It was the year 845, and Adam was 12 years old. For a century, society had lived encaged within the walls. However, Adam and his mother, Carla, lived separately from society in the mountains, away from the town. Carla often spoke about a land called Aetheria. 

“Ugh… boring,” Adam thought to himself. This was the hundredth time she had mentioned it to him. “Yeah, yeah, Mom, I get it. Beyond these walls and across the sea, there's a land called Aetheria, and it’s so vast that it stretches beyond the horizon.” 

“It’s true, and I want to take you there one day,” Carla replied. “Just the two of us, so we can live our lives without the fear of being brainwashed like the rest of society.” 

Adam looked at her lovingly and said, “Yes, Mom, I want to go there too. But I have to go chop wood now, I’ll be back soon, love you!!” 

“Okay, son, I love you too,” Carla told him. She smiled.

Adam went to gather wood far from his house. It took him about two hours to chop the wood and collect it all. As he returned home, he noticed soldiers outside his house. They were the king’s soldiers. “Why are they here? What do they want with us?” Adam thought, feeling alarmed. He dropped the wood he was carrying and ran inside. To his horror, he saw the soldiers trying to take his mom away. He began yelling, “MOM, MOM, WHAT’S GOING ON?!?!” She looked at him with kindness and love, but then resigned herself to the soldiers’ demands. They placed her inside a wagon and left, leaving Adam devastated. “How can this happen? Why me… why me…” he thought to himself.

Sitting on his couch, Adam replayed everything that had just happened in his mind. Hours passed, and he recalled that on the other side of the mountain, there was an old, wise man. Adam had known of this man’s existence since he was just five years old, but he had never actually seen him. The only time he had heard about him was from Carla, who talked about how they built houses in the mountains to escape the brainwashed people in the city.

His house was far from the old man's, as it lay on the other side of the mountain. With winter approaching, Adam needed to gather clothes, food, firewood, and a toy that Carla had given him.

Adam had embarked on a journey to the old man’s secluded house, nestled deep in the woods. The journey took him two long days, during which the biting wind nipped at his skin and the landscape transformed under the weight of winter. As he finally approached the weathered door of the old man’s home, a sense of anticipation filled the air. He didn't know whether to knock or to think this through. Eventually, Adam knocked on his door.

After two long, anxious minutes, someone finally opened the door. It was an old man—short in stature, with white hair, a hunched back, and the kindest eyes Adam had ever seen. The man asked, “Hello, sir, who are you, and what do I owe this pleasure?”

Adam locked eyes with the old man and replied, “My mother has been taken hostage, and I need to know how to get her back.” Upon hearing those words, the old man fell silent, looking down, gloomy and sad. “I see; the time has come,” he said.

Adam raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, 'the time has come?'” The old man ignored his question and simply said, “Come inside; it’s cold outside.”

Adam stepped into the old man's house. It was warm and vibrant, almost feeling like home. “Sit,” the old man said, pointing to his couch. Adam took a seat.

“They took your mother hostage, you said?” the old man inquired.

“Yes… They took her away from me,” Adam replied.

“I see. They couldn’t let the secrets out,” the old man said, his expression serious. Adam sat there, confused. “What secrets, old man?”

“It doesn’t matter. Now, where were we? Oh my! Forgive my rudeness; I haven’t even told you my name!” 

“Oh, it’s o-” 

“It’s Bernie.”

“Nice to meet you, Bernie,” Adam said. “I am A-”

“Adam, yes, I know. Your mother has told me all about you,” Bernie interrupted. Adam smiled. “Oh, wow, okay, so I don’t need to introduce myself.”

Bernie ignored his remark and continued, “Now, back to what’s important. The king has taken your mother because she is the last of her kind who knows the secret…”

Adam asked, “You’ve been talking about secrets this whole time. What’s this ‘secret’ you keep mentioning?”

“The secret of the walls. She was the only one who knew how to destroy them—the only one who wasn’t brainwashed, including me. But I do not know the secrets of the walls. Only she did.” Bernie explained. 

