《The Eveningtide》


 Prologue: Chase Your Dreams

    "Alright, I think this should do it!" He placed both hands on his waist andsmiled at himself as he looked at the mirror. There, his image bounced back on him. The sheer excitement and joy of having finally worked hard enough to obtain his own armor and equipment through constant labor and hard work paid off. Simply wearing it gave off a different impression, to him anyway.


    He became quiet and stood in front of the mirror, looking at himself but seeing his own image of him from the past, then to now. His messy, short brown hair and brown eyes were still the same. The only thing seemed different from him was that he seemed more mature than back then when his back was slouched, his eyes looked as if they had lost all hope in them, and his face seemed desolate and deadpan.


    It felt as if though he could stare at himself all day just thinking of how unbelievable it was to finally be standing with his equipment on, as if he were already an adventurer, the very thing that he aspired to be on that day.


    "A new leather armor set and a brand-new sword... All those times carrying barrels and boxes, helping out at the forge, doing chores... Has been worth it!" He jumped with joy, unable to hide it.


    "Hey, knock it off up there! I''m trying to get some goddamn sleep!" a loud voice roared from below, hitting the ceiling that was his floor.


    "Sorry!" he said in a hushed voice, exhaling after calming down.


    He looked at his room which was on the second floor of the Inn he was staying at. The furnishings were simple, all made of sturdy wood. The open window offered the sight of a bustling street where people walked to and fro to their destinations. Shop keeps and various merchants loitering the busy districts yelled out to their potential customers, the women were talking to their fellow wives, and the children happily chased each other at an energetic pace.


    The sky was bright overhead, and the horizon showed a breathtaking view of the many structures in the distance. He had heard about how amazing the capital city of the Empire was, but having seen this sight more than once, he thought of just how magnificent such a thing would be compared to what he was seeing right now. The liveliness of the people simply brought it to life.


    After fixing his belongings and tidying up the room he rented out, Lear descended to the main floor of the Inn, meaning to say goodbye to the one who took him in when no one else did.


    It hadn''t even been that long, yet he was already thinking of how he was going to miss this sight that he saw every day. He worked here on a nightly basis, helping around as both a cook, a cleaner, and a server. Though the pay wasn''t enough to a normal worker, he alone was happy to have been given a place to stay by that very person who adopted him.


    "Oy, lookin'' good there, Lear, finally got a costume on for hallow''s eve? Pretty terrifying, but I''m afraid you''re already months late fer that!" the old man cackled on with his companions, poking fun at Lear as per the usual.


    "It''s not for that! Keep on laughing, cause it''ll be the last time you will. Next time you see me, I''ll be someone great, you''ll see," he said confidently. He was too busy thinking of his future and the things he couldaccomplish outside of the city that he paid them little mind.


    "Yeah, yeah, that''s all good. We weren''t making fun of you, c''mon, Lear. You''re great enough as it is," he said genuinely.


    "Really?" he asked in a hopeful tone, looking to have changed his opinion of the men.


    "Yeah, you''re the best waiter in this Inn. Now how''s about you get me another refill of this thing?" he laughed, wheezing through it, extending his arm out, holding the empty mug.


    "Oh hush, all of you!" said a young, beautiful woman who came out from the back of the room, wiping her hands clean on her apron. "Don''t worry about them, Lear. I''m sure that you''ll make a name for yourself out there." She smiled, catching his attention immediately as he turned around.


    "Alice?!" he said stuttering. A sense of uneasiness swirled around his stomach. His palm started to sweat, and his feet became jittery.


    She was a young woman with blue eyes and a gentle and kind image, sporting a long brown hair along her back. She wore a long beige dress and exuded elegance as she wore it. She was the one who helped Lear when he was first taken in by her father, assisting him in serving customers and managing the inn. he had grown to owe her a lot because of that, eventually sparking a flame of admiration for her. In his own words, calling her beautiful would have been an understatement for she was one of a kind.


    "Look at him go! Hahaha, he''s getting nervous. The kid''s always like that around you. You''d think by now that he''d go out and say he fancied you, and he probably does. You''re really are a looker, aren''t ya, Alice?"


    "Ahh, d-don''t believe what they''re saying, it''s all a bunch of lies! And hey, you''re all going too far, stop that already," Lear said, covering up the old men''s words by making loud noises.


    It was true that he admired her, but only to an extent. He couldn''t do something like that no matter how much he admired her. After her father had the heart to take him in there was no way he was going to be cut out for it. ''What Alice would want is someone dependable and strong, and someone who has a lot of money to support her with. I''m none of those... well, yet anyway''.He thought to himself, dismissing those thoughts of admiration.


    "Go home already, you''re all still drunk this early in the morning!" she scolded them.


    The noise they made immediately died down after Alice''s plea failed, and another presence entered the room. His figure towered over the men and drive fear into them. His stern, yet serious eyes sent them packing out from the Inn in an instant, thus allowing the morning silence to settle in the room.


    "Oh, father, you''ve come back from the market! Lear and I are already done with the cleaning, so only the cooking is left until later," said Alice.


    "Thank you for taking care of that, my dear. Go on and take a rest. I''ll take over from here. Now Lear." He faced the young man in question. His voice reverberated through the room. "It seems that you''re finally going to be embarking on your own quest. Are you sure you''re prepared for that?" He sat down on a vacant chair and looked at him intensely, pinching his chin, thinking to himself.


    He was a tall, lean, well-built man with a full face of beard to go along with his brave and infalliable demeanor. He had a scar across his left eye which he wore proudly as a trophy. He was said to be asproud as a lion, or as the saying went with some of the people who gawked at him and exaggerated, both those who were terrified and astounded of him.


    The thing was, Duncan Fusbre was a veteran soldier who fought in many battles for the Empire of Lasphius, retiring only when his wife, Alice''s mother, passed away. He sold all his belongings and honors to put up a safer business which would support the both of them.


    It was then Lear aspired to be someone as strong as Duncan, asking him to train him after a few days of having opened up to the family.


    "Ah, Sir Duncan. Yes, I am. You''ve trained me yourself, so I''m confident in what I can do now. Like I promised, I''ll repay you when I get enough of the money together."


    "Don''t worry about that for now. It''s good for a soldier to worry about when his next meal is going to be, but here in this unforgiving world, you''ll have to worry about your safety above all else. The monsters around here are luckily weak since the town''s soldiers keep them away, and we''re far from where they''re said to live. Then there are guilds which make easy pickings of them, too. But with the capital, it''s different. All manners of monstrosities lurk on every corner. Remember, once you''re out there, always be ready for anything."


    "Yes! I''ll keep your words close to heart."


    But as he tried to leave, Duncan caught up with a few words.


    "Just keep this in mind, Lear. I recommend joining a guild. Seeking to chase your dreams by doing reckless things such as attempting to ascend Event Horizon alone is a death sentence. The tower of Event Horizon is a place that''s never been ascended by any single person, heck, even the top guilds of this kingdom are having a hard time clearing the first floor of the monsters that it''s just plain ridiculous. I have confidence in you as you trained under me, but for someone starting out, being rash is the last thing that should be on your mind, always remember that, alright? There''s more than one way to earn a name for yourself."


    "Don''t worry, Duncan. I''ll be able to do that someday. But you''re right. I''ll get strong soon enough for it. I''m not reckless enough to charge into harm the very first urge I get."


    "I believe you''ll be able to succeed, Lear! Please stay safe on your adventures. Also, please bring this with you." She presented him with a pendant made of silver which gave off a strange feeling to it. It had the shape of a moon. "It was given to me by someone back then, and ever since, it''s been like a charm to me. I hope that it''ll be of great help to you."


    "Thanks, Alice. I''ll be sure to keep this safe no matter what. I think with this alone, I''ll be safe enough," he laughed to hide his embarrassment, scratching his head.


    "Don''t be too cocky, Lear. But I''m happy that you two are getting along. Now, hurry up, the carriages headed for the capital leaves soon. Come back here when you get the chance. A little visit now and then will keep both of us at ease."


    "I will!" he said with a smile.


    With an upbeat feeling with him, he set out the door with one last farewell, waving to them, then disappearing through the door.


    Duncan let out a sigh which caught the attention of his daughter, causing her to worry. She placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Are you alright, father? You don''t seem too well."


    "I''m fine, dear. But what I''m worried about is Lear."


    She tilted her head. "What about Lear, father? Are you already worried about him?"


    "Yeah, in more ways than one. I just hope that he gets by fine enough."


    "What are your doubts about. I''m sure that he will be a great adventurer, don''t you agree?"


    "Well, there are other professions. You see, Alice, he doesn''t really have the aptitude for it. Well, he''s got dedication and perseverance, I''ll give him that. But his technique with fighting is... giving me a lot of doubts."


    "But I thought you trained him until you deemed him to be good enough."


    "It''s just the basics. He''s lacking a lot of things. But, what placed me at ease with him was his sound judgement... most of the time. Though I asked him some basic questions, he has a tendency to be rash when the situation turns dire. Heroics are a bad thing in this world."


    "Then why did you let him leave, or tell him the truth? That is very reckless of you, father!" she scolded him, pouting with her arms crossed. She wanted to chase after him now, but she took into consideration that Lear would be hurt if his dreams were to stop there, so she stopped herself without the need of her father from halting her.


    "You would too if you knew how many times he asked. I turned him down initially, but he worked hard enough for me to see just how badly he wanted to learn. He''s been through a lot, too. He grew up an orphan because his parents left for a journey and never came back. I took him in not because I felt sorry, but because I wanted to see how he would change his life around. Let''s just have faith in him, alright? Let him realize it rather than killing the moment. Experience is the best teacher, keep that in mind."


    She heaved a sigh, but not forgiving Duncan just yet. "I have already given him all the hope I could give, and I will only keep giving giving him more regardless. I only wish for him to be safe now," she looked downcast, placing her hand on her racing heart. She already became worried for him even if he hadn''t left for a whole hour yet.


    It was a rather calm and stable street with a normal flow of people going by. It wasn''t at all crowded since Lear passed by easily with the flow of the crowd, making sure to not miss his carriage to the Empire''s capital.


    The townof Walbur was the Empire''s territory to the south, settling on a wide plain of lush, green land. It was bustling for it was a strong source of the Empire''s rations that came from farmers and laborers. It was quite close to a neighboring kingdom, but is separated by a mountain range which was secured by the Empire, so no real threat reared its head as of the present.


    There was a smile on his face the entire way, he passed by the many shops, saying his farewells to those he had come to know in his time of living here. He had met many and enjoyed their company.


    "Oh, Lear, you seem to be going somewhere. Mind humoring an old lady?" A familir old lady manning a fruit store waved at him.


    "No problem, Gran. I was just on my way to the gates. I''m heading to the Empire to become a living legend!"


    "Well you be careful now, alright? Here, have these fresh fruits as my parting gift. They just came in this morning. You helped me out a lot back then, and this is my way of repaying you. I hope that it helps." She handed him a small assortment of fruits that Lear stored inside his bag, taking a bite out of one and savoring its sweet taste.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Thanks, Gran! This''ll help out a lot. When I succeed, I''ll come back and buy some more from you, just you wait."


    He moved on and ran for the gates, checking the clock on the tall tower behind him.


    He saw the convoy of carriages that were preparing to leave by the open town gates. There were many who were headed to the capital as well, for all sorts of varying reasons. There he saw the carriage that he was to take, the one with the two brown horses. The coachman seemed to be resting, his head inclined with his hat covering his face from the dawning sun.


    "Hey, Lear!" a man wearing a full set of armor wielding a spear called out to him as he approached the carriages.


    "Vass, already out guarding the gates?"


    Vass was a tall man with brown hair hidden inside his helmet. He was rather easygoing, but most of the time thinks rationally.


    "Yeah, the other was out sick, so I had to take over for him. So you''re already heading out? Lucky. You''ll get to see all sorts of things out there. Planning to conquer Event Horizon?" he teased, whispering to him.


    "That''s a given. I''ll definitely have a name for myself if I were to do that. Every story I hear about it just makes me want to get there faster."


    "It''s pretty far and dangerous, so there''s that. Well, you do have a good chance considering Sir Duncan trained you. Once captain of the guards, always a captain of the guards. Shame that he''s retired now, anyway. I would have loved to train under him, but he''s not taking in students."


    "Why not join me, Vass? With you and I, we''ll definitely make something of it, that much I''m sure of. You were always good with a sword when i saw you. You''re a town guard now, after all."


    "Well, I''m not really sure I can. There''s all sorts of monsters out there, so you never know what''ll happen. It''s dangerous. Plus, I need to take care of my brother and sister. The two would probably be lost without me, and me without them."


    "Leaving in about a minute!" called out the organizer of the convoy. The coachmen all stretched their arms and began checking the belongings, including the people and their tickets.


    "Oh yeah. I saw them yesterday. They seem to be doing well. But I better head on out. Give my regards to Finn and Dayla." He and Vass parted with a handshake.


    "Be safe, alright. Don''t go on forgetting about me when you get famous!"


    Vass was one of the few people that got to know Lear when he first arrived to town. He is also a friend of Alice, and they all grew up together. He was the same age as Lear and had taken the post as a town guard as a means to support his siblings and himself. Their past had bound them together, and they became close to each other nearly to the point of brothers.


    After Lear parted with Vass, he presented his ticket to the coachman and boarded the carriage finally. His heart wouldn''t settle, and the excitement wouldn''t dissipate. The silly grin on his face was that of a child''s who couldn''t wait for the untold adventures of his life.


    The carriages all began moving, following the roads that would eventually lead him to the capital.


    On the way, he admired the vast plains and the breathtaking sights in the far distance. It was his first time going out by himself and to somewhere far.


    He peered behind the carriage and saw the others following behind.


    The convoy was made secure by paid adventurers and mercenaries riding on the carriages and some on horses. They wore all sorts of armor and wielded all kinds of weapons that put Lear''s to shame. But he didn''t mind. They all looked intimidating and serious, but Lear admired them for how menacing and professional they looked, comparing them to him as he tried to imitate their terrifying faces, only serving to make him look silly to the others riding along with him, causing a burst of embarrassment to slowly build up in him.


    There was nothing out of the ordinary about his journey to the capital, which set the others at ease. In truth, traveling the land away from towns and cities raises the likeliness of monsters attacking those who are not wary, thus the need for mercenaries and adventurers made the occupation a well sought out one for all that you had to do was know how to wield a weapon and put it to good use. That was the case for most, however, monsters grew to adapt, making them more menacing and dangerous as time passed.


    The occupation of being an adventurer and a mercenary is a road filled with many ups and downs. One would not know how it would usually go, but it was a given that the higher the danger, the higher the reward for it. And because of that, many became adventurers who made names for themselves. There, many legends were created.


    "We''re arriving at the capital city of Oberys soon!" cried of the coachman. It had taken two days at the least, but with nothing out of the ordinary to look at, Lear eventually fell tired and slept. The convoy took more of a scenic route around the countryside and was nearing the end of its journey.


    He let out a yawn and peered out the open window to see where they were. He saw the horizon beyond the hill, revealing a stunning sight of a grand city with tall walls acting as its border going around the large city. It was larger than Walbur, much larger. In fact, a small fraction of the city is the size of the countryside town. Many magnificent and tall buildings stood proudly to be admired from afar. On the very middle was a large palace that spanned wide, looking to be made of materlials that shone with the sun.


    Though there were many other structures outside the city, the city''s sight simply took Lear''s attention outright. His mouth was agape the entire time, and he had lost track of all things for an entire minute.


    "So this is the city of Oberys..." he spoke to himself. "... Amazing. It''s larger than I even first imagined it to be."


    They approached the large gates, ushering them in. There were many soldiers positioned outside making their rounds and serving as the guards of the area. There were also many others walking to and fro into the gates where a checkpoint made the flow of the crowd constant and flowing.


    The banners of the Empire that hung on the tall and imposing walls and ramparts fluttered as the winds blew against it. The banner showed Julius, the kneeling knight, holding the sword of victory, Justia, a legend from the Empire of Lasphius.


    The convoy stopped by the stables near the gates, and it was there that Lear got off to admire the inside of the city, heading straight to the first plaza where a fountain with a beautiful statuette of a woman wearing a silk garb stood in the middle. The area was surrounded with houses and many establishments erected using sturdy looking stone materials, and they towered over each other. The ambiance was not full of festivities as he thought it would be, rather, it was a calm morning which seemed like the usual to them. People crowded the markets, some hung around the scenic parts, the others enjoyed the company of their friends and companions, the usual.


    Along with the collected chattering of the people around him, he surveyed the area, taking his time in sightseeing before he would dive into his new life. People wearing strange and extravagant clothing came and left through many districts and streets. But then he remembered what he came here for.


    "Right, I have to find a place to rent out, then out adventuring I go!"


    He went around asking various people of the inns and taverns close by, finding something that wasn''t completely full or chaotic. He wanted one that was rather peaceful and homely. But most of all, he wanted something cheap and affordable, lest he squanders all of the money Duncan had lent him.


    "Welcome to the sleeping dragon, what can I do for you?" an old man behind the counter asked.


    "I''d like to rent a room out."


    "No problem. We''ve got a couple of vacant rooms, all you need is to pay up front, and it''s all yours."


    "How much?"


    "Just going to cost you twenty gold pieces."


    His mouth opened wide in shock, unable to take in what he had just heard fully.


    "So, how''s about it? You looked like an adventurer, so I thought of giving you a great rate!"


    "T-Twenty gold is the lowest?!"


    "Yeah and it''s dirt cheap! You won''t get any better prices anywhere else!"


    "Ahaha, let me think about it," he laughed wryly. But in truth, he was reeling from it. He staggered out the door, keeping his wits intact. He couldn''t afford that now since he only had fifteen gold pieces and fifty silver pieces, that alone wouldn''t be enough, and if he did miraculously get enough, it would leave him with nothing.


    "Where am I going to sleep now?" he asked himself, looking up. The morning was still fresh, and there were still many things that he could do.


    "Don''t have enough, kid? You look miserable" asked a gruff looking man was happened to pass by him. He wore a simplistic kind of clothing but stood out with his cool demeanor with his hands in his pockets. There was a tattoo of a knight''s helmet showing from his chest that he masked, pulling up his shirt.


    "Y-yeah, sadly." He staggered back and tried his best to look into the serious man''s eyes.


    "I suggest you try to find a guild who''ll accept you. Members usually get access to a room where they can live. You seem to be an adventurer with that get up. There are a lot of guilds here, so it''ll be impossible to not join one. They all just have different prerequisites, but most just have you do a quest of their choosing."


    "Is that so?" his eyes lit up instantly. "Thank you, I''ll try! What''s your name, if you don''t mind me asking."


    "Karl. Get going, kid. The earlier you get it done, the better."


    "Right!" But just as he began to go, he saw someone posting what seemed to be a notice on a wall across from him. The inn that he came from was positioned somewhere in a narrow alley where an ample amount of shade was present. The amount of people weren''t plentiful as well, but there were enough of them crossing by to not make the place into a ghost town, or city, rather.


    "There, that should do it!" the man said with a beaming smile, placing a hand on his waist as he admired the notice. The letters were large enough for him to see what it was about from a distance. He carried more copies on the other side of his arm, all rolled up neatly.


