The Moon Thief
Chapter 1: In The Desolation

"It looks like it's going to rain. I best have to hurry." A young man in a black hooded robe examined the clouds above. His grandfather had asked him to go to Rusan Town and get some Silver Water. He and his grandfather lived in a house deep in the wooded area which located north of Rusan Town. In fact, their location was known as the Meitharian Territory, an area that encompassed many towns, including Rusan Town. He had taken Silver Water and wanted to go home before the rain got more severe.

He began to ride his horse quickly. He breathed a sigh of relief when he got to his house before the rain got stronger. The house was not big and flashy. It was small and completely made of stone. However, it was quite adequate for the two people living in it. When he entered, he did not see his grandfather reading a book at his desk as he usually does.

His grandfather was sitting in front of the burning fireplace and was drinking some kind of herbal tea.

"Grandfather, I got the Silver Water you wanted."

This young man's name was Heinald and he was trained by his grandfather, Lavs Dothor. His grandfather used to be a powerful Ainsar, but now he is an old man whose life is rapidly decaying and whose sole purpose is to educate his grandson as much as possible before he died.

The world in which they lived was chaotic and a world ruled by the strong, and power belonged to the Ainsars. In ancient language 'Ainsar' was a title given to people who could control the forces of nature and all kind of mystic powers. 

"Great! Come,let's start brewing Constitution Potion immediately."

The old man stood up and headed to the next room, which was filled with jars, usually containing plant roots, leaves, seeds, bones, and the ingredients for potion making, such as various creatures and animal organs. Apart from jars, there was a large table, several boilers of various sizes, and huge cabinets. On the table, there were beakers, glass rods, petridishes and a distiller.

"How are your Spirit Flame studies going?" The old man asked, while checking the ingredients for the potion.

"I still have a little trouble controlling, but I'm still much better than before." Heinald answered. The toxicity in the potion were destroyed by Spirit Flame. It did not have a form, it did not even appear. It was a form of energy invisible to the eye. It played the most critical way in Potion Brewing. If the toxicity were not destroyed by the Spirit Flame, the potion would fail. If the Spirit Flame was used too much, the ingredients in the potion would be damaged and the potion would fail again.

These toxic particles were too small to be seen with the naked eye, but people who had gained experience in brewing potions by making a lot of experimentation, finally became accustomed to using enough Spirit Flame to destroy the toxic particles.

"Good, that's what matters." The old man started making potions after confirming that all the ingredients were ready. He started by pouring Silver Water into the cauldron. Silver Water was an absolute necessity for every potion.

Potions were very important for the Ainsars. The world was a dangerous place and there were many dangerous creatures. Life was undoubtedly the most precious thing and no one would want to lose it. Potions, on the other hand, could reduce this risk with the effects they offered. For example, a person who consumed Constitution Potion would temporarily gain extra Constitution power, thus increasing his natural defenses and strength, thats why potions were very useful but also difficult and complex to make.

Spirit Cultivation was the most basic condition of power for an Ainsar. The source of Magic Energy was spirit. If spirit grows up, the amount and power of Magic Energy would grow up.

Heinald was an Apprentice Ainsar, so his spirit was not strong yet and he had very little Magic Energy. To become a Level 1 Ainsar, he must first cultivate his spirit.

There were many different ways that Ainsars could follow for the cultivation of their spirits but the most accepted way was to use Spirit Potion. However, Spirit Potions were the most difficult and complicated potions to make. They were made with extremely rare ingredients and their formulas were extremely rare.

The area where they lived was an area where Ainsars were not seen. Lavs, chose this place to avoid being disturbed by anyone. Although the number of people who knew he lived was not more than one hand's finger. There was only one person to communicate with him, and he was his old friend Luian. They usually were coming together for business. Lavs was selling the potions he made to Luian, but he made little profit because Luian brought most of the ingredients for the potions and the ingredients were not cheap at all. Most of the ingredients for potions in this part of the world were impossible to replace. Almost all of the Ainsars lived in the great kingdoms, and almost all of the great kingdoms were west of the Dawn Continent.

As usual, Heinald observed the preparation of the Constitution Potion with all his attention and was confident in precisely adjusting the amount of ingredients used to make the potion. After all, he had watched with all his attention dozens of times but unfortunately, he could not observe and calculate the amount of Spirit Flame he had to use. He would make mistakes over and over again until he started using the right amount of Spirit Flame needed for the potion, and he would get gradually experienced.

"You'll have to go to Cloud Valley soon. You'll need to collect Remank Flower and Blue Grape Grass." When Lavs examined the stock, he noticed some shortcomings. The herbs he wanted were necessary to make an ointment that was effective in healing various wounds.

"It's okay, I'll hit the road tomorrow morning. A trip to the wild wouldn't be bad for me. I haven't been going for a long time." Heinald nodded.

"Start preparing your bag now. Get extra jars and test tubes with you. If you come across a rare plant or creature, you may need it."

He went quickly to prepare his bag, then sat by the fireplace and started reading a book that gave information about various plants. He was seventeen and had been reading every day since he was almost six years old. At first it sounded very boring because he wanted to run outside and have fun as any little kid would want him to. He never had a friend because he spent his life in this desolate, wooded area but he got used to all this as he grew up. As he learned about the world they lived in books and his grandfather's memories, he was deeply glad that he did not waste his time. He was not stupid, he was aware that he was luckier than most people because he was born with Magic Energy.

Most of the people were born as ordinary people with no power. However, some of them are born with Magic Energy. Those with Magic Energy had a chance to become an Ainsar. Of course, not every person with Magic Energy could be an Ainsar because you had to have a lot of knowledge and skills to become an Ainsar, but if you succeed, you would become an existence that was respected and held in power by all. 

On the other hand,he was bored of living in this lonely place. He wanted to see the mighty Ainsar kingdoms and open the doors of opportunity there. If he hadn't been for his grandfather, he wouldn't have stayed in this desolate place for a second.

***

The next day, Heinald was prepared and set out for the Cloud Valley. The Cloud Valley was about ten miles east of Rusan Town. After several days on horseback, Heinald reached the valley without any problems. The plants he had to collect were on the edge of the stream flowing between the two mountains and on the slopes of the mountains.

"I'd better start looking for Remank Flower first." Heinald muttered.

The Remank Flower was usually grown near streams. It had yellow colors and unpleasant smells, so it was not a hard plant to replace. Blue Grape Grass grew on the slopes of the mountains, so it was more difficult to collect. Fortunately the mountains were not very steep.It was not impossible.

Heinald searched for Remank Flowers by the stream from morning to evening and managed to replace three of them. As the sun was about to set, he made a small campfire with a few twigs he found around. After a disturbed sleep, he woke up tired and began searching again, hoping to replace a few more Remank Flowers.

He was only able to replace two more after a full day of searching.

After another uncomfortable night, this time it was time to climb the slopes of the mountains. Slowly and carefully he climbed the mountain slope and began looking for Blue Grape Grass. As the altitude increased, the strength of the wind increased. Blue Grape Grass was originally a purple plant. It was easy to distinguish from other plants as there was not a purple plant around, but it could be said to be a difficult plant to replace, especially if you're looking on a mountainside.

"Oh? Here! " Heinald managed to replace one after a few hours of searching. He took a jar from his bag and gently placed the plant inside. After lifting the jar in his bag, he continued to wander, climbing slowly upwards, seeing many creatures by the stream , but for some reason not even a rabbit on the mountain slopes.