Centuries

(Inspired by the song "Centuries" - Fall Out Boy)

Disclaimer: I do not use the song for commercial uses. The song inspires me to make a short story about it. Credits to the artist for the song.

"Du du du-du, du du du-du

Du du du-du, du du du-du
Du du..."

As I walked along the camp, I realized that life was not what I had been thinking of. It had been a long time since everything that made my life change completely had been passed. I sat on the seat nearby, thinking about how all of these events had changed my life, whether it was a happy one or a disastrous one. I remembered that how everything started to make sense towards everything I had now. Things actually had changed a lot before I knew it.

"Some legends are told
Some turn to dust or to gold
But you will remember me
Remember me for centuries"

I was not born in a prosperous family like many other children were. Life was hard back then, since I was a little boy my parents had been out there fighting for survival. I had been left out alone without friends nor relatives to take care of me. Later on, after around 3 years, we moved to a city where civilization were more advanced compared to my hometown. But my life was not becoming better as what people have thought my life should had been.

"And just one mistake

Is all it will take

We'll go down in history

Remember me for centuries"

I had lived a hard life since my childhood, and entering the academy didn't change the fact. I was there in between strong kids here and there. I looked so small in between them that if we took a picture together people rarely can see me as a whole, usually only my head or even part of my head that can be seen. When we were marching around, people would recognize almost every students, except me of course. However, the disaster didn't stop there.

"He-e-e-ey ya, oh he-e-e-ey

He-e-e-ey ya

Remember me for centuries"

People often picked on me for my weakness. I couldn't lift a heavy sword like they did nor swift enough to dance around with daggers. Even my performance with long range weapons are still considerably lame compared to my companions. It seemed that I couldn't fit into any group of them, so I was called as the isolated person. My friends started to call me names and acted harsh on me physically. Things really got hard since they kept bullying me over and over again everyday.

"Mummified my teenage dreams

No, it's nothing wrong with me

The kids are all wrong

The story's all off

Heavy metal broke my heart"

As I grew up became a teenager, it didn't mean that my life also had gotten better. Maybe I got better at using small weapons, but my capability was still far less than that of my friends. My trainers started to lose hope on me and the bully intensified. I had to immediately rushed home after training everyday so my friends didn't start to steal my lunch or to throw me stones. I just didn't want to remember those faces or what they had done to me, but I had to admit that they somehow made me stronger than ever.

"Come on, come on and let me in

The bruises on your thighs like my fingerprints

And this is supposed to match

The darkness that you felt

I never meant for you to fix yourself"

My home was also not a safe and healthy place to live in. My parents saw me as a failure because they were a well-trained warriors and their son didn't seem to be able to even lift a greatsword. I got hit everyday with a wood rod mercilessly. Sometimes they hit so hard that it left a very deep scar that lasted until today. I looked at those scars and I only could smile because perhaps without this hurtful scars I might not endure all of my endeavors until today.

"Du du du-du, du du du-du

Du du du-du, du du du-du

Du du..."

That disastrous time was the time when I found books would become my new source of interest. Now instead of rushing home and trying to avoid every trap laid at the door, I run straight to the camp's library. The library was empty with no signs of people since my colleagues were all training in the field. So I tried to find something interesting to read. Many of the books were talking about history of war, war strategies, blacksmith and weaponry. Pretty much boring, no wonder no one would want to enter in here. But my instincts urged me to continue searching.

"Some legends are told

Some turn to dust or to gold

But you will remember me

Remember me for centuries"

That was when I found an old book about magic and sorcery. It was well decorated with old ornaments, showing that it was an antique book. I took it out from the shelves and started to read it. It was very interesting like no other book I had ever read before. It contained symbols, incantations, and elements all around the book. It also showed how to made everything around you in your advantage. Since that day, I decided to learn magic discretely all by myself and determined to show them that I was actually capable of doing something.

"And just one mistake

Is all it will take

We'll go down in history

Remember me for centuries"

I went straight to the backyard of my house, at the basement where it was deserved simply for me since my parents were rarely there. I started to open the book and tried to incite what is in there. I tried to learn many elements, but the element of water was what took my eyes the most. It was very interesting to learn, as water is available everywhere and its flexibility could make it one of the most dangerous weapon ever. I copied all of the section before returning back the book to the library without anyone knowing.

"He-e-e-ey ya, oh he-e-e-ey

He-e-e-ey ya

Remember me for centuries"

Since that day, I started to practice every day after school at the basement. I took a bucket of water from my well because of the same reason too. Now my parents always thought me as a diligent kid who cleaned the house and scolded me less, but actually it was just a reason so I could practice more often, although my teachers were still scolding me and my friends were still bullying me. Maybe they thought that I would stay weak and not capable with weapons, but I didn't care. I would show them that I would engage the enemies in my own way.

"And I can't stop 'til the whole world knows my name

'Cause I was only born inside my dreams

Until you die for me, as long as there's a light, my shadow's over you

'Cause I, I am the opposite of amnesia"

And the showdown day finally came. There was a trial for us warrior to prove how well we had become. We had to go through the designated dungeon alone at first but later on we were allowed to group up to engage with difficult monsters. Everyone started to enter the dungeon one by one. I was intentionally being put last so if I failed I wouldn't hold back anyone else, at least that was what my trainers thought. Packing my dagger and a bottle of water, I entered the dungeon all by myself. There was only one thought in my mind, I was going to prove that I was worthy to become a warrior, or a mage to be exact.

"And you're a cherry blossom

You're about to bloom

You look so pretty, but you're gone so soon"

As I entered the dungeon, monsters started to surround me one by one. I started to incite the mantra I had read in the book and started to draw gestures. In an instant, the water I brought floated up, gathered together as a sphere, before spread as ice shard to every direction, killing everyone in sight. Wow, I thought, as I returned all the water back into the bottle. I was not so lame myself. So I continued on my journey and catching up with everyone else while beating every monster with the water I had brought. I would succeed this trial, I know I would.