    "New guild accepting members... The Eveningtide, huh?" he murmured to himself.


    The man turned around and saw Lear, narrowing his eyes at him. "Hey, you! You must be an adventurer, aren''t you?"


    "Y-yeah!" he responded as the man snapped him out of his daze. He was caught off guard with what he should say, but he responded as best as he could.


    "You looking for a guild to join? I just opened up mine, you see, and I''m searching for people who would want to join me. How about it?" asked the man as he approached Lear, allowing both to take a better look at each other. "Oh, you look pretty good in that armor. Makes you look like an experienced adventurer." It would be a barefaced lie if he said that he didn''t consider the compliment. He was already inclined to join after he had said that.


    Lear studied the red-eyed man whose name had not been given to him. There was a certain aura of determination to him, and a brightness in personality, but it felt as if there was more than meets the eye. It was simply just a hunch, although.


    He looked like a noble with his white, long-sleeved shirt with its sleeves folded till the half of his arm. He wore dark pants and dark boots to match that. He was of average length, a bit taller than Lear. He had long dark hair with his bangs combed to the left, nearly covering his left eye.Some of his hair was tied back as a ponytail going until his neck. He had a confident looking personality and an approachable character which caught Lear completely unaware.


    But just before Lear could respond, a loud bell rang from the distance, echoing through the part of the district.


    "Oh, time flies when you''re rushing. Well, better head off while I can. Sorry, I''ll talk to you again when I get the chance. Stay right there if you can, I''ll be back in a bit!" he dashed away at an amazing speed, leaving Lear confused at the turn of events.


    "Seems like you don''t know that eccentric guy. I don''t suggest joining his guild," said Karl, approaching and taking one of the noticed he had posted on the wall, studying it for himself. "The writing''s legible, but it''s crudely made by hand. Seems like a sketchy offer to me."


    "What makes you think that?" he asked.


    "There are guilds out there who exploit people, offering up positions only to have them mugged or killed. The Eveningtide, huh? Usually you would have heard of a new guild if it had been endorsed by another guild, but this is the first I''m hearing of it. It''s a gamble, but you have better choices. Try your luck somewhere else first," he urged.


    "Alright, thank you, Karl! I won''t forget what you''ve done for me."


    Taking what Karl had told him, Lear began asking around for the local adventurers'' guild, fancying one that stood out greatly, located south-east of the city. It was a rather large, two-story, stone-built structure with the nameWakingDawnon its banner. The Waking Dawn was a prominent guild that was in the top five guilds in the city of Oberys.


    Lear gulped at the thought of finally having something to do relating to an adventurer. He placed his hands on the double doors of the guild, feeling an emotional weight behind it, he opened it.


    Inside revealed a lively atmosphere. The room was lit up by torches and what seemed to be crystals that glowed white. There were also orbs of light that made him think of the presence of mages in the room. But it was truly wide. People talked amongst themselves, sitting on tables along the hall, pillars adorning and serving as the foundation of the building. There were ornaments that were hung up on the walls. Some were rare looking materials like claws, weapons, armors, and many others.


    There were also strong looking adventurers wearing armor that was fashioned to make them look even more menacing and imposing. The weapons they wielded shone brightly, all looking brand new.


    "Welcome to the Waking Dawn guild. My name is Niere, I''m the head of the guild''s admissions. Is there something that I could help you with?" asked a beautiful looking woman wearing a dress serving as a uniform, her chestnut colored hair flowed along her back. He noticed that there were also other women walking around wearing the same dresses, save for those female adventurers wearing armor.


    "I want to join the guild!" he blurted out, surprising the woman with his lack of preparation for the real thing.


    "I-Is that so? Well, the application is quite simple. Just like the other guilds, we require the applicant to successfully finish a quest chosen by us, and depending on the performance of the applicant, we will decide on those factors. Currently, the guild master is out, so I will be the one issuing the quest and companion."


    "Companion?" he asked in confusion as this was the first he was hearing of it.


    "More of like an observer, a companion is as the name states, but he or she will only be there to guide and grade you depending on your performance as if it were the real thing, and you were a part of the guild. There are other ways of joining, but this is one of the most reccomended, so I would rather have you choose this than any other. Are you just starting out?"


    "Yes. I come from Walbur. My name''s Lear."


    "Very well, Lear. Let me ask, are you fine with this kind of quest?"


    "Yes! I''ll do it."


    "Good. You seem to have enough of a determination to pull through. Don''t worry, it won''t be anything that a novice wouldn''t be able to accomplish. You''re allowed to have a few days to prepare yourself, buti if you''d like, you can start now."


    "That''d be for the best, I think. Thank you."


    "Alright then, please wait here while I call out your companion."


    The woman left, and Lear''s anticipation grew. He knew that if he was going to pass, he had to somehow impress his companion with his skills and abilities, nothing too difficult for him. But he would need to draw out every bit of Duncan''s teachings. He felt like he had the edge to succeed with just that.


    He secured his belongings, equipment, and weapon, making sure that he was prepared to move out at any time. But it didn''t take long until Niere had come back with the said companion. That too caught him off guard.


    The tall man serving as his companion had lazy looking eyes that seemed disinterested at anything in his line of sight. He was someone who looked far from dependable for his slouched posture the uninterested, and sometimes disgusted face he makes at those that tried to greet him. There was a mix of dissatisfied glances at him as well, as Lear noticed but did not openly state. Oddly enough, his aura was ruthlessly cold, yet it didn''t feel like there was any effort into what he was doing. It seemed to be natural, as ridiculous as it seemed to Lear.


    He wore a dark coat with a white shirt underneath. Black pants and black boots for below. He wore a silver necklace inside that shirt of his.


    "This is Noel Earle, he is one of the top ranked members in this guild. Right now he isn''t as busy with quests, so he is kind enough to lend his time for your evaluation. I hope that you two get along. If things go south, you can depend on Noel to help you, right, Noel?" he nudged him with her arm, receiving no reply as the lazy eyed man simply looked beyond the open door where a familiar man ran by with his notices on his shoulder. He had the same smile as before on his face as he disappeared.


    Noel looked at him and held out his hand. "Noel. Nice to meet you. Let''s get going."


    He shook his hand which was cold as if it were a dead persons''. Noel immediately left after that, leaving Lear behind.


    Niere let out a wry laugh. "Please don''t think too badly of him. He is often misunderstood because he doesn''t talk much, but I assure you that he is a good person inside, I can vouch for that. He has the quest you''re going to accomplish. Good luck," she smiled, giving Lear an ounce of courage that boosted his self-esteem.


    He ran past the door and caught up to Noel as they headed towards their destination, following a clear path towards the city gates. Lear''s heart brimmed with joy as his adventure was about to start, and a chance to join the city''s top guilds would be something else as well. He would have been able to brag to Vass about it, enough to make him jealous and join. But that was still unlikely.


    "Where are we going?" he asked from beside Noel.


    "Just follow me. I don''t know where it is, but I can walk there no problem. Just don''t get killed by the monsters, alright?"


    His words reassured him, but the thought of that happening bummed him. Though he had not seen much of monsters or know a lot about them, Duncan taught the basics of what he needed to know if he were to go against one by any chance.


    He clenched his fists and took a deep breath in, encouraging himself.


    You can do it, Lear! My journey to the top will start here!

 Chapter 1: Danger Lurking on Every Corner

    The immense western forest of Yew was home to many threats, both untamed wildlife and the monstrosities that lurk within. It has been classified as a level-2 danger zone by the agreement of the guilds and the palace lore keepers.


    The old myth and legend about this place was that as night drew closer, the risk of danger grew as well. It was as if the beasts and the ones residing in this forest grew stronger, more inclined to their bestial senses in the presence of prey. Natural selection at work here was inevitable for there are those that are reckless enough to seek what secrets lie inside the ancient forest that is also home to many hidden tapestries of the past.


    But despite that, Noel Earle went here to see if Lear could overcome the task that was given to him in order to join the guild.


    He ran faster than he had ever before. His pulse rose, and blood rushed to his head. He couldn''t think clearly for he was too busy trying to survive. His instinct of flight kicked in before he even knew it, and all of his senses shut down instantly.


    He turned around only to increase the terror he felt. He cried out loudly, causing a ruckus in the peaceful forest that was bathed in silence a while ago.


    His pursuers only felt the thrill as they kept chasing their prey. Their hunger drove them insane to the point that they were going to give their all just to feast on this foolish trespasser.


    There were four of them, wolves. There was nothing special about them other than their insatiable desire to consume the flesh of their prey. They snarled, howled, and called upon their pack members as they continued to increase in size the longer the chase ensued.


    "Noel! What do I do?!" he yelled out, seeing the man in question catching up to Lear, leaping from branch to branch with his amazing dexterity and speed. The branches of the trees in the forest were thick enough to support one''s weight. This forest was special for the trees that towered each other, but they only grew taller the further in the forest you got.


    Noel shrugged his shoulders lazily, not seeming to care about Lear''s predicament.


    His sight started becoming blurry and his legs were starting to give in. He never knew that this would happen, and to his surprise, he froze in place the moment that it started. But most of all, he was amazed that he was able to outrun them for so long, managing to dodge the tree roots scattered all around, designed to trip some careless fool who dares not look where he or she goes.


    He couldn''t use his skills in battle, but he had good physique. It had gone on for longer than six minutes since their one round of tag started, but his predators didn''t seem to lag in their pace, instead drawing closer bit by bit. His maneuvers didn''t at all help either. Trying to dissuade a wolf''s sense of smell just by running around trees had no effect.


    He finally saw the end of the road for him. A tall wall of unascendable soil stood before him, and the trees had all but sealed any room for a last-minute escape. He had his backs to the wall and finally drew his sword at the pack of wolves.


    He thought that if he were to go down,then it would be better to simply go down fighting. That was his train of thought, but his trembling body said otherwise.


    "This is bad, it''s getting dark. Soon we won''t be able to see anything," he said to himself, backing away bit by bit as the wolves did the same. It occurred to him that Noel had vanished, not a trace left of him even when he saw him chasing a while ago. His panic only went up until he started to hyperventilate. There was simply too much of them already, at the very least, fifteen total, each snarling and growling viciously.


    It had gone from killing wolves terrorizing travelers and passerby to escaping with his life in a split second.


    But then one of the wolves leapt at Lear, causing him to leave things to fate, closing his eyes and shielding himself with his sword.


    However, nothing happened. Within the past second, he had not felt anything body down on him, so he slowly opened his eyes to see what had happened. To his disbelief, the wolf that tried to pounce on him had been impaled to the ground with a gold and blue ornate looking spear.


    Suddenly, Noel came down from behind him, landing gracefully as his long dark cape fluttered down. He held a cool but uninterested look at the wolves, standing between Lear and them. He took the spear from the wolf''s carcass and spun it skillfully, holding it to his side with a stance.


    "N-Noel! Thank you, I thought you had left me already," said Lear, heaving a sigh.


    "It''s too dangerous here. We''re leaving now." He became silent and spoke in a hushed voice, pointing his open hand at the wolves, creating a blue pentagram circle which seemed to cast off a soft, cold mist. "Be on your guard." He followed up.


    Lear admired the bright circle that Noel had created, losing focus on the most important part of what was around him.


    As the blue circle appeared from Noel''s hand, the wolves all howled and charged towards them with bloodlust in their eyes, waking Lear from his own world.


    The circle grew in size and released a barrage of icicles towards the charging pack, hitting several of them and instantly killing them. The rest continued and met Noel head on, and he accepted their challenge, parrying the first challenger by stepping forward, hitting its neck with a chop from his left hand, followed by an impalement from his spear, which he took out to meet the next one, spinning it around him like a baton, but at a much faster speed, using it to beat down or scare away those that started surrounding him.


    Lear, however, didn''t know what to do at this point, so he simply brandished his weapon nervously and kept slashing at them with no purpose, causing many openings that the wolves took advantage of.


    "Ah!" he cried out in pain as a wolf managed to scratch at his left arm which he used to block. He staggered back and felt the sting upon his fresh deep wound. The wolf''s blood sputtered on his armor. But surprisingly, before it could continue to keep doing damage to Lear, Noel had thrown his spear at it, pinning it to the wall of soil. But even without that he continued to fight, using his own fighting techniques and magic to handle them with deadly efficiency.


    Lear, amidst the chaos, felt useless for that was the truth. He wanted to show off, yet the realization of the hard and brutal truth hit him harder than any object would. He was simply astonished to see Noel handling his enemies with ease, using maneuvers that utilized his amazing dexterity and deft hands.


    Just as he saw the battle rage on, more of them appeared and surrounded Noel from high and low places, not taking mind of Lear''s presence anymore.


    They all leapt at him, which the calm and collected adventurer took notice of. He pushed away those that he was occupied with and crouched, chanting words silently, causing a large blue circle to appear from underneath him, encompassing a rather wide area which the wolves that leapt at him were a part of.


    "Devious mistress of the unforgiving winter, skewer these scourges with your prejudice. Brutal Banshee!" From out of thin air, numerous tall spikes made of clear ice rose from around Noel''s position, striking at each and every single one of the wolves. Not a one of those that leapt came back down to the ground until the spikes dissolved. Their carcasses fell with numerous thuds.


    Noel stood, dusting himself off and dislodging his spear from the wall as if nothing special happened. He reached his hand out to Lear, who was still staring at the grueling scene he had just bore sight to. He gulped and noticed Noel, taking his hand.


    "Thank you..." and no other words seemed to follow. His jovial attitude had gone away for a while. He didn''t know what else to say. He was disappointed in himself for not being able to do anything, let alone show what he had been taught all those years of toiling for this day.


    "The Yew forest is home to many others, deadlier than these wolves. They were at the bottom of the food chain. You couldn''t seem to strike them, why?" Noel asked.


    Lear looked down at his feet and replied. "I was... terrified. I couldn''t do it."


    "Your blade trembled the entire time... had you thought only about death?"


    Noel''s words shook him. It was true, he was too afraid to act for he was terrified for his life. It was amazing to him that he drew his own sword at that moment, but right after, the purpose of the sword he had seemed to have lost its purpose in his hands.


    "This could have cost you what you ran away trying to protect."


    "You''re right, unlike me, you''re strong. We''re worlds apart, I understand that... I''m sorry."


    "Let''s go back. You''re not ready," he said bluntly. "You will only get killed, and will send to death the others that are with you." The spear he held with his right hand disappeared from thin air and left no trace. But Lear was too dejected to respond to it. Noel wasn''t harmed at all, but still he could not recover from such a lackluster performance.


    The wolves had all tuck tails and ran away from them, restoring the peace to the forest.


    No harm came to them as they walked back to the city, entering the plaza with the familiar fountain in the middle. The area was beautifully lit up by lanterns and lamps, and people wearing even more extravagant clothing and dresses appeared to be walking somewhere, dressed for a certain occasion. There were also carriages that were different from what he rode on coming here. They were in a way, fancy.


    They arrived in front of the guild at the dead of night, but still the lively atmosphere could be senses from the outside. There were noises of loud cheering echoing, and the light from the nearby window showed the ones inside to be drinking happily to their heart''s content.


    The door opened, and Niere came outside, carrying a broomstick in her hands. She was surprised to see them and hurriedly greeted the two on their late return.


    "Back so late? Thank goodness. It was a full moon tonight, too, so I was quite worried. How did you two do?" she asked, but she stopped upon seeing Lear''s wound on his arm, only concealed by a cloth that Lear tore up and tied to his arm on the way. It helped with the clotting process, but the cloth was lightly stained red.


    "What happened? Are you alright?" she frantically asked, gently seizing Lear''s hand to take a closer look on it.


    Lear''s face changed, lighting up as he laughed, scratching the back of his head to find some excuse. "I just carried away and got a little scratch. Don''t worry, it''ll heal quickly with a bit of rest."


    "No, I can''t let you go after seeing this. Come inside, let me treat this wound before it gets worse."


    "No, really, I''m fine, Niere. Thank you for everything, but this is nothing dangerous. The only thing I''m worried about is losing something else, something that comessecond to my own life and safety, more or less. It''s really important, even the person that gave it to me is important to me." He said shyly. He tried to take something out from around his neck but strangely enough nothing was there. It sent a panic surging to Lear''s head.


    His eyes widened and he dropped his bag immediately to search its contents frantically, surprising Niere.


    "I-is something wrong, Lear?" she asked.


    "I''m going to go on ahead," said Noel, entering as he waved goodbye to the two outside.


    "No, no, I can''t have lost it," he murmured to himself. "Where could I have dropped it?"


    He quietly thought about it for a little while, and he recalled having dropped something that gave off a bright glint when the wolf pack surprised him from out of nowhere.


    "What are you referring to, Lear?" Niere pushed on, trying to get his attention.


    "It''s not here, the necklace that Alice gave me!"


    "Alice? Is that the person whose memento you lost?"


    "Yes, she gave it to me before I left Walbur. I can''t lose that. I need to find it as soon as possible!"


    Without saying goodbye, he packed his things and ran away, retracing his steps and keeping a watchful eye on the roads he became slowly familiar with. He didn''t want to take his time since someone might have found it already, or worse, so each glance he took was important as night drew on.


    He searched and searched, his endeavors becoming fruitless. He was exhausted, hunched over with his hands over his knees. He huffed and puffed for air, thinking on where to try next, but the only thing that he had gone too today was the forest, which gave light to his search.


    In truth, he had stumbled more than once during his escape from the wolf pack. He must have left it there, he thought. So he straightened his back and stretched himself out for one last try. He was terrified to go back after what had happened, but the thought of disappointing Alice after having given him that pushed him through his fears.


    He passed by the gates, ignoring the guards, who tried to stop him for something that he didn''t hear.


    "Hey, where are you going?!" they shouted.


    "What are you yelling about so late at night?" asked his annoyed companion.


    "He took the road going to the Yew forest, and it had just been classified as a level-5 danger zone just this morning."


    "Why? Anything happening to it?"


    "Don''t you know that it''s a full moon tonight?One of the top five guilds in this city reported signs of a Great Dire wolf there. It appears every time there''s a full moon."


    "Then why let people in there in the first place then?"


    "It''s an important place to gather herbs, but that''s not the point. He''s going to die if no one stops him!"


    Just as the two argued, a man passed by holding what seemed to be a bag of groceries in one arm and eating a piece of bread with the other. He had his mouth full, but overheard what they were talking about. He turned his head towards the Yew forest''s road and remembered seeing the face of a man that ran by him.


    He made a face as if he were in shock and approached one of the guards, handing him the bag of groceries that he carried saying, "Hold on to this, why don''t you? Oh, and don''t worry, I''ll pay you for thiswhen the job''s done."


    He left the confused guard started walking, gradually turning into a run as he paced himself, getting momentum the further he got. By then, he was fully sprinting after him.


    His reason. It wasn''t as petty as receiving something from her that made this necklace significant. To him, anything from her was important, and every promise they made to each other he made sure to never break. He owed it to hear a great deal, in fact, he would even stake his own life for her. But that was just reckless chivalry in a hopeless man''s case. That didn''t matter to him. It only mattered that the person who gave him the light of hope will be happy for as long as she lives. Plain and simple, he owed too more to her for saving him.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    It was many years ago, when Lear was still a child left by himself in a town that he was unfamiliar of. He remembered it clearly, but it wasn''t the time for a heavy recollection. He simply remembered that meeting of theirs and how it all led up to that.


