《Side Story:Son of Cerberus》 The Prologue In the edge of Valeria Wood forest, near the border between Silverash, the kingdom of Wood Elves, and The Empire, the biggest country of Humans, live Cerberus and his son, Cerberos. Cerberos has lived in this forest ever since he was a wolf burp. He doesn¡¯t know a lot about outside world and his father doesn¡¯t let him interactive with stranger. His father is Cerberus, a 5-meters tall wolf with 3 heads and black fur, each head has it¡¯s own personality and power. The left head is funny and talkative, the right one is quiet and always seem angry, the middle is the most intelligent and usually the one giving out decision. Cerberos doesn¡¯t look like his father at all, he is weak, his fur is white and only has the same size of a normal wolf. But most importantly, he only has one head. Sometimes , he wonder if he¡¯s really his father¡¯s son. ¡°Don¡¯t be so down heart, my son. Your other head will grow really, really soon. I wonder if that head will be like me, huwhaaa¡± ( The left) ¡°Chee, that¡¯d be a terrible image¡± ( The right) ¡°Well, I got my second head when I was 100 years old and your elder brother got his second head when he was just 50 years old. You are just 10 years old, my son. You got a long way to go¡± (The middle) Or that¡¯s what his father told him. However, whenever Cerberos asked about his brother or his mother, his father just keep silence. The only information he can squeeze out of him is 2 name, his brother is Cerberas and his mother is Aquina. Today is just an usual day for Cerberos, he¡¯s taking a nap while enjoy the sunray caress his body. Suddenly, his father gave out an unreasonable request. ¡°Cerberos, go into the Hideway,now¡± ¡°Father?¡± ¡°Just go, NOW¡± ¡°Yes, father¡± The Hideway, is a small cave inside the northern part of where they live. It is well hidden by the terrain around, the inside has enough dry meat for both to live in one month. Cerberos never understand why his father built this cave though, he is undeniably the strongest being in this forest. When Cerberos walk in, everything look just like the last time he come here. ¡°What do I do in there¡± Cerberos ask himself, confused about his father¡¯s intention. Then, he smell something in the forest. ¡°Lots of people. They¡¯re heading toward our cave. Father.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Unknowingly, his body has been wrapped by countless of tentacles grew from earth¡¯s surface. He soon find himself unable to move or say anything. (These things, they have paralyze effect. This is father¡¯s middle head¡¯s power. Father, what are you planning.) __________________________________________________________________________________ Before Cerberus¡¯s cave, a large crowd of mixed races gathered. They don¡¯t have the same uniform but they all wear leather armor, adventure¡¯s favourite thing. Stand before them is a handsome man wearing white armor with a black cape. A golden shield place behind his back and a big bag on his waist. There is a faint vibration coming from the bag, indicate whatever inside, it¡¯s alive. ¡°State your name, mortal. I don¡¯t kill the nameless one¡±(The middle head) ¡°A talking dog? How unusual. Allow me to introduce myself, I¡¯m Perseus, hero of The Empire, Herald of Hades. I¡¯m here on behalf of our God, Hades, to capture you¡± ¡°Che, Hades¡¯s errand boy. Why am I not surprised¡± (The left Head) ¡°DO NOT USE YOUR FILTHY MOUTH TO SPEAK ABOUT HIS HIGHNESS. Ahem, well, according to the reports, there should be another dog here. Where is he?¡± ¡°Can we get on with the killing already¡± (The right Head) ¡°Now,now. Don¡¯t rush. I have something special for you¡± Perseus take out the thing in his bag. It has a woman¡¯s face, with snakes grow from her head like hairs. ¡°That is ¡­ Medusa. But how ¡­.. Guarghh¡± (All 3 heads) In a blink of eye, the monstrous Cerberus has turned into stone. ¡°Too easy. And I had hoped he¡¯d struggle more¡± Perseus put the head in bag again and turn to the crowd. ¡°You guys, start searching. There should be another one in here somewhere. I leave the commanding here to you three, Crimson Brother. I need to deliver this thing to our God.¡± ¡°Consider it¡¯s done¡± (???) ¡°I hope he will provide a little challenge¡± (???) ¡°O¡¯h the poor soul Hide in darkness, awaiting for his demise¡± (???) ____________________________________________________________________________ (Cerberos¡¯s Hideway) (Father¡¯s presence has ¡­. Completely disappeared) Arc 1 - Chap 1: 1st day (Why? We never harm anyone. Why did they come?) Cerberos, still being paralyzed in the Hideway, was in state of shock and fear. Never in his life he was separated from his father nor has to make decision for himself. Now he is all alone in this forest, surrounded by enemies. By the time the paralysation wear off, it¡¯s already the dawn of the day. Cerberos walk out of the cave only to find the last rays of sun hang on his face before completely vanish. The whole forest soon consumed by darkness, with noise coming from here and there, indicate the search party doing their job properly. (They haven¡¯t left yet? They must be looking for me.) Cerberos can sense lots of presence in the surrounding area, divided by groups. All of his sense is superiors, except his eyes. This forest is like his backyard, he is confident he can get out of this forest if he is careful, but a voice in his mind stopped him, a voice calling for vengeance. Kill them! They destroyed our peaceful day. Kill them all! With that kind of thought, Cerberos start following the nearest trace of people and find himself before a campfire. He can sense 2 presences sitting around the fire, one is a dwarf, the other is an orc. There is another presence hiding on the tree, that presence conceal himself well, but he can not hide the sound of his breathing. Personally, Cerberos want to take out the one on the tree first, but he doesn¡¯t have confident he can jump to the three without making a sound. If he got found out by 2 people on the ground, there is a high chance one of them would escape to inform other party, making things harder for him. That¡¯s why Cerberos just sit down in the bush, patiently waiting for the opportunity to present itself while listening to the chit chat between the dwarf and orc. ¡°Man, making money was never at easy at this. 1 gold coin just for participating, 100 gold coins for capture the small one, dead or alive, and 1000 gold coins for the big one¡± The dwarf laughing while drinking a yellow liquid, leaking from his bag. ¡°That maybe so. But how can we find a dog in this forest? We don¡¯t even know what it¡¯s look like¡± The orc gave out a half-hearted answer while tending to the dinner they just caught. From the look of it, it seem to be a rabbit. ¡°How else? By killing every living things in this forest. If it was up to me, I will just burn the whole area. It¡¯s simple that way.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do it, Orthos. This forest is the Wood Elves¡¯s sacred ground. If it wasn¡¯t for the temple¡¯s demand, they ¡®d not even let us set foot in here¡± ¡°I know, I know Kurd. Damn those pointy ears, they think these trees are more important than our life. How sickness are they. Well, I gotta go release now. Got too much stuff in my belly¡± ¡°Go over there,Orthos. Don¡¯t make me lose my appetite¡± (Now is the chance). Cerberos move slowly toward the dwarf¡¯s direction . He stand before a tree that can still be illuminated from the campfire¡¯s light and start singing ¡°Whiskey, whiskey on the shelf You were so quiet there all by yourself Things were fine till they took you down Whiskey, whiskey on ¡­. Eh? What is this white ¡­¡± Before the dwarf notice, I leap to his body, pinning him down and bite his neck. He look at me in horror, unable to scream. I can see the fear and unbelievable in his eyes before it gradually become hollow. I must act fast, it won¡¯t be long till they find out his death. Cerberos jumped to the tree the presence is hiding, dip his claw inside and slowly crawl up. However, his target, was too cautious. Just a slight vibration from the tree and he quickly jump down, run toward the fire. Cerberos doesn¡¯t let him have the chance to reunite with his friend. When he sense the small figure jump down, all of his senses follow him, waiting till he reach the right range to jump down and bite off his head. It was a green head with no hair and pointy ears. (A goblin. No wonder he is so small.) ¡°Oh no, Krell. Orthos, the beast is coming. Orthos¡± The orc frantically calling for his teammate while taking out his weapon, a big battle axe. Answer him is a deadly silent. (The orc¡¯s POV) Kurd know he¡¯s all alone now. They have been hunting together for one year now. Krell always keep thing to himself and doesn¡¯t talk much, but he is reliable. Orthos is, well, he is nice once you know him. A little bit of a drunkard and a little stubborn, but his out-going nature is what attract me and Krell to him. We accepted this mission, thinking it will be an easy cake, with all other people around. We even have plans to spend the reward money once we get it. We were too na?ve. This is not an ordinary beast. He took out Orthos before we knew it and killed Krell in just a blink of eye. No normal beast could do that. In this forest, we are the one being hunted, and he is the hunter. Part of me want to run away, but I know I can¡¯t . As a follower of Ares, the God of War, running away will shame my honor. More importantly, with his speed, the moment I turn away will be my downfall. The beast stand before me, look at me like a hunter look at his prey. I can see a thirst of blood in his eye. There is no way out of this, except a fight. My battle axe is not suitable for defense, to get the momentum, I have to act first. I swing my battle axe down at the beast, no feeling in the edge, which mean it missed. I quickly change my trajectory and swing the battle axe around me in a wide circle. Still didn¡¯t get the feeling of something¡¯s been cut down. This¡¯s it huh! I know full well, if my only 2 moves didn¡¯t hit him, then what awaiting me is a cruel death. ¡°Orthos ¡­ Krell¡­ I ¡­.¡± ......... The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The body of the brave orc slowly crumble down, with a big hollow in his neck. And the hunter walk away in darkness, finding his new preys in a journey of vengeance , leaving behind an empty campfire that once used to be lively. ___________________________________________________________________________________ (Change POV) Next morning, in the old Cerberus¡¯s cave has now been renovated to become the main camp, an assembly consist of leaders from adveturer¡¯s party is underway. In the center of the crowd, 3 humans with red hair and similar face stand out, they are The Crimson Brother. Chico is both the leader and the brain of The Crimson Brother, an A-class party team consist of him and his 2 other brothers. They came here by a special request from the Emperor, as the only A-class party current available around. At first, Chico didn¡¯t think much about this request. However, when he saw the monstrous size of the three-heads dog and when that thing started to talk, he had a bad premonition about this quest. And now, the bad feeling come true. ¡°3 party got destroyed in one night. This is insane. Even dragon subjugation don¡¯t have casualty like this¡± (Adventurer A) (Yeah, like hell you know about dragon subjugation. The last dragon subjugation end in 100 years ago) (Author¡¯s note: Text in () is Chico¡¯s retort thought) ¡°Even a big party with 12 members got done. Oh god, I¡¯m getting out of here. The lives of 10 members in my party is riding in my shoulder¡± (The *beep* you are talking about. The only member you got is that dog waiting for you outside. Don¡¯t pretend to be popular, you loner) But he has a point, morale is falling down quickly. Some party may quit if I don¡¯t do something soon. These no-names adventurer may go as they like, but our party got special request from the Emperor himself. If we fail,well, that¡¯s a future I want to avoid at all cost. I careful read through the reports while working my head to the limit, trying to analyse the situation. A party of 12 members, found dead inside their camp, except for 1 man stand guard die near the camp fire. All corpses have the same similar things, a big bite mark on their neck. I knew it. I knew something was wrong when the 3-headed dog talk. We are not dealing with monsters or beasts, we are dealing with intelligent being that have the strength of monsters. Not only this pulp can enter a tent, he know how to kill people without making a sound. I even believe he is smarter than some certain ¡°individuals¡± in this meeting. But pointing out our target is smart, won¡¯t help anything. It will only make these fools more willingly to abandon the mission. ¡°This is going nowhere. I¡¯m going home. 1 gold coin is not enough for risking our life¡± (Here come the cowards.I will give you 1 gold coin just for shutting up and quietly go away, hiding in the corner) ¡°Say what? A group of more than 100 adventurers run away from a baby dog? We will be the laughing stock in century if we return empty-handed¡± (Finally, someone with a sense of honor.If only everyone were like this, I don¡¯t have to crack my head out, finding a way to keep these idiots from running away) ¡°He is right. Go home and cry, chicken head. Bet your mother forgot to give you a dick when you were born¡± (Oi oi. Don¡¯t start a fight right now. Do it after the meeting, the f*beep*ing meeting. I¡¯m thinking my ass out and don¡¯t have energy to deal with that shit.) ¡°Oh the lonely soul Keep drifting away in storm Not knowing what lies ahead In the darkest night¡± (This voice¡­. Oh brother). I secretly sigh inside my head. My younger brother, Chika, he is ¡­. A mage. He was normal when he was a kid, but since he is discovered to have talent in magic and start study spells, he start talking¡­ like that. I always know those mage¡¯s heads were a little off, something to do with training their imagination. But my brother seem to be an extreme case. At this rate, forget about finding a wife, he can¡¯t even walking straight in street if he keep going like this. Oh well, at least that poem have a positive effect, everyone ¡®s looking at him like they just discover a new species while he doesn¡¯t seem to notice at all (or pretend to not notice). I can continue with my thinking now, the lonely soul, damnit, why am I repeat his stupid poem in my head. Wait a minute. Lonely soul. Lonely. Alone. That¡¯s it. I forgot one thing important, the opponent is just 1 man. There is a certain strategy when you deal with 1 man. ¡°Everyone, hear me out. Our target is just one puppy. If we run away from that, forget about return alive. We can¡¯t even face our children, our loved ones like this¡± (Chico) ¡°But what can we do? The dog will keep killing us one by one if we separate. And if we join together, we don¡¯t have enough man power to search for him.