The Lost Remnant Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Read chapter 1 of The Lost Remnant by malik3 on NovelPedia.

The sun shone brightly down in the kingdom of Homura. Kids giggled as they ran around, bubbles floating and popping in the air. An old man probably around his 80s, sat on a stool, resting his arm on his knee as kids gathered around him with an intense look. "This is a true story that happened many, many years ago," his old voice said. "Was it this big a year ago?" A young boy gestured with his hand, stretching his arm. The kids giggled and the old man chuckled. "No, no, it's not that big, probably this big." His thin hands pinched with a mild gap in between his thumb and index finger. Before anyone else could say anything he said, "Let's start with the story. We don't have much time now." His fingers brushed against the sideline of the cover as his callused palm gripped the book. He lifted it up to the first page and cleared his throat as he began… The sky looked dull as people of all ages walked through the dusty market. Farmers and merchants chatted with customers, making deals and collecting coins. A boy in a brown ragged shirt, slightly stretched so it could fit him, stood at the side watching. An older boy walked up beside him and whispered in his ear with a smirk. "You see that stand over there?" He pointed to a nearby stand where a man with a scruffy beard wiped his apron and took out some freshly baked bread. "He's giving out free bread. Get one for me and you, will you?" The young boy looked at the stand, his mouth starting to water. He walked through the large crowd of people and grabbed 2 large sticks of bread. The man turned around and spotted the boy, his loud voice booming. "What do you think you're doing, huh?" Raiku looked around for the older boy but he was nowhere to be seen in the crowd. He spun around and faced the tall figure of the baker. The baker grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him into an alleyway. Raiku landed on his face with a thud, trying to get up, but multiple figures stood above him and kicked him down. A young adult with short hair kicked him in the stomach. Raiku coughed and the other figure continued to kick him. Raiku felt dizzy. He felt humiliated. With a raw voice he screamed — a loud, powerful scream that could be heard miles off. He weakly punched the ground. Red and black faintly hissed from his shoulders. The boys backed up. One of them scoffed. "Too bad a kid won't know what martial art he has." "Ha, you're right! Let's go before anyone finds out," another added. They turned their backs on him and walked out of the alleyway where the market noise and light spilled back in. They disappeared and Raiku was left there in the dust. His stomach was bruised and he felt dirt on the corner of his mouth. A passing police officer in a light vest walked past the alleyway and tilted his head. He saw a boy lying on the ground where the shadow hit. "Kid!" he exclaimed. He ran to the fallen body and before touching him, felt the heat in the gap between his hand and the boy. The officer lifted Raiku forward using his shirt instead and Raiku opened his eyes. "Kid, you okay? You need to get treated." Before Raiku could mumble a word, the officer lifted him, careful not to touch his bare skin. He woke up again on a warm, white-sheeted bed. The police officer was standing there, deep in thought. "You're finally awake. How do you feel?" he asked. "Where am I?" Raiku asked, ignoring the question. His body had the slightest ache but he felt light. "You're at the orphanage hospital, kid," the officer said. "The lady who runs the orphanage said you don't have a family so I brought you here." Raiku stretched, slowly turning back to his normal self. "Oh, so why are you still here?" Raiku asked, shifting his position. "Because..." the officer's tone changed. "We have some important things to talk about." Raiku slumped. He didn't like to be lectured by adults. He thought to himself, it won't be that bad. I'll just nod my head along and pretend I understand. "And this isn't anything you can ignore an