Looking at Blondie, his blonde hair, his red streaks and dark blue eyes, Logan involuntarily remembered their first encounter.
It had occurred a little over two years ago.
***
A younger Logan laid on the bare floor in the shack his parents had left for him,
He moved slightly and his stomach rumbled and growled in response sending hunger pangs coursing through him.
He had managed to scavenge for fruits during the first few months of living there but the trees and plants that bore them had long since wilted.
He couldn't even buy anything not only because he had no money but because of the hatred and stigma he faced in his old town.
The last time he had gone there, people especially children chucked stones at his head much to their parents pleasure and encouragement.
He couldn't even sell anything as he had nothing. Even the clothes he was wearing he had stolen from a store the last time he had gone into town,
"Mom, dad. Why did you leave me like this?" His voice broke as he started crying.
His tears cascaded down his dirt and mud covered face before passing by his lips that had cracked due to overexposure to the raw elements.
Logan cried himself to sleep.
His hazel eyes, now puffy, fluttered open only to see the ceiling that had cracks in it,
His stomach clenched sending a wave of immense pain through him, his still puffy eyes became watery threatening to burst with tears and after what felt like an eternity but was only five minutes, the pain slowly receded until it stopped.
"I need to eat" Logan groaned before sitting up,
"I need to go back into town. I guess it's time to sell one of the spells I have" Logan surmised as he stood up.
He headed to the leather trunk and opened it, he took out a scroll and undid its bindings, and read its title
Decaying Touch
'This spell is really strange. I got creeped out when I read the description of the spell' Logan thought before his eyes went to the description.
Feast! Feast!! Feast!!!
Let us drain the world of its life to sustain ourselves
Let our touch decay
Logan peeled his eyes away from the spell and redid its binding before heading into town.
Logan was now in the town's market, wooden stands with signs advertising what they sold filled Logan's vision with only a few having actual buildings for marketing purposes.
Logan navigated his way through the sea of people and carriages receiving curses each time he moved in a way that offended someone but after blind navigation, he found what he was looking for.
Logan stood in front of one of the few buildings in the market, this building in particular had the words 'Spells: Sale and Purchase' written on a sign in front of it and without further ado, Logan entered.
The inside had floors layered with dark wood, it was a large relatively empty room with only a glass display case at the open end,
He approached it and saw an mature man with a scowl on his face, "Um, I'm here to sell this spell of the darkness element" Logan muttered avoiding eye contact with the man.
"30 copper coins" The man immediately said much to Logan's dismay,
"That's barely the price of an F-rank spell of the water element not to mention one of Darkness" Logan retorted, he was young sure but he still had an idea of the value of spells.
"For a beggar like you? 20 coppers- If you're lucky" The man replied, his eyes squinting,
"That's even worse!" Logan forgot all pleasantries and yelled at the man,
"Okay sharp mouth, 10 coppers" The man leaned in to take in every inch of Logan's dejected face.
"Think I don't know who you are? Filthy thing" The man spat on Logan's face and the latter clenched his fists in anger.
"Better accept my deal or do you think that anyone else in this town would buy something from you?" The man teased Logan, humor filling his voice.
'Why do I have to suffer? Is it because my parents died? Is it my fault?' Logan thought as tears streamed down his eyes,
'No! It's because I'm weak and that is my fault. If I was an A-rank mage, none of this would be happening. Mom was right, the path of a mage is cruel' Logan thought his fist loosening.
"Deal" Logan handed the man the spell and received the ten copper coins as payment, he counted it before leaving.
"Weakness is a sin. I must become a powerful mage, that way I'll never be oppressed. After that, I'll kill the person or people responsible for the Mirror Plague" Logan assured himself as he headed to a stall to get some food,
He stood in front of the stall and stared the merchant in the eye, "I'll like to by some dried, seasoned meat as well as dried fruits" He requested.
The merchant looked at Logan and his smile turned into a serious frown,
"How much do you want?" He asked, refusing to reject a customer even though he knew who Logan was.
"The amount that ten coppers can buy" Logan replied much to the man's surprise,
'I wonder where he stole the money from. No matter, business is business' He thought before bringing out a small bag.
He opened it and filled it with three handfuls of dried cut up fruits and vegetables, he looked at Logan for an instant before letting out a sigh,
He took another handful and put it in the bag. After that, he reached for another bag and put a piece of dried, smoked meat inside.
Tying the two together, he handed it to Logan. The latter quickly paid him and spared no time before delving into the meat.
He opened the bag and pulled it out. The meat was roughly the size of his hand and had small particles on it,
'Must be the seasoning' Logan deduced before stuffing his face full of it, the spicy taste filled his mouth but he didn't slow down to enjoy it finishing it in seconds.
He let out a relieved sigh as his stomach had stopped hurting before heading back to the forest.
As he walked to the edges of the forest, he noticed three people following him,
Two were identical twins both having tall lean builds and orange streaks while the last was someone that Logan would come to name Blondie.