“The walls…” Adam echoed, trailing off. 

“You must go to the basement… the basement…” Bernie urged. 

“My basement?” Adam asked.

“No! The castle’s basement,” Bernie exclaimed, then sighed. “Well, I guess I should tell you everything first.” Adam looked confused but nodded in agreement.

“Before you were born, your mother and father worked for the king. They were hired to help him find the secret to immortality. Their research took place in the basement, which is why you must go there. However, they dug too deep and uncovered the means to destroy the walls protecting the kingdom. The king realized that if the walls were destroyed, he would lose his power. So he… so he…” Bernie trailed off, looking at his hands, horrified by the memory that surfaced.

“WHAT DID THEY DO TO THEM?” Adam yelled. “Your father… he was turned into a chimera. Now he works with the military as its enforcer,” Bernie whispered. Adam was in complete shock and asked, “What about my mom? What happened to her?” Bernie explained that she managed to escape thanks to him. He had served as a soldier but felt compelled to help Carla.

Adam felt overwhelmed. “How can I defeat this evil tyrant?” he asked. Bernie looked him straight in the eye and replied, “Follow me.”

They descended into the basement of Bernie’s home. Inside the cellar, Adam was astonished to see a wide array of weapons, ranging from katanas to spell books. “Wow, old man, where did you get all these cool things?” Adam asked. Bernie met his gaze and said, “Don’t worry about that right now. We need to prepare you before they turn your mother into a chimera as well.” Adam sighed and nodded in agreement.

“Now, to defeat the evil king, you will need three things,” Bernie explained. “First, you'll need an invisible cloak to sneak past the guards. Second, you’ll need a scythe in case you get caught in a sticky situation. Lastly, you will need a spell book to turn him into a rat once you reach him. This will ensure he never bothers anyone again. After that, go back into the cellar and rescue your mother.”

Adam nodded in understanding as Bernie handed him the invisible cloak, scythe, and spell book. “Destroy the walls, Adam. Save everyone,” he urged.

Adam, filled with hope, left Bernie’s house and began his journey across the mountains toward the town. He had a goal: he was determined to get there, no matter what.

A day had passed since Adam departed from Bernie. He was still on his way to the town, and the cold was biting. “I have to make it there as soon as I can. I have to. I have to,” Adam told himself. He pressed on through the frigid conditions, and a day later, he finally reached the entrance of the town. As he entered, he was struck by the sight of so many people. “Wow,” he thought.

Feeling famished, Adam sought a place to eat. He ended up in a bar where he ordered fruit and milk. Unfamiliar with the need to pay for his meal, he simply left once he finished. 

“And where are you going, runt? You have to pay,” the owner called after him. 

“Pay…?” Adam replied, confused. In the mountains, he had never needed money; his mother always took care of him. 

“Yeah, with money,” the owner insisted. 

“I don’t have any money,” Adam explained. 

“Oh really? Then I’ll call the king’s soldiers,” the owner threatened. 

“Please, don’t—” Adam pleaded. 

“GET THE SOLDIERS!!!!” the owner yelled.

Adam was feeling overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do, so he ran out of the bar. As he sprinted away, he found himself surrounded by soldiers. They formed a circle around him and began closing in. “Please, let me go…” Adam pleaded. “No can do, dimwit,” one of the soldiers replied. Adam attempted to escape again, but one of the soldiers knocked him out cold.

A few hours later, he regained consciousness in a room. It wasn’t a cellar, but it was clearly isolated. “W-where am I…?” Adam asked, his voice trembling. An unfamiliar voice responded, “You’re in a room, isolated from the town.” Adam turned to see a beautiful young girl. She had long, dark black hair, ocean-blue eyes, and a slender frame. She appeared to be about 5'3" and was looking directly at him.

Adam felt his cheeks flush and quickly looked away. “What happened? Did you save me?” he asked. The girl smiled and said, “You know it!” 

