Bill the Human

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  Bill Henry Smit / Human / Male / New Terra / Third class citizen

  Before a journey to start one must know where we came from

  and where those who came before us are headed

  only then we can begin to see a path that lie before us

  for humanity our path is long and full of regret

  our sin is vast, our wound deep

  our gods dead, our meaning loss

  To be human is to be godless and full of hatred

  But I found that life not has to be this way

  for to be human is to believe in the possibility of tomorrow

  And together tomorrow we shall bring

  Bill Henry Smit

  "Bill, honey it's here!" Maria calls out to her son in excitement shaking this wreckage of rust they call home.

  This place only has two rooms that are still livable after it was destroyed in the war and was long abandoned. Many buildings in the lower part of the city are like this. Due to damage, it is easier to just pour rock and cement over the ruin and then build the new building on top rather than remove all the wreckage. This results in the center of the city getting lifted higher and higher while the outer part of the city where they live remains damaged and becomes a free home for third-class citizens like Bill's family.

  "See I told you they can find our house just fine," said Bill as he took a mail from his mother and held it in his hand.

  "No matter what the result know that I'll always be proud of you Bill," said his mother remembering how hard Bill studied for this test even when they only had one book which his father left them with.

  Bill had thrown himself into learning everything in that book and with his love of MAM Maria knows Bill will succeed no matter what.

  Bill nodded and then started to open a mail, slowly unfolding the paper he read its content out loud for them both.

  "Thank you for applying for a Princess Alana Foundation scholarship and taking our test for the school of Alana. We would like to congratulate you on passing the test with a 95/100 score..."

  "Yes!" both Bill and his mother hug together in joy.

  "You're going to Alana Bill...khak khak" his mother coughs as she always did.

  "I'm going to Alana," Bill says before realizing he has to leave his mother behind "But will you be ok here alone?"

  He looks past the only window they have where a black smog-stained glass and the sound of machinery thump repeat in the background.

  "I'll be fine honey; you go and have a wonderful time now. If there is going to be any place on this earth that is safe for humans besides New Terra it's Alana."

  Bill hugs his mother once more before continuing reading "...for traveling we have arranged for you a guide on...wait. It Today! The postman came late!"

  "What! Let's get you packing now"

  The two of them rush to get Bill packing, luckily for them, they don't have much to begin with just Bill's father MAM, his one book and a few clothes his uncle gave him.

  "Here take this pocket money too" his mother hands him the only money they have for this month.

  "No, you keep it" Bill refuses knowing his mother needs this money for food this week and without him here she might even make it to two weeks with this much.

  "But how will you..."

  "Don't worry you know how resourceful I am, I can take care of myself" said Bill proudly to ease his mother's concern.

  They then rush to the north entrance of New Terra where Bill's guide is waiting. To Bill's surprise, the group leader is an Amiel who looks just like the tale of beauty he heard; a perfect tan skin with golden hair and eyes.

  'Wow, all Amiel is as beautiful as they said and is that a real truck!?'

  "Are you my guide for city of Alana sir?" Bill asks in a cautious tone and tries to keep his excitement, hoping he won't offend him since Amiel is known for their nobility, some are borderline arrogant.

  "Yes, we are waiting for you since all the other kids went on their private boat so you are our only passenger here Bill. I'm Homer nice to meet you"

  Seeing Homer smile and not angry with him for being late Bill apologizes and turns to say goodbye to his mother.

  "Please take care of yourself now, I'll finish school and get back as soon as possible"

  "You don't have to worry about me. Go have fun and make a lot of new friends just be careful around those animals ok" his mother warns with worry in her voice and hugs him for the last time before letting him go.

  They wave at each other as the group of truck move out of New Terra.

  At the campfire under a shooting star, Bill sits along with other travelers. This trip is Bill's first time outside a slum he has lived in his whole life. Around him are merchants and mercenaries, unlike the usual circle of co-workers, foremen and street gangs.

