Past the Edge (An Item for Greed Book 1)

Chapter 1- arguments

so the last part in this story was kind of like a prologue, and this is the first chapter. it doesn’t pick up from where the prologue left off for it was simply like a bit of back story that you needed to know before it got rolling and you were lost in the middle of it all :)

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Past the Edge

Chapter 1

Arguments

"And then what happened?" asked a small, blond haired girl in the front row. She was leaning forward in anticipation, enjoying herself. The old man sitting on a bench chuckled softly, and continued on with his story. He was a man of many tales, having seen and fought many battles, and nearly dying each time. Each war had taken its toll on the man, leaving him scarred, and frail with age.

There were nearly fifteen children gathered around him now, and they varied in age. Some being only 2 years of age, and some were as old as eleven. They were the perfect audience; they oohed and awed in all of the right places. By the end of his short tale, happiness was radiating off of the man. It was clear about how much he enjoyed telling these kids stories.

"Tell us another one please!" begged a dark haired boy at the back of the group. All of the other children cheered their approval at this question, and the man simply beamed.

"Well all right, but just one more, then we'll have to save the rest for tomorrow. How does that sound?" he reasoned with them. They all cheered loudly, and nodded their heads. The man began with, "Well, it all starts in a land that nobody can find, some say its even magical-"

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Sitting a short distance from the group that had gathered to hear the mans story, was a boy of about seventeen. He had long dark hair that brushed his shoulders and covered his lilac coloured eyes. He sat on a low branch of a great oak that was rooted in the middle of the central square in the small village. The boy was slouching against its trunk, and one of his legs were dangling off of the branch. His eyes were closed, and the branches above him cast shadows on his face, hiding it from view. He had black slacks on, and a white short sleeve t-shirt. On his feet were a pair a black boots. He blended in fairly well against the tree. Many of the passers bye didn't even notice him there, but simply continued on their way. The boy had taken to sitting in this very tree for many years now, sleeping in the comforting embrace that the tree had always offered him. Pausing from his thoughts, the boy began to listen to the old mans story.

"Its some kind of treasure, but nobody knows what it is," said the man, pausing before continuing. "It is said that it could make any man go mad with greed. In the legends, this item is supposed to be magical- just like its realm.” It was a story that the boy had heard many times before, just as every other person has. Schools in Kapontralyn weren’t very effective, lasting only from age ten to fifteen, but the one thing that all students had to learn was the tale of the item. “-there are even magical beasts protecting it.”

Having heard enough of this story, the boy slid out of the tree and strode over to the group. Arms crossed, he spoke to the kids. "Ignore this man, he has nothing but rubbish to tell you of. He is just trying to scare you off," uncertainly, the children got to their feet and began to disperse.

The old man stood up off of his bench, wincing as his joints cracked, and though clenched teeth he hissed "You of all people should believe that the stories are true Castor," he paused, looking menacingly at the boy, who glared right back at him. "Since that's what led your father to abandon you, why aren't you as quick to join him as you are to tell me off?"

"My father left because he wanted nothing to do with me, not to go on some wild ghost chase that you claim he's after," Castor spat at the old man. The boy’s father had left many years ago, for no apparent reason, and had never returned. The village simply assumed that he was hunting for the item, but that wasn’t the truth.

"If you are so desperate to prove that its fake, why don't you? You go right ahead and find your proof Castor," the old man growled back.

"Why would I take the word of a madman?" he asked the man.

The mans face was contorted into a snarl, and then he spoke, "Because I have seen its power with my own eyes, I know of its destruction, and of the greed that it causes. Oh find the item if you must, but be warned, once you begin your search, there is no going back."