Black Oasis

chapter 1 New beginnings

As a child, I always knew there was something different about me, something that set me apart from all the rest. I didn't have any friends and I grew up as an only child, it was just my mother and me. We traveled from place to place, never settling in one spot for too long, and I never understood why. At the age of seventeen, I have finally figured out the reason why. It was because of me. She was running from a fact that I would soon understand; who I actually was and what I was capable of.

The world I live in is filled with magic, there are some who use it for good, and others for evil. Some people use it as a means of making everyday life easier, and others use it as a way to make a living. As much as I wanted to use my power for good and to help others, I couldn't. My name is Akura, and I was born with a curse, the curse of death. That is why my mother and I had to run.

It is my curse, that anyone who gets close to me will ultimately meet an untimely end, all with the exception of my mother or so we thought. Upon my seventeenth year, my mother fell ill, on her deathbed she revealed everything to me. From that day forward I promised myself that I'd never get close to anyone again. It is my hope that maybe someday I can learn to control this curse, and use my powers to help others as my mother helped me.

"Hey kid! Hey kid, wake up!" A gravelly voice startled me out of my trance.

"Huh? Where am I?" I ask, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears.

"You were about to make an offer on this sword, then you suddenly passed out." Said the old man, he had course silver hair cut into a short hair style, and a full beard of the same color. "Hey, do you need me to call for medical assistance or something?" asked the man worriedly. The old man was crouched to my level, my backside touching the cool sensation of the floor. His calloused hands supported my back as he helped me up off the ground.

"No, I'll be alright. I haven't gotten a good night's rest in a couple weeks it was probably because of that." I said with a groggy tone.

"That sounds rough." The man answered seemingly uninterested now that I had gotten up "Anyway, are you going to make an offer on this weapon or not? I have lots of other customers interested at the moment." He said sternly.

"Yeah, how does forty thousand sound?" I said, my words slurring out of my mouth due to my lack of adequate sleep.

"That's a little low, call it forty-five and you got a deal." The man flashed a smile at me, I took notice of the yellow hue of his aged teeth.

"That's fine, I'll take it." I muse.

"Pleasure doing business with you." The man proclaimed eagerly

Well, that went better than I thought it would, all I have to do now is take a job at the local adventurer's guild in town. I thought to myself as I walked out of the shop, carrying the new sword in my hand, it felt heavy in its sheath.

"HEEEYY YOOUU!!" A girlish voice squealed out, catching my attention. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to face the owner of the childish voice.

"Yeah, you in the expensive looking outfit and weapon." said a strange young girl, who approached me with confidence.

"What?" I was startled at the boldness of this stranger, typically in towns such as these people tended to stick to themselves, never uttering so much as a hello to a passerby like myself.

"You're not from around here, are you?" The girl demanded

"No just passing through" I mutter back, still confused as to what she wanted from me.

She looked like a typical teenager from the area, dawning her school uniform which consisted of a pleated grey skirt, button up shirt, calf-high socks, and clunky shoes. She had electric blue hair, that was pulled back with bangs that framed her heart shaped face. I took note of the weapon she yielded, which appeared to be a small pink dagger.