  Many of them are friendly to Bill and tell their story from traveling and dealing with other races; one time a group of owls hit and ran on their supplies and they almost fell off cliff chasing, other is a tale of trade gone wrong with the crow over some misunderstanding and everyone need to fight while run away on the boat. These stories help Bill understand how dire his situation really is since he's about to go live alone in a city full of other races with many customs and lifestyles.

  Homer, their group leader, told Bill that many races can speak English so he shouldn't try to use sign language when he meets them as Bill had planned since it would be considered very rude, in fact, some races may even speak multiple languages like Latin Arabic, German or French but English is ours agree universal language.

  "It would also be wise for you to not pick a fight nor try to piss off any creature, an ant which smaller than a man's knee is strong enough to tear your limp apart, wolf and most birds have fangs or claws that will easily cut human flesh. Even if Alana is considered to be the safest city on the continent and not once has there been a record of a murder, it is wise not to tempt fate."

  Bill nods to Homer's words.

  He knows he only gets a chance to be here because he passed the test for Princess Alana Foundation's scholarship which he is very proud of since he's the only one in the slum who ever passed this exam. Many of the kid from first class pass the exam too of course but not a single one of them is here with him since they're all sailing on their fancy iron ship up the great Red River already.

  Not that Bill is too mad about it since he also gets to travel in a real car with an engine which is very rare for him to see up close let alone get to ride one.

  On a second week of travel, Homer's caravan is attacked by a bandit in a wood which catches Bill by surprise. But many of the guards are ready and seem prepared to regroup and prepare to fight back with sword and arrow.

  "Bang" The sound of a pistol ring and hit one of the truck windows cause the caravan to panic.

  "They got GUN!" a man shouted. They didn't expect any bandit to get a weapon that is so rare to produce or acquire, only a republic of New Terra can produce them and they tend to guard it very closely only selling them in a few numbers to other races that ally with them.

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  "I see him" Homer cries as everyone turns to a ragged man behind a tree holding an M1911 that looks so old it shouldn't even function.

  "Shit, they have Amiel" a gun holder shouts as he tries to shoot Homer.

  Homer whispers some words Bill can't hear and a rock moves up from the ground and shields Homer from an incoming bullet.

  "He the only one with gun," said Homer as he shouted "Jacto" and a rock flew off to the ragged man behind the tree knocking both him and the tree away altogether.

  Seeing Amiel's powerful magic which easily destroys their boss with a gun all the bandits stop the attack and run away.

  "Don't follow them let's get on our truck and keep moving" said Homer and everyone jumped back on the truck.

  "They properly attack because we got a truck which usually means more valuable supplies but we should be fine now," Homer says to comfort Bill who is the youngest here as they ride out of the woods and continue on their journey.

  After many weeks of travel, tonight is going to be Bill's last night on the road. He's reading a book about MAM theory of magic for the 20th time. As Bill read, Homer comes up and tells everyone to get rest. "If we move by early morning, we should reach the city of Alana by noon"

  Amiel is one of the races that govern this world. Throughout Bill's life he heard many awful tales about other races from the radio and people around him but these past few weeks everyone in this group has shown Bill that trust and respect can occur between other races too.

  Still, Bill can see that humans in this group seem distant from Homer even though they are said to have been traveling together for a long time.

  'Maybe because he is their leader? Or is it because Ameil is kind of intimidating? They are after all a better version of us, all of humanity knows it' Bill thought but tried not to worry about it.

  Homer then, to Bill's excitement, uses magic to stifle the fire. For Bill seeing an ameil perform magic is still amazing every time he sees it. He then heads to sleep as ordered.

  Later at night in his cheap sleeping bag provided by Princess Alana Foundation, Bill stays awake with excitement for what awaits him tomorrow 'Real magic user is way cooler than MAM but I'm still just a human not born with magic so stick with what you got I guess.'

  'A man who shines too brightly shall be torn apart by his fellow men' Bill tells himself as he tries to sleep but ends up visualizing how the magic would control both fire and wind until the fire fades out and wonders how that will applied to his MAM glove.

  Hours pass, and Bill still can't sleep so he thinks of his mother and their life in the slum with disdain; every day was hard work of either cleaning a big black machine that ran a city above or collecting and fixing a broken electronics part from the old world that our diver manages to salvage from the sea. Only at night is when Bill has free time to disassemble and study his father's MAM.

