It didn't take much to put Denn into a pensive mood.
If anything, his perpetually contemplative look was a direct manifestation of the stormy thoughts that ran rampant in his head all day.

The boy had no rest from his thoughts, and the only times he was ever genuinely able to get away from them was when he was in the sand pits with the rest of them, when he was fighting to keep his life from being taken as a result of a training mishap, or when he was out in nature all alone, like now.

Belfosi was a coastal kingdom, but the capital was more a village than it was it could be called a city, and power had long moved on away from the royalty. If anything, the name of the royal clan was what kept the Rumi clan members alive.
But they weren't entirely free from the machinations of court politics.

Luckily for them, this world was one that survived and thrived on martial power. The strongest ruled, and so while there were no more royal families, it was without a doubt that this clan would probably never regain the heights and monopoly it used to have.
Their enemies and the watchdogs set over them would make sure of that, regardless.
But at least they could leave the midland join the national military, and they could pursue other careers off the Island.

In a way, the world had moved on from monarchy and the Island together with it.

This place. His home. It was a small island village that was surrounded by hills and mountains, which in turn were surrounded by the ocean all around them, with just the single port leading off and onto the sealocked piece of land.

It was large, huge even with the thousands living on the island, the descendants of the people who once lived to serve the royal family here, over a thousand years ago.

The village’s surroundings were filled with a vast expanse of flora and this world's fauna.
The monsters that lived on the island kept to their territories, barring the occasional horde attack, but the land flourished, and the monsters here were generally powerful enough to find their prey without needing to tussle with the powerful humans.

The quality of the air was fragrant and pure, due to the elevation above sea level at countless points, making for a breathtaking and ethereal experience in the mornings, when the mists still remained.

Sitting atop of a hillside, Denn gazed out across the horizon, out at the line in the sky.

They said there was a life out there.
A place where he could be a nobody in peace, and not one person would remember how much of a disgrace he was, to his royal blood and the shining paragons of talent that were his parents.

He sighed deeply, a sound that cast about the morning air around him.

It would soon be time for the morning rout. He needed to make his way from this secret spot, one of many, down to the pit.

Denn's body was no longer as weak as it used to be, as he'd firmed up from the countless beatings in the two months since he'd finally joined them. But he was still weak.

So weak.

His beautiful blue eyes held a profound sadness that went beyond his years, and it changed how it looked. Of course, this sadness was usually hidden and replaced with a moody look, but up here, whenever he could be alone, there was nothing he could do to make himself not feel the weight of all his thoughts.

If only he had just invulnerability. Or even invisibility.

He didn't even care about any of the idan manifestation that the others flaunted so carefully and trained to use each day. Denn had no Inherents. Not a single one. He also couldn't use idan.

An empty matchbox, and useless. That's what Ronju had called him. And the trainer was probably right.

Still, he wondered why the man still treated him as harshly as he did the others. Gave him the same amount of laps he would give someone with reinforced stamina.
It was pointless and cruel. Not when he knew no amount of training could make up for being blessed by the idan.

But Denn would rather die training than continue suffering mockery for not joining them.
If it hadn't been that his sickness, the one that had kept him bedridden for most of his childhood had just left him a year ago, he would've been training along with his brothers from the proper age of thirteen.

And now, even his peace, his escape away from this harsh world was no longer sacred. Ronju had shown him the need for more power. But how?
Nobody knew how to help someone who'd been born without gifts and inherent without touching the forbidden gifts, and it was a capital offence to use them for a reason

The lad was still despairing his fate when the drums began to ring for the day, and he knew he must take his place there, again.

They were waiting for him. Every day. Silently watching as they mocked him. Hoping. For the day he would admit he'd had enough.

He would break first, Denn knew as he dragged his aching body across the meadows on the hills. If he had to break before giving up the shield as bulwark, he would.