    Back then, Lear kept to himself to a point where he never truly spoke with anyone or befriended them. He was lost, hungry, and alone. He didn''t know where his parents go, but he remembers vaguely what they looked like before they left.


    Due to his predicament, no one took pity on him. No one knew him after all. The guards also tried to get rid of those who were loitering the streets such as Lear for such reasons that he never knew. He always escaped and succeeded most of the time.


    He had to resort to petty thievery to survive. Begging did nothing, of course. He was taught by some of the children who were also orphans that to survive, you must be ready to do anything necessary. And the decision to follow through with that came with a cost.


    It was a dangerous life for those that were caught never seemed to make it back. No one ever heard from them again, and that worked to develop fear in others, preventing the rise of their acts. But those only made them even more desperate.


    He was taken in by the other orphans residing in the poorer parts of the town. They often moved placed to not get discovered, and it didn''t matter where. Behind the alleys, under the sewages, bridges, anywhere that they were safe in.


    Soon it became more radical that they were ordered to be put down by the governor of that time, mercilessly hunted and sold secretly as slaves somewhere. There was no real need for them, and because of that, no one paid them any attention when they needed it the most.


    The reason for the order was because of how innocents were being harmed at night when resistance was mounted. The ones who desperately clung to their skill in thievery favored brute force, using it not because it was necessary for most of the time, but because they wanted to. Maybe for attention, maybe to get revenge on them for ignoring them and not helping them. There could have been many reasons. Many questioned just how terrible this world is for allowing such once kind-hearted people to change because of something drastic such as clinging to a dim light of hope.


    But the worst part came when their acts of brutality led to someone getting killed, and to their misfortune, it was a nobleman''s son. The death of that man alone sparked a great flame which bore down on the unfortunate children who were abandoned.


    Yet through all that, Lear chose to hesitate and refuse.


    "You''re weak!" said one of the children. He was older than the rest, so he acted as their leader in some ways. The older one always took charge and they made sure that everyone was able to survive through such a harsh life.


    His image was a short, dark haired child with a thin body. He had blue eyes and a sharp glare, carrying an attitude of wanting to help those that he sees as friends and family. Lear never truly understood any other like him, but when they argued, it was as if that was all a lie. He was the first-person Lear trusted with his life for he had nothing else to offer when he had been saved that night he almost starved to death.


    "We''re supporting a lot of people, and you hesitate to do something for them. This isn''t just about you, this is everyone... or what''s left of us," he looked behind him to see the sulking children wearing tattered and dirty rags. They huddled over a small source of fire while some hugged their legs for warmth. Their faces and bodies were dirty beyond compare. Some had bruises, and some had defects that made them less likeable by the people.


    There were truly a few of them to him, but there were at least seventeen of them. That was many for someone looking from an outsider''s perspective, but there were more of them. Day by day more and more are found, caught, and taken away. Whatever happened to them they do not know, but what they do know is that getting caught is the last thing that you would want to happen to you. The guards would not hesitate to use their own form of brutality, so it became rough when they resisted.


    The atmosphere was gloomy for the only noise was the two of them arguing one-sidedly. They spoke inside a sewage system so their voices echoed loudly. No one dared cross the leader for they would get nothing, so they let them do what they wanted.


    "But this isn''t right," said Lear, dropping the rusted makeshift knife he held to the ground.


    He was still too young to understand much at his young age, but it just didn''t sit right with him how the people who helped him were doing things.


    "What isn''t right? Doing something so that we don''t starve and die in the streets? What don''t you understand? We''re dying, we barely get to eat anything, and even when we do, it''s either at the cost of our own lives, or someone else''s. They said that this Empire is rich and wealthy, but look at us, we''re nothing but trash being set aside. We are all the same..." he came up to Lear and pinned him to the wall using his arm. They both looked fiercely at each other and didn''t say a word for a time.


    "We''re almost all gone. Those older than me were already caught, and this is what''s left of us."


    "I''m sorry, Rulis, but I can''t. I''ll do anything else besides that. I won''t harm someone just because of that. We''re better than this."


    "Suit yourself," said their leader as he shoved Lear away. "I thought you were better than this, Lear. We used to understand each other so much that I thought we could be something like brothers. But apparently, we don''t see eye to eye. If you''re not ready to step in and make the change yourself, then what use are you, really?"


    A rift had already formed on that night, and their situation only continued to grow dire. It was until Lear was faced with a difficult decision that he didn''t care for those things he had said in the past.


    They skulked about the area that they would usually steal food from, carefully making sure that they would not be seen. It was night, and the shops were just starting to close down their stores after a busy day. They found this as their greatest chance to get some food for the others.


    There were four of them including Lear, him being the youngest. The rest of the three were the next oldest ones, and they were strong enough to fend for themselves if the worst happened, or so they believed.


    It happened so fast that no one had time to react except for Lear, who lagged behind to keep watch.


    Guards hurriedly surrounded the three of the skulking orphans, which included Rulis among them. The three couldn''t resist as they were quickly overpowered by the adults, so it all looked grim.


    "Gah! Let go of us!" cried out Rulis as he flailed his arms around in an act of hopeless escape.


    "Shut up, you! You vermin, the lot of you, have been causing quite a ruckus. And killing a nobleman''s son, you all only get death past this point. Now just accept it."


    Lear watched in horror as the town guards tried to subdue and silence his friend by beating them senseless. No one seemed to care anyway because they were only seen as dangerous troublemakers. But he argued about that notion and charged at the guards with a pent up adrenaline.


    He took their attention despite his lack of strength, only being able to shove the one holding Rulis, allowing him to be set free.


    Rulis took advantage of the situation and kicked the rest in their groin, freeing the other captured children.


    "Run!" he yelled, grabbing Lear''s arm and dragging him away from the scene.


    As they dispersed, Rulis and Lear heard the men shout for their allies, yelling to ''chase them'' in a loud voice filled with irritation and anger.


    Rulis took narrow paths, using dark alleyways and every secret entrance that he knew just to separate them from their pursuers who were hot on their trail.


    They heaved heavy sighs and tried to catch their breath. By some miracle, Lear and Rulis managed to lose the guards, hiding momentarily under a bridge with good cover. They had to think of something before coming back empty-handed.


    "Thanks, you saved me there, Lear. I owe you."


    "Don''t worry about it, we''re friends, right? I just hope that the others got away safely. Why did you take me anyway? I thought you were still angry with what I said back then."


    "Sure, sure, whatever you say. I''m sure that they''re fine. I took you because you''re slow. You would have been taken by them if I didn''t do that. Be a bit more useful, why don''t you? Your job was to be a lookout, right? ... Ah, just forget about it. That doesn''t matter anymore. We just have to look out for each other."


    Despite Rulis'' ramblings, he was grateful for what Lear had done for him. After their last argument, he was sure that there was no way he would still watch his back like normal. Yet he was surprised to have heard that. He couldn''t look Lear in the eye after his selfish acts and simply bit his lip in frustration.


    "What do we do now?" Lear asked.


    "Find a safe way to get back to the hideout. They''ll be starving, but we have some reserves. We''ll just have to tough it out and give them out portion for tonight, Lear."


    "I don''t have a problem with that. I''d give mine to you instead. I don''t think I''m hungry."


    "Stop playing the hero already, we''re past that. The two of us won''t eat anything, period."


    "Deal. Let''s get through this and live good lives. We promised that, right?" Lear smiled at Rulis, who couldn''t refuse the handshake that had been laid in front of him. He laughed and shook it. "Now let''s get out of here, Rulis."


    Rulis nodded, but as they were just about to leave, he was grabbed from behind by his neck.


    "Ack, Lear!" he said, choking on his words. He tried to pry the guard''s arm off so that he could breathe, but it was futile.


    "They''re over here!" yelled the guard who subdued Rulis.


    Lear tried to do something to free Rulis, but he stopped him. "R-run!" he forcefully yelled out, but most of his words were stifled. "I''ll get out of here, so you do the same! I''ll see you again, Lear! Don''t forget that!" He continued flailing until he had hit the guard''s face. But just when he thought that he was free, the guard tightly took hold of Rulis'' wrist and dragged him back, beating his face without any regard for age and gap of strength.


    All Lear could do was follow was Rulis had said, so he ran away in horror, tears streaming from his eyes. He never turned his head to look at the scene, and he kept running and running until he reached that place where he met her. He didn''t even know where he was anymore. All he saw were brightly lit areas where people loudly sang and yelled their troubles away into the air like no one''s business.


    He turned the corner and went down a street, encountering her. He saw her as beautiful as she was in the present. The only thing that was different was that her brown hair and stature were less of that. She was also a child, wearing a beige dress for commoners. She carried a basket of what seemed to be bread and a few other knick knacks.


    As the two came into contact, she immediately smiled and said ''good evening'', not taking mind of Lear''s clothes and appearance.


    "What''s wrong? You look tired. Are you alright?" she asked, coming closer to get a good look at him from the dark. But just as she was about to place her hand on him, the sounds of the men pursuing Lear came into earshot.


    "Stop right there, you!" they yelled.


    Lear instantly bolted into a run, leaving the girl behind. But just he turned around just to take a last look at her, he saw something that surprised him. The girl had been grabbed by the guard. She frantically flaked about, yelling for help.


    "You thought you and your friend were going to get away, weren''t you?" said the guard who mistook the girl who he had just met as an accomplice. "Were going to get rid of vermin like you so no trash litters the streets any longer."


    She didn''t seem to hear since she kept flailing until it looked like the grip on her wrist was hurting her.


    Without having any second thoughts, Lear bolted into a run towards the guard, having built up enough rage for what had happened to his friends, and used them against the guard, slamming into him full force, knocking the man down.


    He helped the girl to her feet and he guided her into an alleyway, hearing the guard, whom Lear had tackled, yelling where they went to.


    There was a moment of reprieve as they were crouched in an empty an empty alley of an obscure part of town. Both heaved sigh and caught their breaths.


    "Thank you," the girl said next to him. "You saved me."


    Lear shook his head. "No, I dragged you into this. They thought you were with me. You don''t even have anything to do with this."


    "They said some horrible things. They were meant for you? But why? Did you do something wrong?"


    "I don''t know anymore. I don''t know whether living is wrong, but it''s how we''re doing it that made us bad people. I''ll try to get you out of here, don''t worry. I''ll keep you safe, no matter what."


    He hadn''t noticed it until now, but he was still holding her hand. She had dropped the basket she carried, but she didn''t seem to mind.


    As soon as Lear noticed that he still held her hand, she smiled and looked at him, tilting her head as to ask what-is-wrong? He tried to untangle his hand due to the embarrassment he felt, but the girl made her hold tighter,


    He was confused, but had to ask aquestion to break the awkward silence.


    "W-what are you doing?"


    "What do you mean?" she asked with an innocent smile.


    He looked the opposite way as to avoid her face and raised his hand with was twining with his. "This. You can let go now."


    "Are you scared?"


    He staggered at the sudden question and fumbled for an answer, immediately coming up with one.


    "O-of course not! What are you taking about?"


    "But you hand is shaking, and it''scold. Are mine warm," she asked.


    He didn''t have the guts to push her away since her smile never waned. It was as if she was teasing him, but he never truly knew at that point.


    "Yeah," he murmured.


    "Good. My father once told me something that my mother told him. She said, to know whensomeone''s scared, try holding their hand and being close with them. You''ll know, rather, you''ll feel, and it''ll naturally come to you. What are you scared about?"


    "Nothing. I''m not scared of anything," he said in an act to stay calm in this situation.


    "It''s alright if you don''t want to tell me. Where are your parents? You shouldn''t be out so late, it''s dangerous."


    "Shouldn''t the same be said with you? You almost got caught for something that you didn''t do."


    "I''m safe now because of you, so that''s fine."


    "Has anyone ever told you that you seem like an airhead? Something really bad almost happened to you, and you''re not even terrified."


    "Answer my question, come on, you''re trying to avoid it," she urged, poking at his sides causing him to flinch until he became annoyed by it.


    "I don''t have any parents!" he angrily stated. "I don''t know where they are, but they abandoned me. I don''t even know what they looked like... now we''re all just getting caught and I don''t even know what''s going to happen to us if they find me and the others."


    The girl sensed the empty feeling within him and looked genuinely sad, moving past the playful attitude she had and sympathized with him.


    "Others?"


    "Yeah, others like me who were left behind by their parents. They have nowhere else to go, nothing to eat, and no one to go to for help. We''re the ''trash'' of this town, it seems." He continued explained everything else that he had heard from the ones living here.


    The girls'' expression changed upon hearing all of this and became saddened to a degree that she felt like she was affected as well.


    "That''s horrible... Everyone for their own lives. I never knew how worse others had it," was all she could say.


    "So now you know how dangerous it is. Now come with me. It should have died down now. It''ll be safe, but you''ll have to try and find your own way back home. I''ll help you get there by distracting the others. Just keep running, alright?"


    She nodded her head and stood up.


    But just as she could stand, three guards appeared from the alleys, blocking their path. The men smiled maliciously while sweat formed from their heads. They could no longer get away easily because of this.


    "You made us run after you an awful lot, you little pieces of trash. I think I''m going to need to vent a little of my stress on you both before I wrap things up, right, boys?" they all laughed as he cracked his fists and came close.


    "How did you find us?" Lear asked to himself, cursing his misfortune.


    He remembered the girl being there and shielded her with his arm, separating them.


    "Thought you could get away now, didn''t you? you''ll get what''s finally coming to you runts." The men moved to grab Lear, who didn''t resist. He instead told them that the girl who was with him wasn''t involved in any way, and asked them to let her go.


    "Who do you think you are, ordering is around? Know your place, trash!" the man struck a blow on Lear''s head with the back of his hand. The rest of the guards laughed at the act. "Don''t you know that everyone in town wants you all dead?"


    He saw the girl struggle the moment one of the guards tried to take her. It ignited a fire in him that allowed him to breakfree of the guards'' grip on him, for he gave up without any resistance, they thought he would not act.


    He went for their groins, their weakest and most vulnerable spot, and placed himself in front of her as the men recoiled in pain in the form of an illusory shock of lighting towards your brain. "Don''t you dare do anything to her!"


    "You fucking kid!" Yelled out the guards in anger. The one who didn''t get hit by Lear took and took him by the hand aggressively.


    The girl looked at the child''s back as he shielded her. She was surprised even after knowing that. He could have escaped on his own, but he chose to stay with her, even going as far as to turn himself in just for the sake of letting her go.


    He was beaten harshly after that to the point that he had bruises which lasted for a few years, but he refused to allow any of them to get to the girl, giving his all into it. She couldn''t understand why, but she weptfor him on that day.


    What happened onwards only cemented their friendship and bond, becoming a treasure that Lear kept with him at all times, never forgetting it.


    But there was one other thing that he couldn''t forget, and that was the friend whom he abandoned. The thought of him haunted Lear day and night for he never knew what had become of him up to this very day. All the children that had been taken under the custody of the previous governor had all been reportedly sold to slavers from many different parts of the land, just so the governor had a little pocket money to spend at night. Some were abused and raped, the others were killed. It was an atrocity on many levels, and it disgusted everyone even when they had a part in it.


    But that was how they met, but that was not the end of it. He remembered up until that much and returned his focus in front of him as he came face to face with the Yew forest once more, entering the familiar roads, retracing his steps. It was odd that he could remember such details, but he had faith that he could find what he was looking for.


    He looked around and couldn''t see clearly. The thick leaves on the branches of the tall trees prevented much of the moonlight from entering. All he could hear was the hooting of the owls, and the singing of the crickets... until a howl livened up the forest, one so loud and blood curdling that it made Lear panic.


    He looked around and found nothing. He did not even recognize where he was anymore. He stood in front of a spacious part of the forest, surrounded by tall overgrowths and roots. Though it was dark, he had ample visibility of what was close by him.


    Further studying the area around him, he began seeing red dots from far across, slowly approachinghim.


    They appeared recognizable for their white fur.


    Lear found himself surrounded by those red dots serving as eyes, but that wasn''t what made him terrified. Something topped all of that, and it stood on all fours behind him, staring from an elevated position.


    It was far larger than any of the others the surrounded him, in fact, it''s frame surpassed them by a great deal. It was a giant among giants, bearing fur that was as white as snow, and eyes that were as shinyas gold. Its breath created a mist of air in front of it, and the vibrating noise came from its internal growling.


    Lear stumbledto the ground as his head looked up further at the immensely large figure. His mouth was agape, but no words came out. He simply stared at the massive wolf that looked down on him with its bloodthirsty eyes.


    It howled, allowing the sound to echo through the forest till its entrance. The other wolves around Lear followed suit and howled in unison. It signaled something, but he didn''t know just what it was about. Instead, he had a guess, and he didn''t like it one bit.

 Chapter 2: We All have a Start to Our Stories

    He was covered with scratches and wounds. Despite his best attempts at trying to stave off the wolves that lunged at him repeatedly, he could not dismiss the fear welling up inside him. Every inch of his body seared with pain, but luckily enough, his leather armor managed to stop most of their advances. he kept missing for most of the time, but it made for a good item to scare them away.


    The massive wolf kept its position, looking down at Lear from above as the lesser ones kept attacking him.


    It had gone on for long enough that Lear''s leg gave up on him, and he was forced to stand on one leg. He still held his sword in front of him with his trembling hand. His vision was getting foggy, and his breath was getting hoarse. The odds were against him, and it was quite clear to him as to how this wound turn out.


    Is this where it''s going to end?He asked himself. There was no way he could get out of this one. No miracle could save him for it was his own recklessness that brought this about.


    He thought about the possibility of Noel Earle arriving to save him like earlier, but with what happened that time, he was sure that the man went off to bed to forget about Lear''s blunders. He wasn''t going to be saved by anyone, and that he accepted half-heartedly.


    His hopes began wavering, and soon he had lost all hope of getting out of the forest alive. He was scared, no, beyond terrified. He could not describe the type of fear that was eating him alive from the inside, and that itself was traumatic enough. He tried calling out to anyone who could possibly be close by, but no one came. It only served to agitate the wolves who snarled and barked at him.


    Then the time came when he was at his end. He was bleeding profusely on almost every corner of his body. He had already lost the strength to run long ago, but his fruitless attempt at trying to find what he had lost failed, ending up in his inevitable death.


    ''Why can''t I do anything? Will I die as someone who hasn''t done anything good in his entire life? I don''t want to die!''He questioned himself. ''Weakness, only weakness. I couldn''t save my own friend, and then myself. I only dragged down everyone that I met. You''re right, Rulis, "What use am I?!"he roared out in despair.


    As if to initiate the attack, the massive wolf let out one last howl that was smooth as it was powerful. It then leapt a great height and fixated its sights on Lear.


    He instinctively shielded himself using his arms as the wolf descended to his level, shaking the ground they stood on.


    He knew what was coming next, but he was terrified. He heard the wolf''s paws beat on the ground as it pounced towards Lear.


    Just then, he heard someone''s voice from behind him. He spoke fast as he ran towards Lear as well.


    "Turn rusted steel into obsidian, Vulcanus'' forge, sharpen my intent, my fists, my feet, my soul. Release the restraints upon my shackled legs and feet, the fleeting gentle breeze, Zephyros. Let my body be the embodiment of the earth, as indomitable as Usrai, the unconquerable lord of this dominion."