¡± (???) ¡°First, look at these reports, the bite mark on the victim¡¯s body show that he only has a size of a wolf, nowhere is as large as his father. Second, the location of 3 party that was wiped out were here, here and here¡± Then I draw a big circle cover the 3 points ¡° His hideout should be around here¡± ¡°It still too big to search for, if we spread like yesterday¡± (???) ¡°No, we don¡¯t need to search for him anymore. He will come to us. We need to gather and block the exits of this area. Then, we place a bait and ¡­.¡± (Chico) ¡°A bait? How about ¡­¡± (Oh brother) I managed to stop him before he finish the sentence, by stepping to his foot. My big brother,Chiki, he is a good person, but not a good adventurer, he is too naive. We still don¡¯t know the limit of this beast¡¯s ability. Better send someone disposable as bait. And the meeting continue till noon. Chap 2: 2nd day It was just an usual training session between Cerberos and his father. (Your claw lack power, my son. You were consumed by fear and can¡¯t even use 10% of your power) (The middle head) (But father, you are bigger and faster than me. I can¡¯t even imagine to get a hit on you.) (That¡¯s not the reason for your weakness, my son. Always remain calm, even in turbulence times. Remember, fear will cloud your mind and anger will blind your judgement. Now come at me one more.) (But father ¡­) ¡°Father ¡­¡± Cerberos open his eyes, only to find himself alone in the Hideway. (Oh right, father has disappeared. I¡¯m by myself now. ) After the hunt last night, Cerberos has covered all of his tracks before returned to rest in the cave. He knew that people is most active in daylight and slow in the dark, that¡¯s why he only goes out after sunset. When he is outside, it¡¯s already in the middle of the night. He start following people¡¯s traces, only to find them all assembled in 3 big camps. (Strange. Did they give up searching for me?) Cerberos know every camps have at least 50 persons in there, he going there alone will be suicidal. Don¡¯t know what to do next, he jumped to a tree, sit down and observe the forest, the place once used to be his home, his playground, now filled with enemies and dangers. Cerberos know full well he can get out of this forest alive if he want to ,that may be his dad¡¯s intention when he told him to go to the Highway. But the voice of vengeance keep calling him, asking him to pass judgement on the enemies. (Sorry dad, I can¡¯t live up to your expectations. Maybe I¡¯m not fit to be your son after all.) Cerberos keep sitting on the tree, reminiscence about his dad and his memories in this forest, forget about how quickly time has passed. Suddenly, he pick up a familiar scent in the air, a scent of blood. Out of curiosity, he follow the blood to the North. As he keep running, the smell of blood become thicker, he know where he is heading. It is an elves hut, with an old elf live with her granddaughter in it. Cerberos had observed that hut many times in the past, he wanted to make contacts with them but his father stopped him, state that ¡°People tend to afraid of things that they don¡¯t know,my son. It¡¯s better for them to live without knowing of our existence¡± Finally arrive at the source of blood scent,he carefully observe the hut from the outside, the door is forced open and there is noise coming from inside. He can sense there is a present hiding away, not far from the hut and 3 presents inside, one has very weak breath. He slowly walking toward the hut, making sure there are no traps in the way. The noise become clearer. ¡°Muhawhaha, never thought I would stumble on this. This must be my lucky day¡± ¡°Please ¡­. Why ¡­ did ¡­.you¡± ¡°Why? Grandma, you never know how much the noble will pay for an elf little girl, do you? I can retire after selling off this kid¡± Inside is a bald muscular man tying a young little girl, while her grandmother crawling on ground, coughing blood with a stab on her chest. How despicable! Humans really is the worst. A new flame of anger sprouted from inside Cerberos. He dash forward to the bald man, jump up and use his 2 front legs to pinch him down, however. ¡°Guarghh¡± It hurts. Why. ¡°Muwhahaha, the big fish finally come. Max, come here¡± The presence that Cerberos sensed outside, is coming closer. ¡°By the way, you must be surprise about this right¡± The bald man gave a nasty smile while taking out his leather armor, reveal a spiked chain mail inside¡°This thing is quite heavy to wear, but it¡¯s necessary to take you out, dog. You caused quite a trouble for us. Oh, and don¡¯t you worry about moving, each spikes in this armor have paralysis poison that can even take out an elephant¡± Paralysis? No wonder I¡¯m losing my feeling over my legs. The tying up little girl¡®s eyes is filled up with horrors while her grandma¡¯s breath become weaker by the seconds. Cerberos know she won¡¯t make it pass this night. How ironic, Cerberos never think the first time they make contact will be the last. Not for long, the presence outside that Cerberos sensed earlier appeared at the doorway, it is another human with a bow in his hand. ¡°Oh god, we did it Georg, the beast is down¡± ¡°It was not we did it, it was I did it. Wait, Max, what are you doing¡± ¡°What else, Chicon told us to give the signal as soon as the beast down¡± ¡°Fool. Think about it,Max. Why should we share the rewards with those lazy ass, while we risking our lives out here. This beast¡¯s bounty is 100 gold coins, it means 50 gold coins for each of us.¡± The man with the bow hesitate for a while, then slightly nod ¡°You¡¯re right,Georg. With 50 gold coins I can find a good wife,buy a house and say goodbye to this dangerous job¡± ¡°Cool man, you will not regret this decision.By the way, can you check up the condition of the kid. She¡¯s been quiet so far¡± ¡°Sheeessh, Georg. Do you have to make it bloody everytime? We were asked to be a bait, not a kiddna¡­.¡± *Stab* In everyone¡¯s surprise, the bald man stabbed the new guy from behind. ¡°Georg ¡­ How ¡­ Why¡± His body slowly collapse to the ground. ¡°Sorry,Max. For 50 gold coins, I¡¯m willing to stab my own father¡± Then the bald man turn to Cerberos ¡°Your turn now, little doggy. The bounty is ¡°Dead or alive¡±, it¡¯s time for you to ¡­¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. But in place of Cerberos stand a young boy with dog ears, dog tail and white fur cover his body. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have to use the form that I hate so much¡± The young boy talking to himself with a disappointed expression on his face. ¡°You, who the hell are you¡± In just a blink of eye, the young boy already stand next to the bald man. ¡°The dead don¡¯t need to know¡± and bite off his head. ¡°Disgusting mortal blood¡± With blood still on his face, he free the tied up young girl and turn around, attempted to leave. But the old woman¡¯s hand stop his feet ¡°Please ¡­ take ¡­ care¡­ of ¡­ her¡± This woman¡¯s life force surprise Cerberos. With the amount of blood she lost, she should be dead long time ago. The only thread hang her with the life, is the worry for her granddaughter¡¯s future. Cerberos look straight at her eye for a while, then give out a short answer ¡°I will¡± As if a weight has been lift off, her expression become softer ¡°I ¡­ had always ¡­ wanted ¡­ to meet ¡­ you ¡­and¡± She can¡¯t finish that sentence. Her body become as cold as icy and doesn¡¯t move anymore. The soul of forest''s daughter has finally return to earth. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Next morning, at adventurer¡¯s main camp, another meeting is underway. However, unlike yesterday, the whole camp is enveloped in silence, everyone has a grave expression on their face. This is the third time Chico read the reports. 2 dead bodies of the ones they sent was found in an old hut, 1 stabbed to death, the other was bitten to death .Another body of an old elf was found near, buried underneath, stab to death too. There is trace of another person living with that old elf, no body found, indicated to be alive. What does the trace on dead bodies say? They killed each other, or atleast, one kill another. That dog can¡¯t use weapon, if he can, he doesn¡¯t need to bite people to death. Chico stared at the reports for a while, before breaking the awkward silence. ¡°Who nominate these 2 for the operation?¡± ¡°It was this old man, they belong to his party¡± ¡°Hey, you agreed to it too. Don¡¯t put all the responsibilities on me¡± ¡°Yeah, because you said ¡°they have experiences living in forest¡±, you never said that experience because they were BANDIT¡± ¡°How the fuck would I know? They never told me that when they join the party. We just found the clues on their bodies¡± (I¡¯m ¡­ surrounded ¡­ by imbeciles) Chico is trying to control his anger, if not, he fear he will start to attack everyone on this meeting. These fools, they don¡¯t realize how grave the situation is. That imbecile bandit, not only he failed the mission, but he kill a Wood elf in their territory, and let one escape. If the Elves catch wind of this, it is war. And if the Emperor catch wind of this? He will offer our heads, especially my party just to calm the elves down. ¡°What should we do now? Should we use that tactics again?¡± (You are even more stupid than a rat. At least a rat know not to jump into the same trap twice in a short time) ¡°That¡¯d be a great idea. This time, we should place multiple baits and only use the ones we trust¡± (Seriously?) I should cut this conversation off. Any further than this will be dangerous. But what can I do? Option 1: Spread out like first day and bet on our luck we can find it¡¯s hideout before it killed all of us one by one? No, I don¡¯t have that lenient of time. These cowards will run away if the same thing at 1st day happen again. Option 2: Use bait and trap again? Just a waste of time. Every seconds pass, the chance of the dog and the elf already escape become higher. Damn it, since when did this hunt become a race again time? Last option: Burn down this whole forest. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Is there no other way? Hm, wait a minute. Did I forget something? Chico read the report again. There is blood on the chainmail we prepared, but no blood trace leading outside. What does this mean? The dog¡¯s wound close instantly or That escape elf is helping the dog. Which mean, they are staying together now. ¡°How about this? Us leader will act as a bait. We are certainly stronger than normal and more reliable too¡± (Damn. These fools still continue this pointless topic.) ¡°Ehem¡± (Chico) The whole camp become quiet . ¡°Before I say what¡¯s on my mind, I want to make sure, does any of your team have wood elves as member?¡± ¡°No way, they say they¡¯d better die than teaming with us¡± A goblin said. ¡°Those prideful bastards. They said they don¡¯t need money for their lives and describe us as slaves of money¡± A human said. ¡°They called us brute with no brains, we show them the difference of our power, in practice¡± An orc said. ¡°A good elf is a dead elf, that¡¯s always my motto¡± A dwarf said. Perfect. Look like the elves¡¯s pride has brought hatred to themselves. ¡°Listen closely, everyone. We are going to burn down this forest¡± The whole camp turn to silent again. Chap 3: The decision battle Sorry for the delay, this chapter is longer than the rest, almost near the length of 2 chaps ______________________________________________________ (So warm ¡­ father) Cerberos love enjoying a nap while cuddling with his father, he often lick Cerberos¡¯s fur while sleep which filled Cerberos with joy. (Wait a minute ¡­ Father?) Cerberos open his eye in a hurry, hoping to find the familiar figure he always see everytime he woke up. However, instead of it, he found a petite young girl sleeping while hugging his body. Their body were so close that he can smell the mint-like fragrance from her breathing. It takes a while for the memories to catch up with the bizarre scent before his eyes. Last night, after the old elf had passed away, Cerberos had her bandage his wound ,help her buried her grandmother, then they set out to his cave together. The little girl was strong, there is sadness in her eye but she never cried. Ever since he brought her in, he keep asking himself the same question, ¡°why?