keep the balance," he replied.

Hexice let out a short burst of laughter. "Nature has its own way of finding balance. I suppose we are no different."

"We are here for a reason," ParaVi added. "Our purpose drives us."

"And we must steer clear of intervening more than we should," Hexice stated.

"I infer you mean that we do what we believe is correct," Provertus spoke. "And our consequences will unfold thereafter."

"Precisely," Hexice sang. "Now then... to our distant relatives, what are your thoughts?"

There was a brief silence. It broke as a deep grumble from breathing entered. And with a similar vigorous grunt, a male voice answered: "You lot will be the fall of the mortals."

"Now, dear," an opposing gentle voice followed. "They are only doing what they know is best. We have our duties just like them. So, return to your furnace and ignore them. I'll watch the humans."