    Lear turned his head but was not able to see the man clearly. All he saw was that he wore a white, long-sleeved shirt. On both sides of his arms appearered a single orange ring with strange symbols and markings that faded over time. The same happened with his legs with green, and his body with blue.


    He moved faster than Noel Earle and passed by Lear in an instant, meeting the wolf as he too leapt to the air, performing a front flip.


    The man slammed the wolf to the ground as the heel of his right leg hit the wolf square on its head, sending it down abruptly, creating a massive cloud of dust round it.


    The man landed and walked towards Lear with a smile on his face. His confident stance and red eyes made him familiar, but he couldn''t remember his name.


    "You looked pretty banged up. Can you stand?" he asked, extending a hand to Lear. The man''s bold fearlessness and act left Lear speechless, staring at the cloud of dust in front of them. He didn''t fully understand what just happened for it all was hard to stomach.


    "We''re not out of this yet. I heard what you yelled out earlier, but I don''t know what it''s about. But if you want to find your use, then how about you stand up as a start?" he pulled the wounded Lear to his feet. He almost fell, but the man anticipated it and caught him in time. "Careful now, take it slow and steady. Just ignore these wolves for a while. I''ll do something to get you through this."


    "Who are you and why are you helping me?" he asked as he used his sword as a cane to stand with.


    "My name isRiga, and I think we''ve met before. I don''t need any reason to act on my own and help you. But, I did have my reasons, and those are best kept to myself. Right now, let''s worry about these fellows and get out of here. I hear that this isn''t the best place to be at this time of night. You''ve already met the perpetrator of that danger," he pointed behind him to where the dust cloud slowly started to clear, revealing the wolf, who looked even more angry and feral as it eyes Riga with contempt.


    "Watch out!" he said, pointing at it. But the man didn''t pay it any mind, keeping his attention on Lear as he placed his hand over him, casting a gentle green aurora upon his wounds.


    Slowly but surely, Lear started regaining his energy, and the pain from the wounds didn''t hurt as much anymore than it did. He was also in shock of this for he knew it was magic, but he didn''t know this kind of magic existed, nor did he know what kind of magic Riga used upon arriving to the scene.


    "What did you just do?"


    "Healing magic, never heard of it? A lot of people use it for their own needs. Not just that, but many other forms exist."


    He shook his head. "I''ve never really seen it up close. I''ve only heard of it a few times."


    "Don''t worry about it. Well, now that you''re all patched up, I think this should make for a good morale booster. Let''s try and take this beast down a notch, shall we?"


    "What?! Defeat that thing?! No way, there''s no way I can do it."


    "Don''t worry about it, it''s going to be the two ofusworking together. Right after this, you might just have an answer toyour own question."


    Before Lear could manage a response, Riga spread out his hands where strange markings on both sides appeared, and there he summoned two dark, slim swords that had crimson red outlines. They were long enough, but didn''t look as heavy for Riga held and swung them with ease, cutting through air it almost seemed like.


    "Don''t be in awe for too long. We''re going to work together to bring this thing down. It might''ve looked like it was easy for me, but this one will be tricky. He doesn''t seem to want to go down, plus he has a pack backing him up. Be wary of them and never lose track of my words, alright? Just believe in me and we''ll get through this. You might not realize it, but everyone has their potential. I believe that you have yours too. I can''t wait to see that," he grinned mischievously.


    Lear could not object any longer. He had no reason not to. For some reason, being alongside this man gave him a staggering amount of confidence that he never thought was possible for him to muster in such a situation. He simply nodded and said to himself, ''I''ll believe in him. He doesn''t even know me, but he says that he trusts me this much. I can''t let him down, I can''t let anyone down anymore. I have to do something!''


    He drew his sword and faced the snarling great dire wolf before them.


    "That''s the spirit. I knew you had it in you. Now, let''s try and take this slowly. I''ll move to its left and you go for the right. Lag behind for a few seconds so that it focuses on me."


    "And if it targets me still?"


    "I''ve got a plan for that, too," he beamed.


    "What about the other wolves? I don''t think they''ll just stand there and watch."


    "I''ll make them stay away. But right now, any other moves will provoke the big guy, and we''ll lose the first part of our plan. But I have another one just in case. Alright, let''s go!"


    Riga ran towards the wolf''s left at a staggering speed, leaving Lear behind as he ran on his own pace as requested. He was still quite skeptical of what he was actually doing, but his body simply moved on its own. He willed it, but the courage was not enough for him to truly understand the means behind this. He was terrified beyond belief. He was too close to the wolf for his own good, yet he kept Riga''s words in mind and kept moving until he reached its sides, stopping there.


    Lear then heard the sounds of howling and snarling. He turned his head to see dozens upon dozens of wolves running towards him. They came from the deepest parts of the forests and altogether ran at them with a circular formation.


    "R-Riga, what do I do now?!" he yelled out as he faced the approaching pack of wolves. His sword trembled at their numbers, but he tried his best in keeping his composure that he thought about some possible options, reconsidering them one after the other.


    But all his cry for help did was attract the attention of the great dire wolf. Lear noticed this and became petrified.


    The wolf then barred its claws towards Lear.


    "Oh no you don''t! Get back here you mutt!" Riga struck one of his swords to the ground where it stood in place. "Involatileember, I command you, sear through with purgatorial contempt!" he cried out with his hand pointed at the wolf, creating a red pentagram where a ball of fire came bursting forth, impacting the dire wolf on its sides, knocking it away from him. It fell due to its imbalance.


    Riga then took his sword and said, "Strike at it now!"


    Lear spurred his body to move at the sound of Riga''s voice and he nervously struck his sword through the wolf''s back, causing it to howl in pain.


    It quickly got up by flailing its body, separating itself from Lear and Riga, who were now dealing with the problem of the pack right on their heels.


    "Good, now keep attacking the wolves coming your way, I''ll back you up." Riga ran towards Lear and covered his back, reassuring the nervous young man who was unable to believe what he had just done.


    There was no time for him to speak for one of the wolves lunged at Lear.


    He yelled out to boost his shaking morale, so he took a step forward and met the wolf, striking it down from the air with an overhead slash. But after he had done that, he looked to his side and saw another lunging at him. He couldn''t react in time, so he used his arm as a shield and wavered, keeping his eyes locked on the wolf.


    Time seemed to move slowly for him, but he saw Riga strike down the wolf that aimed for Riga, then he took out another. His two swords allowed for a continuous chain of attacks which he skillfully utilized. His great skill made Lear dazed as he stared at him, dancing around with his swords with a smile on his face.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ''He is ridiculous, how is he doing all this?''thought Lear. But he really could do nothing but admire his skill.


    "On your left! Bend your right leg and strike upwards with a forward momentum," said Riga as he continued slicing through the wolves that relentlessly met their deaths at his hand.


    Lear did just that, and to his surprise, his blade met with the wolves'' stomach where it fell and bled, unable to move.


    The two of them continued fighting side by side until Lear gradually got used to it. He didn''t feel like the same person from before, and that alone baffled him.


    Soon, the pack thinned down, and Lear had exhausted himself to his maximum capacity. He was breathing hard, looking around at the corpses of the wolves strewn about. The rest had retreated, and only the massive dire wolf remained.


    "It seems that it just won''t back down. Think that you can still go on?" he asked Lear, not looking that exhausted himself. In fact, the mischievous smile on his face hadn''t waved. Instead of having his hands occupied with his weapons, they were at rest on his waist.


    "I... don''t have any more energy left in me, sorry," said Lear, breathing even harder than before. It wasn''t just that, but even with Riga''s near perfect role in assisting Lear, he still received scratches and wounds here and there. His body numbed for it hadn''t done something so excruciating in a few years.


    "That''s alright. You did your best. I can cast a vitality spell on you, but that''s just overdoing it. How about you just let me show off for a little while? It''ll be quick, that I''ll make sure of. I need to get back to posting my fliers, after all... Alright, time for a bit of a class change. Maybe I should try that one out."


    Riga dematerialized his two swords, then was enveloped in a coat of light that outlined his body. When the light cleared,Riga now wore a long dark blue robe with long, loose sleeves. He held a tall staff with the top curving a bit into a cane. It was made of a sturdy wooden material and exuded a strange aura. To top it all off, he wore an old, brown pointed hat which he held in place as to not let it move around when he does.


    Lear gawked at the sudden transformation and simply stared at him. he didn''t know how he did it, but it was striking despite its simplicity, nonetheless.


    He smiled from underneath his hat and directed his sights to the wolf, who came after him with great speed.


    "Eager to finish this, are we?" Riga tapped the ground with the butt end of his staff where a purple spark dot marking was placed. He then spun his staff in front of him, creating what seemed to be a circular mirror that showed a scenery of a forest on the other side, the same one they were in.


    Just before the wolf could reach Riga, he entered the mirror and disappeared, reapearring on top of a tree branch where he could see everything with a bird''s eye view.


    To its surprise, the great dire wolf was shackled by countless of golden chains appearing from the ground. It restrained the beasts'' ankles, preventing it from moving. Stepping on the marking that Riga had placed activated a trap.


    "Impressed? That''s just something I came up with myself. I think I''ll call itDire Fetters,yeah, I think that''ll be a good name for it."


    The wolf looked at him with fierce eyes and resisted the bindings. Its strong limbs tried to lift itself from the ground, and with an enraged howl, it broke free and turned even more feral. It stood its ground and opened its mouth, pointing towards Riga, who looked impressed at what the wolf had just done. From its mouth, a blue pentagram appeared, blasting off a freezing, blue sphere towards Riga.


    He again created the same mirror and disappeared, reappearing behind the wolf, who had anticipated it with its sharp senses. It immediately swiped its claws at where Riga might be.


    For Lear, time seemed to move slow for it looked like Riga was going to be met with a terrifying end. His back was still turned to the wolf, and it looked like he hadn''t seen what was closing in on him. But the only thing that Lear found odd was that he was still smiling, and looking at Lear with a face that said don''t-miss-what''s-going-to-happen-next.


    The wolf clawed at Riga, but there was neither blood nor a body there. The moment the beast''s claws came in contact with Riga''s body, it became like mist and exploded into a bigger mass of smoke in front of the dire wolf.


    Lear searchedaround and found Riga sitting down on another branch to his center, looking at anticipation with his maniacal red eyes. Lear also noticed that the tree branch the wolf had fired the sphere at was completely covered in ice which reflected its surroundings. The ice slowly covered the entire tree, freezing it completely.


    Riga snapped his fingers, and the mass of smoke in front of the wolf exploded into a powerful conflagration which sent shockwaves flying all around. The sound of the explosion overwhelmed everything in its vicinity, except Lear, who didn''t seem to be affected that much by it, surprisingly enough. He also looked around him and saw that the shockwave was going around him, as if an invisible forcefield was protecting him right now. But when he looked to his left, he saw Riga, who casually sat by him, looking at the scene as if it were a show.


    "R-Riga?! What are you, how did you get here?! Weren''t you over there?" he pointed at the tree branch where the other Riga was waving at Lear playfully, then disappeared into thin air.


    Suddenly, Lear felt lightheaded at what he was seeing. He couldn''t understand what was going on, so Riga laughed at the distraught novice and spoke.


    "They''re called illusions, but I took the next step and made one that would be close to having my presence. It''s still in the works, but the prototypes I made just now were used by compressing some of the evaporated hydrogen in the air with oxygen, then I just mix it up with a little spell that tinkers with the characteristics of some things, and voila, you have and mirror image made up of combustible smoke. Pretty crafty if I do say so myself. Still, I expected an even bigger explosion, but that''ll do. I think our friend here has learned its lesson."


    He stood up and touched the air, causing a barrier in the shape of a dome to appear before them as if it had already been there right before Lear sat down to rest.


    He looked back at him and said, "You didn''t think I''d let you be harmed, right? Plus, you got front row seats. Just hold the applauses until we get out of here. But first, let me take care of something."


    He went up to the wolf and cast another restraining spell, uttering the name,Dire Fettersloudly to create portals from where the golden chains appeared to bound and shackle the weakened beast. But this time, the great dire wolf didn''t resist nor try to break it. Its eyes, which still emanated anger, simply followed Riga as he came close enough to him.


    "Hey, what are you doing?! That''s dangerous!" called out Lear as Riga reached out and touched the giant wolf''s nose, patting it in a friendly way.


    "Holding back isn''t nice, you know? I tried my best to show off." He spoke to the wolf as if it knew and understood their language. "Come on, speak. I won''t tell anyone, not that they''ll believe me even if I do. Don''t worry, you can trust us." He snapped his finger and released the beasts'' bindings. Lear became enamored in fear once more when the beast was free. But to his surprise, it didn''t move an inch and sat there.


    "Odd mortal human. You might be the first of your kind to do such a foolish thing." It said. "How did you realize that I had the capacity to speak?"


    Lear could not speak due to the disbelief in what he was seeing and hearing. He could not be mistaken for he was wide awake. He tried rubbing his eyes, but nothing changed.


    "Giant or not, no ordinary wolf can use magic. When you used a spell against me, that''s when I realized."


    "Hmph, you are observant as you are skilled in that craft. Yes, I am able to use magic pertaining to ice. I hailed from the northern forests, but was driven out from long ago. This was the only forest I saw fit to find refuge."


    "And you attacked him because?" asked Riga, pointing at Lear.


    "I had thought that he was part of the ones hunting us down. I was mistaken, but nothing can be done of that now. I ask that you dismiss my false accusations."


    "Who are those chasing you? Who do you mean?"


    "Bah, I don''t even know anymore. You all taste the same regardless. They hunt creatures that you mortals call, ''prizes''. We are made to be game, but I refuse to be subjected to such mockery. However, their leader was too much for me. I did not hold back on purpose, rather, I expected that hooded figure to chase me. I had simply saved enough to eradicate that foolish mortal if he dared cross me once more."


    "Well that settles it. This forest is pretty huge that not even us know a lot about it. You''ll be safe here, I''m sure. Just don''t go harming us again, alright?"


    It tilted its head. "Truly odd. You would choose to let me go regardless?"


    "Well yeah. I kind of mulled over the possibility of taking you back with me to the guild as a buddy, but you''ll just wreck the place. You''re too big for it. Hmm, let me think. Yeah, definitely not possible."


    "The powers you carry are as terrifying as your demeanor towards me. But I cannot let such a deed go unpaid. I will come to your aid when you call for my name. I will brand you as my temporary master, and until the deed is paid back, it will not disappear. Utter my name, and I will be there to repay you. Will that suffice?"


    "Yeah, I can go with that."


    "Very well, bow your head, mortal. Heed my name for only you will have the honor of knowing it." The wolf bowed its head as well. It was silent for a while, but then the two opened their eyes, reaching a successful conclusion. "Now I will leave to rest and heal my wounds. Till our paths cross once more, foolish mortals." The wolf slowly left and disappeared deep into the forest.


    Riga snapped his fingers again, and the robe and staff disappeared. His previous attire consisting of the white, long-sleeved shirt and dark pants had returned as it was before.


    Dusting himself off, he approached Lear as if nothing special had happened. "That was awfully eventful. So, ready to head back?"


    "Wait, you''re not shocked at how it spoke?!"


    "What do you mean? Anything with the capacity to hold and contain magic within them has that chance. This one was highly intelligent, plus it seemed like a rare being since it was able to use actual spells. Well, it promised to help me in my time of need, so that''s that. No need to mull over anything else. I''m just glad I got here in time to clear the misunderstanding."


    He simply released a sigh. He couldn''t follow through what was happening since the pace was staggering. The amount of information to take in was also too much for him so his brain overloaded.


    "No, I still need to find a necklace. I can''t leave without that." He tried to stand, only to stumble as his trembling legs gave in.


    "A necklace? Does this make the cut? I just found it on the way, but I''m not sure whether it''s yours or not." Riga brought out the necklace from his pocket, which was the exact same one Alice has given to Lear upon leaving Walbur.


    At the sight of it, Lear was overcome with relief, and so he fell to the ground and closed his eyes, resting on the ground. The exhaustion took a heavy toll on him, leaving no energy to spare.


    "Hey, are you alright?! ... Asleep? Fine, I''ll carry you back. Going to be a long night. Alright, you''re a bit heavy," muttered Riga as he picked up Lear from the ground and placed him on his shoulder.


    They began walking back without any disturbances. It was a fairly quiet stroll with the usual sounds of the wilderness about.


    "Hey, you awake?" he asked Lear as he hung on Riga''s shoulder. "I never really got your name. Mind telling what it is?"


    "It''s Lear, Lear Ephistre''s myfull name."


    "Well that certainly helps out. So, Lear. What were you yelling about before I came to your rescue? I heard something about having no use. I''m a bit curious, so we might as well talk about something."


    He gave up and simply allowed the conversation to be steered there. There was nothing to lose, after all. The man saved him, so what''s to hold back on?


    Lear told him about the memory of the past, explaining his friend and how he failed to secure a future for them.


    "That''s not really your fault, you know that right? Try not to blame things on circumstance since nothing''s going to get better. But I sympathize with you. I don''t know who my parents are either. But I was raised in an orphanage until I decided to leave and do something else."


    "Then what do you think I should do? I have no hope of becoming an adventurer. I''m weak, I get terrified, and I can hardly accomplish anything. Just what should I be then?"


    "So is everyone else who''s starting out. No one becomes who they want to be when they simply ask for it. You have to work for it. I won''t tell you the answer to your question because you''re the one who needs to answer for yourself. Learn to live your life the way you want to."


    "Did you do the same?"


    "I sure did. That''s where I''m at now, on the last leg of fulfilling my desires. After that, who knows what''s waiting for me. All I know is that I''ve accomplished what I wanted to do by that point."


    Lear tapped on Riga''s shoulder. "I think I can stand now, thanks."


    "Good timing. I wanted to show you something, too. See that?" he pointed over the horizon where a beautiful array of stars and lights dazzled its audience. There was not a cloud in the sky to disrupt the magnificent of the painting in the sky. It was a surreal scene, but its beauty was unmatched in every aspect.


    "See what?" asked Lear. "All is see is the horizon, and nothing beyond that."


    "That''s an alright answer, too. But what I meant was, there is so much you can accomplish. The possibilities are as endless as this horizon that reaches out to god knows where. I''ve seen this sight more times than I can count. It''s the same sight I looked at the time I was left alone and didn''t know what to do. It was beautiful since it grabbed my attention even before I noticed it. But it filled me with hope. What do you think of when you look at this?"


    Lear kept quiet and simply clenched his fists. He didn''t say it, but he had an answer, and that alone was enough for Riga as he understood clearly.


    "You''d better get back now. Nothing''ll happen if you stand by idly. I need to get back, too. I have a guild to manage."


    He started walking back on his own. He felt it safe to go on ahead for they already stood on the entrance of the forest, facing the road that would lead them back to the city.


    "Wait!" called out Lear before Riga could go farther. "You''re right. I shouldn''t give up this easily. It hasn''t even been long, yet I''m already considering it. Thank you. I won''t forget what you''ve done for me."