¡± Surely, let her stay with him is no safer than with the enemies outside. His life is in danger everyday, he doesn¡¯t even know if he can survive after this, or what¡¯d he do in the future. All the act he had done was just for his selfish vengeance. The best course of action for this situation, is to help her join with the Wood elves on the North side. They have blocked the pass, but with his speed, he believe he can by pass them. But why, why am I so reluctant to do that? Is it because the old elf asked me to take care of her? Nonsense. Keeping her in danger is not ¡°taking care of¡±, in the slightest meaning. Cerberos doesn¡¯t want to admit it himself, but inside the deepest part of his soul, he doesn¡¯t want to let her go. Cerberos was lonely. After his father¡¯s gone, everytime he woke up, he just found himself surrounded by empty walls, all by himself. He¡¯s vying for someone, someone that he can talk to, someone that he can feel the warm from their body or just for break the eerie silence everytime he woke up. When the old elf die, Cerberos saw part of himself in her. They both live in this forest, have their only family stolen by the same group and they are all alone now. Cerberos feel like, there is a special bond connecting them together, like a family. ¡°U¡­ uuu¡± The girl¡¯s body slightly tremble, interrupted him from his thoughts. ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Tears flow from her eye to her pretty face, while her facial twisted in fear. (Poor girl! She tried to be brave yesterday, but when she sleep¡­) Cerberos silently sigh while gently lick off the tears in her face. The bodies of the two, who lost everything they have, continue to curl up together, didn¡¯t know about the storm waiting for them outside. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Outside, at the adventurer¡¯s main camp, it was already the twilight of the day. Chico is recalling about his plan this morning. (Chico, are you insane?) (Please enlighten me, what part of this is insane?) (Every part of this. You know this is the elves¡¯s sacred forest right? If we burn this down, it will be war) (Does it make any differences? If we let the other elf escape to the elves¡¯s city, it will be war nonetheless. The only difference here is, we will be sitting duck here, not knowing anything while the elves claiming our lives.) (But¡­) (Spare me your pathetic excuse. We are already criminals ever since we sent off those bandits yesterday. Besides, if we do as I say, not only we won¡¯t take responsibilities of war, but also can get the rewards for this dog) (How?) (Simple. We kill the dog, bring his body back to the Emperor before he catch wind of anything happen here, then we escape to other countries with this money.) (How can we bring the dog before the Emperor was informed all about this? The watch tower is right at the border of the forest) (By a simple trick. It¡¯s been a long time since the Empire wage war with these elves. There are only 2 guards at that watch tower. When something happen, one goes back to the capital to report, while the other remain at watch tower, no matter what happen next.) (You mean¡­) (Yes. We just need to tell them there is something happen in the forest before we burn it down, like a horde of monster is getting out. It will take them at least 3 days to go to the capital, return here and go to the capital again. It means we have at least 3 days to kill the dog, grab the rewards and go away, never return to the Empire again) (What about our family?) (You have 3 days, for God¡¯s sake. Do whatever the hell you want with them. Bring them to run with you, hide them, get a new family. I doubt the Emperor have time dealing with them if there is war anyways.) After a long pause, the leaders finally come to agreement. (Okay, we will follow you on this, Chico) (Good. We finally make some progress. Now listen carefully, you guys need to cut down the trees at here and here, block the fire. We don¡¯t want to invite those elves to join this party, and then¡­) ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Sir, preparation at North side has been completed¡± A voice echoed in the tent, interrupted Chico¡¯s thinking. ¡°Very well, what about the messenger we sent to the watch tower?¡± ¡°There are report that one of the guard has left¡± ¡°Good. Now, Chika, if you¡¯d like¡± ¡°As you wish, brother.¡± Chika skillfully use his flame spell to burn the wall of trees that we just make. ¡°Everything¡¯s done. Let¡¯s head to the East side¡± ¡°Um,Chico, why didn¡¯t we burn the East side too? Why do we only burn North, South and West?¡±(Chiki) ¡°Well, that¡¯s to lure the dog to the west side. I want to meet him at least one and make sure he die. Besides, the East side connect directly to the capital, it will save us times to get the rewards¡± (It finally between you and me now, dog. Today, we will settle this once and for all) Chico¡¯s looking forward to his encounter with this opponent, the one he never met before but has clashed with each other many times. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ At Cerberos¡¯s cave, the little girl has finally woke up, but she still doesn¡¯t let go of him. It ¡­ was not a bad feeling, so Cerberos just let her be. ¡°Say, little girl. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ Anna ¡­ Big Brother¡± (Big brother? Did she mistake me with that form? Also, what¡¯s with her roughly talking? Is it because she doesn¡¯t get used to talk with strangers) ¡°Anna, what do you want to do from here on out?¡± ¡°Follow¡± she pointed at herself. ¡°Big brother¡± she pointed at me (She want to follow me? Well, I can¡¯t deny that I¡¯m a bit happy about this. But what am I going to do now? Or, what should I do?) It¡¯s the first time Cerberos set aside his revenge for other¡¯s sake. This girl¡¯s life can¡¯t end up with him in this forest. If it¡¯s only him, he is willingly to risk his life, but he can¡¯t risk the life of this innocent being before him. Still bewilder about his future ahead, he pick up a strange smell in the air, the smell of burning. (I got a bad feeling about this) ¡°Anna, hop onto me¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Big Brother¡± When we got out of the cave, the whole surrounding was covered by smoke, wild animals running around in panic. The fire hasn¡¯t spread to here, but I can feel the heat in the air, and under my foot. The forest is dying. (Bastards) I run to a direction that wasn¡¯t burning. I can sense many presence ahead of me, I know it¡¯s a trap, but that¡¯s the only way for the girl riding onto me to survive. As for me, I have no future. When I run to the end of the forest, greet me is an unfamiliar voice that sound happy ¡°We meet at last, White Wolf¡± ______________________________________________________________________________________________ At the Easter side of Wood elves¡¯s sacred ground,The forest of Sleeping Tree, is a valley between 2 mountains. The path through the valley connect directly to the Empire¡¯s land. But that¡¯s a desolated land which no one living around. In the past, it was an old battle field between humans and elves that resulted in heavy casualties in both side. People have reported they still hear the battle scream in that area. Right now, the valley has been blocked by a wooden tower. Chico has positioned himself and other ranged fighter and mages on the tower, while the rest laying in ambush outside. ¡°Will he really come?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Lots of animals got out but no sight of a white wolf¡± ¡°Man, all of this anticipation is killing me. I still can¡¯t believe we burn the whole forest for just a dog¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Shht. Quiet down. Leader is still here.¡± Chico is sitting quietly in a corner with a closed eye, leaving all the unwanted noise outside of his head. The hand has been shown, the cards has been revealed, all he can do now is waiting for the outcome to play itself. In fact, he is thinking about what to do after this event, which country should he hide himself and his brothers in. ¡°Ahhhh, beautiful. The crimson flame Born from tiny spark Feared by all, humans and beast Devour everything, hatred and sorrow Leave nothing unturned¡± (Sigh) (I have to take my brother¡¯s condition into account too, when finding a place to hide. Now that I think about it, I have neglected him for a long time. He was such a cute kid back then. Maybe this is a chance to fix our relationship) A voice interrupted Chico¡¯s thinking ¡°I saw it, the white wolf¡± Chico open his eye and hurriedly look under the tower. There it is, a white wolf, have the same size of a fully matured wolf with an 8-years old elf girl riding him. This has lifted a weight from his mind. The only wild card in this table is that girl, he can¡¯t confirm if that girl is with the wolf or not, nor has she already out of the forest and already reporting this event to the elves. Seeing her here reassured all his needless worries. ¡°We meet at last, White Wolf¡± (Chico) The wolf doesn¡¯t seem to notice my welcome, or the tower I prepared to block him. He continue charging full speed ahead, headbutting into the tower. It made a cracking sound, and the tower tremble like crazy, but it still standing. The collision force has pushed the wolf away, he can hardly stand up with a red mark on his fore head, where blood is flowing out. (What is this?) Chico is confused, he doesn¡¯t understand the wolf¡¯s action. Even if he break the tower, he can¡¯t run far with that injury and we can follow the blood to track him. (It¡¯s like, he doesn¡¯t value his life anymore. And I has thought he is an intelligent beast, what a disappointing) ¡°Give the signal for the ambush. Let¡¯s finish the wolf while we provide cover fire¡± ¡°What about the girl?¡± That¡¯s girl, is a trouble. Personally, Chico is again killing woman and children. But he can¡¯t leave that girl alive to report this incident to the elves, before he hide himself. ¡°Aim for the legs, don¡¯t shoot the girl. Tell that to the ambush too¡± (Sigh, I¡¯m still too soft-heart.With this, I have to take care of the girl for sometimes) The beast¡¯s speed has reduce significantly, due to the injury and limited space to run. Despite of that, he still last quite a long time, till the moonlight shine upon this scene. (Useless brutes. Must I do everything by myself) Chico shoot a careful-planned shot, aiming for the moment Cerberos has to turn around, where his speed is the slowest. The arrow pierced his left leg and pinned to the ground. Cannot withstand anymore, Cerberos fall to the ground on his knees. ¡°Muhawaa, did you see that? Did you see that shot? I¡¯m the one who finished the beast¡± Chico laugh hysterically while proclaiming his achievement, with this, not only the damnable hunt is over but he also secure half the rewards. ¡°For thousands of years I lay dormant. Who dare to disturb my slumber¡± (???) (Sigh, not again) ¡°Chika, your dear brother is savoring his moment. Be a good boy and go play elsewhere¡± ¡°But¡­ it wasn¡¯t me¡± ¡°Ha ha, who else talk like ¡­¡± (Oh shit. It¡¯s not him. That voice came from the forest, while my brother standing beside me) ¡°I asked again. Who dare to burn this forest and wake me up from slumbers?¡± This time, that voice come closer. You can see some big figures heading to the tower from forest. (NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!) Not for long, the big figures come into view. It was 5 trees, or something that look like tree, as big as a mountain, have hands and legs like humans but no face. (WHY? WHY IS EVERYTHING JUST KEEP GETTING IN MY WAY?) Adventurer¡¯s rule number one: A monster is as deadly as its size. Adventurer¡¯s rule number two: Monsters grow stronger with its age. Adventurer¡¯s rule number three: When monsters attack in group, get the hell out of there. When the adventurer saw 5 figures, as big as a dragon and claimed they have slept for thousands of years, one thing is clear: THEY ARE IN DEEP SHIT. (No, we can still savage this situation) Chico is the first to get out from confusion state, he pointed his finger at the wolf¡¯s location ¡°Quickly, catch the wolf before¡­¡± There is nothing. The wolf already standing on the shoulder in the biggest humanoid-tree. (When? How? With that leg?) Many questions filled Chico, but he know he is running out of time. The wolf can¡¯t talk, if only he can trick them. ¡°Oh the Great One, hear me out. We are here to¡± ¡°They ¡­ bad people ¡­ burn ¡­ forest¡± (GYARGHH!!! And to think I want to keep her alive) ¡°But we are here on our God, Hades¡¯s order¡± ¡°The last time I woke up, there is no Gods nor Hades on this land.Now, I ask again, are you ready¡± ¡°SON OF A *BEEP*. WHY THE *BEEP* DOES ALL THIS FUNNY STUFF HAPPEN TO ME¡± ¡°Oh no, Big brother snapped¡± (Chika) Something inside Chico got out of control. The accumulated stress from 3 days, the disappointing performance of his comrades and most of all, the pleasant surprised from the forest. (On the Treant¡¯s side) (Author¡¯s note: Yeah, they are treant, but no one in this world know about them) ¡°FORGET MY LIFE. ALWAYS SURROUNDED BY MISERABLE FAILING CLOWNS .LIKE THIS WHOLE WORLD JUST LIKES TO BEND ME OVER AND BITE ME IN THE ASS¡± (Background noise) ¡°Elder, why don¡¯t we attack now¡± ¡°Well, it was in our tradition to wait for opponent finish their speaking. Besides, he look kind of ¡­ pitiful¡± ¡°Anna, close your ears please¡± (Cerberos) ¡°Yes, Big Brother¡± (Back to adventurers¡¯s side) ¡°LIKE IM SOME SORT OF SLUT RECEPTIONIST. WELL AS FAR AS I CARE THESE MISRABLE COWS CAN HAVE A FANCY BARBECUE WITH A GOD DAMN PIG¡± (Back ground ) ¡°Umm, Boss, do you understand half of what he is saying¡± ¡°Nah, not even a damn thing. However, he sounded like my mom whenever I forget to wash my hand¡± The boss of a party looking far away, reminiscent about his dead mother. ¡°Guahaha, I gotta say, I like this face better than his usual smurf expression¡± (Another boss) (One minute later, on the tower) *Huff* *Huff* Chico is out of breath, it¡¯s been a long time since he let out like this. In a meaning, it feel good. ¡°Brother, are you okay¡± (Chika) ¡°Yeah, feeling ¡­ better now¡± (Think, Chico, think. There is only 5 trees separated you from the rewards. You have 100 adventurers on your side. I have come so far, willing to become a criminal. Be it dragons or Gods, no one can stand in my way now) A frenzy flame burning in Chico¡¯s eye, he turn toward the adventurers. ¡°Hear me out, fellow adventurers. We have come so far and lost so many. Now, the only things separate us from the rewards are these 5 rotten-ancient-asshole trees. They want to revenge us, I said ¡°FUCK OFF¡±¡± ¡°FUCK OFF¡± (Adventurer¡¯s scream) ¡°ARE YOU WITH ME¡± ¡°YESSS¡± ¡°LET¡¯S KICK SOME ASSES¡± ¡°LET¡¯S KICK ASS¡± And the battle in the middle of night, between a seas of flame finally commence. Epilogue Chico opened his eye, only to find himself in a dark cave. ¡°You finally awake¡± Chico turned to the voice, it was Chiki, his big brother. One of his hand is holding a spear, the other hand covered in bandages and there is blood trace in his face. He look quite tired with dark circle under his eyes, but at least, he is alive. That ease Chico¡¯s mind a bit. ¡°Where is Chika¡± ¡°He¡¯s okay. He just overused his magic.