'I need to escape,' a dark-haired young woman teared in despair as she crawled with wounds on her legs and arms, out of the dimmed and cold cave. A place where the unfortunate are meant to rot in a cesspit of despair. Her clothing tattered to the point of barely covering much of her skin. A slight sticky and snow-like moisture remaining around her ankle.

The surrounding walls and ceiling above hold white treacherous lines. They appear to be like something you'd want to touch and pull, like the cords of a violin. What kind of sounds would they produce? Would they be as angelical as instruments, or would they induce something more to the malevolent side?

With every leftover ounce of strength, she proves to herself capable of moving, to get on her knee, eventually standing. Step by step, as if she had just learned how to walk again, she reached out for the exit. The dilapidated path ahead allows her to believe in a successful escape. With a little strength, her step pulls the moisture with enough strength for the now thin-white-line to break.

'I'm free!' Her heart pumps ever so blissfully, filled with hope as she escapes the cave, unwilling to look back at it ever again. In her half-ripped pocket she slides a card out, much to her unfortunate self it falls, and she does not halt to get it back. The name Rute and letter C can be seen displayed on it. Unthinkable to know what dismay she must've gone through, that not even someone as strong as her managed to win against.

After running for a bit, she finds a lone house in the distance just on the other side of a calm river. But more than that, she sees a figure sitting calmly staring back at her from a distance. While her first instinct is to yell at her and ask for help, the coldness in those icy blue eyes make her falter. For they're not watching her, but something through her.

The fear resounds on Rute's heart as a sharp pain goes through the back of her body, and something edgy and dark comes out on the other side, allowing her eyes to find it hastily in a frantic.

She feels something biting on her neck and a worse sensation coursing through her newly open wounds, poison being injected by the second, her body growing numb, death potentially approaching.

Before passing away, she remains looking at the blonde girl who doesn't move nor causes a commotion as if she's used to watching lives coming to an end.

It makes Rute doubt that she could ever be a human being such as herself, 'you could've at least scream.' She hoped in her mind, for that's the reaction she would've had in the girl's place. And with a tear running down under her right eye, her body flinched once, then twice, and nothing more comes to pass.

Quietly, the blonde girl's gazes from afar, following the trail whence the ridiculously enormous spider, with its eight legs and eight red eyes, goes back to.

 

Year 5015, day 71 of the flowering season.

 

Far from that tragic scene, to the west, I'm sitting in our field with one of my most precious human beings in this world.

"You sometimes treat me like a boy."

"Do I?" Father's face lowered, showing me how he reflected upon my words, furrowing his eyebrows, slightly concerned.

"Yes."

"That's bad... isn't it?"

I giggled at his self questioning, a silly side from Luke who often troubles himself with over thinking about things.

"It's okay, dad. I often find myself doing what boys do."

"There's nothing bad about it!"

"I know..." a faint smile appears on my face for I've heard the many tales that every commoner loves to tell. The fable of the peasant hero, an unfathomable woman, wielder of a magical sword, leader of a mercenary army, and slayer of monsters. But ultimately, slayed by a king from the lands to the South.

There had been too many peasants who looked up at her, far more so than those who wished to become heroes. It was a golden era for humanity, as everyone strived to fend off the enemies of their kin. 

Her life had it lasted longer, would've certainly shaped the world differently, and even affect nobility for good. Many were the rumours of conspiracies that the royal family used, possibly leading to lack of support, and ultimately, to her failure. The tales became tremendously many, that it caused the disparity between the social classes to worsen to this day and age.

Perhaps only when the kingdom reaches the brink of extinction that humanity as a whole will perceive that they were all equal in the end.

"Have you started recruiting members for your party?"

"Not yet."

"Really now?"

By the look on his face, I could tell he was internally judging my decision.

"I want to gain some more experience first."

"It's a lot more dangerous to do that on your own, though."

"Yes..." his careful words enveloped all the experience he went through had often impacted my decisions. However, despite how kind they sounded like, for the current me, after being stimulated by Aurora's words, it felt like they were small stones on my path, likely blocking my potential.

"What's wrong Iris?"

Without wanting to, I began screaming at him, "how will I ever become strong and obtain a rare class if I'm never at control of my life!?"

For the first time since I was born, I saw his eyes widen to the extent of seeing them wholly. Hazel like the leaves in autumn and the light oak of certain trees. Brown as the honey from the golden hives guarded by many little flying soldiers, whose sting could make you cry for minutes that would very well feel endless.

As I was about to apology for raising my voice, he placed his hand on top of my left shoulder.

"You're right. I sometimes forget how ambitious you are."

At his words, I lowered my head, feeling embarrassed without knowing what to add.

"When I was your age, all I could think of was using my element to earn some pocket change. Life was as hard as it still is and yet... I..." 

