The rulers of the Lavish Division came up with this name based on their sweet dream for the future. However, since three-quarters of the nation was covered in hot sands, building a “lavish home” could be difficult.
At the northeast border of the Lavish Division sat one of the many small oasis towns. Right now, the merciless sun was casting its scorching blight upon the place. At this hottest hour in a day, no one had the courage to remain outdoors for more than necessary, except for a group of refugees who didn’t really have a better choice.
Just beyond the border was the Evernight Kingdom. With the dark territory threatening everyone over there, multiple cities had been abandoned, causing millions of people to go on their homeless journeys elsewhere. Within months, the entire Evernight Kingdom went into anarchy.
Those who lived near the center of the kingdom were the most unfortunate ones since they usually had no means of long travel, whereas people living beside the border could still seek shelter from their neighbors.
Arthur and Merlin had always been friends since their childhood. They weren’t relatives, yet they depended on each other’s company more than real brothers.
As refugees, they had been striving in this small town for about a month.
Two hours ago, they just lost their income after being chased away by their employer, because Merlin carelessly broke a wine barrel.
Merlin was sightless. By working at the pub, they mostly earned their meals and a roof to sleep under but no extra cash. Of course, Merlin could not pay for the spoiled wine.
Arthur grew too excited when defending his friend and also lost his job. Right now, the two of them were trying to escape the sun by sitting under a tree, which wasn’t very helpful. If they didn’t find somewhere to stay inside, they would either be roasted alive or turn into iced corpses at midnight.
“I... I’m sorry, my friend. It’s all because of me,” Merlin mumbled in despair.
“Easy, partner. We’re just living at the wrong time.” Arthur put a hand on Merlin’s shoulder and smacked his dry lips.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have left home. No one knows what those darkness are. Maybe it isn’t too bad. Can it get any worse than this?”
“Maybe you’re right. At least we can rest in peace beside our family if something kills us there. But now...”
Arthur glanced above, where a hungry vulture was patiently looking at them.
The temperature was slowly but surely chipping away their senses.
In fact, a small lake was not far from their position. However, the barbed fences and town guards stationed nearby were there to stop any thirsty refugees from approaching.
Authur found his vision getting blurry, and hallucinations were taking over.
“Glad I have you by my side, partner...” Arthur spoke weakly.
Merlin no longer had the strength to talk. Using his remaining vigor, he showed Arthur a bitter smile.
The air grew colder all of a sudden, as several waterdrops landed on their heads and inside their gasping mouths, slightly waking their declining spirits.
“Is this-is this the afterlife? It’s so cold... But why am I still blind if I’m in hell?” said Merlin.
Arthur painfully lifted his head from the ground. “We’re not dead yet. The sky... I think it’s raining—”
Arthur stopped talking as he found no clouds up there. Instead, he saw a large object that shone like a diamond.
“What in the world...”
“What’s happening, Arthur?”
“I-I don’t know. There’s no cloud or rain. That’s a—is that an iceberg? It’s flying. I must be mad.”
Arthur was looking at a gigantic ice block with white wings. Each time those wings moved, they scattered glittering shards down to the ground that further decreased the temperature.
“A monster... And there are people there. Lots of people, sitting on that thing.”
“Who are them?” Merlin also “looked” that way.
“I can’t see clearly. They are all wearing white. And their robes have the same... totem? I think it’s a moon.”
The changing sight startled the vulture perched on the tree, which flew away and approached the flying ice above.
It didn’t get to move too far before its body was frozen solid, which then crashed back down.
The giant ice moved swiftly and disappeared at the horizon within seconds. But strangely, the climate in the town kept getting chillier until it was enough to hurt those who didn’t wear enough clothes.
“I think I know them...” said Merlin. “They must be wizards, as told in the legends.”
“Wizards?”
“They’re an evil group of people who could command amazing power that surpasses everything. They know how to move the mountains, drain the great sea, and change the very land.”
Arthur looked at where the ice disappeared with gleaming eyes.
“That sounds awesome! No one can harm us if I can be a wizard! Do you know how to become one?”
Merlin shook his head. “We should think about how to get our next meal first. We can do nothing if we starve to death.”
“Ha! That might be a problem a minute ago, but not anymore!”
Arthur went to pick up the frozen vulture from the ground. “Someone from the trading caravan told me that we can sell an organ in this bird for a gold coin. That will keep us going for a while.”
He couldn’t stop smiling as their doom suddenly took a turn for the better.
“By the way, Merlin, where did you hear about these wizards when I never did?”
Merlin looked down.
“I met with one.”
“You did?! Hey, tell me, what does he look like? Can we find him again?”
“He’s... an old man, with eyes. Many, many eyes, all over his body.”
“An old man with many eyes? Man, that’s creepy. Wait, how did you know what he looked like, since, you know...”
Merlin chuckled and put a finger against his eyelid. “You always wanted to know what blinded me five years ago, right?”
Five years ago, Merlin suddenly vanished for half a month. When he returned, his eyes were missing. He had never told anyone what happened.
“Don’t tell me—”
“Yes. That old wizard took them. I still remember that painful day. He got my left eye first and put it on his forehead. Then my right one... I can’t see where this one went. But he told me he put it onto his chest.”
“Enough... Enough, Merlin. It already happened. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No matter. As you just said, it happened. We can’t change it.”
Arthur clenched his fists. “If only I were strong enough to protect you...”
“Don’t worry about it. Fate has put us here, and we are too weak to deny it,” Merlin comforted his friend.
When Arthur wanted to further protest, a woman’s voice suddenly joined them.
“This young lad is right. You can’t change your fate.”
Arthur looked around and saw a woman standing not far away from them, who just talked to them. Everything on the woman suggested great wealth and divine personal charm. The strange thing was, she had a thick fur coat on her.
She was accompanied by a young man about 15 or 16, who was wearing an eye-catching checkered cap and with pale white skin.
“Who-who are you?” Arthur took a step back.
The woman flipped her hair. “Don’t mind me. I’m just a servant hanging out with my master.”
She winked at the young man beside her.
“Change back, will you?” The young man looked displeased.
“That won’t be good. Didn’t you say you like me better this way?”
“No, I didn’t!”
The woman took a smoking pipe out of thin air and inhaled. “This is hers, right?”
“Turn back now, or I’ll throw you into the fireplace!”
Seeing her master getting angry for real, the woman spun in a circle and shifted into another look—a handsome gentleman wearing the same fur coat.
“Are-are you wizards?” Arthur just realized what Merlin told him was happening right in front of his eyes.
“Oh, no.” The gentleman shook his head. “My master is an apprentice, while I... I’m his shadow.”
“What do you mean fate?” asked Arthur. “Are you saying Merlin is fated to have his eyes taken?”
“That’s quite simple. Your friend is a ‘talent’, while his hidden power lies within his eyes. Unfortunately, a wizard noticed and took them away.”