Abner

-PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION-

[BACKGROUND]

Abner's childhood was relatively uneventful. He grew up in an average upper-middle class family with his parents and two younger siblings. He'd always been a bit of a troublemarker, getting himself into all sorts of mischief and dragging his little sister Alma along as his partner or audience. One of the more egregious incidents involved a sword fight with some discarded fishing rods that ended up blinding Abner in one eye – though he told his parents that the injury was his fault.

One fateful day, however, Abner's life was turned upside down. The Enchanted Market was in town; a monthly pavillion for stalls selling potions, charms, and other assorted magical trinkets. He and Alma took a detour on their way home from school, eventually finding themselves inside a tent selling magical ornaments. A delicate fish-shaped brooch caught Alma's eye and, being the thoughtful-but-devious older brother that he was, Abner sought to swipe it.

Unfortunately, he was caught in the act by the shop's owner; a word witch. She cast her spell with a single word – disappear – and Abner did, in every sense of the word. Not only was he turned invisible, but also transported to an unknown village far, far away from the witch's tent.

[THE CURSE]

The teleportation spell made Abner’s head spin. The scene around him shifted in a nauseating swirl of colours, replaced by an unfamiliar village that Abner would later learn was called Crem’s Wold. Located in the Fire Domain, Crem’s Wold wasn’t too far from the capital city of Feldstine. It lacked many public facilities like a school or church, and was mainly a stopover for travellers or home to poorer households that couldn’t afford to live in the city.

With little more than a bag full of textbooks and the clothes on his back, Abner quickly began to panic. It was then that he looked down and noticed his hands – and his legs; his whole body, in fact – were no longer there. He thought he must be a ghost, but the anxious pounding in his chest suggested otherwise. It was then that Abner thought back to the witch’s spell and understood what she’d done to him.

[THE BUTCHER]

Abner tried to ask the townsfolk for help, but his strange appearance garnered little sympathy from people with their own troubles to worry about. Instead, he was left to fend for himself. He found a sheltered alley behind the high street, not too far from the large skip bins many of the bakeries and greengrocers would throw out excess stock. Surviving in this desperate manner for several weeks, he didn't notice that he was being watched. It was only after almost two months his observer finally made contact – a broad, grizzled man with a salt-and-pepper beard and arms that could snap Abner like a toothpick, if they wanted to.

[EPILOGUE]

[TRIVIA]