A Dream Foretold.

Prologue Arc (1). The Melody of the Heart.

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Contrary to my expectations, the cityscape that was before me was magnificent; buildings of different heights were placed one after another, built with either wood, bricks, or both. It was a scene that if I had to describe it looked surreal.

 

The playful cheers of the children, the happy chuckles, giggles from the nearby couples, and even the nagging of the nearby vendors. It was as if I had transported into another world, how could a place like such be beautiful.

 

It was a completely different world from what was inside the residence, it wasn’t dirty at all. The streets made out of cobble had little to none moss, the streets were cleansed a lot and what’s more surprising was the lack of suffering there was around here, all the suffocation that I felt vanished as if magic.

 

“First time leaving?” she asked while holding my hand as she walked in front of me.

 

“It… It’s not really my first time,” I said while pouting.

 

To be exact, it was my first time exploring the area. I couldn’t remember anything about this place, not a single thing other than the fact that I used to ride a carriage around these areas to head to school, but I haven’t once looked out of the window according to what my remaining memories tell me.

 

“It certainly feels like your first time around this area, don’t worry! I will ensure that you will have the best first-time experience!” she said in a proud tone before her hand, which held mine tightened as we walked by a few vendors.

 

“Let’s see if you can give me the best first-time experience then,” I replied before she chuckled, “No worries, trust in me and you will see magic!”

 

After a few moments of walking, the two of us soon entered one of the busiest spots in the area; the entire surroundings were filled with people ranging from teenagers to adults, some wore ragged shirts while some wore proper dresses.

 

The area, in question, is the marketplace area from what one of the wooden signs told me and from what the surroundings looked. The entire area was as if a circle, a supremely large circle with each side filled with all kinds of stores.

 

At the very center of the circle was a large building with an enormous wooden sign stating, “City Market”. The building, in question, was the one with the most people, from afar, it looks like a gathering, but from nearby, you could see many kinds of stalls inside.

 

It was an open building, that’s why one could see each and every stall on it. The merchandise each stall sold was either food, accessories, clothing, or weapons; there were also gems and jewels but that not much.

 

“Where are we heading?” I asked before she looked at me and winked, “Don’t worry, didn’t I promise you the best first-time experience as such I will fulfill it with my utmost capability.”

 

The two of us soon continued walking before arriving inside the City Market where the full sight of how populated the market was, became clear to my eyes, every nook and corner, there was at least a gathering of either five to ten people.

 

“The two of you, beauties over there! Come, take a look at my merchandise!” a manly voice called out from a few distances away as Alice looked at me and smiled before dragging me towards the direction of the voice before the sight of a heavy muscle man selling beautiful metal accessories became visible.

 

“I knew it was two beauties, but never expected it to be this beautiful, here come take a look at my best crafts!” the man said with enthusiasm as Alice looked at the several accessories that were placed before her.

 

There were a lot of accessories, from rings to necklaces and each one of them had beautiful engravings, jewels that were more beautiful than most of the jewels I had seen, and most importantly, petals embedded onto each one of them.

 

Each and every accessory the man sold had two to four petals embedded into them, they were tiny petals but even then, they were eye-catching. The accessory that particularly caught my eyes was a white ring with the engraving of a lily, embedded on it was a white and black petal.

 

It was the most unique among the rest as it had two variants of petals embedded into it, almost like a ring for couples.

 

“Uh-huh, are you interested in this particular ring?” the man asked while pointing at the white ring before I nodded.

 

“That particular ring is called Eve, according to local myth, white and black are two contrasting colors that are meant to be together; the meaning for that particular ring is ‘To love the hated, and to cherish the ones you love.’”

 

“I didn’t come up with the ring, though, to be exact, it was my wife and daughter who came up with it…” the man said before his atmosphere turned gloomy as he looked up at the sky and added, “They said that beauty comes from what’s inside and not from the outside.”

 

“Accept what is in front of you, and life will give you the rest, was what they told me while handing the ring… it is the last momentum I have of them, their last masterpiece before the two left me in this world,” he said in a hoarse voice.

 

Soon after he finished speaking, silence ensued between us… the atmosphere was awkward, any person in their right mind wouldn’t speak up in this situation, except for one idiot right next to me.

 

“Is that so, then you don’t mind if we buy a pair of it, right?” Alice asked while smiling… I truly felt like smacking her head on a wall somewhere but held back as the man smiled.

