"They say those people knew everything. From the number of sands in the desert, they knew every name, every man there is, they can see through the heart. Even the history of the Old Ones millions of eons ago. They are the seeker of knowledge, the carrier of truth, the true neutral.

They are The Watchers."

                              - Derived from Verse 17, Chapter 3 of the Book of Justicar.

......

"You freaking bastard! Fishmonger son! You stink more than a dogshit!"

"You're a turd! The plague of this town! Nobody wants you here!"

"Ehehehehe! Eat my foot!"

On the narrow alley of the prosperous capital of Zerith, the City of Smiles, Ares. Three young lads can be seen beating up, with their fists and feet, a short pale skinned boy. The boy looks in pain but refuses to yield to the other three. In his chest, tightly held is an old red book.

"Turd! What did you say about us yesterday? Huh!?" A fat kid with blond hair said angrily.

"Jack! He said we look like monkeys with no brain." Klyde,  the thin kid with big eye bags said, grinning like an idiot with a fawning expression. 

The leader of the trio is the fat blondie kid called Jack, a merchant's son.

"Ptuu! You're just a fishmonger son, while my papa is a merchant of the King! What now huh!? You insignificant worm!"

"Jack take his book! Take his book!" Another kid, the oldest and tallest in the group, but also the most childish, Brian, nudged Jack to take the book.

"No!" The boy suddenly raised his head and said in defiance.

Jack sneered and grabbed the book.

"No! Someone help!" The boy shouted as he struggled to contain the book in his hands.

The other two boys looked at each other and smirked. Brian pulled the boy's clothes, while Klyde helped Jack.

The boy couldn't endure anymore as he fell forward. As a last desperate attempt, he stretched his hands, caught the merchant son's pants, and rolled it, exposing the small "fish", or more likely a worm came into view. Both of his friends laughed like no tomorrow at the scene.

"Bring me back my book!" The boy, with a bleeding nose, said, looking fearless.

"Wh-" Jack couldn't finish his sentence when Justice Patrols, or much famous by the title Coplar Patrols for they became deaf and blind when people give them money, appear on the other side of the alley.

Out of embarrassment, Jack hurled the book on the boy's back as the latter issued "Ack!", and Jack runs out of sight.

The boy, with his head on the floor, can be seen crying silently in the lonely desolate alley.

......

The Golden City of Ares, the Land of Blazing Iron, Hotpot of Arcane Culture, The Home of The God King Ares. Its city walls are made of iron and blood and spread so wide. The houses of yellow bricks and roofs of different colors made it look like a world of its own. Its symbol, the Majestic Golden Dragon flies in every corner of the walls. The Blaze River passing from north to south measures hundreds of kilometers in length. And besides, that river is a hill where the sun falls and is the cause of premature darkness plunging the Blazing City of Gold. 

On top of a hill is a boy humming a melodious tune while overlooking the sunset. 

"The world has befallen,

Rounds of astute,

We as the walkin',

Shall see the light loose~"

The boy has the most genuine smile. His clothes are dirty red, his face has cuts and bruises, and his skin has black spots. But still, he sings the song, with a cute voice of longing.

"We are the heroes!

Harbinger of truth,

Blood, swords, and maiden,

When fear longs for ruse!"

The boy raised his arms wide, like someone embracing the sun. He took a deep breath and utters the last lines of the piece in a slow, low voice.

"And I as a lonely bard,

Traveling the roads,

For the last time, I ask,

Would you let me lay ~ low?"

Clap! Clap! Clap! Woohoo!

The illusion of a series of thunderous clapping from the crowd reverberated in his ears as he positioned himself forward and gave an elegant bowl.

"Bravo! Bravo! You're now at least at the level of a dying horse, Tommy!" 

A cute girl, 10 years of age but has a certain spark of knowledge in her eyes clapping as she teased Tommy. She wears a red dress with a flowery design, has a shining set of ear piercing, and she has shoes. Yeah, shoes. In Ares, someone with a shoe indicates that he/she is from a middle or high-class family. While if you look at Tommy, he only has a miserable pair of flip-flops and a red book as belongings. 

Their status is like heaven and hell.

"Thank you, Madame Mary. That poem is "The Cry of the Lonely Bard' written by the most fearless bard in all of history, Augustus. He wrote it in this precious, rare, and wonderful book of mine. Do you want to borrow it?" Tom said proudly.

"No, Tommy. Almost every single household in Ares has "Augustus Journey" in their closet! Subsequently, we have 7 of the same book in our house!" She argued.

