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Issen was brought into Loradia from a neighbouring land, Ara-El, at the age of 5, upon the insistence of his village. He was born to parents who were both half-dark-elves. His parents and only sister went missing while searching for the most efficient way to manufacture heavy wares, incorporating Vitalis in the method. Not much else was known about their disappearance.
After more than six months of no communication received whatsoever, while in his aunt's care, she implored village elders for him to be transported to Loradia, the revered land of Vitalis, for it was his mother's dream for him to make a success of himself through the mastering of Vitalis.
The elders acquiesced, having to forsake a core belief in exchange for another: family is of utmost importance; the wishes of one another must be respected and upheld to the best of one's ability.
Issen was left in Loradia largely by his lonesome, with the promise from his familial village that they would return for him.
That wouldn't come to be.
School practically raised him. The Loradian Authority had him hopping from guardian to guardian for they didn't abuse but neglected to care for him whilst in pursuit of mastering Vitalis. He paid no heed to that. He knew what he had to do. Work as hard as possible: that meant pouring all of his effort into learning the vast invocations and their respective implications at school.
The people closest to him are to outsiders widely revered people, but to him, are those he cares about and those who care about him, seeing him into his early adulthood: Cassia Varr and Erlich Lande.
So, did Issen ultimately fulfill his mother's plans for him? Did his hard work pay off? Well, indirectly. While he didn't exactly make his own mark in the world through Vitalis wielding, he does play a substantial role in supporting those who do.
***
To commemorate the bonus he received from the Doctor, he decided to visit the night market situated in awfully close proximity to the alchemy.
"Hear ye, hear ye! Come one, come all! Fresh from the Blessed Forest of Bornwood, we sell culinary ingredients of only premium quality!" This stall piqued Issen's interest. "Greetings. What exactly are you selling?" The fervent girl suddenly became the epitome of timidity upon landing her sights on Issen.
She adjusted her headscarf. "Well, er... our lettuce is in season, and, ahem, we've got fresh batches of Bornwood speciality loaves!" "...Is that all?" "No, no, no! N-Name it. We've got it. I—We restock daily!" "You run this stall all by yourself?" Issen asked, noticing her correct herself and the shelves containing droves of various fresh products surrounding the girl behind the stallfront.
"Y-Yeah..." "Honestly, that's pretty impressive!" Issen remarked, seeing somewhat of a parallel of himself in her. She blushed. "Thank you."
"Say, I want to make a little celebratory feast for myself, think you could give me a recipe of some sort that I could make from the ingredients you have?" The girl had the most delighted expression in response to his request. "Yes, of course! Give me a moment." As she turned around, Issen noticed her wings, which glowed with a soft, ethereal light that seemed to emanate from the Vitalis within them. The wings themselves were delicate and translucent, with a network of fine, sparkling veins that pulsed with Vitalis. That would be right, Bornwood's population consists primarily of fairies.
While he waited, he turned to look at the gap in the buildings a fair distance away which he usually passes on his way back home. An alleyway.
"Here you go, sir!' She handed him a fairly weighty packet. "The recipe is in there too. It shouldn't take too long to prepare." "I'm going in blind. I'm trusting you here, haha," they laughed. "Uhm, sir?" "Yes?" "I... didn't catch your name." "Issen." "I'm Alana." They shook hands. "A pleasure to meet you, Alana. Thank you for the meal!" Issen said as he walked away. "Bye!.. Wow..."
Something felt unusually odd about that alleyway he was about to pass for the umpteenth time. "I ought to inspect it," he thought. He hastened his pace until he faced the entrance. It was incredibly dark, vaguely illuminated by the vibrant night market that was now just barely out of earshot. "This bench, it wasn't here before..!"
It was what, or who, rather, that was on the bench which was of far greater pertinence.
A young girl wearing clothes similar to torn, filthy rags, grey unkempt hair, and a skin tone slightly darker than that of Issen's, lay seemingly unconscious. "There's no mistaking it. She's a dark-elf. What is she doing here though?! Ara-El no longer exists! They aren't even in the latest atlas! Unless she's from further away? No, that simply wouldn't make sense!" Issen's discovery made him confounded.
He assessed her condition quickly: shallow breathing, weak pulse. "I have to act fast," he muttered to himself. With a sense of urgency, he gently but swiftly lifted her onto his back, ensuring her head and neck were supported. He glanced around, noting any immediate dangers, and then sprinted towards the apothecary's practice, with unprecedented agility. At his current pace, he would reach Cassia in two minutes—time enough, he hoped, to save her life.
Issen burst into her practice, which doubled as her home for round-the-clock emergencies. "Huh?!" Cassia charged from another room with an elixir in her hand. "Issen?! It's unlike you to show up outside of your routine—"
Issen turned to show the girl he carried on his back.
Cassia's pause was audible, coupled with her expression of absolute concern.
"Cassia. Can you help her?"
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