 

“It would be my wife’s and my daughter’s greatest pleasure to have these last pair they made with their hearts be given to someone worthy,” the man said before walking towards a tiny locker behind him and opening it before taking out another ring almost the same as the one.

 

I say, almost but the two of them are identical except the other one was clearly made by someone with more experience, but even then, the two of them are clearly made by the same technique but by different people.

 

“How much are those two for?” Alice asked before the man shook his head, “I did say that it would be my wife’s and my daughter’s greatest pleasure to have these two given to a pair who is worthy, and I won’t go back from their wishes.”

 

“Eh, there’s no way I can accept such reasoning,” Alice replied while showing a wry smile as the man smiled, “How about this then, a single bronze coin for each one of them… would that suffice?”

 

“Are you sure about this? I feel like these two rings would go up to 10 gold coins each, if priced accordingly. The jewels used in the rings, themselves cost about two gold coins each and the material used as a base seems to be Lucari which is a fairly expensive material,” Alice said before the man shook his head.

 

“What do you want then?” the man asked before Alice smiled, “I will pay for these two rings accordingly, that’s what I want.”

 

I somehow knew from a few hours ago that she was a stubborn girl, but never knew it was to this extent, but I agree with her, it feels weird not paying for something that was made by someone they love the most and for something that should be really expensive.

 

“Fine, you win… ojou-san but, in exchange…” the man said before whispering a few words to Alice as she blushed before nodding to the man as the two of them soon came into an agreement with Alice paying a total of ten gold coins.

 

“Please take care of those two rings in my stead, ojou-sans!” the man smiled before a tear dripped from his right eye as Alice and I, unknowingly bowed down and said at the same time, “We will.”

 

After the two of us finished saying our thanks, Alice took my hand and placed one of the rings on my palm before looking at me with an expectant look that was as if a dog wagging its tail and ears at its master.

 

“Fine…” I mumbled before taking the ring and placing it on her left index finger before a smile blossomed on her face as she took the other ring on her hand as I relaxed my left hand before she gently placed it on my left index finger as well before hopping in joy.

 

“Now, we are bound by the ring!” she said before taking my left hand as she dragged me out of the city market with enthusiasm, I couldn’t understand her sudden burst of excitement, but decided to go along with it as we soon moved around the town, buying several snacks such as yakisoba, fried chicken and some other more.

 

The two of us explored the city until the sun was closing to sleep where the two of us soon arrived before a store built of bricks with a single large glass window and a sign with the symbol of an anvil and a hammer.

 

“Excuse us!” Alice shouted while pushing the door open as the sight of two hooded people and a short yellow-haired woman with a hammer resting on her shoulder appeared before us.

 

The interior of the place was filled with all kinds of weapons, each of their own kind from polearms to spears; short swords to long swords; daggers to knives, and more importantly armors. Contrary to what I had initially expected of a blacksmith, the place was superbly clean.

 

“Ara, if it isn’t Alice… please wait for a second while I finish my negotiations with these fellow customers,” the woman said before Alice nodded, dragging me away from the door as we sat by a nearby wooden bench whilst the two hooded persons continued negotiating with the woman.

 

I couldn’t hear their negotiations properly, but from what I can tell, one of the hooded men was a lady and the other was a man, not only that but from their voice, they seem to be young people.

 

“Thank you for your patronage!” the woman said before the hooded men took their weapons and walked towards the door. There, I saw a tiny bit of their faces… one of the hooded men, most likely the lady had blue hair and golden yellow eyes while the man had black hair and a white pupil.

 

The two of them wore black hoods that seem overly suspicious, but I decided to think nothing much about it as the two of them soon left the shop before Alice and I stood up from the bench and walked towards the counter where the short yellow-haired woman was waiting.

 

“Ara, what a beautiful lady… who is this partner of yours, Alice? It’s strange for the so-called Lonely Demon to bring a lady out of nowhere,” she said before Alice pouted.

 

“Don’t think much about her, just know she is someone I treasure…” Alice responded before the short woman’s face turned into something along the lines of an “ara-ara” which confused me but I decided to think nothing of it once more.

 

“Sooo—what’s your business here today, it shouldn’t be about repairing your rapier again, right?” the short woman inquired before Alice shook her head as she looked at me and smiled, “I want to have a good weapon for her made.”