    Riga turned around and his eye widened. A broad smile formed on his face. "That''s good to know. Keep at it and you''ll see what I really mean. It''s never easy to get tothe top, but it''s easy to aim for it. You''re going to have to go through a lot, and that means earning your spot. Dreaming about it isn''t enough. But if anything goes wrong,go to a town called Furahm, a place a bit up north-west, and find a place called the Eveningtide. That''s the place I''m staying at. You can always join if you want to," he smiled and turned away, waving his hand as he disappeared into the city.


    Lear glanced once more at the night sky and breathed in the fresh air. Riga had healed his wounds beforehand, so all he needed was rest, but this was a welcome sight and a welcome feeling.


    "What a beautiful sky." It was a bright and starry night. The starts gleamed like diamonds and gemstones twinlking on a thin, white blanket that was the light beyond the sky. "Let''s try again, then."

 Chapter 3: An Unfortunate Happenstance

    Days passed and Lear began to renew his views on how things have started. Though he admitted to himself that it felt hopeless at one point, he was brought back by the words of a few people he had met along the way.


    The path ahead didn''t look as bleak as it did when failure first struck him like a thunderbolt.


    He started to work once more, finding jobs that paid honest money for an honest day''s work. On some days, it was working at a local inn and tavern that oddly had a fraction of the same ambiance Duncan''s inn had. On other days, it was serving as a stable boy, cleaning horses and their stables, even feeding them. What he got out of that was free training on how to ride one, if he showed enough merit.Sometimes he would also work on construction sites, carrying heavy materials.


    At that point, he had enough to pay for lodging and food that he didn''t have to worry about where he should sleep or what he should eat.


    For the most part, he inspired himself withthe advices given to him, training in the forest every now and then, or when the chance presented itself. And at someone''s suggestion, he began offering his help to some adventurers who need it without pay. In return, he would ask for them to train him how to fight and become better as an adventurer.


    This routine carried on for a few weeks.


    "Nice job, kid. You didn''t do half bad there, I''ll give you that." A man with messy long hair said, dusting off his armor as he surveyed the area around them.


    "Thanks. It''s all because of the help I''ve been getting. But I still have a long way to go."


    "Right. With being an adventurer, as long as there''s someone stronger than you, then you still have yet to become the greatest until you beat them. That''s the world we live in, kid. It''s all about the food chain and who''s the top dog."


    "Who is the strongest adventurer anyway?"


    "Beats me. People like us at the very bottom have no idea who he or she is. Heck, I don''t even think anyone knows who it is exactly. Only those ranked the next best know em, but the odds are pretty low. What are you aiming for anyway?"


    "What am I aiming for? What do you mean?"


    "What do you want to achieve as an adventurer. There''s got to be something else other than being the strongest, or being well-known. It just doesn''t end there for some."


    "Maybe conquer EventHorizon," he laughed at it like a distant dream meant to be said as a joke.


    "That''s pretty ballsy of you, kid! I like that. Choosing the impossible," the man said, roughly patting his back with a cheeky grin on his face. "Good on you then. You''ll have a long way to go, haha. Say, why don''t you join a guild yet? With how you''ve been fighting, I''d say you already have what it takes."


    "I''ve been meaning to join one, but all this led up to the fact that I failed my first chance at joining one. When I think that I''m at that point, I''ll try again."


    "Well, good luck then, kid. If things go south, our guild''s open for you. We''d be more than happy to have you on board with us."


    The man and the others he was with left after collecting their loot, leaving Lear at the entrance of the forest as the sun started to descend.


    He pondered on the thought of whether it was enough, and it was time for him to finally try his luck once more.


    He curled his hand into a fist and felt the cold breeze, inhaling it, then exhaled with the serenity of the area around him.


    "I can do it," he said to himself convincingly and boldly. "Tomorrow will be the day."


    He packed up his equipment and belongings and left for the inn he was currently renting out.


    Morning came in quickly. He had already prepared his shined sword and leather armor, stretching his body, doing a few stationary workouts to put his body into prime condition. He hadn''t had the best sleep as he was up all night thinking of what could happen and what he should do, but it all tired him out in the end. Today was the day, he said to himself, and those words alone woke him up.


    After cleaning himself up, he breathed the fresh air given by the morning and set out to the Waking Dawn''s building of operations with a newfound confidence in himself. It felt and seemed that he could succeed due to the effort he had put into refining his strength. It was natural to think so. If one pours so much in one thing expecting another in return, then it is all but natural to get what one wants. The reward for hard work is what the hard work was all for. That built his confidence, even if he was hesitant.


    He arrived and saw Niere outside with a broom, cleaning with a smile on her face, one that changed as she saw Lear walk up and greet her.


    "Good morning, Niere. It''s nice to see you again."


    "Oh, Lear, right? Good morning as well. What brings you here this early in the morning?"


    "I want to try and take the test again."


    "Is that so? I''m not surprised," she smiled. "I was counting on you to do just that."


    "How come?"


    "Well, though it''s not as what one would expect from a mere glance, there''s something about you that said you just won''t give up after a small setback. Well, let''s come in, shall we? I''m sure you''re eager to get this done with."


    "How about Noel, is he here?" he asked a bit bashfully, not knowing how to face the man whom he had shown his blunder to.


    "Noel is on a request right now. He should be up north by now since he left a day and a half ago."


    The two of them walked in and saw the hall nearly empty, save for those eating by themselves or making small talk with the other guild members.


    "We''re not too busy today since the day has just started." Niere walked over to the request board cluttered with various requests and pleas of varying difficulties. Those spanned areas far and wide regardless of borders, not unless the empire doesn''t permit it.


    "Let''s see, what would be a good fit for you..."


    As Niere skimmed through the loads of requests posted, a man called out from a floor above, leaning on a railing, smugly looking down upon them.


    "What do we have here, another small fry looking to join the higher ups?"


    "Thaddeus?" said Niere, looking up with narrow eyes. "What are you still doing here? I thought that you were out on a request?"


    The man named Thaddeus leapt down from his position and landed on the floor, leaving a small crater of his metal shoe.


    "Already finished it. I''m not as slow as a certain someone."


    He was a tall, rough looking man with ashort, messy brownhair. He wore a light set of metal armor and wore a white cape. On both sides of his waist were swords. His expression was naturally irritant and judgmental, and his demeanor always seemed to look down on someone for being feeble at every small aspect.


    He walked up to Lear and examined him with a glare and a disgusted expression.


    "You don''t look like you''re strong. Feels like you''re going to drag everyone down," he said, towering over Lear.


    "Thaddeus, what are you going on about now? Go away please, you''re no good with new people, and I think that''s been established a long time ago," said Niere as she tried to stand in between the two.


    "Shut it, Niere. We don''t need weaklings who might put the people here at risk," he said snarling like a wolf.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Not everyone is like you, Thaddeus, remember that. Practice some restraint from time to time. It''s not for you to decide whether he gets in or not. It''s his own merits that decides."


    "Hah, bringing that up now? He doesn''t even have what it takes, I bet. Just leave now while you''re at it, kid. This guild doesn''t need weaklings who can''tfend for themselves."


    "That''s going too far, Thaddeus. Enough!" shouted Niere in anger, taking the attention of those present in the hall.


    "No matter what you say, I''m going to take it," said Lear, standing his ground, rather shakingly. He regretted letting his heart speak but could do nothing else other than stand firm with what he had already said. There was a part of him that was glad to have said it, though.


    "Oh, you so have the guts to say that. Alright, I''ll give you that. You heard it here, Niere."He then directed his sight back to Lear. "So, you want to join, huh? Well I''ll be your examiner then. You''ll get in if you manage to even scratch me with that prop you call a sword. We''re going to duel."


    "W-wait, rightnow?" Lear asked, his confidence wavering in his voice.


    "What do you want, an arena? Shut your trap and get this over with already. I don''t have all day. I''ll be the judge of whether you''re worth going through all the trouble for. Not that I''m not convinced that you are."


    Thaddeus stood opposite of Lear, both hands on his sides. He had a grin on his face, and it reeked of mischief.


    "Youdon''t have to do it, Lear. I know he''s arrogant and petty, but he''s strong. I want to stop him and go through the proper process, but I can''t anymore. Once he gets started like this, only the guild master can ''calm'' him down. You can still backout, however. There''s no need to feel any shame in doing so."


    "Thanks for the concern, Niere. But if I run away from this one, I don''t think I''ll be able to go back here with a straight face. Besides, if it''s just a scratch, I''m sure I can manage that," he said, smiling confidently, somewhat.


    "No, you don''t understand. He''s different from Noel, completely. He doesn''t take it easy with new recruits because he despises them with a passion. He won''t hesitate to injure you badly if you don''t take it seriously."


    Suddenly, Lear''s heartbeat began to spike. Niere''s words echoed into his head.


    Looking at Thaddeus clearly now, he could feel an impatient sensation from him, as if he was eager, maybe too eager, to get something finished.


    The tyrannical looking young man placed a hand over one of his swords, spurring Lear to react on impulse, rushing Thaddeus with an overhead slash.


    The man simply evaded, moving over to the side despite Lear''s agility.


    Lear''s eyes widened as it occurred to him what he had just done. He looked over to the side and saw Thaddeus with a sly grin. He had been lured by a strange, sharp killing intent, forcing him to move, choosing to fight instead of flight.


    Thaddeus kicked Lear, with the weight of his body with him, towards a pillar, sending him crashing.


    "What, that''s it?" he asked, his hands on his waist, looking over Lear.


    Shaking his head from side to side, Lear ground his teeth and tightened his hold on the hilt of his sword, feeling every muscle in his body coordinate and tighten.


    Lear sprang from his position, piercing forward.


    Thaddeus, with a surprised expression, moved his head to the side, avoiding it narrowly. He then backed away and became a bit more cautious.


    Having stood up once more, he held his weapon with two hands and proceeded to assault him with a series of slashes from a safe distance. There he applied the techniques he learned, but only the ones that came to mind. His thoughts weren''t quite sorted out, so he didn''t have enough time to think about what should come next.


    He simply moved and acted what first came to mind and hoped that it would go through somehow.


    But Thaddeus, who had been looking quite bored, had enough of the fiasco and the futile fight that Lear was putting up.


    Anticipatingan attack from the side, Thaddeus acted accordingly, blocking it with ease using his sword then sent a swift uppercut to Lear''s gut, knocking the air out of him.


    He then followed through by kicking Lear as hard as he could, sending him flyingout the door from where he came from, landing with a heavy thud upon the hard ground.


    "Hah, pathetic! I knew you were nothing but talk. Try again in a few millennia when you might be worth something!" The man cackled on and threw Lear''s sword next to him.


    Niere rushed out of the building and supported Lear''s head, kneeling beside him.


    "Lear! Are you alright? Goodness, why did he have to stoop that low? I''ll give him a piece of my mind when I get back."


    "No, it''s fine, Niere. Thank you for worrying about me," he said, looking down at his sword, raising the upper part of his body, sitting next to Niere. People glanced at Lear wondering what had happened, but they simply moved along, ignoring him.


    "Are you hurt anywhere? I''ll get you patched up, come-"


    "No, really, I''m fine, Niere," he said, stopping her. "There''s no need for that. I''ll get by on my own just fine. I''m not hurt or anything, I just need to lie down for a bit."


    Lear stood up and walked to his sword, sheathing it with a blank, dead, expression on his face. By the way he sighed and smiled slightly upon looking at his blistered hands, it was plain to see for Niere that he had been affected greatly by the defeat inflicted on him.


    She didn''t quite know what to say. She didn''t know him well either. She didn''t know her bounds as to what she should be allowed to say to a stranger, and that feeling made her hesitant to say anything at all. She simply saw him off as he walked away with his shoulders slumped forward. He didn''t speak nor did he say his farewell. He simply left without another word.


    Niere got up and stormed into the guild building, clenching her fists as to try and smack some sense into Thaddeus. Her narrowed eyes and ferocious demeanor terrified those that saw her, and this was not the first time they had seen her like this. There were many occasions.


    However, before she could vent her rage on that person, the anger within her dissipated as she saw someone whom she recognized immediately. Her long, auburn hair flowed down along her back. Her sharp, authoritative, and angry eyes stood out as a core part of her visage.


    She wore a uniform with a tie and a white top, where suspenders slung from both shoulders, clipped onto her long, brown skirt. Her ample bosom puffed along with her chest as she crossed her arms, obviously looking quite irritated. She carried a mature charm and a fierce, beautiful face


    She was the definition of wild charisma, a mature figure whom many in the building followed without question. They all knew who she was and how strong she was despite her good looks. Unopposed and unquestioned, she was the authority of the guild.


    "So, mind explaining what the hell you were up to just now?" she stated with a twitching left brow. The irritation behind her voice unnerved the arrogant man and reduced him to a mere ant.


    "W-well, sure, I can explain. I have a pretty valid excuse for this," he stammered through his words, slowly backing away as the woman firmly took away any form of dominance that Thaddeus would exert. It was nonexistent anyhow, and that was plain to see for all those in the room. They all minded their own businesses and faced front as if they were being examined by the reaper itself, a terrifying and angry one, that is.


    "This better be a good explanation then. Of course, you know what the consequences are if it''s just another waste of my time. This isn''t the first, Thaddeus, and I''m sure you know that this isn''t the first time you''ve done something like this." She started cracking her knuckles, exuding terror within the man more and more.


    "The kid was weak, plain and simple. We can''t have those kinds with us. They''ll only drag us down. Selfish, weaklings, those who can''t fend for themselves or protect others. What use are they rather than just sitting things out and letting those capable to handle what should be handled?" He crossed his arms, quite content with what he had said.


    "Fool!" she roared, smashing her fist into his face. The force behind the blow felt like it had been from a bear, strong and furious.


    Thaddeus was sent flying, impacting with a wall where the people peacefully sitting had to jump out of the way as his body flew across. No one complained, but instead they slowly moved out of the way, not showing any concern for Thaddeus, who looked like he was in a terrible state.


    She huffed, calming herself as she had delivered his punishment.


    "Idiot! Who died and made you the judge of someone''s worth? You''re the worst one of them all. Brute strength alone isn''t going to get you anywhere. Listen up as well, the lot of you!" she called out to those present in the halls, freezing them in place with her words.


    "Don''t take that idiot as an example of your worth here. As far as I''m concerned, you''re all here for a purpose, different kinds. Being strong alone still makes you vulnerable. Being strong together is another thing. But strength isn''t everything. There''s more than one type of strength. Find that, and you might just realize how better that is than raw power. Now get cleaning! You''re all going to clean up this clown''s mess," she said, dismissing them with a lackluster and annoyed tone.


    They all moved without her needing to say anything else, spurring each other with urgency.


    She turned anddusted her hands, turning her attention towards the dazed maiden.


    She sighed. "There goes another one. I swear, he never uses his head, and at this point, I''m convinced there''s nothing in that head of his. Our guild will die down at this rate, then that arrogant, pompous man will rub it in my face again!" she pinched her temple and shook her head in despair, thinking of someone wearing noble, extravagant clothing, laughing at her with all his heart. The irritation within her grew as she thought of the repercussions of what was happening to her guild.


    "What, is something wrong, Niere?" she asked, waving her hand in front of her face as she noticed her looking at her absentmindedly.


    "Ah! Guild master Aria! You''re finished with your workload?"


    "Yeah, most of it anyway. The rest won''t be around until later afternoon. Till then, I''ve got time to waste. I think I''ll go take a walk around town. Make sure that Thaddeus doesn''t pull another stunt like that. I''ll make it twice as lethal next time... not that it''ll make a difference with that thick head of his."


    "Ahaha," Niere laughed wryly, looking pitifully at Thaddeus, who was still knocked out on the ground with a bloody nose. "I don''t think he''ll be doing that anytime soon. But I know that he means well by it. I''m just bothered by his means."


    "He still can''t move away from that?"


    "Yes, sadly. It seems that it''s been reaching extreme levels as of late. Even the lucky ones that have gotten through using the normal testing means are feeling the pressure Thaddeus is pushing onto them. If this keeps on, we''ll get a bad reputation, and what''s more, the amount of newcomers might stagnate."


    "Well, we can''t do anything about that right now. I''m just glad that other brain-dead idiot isn''t here, otherwise he''d be more than riled up. I''ll handle this somehow, just give me some time to think about what to do. It''s not that complicated or that delicate. That tells me, where did he go anyway?"


    "On a request up north. I don''t quite know when he''ll be back."


    "Let him go at his own pace. I know that they''re still at odds, but it''s better to just let things be as they are with them for now. Well, I''m off. If you need me, you know how to find me. Have the ones present here clean up. You''re in charge till I get back," she said, leaving the chaos that was her own guild.

 Chapter 4: Not out of hope yet

    Lear walked along with the steady stream of people, his head held low. He hadn''t thought about what to do since he was completely lost and without purpose now. Though there was nothing really serious about what had been done to him, he felt his pride and worth shattered into pieces. He tried his best to repress the tears and the disappointment in himself, but the more he thought about it, the more his lower lip quivered, and it led to a few tears being shed.


    "That''s twice now," he said to himself. "Now what?"


    He thought long and hard, not minding the people he bumped with as they simply cursed his recklessness under their breaths, then moved along. As far as he knew, his path was aimless. He allowed his legs and feet to keep moving, not caring where they would take him. Having lost the motivation to do anything, he was at the mercy of the unseen forces. But he had one idea, an idea he immediately dismissed for it was too much.


    Going back without having gained any ground would just be plain embarrassing. He didn''t want to show Alice how low he had fallen, not that she would mind, he thought. She would most likely welcome him back as if he had never left. But he wouldn''t be the same even after that fact. It would forever haunt him, and with things being the way they were when he left, it wasn''t an option to go back, no matter how badly he wanted to.


    The kindness could kill him on the inside, and that''s the last thing he would want, to be pitied for something that he gave up on just because of some coincidence. Inside he knows that he wants to continue, but it might just end up like that again. And with both having been disastrous, he was afraid of that third chance being something that he would never ever recover from.


    He clutched the necklace Alice had given him. He thought long and hard, breathing in and out, letting the negative emotions flow out of him. Slowly but surely, the sorrow within his heart began to stagnate, and he was able to think clearly.


    It''ll be hard, but I''m sure you''re ready for it, whatever may come. You''ll do good, I know you will.


    He remembered the words the Duncan gave him as a piece of advice. Though they were few and concise, the meaning and the way that it struck him was memorable and fond. Though never having met his father, he thought that if his father were right in front of him, would he say the same thing?


    He knewthat Duncan isn''t his father, but he was close as it could get. Through him, he realized a lot of things and learned. He grew up as someone that he never thought he''d be after the way his childhood went. He was grateful for that, and the reason for him being where he was now was so that he could repay them for allowing him a second life.


    "I''m sorry to disappoint you, Duncan, Alice, but this looks like it''s the end of the road for me," he muttered to himself hopelessly. He laughed awkwardly drifted away in his thoughts as if the memories that resurfaced didn''t help with his recovery.


    As he continued to walk, the sky began to dim, and the clouds started forming. A loud rumbling noise echoed throughout, signaling the coming of rain.


    People started moving out of the way in hopes of finding shelter while some ran home in a hurry to avoid being soaked, but Lear stayed on path, not realizing that fact. Soon, he was alone in the middle of the street, taking the full effects of the wind. Hisbody was being swayed back and forth, at the mercy of nature.