  Like all humans, he too dreams of being able to wield magic like a sorcerer in fairy tale and his dream is about to come true very soon.

  As Bill looks up to the star and remembers the story of his people's savior he stops and takes a moment before utter "Thank you, Princess Alana Foundation, for supporting children from poor families like me to go aboard and see the world. I am forever in your debt and promise to repay this kindness one day." he then finally dozes off.

  The next morning comes and as their truck move further Cinder wood becomes less and less dense and the road starts to change from dirt to solid cut rock. Then Bill sees it, as tall as the sky, a white tower stands strong above the rest of bright warm yellow and green field.

  After a month of travel, the sight of Alana is even greater than Bill could ever imagine, the picture in the newspaper or occasional broadcast that he has seen before does not do it justice. The first thing you see when you look at the city of Alana is the White tower that stands tall almost reaching the sky surrounded by white walls from all sides. On the left is the great Red River where Alana sat right next to it, many ships can be seen anchored on its port to trade and commute. Then there is a poppy fields that grow along the river almost painted it whole red contrast with the green grass around the area.

  "This is it, boy," Homer said to Bill "Our path ends here so let me give you one advice for when you are in the city of Alana. You might not understand it now but I hope you will one day" Homer kneels down to Bill's eye level and points to the white tower in distance.

  "In the city of Alana, it is not about you. Always remember this."

  At the gate, Bill stands there in excitement but also with a bit of sadness as he watches Homer's group leave for the port on west side of the city leaving him alone. 'I hope I will meet them again' Bill thinks as he notices a lot of ship differences in style and material.

  Most ships are marvelous to behold with beautiful craftsmanship of wood and metal but some ships make Bill doubt their safety, like that brown ship full of red ants made of many old leaves stiff together casually floating by the river and swaying gently with the wind. He remembers that this city is a center of trade so it makes sense that all races come here unlike his home where he barely saw other races at all.

  As Bill walks past the gate, he can't help but stare at a wolf in light armor that bears a mark of Alana, it is a conventionalized branch of the olive tree holding up the map of the world. He's almost twice Bill's size and stands on two legs unlike dogs and cats back home.

  The wolf inspects Bill from top to bottom with his dreadful eyes yet Bill can't take his eye off the wolf even when his leg starts shaking. Above on the top of the wall, Bill can see some crows and eagles walking around, reminding him that there might be 6 main races that hold power but many other races also have evolved and live alongside each other too.

  'Just not in human territory because they hate us...used to hopefully' Bill thinks as he keeps his head down and trots past the guard.

  Inside a tiger, goat and human are walking alongside each other on the street without anyone screaming. Ant can be seen climbing the building and entering a window, they are said to be the best builders around here. Above are falcons and ravens flying to deliver mail and parcels. One raven even uses a magic breeze to fly a letter into mailbox.

  While there are many races that evolve and change shape some stay the same like a dog that running on a sidewalk or a horse that pulls a cart past him by.

  Every race living together side by side in harmony, this is truly a city of Alana.

  In instant, a white wolf bumped into Bill and sent him flying off to the ground "Ouch" Bill groaned as he hit a solid well-made street of Alana.

  "Watch where you going human" a big wolf said in clear hostility toward Bill as he stepped over Bill and walked on as if nothing had happened.

  'Maybe not completely in harmony' Bill thinks as he checks his empty wallet that does not have any money anyway. At least his MAM seems ok, usually, they are very durable and made from the best material man could find. In Bill's case a broken piece of junk in his slum. He should consider himself lucky his modified part didn't scatter and fly off in all directions.

  Bill then becomes more careful of anyone and keeps his distance as he heads to the school in the city center. On his way animals of all sizes walk past him, each and everyone seems so scary but his excitement overcomes his fear so much so that Bill has to stop himself from walking in front of them and examine all parts of their body and their equipment.

  Not to mention the sweet smell of the food in the market; grilled pork mixed with charcoal accompanied sound of fried food. Street filled with shops selling bread, cake, fruit and desserts of all sizes and shapes, which Bill had never seen before.