“Ugh… shut up, I’m trying to think!” another voice interjected. “Another person?” Adam thought. 

“Why do you have to be such a bum, August?” the girl said. 

“Well, I’m Maeve, and that bum is August! Nice to meet you!”

Adam blushed and said, “N-nice to meet you. I’m Adam. Sorry to be rude, but what exactly happened to me?”

“Oh, no worries!” Maeve replied. “Well, basically, we saw you getting beaten up, and we went to save you!”

Adam's eyes widened in surprise. “Whoa… you took on all of those men by yourselves?”

Maeve giggled and said, “We are extremely skilled in combat, and we wanted to know what was happening.”

Adam continued, “Oh, okay. Since there’s no harm in telling you… I wanted to avenge my mother, so I came down from the mountains to overthrow the king. I just arrived today.”

“Whoa! That’s so cool,” Maeve exclaimed.

In the background, August sat at a wooden desk, looking stressed.

“Wait… how come you guys aren’t brainwashed?” Adam asked.

Maeve went pale. “Well… when we were just toddlers, we were abandoned by our parents, and we—well… we survived on our own, together. So, we were never taught the teachings, which meant we weren’t brainwashed into believing that the king is our savior.”

“Oh, I see,” Adam replied. “I’m sorry that happened. But I must go.” He got up and opened the door.

“Wait!” August yelled.

“What’s up?” Adam asked.

August spoke up, “We can help you.”

Adam closed the door and went to sit down on the bed. “Help me?” he asked.

“Yes,” August said.

“How so?” Adam asked.

“Well, first of all, you're unskilled in combat and frail. You will never succeed without us,” August said bluntly.

“Ouch,” Adam thought.

“You need us to help you. We also want to overthrow the king. It was his fault… all his fault…” August continued.

“You’re getting carried away again, August,” Maeve interjected.

“Yeah, whatever. Anyway, let us help you. We’ll make sure you succeed,” August said.

Adam thought for a moment. “Okay, that sounds fine.”

“Fill us in, Adam,” August urged. Adam nodded and said, “I’m going to the castlegrounds, then I will turn the king into a rat and release him into the woods. After that, I will go into the basement of the castle and find out how to destroy these wretched walls.”

“The walls?” August and Maeve asked simultaneously.

“Yes, I have a dream to reach an unknown place. It is said to have so much land that it stretches past the horizon. My mother would have wanted me to go there,” Adam said firmly.

“Oh, okay. Cool,” August replied.

“Let’s go,” Adam said.

Adam, Maeve, and August left the cabin. Being far from the town, they had to walk for an hour or two to arrive at the castle gates. They hid in a bush as they approached. 

“We should go now,” Maeve suggested.

“No, I have an invisible cloak just for situations like this,” Adam replied. “It should be big enough for the three of us.” They all huddled under the invisibility cloak and made their way to the gates of the castle. 

However, Maeve was walking quickly and tripped on a rock, causing August and Adam to become visible. “Shoot,” August said.

The guards started yelling, “THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA, YOU CANNOT ENTER!”

“We need to think of a plan, and fast!” Adam exclaimed.

“I got this, Adam,” Maeve said confidently. Being extremely skilled in combat, she swiftly knocked out all the guards.

“Oh my goodness, Maeve, you’re amazing!” Adam shouted. 

August sighed and replied, “Come on, we don’t have all day.” 

Adam nodded, and they all rushed into the castle. 

Once inside, Maeve and August suddenly stopped, looking sad and almost disappointed. “What’s wrong, guys?” Adam asked. 

“Adam…” Maeve began, “We’re sorry. They were holding my little brother captive! They said if we didn’t…” 

“Maeve, hush,” August interrupted. 

He turned to Adam and said coldly, “We tricked you. There are about 25 men here, hiding behind the walls. You cannot escape, so don’t try. And Adam, I really am sorry. But this was the only way to save our little brother. Please forgive us.” Maeve and August looked angry, their fists clenched as they stared at the ground. 

