The Odious One

There once was a land called Serna, there was no king or queen, and there was no need for one. The town folk were known to be peaceful. There were no fights or wars, not even minor disagreements. Mothers could let their children play outside till dark without worrying, they could leave their doors unlocked without fear of intruders. The main reason for the peace though, was the Magic Keepers.

The Magic Keepers were magical beings who made sure everyone was safe, they wore dark purple cloaks that looked like shadows, most had never seen their faces, and those who did claim to have seen said that they were met with nothing but void. They lived in a giant tower on a small island on the edge of the land. They brought back lost children within minutes, said children would always be laughing joyfully as if nothing had happened, they made sure the crops continued to grow even through winter, and much more.

Until one day, they disappeared. That day, no children were born, except one. The town folk looked everywhere for the Magic Keepers, they sent a group of men to the Magic Keepers’ tower, but none came back.

As their paranoia grew, fights started, people stole as much food as they could, thinking the world would end without the Magic Keepers. Families threw their youngest out when there wasn’t enough food for all of them. It was the Dark Era.

Until the people finally found the source of their problems. They called it ‘The Odious One’ for it was the only child born the day the Magic Keepers vanished. Some of the town folk made threats to the parents of the supposed Odious One that if they didn’t get rid of the child, they would do it themselves.

But the thing was, no one truly knew the parents of the Odious One, heck, barely anyone had actually seen the child, most were driven by rumors. Though it seemed the family of the child left when things got violent, taking the child with them.

After three more years. The people finally came up with a solution, they split the land of Serna into five different factions based on their rulers’ beliefs. Nalthea, Trimshire, Sanoka, Kiniri, and Anasia. Each faction represented different beliefs.

The Emperor of Nalthea practically made it his sole purpose to find the Odious One and kill them. And, seeing as the Magic Keepers were no longer there to balance out the magic, the emperor was able to develop strong magic. His entire empire seemed to share the same bloodlust.

The Emperor of Trimshire wasn’t as dedicated as Nalthea, he was even quite kind, but he was still adamant on getting rid of the one that cursed their land. The Empresses of Sanoka weren’t known to have nearly as many violent tendencies as Nalthea or Trimshire, but they made abundantly clear that they would slit the child’s throat in a heartbeat.

If the rulers of Kiniri shared any interest in the topic of the Odious One’s whereabouts or the disappearance of the Magic Keepers in general, they didn’t show it. Then lastly, there was Anasia, not much was known about the Emperor or Empress, they and their people were enigmas.

But even with all their differences, there was one thing they had in common with each other. Nobody knew what truly happened to the Odious One or the family of the child. Whether it was dead or alive was a mystery.

Right?