  But Bill can only admire and keep them in his memory as he journeys on. It would rather foolish to steal something the first moment one steps foot in a new city which fame for having the best security in the world.

  'It's not like I enjoy stealing or anything I'm only doing it at the last resort.' he tells himself.

  Finally, Bill reaches the school district and he surprises once again. Unlike New Terra's school which is surrounded by a wall to prevent outsiders like him to randomly wander inside. The school of Alana does not have a wall at all. It does have a little ditch of water surrounding the area but it is just a part of the garden anyone can jump over it easily.

  And the white tower is even more impressive up close from down here. Bill tries to gaze upward at the tall tower but is only able to see its shade. In a way, it reminds him of how small and insignificant he is.

  "Hello there" a voice spoke in front of Bill.

  Bill quickly looks down and sees an old lady, an Amiel, standing in front of him. Feeling embarrassed that someone saw him standing still in the middle of the road like an idiot he quickly replied "Oh h- hi ma'am"

  She looks at Bill's fumbling act which reminds her of an old friend before saying "You look like you are lost, I'm a teacher here. Perhaps I can help?"

  "Oh," Bill says with relief for the first time since he stepped out of New Terra "I'm a student here err" Bill looks for his document from Princess Alana Foundation in the bag and hands it to the teacher, the paper was crumpled a lot but still readable.

  "I qualify for a scholarship and just arrived at the city today, what am I supposed to do next?"

  She looked at the seal to confirm that the document is valid then introduced herself "My name is Hellen Lentess, you can call me Miss Hellen" As she spoke, she noticed some data on his application form.

  "Your name is Bill right, sorry to bring this up but I noticed from the paper here that you are a third-class citizen..."

  Here it comes. Bill clutches his hand in anxiety. Await the ridicule that usually follows.

  "That makes you our first student from a third class! Congratulations Bill, our test standard is very high so you must have worked very hard"

  Bill stunt. He did not expect this reaction and didn't know how to respond.

  "Hm let's see it would probably be best if you don't let other students know that you are poor"

  Strangely it was the straight description of his wallet status that knocked Bill to his senses.

  "Ah yes, I was hoping that I can keep the fact that I'm...poor a secret?" Bill hesitates with his word choice.

  "Yes, even if most races don't care much about human social affairs, it still better you don't make a bad first impression," Miss Hellen thinks as she scans Bill from top to bottom.

  "That bag needs to be thrown in the incinerator immediately, that dress is tolerable we have school uniforms provided for students of all races including bag. You can get it from our dormitory staff later"

  'Of course, this dress is fine his uncle gave him the best one he has. This is indeed the best cloth he wear in his entire life!'

  "It said here you are interested in a study about MAM? Do you have one with you" Miss Hellen pointed at his letter but not surprise since many humans naturally want to learn about magic.

  "Yes, but it doesn't have a core to draw magic from" Bill brought his MAM out, half expecting a positive reaction half concerned because this is the first time that someone else than his mother and uncle get to see his MAM that he modified from his father's work.

  "Hm, it's good that you have one or you would have to buy a version that we sell cheap for students but this does look a bit weirder than most MAM I have seen before. You should ask Professor Roy who is in charge of MAM class, he should know more about this subject better than me"

  Bill nods and collects MAM in his bag. It's not like he would have money to buy any equipment anyway, let's hope that they give away a core for free but that is very unlikely.

  "That should be all for now you really have good timing, our dorm just opens for student to move in their stuff today. The building for males is on the left side." Miss Hellen points to a tall building on the south side of school area

  "Good luck Mr. Smit, I'll look forward to our class. Don't disappoint me"

  Bill bowed to thank her and felt a cold breeze pass him by but didn't think too much of it.

  Bill then proceeds to collect his student uniform and change his bag before heading up to his room on third floor.

  As he was standing in front of his room, he could hear someone inside.

  'This is it, my new life starts now if I can finish school, I can change my life, me and my mother won't have to live in that slum no more.'

  He is going to survive and finish this school no matter what.

  Bill gathers his strength and opens the door.