    But suddenly, a strong gust of wind came blowing towards Lear, and along with it was a piece of paper that was carriedby it. The paper had hit Lear''s face, covering him and waking him from his daze. Soon he realized what was happening from outside his bubble of thought right after prying the paper away from his face.


    Instead of moving aside or heading back to his lodgings, he read the piece of paper that had disturbed him, curious as to what it was about.


    "The Eveningtide, now welcoming members!" it said. He immediately recognized the name after searching the confines of his memory. The entire thing was written with a messy handwriting, looking to be cursive, but in another form. A poor picture of what seemed to be a large guild house with a flag on top was drawn on the bottom-left corner, and next to it was the crude face of someone giving a thumb''s up, winking, most likely Riga himself, said Lear. He awkwardly laughed to himself, finding the entire thing quite amusing.


    But in that instant, he got an idea of what he should do next. A light flashed in his head, and it lit up his eyes with hope.


    If by any chance that he had lost his way, that shouldn''t signal the end, rather a stepping stone for something much grander...


    He clenched his hand and looked at the piece of paper on his hand, then ran to the place he had been living in, trying his best to look stoic under the rain that started drizzling, then pouring.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The sadness in his eyes was still there, but much of it had already gone away. In his eyes were hope, a small glint relying on one last chance to make things right. He was sure, and even if he wasn''t, there was nothing left for him to do even when there were other things to try.


    Going the easy route by going through with another guild just wasn''t the way, nor was it going to cheer him up, he thought. Instead. he placed his bets on the man that saved him, Riga, as he recalled his name once more. He had offered Lear a chance to join him with his newfound guild if he ever found the time or felt the need to. He didn''t want to waste time, so he hurried and prepared to leave at once.


    "If I am lost, will you really help me?" he asked in hopes of an answer.


    The next morning, he packed up his belongings and bought a ride for a small town called Furahm, located on the far, north-western border of the empire.


    He was anxious to find out what would be waiting for him once more, but this time, this was his last bastion of hope.


    This man who saved him one eventful night, offered him a chance if he ever wanted it, and now was the time to see what kind of promise it would hold for him, not that he had any grand expectations.


    He had already seen how strong he was though, so the only thing he wanted was to at least get as strong as him, maybe just enough for him to be satisfied with. But maybe to find a purpose along the way. If his aspirations would end once he got what he wanted, it felt that it would have been short-lived for him.


    "Food, check. A map, check. A potionof healing, antidote, drowse-away, Shock-begone, check.... Hmm, where''d I put that- there it is, a scroll of fire lance! That one was just too expensive," he said, mulling over what he had bought along for the journey just in case things went awry.


    Lear did a last minute check of his belongings, making sure to say his farewells to the man in the inn, the one who gave him the job there.


    "I''m sorry it didn''t quite work out as you expected, my boy. It''s all just rotten luck, I say."


    "Don''t worry about it. There''s no use complaining about it. I might as well try my luck somewhere else, and I''ve got a feeling that this one will be it."


    "Well, if you say so. You''ve been a hard worker for this inn, and since you came along, business'' gotten better. If you''re ever in need of a place to work at, then don''t hesitate to ask. I''ll be glad to give you a spot here."


    "I appreciate the gesture, but I don''t think that''ll be for a while. I''ll try not to let my resolve be stepped on that easily. My dream of being an adventurer has even yet to begin, so I need to give my all for it."


    "But the offer still stands. Now go, you might miss the carriage," said the man of the inn, patting Lear on the back, prompting him to run off to the stables where the caravan of carriages awaited him.


    The carriage he rode on was a cheap one. An old farmer was offering a ride back to Furahm, his home, after selling all the crops he and his wife had grown and tended all throughout the season.


    He was not the only one though. There was a peculiar hooded figure riding along with him, and hesat silently to himself, resting on the hay that served as a cushion for the carriage. Hedidn''t look that old though be riding by himself, so Lear found it odd that they were the only two passengers. He thought that it''d be rude to pry, so he reserved his questions.


    Lear relaxed his back on the hay as well, covering his face from the sun using the crumpled flier he got of the Eveningtide yesterday.


    "If you don''t mind humoring an old man, what are you heading to Furahm for, young man?" asked the farmer as they rode through the quiet roads drenched with rain.


    "Hmm, maybe to try and see if adventuring''s my calling."


    "Ah, an adventurer, are ye? I''ve seen lots of your kind. You''re all over the place. Being one must be tough, isn''t it? You''re out there helping people no matter the danger."


    "Well, I''m not really one yet. I haven''t joined a guild, but that''s why I''m heading to Furahm. Know any good guilds over there, gramps?"


    "Ah, Furahm''s not a very rich place. It''s a small farming town, as they call it. Nothing much happens there, except it''s quiet for the most part. Not a lot of people go there though."


    "Why is that?"


    "Well, were bordering a hostile kingdom. ''Course people wouldn''t want to deal with the dangers of an army. But it''s not that dangerous. We''ve rarely been attacked, oddly enough. But to answer your question, no, I haven''t an idea of any guilds there, you sure you''re going to the right place?"


    At that moment, Lear hesitated thinking that his trip had been wasted. He brought up the flier and showed the old man.


    "Hmm, forgive me, but I have poor eyesight. Let me see here..." The old man examined it with a puzzled look and gave it back to Lear.


    "Are you sure you''re not getting scammed? It''s all handwritten, and not even well, not that I can write to save myself, haha."


    Lear''s shoulders drooped. He laid down on the hay bed and closed his eyes, thinking of whether he should turn back or not.


    He hadn''t even proved it yet, and the words of one person shouldn''t mean your last decision. It''s more up on the person more than anything, he thought.


    He heaved a heavy sigh. "There''s no point turning back now, gramps. I guess I''ll just go there and see what happens."


    "If you say so, then that''s fine by me. It''ll take a little longer though, maybe a day or so till we get to Furahm. I''ll tell you when we get there."


    "Thanks a lot, gramps."


    "Don''t mind at all. Say, what''s it called again? I didn''t quite get a good look at it."


    "It''s called the Eveningtide. Does it ring any bells?"


    "Not at all, sorry."


    "That''s fine, thanks anyway."


    Lear closed his eyes again and went to sleep, going along the path to Furahm with a wavering, eager heart. But with a quick glance before closing his eyes, he swore that he saw the other passengers'' eyes pointed at him. They had the feeling of daggers, sharp and deadly, backing them up. What stuck to Lear as his eyes closed were those near-golden eyes that were sharp enough to be called a weapon.


    However,his constant worrying of what he should do in the event that he was scammed made him tired enough to sleep soundly.

 Chapter 5: The Town of Unrest

    "Alright, we''re here," said the old man, unloading all his equipment from the back of the carriage.


    Lear got up and stretched his arms. The sun beamed down on his face, waking him up. The sight of a welcome landscape could be seen from behind him, a beatiful view taken in by the natural essence of nature.


    "Seems like you had a nice rest. The other one that was with you here already left, just in case you wanted to know. What a curious person that was," said the old man, scratching his head. "He just gave me a coin and rode up on the carriage. I didn''t even get to take a good look at the fella''s face."


    "I see. That person was pretty odd, not speaking at all. But I guess there''s not really much to talk about him. Might not be a people''s person."


    Lear got off the carriage with his belongings and surveyed the area. The area he touched down on was gloomy. There were almost no people outside, as if it were a ghost town. Most of the stands and stores were run down and decimated, and its inhabitants were nowhere to be found for the contents of the supposed stands and stores were ransacked and pillaged, with nothing left to salvage. There was an unruly atmosphere in the air, and not even guards were present around the area. Lear thought it odd as the transition from a place filled with energy and people to a place bereft of that had such a large margin. He didn''t know the cause, but was genuinely curious as to why it was so.


    Furahm was a town that wasn''t as advanced as the rest. Most of the buildings were made with wood and simple materials, unlike the city where it was made of bricks, stone, and expensive hard-wood. It lacked most of the necessities such as a forge or a stables and those kinds of things, but the town functioned as it would a farming town.


    The fact that it was constantly under threat didn''t make things any better. If any, it prevented the town from flourishing at all. The people living here had it tough yet could not do anything to fix the situation or make it better.


    "Hey, Gramps, why does it look like a storm just came by here? The place is deserted. Are you sure this is the place?"


    "Oh, so you haven''t heard about Furahm''s state yet, haven''t you? Hmm, I''ll tell you then. I can''t have a youngster like you be oblivious in these parts. You see, Furahm''s on the very border of the kingdom. It is a town that is isolated from the rest of the towns. We are constantly being attacked by bandits and other kingdoms. Sometimes they threaten us to give them our supplies, so we give them what they ask for. We can''t fight back against them, so our only choice is to do what is asked of us, even when it means that we won''t have anything to eat. As long as we can keep living, that''s all that matters."


    "That''s horrible. Can''t you just move away from this town? It''s dangerous living like this. Aren''t there people who are here for that sort of thing, like guards or soldiers?"


    "The Emperor doesn''t seem to be sending people here to guard us anymore. It''s been months since the last regiment was sent here, and the last one was recalled because of the current war with another kingdom somewhere, so almost no one remains. Those that were stationed here can barely do anything do defend us either. Moving is out of the question. We don''t have any other place to call home. This is our home. If we leave our home, we won''t have anything left for us. We just make enough to feed ourselves as farmers and hope for the best."


    "Hasn''t anyone told the Emperor about this yet? I''m sure that your pleas would be heard if you went to him personally."


    "It''s not that easy. He''s quite a busy man, and no simple farmer can get an audience with him. It has to be the representative of the town that does that, but he has gone and run off somewhere. The man didn''t make an effort to hide his terror and simply ran off with one of the horses from the other farmers. He was a despicable man, that one. Good riddance to him though. He was crooked and corrupt, using up the town''s tax money for drinks and celibacy."


    "How are you all get by, then? If there were bandits, then I thought that they would have taken the town if that were the case. I don''t see much of a garrison guarding the place."


    "Ah, yes. Well, a spry young man came along drove them away all on his own. It surprised everyone, but we were thankful. Because of what he did, those rascals haven''t come here as much since that time. We haven''t seen him since, so we hadn''t gotten the chance to repay him in any way that we could."


    "One man? That''s amazing! But still, there has to be a way to fix things here, isn''t there?"


    "No need to worry about that. You''re still young, so leave the worrying to us adults. If we''ve gotten by fine since then living as we have, then that means we''ll be fine moving forward. But thank you for your concern. Just be careful, alright? Even if there are no bandits around, there are troublemakers everywhere here. I hope that you find that place you were looking for."


    The old man tipped his straw hat and sat up on his box and prepared to leave. "Oh, I almost forgot that you''re an adventurer. No doubt people will need your help. If you can spare them your time, then it''ll help them a lot more than you think. Farewell now!"


    He rode away from the so-called plaza, leaving Lear to think about the state of the town himself for he didn''t know what to make of all the information given to him. Though it was suspicious as to why this had all happened to the town and nothing had been done to remedy the situation, there was his own worries to take of.


    "Now where do I start anyway?" Lear asked himself.


    He began wandering the streets to search for any signs that might point him to the place called the Eveningtide.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    He aimlessly walked through a deserted street where the windows of the houses on the sides were barred off with planks. Most of the windows of the shops he passed were destroyed and their contents picked clean. Boxes, crates and barrels littered the streets Lear walked through, and from them were spilt food being eaten by rats and insects. Some were useless looking items already destroyed by the acts that transpired before Lear arrived.


    He would feel as if he was being stared at and see eyes momentarily from the barred-off windows of the houses he passed by. The unnerving feeling of being an outsider was what made Lear panic and on guard, not knowing what could happen next.


    He glanced briefly into one of the alleys and found people leaned over the walls. They didn''t exactly look like the type to converse and exchange small talk with because of their rough looking faces and the sharp blades they played with. Lear couldn''t make out what they were talking about so he left them alone. That, and because he didn''t want to stir up any kind of trouble.


    He continued cautiously with the hilt of his sword close at hand. He felt the striking danger of simply being around the deserted areas alone. At any moment, there was a chance of him being assaulted, and if he was not careful, killed.


    On the way, he encountered a lone man leaning on a wall with his arms crossed, giving off an intimidating air which Lear thought dangerous.


    Lear came up and asked him hesitantly.


    "Excuse me, do you know a place called the-"


    "You sure have a lot of guts showing yourself here in the open," the man said with a grim, rough voice, looking at Lear with a piercing gaze, cutting off his words. His rugged body and damaged armor made Lear tremble as he imagined him to be an experienced warrior.


    The man came up to him and towered over Lear, his long dark hair draping over. He looked like a decorated bandit, but one that was not to be underestimated.


    Lear tried to open his mouth but the words never came out.


    "You''ve got guts, I respect a man as young as yourself for having that. Good on you," he said, placing his heavy hand on his shoulder.


    "W-what do you mean?!" he said, slightly backing away.


    "People nowadays are all terrified to step outside because the place is infested with ruffians, bandits and troublemakers. And what''s ridiculous about that is it''s in broad daylight. I never once thought in my career that I''d see danger being out so early, and there''d be no one to stop them. It made the town worse off."


    "Uhm, who are you exactly?"


    "Me? Well I''m the regiment captain here. The name''s Valm Moor. Who are you anyway, and what are you doing in these parts?"


    The man who introduced himself as Valm Moor was a man with long dark hair running down his neck. He had a beard and a presence that didn''t stand out as much anymore when approached.


    "I''m an adventurer. I''m looking for a guild."


    "A guild? Ha! There''s no such thing as a guild here. There were guilds before, but now they tucked tails and ran after the Emperor ordered the garrison out of the town. Now this place is anything but safe."


    "So you haven''t heard of a place called the Eveningtide here anywhere?"


    "Not at all. Don''t think that exists. I should know, I live here now and constantly make my rounds."


    "I see. How dangerous has it been recently?"


    "Hmm, let me think. There was that army from another kingdom that came to loot the place, and there was that band of thieves that ransacked the place, then there were those other bandits that tried to seize the place, but we took care of them somehow... in this week, I don''t think there''s been anything so far. But that only means something is bound to come sooner or later. But if they do," the man unsheathed his rusted and chipped claymore from his back and swung it around. "I''ll be sure to show them this time! Hahaha!"


    "Regiment captain, huh? I don''t see much of a regiment with you."


    Valm''s claymore slipped from his hand and flew through the air as he swung it, landing loudly on the ground with a clanking noise. He had a look confusion on his face, and his eye twitched after having heard Lear speak his mind.


    He took a firm stance and placed both hands on his waist. "I am the captain, and the regiment!" he proclaimed loudly. "I was the only one of the previous garrison to defy the orders of the Emperor on behalf of the town I''ve sworn to protect the livelihood of!"


    "Isn''t that a bit too reckless of a decision?"


    "Listen, kid. You''re young, so you won''t understand what it means to stand up when others stay down. That''s what being a man means. I''ll stand up till my dying breath, and I''ll do anything to protect this town!"


    Valm''s incessant loud yelling called the attention of the rugged band of ruffians from the alleyway Lear peeked through a while ago.


    "Oh, I knew I recognized that terrible yelling noise. Don''t be fooled by that guy, kid. He''s nothing but talk. The last time that bandit army came here and ransacked the town, he hid in one of the barrels until they left. I saw the entire thing!" the man laughed hysterically, causing the others to do the same as they remembered that time as well.


    "You damn troublemakers! How dare you show yourself to me out in the open?! And don''t get me wrong. It was a tactical retreat. I was outnumbered, so the only logical thing is to live and fight again!" he said, standing his ground.


    "Ha, keep on talking, old man. Just be careful you don''t break your bones." The men laughed and retreated back into the alley.


    "Hold it right there you criminals. You were part of that ransacking! Don''t think I''ll let you go, this time now that you''ve shown your faces to me!"


    One of them stopped and glanced at Valm. "You sure? I might just make you tactically retreat again, so I''d be careful if I were you."


    The man''s grin made Valm freeze, and as the rest of them came back out of the alley to intimidate Valm through numbers, he took a step back and raised both his hands in surrender.


    "Damn you cowards. You got me this time. I''ll show you next time, so watch your backs!"


    "I knew he was all talk!" one of them said and laughed, disappearing into the alley finally.


    "My condolences to you. It seems that you have it pretty hard being a man," said Lear in disappointment.


    "Don''t pity me, kid. I don''t need it. I''d rather be comforted on the bosom of a beautiful maiden, not that there are any in this town. They''ve all been taken by those bandits and pillagers."


    "I don''t know what to say about that, but I do hope they''re fine then. Well, good luck. I''ll be on my way."


    "Stay clear of the alleys or the streets at night, kid. They''re far more dangerous than you think. I''ll be keeping the peace most of the time, so there''s not much need for worrying. But since you''re an adventurer and all that, you can volunteer to help me out. It''ll make things twice as safer. Oh, and a piece of advice, when I tell you to be careful at night, I mean it. Due to the state of the town, people here change for some reason. They became something like greedy devils, and they''re twice as likely to backstab you the moment you take your eyes off them. Best thing to do is stay off the streets at night. But don''t forget about volunteering, alright?"


    "I''ll give it some thought," said Lear, walking away from Valm, who looked around for prying eyes and picked up his sword.


    "What an odd person," Lear said to himself. The only keeper of peace in town was someone who held the title with a trembling hand. He couldn''t imagine seeing that man defend the town so the thought of coming to him for help was quite the decision.


    "Might as well just continue. No use worrying about that. If it ever comes to it, I''ll help them out myself," he resolved.

 Chapter 6: The Dangers of Human Nature

    On his way of searching, Lear stumbled upon what seemed to be a young woman wearing a cloak. The hood covered her face so Lear couldn''t make her features out, but the cloak itself was recognizable, oddly enough.


    She exited the door of what seemed to be an apothecary and bowed her head in farewell.


    She was being accosted by three rugged individuals, each one having their own rusted blades adorning their waist to threaten all who dared cross or disagree with them.


    "Hey, don''t you know that it''s dangerous to be walking out here unprotected, young lady? How''s about you come with us. We''ll make sure no one harms you," they laughed, closing in on her.


    The young lady''s hand clenched, and she tried to escape them.


    "No, I have to go somewhere, so please, step aside."


    "Ah, well, we can''t have that. For your own good, we''ll have to put justice in our own hands. Thank us later."


    One of the more bulky, muscular men took the young lady by the wrist and forcibly drew her towards him. She dropped the items in her basket to the ground and the sound of glass breaking was the only thing that could be heard from it.


    She let out a shrill yell, and her hood came off, revealing a pure, gentle and kind maiden that reminded Lear of a certain someone. Her long, golden hair that went along her back was tied. Her image complemented her fair skin. Lear thought that it would have been natural to be drawn in by someone like that, but he shook his head and quickly ran towards them, carefully assessing every option to take.


    "Let her go!" he demanded, drawing his sword.


    Lear thought back on Valm''s words and did not hesitate to pull out his sword. Against people like them who commit crime even in broad daylight fear no authority to hold them down. No trace of hesitation made him unable to pull his sword, and that feeling alone became natural, even though the life of someone weighed on his hands, he thought. He knew all too well the mind of a criminal, but not one who acts upon crimes involving taking someone else''s life.


    "Who the hell are you?"


    "That doesn''t matter. Let her go, now!"