¡± Chiki look at his left side, a young boy with red hair is sleeping peacefully under a sheet. ¡°This journey ¡­ really put a strain on him¡± ¡°Yeah, he never have to stay outside this long before¡± Their parents died when Chika was just 3 years old, due to a strange disease. It put the three brothers into a dire situation, there were some old acquaintances of their parents that¡¯s willingly take care of them, but they can¡¯t house all three children. If we were going to live with them, our brothers will be separated. It was a hard decision for us, but me and Chiki decided to live together, independently. We just can¡¯t bear to live, knowing that our dear brother will grow up without even knowing our faces. Chiki, at that time was only 12 years old, had to take on odd jobs in the adventurer guild to accommodate our living expense. Chico, at that time was only 8, have to take care of both the house and Chika. The two keep looking at their brother¡¯s sleeping face, the only family they are left, while reminiscence about the past. It was a tough time, but it was fun. Until, the pain from his right hand bring Chico back to the hard reality. The battle, was one-sided. None of our attack seem to affect them, be it sword or magic. And only with just a swing of hand, they completely destroy our tower. The only thing that seem to be their weakness, is their speed. They are slow, much slower than us and take a long time to turn around. Noticed that, I have given order for the adventurers to move around them and keep their distance. That tactics worked, for a short time. Those tree-like-monsters seem feed up with playing around with us and start throwing boulder. And their first target was, unfortunately, me, as I look like the leader of the group. Their sudden change of pace leave me perplexed and unable to act. If not for Saka, the lone adventurer with the dog, pushed me away, I¡¯d be dead right now. I don¡¯t remember much after that, I must have passed out back there. ¡°What happened after I lost consciousness?¡± ¡°Well, we were really panic after they throw that huge boulder on you. Chika went berserk and throw a big fire ball to one of the trees, completely engulf it in flame. That should have killed it, but I didn¡¯t have the chance to find out, Chika was soon collapsed after throwing that big spell. Seeing that you, the leader and Chika, the only one that can damage them out of combat, the others lost morale quickly and ran away. The best I can do is get you two out of that mess.¡± Chico sighed deeply. That¡¯s ¡­ as expected. Adventurers were not suitable for big battle like that. We don¡¯t have the discipline that an army¡¯d have and will crumble any seconds the battle seem lost. Hell, I was wrong myself too. At that situation, the best thing I can do is retreat and wait for the wolf to come out of the forest. We were not prepared to fight those monsters. Thinking back about it, The forest of sleeping trees. How laughable. They are not trees at all. They are monsters in tree form. But still, my brother can still get us out of that messy situation and he sweat it like it¡¯s no big deal. That¡¯s really amazing. ¡°Big brother¡± ¡°What¡¯s it¡± ¡°Thank you¡± ¡°Oi oi, don¡¯t start talking like that.You are making me blush, you know¡± ¡°But really, thank you, big brother. I don¡¯t know where we¡¯d end up if it was not for you¡± ¡°You know, Chico. You can always count on me. We are brothers after all¡± Big brother Chiki give me a thumb up, while smiling brightly. Really, if I was a girl, I¡¯d fall for him right now. Don¡¯t know why he¡¯s not popular with girls. Come to think of it, he¡¯s at the age to make a family on his own now. ¡°U¡­u¡± A small noise interrupted our conversation, Chika¡¯s body slightly tremble and his eyelid slowly open. ¡°Chika, you awake?¡± ¡°Big brother, you¡¯re alive¡± His voice is filled with happiness, then suddenly change ¡°Someone is coming¡± Our face become stern, anyone come at this time can¡¯t be good news, be it humans or elves. We follow Chika¡¯s instruction to confirm it, only to find a familiar figure. It¡¯s Saka, the lone adventurer with a dog. He hid himself well among the stones outside, if it was not for Chika¡¯s heightened sense, we couldn¡¯t detect him easily. I give a signal for Chiki to hide himself, while stepping out to talk. ¡°Yo, Saka.¡± ¡°Hiiii¡± It seem he is taken by a surprise. Strange, he¡®s facing toward our cave. Is me stepping out of the cave surprise him that much? ¡°Man, don¡¯t surprise me like that. I thought a bear ¡¯d come out and attack me¡± ¡°Sorry if I look like a bear to you. And Saka, thank for last night¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, man. Just remember to pay me back next time¡± ¡°Certainly. However, where¡¯d you go after this? We are officially The Empire¡¯s criminals now¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, me and my dog don¡¯t have a place we call it home. Maybe I will come to Orzama, anywhere outside of his Majesty¡¯s grab is good enough for me¡± ¡°Speaking of which, where is your dog. Never see you guys separated with each other¡± ¡°He ¡­ didn¡¯t make it. A stray boulder from that cursed tree hit him¡± ¡°My condolence. Why don¡¯t you come inside and rest for a while? We still have a lot to catch up¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want to bother you, man. See you later¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be a stranger, come inside. We maybe criminals now, but criminals still know how to treat their guests¡± Chico has to force him to come inside the cave, as Saka seem very reluctant. ¡°By the way, Chico, where is your brothers¡± ¡°They are out to find food. Don¡¯t expect them to comeback soon¡± ¡°I see¡­ that¡¯s good¡± Saka muttered quietly to himself. When they already stepped inside the cave, Chico made sure Saka can¡¯s see his brothers before starting conversation. ¡°Saka, what¡¯s the breed of your dog? He look like a pure-breed Mabari¡± ¡°Pure-breed Mabari? Are you kidding? There is no way I can get my hand on that. It just a stray dog I find myself on the street¡± ¡°Figured. Do you know that I lost one of my handkerchief yesterday, before the operation begins?¡± ¡°Hah ha. No way I¡¯d know about that. That¡¯s unlucky man¡± ¡°Really? Someone had reported that he saw your dog left the camp yesterday, holding something similar to my handkerchief. Must be a mistake¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, do you know that we adventurers don¡¯t call The Emperor his Majesty. You really should fix that habit of yours¡± Saka¡¯s face slowly change from relaxed to a grim expression. He dashed to me, trying to get me in his range but too late, Chiki has already come from behind and restrain him. ¡°Ouch. Damn, I give up. So this¡¯s the reason I waited outside for so long but no back up arrive. Did you kill the dog?¡± Saka, with his hand restrained and his face on the floor, hardly speaking to me. ¡°There is no way I¡¯d do that. It¡¯s a Mabari pure blood, you know. The noble will pay gold to get the hand on it. I just knock him up, tie him nicely inside a cave after making sure he doesn¡¯t carry any of my belongings anymore¡± ¡°Your ability scare me, Chico. When did you start doubting me? Is it because of the dog?¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. I slowly shake my head. ¡°The dog is one thing, but the main reason I suspecting you is your attitude¡± ¡°What? I thought I camouflaged myself pretty nicely¡± Saka seem pretty composed, despite being a prisoner. He must have guessed that I don¡¯t dare to kill him, and he¡¯s right. If my suspect is true, then his boss is someone I don¡¯t dare to make enemy with. ¡°You leave a plot hole in your identity, Saka. We adventurers don¡¯t trust others much. You are alone with just a dog and being friendly with everyone, it just doesn¡¯t seem right to me. A friendly adventurer that can¡¯t even find himself a company? The lone adventurer that I know of always seeing everyone at enemies or so incompetence that none care to talk to him. If you are neither, then you just a fake.¡± ¡°Damn. Never think about that until now. So, what do you want to do with me. You must have guessed who¡¯s behind me right?¡± I carefully choose my words, not reveal too much about information I know ¡°There is only 2 kind of man that can possess a Mabari pure-blood and dare to bring him outside. One is a noble. As you can sleep in our ragged tent, you are clearly not a noble. That leave me with only one conclusion, you belong to The Hound¡± The Hound. Just the name of it is enough to silence a crying baby. The old Emperor¡¯s right hand, a legend that go down in history with countless assassins and ploys in the Great War 200 years before. The name slowly fade in the time of peace, some say the Emperor has disband them as he doesn¡¯t need them anymore. But Chico know, only a fool ¡®d cut out his own hand. The Hound is only hiding, doing secret mission for the Emperor. ¡°Excellent judgement. The Emperor was right about you¡± Saka¡¯s eyes shine brightly, looking at me like a kid just answer the right solution. Honestly, his expression just piss me off, like he is holding advantage here. ¡°My turn to ask question. What do the Emperor want to do with me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. My only mission is observe you and give back reports. And if you failed the mission, bring you back, alive. Hey, Chico, let¡¯s join The Hound. I can put in good words for you¡± ¡°What about burning the forest?¡± ¡°Nah, his Majesty will do something about it, find some scapegoat, give them something for compensation. Your value is much more higher than that, I can guarantee it. And believe me, his Majesty know what¡¯s talent when he see one¡± Saka seem pretty excited when he talk about The Emperor. He seem to be a good Boss, if only, I was alone. ¡°Sorry, but I have to decline your offer¡± ¡°What? But, Why?¡± Saka seem disappointed as his shoulder drop slowly. ¡°The Emperor is too ambitious. Sooner or later, he will wage war. I don¡¯t want to get myself involve in that¡± ¡°Is that, because of your brothers¡± Saka seem to guess my real intention. What a sharp man. I throw a dagger near him, sticking it to the ground. If he crawl, he can get it and free himself in about 1 hour. ¡°Consider this as pay back for last night. Farewell, Saka, or whatever your name is¡± ¡°Chico. You know that his Majesty can find you if he want to ,right?¡± ¡°I know¡± And the Crimson Brothers ¡®s figures slowly fading away, to the vast land under the sky. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ In the Empire¡¯s Northern area, the land of Death where great battle occurred many years ago, Cerberos and his Anna had walked aimlessly for many days. After the fight that night, the Treant, what they call themselves, had offered to return Anna to the Elves, but she refused. I don¡¯t know why but she keep sticking to me, like a family. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling, having someone to care for. I was too na?ve. Walking around this land made me realize that. Anna is weak. She need delicate care. She doesn¡¯t show it on her face, but the time she sleeping on my back keep increasing. And I don¡¯t have anything to offer her. My dad is gone, the only place I can call home was burned down and I keep walking aimlessly without a purpose. Without me, she can live peacefully with the elves, receiving their care and education. I¡¯m just a curse to her. It pain me to realize that. She is the only one left that I care. But it was selfish of me to bring her with me. Maybe, I should return her to the elves, then find myself some quiet place to die. However, this damn land, where is the exit? I had walked around this lane in three days, and the scene never change, the whole field full of grass keep repeating. Lucky for me, Anna can survive with just grass and water, and I can hold myself off for a week. But our stamina slowly fade away, without a proper meal. Damn it, at this rate, we will die without a purpose. As I was in my self-depreciation, I picked up a scent. Faintly but surely, the living scent. I headed to the scent¡¯s direction and find an old hut. There is only one presence inside. Honestly, I don¡¯t trust other much, with what I have been through. But I have to think for Anna. I change back to my humanoid form, carefully don¡¯t wake up Anna who is sleeping on my back. With one hand carrying her, I used the other to knock on the door. ¡°Excuse me¡± ¡°Who¡¯s there¡± The door slowly open, reveal an old goblin holding a stick. He look¡­ harmless and doesn¡¯t seem to notice my strange appearance. ¡°Sorry to bother you. Can you take this child back to the elves¡± Quite reluctant, I give Anna to him. Farewell, my last family. ¡°A young elf. You find yourself quite a strange companion, boy.¡± ¡°She must have lost her family in Valencia Wood. Now, if you will excuse me¡± ¡°Hold it,boy.¡± The goblin left Anna on a table and quickly disappear inside his house. He comeback later, bringing a bowl of water. ¡°I don¡¯t know where do you want to go, but you look quite tired. Here, drink this. It can help cheer you up¡± ¡°I ¡­ thank you¡± Honestly, I don¡¯t need this. The place I¡¯m going to is my grave. However, just to look at Anna for a few more seconds is enough of an excuse for me. The moment my lip touch the water, I know something was wrong. But it was too late. My whole body is numb, it fall to the ground. ¡°Y..ou¡­ W..hy¡± Even talking take a great deal from me. ¡°Still can talk? Your endurance is impressive, boy.