Connor Pallitan isn't normal, he's known that since the day he was born. Left alone in the woods, cloaked in protective fire, its a wonder the boy survived for a year. But eighteen? A miracle.
But then, all hell breaks loose, and it's up to Conner t...
⠀⠀⠀⠀A fires crackle could be heard in the forest known for runaway mages, with sparkles of magic being visible from the day mages found it, seen as a safe haven for the forbidden outcasts. But this fire was different, is was neither a camp, nor a waypoint, but a child. Cloaked in flame and hidden in darkness, with only the red and orange surrounding him to be his source of light. Being at the edge of the forest, no mage dared to even touch the child, fearful of it being a trap set by humans. And though the enslavement of mages has just been outlawed, many mages were still victims of hate crimes, and many assumed the same would happen to the child cloaked in flame
But it hadn't. Luck seemed to be on the blubbering baby's side, when a kind woman came to his aid. The child, in his young age, would grow to call this woman his mother. Her touch, so pure and careful, was unaffected by the furious flames that seemed to hum the baby to sleep. And as the woman's hand caressed the baby's cheek, his tiny hand grasped onto her finger, and the fire went out. The woman's eyes flickered with the flame as it went out, the baby's eyes locked with the woman's as the flame danced to its death, and she muttered the name that the boy filled with flame would forever go by.
"Connor."
The kingdom of Iqwrath was home to few mages at the time of Connor Pallitan's arrival, and it was a surprise to many when Odette Palitan arrived to her barren home with a baby in her arms. It was known by many knew the local seamstress couldn't bare children, so heads did turn at the news of the boy she called her son spread across the town.
It took years for the people to realize the two weren't actually related by blood. Connor was ten, and had just gotten used to his ability, the ability to control flame, and make it appear out of the palm of his hand. And Odette grew fearful, not of her son, but of onlookers, who would see the boy as unworthy of such love and compassion. Mages, in this time, were often orphaned by parents who were cruelly locked up or killed by mad men and women, mostly those in power. And terrified that her son would suffer the same fate, Odette kept Connor under house arrest for the first ten years of his life before introducing him to the outside world. Iqwrath was still new to the concept of free mages, so Odette kept a close eye on Connor, her hand clasped tightly around his at all times.
But it only takes one mistake to start a chain reaction.
She only let go for a moment, and the boy was gone. Like lightening Connor bolted from his mother's gaze and into the marketplace, his eyes widened in awe at the sight of the sky, the people, the playing children.
Beside the fisherman's lake were a boy and a girl playing with each other, splashing water at each other, their laughs filling the air. Connor wanted that enjoyment, so his tiny legs bolted as fast as they could, leaving a slight trail of dust as he ran. Eyes widened and lungs heavy by the the time he reached the lake, his feet splashing into the water and he walked closer to the blonde haired green eyed children. The girl wore her hair in a bun, a red ribbon kept her golden locks, now soaked in water, tied. And she wore a long dress that was mostly grey with white sleeves. The boy, presumably her brother, had hair down to his ears, tucked gently behind them while loose strands danced in the cool breeze, he wore a green tunic with beige pants, his and his sisters dress shoes could be seen on the dock, dry of any water, while a man who seemed like their father fished for food.
The two siblings looked at Connor with confusion as he grinned at them, they didn't seem to enjoy his company. Connor looked down at the water, then back at them, they did the same. But didn't react, Connor kicked the water in an attempt to get their attention. They thought for a moment before the little girl cupped the water and threw it at Connor, they all laughed and played, and Connor finally felt normal for the first time in his life as he stared down at his smiling expression, reaching into the river and felt for the bottom, feeling a smooth a cool substance. Intrigued, Connor lifted the object out of the water to inspect it, caressing the smooth surface before a splash of cool water hit him in the face. He giggled and wiped his face with his sleeve before looking up at the girl, her ribbon dancing in the wind, and Connor got an idea.
He threw the rock.
The girl fell back on impact, and a red liquid filled the water. Her brother, horrified at the sight, let out a god awful scream that alerted the entire marketplace. His father's eyes shot over and he jumped into the water as his so cried. Connor, confused and unaware of the consequences of his actions, ran to the girl to see if she was okay.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" The father scream as he got closer,
"I can help her!" Connor cried out innocently, as a flame danced in the palm of his hand and he reached for the girls wound. The father scream and shouted, grabbing Connor by the wrist and flung the small child across the water, holding him under while shouting slurs and curses at him.
"GO TO HELL YOU DEVIL CHILD!" Was the one he heard most along with the roars of the crowd, and suddenly, the man was off, pushed off by Odette, who had been searching for her son throughout the entire fiasco.
"Get off of my son!" She cried, lifting Connor out of the water and into her arms as the fisherman crawled to his daughter, his sons cries still echoed throughout the town, and more people appeared every moment. The entire town surrounded the edge of the lake, sending Odette into a panic.
Hastily Odette ran through the river, out of the marketplace, and to her and Connor's home in the woods, setting him inside and ran him a cool bath, allowing him to relax and his magic to cool. Barely speaking the entire time, only humming.
"Momma?" Connor finally spoke, his voice trembling, "yes Connor?" She asked, drying his hair once he had dressed,
"am I a monster?" He asked, Odette froze. "No...No, no no." She turned Connor around and held him, "you are no monster, no mages are monsters, no man or woman is a monster, a monster is a monster, nothing more." She consoled, her arms wrapped gently around her son, and her loosely held her back, afraid to harm her in any way.
"Then what am I?" He asked, Odette sighed and pulled away, one hand grasped around his shoulder, the other gently on his chin as she smiled, admiring every feature on Connor's smallm fragile face.
"You, by dear Connor, are a Pallitan, my son. My beautiful, smart, powerful son. And I know you are destined for greatness." She spoke only truth, her voice filled with pride and passion.
"How do you know?" He asked, Odette chuckled and smiled, "I am your mother, Connor, I know everything." She teased, but meant every word, ruffling his hair and taking his hand, she led her tired son to bed, tucking him in with a gentle kiss atop his head.
"Goodnight, my hero." She whispered before blowing out his candle.
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[ QUICK NOTE: ] I AM BLOWN AWAY AT HOW MANY READS THIS STORY HAS WITHOUT EVEN #1 CHAPTER !!
