Soul Fraction

Chapter 1: Tsuri Village

Tsuri Village was the most prosperous fishing village on the upper east coast. For most, it was their home where they made a living off fishing. For the rest, it was a beautiful vacation spot for those wealthy enough to afford its luxury. The piers bustle with hundreds of people either going out to sea or coming back. The whole bay reeks of the smelly sea creatures, but the odor never spreads past the boundaries of the harbor. While the working class catches the town's main food supply, the vacationers spend their time relaxing on the white sand beaches a mile from the bay. Those who've come to relax on the beaches are usually attracted by the crystal-clear, baby blue water. Vacationers can see straight to the bottom, even when the drop-off hits thirty feet in depth.

In this village, nobody looks down on other classes like the rest of the country; even the nobles respect and admire the fishermen's work ethic. Although the fishermen work the dirty jobs, they are well compensated for their work. The only thing that separates the fishermen from the upper class, is what they're dressed. However, there is a bonus when it comes to being a fisherman that not many others realize; the adventure.

"Christoph, how's the studying going?" his father shouted from the kitchen.

The nine-year-old Christoph picked his drooling head off his desk. He quickly wiped off his face and crumple to wet papers up. Before he could reply, his father's head peaked around the corner with a raised brow. Christoph, with his thin-tipped writing brush in hand, smiled innocently at his father in hopes he would return to helping his mother cook. However, his father knew Christoph all too well. His father stepped back from the kitchen, revealing his navy-blue yukata robe. His shoulder length hair all came together in a ponytail that rested along his back. He shuffled his bare feet across the carpet, then took a seat on the pillow across from Christoph.

"You fell asleep again, didn't you?" he asked rhetorically.

"Yes..." Christoph mumbled. He knew better than to lie to his father.

His father shook his head, sighing lightheartedly, "Christoph, you need to focus more on your studies. Your mother and I want you to become a great scholar one day. We don't want you following in your sister's footsteps. Besides... you know the Imperial Army would never let you join, no matter how good a fighter you may become."

"Could I become a council member like you, dad?" Christoph said in a slightly uninterested tone.

His father's eyes lit up a bit, "It would be very hard because you're not from this country." This caused Christoph to glance down at his light-toned skin, and his father saw the light in his eyes begin to dwindle, "But if you work hard enough and prove you can handle yourself, then you've got a great shot," his father said enthusiastically.

"When I'm a council member will I be an adventurer like you? I want to see more places than just here and the capital!" Christoph exclaimed. The excitement began to boil inside him.

His father let out an unearthly chuckle. He almost fell back off his pillow but was able to catch himself, "If you want my particular job, no. I only travel to the capital every so often. However, some of my colleagues have been all over the country and visited many different villages. I think that..."

"I want to do that then!" Christoph interrupted his father as his bottle up excitement exploded. His father glared at him and Christoph immediately covered his mouth with both hands. "Gomen nashi!" Christoph said quickly, placing his palms together and bowing his head.

His father smiled at Christoph's maturity. He stood up and walked over to Christoph, patting his scruffy black hair, then he swooped him off the ground by his armpits. Christoph giggled as his father swung him onto his shoulders. "Christoph, I think you can show the people of this country that outsiders aren't so bad. Maybe then we could open up our borders again... something I've been trying for the past 10 years," his father said as he made his way over to the open window that sat above the main entrance to the house. The two stared out at the sinking sun. In just a few hours, it would be night time. As they both gazed out the window, Christoph crossed his arms on top of his dad's head, then rested his chin on them.