¡± The expression of the goblin slowly change. The same face as before, with a nasty smile that can give shiver to your bone. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, you won¡¯t last long with that paralyze poison¡± He quickly turn turn to Anna ¡°Still, bringing me new fresh test subject. It must be a gift from my Goddess Hera, hahahha¡± (Say what, test subject?) (You scum. Take your hand of Anna) The rage change me back to my normal form without me realize it. The only thing in my head now is to kill that bastard. ¡°Oh, you can transform. Quite peculiar, but not something unheard of. Now, STAY PUT¡± Lighting come from the normal-looking stick and struck me down. Damn it. Everything in my vision become blurred. A smell of blood come to my nose, is that my blood? I suddenly hear an unfamiliar, feminist voice ¡°Big wolf, white fur, just as description. Don¡¯t worry, Cerberos. I was sent here by your grandma¡¯s order, the Goddess Echidna. My name is Tia¡± (Echidna? Grandma?) That¡¯s the last thing in my mind before everything become blank. Arc 2-Prologue I''m going to be very busy at the end of this month. That''s why i''m trying to finish up this arc in the next 2 weeks, then take a break and continue my main series. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Empire, the largest human country in Fantasia, lie in the Easter corner of Grandia continent. They share the northern border with the Wood Elves live in Valencia Wood, the south east border is the Marshal Swarm, where the wild goblins reside, the south-west is waste land where a small tribe of centaur live. The west share border with the allied country Dorwinion and the east is the Baikan sea. The Empire is a monarchy country, ruled by the Kaiser dynasty. Kaiser I is the first King of human race who banded all human countries together to fight in the Great War. Even after the Great War end, the Kaiser still continue to rule over the land with the current Emperor known as Kaiser IV. As a human country, they allow citizenship only to humans race, other races can come and work at, but they don¡¯t have the right to own land, unless they have the acceptance of royals. Heirm is the Empire¡¯s capital city which is located in the eastern part of its territory. The city was famous in the part of being a fortress where Kaiser 1 and a group of 1000 soldiers made their last stance from the goblins invasion from the South, and triumph, completely turn the tide of battle. To commemorate that victory, as well as to remind their children this kingdom was founded by blood and bones, Kaiser I made Heirm the Empire¡¯s new capital. He expanded the fortress, built new wall on the surrounding area to make land for citizen, while renovate the old fortress to become new palace. Nowadays, not only Heirm is famous for being one of the biggest trading center in Grandia continent but also house in the temple of Athena, the main deity of humans. It has two districts, the plain district where normal citizens live and also the place for markets, the cloud district where royals and noble live, also house more important buildings like Athena temple and other country¡¯s Ambassador office. The cloud district is surrounded by the old wall which can be connected to the plain district by 4 Great Gate. In a government affairs room located in the castle in the center of Heirm, a middle aged man with a Beard was enjoying tea with a calm expression on his face. His mantle-covered body appeared stout, however, because he had wide shoulders, he didn¡¯t look obese. Perhaps below that mantle, he was full of muscle. *Knock* *Knock* A sound from the other side of the door interrupted Kaiser IV¡¯s leisure time. His eyebrows slightly frown showing a troubled face. Everyone in the castle know that they are not allowed to disturb Kaiser IV around this time. Only some certain individuals can visit him, and neither of them bring good news everytime they came. ¡°Come in¡± ¡°Sorry to trouble you, your Majesty¡± Walking in is a man donning a tuxedo with a hand carrying some sort of documents. His head held straight and every action of his show a bit of elegance, he¡¯s like a walking definition of how noble is. He is Alfred Edmond, the Prime Minister, the Emperor¡¯s left hand man and his most trusted friend. ¡°Alfred, how many time have I asked you to call me Roland if it is just us¡± ¡°Your Majesty, my answer will remain the same. It is an inappropriate behaviour if you display different treatment toward your retainers. A King must be just and fair.¡± In each generation, the Emperor always have lots of children and he choose the most talented person, or the one he deemed the most worthy to be the next Emperor. Needless to say, the competition was fierce as Princes fight not only for the throne, but also to protect themselves. Alfred was Roland, the 4th Kaiser, childhood friend and also his first follower. An individual with unmatched talent and extreme loyalty, half of the reason Roland was chosen as successor was due to this man. ¡°Sigh, very well. What bring you to my door today, Alfred?¡± ¡°I have news from our Northern operation, your Majesty. There is a good news and bad news. Which¡¯d you like to hear first?¡± ¡°Northern operation? Oh, Chico¡¯s group. The good news please¡± Kaiser IV composedly back to enjoying his tea, look like nothing can even faze him. ¡°The good news is, the report that a huge number of monster from Valencia Wood heading to our way two days ago seem to be incorrect¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Tell the army in division 1 to stay put.¡± ¡°The other news is, the monsters was a false report made up by the adventurers¡¯s group. Not only they have failed the mission to capture the target, they also burned down the elves¡¯s sacred forest¡± ¡°Fugeeh¡± A disgusting amount of tea projectile out and splash everywhere. Some headed to the Prime Minister but he evaded it skilfully. The room once again fall in silence as Kaiser IV looking at the Prime minister with a complex feeling on his face. (This bastard) The Kaiser thought to himself (He chose this time to tell me this). Only people close to the Prime minister know this hidden side of him. He take amusement from teasing people and watching them struggle with problems. In other word, he is a closet sadist. Even though nothing can be seen from his face, Kaiser IV can notice the strange flash coming from his eyes, hindering that the Prime minister completely enjoying this. (Oh well, nothing can be done about his personality) The Emperor brush off this matter as always and focus on more important tasks. They have been together for so long after all. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Alfred, give me the detail report¡± ¡°Here it is, your Majesty¡± Slightly disappointment from not seeing the reaction he waiting for, Alfred handed over the document. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Day 1 ¡­ circular around¡­ surround the location ¡­ kill more than 200 animals. Huh? 3 groups completely vanquish, more than 15 deaths¡± It took a while for the Emperor to believe what he is seeing. After all, 15 deaths in 1 day is more like the casualty from a disaster than from hunting. ¡°What do you think about this, Alfred¡± ¡°It look like ¡­ the opponent was more than a match for normal adventurers¡± ¡°Damn, I knew it was shady when the temple requested our cooperation for a mere monster. They should have called the elves, it¡¯s their forest after all.¡± ¡°It look like hero Perseus is the key for this mission. As you know, Perseus¡¯s relationship with elves is ¡­ undesirable.¡± ¡°That boy tried to get laid with Elves Queen the first time they met. It¡¯s a wonder he can live till now. Being the bastard son of a God really help sometimes.¡± ¡°Shhhh, your Majesty. There are things that better left unsaid. Gods are, as you know, quite moody¡± ¡°Ah yeah, just some mumbling of an old man, nothing too serious. Let¡¯s see, day 2, continue to surround ¡­ change tactics¡­ prepare a bait. What is this? The bait failed, trace of killing an elf and another elf survived¡± This time, it took longer for Kaiser IV to believe what he¡¯s reading. After that, he tossed the documents to the other side of table. ¡°Damn, I feel sorry for Chico, having to command those imbeciles¡± ¡°Indeed, your Majesty. You don¡¯t read the rest of the reports?¡± ¡°No need. After went through that, even I will burn the whole forest just to end that mission. The old me, that is¡± ¡°Ho ho, indeed. The old you would certainly do that. What¡¯d the new you do in that situation, your Majesty?¡± ¡°Continue to block, kill all the animals, drain the water. It will have to come out sooner or later. Too bad the youngling didn¡¯t have much patience like we are. And I had thought he is a good seed to grow¡± ¡°It still too soon to decide, your Majesty. A good seed need to go through storms before becoming an ancient tree. Perhaps, we can give him another chance?¡± ¡°Hmm, very well. Is there any reports from the Hound that we dispatched?¡± ¡°Still no news, your Majesty. I¡¯m afraid he has been found out¡± ¡°Ho oh, running from a Hound without any training? Now I¡¯m more interested in you, Chico. Wait a minute, what is this thing?¡± The Emperor¡¯s eye focus on an image in the end of the reports, showing a big tree attacking people. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you many times do not judge things so hastily, your Majesty. You can miss important detail¡± The Prime minister don¡¯t miss this chance to scold Kaiser IV. ¡°Okay, okay, I get it. Shessh, you scold me more than my mother. But this thing, don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s what I am thinking about¡± ¡°What you are thinking is correct, your Majesty. This is a Treant, a living legend from the Great War. Look like our small skirmish has, unfortunately, woke them up¡± The relaxed expression on Kaiser¡¯s face has been completely wipe off. His eye completely center on the Treant¡¯s image, with a grim look on his face. ¡°Is there, any chance they will be used in a war¡± ¡°Hardly. They seem to be much slower and fewer than what we know from stories in Great War. However, that come from our limited information. There is chance the elves still hold more of them¡± ¡°Sigh. Look like we can¡¯t fight them without knowing this. Tell the Hound to find more information on Treant, especially their number and weak points. Another matter is the Elves¡¯s ambassador, we have to ¡­¡± ¡°Daddddddddddy¡± A small figure charged to the government room. Her golden hair was spread out on the white sheets. Her skin was white and smooth like marble, but was not unhealthy like a sick person. She is Amelia, third princess of the Empire, and also, Kaiser IV¡¯s treasure. ¡°Daddy, you promised you will bring me outside today¡± ¡°Is it, Dear? Let me check the time¡± Kaiser IV look at his magic watch on the right hand, the analog pointed to number 5 ¡°You are right, my cutie pie. It is the time I promised. But I¡¯m kind of busy right now¡± Everyone seeing Kaiser IV right now couldn¡¯t relate him to the cold-blooded Emperor, he look like a doting father from every angle. ¡°Daddy, not again. I¡¯m going to get angry, you know¡± The little angel buffed up her chest, doesn¡¯t know that it just made her look cuter. ¡°Oh no, my daughter is angry with me. What should I do, Alfred?¡± The Emperor half-jokingly said ¡°Perhaps, we can find a husband for her Highness¡± ¡°Daddy, what is a husband¡± ¡°It¡¯s someone who always follow your order, who always protect you and put your life above his¡± ¡°Your Majesty, that¡¯s a servant¡¯s definition. A husband is someone you like to being together with.¡± ¡°Alfred, nobody can disobey my Amelia. My whole army is waiting for that insolence¡¯s head¡± ¡°That¡­ maybe so. But don¡¯t you think teaching her to command her husband is a bit too early? She need to learn about love first¡± ¡°Bak.Who need love when you have a nation behind¡± And the two old man continue arguing, disregard the presence of Amelia as she keep continue to listen. Side story Sorry for being late. I wanted to post 2 chapters last week, but there is a lot of reasons stopped me 1) This chapter is damn huge. Way over anything i posted, with more than 4k. Look like i bite more than i can chew 2) My HDD broken. I spent 3 days just to crack it to get back my data. Enough moaning, enjoy There wont be any chaps anytime soon, i have midterm next month ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ¡°What should we do with her?She is cursed¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. But we can¡¯t let other people found out about this.¡± Anna was just a normal elf living peacefully with her parents in Valencia Wood, near the Forest of Sleeping Tree. But when she turned 5, everything changed. Her left eye¡¯s color gradually turned white and she can¡¯t see anything with that eye. Her parent¡¯s attitude toward her changed too. They spent less time with her, and when they do, they tried to avoid looking at her face. Sometimes, Anna can hear her mother¡¯s crying voice from her room while her father look more and more worn out every passing day. He also spent more time outside, and when he returned, he tried to make Anna drinks lots of weird potions. Anna was young, but she understood all of this was because of her left eye. One day, she tried to braid her hair so that it can cover her left eye completely. When she tried to show that to her mother, her mother burst out with tears, hugging her and saying ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡± all night. When Anna¡¯s eye completely turned white, she was prohibited to go outside. ¡°Anna¡­ she has to go¡± her father hardly said ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to kill her. Cursed or not, she¡¯s still my daughter¡± her mother¡¯s face contorted in anger, with a little desperately in her voice. ¡°Calm down, she has my blood too. But It will be a matter of time before everyone found out about this. The sickness excuse won¡¯t last long¡± ¡°Should we ask our Goddess Artemis for a Revelation?