My eyes took a glimpse of a side I didn't know he had as his hand covered his face.

"Are you okay, dad?"

I can hear his long breath as if his going through some not-so-good memories.

"I think you should live life as you believe it to be right," his hands got hold of my shoulders, allowing me to see his earnest yet worried expression. "But I don't want you to die."

As if shrugging off his worries, I looked at him with a seriousness that I had only shown him once some years ago, "I don't plan on dying!"

"Youngsters really grow fast. I can barely recognize you."

My words made him smile but also to let go of me. I could tell that a part of him remained anxious, but another was glad I had grown to this extent. This spur had been a benefit from Aurora's company, whom wholeheartedly believed in me. I wished I had the confidence she holds for me, for my own use. Perhaps then, I would stop being feeble-minded and actually turn into the one whom I dreamt of becoming.

"I'll..." a breeze pushed my long hair to the side, covering my lips with its beautiful golden aspect.

"You'll become strong. Try to at least find someone who can support you in combat, like a healer. That way you'll still be the one to acquire all the experience," his left eye closed, winking at me, giving me yet another unrequested tip.

Nonetheless, he was my father, a good man, and I found myself grateful for his advice. Almost instantly, I gleamed at his words, pushing my hair to the back of my head where I preferred it to be. 

"I'll see what I can do about it," words that I knew would bring him some reassurance, but there was not a single part of me willing to go through actually making them real.

'You can become more, so much more,' her words had tainted my whole self, and they made me want to see the end result of what she saw in me. Perhaps madness had come for me, a bit of chaos, a spur of evilness, a pinch of selfishness and ego. Yet no matter how many sins I could use in this life, all I truly cared about was to keep the promise from my younger days to my parents. The sole reason that made me pursue a path of power.

'I'll become strong enough to protect you both,' a sturdy smile filled my expression, the resolve to achieve my ambition, grew day by day.

"Do you have a quest for today?"

"Not really."

"In that case, go grab your mother's sword. It could get a repair."

I smiled faintly, knowing that a new one would be better. However, money was still an issue, and a new one. Despite not being beyond my savings, I still had to save the little I had for my family. 

It didn't take a long time to leave my sword with a man owning the blacksmith's job. Weapons were not part of his biggest or best works, instead, he only repaired things made of metal, pickaxes, shovels, some simple looking swords like my own, and produced a few things needed by builders like metal bars and pointy-looking objects. I got to know they were called nails. Apparently, they could keep two planks of wood together by penetrating it with a nail and a few hits from a hammer to make sure it went from one side to the other. Likely the method they got houses together without each individual piece falling apart.

That was when I imagined a house falling apart, without anyone inside, finding it amusing. The waste of materials and time it would've resulted would feel painful in a certain way to the worker, but not enough to kill the humorous side and my good disposition on the matter.

For a change, I smiled wholeheartedly, enjoying this change of pace, away from the murdering and unwavering sense of danger surrounding Astia village.

"Dad, I need to deliver some things to the guild."

"In that case, I'll wait for you at Vincent's shop."

With a quick nod, I made my way to the receptionist, knowing my father had no intention of ever setting his foot inside the guild ever again. He had retired for good, so he didn't find himself welcomed in there. 'Yet the staff speak nicely of him,' a little sigh escaped my lips, unable to change his mind, having tried a few times before, every time unsuccessfully.

"I've brought some herbs and these soul stones, some monsters meddled with us."

The man before me grabbed the three of them, taking them elsewhere to scan their value, the so-called soul wave-length. They had told me about it once. But when I asked them what it meant, they simply told me it was related to the size of the soul. Usually, strong beings have a bigger one. 

I placed our cards on top of the balcony, knowing points would be added to them, otherwise ranking up would be impossible. 

Didn't take him long to return, with a mana coin of 15 magically stamped on it.

"I'll check the herbs now," similarly to before, he took them with him alongside my card and the quest recipe I had received from the adventurer who removed it from the bulletin board.

I looked around, willing to find the man from before, but unable to, 'he must still be busy with one of those high-ranking quests.'

"Iris, I've updated your points."

I turned around, meeting the young man with his arm stretched in my direction. Slowly, I took hold of my card, taking a glance at the changes.

Name: Iris, Age: 15, Registered at Aria Village, Rank: F. Points: 15.

"Here's also the fee for the quest," this time I received 20, totalling 45 with the rest of my savings. Sure, if I didn't give away the money from my field products to my parents, I would have a lot more. But my gratitude towards them was that high, and I loved being considerate of their efforts. I wasn't a kid anymore. Doing my share made sense to me, no matter how small that turned out to be.

"Thank you for your help," I stole a smile from him with one of my own, along with my friendly words.