A carpet of deep red, roses strangling one another, their petals scattered without sense or order. As the door opened, presented to her was a scene more grotesque than she could have imagined even in her darkest hours. She remembered vividly how that night she felt betrayed by the Moon, Her light illuminating the room, revealing the horrors for her to see. And yet, she was calm. Her mind did not race, it was as if this was but a routine. A scene that had transpired far too many times to count. A scene that she felt comfortable with, knowing exactly what to do.
The man lying still on the floor, his chest meekly lifting in desperate attempts to draw air.
His bloodshot eyes directed at her, a last focus surely. And so, she shall listen.
“Find…. Her…”
A command. Naturally, what else would be fitting for her father’s final words? What followed, however, caught her attention.
“... elder… flower… your mother…”
Her mother? Why now, of all times, was this brought up?
Inside of her, something took root. A desire. Long had she yearned to learn about her origin, yet it had been denied by her parent.
As the man coughed up blood, her gaze was cold. So this was the end?
Taking in one last glimpse of him, her back was turned.
If she was caught here, surely the crime would be pinned on her. There was no denying that. For her, there was no justice. To someone like her, no one would listen.
And so, her only option was to run.
Her resolve solidified, her feet began to move. One step, then another, until she ran, as if in a trance.

Her body knew well where to go. Leaving the old manor was the first objective. If she were to be seen, it would not be a problem at this point. She had approximately an hour until her father’s lifeless remains were found. At that time, she would be untraceable.
Passing by the security at the front gate, she excused herself to take a nightly walk. Nothing unusual. The night was her safe haven in a town that she did not belong to.
Her gaze wandered up at the Moon, for She would be her only witness.

Her path lead through the overgrown parts of town. The parts that were ignored by those in charge. Passing by skyscrapers that had been claimed by nature, houses that were covered in ivy. Relics of a calamity that ran deep in this world’s veins. A past that many living in these metropoli would pretend to forget for their own convenience. Anything that had been part of it did not belong in society. There was no room for beasts of a purposely forgotten time.
There was no room for her.

On the outskirts of town, in a store laying at the roots of a tree, she would find what she needed. Brushing her long ebony locks to cover her ears, she entered, her gaze averted from prying eyes.
A new outfit, a cloak, as well as a few supplies to last in the wilderness. This was all she required, or all she could afford.
The store owner, an elderly minotaur, kindly offered for her to get changed there. An offer that she happily accepted.
Pulling up the hood of her newly acquired cloak, she felt as if she breathed easier. With her eyes and ears sufficiently covered, her thanks were given to the man, who then was left behind.
She had no time to lose.
Conveniently, the next ferry would arrive in just under fifteen minutes. It occurred to her that this was almost too convenient. As if this had been planned in advance. Something eerie clung to those thoughts, a shiver running down her spine.
Was she acting out of instinct? Or was this an elaborate trap laid for her?
If it turned out to be the latter, it was too late to turn back now. She would have to admit defeat.
“I can think about that when the time comes…”
Her voice was but a breath, yet in this dark, silent night it seemed like her words echoed back to her, almost mockingly.

The haven was close by, and her last bit of gold was spent on a ticket. A ferry to supposed freedom. As a young human controlled her she held her breath.
Did he notice something? Had she acted too suspicious? No, mayhap he had spotted her eyes?
“Miss, you…”
She couldn’t see his expression, her eyes shut as the dreadful fear of being caught crept up on her.
“... you have a lovely perfume.”
A crooked smile appeared on her lips.
Seriously? All of this anxiety just for him to offer up a strange compliment?
She did not wear perfume, after all.
“Thank you…”
Taking back the ticket, she entered the boat, seating herself away from the few other passengers that decided a nightly ride across the ocean would be lovely.

The ship left the haven. She had won. Her empty gaze wandered back as the lights of Lys became smaller by the minute.
Had she won?

Deep purple eyes fluttered closed as she reflected on what had transpired.
Clearly, someone had tried to pin a murder on her. In her mind, the image of her father’s corpse appeared.
The blood that was splattered across the room, the sickeningly sweet scent of blood and torn flesh stalking her nose. But more so than that, the puncture holes, the lilac liquid oozing from them.
How? How was that even possible?
Her fists were clenched, hard enough for her bones to protrude from her pale skin.
For her, home had meant nothing. The town that didn’t want her, the people that despised her. Leaving all of it behind had been on her mind more than once.
Then why had she remained? Why had she endured the laughter, the ill-meant comments?
Her mind vividly recalled two faces. Those that had stuck by her side, even when anyone else wouldn’t acknowledge her.
Her friends.
Once more she looked back. The lights had disappeared safe for those of some recently built skyscrapers. Above, the Moon seemed to watch. And quietly, to herself, she wished that She would watch over those that had shown her kindness as well.

She did not catch a wink of sleep. The ride from Lys to the country of Mauve took several hours, but her restless mind would not allow her alertness to waver.
Once she arrived, what would she do?
How was it, the outside world?
Anxiety embraced her heart. Not once had she set foot outside the town she lived in. And now she would be left stranded, with no coin to her body, with nothing left but supplies for a couple days at most.
“I have to find a job as soon as possible…”
A muttered fact as the tall-grown woman leaned back in her seat.
Focusing, she recalled anything she learned about the wilderness during her studies of anthropology.
In Eden, there is a massive divide between the metropolitan cities and the outside world. In fact, most people never set foot outside these man-made havens of society. All towns are connected by marinal routes, for mankind’s convenience.
This system is intact for a couple of reasons.
After a calamity that took place many years ago, most living spaces were destroyed beyond recognition. In said event, countless horrors were released onto this world by a woman driven mad. Even today, these beasts still roam freely. To avoid encounters and to keep people safe, many people never leave the major cities.
Another reason is to preserve nature and the tribes that wish to remain in their homes that they defended during this world’s darkest hours.
The only people that leave the capitals are those that have to, for jobs of one sort or the other, and adventurers that leave out of pure curiosity.
And those that run from horrors of their own.

In the distance, she could make out the faint silhouette of a port. As if to wake up the other passengers, and to report their steadily approaching arrival, an announcer, who sounded much like the young man from before, informed them that they would, indeed, make contact with land in just under twenty minutes.
Mauve. The land of flowers. What a fitting start to her adventure, she thought, a weary smile crossing her lips.