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want to risk it. You know how our Goddess thinking. If she take a liking to her, our daughter will have to follow her with the rest of her life. I don¡¯t want our daughter to be a virgin forever just because of our decision.¡± ¡°What did you think of?¡± ¡°I¡­ want to send her to the Keeper. She live alone and trustworthy. We can even visit her twice a year. And who know, maybe living in that forest may cure this curse¡± A Keeper is the protector of the sacred forest. Their main job is to cater some valuable trees and inform the village if something happened inside forest. Every sacred forest has one or two Keepers. ¡°The Keeper? Is she okay?¡± ¡°It will be fine. I¡¯d known her since I was a kid. She know how to keep her words. We can let Anna live with her until she can make decision for her own, then she can decide if she want to follow our Goddess Artemis or not. Personally, I don¡¯t like her to do that¡± ¡°What¡¯s your problems with the Amazoness? I think they are kind of cool.¡± ¡°Their whole existence is the problem. Woman shouldn¡¯t play with bow and sword, then belittle man. They even said that man¡¯s existence is not necessary. What a joke! Like they can make baby on their own¡± ¡°Well, I know that they are a little too extreme. But if that can help our daughter¡­¡± ¡°I said no. Anna can decide on that when she grow up. But as long as I still walking in this forest, I won¡¯t put my daughter on those crazy-battle maniac- sorry excuse of a woman¡¯s hands. ¡° And thus, Anna was sent to live with the Keeper, who is a gentle-looking old lady. Everything went smoothly and the Keeper agreed to keep quiet about this. At first, Anna was very quiet. As a young girl, the thought of being abandoned by her parents really wound her up deeply and hurt the already low of her self-esteem. Unknowingly, Anna has built a cage to block herself from getting hurt from outside world. ¡°Anna, can you pass me the watering can¡± ¡°Here¡± ¡°Anna, would you mind ¡­? ¡°Anna¡­¡± However, the Keeper doesn¡¯t seem to mind her cold attitude. She interacted with Anna like she is her own child and didn¡¯t hesitate to look straight at her face when talking. Anna felt ¡­ annoying at first. She just wanted to be left alone reading her books, but she can¡¯t disobey the Keeper. She¡¯s just a guest in this house after all. Anna wasn¡¯t aware that just by talking and doing works together with the Keeper, their distance had slowly become closer. Time passed, Anna had lived with the Keeper for more than 3 years. She had grown a lot and can water the old trees on her own. She got used to live with the Keeper, and sometimes, initiate the conversation on her own. However, she still refused to change her hairstyle to unhide the eye, no matter how many times the Keeper insisted. ¡°Anna, will you listen to me? Let untie your hair. It such a waste to cover your cute face¡± ¡°¡­ No¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°This eye ¡­ cursed. Don¡¯t want ¡­ hurt you¡± ¡°I have lived long enough to know it¡¯s not a curse, Anna. Just trust me and untie your hair¡± ¡°¡­No¡± ¡°Sigh, what a stubborn child. Could you hold this vase for me instead?¡± ¡°¡­Like this?¡± ¡°Yeah, be careful not to drop it. Now then ¡­¡± Before Anna can react, the Keeper already got behind her and untie her hair. ¡°As expected, you look much cuter like this¡± ¡°You ¡­ tricked me¡± Anna looked up to the Keeper with widening eye, can not comprehensive what just happened. Then, she realized this is wrong and quickly turn her face down, tried to hide the eye. ¡°It¡¯s too late now, Anna. If it was really a curse, I should be affected by now¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°I wonder. Maybe because I like you¡± She cheerfully smiling like it¡¯s nothing to worry about. ¡°ARE YOU STUPID!!! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT I FEELING RIGHT NOW !!!¡± ¡°Anna¡­¡± ¡°My mom cried everytime she see me, my dad doesn¡¯t even look at me. I can¡¯t even meet my friend and have to hide in this forest like a rat. AND NOW YOU DONE IT¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Keeper didn¡¯t say anything, she just slowly wrap her arms around Anna and gently hug her from behind. "You are the only one who i can talk normally. If something happened to you because of me ...I... I " The rest, she can not say it as it was overwhelming with sobbing, the crying voice she hold in her heart ever since her eye transform. "Good girl, Anna.You are a good girl. Just let it out like this" "Umu.." The two hugging each other for a while, until the Keeper find it the right time to talk. "Anna, can you listen to me for a bit?" "Umu..." She responsed softly as her head still in cloud after the cry. "Anna, you are still young, too young. You have a whole future waiting for you. Don¡¯t let this eye block that future from you¡± She touched Anna¡¯s cheek softly and look deep into her eye. ¡°One day, people will find a cure for this. One day, someone that care about you despite this eye will come in your life. Until that day come, promised me this, Anna, never lose hope.¡± ¡°Umu¡­¡± ¡°Good girl¡­¡± ¡°Keeper¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°Can you hold me like this ¡­ longer¡± ¡°Anytime you want¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­grandma¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Can I call you¡­ grandma¡± ¡°Ohh Anna¡± After that incident, Anna has become more lively. She spent more time outside with the Keeper and doesn¡¯t tie her hair anymore. She still tied it whenever she met with her parents though, as to avoid causing unnecessary dismay. However, when the two has become closer, Anna has noticed something strange. The Keeper is old, too old to live out here alone. She doesn¡¯t even remember what she had done just one moment before, and she even dozed off on chair while talking. And another thing is, they are not alone in this forest. Sometimes, Anna can catch sigh of a wolf, a beautiful white wolf looking into their hut from afar. It was just a moment before it disappeared, but Anna can see a shred of intelligent in his eye. ¡°Grandma, I want to ask you something¡± ¡°What¡¯s it, little Anna?¡± ¡°Grandma, why do you still staying in this forest?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°A Keeper only obliged to stay in the sacred forest in the span of 1 to 3 years. After that, another Keeper will take turn to stay. But you have stayed here for more than 10 years, even my parents can¡¯t tell how long you were here. Why?¡± ¡°Oh my, you did your homework well. I¡¯m impressed, little Anna. But I can¡¯t leave this forest now, is it? Now that my Anna is staying with me¡± ¡°Muu, grandma, you are dodging the subject¡± ¡° Ha ha, my bad. But really, why did you suddenly want to know that? Or do you want to chase this poor, old woman out of this forest and become the new Keeper?¡± The Keeper teasingly said it with a joking smile on her face. ¡°Grandma!!!¡± ¡°Gehh, there is no way to stopping you now, is it. But this will be a long story. Very long¡± ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m prepared¡± Anna bring out a seat for the Keeper. ¡°Sigh, what a stubborn child¡± She slowly sit down on the chair with her eye looking faraway into the forest. ¡°Long time ago, when I was just as small as you are right now, little Anna, I traveled to this forest everyday like it is my backyard¡± ¡°This forest was not forbidden back then?¡± ¡°No, it was still forbidden and there was a very old Keeper living in it. But I was a problem child back then, the more they forbid me from entering, the more I want to come in just to prove that they were wrong¡± ¡°Somehow, that is hard to imagine¡± ¡°Hehe, I know. It doesn¡¯t fit with my image now. I was so young back then, compare to you now, I was just a fool who think she can do whatever she wanted without consequences. But moving on, I bet you don¡¯t want to hear this old woman¡¯s ramble do you¡± ¡°It was just a normal day like any others. Some kids didn¡¯t believe that I can go to this forest alone, so this time I go deep inside, to the part I never visited before to find something amazing. I walked around aimlessly for hours but found nothing impressive. Just about time I was about to give up and turn back, I saw it, a seven-colored flower on the edge of a hill. At that time, there was only one thought in my head, I have to get it¡± She paused for a moment, trying to find the words to describe it. ¡°Then, I don¡¯t know how, it took me a while to get there, but I finally reach the flower. However, when my hand reached to flower, I let my guard down and lost balance. My body fell from that hill while my hand still holding the flower, it was short and my brain can¡¯t even comprehend what just happened¡± ¡°Luckily ,my body fell to something soft. When I regained my consciousness, I realized I fell right in the back of a monstrous 3-headed black dog. We looked into each other for a while, then one of the head talked to me¡± ¡°Watch your step, little girl¡± ¡°And then? Did you talk back to him?¡± ¡°Haha,no. I screamed as loud as I can and run like my life depend on it. When I get back to the village, everyone was seeing like a ghost just appear. And the funny part is, I still hold that flower, but all of it petal was teared off during my escape¡± ¡°Have you comeback after that?¡± ¡°No. I swear to my life back then I will never come back to this forest. Sometimes, I do miss it but fear consumed me and I gave up that idea¡± ¡°Then, why do live here?¡± ¡°When you get old, Anna, your life¡¯s view point changed too. It was around when I was 60 that I want to live in this forest. It was just a thought at that point, but it came back stronger and more frequently. This forest is my childhood, a part of my life and just think I will never come back here is like betraying my friend. And so, I decided to move here as a new Keeper¡± ¡°But Grandma, what about that dog?¡± ¡°Well, he is part of the reason too. Thinking back now, I believe that dog has intelligent and never mean harm to me. That¡¯s why I was looking for him in here to say ¡°thank you¡± to him properly¡± ¡°But how can you know if he still here? It¡¯s been a long time¡± ¡°Call that a woman¡¯s instinct. I just had a feeling he still living here. Beside, you must have noticed it now, Anna, there is a white wolf sometimes appear in this forest¡± ¡°I just saw it the other day. Is it his son?¡± ¡°I believe so. They sort of look similar and he has the same eye as the dog back then. If you ever meet him, greeting him properly will you, Anna? I believe you two will become good friend¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°I will, grandma¡± After that talk, Anna was looking forward to meeting that wolf again. She believed they can become good friend with each other, be it because of grandma¡¯s story or just a little girl¡¯s delusion about a mystery being. However, the wolf didn¡¯t appear again, instead of it, someone from the village came. Anna has to hide, because according to his parent¡¯s story, she¡¯s still out in another country living with a close relative. The elf came in seem to be in rush, he tried to tell grandma to come back to the village in the meantime. According to his, humans will have some kind of monsters hunting in this forest in the next few days, and the forest is not safe anymore. However, grandma easily brush out the subject ¡°Sorry son, but I can¡¯t leave this forest now. If the humans came, who know what will they do to this beautiful forest, to our holy tress that dwell in here. I need to be here at crisis time, that¡¯s part of a Keeper¡¯s job.¡± ¡°But¡­ your life is more important than this ¡­¡± He seems frustrated to get the word out, but grandma stop it before he can finish. ¡°When you get older like me, you get pretty stubborn sometime. If Hades want to welcome me to his realm, then so be it.¡± She smiled gently like it¡¯s no big deal ¡°Send my regards to the village chief for his consideration, and tell him, if he doesn¡¯t receive any words from me after the humans left, he should consider finding a new Keeper¡± The elf reluctantly left, doesn¡¯t achieve what he come here for. After made sure he gone, Anna come out of her hiding place to inquire the Keeper, who is looking gloomy outside. ¡°Grandma¡± ¡°Oh, little Anna, you surprised me. Do you want some tea¡± ¡°Grandma, did you reject returning to the village¡­ because of me¡± She looked at me a while with a surprise eye, before returning to her usually cheerful smile ¡°Anna, you think too deep about this. A kid like you should be more bright. Now, come here, let grandma brush your hair for you¡± ¡°Grandma, you tried to change the subject again¡± ¡°Sigh, what am I going to do with you. I don¡¯t remember how many time I said it, but you are a stubborn child¡± ¡°Grandma!!!¡± I gave her a meaningful look, the kind that me her give up every time she is trying to hide something. ¡°Okay okay, you win. Remember this Anna, boys don¡¯t like suborn girl¡± ¡°Grandma!!!!!!!