"Du du du-du, du du du-du

Du du du-du, du du du-du

Du du..."

Then finally I came at where everyone also stuck at the same place. There was a huge gargoyle in the center of the huge field, guarding the exit. It acted hostile to everyone and seemed like the only way to pass through was to defeat the gargoyle in battle. Everyone was there, trying to fight the gargoyle, but even they couldn't manage to scratch it as easily as they thought. One by one, they started to get exhausted and many of them gave up and rested at the corner of the field, far away from harm. The others were still fighting the gargoyle until the very end but still no signs of victory.

"Some legends are told

Some turn to dust or to gold

But you will remember me

Remember me for centuries"

When I finally stepped into the field, many of the eyes were looking at me, perhaps they were wandering how could I made it this far. I didn't care about them, my mind was only focusing on the task, to defeat the gargoyle and got out of here safely. The bullies were laughing on me saying that maybe I was lucky to get through all these things, but surely my luck ran out on this boss. I grinned of them, grinning at the fact that I would end up beating the gargoyle alone while they were just sitting there, mourning about how bad they were for bullying me.

"And just one mistake

Is all it will take

We'll go down in history

Remember me for centuries"

As I got closer, many of the strongest warriors recognize me, all of them were still battling the gargoyle without being tired. Their sword and bows clashes with the gargoyle's claws and wings, trading attacks with it. But the gargoyle didn't seem to be bothered by them. I called them to retreat for a while and they all gathered up for me, both to wonder why I could manage to survive this far and why did I call them. As they had gathered, I told them not to waste their energies since the gargoyle would overcome them in the long run. I said that I would have an idea, but I needed most of their water supply they were bringing.

"He-e-e-ey ya, oh he-e-e-ey

He-e-e-ey ya

Remember me for centuries"

Many of them looked at me with disbelief, muttering to each other about how ridiculous my idea was and how my idea would make them died from thirst. However, one of the best warriors came straight up in front of me and said, "Are you sure about your idea? It seems ridiculous to us but on the other hand we do lack of ideas to beat thing monstrous creature." Confident with myself, I nodded my head and said that I was sure that it would work but I needed to buy a lot of time. Smiling, she said that whatever it was, it better worked and commanded everyone else to buy me some time.

"We've been here forever

And here's the frozen proof

I could scream forever

We are the poisoned youth"

Then they gave me all of their water bottles with half of the water left inside. I gathered them up and filled one bottle with the other bottle until full. From them, I managed to gathered 6 bottles of water and then I went to do my task. As they were all distracting gargoyle, I ran around it unnoticed, drawing a sign on a spot in the ground with my dagger, place a bottle of water on the spot before moving to another spot and repeated exactly the same thing. When the preparation were done, I signed the warriors to fall back and move away as far as possible. Their leader came to me while she was falling back, saying good luck to me before finally move away from the sight.

"Du du du-du, du du du-du

Du du du-du, du du du-du

Du du du-du, du du du-du

Du du du-du, du du du-du
Du-du..."

Now I was one on one with the gargoyle in the center of the 6 spots. The gargoyle looked at me along with hundreds of eyes from everyone that was close enough to watch what would happen next. I raised my hand, waved around and spelled the mantra as the gargoyle fiercely charged to me. Suddenly all of the water from the 6 bottles rose up and surrounded us two before putting the gargoyle into the ice prison and wounded him with the ice spires coming out inside the prison. Then not long after that, the prison exploded causing a huge explosion, blinding everyone out except me. The gargoyle was there, left damaged severely before I came to it and stabbed my dagger right through it's heart.

"Some legends are told

Some turn to dust or to gold

But you will remember me

Remember me for centuries"

Everyone in there witnessed it and seemed like they still couldn't believe at the fact that I slayed the gargoyle alone while they all grouped up and couldn't leave a mark on it. The awkwardness stayed for a while before the leader stood forward and shook my hands thanking me for helping everyone pass through the trial together. The next thing was she tagged me along to the exit, surprising every trainers along the way. They questioned what and how and another things that seems illogical to them, so she explained everything to them.

"And just one mistake

Is all it will take

We'll go down in history

Remember me for centuries"

While most trainers were confused with what had happened, one old trainer picked up things and instantly called me over. He knew what had happened and interrogated me for quite a long time. Then he asked me where and how I found that book. I said everything, hoping that I would not get to be scolded because of it. The trainer only smiled and said that perhaps my talent was not in weaponry, but in magic. I smiled for a while before mourning again. I was afraid if my parents would object me on my study in magic. The trainer said to me not to worry about it and so I went home mixed in both joy and worry.

"He-e-e-ey ya, oh he-e-e-ey

We'll go down in history

Remember me for centuries"

Then after a while the trainer delivered a letter to my parents stated that I was a talented kid as a mage and therefore I would be sent to one of the best magic academy in the world. At first my parents couldn't believe what they had just read but my trainer asked them to let me go so I could explore my potential to the maximum. After a discussion, finally my parents agreed to let me go to the academy. Now, I went last time to the camp, saying farewell to everyone and they wished me good luck. The bullies? They were quiet all day long, not saying a sound. I rose up from my seat and ran to the plane, if there would be an amazing journey waiting next, I would be ready for it.

Notes: Thank you for reading! This story is all about what happened to me from long time ago until now. Since a few days go is my birthday so I guess I want to remember what I have achieved and what I want for my future. To be honest, I really want a girlfriend who is Buddhist and want to support me, but maybe that thing should just stay as a wish hahaha :') Anyway, please give me a comment whether you like it or not so I can improve. Thank you! :)