    "Oh, acting pretty high and mighty just because a sword''s standing in front of you? Well bad news, kid. There''s three of us, and just one of you. Now, how about you just run along and pretend like you never saw anything. It''ll be for your own good, kid, trust me. Besides, we''re just trying to help her out. People like you might come up and just rob her, isn''t that right?" he asked his victim, whom he drew closer and tighter. Her mouth had been covered with his hands to prevent her voice from pouring out, so her eyes did the talking to Lear.


    "I can''t let that pass, even if you have numbers. She doesn''t look willing at all, if you ask me. Just let her go and leave. The likes of you can''t fool me," Lear said, inching towards them to close in on his targets.


    As he spoke, his mind was wracked with choices and paths to take. He knew that it was dangerous to fight opponents in groups, and Duncan clearly drilled him the dangers of being a situation like that. He sincerely apologized to Duncan in his mind and stood his ground against the unruly.


    "Sigh, you could have just let it go, but you leave us with no choice. You asked for it, so don''t regret ever crossing us." He glanced at the other two on both sides and nodded them towards Lear.


    The two laughed and grinned, flanking Lear on both sides.


    He took in a deep breath and steadied his trembling hand.


    "Don''t underestimate me!" he said, launching himself towards one of the kidnappers, slashing sideways.


    The kidnapper became startled at the speed at which Lear came at him with. He barely got to react in time, and when he did, he jumped back and lunged with his dagger, slashing at Lear, whom kept his distance and pushed him back by finding his blind spots.


    The other kidnapper attacked Lear from behind, pouncing like an animal stalking its prey.


    Lear, for an instant, heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He remembered the other kidnapper and immediately clashed blades with the one he was currently facing, then used his left hand to land a blow on the kidnapper''s gut, forcing him to stagger back, giving Lear his opportunity.


    Lear faced the other way and met the other kidnapper''s blade, keeping him locked.


    In an attempt to break away, Lear drew the man close and used his knee on the man''s gut, staggering him back as well. He then followed through by sending a powerful blow to the man''s face. Behind that blow was a satisfying crunching noise that put the man to sleep.


    He faced the other and pointed his blade at the man''s neck, preventing him from reaching for his weapon just a few inches away from him.


    "Don''t," he said. "Give up and leave."


    The man spat to the side and glared at Lear.


    "You think I''ll run away from a kid?!" he roared, quickly reaching for his blade and slashing from the side at Lear.


    He had backed away in time, but the man relented and chased after Lear, stabbing and hacking at the air.


    Seeing a gap open up. He swatted away the man''s weapon, timing it as best as he could, and drove the pommel of his sword into the back of the man''s neck, putting him to sleep.


    "Now, let her go already. It''s just you against me this time, and let me tell you this, I won''t let people like you do as they please. The town''s already in a bad state, so why do you have to add in the mix and make it even worse?"


    The man holding the young lady hostage looked all over the place for an escape route. He had seen what Lear could do, and that he had no chance seeing as he only had a dagger with him. He wasn''t normal, he thought. Apart from the usual small fry, he was one who fought back not fearing the advantage in numbers, a strategy he thought and tested, working in his favor time and time again with his victims.


    "You''ll pay for this! You''re as good as dead now that you crossed us!" he said, brandishing his dagger and pointing it towards Lear. He then forcefully threw the maiden towards Lear in an attempt to lose him as he ran into the alleyways, quickly disappearing from sight.


    Lear frantically dropped his sword in a hurry to catch the maiden that had lost her balance.


    He caught her in the nick of time and kept her in balance.


    "Are you alright?" Lear asked, smelling a fragrant scent from her.


    As she looked up, Lear saw her clear blue eyes, as clear as the skies above. The pearl-like pair entranced Lear and almost made him lose track of time for a split second.


    "Yes, I''m fine," she said, parting from Lear, dusting herself off. "I wasn''t harmed, thanks to you."


    "That''s a relief. But no need to thank me, I just happened to pass by."


    "No need to be modest. One''s valiant efforts and character should be rewarded for being brave and strong during such a time. You deserve merit for your actions."


    He felt a sort of divine feeling from her as he listened to her speak. It wasn''t any like he had heard before. It was like a serenade by a maiden with the most beautiful voice ever graced by the land. Yet, that was what he felt.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Looking at her further, she didn''t seem at all that much taller than Lear, and he simply was a few inches taller than her.


    "W-well, if you put it that way, then I guess I''ll take it," he said chuckling, unable to wipe the grin off his face. Receiving praise for doing a heroic act just as he had dreamt of was a feeling that he had vied for, and it was all that he expected it to be, more so that it was given by an angelic-like maiden such as the one standing before him.


    "Now, if you''ll excuse me, I have to leave. Again, thank you for saving me, young man. I''m sure your efforts will be rewarded. Usually people do it for something in return, but you don''t seem like those kinds."


    She gave a curt bow and put on her hood, leaving Lear in his distracted state.


    The moment she had left his sight, he came back to his senses and almost felt like he had escaped an inescapable trance. There''s something strange about her, he thought, but did not wonder about any further.


    "Man, who was she? I thought there was almost no girl left in the town. No!" he proclaimed to himself. "There''s already someone that you like, c''mon, Lear, get a hold of yourself," he said slapping both his cheeks to clear his confusion.


    "Wait, what time is it?!"


    Looking up at the sky, he panicked and got to searching once more, leaving the site where two victims lay sleeping. Though the warning given by the man stuck with him, Lear went off without making a big deal of it.


    A few more hours later, Lear stopped to catch his breath. It had seemed as if he had scoured the entire town but had found nothing pertaining to the Eveningtide, or whether it existed in the first place. He tried asking people he could find, but the decent ones could be counted by hand. None of them were able to give him an answer, although.


    Lear sat down on the edge of a dirty, uncleaned fountain since the benches were destroyed for some reason. He looked around the inner plaza and saw the same state as all the other parts of the town.


    He took the old man''s words to heart and became cautious around most of the rugged looking individuals roaming the area. There were more of them in the bars and taverns, so he avoided streets leading to those most of all.


    But he hadn''t really seen anything horrible to make him think that this was as bad as it was described to be. He laughed off the danger halfheartedly and mustered the energy to try again before nightfall.


    It was starting to get dark. Lear turned around every so often as to make sure he wasn''t being followed, but he was completely lost as he didn''t know the layout of the town. He had wandered into what seemed to be a desolate part of town, just like everything else in it.


    "Where am I anyway?" he asked himself.


    "Are you in need of help?" asked someone from behind him.


    Lear turned around and saw a young man who was shorter than him by a few inches. The man looked out of place with his generous and kind smile, but his attire said differently.


    "You seemed lost, so I wondered if you needed any help."


    Lear thought about him being suspicious as he was the only person to pop up during the night, but he gave it a good thought as he looked at the young man further and trusted him somehow.


    "Yeah, I do need help. Say, ever heard of the Eveningtide? I need to get to that place, but I don''t know where it is."


    "Oh, so you''re not from here, aren''t you?"


    "No, I''m from Walbur. My name''s Lear. It''s nice to meet you," he held his hand out to him.


    "Eric, it''s nice to meet you, Lear," the young man shook Lear''s hand. "Speaking of the Eveningtide, I-I just came from there a while ago. I know where it is, come with me, I can show you the way."


    Lear reluctantly followed the young man into a street he had not recall coming through. He forgot all about being cautious as he was filled with relief to know that someone could help him find the place he had been searching for. The waste had been for naught, he thought.


    "Say, what''s living been here like, Eric?" he asked as they walked through in utter silence.


    "As you can see, it''s not really the best. But we make do with what we have. It''s all about making the little things in life count."


    "How long have you lived here?"


    "All my life. My father and mother aren''t here any longer, so we''re left to fend for ourselves using any means necessary. As things stand right now, there''s not much hope for us lasting long if we don''t do something about our situation. We''re constantly worrying about whether we''ll make it out of this mess or not, but that doesn''t guarantee anything at all."


    "I''m sorry to hear that."


    "Thank you, but you don''t need to worry about that. Though I''m surprised that an outsider would show compassion to people like us. That much means a lot already."


    "Is that so? What sets you all so differently from the rest anyway?"


    "Many things. Social standings are already apparent. But the town itself had been abandoned, the people residing within it, ignored. I don''t think we''re going to last long alone like this. I''m... just a bit anxious to know what will happen to us and this town."


    "My words might not mean much seeing as I''m a stranger, but I''ll try to help out in any way that I can. I''ll be sure to protect this town however I can!" said Lear, flashing Eric a confident smile.


    "How can someone be so confident and sure of himself in this time and age?" he chuckled. "Alright, I''ll hold you to it, Lear. I want to see this town get out of this mess. I grew up here, so I have fond memories of this place. I''d be real sad to see it all go away, though I''m already sad seeing it in this state."


    "Cheer up already. I''m sure there''s something that''s bound to turn this situation around.But, thinking back about your situation, I can relate to you."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I also lived my life as you are right now. I didn''t know my parents, and before I realized it, I was abandoned in town and left by myself. I grew up with desperation and the hope for a better life, and sure enough it came by chance. I met a special someone that I treasure until now. To repay her for what she''s done for me, I want to be someone great and get back to her somehow. I figured that getting rich is the only way i can do it."


    "Is that why you''re striving to be an adventurer?"


    "How did you know I was an adventurer?"


    "Well, the entire get-up gives it away. I don''t think anyone would wear that to a nightly stroll outside," he laughed. "But I see. So you''re just like me, huh? Then you must forgive me then. I''m sure you''ll understand, right?"


    "What do you mean?"


    Before Lear could understand what was happening, Eric had stopped in his tracks. Lear noticed that he was surrounded by four people excluding Eric. They all had a sharp weapon with them, and the way they hid by the shadows of the alleyway told him that they were beyond good.


    "What''s going on, Eric?"


    "I''m sorry, Lear. Just hand us everything you''ve got and you won''t be hurt, I''ll make sure of that."


    Lear understood what was happening. In his situation, he waived off the idea of fighting back or running and begrudgingly took out his pouch throwing it by their feet, its contents spilling out with a resounding chime of coins beating against the pavement. He raised his hands as a sign of surrender.


    "So what you said earlier, it wasn''t true? Were all those lies, Eric?" asked Lear with a feeling of betrayal washing over him like a flood.


    "Not everything was a lie, Lear, believe me. We all have to do something to survive. I-I regretted doing this to you. I only wish I had met you under better circumstances but this is the truth of this town, ugly and depressing."


    "Nice work, Eric. And here I thought that you''d be useless. You might be cut out for this life after all."


    One of the men hiding in the alleys came up to Eric and patted him on the shoulder grinning. The man wore leather armor that didn''t fully cover his chest where a tattoo of a ferocious lion was. He was built and unlike the rest who came out and surrounded Lear.


    "Let''s get away from here. We''ve got what we came for, I don''t think he has anything else on him," said Eric.


    "Huh? What the hell are you talking about? Are you giving me orders?" The man looked at Eric with an irritated face that made him stagger.


    "Now why would you want us to go? I think he has a bit more in him. Hey, you two, do it. Besides, I don''t think you know this, but this guy''s the one that took out my guys. I think that deserves a little payback."


    "You think I''m just going to let you do what you want?" said Lear who went for his sword only to be prevented from pulling It out.


    The man who acted as their leader gestured, and the men immediately grabbed Lear from behind and knocked him on the back of his head. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn''t get free as one of them weighed down on Lear with his knee on his spine, pompously applying more and more weight behind it to force a yell from Lear.


    "Ahh, music to my ears. He''s got a pretty loud yell on him, too bad no one''s coming to save him," the man laughed.


    Another one of them readied his dagger and quickly plunged it into the back of Lear''s lower gut without hesitation, impaling him repeatedly on the same spot, forcing yet another agonized yell from him.


    "It''s troublesome when people fight back. You''ll get all that you can from a corpse, but not from one that''s not willing to give anything to you. I thought your parents taught you to never fight back when you get mugged?"


    "Wait, you didn''t have to do that!" yelled Eric, grabbing the man''s collar, which he immediately regretted.


    "... Ah, you''re too loud. I have no use for you anymore, so just shut it will you?"


    The man took Eric by the throat and pinned him against a wall, taking out a dagger. The man sent a powerful blow to Eric''s gut, forcing him to arc forward. He then slit Eric''s throat in one fell swoop, easily performing the act with a grin on his face, wiping the blood that spilled on him with Eric''s cloth.


    Eric''s body plopped to the ground, and Lear weakly stared with his mouth agape after seeing someone die before him, and under someone so remorseless.


    "Loot the guy before his blood stains whatever''s valuable," ordered the man who slit Eric''s throat as he wiped his dagger clean.


    Blood flowed from Lear''s mouth, and his position made it hard to not choke on it. The the thick taste and sensation of blood simply filling the insides of his mouth made him cough and convulse, but they continued pinning him down, forcing Lear to expel more and more blood from his mouth and the wound they made on his side.


    Instead, he looked forward, and all that he could see was Eric''s face filled with horror, blood staining the area underneath where his neck is. He was like a lifeless puppet whose strings were cut in the middle of a performance. Lear was terrified to have seen such an act performed in front of him.


    But what he was more of scared was dying. His vision was fading, and everything from his head to his toes were getting cold. His senses were numb, and he could barely feel anything at all.


    Before he could lose his consciousness, he heard a voice that somehow made him stop and think. It was gentle and soothing, as if he had heard it before. He wasn''t exactly sure if he was hallucinating, but he wanted to hear more of it.

 Chapter 7: The First Step of Fulfillment

    A younggirlwearing a cloak stood out from the shadows, her eyes glowing yellow, shining brightly under the night. She stared the at the men who committed the atrocious act of murder as easily as they could speak, and she felt no sense of disgust upon seeing the spectacle. Rather, she was disappointed more and more at how the race she once thought to be formidable, degraded and devolved into savages when presented the slight chance of toppling over others.


    But she felt the need to step in, for the one who was taken victim by the devolved race was someone who saved her, even when she didn''t need it.


    To return a simple favor, she moved, her steps as silent as the wind that wasblowing. Her presence became fleeting, as if her entire existence had been erased, and the only way to reach her was by sight.


    He saw the young man''s eyes look up to her once she came into view, and he slowly reached out for help, uttering the words from his mouth, but with no sound.


    "How pitiful," she murmured. "They are like formless, feeble beings, taking every shape and form possible, and there is no limit to what they are able to achieve. Steal, pilfer, kill, lie, slander, betray, there are so much things recorded within the tomes of time that there might not be enough volumes to fill their terrifying feats."


    She looked at the criminals with scorn, and the victim with pity.


    "I don''t have the right to judge you anymore, however, but I may still pass on to you a painful punishment. It depends on my mood whether it will be a permanent punishment, or a light one. But, this young man is already considered dead because of what you had done to him. It would be a sin upon the god who governs over this world if the rule of revival were to take place, but I am notitsservant any longer. Prepare yourselves. I shall send you all into a journey of repentance."


    "Huh, who the hell are you and what are you muttering on about? You must be pretty brave, being out here alone. Oh, and don''t worry about this little scene right here. Just imagine that you didn''t see any of it," The men looting Lear''s body grinned and laughed amongst themselves as they licked their tongues, looking at the porcelain figure standing in front of them with lust.


    On her head appeared a golden halo. She pulled back the hood of her cloak and revealed the face of a pure, beautifulyoung ladyof no equal. She shone brightly, stealing the beauty and the spotlight of the moon, making those that would stare, forget that the Luna of the night sky had existed. A gracious smile appeared on her face, one that looked down on those she faced like ants.


    Her benevolent, yet cruel and admonishing eyes were like stars, and her mystic design consisting of a slike, white, flowing dress, was like a canvas to the heavens, adorned with a strange shine.


    The criminals felt a strange aura and turned their eyes towards it. There they saw the younggirllooking at them. They were unable to move or speak, unable to escape her gaze.


    She approached the men and stood before them. She then whirled a small gust of wind that fit the palm of her hand and allowed it to stir. She opened her hand out towards the criminals and released the small gust of wind from her palm, and it then blew them away as if they had been hit by a full blast explosion.


    The criminals were launched from the ground they stood on and crashed on a nearby stone built structure, nearly crushing their bones. The impact was loud and echoed. The wall they crashed on cracked on impact, and the criminal''s mouths bled; their eyes rolled up to the back of their heads. They all fell to the ground with a loud thud


    Once the deed was done, the young girl approached Lear, who was on the last seconds of his life. She saw the puddle that had formed under him and sighed.


    "I will repaywhat you have done for meso that I will no longer owe you. Come now, live. I will give you your second chance, so rejoice."


    She held her hand out towards him, bathing Lear with a gentle glowing light that slowly enveloped him.


    Lear reached out, but before the light blinded him, he saw the face of his savior, her face, her glowing yellow eyes, and the halo on her head. Then his consciousness faded over.


    "So you brought him here, huh? Good on you! You''re acting much more like a part of society now," an optimistic voice said. He tried to approach her and pat her on the back, but she intercepted his hand and held it away with her fingers as if in disgust.


    "Refrain from touching me, please. I don''t recall us being quite close for that. I only did that to repay a favor, nothing more, nothing less."


    "Is that so? Well, if I recalled, you never really needed any help in the first place. So mind answering that question of why?"


    "I think we have gone over this already. Think for yourself, you''ll find it, but I doubt you''ll remember it in full. Your memory isn''t quite as good as a normal persons''."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Hey now, no need to be harsh. I remember it, well, vaguely. Mind going over it again just to refresh me?" he asked, laughed in amusement of his own folly.


    She heaved a sigh and shook her head back and forth. "Fine. It''s not like I have much of a choice at this point. I can''t believe you''re the one whobestedme. I don''t think I can live with this shame for the rest of eternity."


    "Come now, don''t be like that. It''s been fun for me so far."


    "Not for me, really. I have to do all these menial things when I can simply rest and do nothing. I have been discharged after that blunder, so I have no role to play. Adhering to his "mighty" words, I am but a useless piece now."


    "Well you don''t have to worry about that. I took care of it, right? Besides, aren''t we partners already? That''s the promise, right?"


    "Disappointingly, yes. It haunts me till this day. I never thought someone like you hid under a convincing mask."


    "Well, everyone has their surprises. Just bear with me for a while longer. It''ll be fun, I''m sure of it. You might even find it like that as well."


    "Then may the heavens fall and the underworld freeze over. Do as you will with him. I have already done all I can in closing his wounds and applying the medicine. I will take my rest for tonight. The things you asked me to get are over by the table."


    "Goodnight, then. Oh, and thanks for helping me out."


    She waved her hand at his words andleft the room.


    The man slumped over his chair and heaved a sigh. "Well, timidity and shyness has its perks and charms, I guess. Well, now let''s see how you''re doing."


    He stood up and looked over the young man sleeping on his bed. The wound on his lower left gut had been bandaged and treated, yet the young man was still sleeping. He noticed, however, that the young man was sweating profusely.


    "Seems like you''re having a bit of a nightmare. Hmm, let''s see what I can do for you."


    He held out both of his hands and hovered them over the young man''s head. He spokesoftly, enveloping the young man with a veil of light that seemed to ease his pain. Soon, the young man''s expression relaxed.


    The young man''s eyes twitched, then opened. Seeing and realizing that he was in an unfamiliar place, he sprang from the bed and looked around, seeing another red-eyed person in the room looking back at him with his arms on his waist.


