(Ray’s POV)
My name is Ray. I am a normal thirteen years old boy, though, you could say that one year of my life was abnormal. According to my friend Lunus, who is a girl with black hair and red eyes, I had gone into a state called coma when I was six years old, and I stayed like that for a whole year.
According to her, I would have died because of lack of food and nutrition if I was left alone, and even if I survived, my body would have become extremely weak to the point of being non functional because of their long period of inactivity. When I asked her, after waking up from coma, that how was I well and kicking if that was the case, she said she used her skill so that my muscles would move, my body would eat, speak, hear, see and everything else.
I had no choice but to believe it because I had no memories of before waking up. Even my name was told to me by her. After that, she continued to teach me various things, like helping out in the village fields, washing and patching up my clothes, picking up vegetables, herbs and the like from the forest nearby. I guess she is amazing?
Though, according to her, I had weakened considerably from before waking up, I still could not tell if that was true. I asked her why I was in coma, or if she knew who my parents were, or if I had any siblings or not. She said, I had parents but they died when the village I used to live in was destroyed by monsters. Some adults and children managed to run away, but when they returned, the village was devastated, so everyone went their own way with some money, and I was so shocked that I went into coma and lost all my memories.
All my memories are of this village, but they are not memories I am too fond of. When I talk to villagers or when they see me or Lunus, I feel as if there is something like rejection in their eyes, though I wouldn’t say it’s to the point of disgust, it’s still not the most pleasant feeling to be stared at by those eyes. I guess that’s because we are not from this village. But, I also think that this feeling should have been resolved in these years I had stayed here.
Anyway, that was all off topic. Then what is the topic, you ask? I had come to a conclusion. You could say that it is the greatest discovery I have made in my life. What is the discovery, you ask? For that, you need to know of some back story.
Sometimes, when I do something, or there is something I should not do, Lunus would warn me. And, if I ever dared to go against her, the air around her would grow so chilling and intimidating that let alone I, even the adults in the village who usually fend off boars, wouldn’t go against her. She had explicitly forbidden me from fighting anyone or anything, using any skill, and raising my level. These things were absolutely forbidden.
And now, I am very grateful that I had followed what she had said with all my heart, even if I felt it was a little, no very unreasonable.
Why? It’s because Lunus is in front of me, and she is beating the crap out of an old man, who has supposedly come after retiring from being an adventurer. Why? It all happened a little while ago.
An old man came here with his wife and two children. The children were about the same age as me. Apparently, both the husband and wife were former adventurers, who had met in the capital, gathered a decent amount of money, they moved to a town, the guy asked the girl’s parents for her hand, and after their agreement, they married. After they had children, they raised them, and now that the husband and wife both had come to this village.
The husband was a resident of this village originally, and the wife was from a different one, though, that village as well fell under the jurisdiction of the nearest town, like this village.
Anyway, the guy had been an adventurer, and a pretty decent one at that, thought that’s what he says, so naturally, the kids pestered him to tell them a story, and he did in a somewhat bar like place in village where everyone gathered. His children boasted about it as if they were their own adventurers. He told us about his adventurers, outside the capital, slaying goblins, kobolds, orcs and the like. He had also apparently participated in a raid on the boss of the labyrinth of the capital as a major player and succeeded. Which, according to him, not many adventurers succeeded in.
After listening to it, I seriously had a desire to become an adventurer, and I declared it with sparkling eyes, like the other children. Lunus, who was behind me for who knows how long, heard me and released her asura mode. Everything around me grew silent because of the intimidation, but for the first time, I, even while trembling from head to toe, declared, in a very pathetic voice, my desire to be an adventurer.
It was the first time I had succeeded in saying something to her when she was like this, and I also didn’t wet my pants this time! No, seriously, she was seriously intimidating. I would have awarded myself the highest honor for only trembling if I was capable of doing so. She didn’t hit me this time, though, she had hit me before, and I was thankful for that, because every time she hit me, I would be unable to even let out a whimper.
We quarreled, and quarreled, without reaching a conclusion. But, the adventurer guy, sorry, former adventurer guy interfered, saying, “Jus’let’im be little missy. Wha’s wrong with being’n adventurer.” His dialect was not proper, but the message got across. He was supporting me to be an adventurer. According to him, a guy should chase him with all he had. And now they began to quarrel. It escalated and it became a talk about a fight.
The guy put on a serious face for once and said, “Little miss, my level is above forty, which, for your kind information, is the average level of second tier adventurer of capital labyrinth.” Since he said it proudly, and because his level was so much higher than mine, which was four, I thought he would be pretty strong. But Lunus didn’t back down. At that time, I thought she was being stubborn, and would back down after getting frightened, but the fight started. The guy punched towards her while grinning, but she just ducked under it, got closer to his chest and Bam! A fist was delivered to the guy’s solar plexus, blowing him back a little.
But, being an adventurer, he quickly adjusted himself and tried to strike an elbow in her shoulder from above using his extended right arm, but she dodge it by moving back. The elbow struck air. But the guy didn’t give up, and now tried to kick her. A roundhouse kick using his right leg, but Lunus ducked under it, spun and swiped his leg with her heel, and in the same spinning motion, she delivered a straight kick to his chest, blowing him away to the wooden wall. The result, his complete loss.
I learned my part of the lesson, never mess with Lunus. Never. But, like the former adventurer said, a guy should chase his dreams with everything he has. And so, even after witnessing his brutal beating, I declared to her,
“Lunus, I still want to be an adventurer.”