“B-but you said it was just the two of you…” Adam stammered, bewildered. 

“WE LIED, ADAM! THIS WHOLE THING WAS A LIE!” Maeve screamed. “IT WAS ALL A LIE, OKAY?!?!” 

“Now, now, children, I’ll get you your little brother back,” a voice called from a distance. It was the king himself.

Adam, filled with anger, turned directly to the king, seized his scythe, and attempted to attack him. The guards quickly stopped him. “Why… why, why, why…?!?!” Adam realized it was hopeless. He felt utterly betrayed and furious.

“Hahahaha, little boy, I hope you understand that I cannot allow you to walk freely around the town, knowing the secrets,” the king said.

“What secrets!? THE SECRETS WHERE YOU TURNED MY FATHER INTO A CHIMERA AND ALMOST DID THE SAME TO MY MOTHER? AND WHY? SO YOU COULD KEEP YOUR ROLE AS KING?” Adam yelled, tears welling in his eyes from sadness.

“Oh my, we can’t have you yelling that out, little boy,” the king said seriously.

Maeve and August exchanged looks of disbelief. “Now, let’s turn you into a chimera just like your lovely mother and father,” the king told Adam. “Oh, Maeve and August, your job here is done. Shoo now.”

“Okay, my lord,” August replied as they exited the castle grounds, and the door slammed shut behind them.

The king commanded the guards, “Take him to the transmutation room. It’s about time we get a new dog.” The guards responded in unison, “Yes, my lord!”

Adam felt utterly hopeless, having given up on everything. “Why am I even alive? I’m such a disappointment. I can’t even avenge my own mother…” he thought to himself. When the guards arrived at the transmutation room, they placed him inside a transmutation circle. “Are you ready, little boy?” one of the guards mocked with a laugh.

“Just hurry up and do it,” Adam replied in a low voice.

“Aw, you’re boring,” another guard said.

Adam, unfazed, simply closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

As the soldiers were about to complete the transmutation circle, they suddenly collapsed to the ground. Adam opened his eyes to see what had happened, and to his disbelief, it was Maeve and August.

Adam said, “Guys…” 

“NO TIME FOR CHIT CHAT, WE’VE GOTTA GO!” August yelled. Adam nodded in agreement. They ran out of the transmutation room and into a secret passageway where they could talk things through.

“Why did you save me?” Adam asked.

“Because we couldn’t bear to see you like this, especially since it was our fault. We have hope that you can rid the world of this evil king and get our brother back, as well as your mother, of course,” August explained.

“Okay…” Adam replied, still feeling skeptical.

“Now, August, what’s the plan?” Maeve asked.

“Considering there are likely a lot of guards, we’ll be outnumbered. We can't fight them right now. Adam, do you still have your invisibility cloak?” August inquired.

“No, I don’t. The guards took everything away,” Adam replied.

August sighed. “Well, this is frustrating… We have to find a way to get them back.” He unfolded a map of the castle and pointed at a specific spot. “Here. Maeve, you need to get into the vents and retrieve the items he had without getting caught. Do you think you can do that?”

“Yes! I can do it!” Maeve exclaimed.

“Alright, we’re counting on you!” August said. Maeve smiled and entered the vent.

August and Adam stood in complete silence. Finally, Adam decided to break the quiet. "What's your deal, man? At first, you guys saved me from soldiers, then you betrayed me, and now, suddenly, we're friends again?

“Look, Adam,” August replied, “I understand you’re frustrated, but please try to see things from our perspective. We were living peacefully, just like you, away from everyone. Then one day, the king took our brother hostage and demanded that we help him find you. We had no choice but to agree; otherwise, we would never have seen our brother again.”

Adam, now calmer, said, “I understand now. Please forgive me for acting out of pure emotion.” 

“It’s okay. I can relate to how you feel,” August replied.

“So, are we cool now?” August asked.