"Well maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong." Tommy teased.

"At which part!?" Mary barked.

"It's not in our closet!" Tommy shouted as he pushed the girl making her stumble.

"Ah!" 

"Come on Princess! The last to get on the tower receives a punishment." After grinning and saying that, Tommy sprinted down the hill.

"GRRR!" Mary gnashed her teeth, picked up her body, and chased the boy. She swears that she'll beat Tommy up.

"Just wait!" She shouted.

The cold wind of autumn blew on their faces as they rushed down the hill. 

They saw farmers tending to their crops. Saw fishers pulling nets, and catching hundreds of fish in the humongous Blaze River. They hear dozen of criers announcing the news of the day, even though the kingdom has already popularized paper news, they, Aresians tends to hold the old ways with deep respect sometimes irrationally.

Gliding through the fields. They continued to run, their vision blurred by the speed. 

Slowly they came into a forest.

The trees here are dead. The walls of the city can be seen in the distance.

They jumped on branches, bushes, and vines. They've gone a considerable distance.

And then came the tower. 

Ding! Ding! Ding!

At the top of the tower is a Sanctus Bell. It's like the ones that ring at the start of every church mass.

Every time Tommy comes here, only he can hear the sounds of the bell. 

He stopped and looked at the small, old, cryptic, and moss-green tower. The number of times he has come here already passed the fingers, both in his hands and feet combined. But still, the sound of the bell makes him feel nostalgic.

"Aww!!!" Tommy shouted as Mary smashed a thin stick at his butt.

"What are you dazing at you big rodent!? I'm first! Now you have to listen to my request!" The girl laughed at Tommy while she touched the old walls of the tower, indicating with her finger the symbol "1". 

"Yeah, yeah." Tommy shrugged as he threw some soil at the girl. And so does she.

"Ahaha, ahahaha!" Melodious laughter runs in the forest as both kids rumbled, tousled, and had fun with each other.

When suddenly Tommy gets serious. 

"Shhhh! Don't you hear it?" Tommy said seriously as he looked at the surrounding trees.

Mary, affected by the atmosphere shuts her mouth, crouched, and looked warily at the surrounding.

"What is it? I can't hear anything." She whispered.

Tommy goes silent and pointed at her back!

"Goblins!" He shouted frantically.

"Where!?" Mary hurriedly looked behind her. 

She only saw a toad croaking...

"Grrrrr!!!" She vaulted fiercely at Tommy.

......

"And so, that's how it started mom. Ouch! I swear I just tripped on the woods." Tommy said to her mother Felicity, who is currently nursing his bruised cheeks.

"You cannot lie to me, Thomas Border. I've heard about it from the guards." She looked into her child's eyes, with pure passion, love, and benevolence.

'F*ck the guards!' He thought.

"Come, Tommy! We need to talk to that merchant and his son!" 

"Please mom no! Dad said a big man should never fight a small man! I'm the big man! They're just some kids!" Tommy shouted as he tried to free himself from her mother.

"What in the name of Ares is this kid saying!? They're 16 Tommy! You are 11!" Felicity's voice rises in ascendo as she hears her child's ridiculousness.

"Ahahaha! Nicely said son!"

Suddenly laughter came from the wooden door of their house, which is decorated by fish bones and hung a circle insignia as big as an adult man's head, the Insignia of Justicar, the God of Justice.

Tommy's father who was in the process of wiping his fish-blood-filled hands, approached the mother-son duo, endured his wife's piercing "I know what you're doing" gaze, and crouched with his son.

"Tommy. Tomorrow, you'll officially be a man. We may not be a rich family, but your mother and I swear before the Gods to give you an item that you want. Now, tell me, so we can pray for it." His father, Arthur Border has an aquiline jawline and sharp brows. His whiskered face and stuffy beard added masculine traits to his demeanor

To Thomas, his father is the most righteous man of all. He's the figure he aspires to be.

"All I want is for my Ma and Pa to live healthy for decades to come. And a lute... If fate allows." 

His father smiled and tussled his hair. Tommy, doesn't mind the bloody smell, that hand's what sustains the family after all.

"Sigh. You two are truly molded from the same stone. The biggest blockhead is also the softest." Felicity shakes her head.

After some time of bickering, the family of three knelt in front of the door with their fist in front of their chest. They're praying to the distant yet near God of Aresians, The Justicar.

'I wish...'

That night, when the stars shone in a single place, My Story Begins.