Full story [Prologue]

"It was raining that night, my brother's body was burning with fever. With parents working in another city and me as a mere 11-year-old, the only thing I could do was ask for help."

The next couple of days Ion's mind was filled with nothing but the thoughts of his mysterious savior. Where did they come from, where did they go? The boy wanted to find out. He asked every single soul in the town about the stranger's whereabouts, and he finally got the information he was looking for - Roseshire, the city in about an hour from here. There, a guild. Centheria was it called, the people in which fought for Freedom and didn't believe in such amusing things as Fate. Ion's eyes lit up with even greater interest than before, for a dream suddenly appeared in his warm heart, which told him: "Go, join them, this is where you were meant to be!". And with these thoughts, Ion ran home as quickly as he could, his head held high and his mind preoccupied with dreams of future adventures.

But what awaited him at home wasn't in the slightest way what he wished to see. His brother lying on the floor, with clothes drenched in sweat and heavy breathing sounds that almost made it seem like the boy was suffocating. Frightened to death, Ion ran straight to his brother and found the condition awfully dangerous. He quickly, while muttering countless no no no's as if chanting a mantra, began checking all the shelves for any kind of medicine that would help the ill one. But he knew nothing about it, for Mother was the one who usually took care of any diseases her son bore. And this time? She was away. And Ion felt lost, being left all alone with the younger brother slowly dying on his hands, and pitiful for not knowing what to do.

But the boy did not waste any time. With the little one now on his back, he ran out outside in hopes of finding help. Ion knocked on every single door he saw, but not a single one opened. And the boy couldn't even think of a reason why, for the time was running out and without a proper healing Ion's little brother would soon be beyond saving. Thankfully, luck was on the siblings' side - a carriage passed near them, and the duo was able to get themselves a quick ride to the nearest big city. And for the Evacrest's sake, they were heading to Roseshire! Ion felt like it was a blessing sent by the Goddess herself. Surely the guild would help, surely his little brother would be saved! Our hero felt his worries fade away. He closed his tired eyes and sank into sleep...

... Finally, they have arrived in the city. After getting off the carriage, Ion headed straight to the Centheria's Hall. It was dark already, surely past their bedtime, but the boys didn't know tiredness - they were too preoccupied with getting to the guild in time. Soon, the Centheria building appeared in their sight. Ion ran straight to it and, feeling relieved, knocked on the door, expecting to see this one open before them. But time passed and nothing happened. Not a sound was heard on the other side, not a light was seen in the windows. The door remained tightly shut.

It was as if Fate itself was laughing at the brothers. Ion knocked and knocked until his hands felt numb and started to bleed. The boy was losing himself, he could think straight no more. With his body shaking and his breath becoming more ragged with each passing second, with his eyes desperately searching for a solution and him trying to hold back the coming tears, Ion finally gave up. With all the might he had left, the boy banged his head against the damn door, desperately crying out for the Goddess "to have mercy" and help them. As if rejecting Ion's plea, the thunder suddenly roared and cold drops of water started falling down on Roseshire and its citizens. Feeling betrayed by his heroes, Ion looked at Centheria one last time and turned his back to the guild.

The siblings stopped at the nearest forest. Having lost all strength, both physical and mental, they fell on the ground, unable to carry on. Ion felt broken and lost, for no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't do anything to help his little sibling. F a t e was stronger. Surely, the battle was over. Overfilled with guilt, Ion couldn't say a thing; he hid his face in the mud and just quietly started sobbing. His brother's hoarse, quiet voice was the only thing that echoed in that crushing silence. The younger sibling said “I love you” to Ion, and with this he burst into vivid blue flames which lit up the forest's darkness and burned everything within their reach. And the little one disappeared in those wild flames, leaving Ion alone to experience the pain of the most hurtful heartbreak ever. Suffocated by grief, the boy lost consciousness, remaining to lie in the forest until the dawn broke the skies' grayness.