"Mum, what are you saying?" Artemis' voice cracked.
Rhea's shoulders trembled. "Artemis, I... I had no choice. I'm so sorry."
He stared at her, the salt-air suddenly suffocating. Forty minutes earlier, he'd been laughing with Arthur...
Earlier that morning…
"ARTHUR!" Artemis waved wildly. "Wait up! You know Old Man Rox is going to chew us out for being late."
"Do you think I can't hear you through that mask?" Arthur rolled his eyes. "He is a real pain in the—" He cut himself off with a sigh and handed Artemis a heavy iron hook.
Artemis slung it into his backpack. They were trudging through the salt-baked streets of Ocela, their tiny fishing village in the Kingdom of Tamas. He and Arthur had been best friends since they were five. At fifteen, they could already feel the pressure of the social System on every household.
"You know what's worse?" Artemis complained, rubbing his shoulders. "When Old Man Rox starts droning on about his noble days."
"What happened to his family again?" Arthur asked. "You told me, but I nodded off."
Artemis huffed. "His father, a first-generation noble, couldn't sire an Aurumtouched heir. So they tore his title away."
Arthur whistled low. "So not even noble blood guarantees you're safe."
"Well, except if you're a High Noble—you can't be demoted," Artemis replied and groaned. "This backpack is too heavy... help me out."
"Honestly, you're actually quite strong for a Fleshborn," Arthur teased while collecting the bag.
"Shut up, and let's hurry to the port."
As they walked, Artemis recalled Old Man Rox's ramblings in the market district:
*"In this world, human physiology is classified into six tiers:*
*Fleshborn / Hollow: Normal human teeth.*
*Brazenmarked / Brontide: Bronze teeth.*
*Argentblood / Silverstone: Silver teeth.*
*Aurumtouched / Aurora: Gold teeth.*
*Lustream / Adamanthe: Diamond teeth.*
*Dracaryte / Drakara: Dragon glass teeth.*
*This hierarchy governs every aspect of life—from status and strength to survival. It's the foundation on which the entire system rests."*
As a Fleshborn, Artemis knew his options were limited. Arthur—Brazenmarked himself—had already set their sights on military school once they reached the recruitment age of fifteen.
"Artemis, when is your mom going to pay for that salt?" a woman shouted at Artemis.
"Soon, Naden... soon."
"You always say that! I need my cowry by the end of next week."
"Ok."
"She really knows how to shout," Arthur muttered as they got to the front of the boat. Waves slapped against the hulls in the port, and the smell of fish, pepper, and rusted iron filled their nostrils.
"You're late," Rox stood by the boat—a muscle-carved Silverstone man around his 50s with vivid white hair and a grumpy-looking face.
"Sorry, Artemis woke up late, so I had to get him."
"Hey—!"
"I don't care. Get to the Reculator; we're dredging Deep-Skates today," Rox untied the ropes of the boat.
Artemis' stomach dropped. *Deep-Skates.* Silver-spined fish even Brontides feared. But the Reculator—a hulking steam engine bolted to the deck, pistons hissing like an angry serpent—made the job possible for Fleshborns like him. Its articulated arms could snag thrashing fish from depths no net reached, caging them in electrified brass mesh.
Without it, Ocela's fishermen would've starved decades ago.
Artemis and Arthur had been working with Rox since they were ten as a way to help their families. The job was relatively easy because most of what they did was carry the fish to their customers and operate the Reculator.
"So what date do you brats plan on going for the military school exams? So I can start thinking of hiring."
"The exams happen in September, so in two months," Artemis replied, monitoring the pressure gauges of the Reculator.
"Hmm. Military school is really brutal, especially for a Fleshborn like you. Well, Arthur, you won't die on your first day, at least."
"Did you go to military school?" Arthur asked, ignoring his taunting.
"No, I went to an academia."
"What's that?"
"It's like military school but a lot more civilised. It's where all the technological advancement happens in our country—but only nobles are allowed. Bu— Fathom the shallows!" Rox barked. Arthur hauled the sounding line, his bronze-knuckled grip steady. The lead weight hit bottom. Twenty fathoms—Deep-Skate territory. Artemis tensed. The Reculator's pistons hissed like a sleeping beast; its arm lurched. Too loud. Too hungry. A Deep-Skate thrashed against the mesh. "Spines!" Arthur yelled. Artemis ducked as razor-fins sliced the air—then froze. The machine's steam-gauge spiked, capturing the silver fish in the electrified cage. "Whew! A big find there," Arthur whistled. "That should go for about two hundred Cowry."
"Shut up, and it seems there're more," Rox heeled the boat. "We go back to shore if we can get ten more."
"You know, for a noble, he is quite greedy," Arthur whispered to avoid being heard by Rox.
"Aren't nobles actually greedy?" Artemis replied in the same tone.
"I don't pay you to chit-chat. Artemis, steer the Reculator to the right; my senses are telling me there's something there."
"Yes, Sir."
***
Three hours later, as the sun was setting, Rox started steering the boat to the port. But out of nowhere, a pirate ship blocked the way. "Shit! Weren't the marines supposed to be patrolling this place?" Arthur braced himself. "These fools probably paid them off... but still, of all the boats, it had to be the one with Rox," Artemis replied with a hand on his head.