¡± More meaningful look. ¡°Okay,you are right. You are part of the reason I can¡¯t leave this forest now. How can I leave it in a few days while little Anna still living here? What kind of grandma am i? But, you are not the only reason¡± She returned to the gloomy look a while ago and looking outside again. ¡°This is the first time humans set foot in this sacred forest, in my life time. I can feel it, something big is incoming, something that can shake this peaceful era. And it related to the pair of wolves that live in this forest with us¡± ¡°If ¡­ something was going to happen to ¡°him¡±, even if I can¡¯t help it, I want to make sure about it¡± She went to a grave state while murmuring something inconsistent. Anna know full well that she shouldn¡¯t disturb her this time. Few days later, the forest¡¯s atmosphere completely change. You can¡¯t see it physically, but Anna can feel it. Wood elves always have a special bond with natural. The tree is anger. Grandma has lost her usually cheerful mood. Often, Anna found her looking at the South west with a grave look that she hardly showed it on her face ¡°How dare they ¡­¡± ¡°Unacceptable¡­¡± At one time, she called out to Anna and give her a package ¡°Anna, this package has enough food and medicine for you to last in 3 days. If something were going to happen to me, then you take this and run to your parent¡¯s house¡± ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t scare me like that¡± ¡°Silly girl, I only say this just in case¡± She smiled softly, there was some sadness when she said it. That night, too people forced the door open. Grandma came out to greet them, but *Stab* (Grandma) Anna¡¯s eye was draw in as grandma¡¯s body slowly collapsed and fall to the ground, in a pool of blood. She wanted to scream, she wanted to hurried toward her, but Anna was scared. She was my only friend, the only one I can talk to, the only one understand me. This¡­ can not be real. This can¡¯t be happening. Her brain refused to accept the things happening right before her eye and believe in a desperate hope that all of this was just a dream. She scared that if she come over, the illusion will gone, reveal the despairing truth. ¡°Oi, George. Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°Stop being a dick, Max. They want a bait, right? What¡¯s better for a bait to lure a wild dog than a little blood¡± ¡°But, this is elves¡¯s sacred forest¡± ¡°Listen, we complete the task, we get the rewards, and we gone. Nobody will never EVER hear anything about things in this forest¡± ¡°Sigh, you just want an excuse for your killing hobby¡± ¡°Yeah, so what? You have a problem with that? Get your lazy ass outside and prove to be useful, for once¡± *Walking sound* ¡°Damn, why do I have such a small dick friend? 3 years in bandit camp and he still can¡¯t do shit. Oh well, back to busi¡­ Lookie here. A small elf. Is this God¡¯s reward for all of my effort fuwahhaaaaa¡± Anna completely ignore the greedy look from the baldy or when he tried to tie her. Her brain had stopped malfunction. There is only one thing in her mind. Grandma. Stand up Please¡­ tell me This is all a dream. What happen after that, Anna can¡¯t tell. Her mind is completely blank. She just watched the Keeper¡¯s motionless body in silence, with the whole area surrounding become blurred, nothing more than complete void. That¡¯s, until someone whole body covered in blood stand next to her. ¡°Please ¡­ take ¡­ care¡­ of ¡­ her¡± The Keeper looked at Anna for a last time, she gave her the usual gently smile and tried to say something. However, she was too weak to make any noise and before long, her eye became empty, like a doll, pretty but completely deny of life. After that, the world came back to Anna, bring along the unwanted emotion with it. Sadness. Despair. Anna doesn¡¯t know how to call that, but it was familiar, the same as when her left eye became completely blind. Anna want to cry. She knew crying will make her feel better, but she can¡¯t. Her body refused listening to her, same as last time. When Anna come to her sense, she realized this house, her home, the place she¡¯s been living for 3 years, was painted in blood. Her grandma¡¯s body was nowhere to be found, instead of it, 2 strange male body lay on the floor. Anna walked outside to find a boy stand next to a new hole, with grandma¡¯s body placed near it. Grandma Why Don¡¯t leave me alone, please At least, bring me with you ¡°Any last words¡± ¡°¡­Yes¡± Anna move slowly, with the hope all of this is a prank and grandma will wake up and hug her, like usual At close range, grandma¡¯s face looked peaceful. She has the same face when she sleep but the wound on her chest and the coldness from her skin tell a different story. ¡°¡­Grandma¡± Thank you for always listen to me. Thank you for always make me laugh. Thank you for always give up when I give you a meaningful look. Thank you for giving me courage to untie my hair. ¡°Grandma ¡­ thank you ¡­ for being my grandma¡± ¡­¡­¡­. After everything finish, the outside of the house looked exactly the same, except the place she buried grandma and marked it with a stone. The same old tree that Anna sit next to while listening to grandma¡¯s story, the same flower garden that the 2 take turn to water. Everything is the same. But why is my chest tighten every time I look at it ¡°Grab whatever you want, we will depart shortly¡± Now that Anna have a closer look, the boy looked pretty ¡°strange¡±. He has white fur covered his body, with no clothes or armor on it. With dog ears and tail, he¡¯s not a race she can recognize. For some strange reason, Anna firmly believe he is the white wolf she was looking forward to meet. The boy has a fierce eye, wild and free, like an animal. But Anna can sense a bit of sadness and loneliness in that eye. Grabbing the package grandma showed her this morning, when Anna get out, the boy was already on his way. She tried to follow him, but thinking for a minute, then use a branch to cover both his and her tracks before going with him to the depth of the forest. All of that action was not missed, by the boy. ¡°You are brave, little girl¡± The boy said while walking (No, I¡¯m not) Anna knowing full well She¡¯s just a coward, can¡¯t even get out of her shell. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. The place he went to, is cave well hidden in the forest. The boy reverted to the wolf form shortly and fell asleep right after. But Anna can¡¯t. She missed the softness in her bed. She missed the warmness from her blanket. And most of all, she missed grandma¡¯s smell in that house. After lots of attempt to sleep, Anna failed. The only thing she can do is watching the wolf sleep. He looked¡­ innocent, nothing resembled the ferocious boys who was covered in blood that time. His body curled up in a cute gesture with his ears down and his body shifting in a slow motion with each of his breath. Having nothing else to do, Anna slowly get close to him, to the point that her hand can reach him. She doesn¡¯t know where did she get that courage, but she slowly snugged to his body, with her hand wrap around him. (As I thought, this is¡­ comfortable). The warm from his body, and his scent, she doesn¡¯t know how to describe it, but it has a calm effect on her mind. Slowly, Anna fell asleep while hugging the wolf. ¡­¡­¡­¡­.. (Grandma, I miss you) Anna remembers, the first time she met the Keeper. ¡°Keeper, please. Can you take care of this child? Her eye is a little ¡­ weird. We fear she can¡¯t live in the forest¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Anna, is it? Nice to meet you¡± The first time they met, the Keeper greeted her with a cheerful smile. Honestly, it annoyed Anna. Go away Leave me alone Don¡¯t show me that smile Do you even know how I feel Anna kept silent, while staring at her. The atmosphere became awkward and her parent tried to cover it. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. She usually such a nice girl. Must be shy. Say hi, Anna¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Never mind that. I¡¯m sure we can get along. After all, we have such a long time ahead of us¡± Go spend that time with yourselves Don¡¯t even get near me I will pretend I was deaf. (Grandma) (I was such a spoiled child back then) (But you never reject me) ¡°One day, people will find a cure for this. One day, someone that care about you despite this eye will come in your life. Until that day come, promised me this, Anna, never lose hope.¡± ¡°Okay,you are right. You are part of the reason I can¡¯t leave this forest now. How can I leave it in a few days while little Anna still living here? What kind of grandma am i?¡± ¡°I believe so. They sort of look similar and he has the same eye as the dog back then. If you ever meet him, greeting him properly will you, Anna? I believe you two will become good friend¡± ¡°Anna, this package has enough food and medicine for you to last in 3 days. If something were going to happen to me, then you take this and run to your parent¡¯s house¡± ¡°Little Anna¡­¡± ¡°Please ¡­ take ¡­ care¡­ of ¡­ her¡± ¡°Grandma¡± Anna woke up, with cold sweats all over her body. Before her eyes, the white wolf is looking at her curiously. (Grandma) (I don¡¯t know why you trusted him, I still don¡¯t know) (But ¡­ I trust you, grandma. Forever and always.) (I will try) Anna inhaled a deep breath, before introducing ¡°Good morning, Onii-chan¡± _________________________________________________________________ On a site note, i will change big brother to Onii-chan now. Why? because Onii-chan is more Moe and this is a damn fantasy world Bear with it Arc 2 -chap 1: New hope Sr for the delay, the midterm last 3 weeks and i finally on a break. Hopefully, i can pull out another chap at the end of this week On a positive side, my later chapters keep getting longer and longer ^_^ ____________________________________________ Cerberos wake up, just to find himself in an unfamiliar dark room. This place, where is this? It is too dark, both inside and outside, I can¡¯t even distinguish left and right from it. Am I still dreaming? Ouch, my head. It feel like someone keep pounding my head every seconds. This sensation¡­ is too real to be an illusion. I tried to use my hand to hold my head down, in an attempt to calm this insufferable headache¡­ Huh? My hand, it¡¯s the human hand. I can¡¯t see it clearly but still can notice the difference when it touched my head. Not just my hand, my face too. I¡¯m currently in my human form. How did this happen? If my memory served me correctly, I was in my normal form, trying to bite that bastard off before falling conscious. Anyways, I need to transform fast. This form is not just weaker and slower, but also make all my sense become duller. I¡¯m feeling insecure in this form, given this unknown situation. ¡°Guarghh¡± The transformation¡­ didn¡¯t come out. Instead of it is an intense pain surging within my body This is¡­ really bad. My dad once told me, if we use too much energy. Our body will stay in an ¡°exhaust¡± state, which force us to stay in this body to preserve the energy. But how, I don¡¯t remember using my energy that much, except That poison¡­ And what did that bastard say, ¡°A transformation, quite peculiar, but not unique¡±. Did he¡­ met others like me? ¡°So, you¡¯re awake¡± (???) An unfamiliar voice caught me off guard while I was thinking. A figure, already standing at the door, with a lantern on her hand. A snake mask on her face reflected from the little light the lantern provided, but from the voice, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a woman. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I tried to stand up but end up falling to me knee due to the exhaustion from my body. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m not your enemy. Your condition¡¯s pretty bad, your body won¡¯t be able to act for a while. There is an unknown substance that keep acting up inside. But worry not, your body is slowly digesting it, you can move soon¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the cold attitude? I¡¯m your allies, you know. If I didn¡¯t arrive in time, who know where¡¯d you be heading now, maybe in that goblin¡¯s stomach?¡± ¡°How can I trust someone who keep hiding their face¡± ¡°Oh,pardon me. Where is my manner. I got so accustomed to this mask that sometimes, I forgot I was wearing it¡± She slowly take off the mask, revealing a good-looking face with silver-hair that was put-up into a ponytail. ¡°Let me introduce again. I¡¯m Tia. Nice to meet you¡± a friendly smile beaming on her face that give off a relaxing atmosphere around her. However, Cerberos didn¡¯t get attracted to that. That pointy ear, is she an elf? But unlike all of the elf I met till now, which have greenish or light skin, her skin is dark-grey, almost look like an orc. A half-bred? ¡°You seem to be impressed by my skin? Well, that is understandable. My kind is not so popular around this part of the land, so this maybe the first time you meet someone like me. I¡¯m a Dark elf¡± Her smile doesn¡¯t faze, contradicted to Cerberos¡¯s deadly silent. Even Cerberos is feeling bad if he doesn¡¯t response to this conversation ¡°A dark elf?¡± ¡°Yes, we are the proud warriors of shadow, servants of Echidna and allies of the Titan. Tia, from clan Soulscar, at your service¡± Titan? Echidna? None of that sound a ring to me ¡°Where is that goblin? And Anna?¡± ¡°Got away, I suppose. I managed to get a sneak attack on him while he focused on you, but he used some sort of strange spell to create a mist and escape. The girl is fine. She is sleeping in the next room. Sheesh, where did you find her? She didn¡¯t even let me come near you when she saw your state and thought that I was the culprit. Took me quite an effort to separate you two.¡± So, Anna is safe. That,at least, put a lot of weight off my chest. ¡°If I remember correctly, before I lost consciousness, you once called me ¡°Cerberos¡±. Where did you learn about that name¡± Her facial changed, she looked at me difficultly, like she doesn¡¯t know how to explain it ¡°So, it¡¯s true. Your father really keeping everything from you. Anyways, where is your father? I followed your trace from the forest, or what¡¯s left over from it, but I didn¡¯t see your father¡¯s trace. He should explain this better than me¡± (Father) Just hearing that make my heart ache ¡°He¡¯s¡­ gone¡± This time, her face change to completely serious ¡°Are you sure about that? Did you see it directly?