Chapter 1: Home Life
Ala Mhigo: 1555 6A.E. , FallÂ
               The sunhad begun to set on another average day in Ala Mihgo. People were stopping to get last minute dinner supplies as shops were closing, children making their way home after the day’s group lessons, all except for one boy who slipped thru the alleyway, sneaking behind the small goldsmithing shop. The boy was adorned in a beginner’s martial arts gi, his back and sides very dirty from constant time on the ground and his hands and head were bandaged. After a quick peek around the boy made his wayto a bin of scrap and begun to dig around.
               The boy knew the goldsmiths saved and re-smelted every bit of scrapped precious metal, but that’s not what he was after. With exclamated joy he pulled from the bin the handle and empty rim of a magnifying glass, as well as a steel spring coil, about the same size as his hand. His joy was cut short quickly as he spotted the other three boys standing in the alley he had snuck thru, all of them already at least a head height taller than him, and wearing the same style of gi he was. The boy clutched his treasures and closed his eyes tight as the others moved in on him… and began to beat him.
               It was already dark when the boy finally made his way into his home. The trip to the medium sized home shouldn’t have taken as long as it did, but with a limp, and dizzy from the blows to the head, it had a way of effecting his travel time.
“Dio? Dio?!†A petite woman adorned in loose fitting robes and scarves turned the corner looking to the door. She had one hand on her swollen belly as she shuffled quickly to the boy, touching his head, looking over his swollen eye and bloodied nose “Oh no Dio I knew you shouldn’t have been allowed into that school, you are far too young!â€
               A large figure stood in the hallway from where the woman came. The dim houselights on the table doing little to show any features on his face from his height.
 “He is not too young.â€The man grumbled, “He is just small Amanda. He’ll need to learn how to take these hits if he’s to be a man. Now stop coddling him, Get him cleaned up and into bed, he was late, so no dinner for him. When he can learn to be on time, then he can eatâ€
               Amanda bowed her head, and averted her eyes, nodding to the man. “Of course dear, it is as you say.  Come Dio, you heard your fatherâ€
               Dio sat quietly in the washroom as Amanda prepared the warm bath, she turned to smile at him, and then noticed him staring at something. Amanda followed his gaze to her wrist, she had pulled up the robe slightly to feel the warmth of the water, but also exposed the deep purple bruising, and some parts around the outside already a tinge green. She covered the exposed wound and went to Dio, pulling off the soiled gi and old bandages. “Don’t you worry about that my dear†Amanda said warmly, “You need be looking after your own after allâ€
               Dio looked up at Amanda and said nothing for a long moment, and she too stared down on the pitiful sight. Dio was a scrawny sort of boy, His blonde hair was fair, but cut off angle as if the one tending to him had trouble with shears, and generally unkempt do to the constant state of being dirty. His tiny body shown signs of bruises both new and old all over, and he slumped a bit in bad posture. Despite his state tho, his eyes, green and bright like a freshly sprouted leaf, and he said lowly to Amanda,Â
“You are my own, Motherâ€
Ala Mhigo: 1555 6A.E. , FallÂ
               The sunhad begun to set on another average day in Ala Mihgo. People were stopping to get last minute dinner supplies as shops were closing, children making their way home after the day’s group lessons, all except for one boy who slipped thru the alleyway, sneaking behind the small goldsmithing shop. The boy was adorned in a beginner’s martial arts gi, his back and sides very dirty from constant time on the ground and his hands and head were bandaged. After a quick peek around the boy made his wayto a bin of scrap and begun to dig around.
               The boy knew the goldsmiths saved and re-smelted every bit of scrapped precious metal, but that’s not what he was after. With exclamated joy he pulled from the bin the handle and empty rim of a magnifying glass, as well as a steel spring coil, about the same size as his hand. His joy was cut short quickly as he spotted the other three boys standing in the alley he had snuck thru, all of them already at least a head height taller than him, and wearing the same style of gi he was. The boy clutched his treasures and closed his eyes tight as the others moved in on him… and began to beat him.
               It was already dark when the boy finally made his way into his home. The trip to the medium sized home shouldn’t have taken as long as it did, but with a limp, and dizzy from the blows to the head, it had a way of effecting his travel time.
“Dio? Dio?!†A petite woman adorned in loose fitting robes and scarves turned the corner looking to the door. She had one hand on her swollen belly as she shuffled quickly to the boy, touching his head, looking over his swollen eye and bloodied nose “Oh no Dio I knew you shouldn’t have been allowed into that school, you are far too young!â€
               A large figure stood in the hallway from where the woman came. The dim houselights on the table doing little to show any features on his face from his height.
 “He is not too young.â€The man grumbled, “He is just small Amanda. He’ll need to learn how to take these hits if he’s to be a man. Now stop coddling him, Get him cleaned up and into bed, he was late, so no dinner for him. When he can learn to be on time, then he can eatâ€
               Amanda bowed her head, and averted her eyes, nodding to the man. “Of course dear, it is as you say.  Come Dio, you heard your fatherâ€
               Dio sat quietly in the washroom as Amanda prepared the warm bath, she turned to smile at him, and then noticed him staring at something. Amanda followed his gaze to her wrist, she had pulled up the robe slightly to feel the warmth of the water, but also exposed the deep purple bruising, and some parts around the outside already a tinge green. She covered the exposed wound and went to Dio, pulling off the soiled gi and old bandages. “Don’t you worry about that my dear†Amanda said warmly, “You need be looking after your own after allâ€
               Dio looked up at Amanda and said nothing for a long moment, and she too stared down on the pitiful sight. Dio was a scrawny sort of boy, His blonde hair was fair, but cut off angle as if the one tending to him had trouble with shears, and generally unkempt do to the constant state of being dirty. His tiny body shown signs of bruises both new and old all over, and he slumped a bit in bad posture. Despite his state tho, his eyes, green and bright like a freshly sprouted leaf, and he said lowly to Amanda,Â
“You are my own, Motherâ€