Chapter 4: Chapter 3: The Untainted One

Aetos, the land of the Untainted. In a world where titanic mountains were fought upon, Aetos was the first to ever build its own. They built theirs with Aetos Marble—a type of rock famous not only for its beauty surpassing porcelain but also for its ability to absorb a certain amount of energy depending on its mass.

From the lengthy bridges to the all-towering borders; each and every piece of infrastructure in Aetos is mixed with marble, thus they glisten a silvery white hue. Due to their abundance of the substance, Aetos became widely known as the Marbled Lands.

Then, what is the title "Untainted" for?

Is it because of the color of Marble, symbolizing purity?

Or is it because the citizens are devout worshippers of their god?

Perhaps, because they are untouched by the enemy?

Nay, nay, and nay.

They need not look white to show their purity.

They need not exhibit piety to display their faith.

And the enemies will not touch them. Never, even if they tried.

After all, the title of the Untainted was given not to the kingdom, but to a person. A child, to be exact. A prince born in crimson blood, then dyed it white. A vessel of power chosen by the Gods themselves.

Ouro Aetos— The Untainted One.

---

A bright and sunny day in Talon, the capital city of Aetos. Bustling were its streets packed with merchants from different regions of Erde, all eager to either buy Aetos Marble or sell their goods.

The Naga sold fish in varying sizes and proportions. An example is a Czekian trout—a fish famous for its taste and texture reminiscent of chicken. Children would shriek at the sight of terrors like the Blue-gilled Limbtaker. Fish of that nature were usually displayed only for the richest and most determined collectors.

Then, you have the Tailed Ones from the Eastern sub-continent of Erde, also known as Tzu. Their products were mainly focused on the different parts of the beasts that populate their lands. They can even sell these very same beasts themselves alive, though it would cost you to purchase one.

However, merchants were not the only people who were active at high noon.

"Aaand another point for Theodore!" A child kicked the ball with all the strength he could muster. The ball rolled swiftly in the air, heading towards the determined goalkeeper.

THUMP!

"Hah! No points for you!" she cheered after successfully defending her spot.

To her dismay, however, she knocked the ball too vigorously. It went way over her friend and into the dark forest.

"What are you doing, Petra? Get my ball." Theodore nonchalantly commanded. Petra turned towards the forest, then immediately shook her head.

"N-Nah. YOU go!" Petra replied.

"Well... you're the one who kicked it away!"

"I didn't expect it to go that far!"

"And that's supposed to be my fault? I had to sneak out last night just to buy that!"

"I'll get it... But you have to come with me."

"Ugh, get it yourself!" Theodore lets himself fall flat on the grass.

"F-Fine! So much for bragging about being a gentleman..."

Petra slowly approached the ominous trees and gulped as she considered them. They were... tall. Very, very tall— her thoughts made her gulp exaggeratedly. Her Pa was tall, but she knew the trees would still dwarf him. Furthermore, they were curled like a nautilus shell, pointed in her direction as if directly staring at her.

"They say a monster lives inside that forest-"

"Shut up, Theo!"

"HAHAHA!"

Her footsteps grew more and more reluctant with each step. As soon as her foot entered the shade, a voice spoke right in front of her.

"Hello."

"EEK!"

"... Are you okay?"

"H-huh? Who are you?" the girl asked as if she didn't jump from her spot the moment she heard his voice.

"I'm... Iris. My name is Iris." the boy responded.

"H-h-hello, Iris! Can I... get the ball?"

The boy stepped out of the shade and into the sunlight. The radiant rays of Solarius himself shone over him, revealing the brilliance once concealed by darkness.

Long eyelashes as curved as the arcs of the palace halls. Large, round eyes, like the pair of moons sitting aptly in the night sky. Symmetrical face endowed with a sharp nose. Lips as pink as a peach. Skin fairer than the kingdom's famous marble.

He's prettier than me, and he's a boy!

Petra couldn't help but stare at the beauty before her. Realizing that she stared for far too long, her cheeks flushed before she anxiously averted her gaze.

Iris... it means rainbow. It's a girl's name but it fits him so well! What was he doing in that scary forest?

"Can I join?" Iris offered Theodore's ball to her. Out of nowhere, however, Theodore suddenly grabbed the ball.

"Who is this girl?" He barged into the conversation. "And why do you have my ball!"

"He found it, doofus!" Petra smacked Theo's arm. "Why are you here anyways? I thought you were too busy lying on the grass!"

"That hurts! You took too damn long!" Theodore held the part that was poked. He turned towards Iris, whose face had no expression, then back to Petra, then back to Iris again. "He's a boy? Well, that explains everything."

Petra's poking intensified. It did not take long before their bickering turned into a silly fight. As the one who witnessed everything unfold, Iris tilted his head.

"Am I not allowed to join you?"

"N-"

SMACK!

Petra elbowed Theo's side before he could finish speaking. "Join us! Don't mind Theo-"

"Hey, it's MY ball! He doesn't look like he plays football anyway! Plus... Look at how white his skin is! You... you're a noble, aren't you?" Theo's tone turned grim. Petra was prompted to step back as well.