    "Feeling any better?" he asked him.


    "Where... am I?" he asked, not realizing the man''s question.


    "You''re in my place, the Eveningtide. Make yourself at home. Sure feels like you''ll need to get a bit of strength back before you try to move a muscle.I heard youlost a lot of blood, so don''t overexert yourself."


    The name Eveningtide stuck toLearas a recurringword. He suddenly remembered what he had come to Furahm for, even though he should have had been worrying about his own health.


    "Wait, this is the Eveningtide?! But how?" he asked in confirmation.


    "The one and only. Say, haven''t we met before? You look vaguely familiar." The man narrowed his sights, trying his best to remember the young man.


    "We''ve met! I''ve been trying to find you. I know you don''t remember me that much since it''s been long, but you saved me in the Yew forest from the massive wolf. My name is Lear, and you''re Riga, right?"


    "Oh, now that you say it, I do remember! So you''re the same guy? You look a bit different. Your slouch is gone, plus I think your face looks a bit more mature since the last time I saw you. What are you doing here anyway?"


    "You told me to come to Furahm. I''ll say it flatly. I want to join your guild, so give me any test, and trial, and I''ll succeed, no matter what!"


    "You want to join the guild? Isn''t that a surprise. Hmm let me think..." Riga said closing his eyes and holding his chin in deep thought. Lear became tense and awaited the verdict, his last chance to pursue the dream in a way that he wanted. And after a long, five minute reconciliation, Riga''s eyes opened.


    "Alright, you''re in."


    "I... I see. Well, there''s nothing that can be done with that," he laughed with a crooked expression, trying to hide his disappointment. "... Wait, what? What do you mean I''m in?!"


    "That''s what it means."


    "There''s no test, no trial or anything?"


    "Nope, nothing. There no need to do any of that. No matter how much of a beginner you are, we''re all going to start at the same place. I don''t need to gauge anyone''s strength or test them. As far as I''m concerned, adventuring was never that strict to begin with. You''ll learn to grow with it the longer you do it, and soon enough, I''m sure you''ll get the hang of it. So, welcome aboard the Eveningtide."


    The man named Riga approached Lear who had an expression of bewilderment, and extended his hand out to him.


    "Let''s make the best of it!"


    Lear shook his hand and simply nodded.


    "So, what happens now?" He asked. "I never really got this far with joining a guild."


    "For your case, you rest. I''ll explain everything tomorrow. It''s already late anyway, so go and get some sleep while you''re at it. I''ll just sort some things out. Call if you need anything."


    Riga disappeared from the room and left Lear to himself. He took in the surroundings and the fact that he had been accepted in a guild. Thought it didn''t feel too real, he was happy, so much more than he expected.


    Looking around, he examined the room. It was properly furnished with no clutter. The room was brightly lit up by a strange array of crystals fashioned into a small, crafty chandelier. The walls and the floors were made with wood, but with one that didn''t creak when stepped on.


    Lear pushed the blanket away from him and saw the bandages wrapped around his body. He moved and felt a slight jolt of pain from the area where he had been stabbed. He calmed down and made sure not to move strenuously as to not agitate it.


    He remembered that time. It felt as if he had already died with the way things went, it was a miracle that he was still here. But in his mind stayed a memory of his savior. Someone with glowing yellow eyes and a near heavenlyimage. Well, it wasn''t an exaggeration on his part for most of it had become vague and hazy, but he was sure he saw his savior at the time. How he ended up on his destination was something that he wanted to ask Riga, thinking he might have a definite answer.


    He slowly stood up, trying his best to ignore the pain wracking his side at the moment. He looked out the open window and saw himself in an unfamiliar forest surrounded by a silent noise. It was dark as far as the eyes could see, and the rustling of the trees were the only company Lear had.


    "Where is this place exactly?" he asked himself.


    "No use worrying about it now, I guess," Lear said. He went back to bed and slept peacefully, anxious to know what kinds of things await him the next day.


    But still, there was one thing leftonhis mind.


    He noticed his belongings to the side of his bed, and in it were rather heavy objects that he himself found challenged with carrying. "Did she carry me and my stuff?" he asked himself, shaking his head almost immediately after, thinking that it was a funny, but idiotic thought.

 Chapter 8: An Odd First Day

    The next morning, Lear woke up, seeing Riga rummaging through a closet cluttered with oddities and some of his belongs that caught his curiosity. Noticing, Riga greeted him and resumed his rummaging, talking to Lear while he was at it.


    "So, feeling any better?" he asked.


    Strangely enough, as Lear rose from his bed, he didn''t feel any sort of pain from his sides. He tried touching it, but felt nothing that would incite pain. It was as if the wound wasn''t even there in the first place.


    "Yeah," he answered. "What did you do? It''s already healed... but how?"


    "Well, a little magic goes a long way. Oh, and don''t thank me. I just helped out. Someone else did all the work. It''s her that you can thank instead, though I don''t mind the compliment."


    "Her?" he pondered. "I don''t think I know who you''re talking about. I recall seeing someone, but I couldn''t make out her face. That was probably her, but I''m not entirely sure."


    "You never got to see her clearly, huh? Well, don''t worry about it. She''s here. But just a little piece of advice, she can get really cranky from time to time, so be a bit patient with her. Alright? She might look like she''s always uptight and frustrated, but having been with her for a long time, I figured that she''s just finding it hard to express herself. Looks can be deceiving," he winked as a sign of a hint.


    "I can say the same to you. And who is this person that we''re talking about?" asked a voice that seemed mildly annoyed.


    A young girl stood by the door with her arms crossed. To Lear, she looked to be at least sixteen years old or so. Her mature demeanor and mannerisms stood out, but he didn''t want to point it out for some reason. She wore a white skirt that was until her knees and a beige top with short sleeves. She wore her long, braided hair of gold by over her left shoulder down her left chest.


    "Ah, well, speaking of her, here she is. His name is Lear, and he wanted to thank you himself. I''ll just be in the living room if you need me."


    Riga picked up a stack of thick and ornately designed books and left the room, leaving the two of them.


    "Wait, we''ve met before, right? You''re the girl with the hood. But then, the one that night... That was also you?!" he asked in surprise, seeing the uncanny resemblance between the two. The only thing that separated them was the fact that he was seeing two personalities: One that was kind and benevolent, and the other being admonishing and bored.


    "Yes, I am that same person."


    "Well, that''s a great coincidence! I didn''t know that you lived on the very place I was trying find. But why did you help me? I''m grateful for it, but I''m wondering."


    "It''s not a coincidence. I happened upon you that night and simply returned the favor. And I think it is what you humans call sympathy. Now I have done that, I owe you nothing. But onto more important matters."


    "Important matters? What do you mean?"


    "I assume that you''re feeling better, judging from your face lacking pained expressions. Do you feel dizzy, or feel anything out of the ordinary?" she came up to the side of the bed and examined Lear closer, her eyes.


    The sight felt all too familiar for Lear, solidifying an idea in his mind. Was she really the same person he saw that night? There was no trace of that faint halo on her head, nor was her gleaming yellow eyes present. Instead, they were blue and clear as the sky.


    "Thank you for saving me," he said. "I don''t know how you did it, but I''m really grateful. I thought that was it for me."


    "I wonder where the skill you used against the ones who assaulted me go? To be taken down by a bunch of thugs seemed unlikely with the way you handled things, not saying that it was enough. I thought you to be quite skilled, but I am unimpressed."


    She kept speaking, poking gently at Lear''s sides, forcing him to jerk every time as he felt sensitive there.


    But his pride had still been hurt, and her continued rambling kept shattering it more and more. The ruthless way she picked out such flaws with him on their first meeting seemed enough to break Lear''s confidence entirely, but his acceptance was the only thing that kept him holding on to what he thought and firmly believed.


    "But, it''s not as to say there''s no room for growth."


    Lear looked back at her, curious about what she was getting to.


    "You might learn properly from Riga, even though he the last person you would want to learn from. That irresponsible man is far more suited to a life of danger and thrill rather thanwith living normally. Quite a strange being if you ask me, an anomaly even I cannotcomprehend," she sighed, looking disappointed. At that point, she startedheading towards the door.


    "But wait, I never got your name. Mine is Lear," he stood up and offered his hand to her, in which she stared back at him stoically.


    "You may call me Mikael. That is my given name. Come, I assume that he is fussing this early because of something." She then left the room and left Lear hanging with a dazed expression.


    "Not much of a people person?" he asked himself.But what he wondered more about were Riga''s words from earlier. He knew that the two personalities he had met on the same day were the same person, but for some reason, he felt that there was something more to it than that.


    To his eyes, however, she seemed responsible for her age. He found it odd as she was only that young, but he merely took it at face value. Anyone can be responsible if they put their minds to it. But she was more different than he first thought. His first impression of her were worlds apart now. Maybe refined was one word to say.


    "Was she really the one that saved me?" he asked himself, trying his best to remember the kind smile that greeted him when he was on the brink of death. There was no trace of that on the one in front of him, yet they were the same person.


    He followed Mikael and entered a small living room where a rectangular table sat in the middle. On it were dozens of dusty books and creased parchments. Riga stared at the mess in front of him perplexedly but woke from his daze once they entered the room.


    "Ah, you''re here. Alright then, let''s get started. I think the first of today''s agenda is welcoming the new addition to the group, Lear! Glad to have you with us."


    He clapped, trying his best to urge the disinterested Mikael to clap along, which she half-heartedly did.


    Lear looked around the room awkwardly and simply scratched the back of his head.


    "Thanks, it''s nice to be here. But just one thing though," he asked Riga.


    "Go ahead."


    "What''s happening? I think I''m in the middle of something that I don''t know about."


    "Well, true enough, and to get you caught up, I''ll be doing the explanations. I''m sure there''s no need for me to introduce Mikael to you since you both seem acquainted already, but here''s the motley band forming the Eveningtide, plus you. Impressive isn''t it?"


    Lear wasn''t sure whether it was a joke or a form of sarcasm. He simple replied with a yes and allowed Riga to continue on.


    "Well, secondly, we''re still in the middle of finding new members for the guild, but let''s worry about that next time. I think I''ve already posted more than enough posters around the place. Thirdly, we have here two requests," he said, presenting three parchments with neat handwriting.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Oh, well that''s new. Last time it was zero requests.I wonder who you solicited for these requests from?" asked Mikael.


    "Just means that luck favors us today. And I''ll take anything luck gives my way."


    "Hmph, I''m sure lady luck is sick of you by now, literally. I don''t think she''d like anything to do with you after what you did to her domain."


    "What do you mean?" asked Lear in curiosity, taking the vacant seat beside Mikael, who sat with a dignified manner.


    "Don''t worry about that, Lear. Let''s worry about what''s in front of us and focus on it. I''m sure she''s already forgiven me," he said confidently. "We''re still lacking some basic and important things for the guild, namely money to improve our base of operations. These rewards from the requests are sure to be able to help with that. But the thing is they''re both due on the same day, so I propose that we take them both and divvy up the work."


    "I''d rather know what they''re about first, rather than plunging into it without knowing anything as you usually do," Mikael retorted.


    "Right, right, I forgot, ahaha. Well, the first one is a rescue mission."


    Lear''s eyes and attention perked at the word. It was a surreal beginning, but he was already being put to work, or is about to be, he assumed. It all seemed serious, so his attention was focused. What he had in mind were cases of kidnappings, considering the commotion in Furahm, there was sure to be one of those eventually.


    "Well go on. What are you building suspense up for? You writing a novel or something?" she urged impatiently.


    "Don''t be too excited, Mika. I know you''re all up and eager to get to work."


    "Oh, I sure am. You might not see it from the face I''m making, but I''m just bursting at the seams with joy and anticipation," she said rather sarcastically, not changing her stoic and deadpan expression.


    "Well don''t worry, Mika, here it goes." Riga continued, either not realizing Mikael''s wordplay, or ignoring it, thought Lear.


    "It''s a request from one of the residents in Furahm, and we''re tasked with finding the young child''s pet."


    At that moment, Lear stared at Riga, dumbfoundedly trying to make sure he didn''t mishear it. Yet no matter how many times he ran the words over in his head, it was reality, and the expectations he had were immediately shot down.


    "Less work, the better," said Mikael, standing and taking the letter of request from the table. "You two go do whatever it is guilds and its members do. I''ll be back when I''m finished. Please don''t, by some form of miracle, destroy this place, Riga. I''d like a roof to sleep under, and leaving you by yourself is sure to welcome misfortune," she said, disappearing from the door, leaving Riga and Lear without a say.


    "Well, it''s no surprise that she''s eager given the circumstance that you joined. I''m sure that she wants to show off."


    "No, Riga, I don''t think you''re getting it," interjected Lear, trying his best to understand and to make Riga understand the message behind the words which the man didn''t seem to notice.


    "Oh, don''t worry, I''ve known her for a long while, so there''s nothing not to know about. For now, how about I answer any question that you have? You must be pretty confused at how fast everything is going, but we''re always hectic with the way everything is currently. No doubt you''ll get used to it soon enough," he beamed.


    "Well, getting questions out of the way will help me out a lot. I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t overwhelmed."


    Lear scratched his head. "Sorry in advance, but my first question is, is this really a guild? Don''t get me wrong, it''s not that I don''t believe you, but it''s just that, well, It''s in a bit of a shamble, don''t you think?"


    True to his description, Lear looked up and saw a couple of holes adorning the ceiling. Parts of the living room looked like the place was being vacated and the entire building going to be demolished soon. There wasn''t a lot to call new, or old. In fact, it seemed like everything inside it, except for the belongings of the people living in there, had been left to accumulate dust and age out.


    "Hmm, I thought about that too, but I assure you that this is indeed a fully functioning guild, or it''ll soon be. It''s new, so this is where we have to start. It isn''t so bad. With a bit fixing and renovation, this''ll turn into a proper guild soon enough, I guarantee it. Plus, I''ll get around it soon enough. I''m in charge of making sure that the place doesn''t collapse on us, so you can just leave that to me, alright?"


    "I can help out as well. You don''t have to do it alone. I''m... a part of the guild now, after all, right?"


    "That''s the spirit! I like the way you think, Lear. You''re already contributing on your first day! But I''ll hold you to that. Got anything else to ask me?"


    "Right now, nothing much. I don''t have any complaints. Maybe some questions will pop up on along the way."


    "Alright then, so, since you''ve just woken up, how about you sit here and wait for us to come back? Mikael''s made breakfast already, and I think you''ll like it. To get to the dining room, just keep going down from that hall and it should be there."


    Riga picked up a backpack nearby and took a piece of paper that was on the table.


    "Where are you going?" Lear asked.


    "Oh, I''m going to do a request, then another top secret mission after that. That''s roughly how we get by with being a guild and all. I''ll be quick, so just relax or take a tour of the place. Just be careful not to fall into a hole, alright?"


    "W-wait!"


    And without waiting for Lear''s response, Riga hurriedly left the the room with a great gust and a smile on his face, giving Lear a thumb''s up.


    "Take me with you..." he finished his sentence even if there wasn''t anyone there to hear it.


    His shoulders slumped along with his sigh. He looked out the door but didn''t find Riga anywhere. He was unable to believe thatsomeone could run that fast, but it seemed like he was a man of various surprises.


    But without anything else to do, Lear made his way into the kitchen and ate the food served on the table. It still emitted steam, and the scent of cooked meat and eggs wafted to his nose, waking his stomach. Without much hesitation, Lear scarfed down on the meal before him and emptied the plate within seconds, leaving him wanting more by the end.


    By then he was unable to ignore the mess around the table. It was a long, rectangular one that has seen better days. A worn, dusty cloth had been used to adorn it, but the other decorations such as dusty, tattered books, weird looking ornaments, small statues, and other knick-knacks cluttered the rest. The entire dining area was a mess, and most of the items around it seemed to have been bundled up for a move. Though it was tidy, their presence didn''t sit well with Lear.


    He cleaned up what he had eaten and started to look around the house, roaming the various rooms of the ground floor. There wasn''t anything that he hadn''t seen yet for it was all the same. Bundles of scraped materials strung up and placed to the side, ready to be disposed. Still, even with those, dust dominated the domain.


    Lear then made his way upstairs where the flooring was rickety. Every step made him conscious that he might eventually fall down and plummet to his doom. Upon reaching the the second floor, it was dim. Little light made its way through the planks barred on the windows. The hall was decorated with old table-stands which held vases, and in them, withered flowers. It was rather ghastly to the point where Lear had trouble navigating his path. He was slightly convinced that the palce was haunted as the scene fit like a puzzle piece.


    After he was finished with the second floor, which had no point of interest other than more vacant rooms, Lear made his way outside to survey the area which he had no idea of.


    He took a few steps back and looked at the small mansion in its entirety from the front.


    It was a wide, small, rickety mansion spanning two stories, built with sturdy wood. It needed a hard renovation, but it didn''t look like it was immediately going to collapse. It had some holes on the roof, and the windows were barred off with planks. The area around it was also littered with bundled up wood and some salvaged items from the small mansion. It needed some improvements to not make it look like a haunted house, and the sign crudely worded the ''Eveningtide'' didn''t help it in any way.


    "It''s even worse from the outside!" cried out Lear in shock. "This is bad, I can''t picture the place being a fully functioning guild at all."


    He went around to the back, but not before finding an odd path where a sign crudely saying ''water'' stood. He followed it, leading him to a quiet and peaceful river where the water flowed calmly. The atmosphere and the sound of gushing water put Lear at ease. It was clear, clean, and refreshing, Lear thought to himself. But he continued with the tour, having an idea in mind for later.


    At the back was a small, fenced-off garden where the assumed ''dead crops'' have been uprooted, and what remained were rows of dug up soil. A small shack was a few walks away from it where the basic materials of gardening and farming were stored. Lear thought of re-cultivating the garden and the land by it, giving them the purpose they were made for. That, and the need for a bit of color. The supposed garden looked dreary and dull, which didn''t quite do its best to stand out. Another idea popped into Lear''s mind, and along with that was a puzzled look of how he was going to put his plans into action.


    "Is this really a guild house?" he asked himself again.


    Lear finally sat down after the tour. He was exhausted and quite surprised at the size of the place. It was true what Riga had told Lear that it had the potential to be a true guild, but Lear wanted to somehow help in that aspect, being a member all that.


    At that moment, Lear rummaged through the closest of the small mansion and found a couple of brooms and some other cleaning materials, taking a bucket lying around the kitchen and filling it with water from the river earlier. He found a slightly clean apron and wore it, completing his attire as a house cleaner.


    He started placing all the important looking things in one room, sorting them out and labeling them just in case any of them belonged to either Riga or Mikael. One by one, he cleared most of the rooms on the first floor, allowing him to clean without much trouble.


    The meticulous ways of cleaning he had learned from Alice and Duncan had been put to use, and Lear thanked them silently as he continued to tidy the guild house which was starting to lose its dreary, gray color. He didn''t want to make it permanent, but in the meantime, Lear was glad to have grown used to doing such things. Though it wasn''t the most exciting thing to start with in his new guild, he wore a smile as he cleaned. He opted not to clean Riga''s room without his permission, as well as with Mikael''s, which Lear found locked on the same floor as Riga''s.