Once again the place was silent. However, this time, I think it was a deeper shade of silent. I think, everyone was feeling ‘Just what the hell is wrong with this guy? How can he speak that even after witnessing this brutal scene? Doesn’t he know adventurers are weak to be beaten down by a little girl?’ But I think, the adventurer is normal, and he will be considered strong in the world’s standards, it’s Lunus who is abnormally strong for a little girl. She can beat an adventurer, who even ten of me might not be able to beat.
Lunus was looking at me with very cold eyes. And in the next instant, I found myself without any air in my lungs, unable to breathe, and flying backwards. Apparently, Lunus had punched me. But, the effect on me was tremendous compared to the other guy. I fell down, rolled around and ended on my belly. But, I still said, “I …will be….an….adventurer…”. That was the instant I lost my consciousness.
When I came to, I felt a warm light coming over me, specifically, at the place where I had been hurt. When I opened my eyes, I saw Lunus’ hand hovering a little above my chest, the area she had struck. I had heard that healing magic was capable of healing injuries and pain, but I didn’t know she could use it.
“Won’t you reconsider, Ray?”
That was the thing she said after stopping her healing magic, of course, it was after she confirmed that I was fine. I shook my head at her question. I couldn’t back down on this. I didn’t want to back down on this. And also, that hurt like hell! I won’t let that suffering go to waste!
After she heard what I said, she had a look of sadness on her face. And she asked me,
“Why do you want to be an adventurer? For fame? For money? They are worthless. What’s important is your life. And a proper adventurer lives with his life on the line. Nothing will matter after you die. So won’t you stop.”
I didn’t know why I wanted to be an adventurer. It was something deep rooted. Something more that, much more deeper. As I was thinking those things, lines came out of my mouth by themselves,
“Death is certain. Even incarnations of Gods died in this world. I want to be an adventurer because I feel someone important to me was an adventurer. Besides, it doesn’t matter if you die, as long as you are chasing what you desire, even death will bring you happiness. What’s truly important is to make sure you die without regrets, and live with your all.”
I feel that these words came from my heart. The life in this village, the unknown life that I had lived before waking up, I felt that it was all a part of my own. I felt something important started to move again, something important which has been stagnant until now, which made me feel unsatisfied about my safe, peaceful life in this village.
And as I said that, I felt Lunus’ eyes widen. And then, her expression changed. It first became one of proud and then she started giggling to herself. I didn’t understand. And then, what she said shocked me,
“Fine. You can become one. But only if you fulfil my conditions.”
It was amazing that that frightening Lunus agreed to what I said. I think she was gentle in her own way, and was trying to protect me by doing what she thought was best. As I thought this, I , too, found myself laughing with her.
(Lunus’ POV)
I had brought Ray to a village at the border of the Seiren Kingdom. Well, it was a little inside in the kingdom, just after the border town. He was in coma, a state in which he was alive but unconscious. So I possessed his body, and I would speak, move about a little, eat and do some light exercises so that his body doesn’t weaken.
But, the period of inactivity was far longer that I had thought. I had threatened the villagers into giving us a house. I conversed with them, and slowly they started to accept me and allowed me to work with them as well, allowing me to earn some change and food.
When Ray woke up about a year after, I told him some suitable lie, like I was a friend same age as him. Our parents died when the village was devastated by monsters. It was impossible to re-inhabit the place, so all adults went their own separate ways. He was shocked, so I took him with me, and kept him well with my skill. He believed me as well.
I used fear skill to keep him in control. I expressly forbade him from gaining experience in fighting. I hoped the villagers would slowly come to think of us as normal and he would live a peaceful life away from all the fighting.
But then, an adventurer came along, and by him telling all the stories of fighting, his desire was ignited. When I heard all about it, I ran towards Ray to prevent him from getting in touch with him, but it was too late. By the time, I reached there he was saying he wanted to be an adventurer. We quarreled. I beat down the adventurer guy. Though, his stats, physical ones, were definitely higher than mine, after strengthening my body, using some psychokinesis in coordination with my close combat arts and with my experience in fighting, he was done in pretty soon. Then I knocked down Ray as well.
When I asked him to change his mind, his responses saddened me. I wanted him to stay away from all these fighting. But, he didn’t change his mind.
“Death is certain. Even incarnations of Gods died in this world. I want to be an adventurer because I feel someone important to me was an adventurer. Besides, it doesn’t matter if you die, as long as you are chasing what you desire, even death will bring you happiness. What’s truly important is to make sure you die without regrets, and live with your all.”
When he said this, I was surprised. And a memory surfaced in my mind.
A younger Ray was sitting with a woman, whose face I could not see. He asked her with an almost crying face,
“Mom, why did you become an adventurer? Wouldn’t you have died if you made a mistake?”
The woman, who was his mother, looked into the distance, and answered after a short pause.
“Death is certain. Even incarnation of Gods died in this world. I became an adventurer because I wanted to be one. Besides, it doesn’t matter if you die, as long as you are chasing what you desire, even death will bring you happiness. What’s truly important is to make sure you die without regrets, and live with your all. Make sure you give your all in everything you do, okay?”
At this, Ray answered with a serious expression,
“Yes! I will become an adventurer too!”
“Why adventurer?”
“Because I want to be like you!”
The answer Ray gave was still in his subconscious. Even thought he had lost his memory, he did not forget them. Seeing this, a strange sense of pride overtook me, and after that an unending happy feeling. I giggled without a reason, and approved him.
“Fine. You can become one. But only if you fulfil my conditions.”
As I said, he showed a shocked expression. What? Did he think I would force him to do what I want? This brat. But I couldn’t bring myself to be angry at him. And soon, he too started laughing with me.