¡± ¡°No¡­ I can¡¯t. When they came, I ¡­ was hiding far away. But I can sense it, his presence, his smell, all gone¡± Cerberos feel ashamed of himself by just remember it. He is Cerberos, the proud son of Cerberus, and all he did was just hiding away while they killed his father? However, that woman, Tia, seem relief somehow after hearing this? What the heck? Is she mocking me? ¡°Cerberos, can you answer me honestly. Do you know who is your father, Cerberus?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that? He is¡­¡± I can¡¯t answer that. Now that I think about it, he never told me about his past, his origins or his relative. All I know is just 2 names, my mother Aquina and his brother, Cerberas. Damn it, what kind of a son am i? As if already guessed the answer from my confusing look, the woman continued the conversation ¡°Listen carefully,Cerberos. Your father is a Titan, a full-blooded Titan¡± Titan? She mentioned that name before. ¡°For unknown reason, he kept that secret from you and I won¡¯t go into detail about that. But I think you should know this, all Titan is immortal¡± ¡°Immortal?¡± ¡°Yeah, their life will last very long, almost indefinitely. There is no way to kill them, if you cut off their head, they¡¯re still alive, if you burn them to ash, the ash will regrow back to a full body. Currently, there is no known method in killing a Titan¡± What am I hearing? Surely, my dad always looked very old, almost ancient-like. But to think he is that powerful? ¡°You mean that, there is a chance, my dad is still out there¡± ¡°Not just a chance, I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s still alive somewhere. I don¡¯t know what trick they used to make his presence completely vanished, but he can¡¯t be killed. Currently, there is no known method to kill a Titan.¡± This woman, I don¡¯t trust her yet. But I think what she is saying is true. Or rather, I want to believe what she is saying is true. (Dad, I¡¯m coming for you) ¡°You seem to have digest the information. Now I have a proposal for you. As I said before, you and your father is not the only one in your race. There are others like you, your family, and one of them happen to be my boss. My job is to bring you back to your family, sound good?¡± ¡°Sorry, I have to refuse¡± ¡°I know, pretty touching, eh ? Thinking you was all alone all this time and suddenly¡­ Wait, what did you just say?¡± ¡°I refuse¡± ¡°Why? Do you have other plans?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to find my dad¡± ¡°But how? You plan to walking aimlessly until you catch a trace of your dad?¡± ¡°No, from the persons I killed, I get the information that someone named Emperor sent them to the forest. If only I can meet him, I can make him talk, one way or another¡± ¡°Order from the Emperor? That explain the large number of adventurers in the forest. When will we go, Cerberos?¡± ¡°We? You seem to misunderstood me, elf. There is no ¡°we¡± between us. I will go alone¡± ¡°Ohhhm, how cold. And after all I¡¯ve done for you, you plan to abandon me and continue your journey?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like that kind of tongue, elf. I¡¯m grateful for your support, but know this, I¡¯m Cerberos, the proud son of Cerberus. I can solve my problem, alone¡± ¡°Then, please tell me, o¡¯ mighty Cerberos. How do you plan to find this Emperor? Do you even know what he looked like?¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ none of your concern. I can manage it, somehow¡± She is right, I don¡¯t know anything about outside world. It will be much more difficult for me, without her help. But so what. I won¡¯t ever forget that these creatures are the one took out my dad and burned my home. Never. I¡¯d rather die than receive their charity. ¡°What about that little girl?¡± ¡°Anna, what do you mean?¡± ¡°Do you still plan to bring her with you? Unlike you, she has a delicate body, you know. Do you think she can last until you find your dad?¡± Of course she can¡¯t. Damn, what do I do now? I want to find dad, but I can¡¯t bring Anna with me. And after the incident with the goblin, I don¡¯t think I can entrust her to strangers anymore. What about this elf? I still don¡¯t trust her, but I don¡¯t think she has any evil intention toward Anna. She only interest in me, it seems. Better give it a try. ¡°Elf. Would you mind¡­¡± ¡°My name is Tia, my lord¡± She cut me short. Damn it, elf. Just remember it when I¡¯m back. ¡°Umm, Tia, would you mind taking care of Anna while I¡¯m gone¡± ¡°You forget ¡°please¡± ¡± (Easy, Cerberos, easy. This is for Anna, do not anger her) ¡°Tia, please taking care of Anna for me¡± ¡°That¡¯s better¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°I refuse¡± ¡°DO NOT TOY WITH ME, ELF !!!!!¡± (Transform) ¡°Gyarghh¡± The pain, it¡¯s too great that I have to convulse on the floor while gripping my chest just to keep myself from passing out. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Curse this useless body. ¡°Okay, kid.Look like your father didn¡¯t teach you some manner when he left, so let big sis hammer something fundamental to your head. First, the least you can do when someone offer you help is say thank you¡± ¡°Curse you¡± ¡°Second, my only concern is you, that girl is none of my concert. Don¡¯t even dare to think I¡¯m some kind of servant that¡¯s do anything you asked¡± (Kill her) A voice whispered to my ear. ¡°And lastly, you are not just live for yourself, you are living for that girl too. You should see the look from her face when she saw you collapsed. I don¡¯t know why she¡¯d follow you, but take responsibility for it, will you¡± Damn, stop speaking. And why did Anna follow me? Hell if I know. I just rescue her from some disgusting humans. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on in her head. Like my father, I don¡¯t know anything about her. Suddenly, an image appeared inside my head. (Please¡­ take care ¡­ of her) A fragile body, used her last strength to ask me one last favor. ¡­¡­¡­¡­. If something happen to Anna, how can I face myself now? If that Goblin did something to her back then, because of me ¡­ I just realize ¡­. It was stupid¡­ and irresponsible when I came to the goblin. I didn¡¯t even consider Anna¡¯s feeling and the consequences after that. I¡­ have to think this thoroughly. I¡¯m ignorance of this world, an outcast. If I want to see my father again, if I want to protect Anna¡­ I need help. (Kill her. Trust no one) That voice again. (You have ¡°me¡±. That¡¯s enough. Kill her. Kill the brat too) Just ¡­ shut up for a seconds. The anger, before I knew it, has completely vanished. The elf seem to notice my change of feeling too. ¡°Calm down now?¡± ¡°¡­ yeah¡± ¡°Do you still plan to find your dad?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Do you need my help?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Yes¡­¡­. Please¡± ¡°See, it wasn¡¯t so hard right. You will get used to this the longer you stay with people¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Good, then stay in this house until you have recovered. I don¡¯t think the goblin will be back, for a while, with the wound I gave him. There is food in the kitchen. I need to go prepare something for our upcoming journey¡± Her figure quickly vanished after the open front door, reveal the scene outside which is now covered by a bright, pure white light. So, it already morning. ¡­. When I can move this body, the first thing I want to do is to check up Anna¡¯s condition. I know that elf, Tia, didn¡¯t lie to me. No reason for her to do that, but still, Anna¡¯s safety has been weighting on my heart ever since I woke up. Is it just because my obligation to honor my promise with the death¡­ I wonder The little girl, she was sleeping soundly on something look like a chair, with sheep skin on top of it. It seems like the goblin live alone, with only one bed in his house, and she want to save it for me. (Sheesh, I don¡¯t need some weak little girl to take care of me) (looking around) So this is a house, huh. I know other races like to live in these things, but I never understand why. For me, I feel uncomfortable, unable to feel the breeze of wind on my face, the soft texture of earth on my feet. This house feel more like a cage than a place to live. Having nothing else to do, I sat quietly in a corner, looking at her sleeping face. This has calmed me somehow, especially after that talk with Tia It felt like a long time since I have quiet time for myself. In the past, I used to enjoy lazing around on the soft grass while enjoying the warm from the sun ray on my fur. Somehow, it sounded so far away now. As my mind wander around, my eyelids slowly becoming heavier. Damn ,look like I didn¡¯t get enough sleep ¡­ It was a full-moon night, but the forest still looked as dark as ever, due to the height of those ancient trees. I quickly follow the scent I pick up on the way, the scent of burned meat, human¡¯s odor and metal. The scent that unfamiliar with this forest The scent belong to those invaders. Before long, I found myself before a big campsite. 3 tents surrounded a campfire, with 2 people standing on guard. This campsite is big, bigger than the other 2 I just paid a visit. It just mean one thing to me, more ¡°target¡±. The two people that standing on guard ¡­ doesn¡¯t seem to be on guard at all. One sitting on the ground with his eyes closed and ¡°zzz.zzz¡± sound and be heard from him in a fixed interval. The other lean his body on a tree while focusing his eyes on a square thing he is holding in his hand. Slowly approaching the one who is still awake, I can hear a small murmur from him as our distance become closer. ¡°Linda ¡­ I wonder how big she has grown up since I was gone¡± ¡°¡­Damn! Just this once. After this mission is over, I will return. I must return, and then we can ¡­¡± *Gnap* I bite his neck off before he can finish. His body struggle a little but he could not making a sound. Slowly, his body become cold and the square thing fall off to the ground, reveal an image of a male human, a female goblin and a little girl that look like human with green skin. So, he has someone waiting for him huh? I felt guilty a little, but it was soon be overrun with my unyielding rage again. It was their fault to come here in the first place. They have to pay. I quickly finish off the other guy. Dying without knowing pain or fear, dying in a dream. Maybe, it was too good for him. After checking that there is no one left around, I focus my target to the 3 big tents. These tents are made so that normal animals can¡¯t enter easily without making a ruckus, but it still no matter for my other form, as I look exactly like other humans. Slowly, I pick up the knife laying on the ground when the guard¡¯s body fall down. This will make things easier for this body, now then ¡­ ¡°Onii-chan¡± Huh? ¡°Onii-chan¡± Before my eyes, Anna is sitting in front of me with a worried expression. Where is the tent? Ah, damn it, not that stupid dream again. ¡°Onii-chan, are you okay?¡± ¡°Ye-ah¡± Damn, that dream keep haunting me night after night, especially after I escape the forest. And that ¡°voice¡± too. ¡°Anna, can I talk with you for a little?¡± ¡°Yes? Onii-chan?¡± ¡°You met with Tia, right? What do you think about her?¡± She paused for a second, before reply ¡°I think¡­ she is matured, and she know what she is doing. What wrong with her, Onii-chan? Do you not trust her?¡± Trust? That¡¯s a luxury word for me. This Tia, it¡¯s mortifying to admitted that she know more about me than myself. And I don¡¯t know a thing about her, except the name, which can be a lie. But it can¡¯t be denied that I desperately need her help. ¡°Anna,I just had a talk with her, and I think, I know where I want to go now. It will be more dangerous from now on. Do you still, want to be with me¡± ¡°Yes, Onii-chan¡± So fast, and not even a bit of hesitation. ¡°Say, Anna. Why do you want to be with me? I mean, what about the Wood elf tribe?¡± ¡°Onii-chan, am I ¡­ a bother to you¡± ¡°N-no, not at all. I¡¯m glad you are here with me. It just, I don¡¯t think you will feel more comfortable around me, than with your kind¡± ¡°Onii-chan, look at this¡± Her hand brush aside a part of her hair that keep covering her left face, reveal an eye that look completely white with no soul in it. It looked a bit, unnatural, but not a big deal to me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± (As expected, he doesn¡¯t mind) she murmured quietly ¡°Onii-chan, because of this eye, I can¡¯t live in my village. My mom and dad, they still love me, but I think it¡¯d be better for them if they don¡¯t have this daughter¡± Her eye seem a bit sad Seriously, what happen to this kid in the past? Isn¡¯t the herd¡¯s duty is to help raising young pulp? Why is the herd antagonize her? ¡°And one more thing, I believe living with you will make grandma happy¡± ¡°Grandma? That old elf?¡± ¡°Yes, she has been taking care of me for a long time. Do you know that she admire you and your father very much.She always hope for us to get along well¡± Her face brightened up when she mentioned about that elf. The two must be close. ¡°And when she *poka* *poka* like this, she made a *piki* *piki* sound like that, then I have to *pukin* *pukin* to ¡­¡± Damn, this can take a long time ¡°Say, Anna. After this all end, I mean, when I found my father. Do you want to live with us?¡± ¡°Can I, Onii-chan¡± ¡°Of course you can. I think my father won¡¯t mind. Let¡¯s find a forest to settle in, after all this¡± ¡°Yay¡± ¡°One more thing, Anna. What is Onii-chan mean? I don¡¯t get what it is¡± ¡°It is a word that our First Prince, Isaac the Fool invented in. It mean Big Brother. Do you not like it?¡± ¡°¡­No. Onii-chan is fine.Somehow it has a pleasant sound on it. Why do you call him the fool?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Everyone in my village keep calling him that, except grandma. She said the prince is a mysterious child and ¡°deeper than the sea¡± ¡± We keep continue talking, the topic revolve around her life in the village and the story she heard when she live with that old elf. Sometimes, a voice rang inside my head with an annoying tone (Cheeh, I wonder when will this make-believe relationship end) But I completely ignored it.