"Hello!! Fishermen... you got some good-looking fish there!" shouted a dark-skinned man with scars all over his face, his teeth showing that he was a Brontide as he stood on the side of the boat. "My name is Captain Brook of the Viper Pirates," taking a bow jokingly, and continued: "I am a very generous man, so why don't you give us your haul in exchange for your li—" He staggered backward, falling off the side of the boat as a silver bullet hit his ear—blood gushing out at a frightening pace. "Tsk... I missed," Rox muttered under his breath, jumping on top of the side of his boat and leaping to the other pirate boat as his force almost caused the boat to capsize.
"W... who are you?" Brook asked in a trembled voice on the ground, still holding his wounded ear.
"Quite literally your worst nightmare," Rox replied, leaning over.
As the other crew members got on the defensive—some holding guns and knives, while others manifested bronze knuckles around their fists—Rox, looking at them, moved at a fast speed almost unnoticeable to the normal eye, knocking out each of them one by one with a blunt silver sword he created. After he was done, he walked back to the captain and said, "I will let you all live, but if I see you again... I won't be so kind." Then he jumped off the boat to his own.
Arthur clapped slowly. "Wow... Sometimes I forget you were in the army, but moments like this remind me."
"We need to get back to shore and inform the marines," Rox said, taking the wheel.
"Wouldn't they just ignore us?"
"No. They probably just paid the marines not to guard there for a certain time, so they wouldn't hesitate to arrest them to cover their tracks."
"So they will arrest them because they've a lot more to lose," Artemis laughed.
***
"Thank you for reporting; we will take care of the rest," the marine officer said to Rox.
"No problem at all."
"It's too late to sell to our customers, so Artemis, go put the fish in the cold room; we will take care of it tomorrow. And Arthur, scrub blood and debris from the helm of the ship to prevent rusting and avoid rust-sprites—those nasty pests destroy everything," Rox commanded, and they both nodded and hastily went on to carry out their jobs.
An hour later, Artemis and Arthur, tired and hungry, got to the front of Arthur's house. A big woman came out of the door; she wore a long, faded wool dress with loose sleeves and a frayed hem, tied at the waist with a thin rope belt. Her distinctive yellow hair matched that of Arthur. "Artemis, will you be joining us for dinner tonight?" Arthur's mum asked with a smile on her face.
"No, ma'am; my mum is waiting at home, so I won't... Arthur, see you tomorrow. Wake up early; we need to get the fish to the distributors before we go fishing," Artemis said, waving to Arthur as he walked away.
"I should be telling you that!" Arthur shouted to him.
Artemis entered the wooden house where he and his mom (Rhea) lived together alone. He had never met his father; all he knew was that he was a Brazenmarked adventurer named Luthor. The smell of rice and stew came rushing at him as he walked into the house.
"Mum, I'm back!" he said, removing his mask.
"Arty, welcome! How was work?" she shouted from the kitchen, which was also their dining room.
"Quite hectic; we caught some big fish, so I am expecting good commission! And... never mind," Artemis hesitated to tell the story about the pirates because he didn't want his mum to worry. "So, how was the farm, Mum?"
"It was stressful. Luckily, we're in harvest season, so it was mostly the harvesters that we used," she replied as Artemis walked in and started preparing the table for them to eat.
They were eating plain rice and stew, but even that was something Artemis looked forward to every day because he knew there was nothing better than eating with his mum. When they were done, Artemis went out to cut wood for their fireplace—though heaters existed, it was just not something they could afford.
"Arty, do you still intend to go to military school?" Rhea asked, rubbing her hands together.
"Yes, it's the only choice if I want us to live a better life," Artemis replied as he finished setting the fire.
"Artemis, I have something to tell you." She started shaking.
"What?" Artemis asked curiously, with a hint of unease.
"You know I always told you to wear face masks to cover your teeth because the black color meant they were diseased."
"Yes?"
"The truth is... when you were born and I saw your teeth, I had to beg your aunt Silvia not to tell anyone."
"Tell anyone what? Mum, you're scaring me."
"What I told you was a lie; you don't have any disease."
"Mum, what do you mean?"
"You're Adamanthe, Arty. You were born with diamond teeth."
Silence fell like a dropped hammer. The fire crackled in the hearth, but Artemis felt cold.
He stared at her, heart pounding.
"Mum… what are you saying?" his voice cracked.
Rhea's shoulders trembled. "I—I had no choice. I'm so sorry."
"I had to lie, or I would lose you. If a noble found out, they would have taken you away from me, and I couldn't let that happen. I... I love you, Arty; you're the only reason for me living. I could not lose you, even if it meant lying to you." She broke down in tears.
Artemis, hit by the realization of a lot of things that now made sense—his mum's paranoia of always ensuring he wore his mask and hiding him at home when nobles came to her village—walked to the side of his mum, using his hands to clean her tears. "Mum, I love you too, and I understand. I would never want to live in a world without you in it," he comforted her.
"But I have to ask: why are you telling me now?"
"Because you will be leaving for military school, and I couldn't let you go without telling you. And you're too old for most nobles to try to steal you because no one will believe it, so I know it's worth the risk letting you know."
Artemis understood his mum, but he also realized that things in his life just got a lot more complicated. But he knew he couldn't let it weigh him down; he had to become strong and protect his mum and everyone he cared about.