Nobles were said to be cruel people who harassed those lower than them whenever the opportunity presents itself. Therefore, like every commoner parent would to their child, her parents warned her to stay away from them.

You are reading story Ouroboros at novel35.com

"Are nobles not allowed to play?" Iris said, tilting his head the other way.

"NO!" Theodore yelled. Tears began to form in his eyes. "You nobles were the reason my father died! You made him work in that stupid mine because of a stupid rock! In the end, he became sick and died because of you! Now, my brother is sick because he followed my father into the cave!"

"... You're being irrational. I'm not the one who-"

"SHUT UP!"

SMACK!

Iris felt a sharp pain in his cheek before realizing his buttocks were flat on the ground.

At that moment... nobody knew. Nobody was prepared.

SPLURT!

Theo's head flew.

A fountain of blood sprung from his headless neck and sprayed all over the vicinity.

"Ah... AAHHHH!!!" Petra shrieked before she too fell to the ground. "T-Theo... AHHHH!"

Iris, dumbfounded by the event, immediately stood up covered in blood to approach Petra.

"I... I didn't mean to-"

SPLURT!

The girl's chest was pierced clean by a sword. Blood bubbled from her mouth before her stiff corpse fell like a tree.

"I have finally found you, Master Ouro." Prithee, the Crown Prince's personal attendant, fixes his attire before wiping the blood off his sword. "You escaped from the palace. Please, what seemed to be the problem?"

"I killed him." Ouro said, still with an apathetic face.

"Who?"

"Theodore. I killed him."

"... Oh! You mean this child!" Prithee kicked Theodore's head and breathed a sigh of relief. "It would've been a bit troublesome if you killed "that" child."

"Who?"

"Nothing. You've killed men before. It is a part of your training. Why are you so disturbed?"

"Disturbed? I... I don't know. I can't explain it. "

Prithee sheathed his sword before walking around. Right beside Theo's corpse, he found a ball. With the same handkerchief he used to wipe off the blood, Prithee cleansed the ball of blood before tossing the handkerchief away.

Then, Prithee whistled before kicking it toward Ouro. "Master Ouro!"

Ouro caught the ball with ease. This impressed Prithee, who clapped with much enthusiasm. Together, they passed the ball around and played as they talked.

"So, why did you leave? Surely, it wasn't just to play. You have plenty of playmates in the palace."

"You mean those men beneath the palace? Setting aside the fact that they don't have legs to play with me, they're not even my age, so it wouldn't be as fun. I also doubt they'll w"

"Oh, so you want to play with someone your age?"

"... Yes. I played with someone my age recently and I found it fun. I also realized that it's even more fun when my playmate is not screaming."

"Hold on, Master Ouro. This someone... Is it "that" child?"

"Who?"

"Your brother, Master Ouro. His name is..."

"He... was my brother?" Ouro paused briefly before kicking the ball once more. "I did not know that."

"Why did you leave the palace then? That child never leaves the palace."

"I sought him out but... he was sick. When I visited him, he had wounds all over his body. Terrible wounds. They say it was due to the maids-"

"So you're the one who killed the maid this morning. It seems that you like that child."

"He's fun to play with since he doesn't scream whenever he sees me. I wanted to treat his wounds. However, Father had forbidden the nurses from giving him medicine, so I went out to go get some but-"

"You saw these children instead. I see. You are truly kind, Master Ouro. But something tells me there is more to the story."

Ouro stopped playing with the ball altogether. "... I admit that I'm a little tired of all the training we do. It is what we do every day, every time, spare for eating and sleeping."

"And taking baths!"

"... And taking baths."

"Hohoho! There we go. This in itself is good, a little break and reflection wouldn't hurt. Are you feeling better now?"

Ouro picked Theodore's ball up and stared at it. "I'm still bothered by Petra and Theodore's deaths. I just wanted to play with them, but I-"

Prithee clasped Ouro's shoulders. Through it, the prince undeniable sincerity from his loyal attendant. "Which is why you must never neglect your training. You submitted yourself to your feelings. You felt anger when he punched you, didn't you?"

"... I see. I will take training more seriously from now on."

"That's the spirit! They were impudent anyway. Don't feel too bad! "

"You were watching?"

"Why yes! You were quite cute, Master Ouro, especially when you were practicing what to say to them."

"... Please forget that."

"I will not!" The attendant grinned. "It is a precious memory."

"Let's just go home, Prithee. Is Father mad at me?"

"Your Father? Mad at you? Hah! When worms finally learn flight, then perhaps he will."

The next day, a pair of corpses were found near the town's forest. The culprits were never identified. The parents of the victims, who constantly demanded justice, were also found headless the next day. Nobody has talked nor touched the matter ever since.

You can find story with these keywords: Ouroboros, Read Ouroboros, Ouroboros novel, Ouroboros book, Ouroboros story, Ouroboros full, Ouroboros Latest Chapter