《My World Beyond the Closed Doors》 Prologue: A question Prologue: "I''m sorry" A lady''s crying voice echoes through the dark world. Those words... I always hear them at the end of my dream. A familiar voice filled with sadness and pain. Yet I know, and I am sure, that I¡¯ve never met anyone or experienced anything that may concern this dream that I keep on having every night. Surely, their is a reason. Thus, I kept questioning myself, ¡°what does it mean?¡± Right. Introductions. I am called, ¡®Frozen Lily¡¯ by many; It may not seem like a proper name, but I assure you it is now my ¡°proper¡± name. You see, I once had a different name when I was still six years old. I lost it when my mother who couldn¡¯t stand my cold demeanor anymore gave up and sold me to an underground group. Even though what happened go against any laws of nature between mother and child, I assure you that it was natural and expected; also, I do not hate her, since she tried her best to ignore my coldness towards outside stimuli for five years. Besides, it was for the best; I would¡¯ve had a hard time adjusting to the society with normal people. In a way, you could say she did it out of generosity towards me. ¡°How did I became like this?¡± I don¡¯t really know, but the doctors suspect two things. One was the ¡°miracle¡± that happened when I was still one year old. The phenomenon might have changed the chemicals inside me, according to their theories. Apparently I died for two hours, but suddenly cried out right before they tried to open me up to understand why I suddenly got sick. It was fortunate and at the same time unfortunate, because the end result was me being cold and unresponsive. Two was the one about the harshness of my surrounding caused me to mutate and unable to become normal. You see, this world is what you call a wasteland. It¡¯s full of surprises and unnatural phenomenons caused by the fourth world war that happened 45 years ago. Due to that, the lands became infertile and radiation clouds would suddenly appear, summoning a grotesque scene of creatures. Sometimes, a storm would form and before you know it, the rain would melt everything. It was hard for the six years old me and my mother, due to our lack of money, leaving us unable to afford living in one of the ¡°garden domes¡±, that the rich can afford. The Garden domes are huge domes built to move a city with large mass of inhabitants, as well as protect them from the harsh world outside. Basically, the ¡°promised land¡± for everyone in this world. I, myself, am living in one of these domes, but not with a price. After I went through harsh treatment for one year -followed according to instructions; moved according to instructions, and act according to instructions- I graduated from slave, to ¡°disposable assassin¡±. It happened when I was introduced to the master of the group. It was during a party in one of the Garden domes. Due to the lack of emotions, I did not have much will to go against anyone. When the master noticed this, he tried to test me and I followed accordingly; I killed a poor old man without hesitation. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.¡°Incredible. No hesitation at all¡±, says the big man in his fifties wearing a clean suit with stylish swiped back hairstyle.Obviously the master of the man I was sold to. ¡°Where did you get this gem?¡±, he added, directing the question to the man I accompanied. ¡°Rather than found, she was sold to us by her own mother¡±. The underground leader replied with a proud voice. ¡°Hmm... A rock with a hidden gem inside. To think we¡¯d find something rare¡±, The big boss muttered loudly with a smirk on his face. He then turned to me and asked, ¡°Tell me young lady, what are you?¡± I paused, tilted my head trying to find the meaning of his question and replied, ¡°I am nothing. I have no emotions like any human, thus I do not identify myself as human. What you do to me does not matter.¡± The master, astonished by the reply, muttered in his breathe, ¡°cute and cold. She might be perfect for this.¡± He then turned his attention to one of the subordinates present at the scene; a man wearing a black suit stepped forward to receive instructions from the master. The man nodded, then they both turned towards me. The black suit man crouched to ask me a question, ¡°What is your name?¡± I raised my head and replied, ¡°I am called Rune¡±. ¡°Well then, from now on you do not have a name, thus, I will call you 336 based on the last number of the trainee we recently possessed¡± ¡°yes¡± ¡°You will follow my instructions; If you do not comply, you will be annihilated or dismissed. Either way, you will die¡± ¡°yes¡± ¡°Objections are not welcomed; questions are not allowed. You do not have the rights of a human being from now on¡± ¡°yes¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Well then, 336, welcome to the shadow corps¡±, said the master with a welcoming smile. Four years passed as I trained to kill; I was given missions to dispose of different people. Whether they were important people or not, I killed them without a care, thus before I knew it, I became the first ¡°13 years old elite assassin¡± and a necessary pawn. This is when they gave me the name ¡°Frozen Lily¡± due to my cold nature. Apparently, only the elite assassins are able to receive proper names. I continued my life like this: ¡°only to move when I was told to by my superiors and never hesitate when it needs to be done¡±, until that day came, when I became the master¡¯s left hand and was given the instructions to protect the master¡¯s young son. I was nineteen years old when I first came in contact with the young master. ¡°Hmp! You¡¯re just a girl!!¡±, was the first words spoken to me at our first meeting. A fourteen years old young boy with arrogance spilling all over the place was facing me with an annoyed face. I courteously bowed and replied, ¡°I am called Frozen Lily, young master. From now on, I shall work as your guard. I am at your disposal¡± That time, I didn¡¯t know, he was my key to finding the secrets of that dream. Chapter 1: Obscure dream A Garden forest spreads full of vigor right in front of Lily. At the back, she finds a wall with a huge round door, filled with obscure yet familiar patterns. While looking around, seeing those flowers dance with the gentle wind, she starts feeling happy and.. at peace, as if she was never Frozen Lily. Suddenly, she stops and shifted her gaze beyond the garden forest. Lily ran towards that direction; towards a beautiful field. There she finds wild flowers growing as far as the eye can see. It was a sea of flowers! The breeze was so gentle; and the light was warm and caring. The clouds would cast shadows but it was not bad, since they were just passing by. Everything about it was beautiful and it felt almost perfect. ".e~....." A muffled sound starts echoing from the distance asking for attention; it was a voice from someone. Lily, who heard it, focused her eyesight beyond the field to where the sound might have come from. There she finds people waving at her, asking her to come. She follows their request and started heading towards where they are. She started walking but slowly got faster, and faster until she started running, feeling excited. But when she was half way there, she saw another silhouette that wasn''t there before. She suddenly halts her tracks to examine him. It was a man wearing a dark robe with his hood covering the upper part of his face, displaying a sinister smile. The man was releasing a sinister aura; everything about him felt bad. Lily, frozen in fear, gazed at the man as the atmosphere shifted from relaxing to dark and eerie. The people who were there are now gone, and only Lily and the sinister man was left there, staring at each other. Suddenly, a lightning strikes near them and Lily, who was surprised, got blinded by the light. The blinding effect gradually subsided, but what came to view was not the field anymore. A huge hallway with broken pillars, shattered stain glass and a huge hole at the side, revealing the rain welcomed Lily. The place was dark and eerie like the man before who is now staring at her from the other side of the hallway, making Lily fear for her life. Then, another lightning strikes again and everything went dark. In the darkness, a crying voice of a woman can be heard repeating the words, "I''m sorry... I''m sorry... I''m sorry... my child... I''m sorry" I woke up by the sound of the alarm, and the end of that same dream; and every time, I always find myself in tears. This is how I always wake up. One year has passed since I was given the task of protecting the young master. A lot of things happened since then. A young man suddenly bursts in to the room while Lily was changing. "Lily! breakfast is rea... uwaaaaaaaaah!" This energetic young man here, who''s covering his eyes, is the young master, Johnson Flaiden. He wants me to call him Jack though. Lily bowed graciously to the young master and said, "Good morning, master Jack". The young master Jack, while trying to compose himself at the sight of a naked girl bowing to him like nothing was wrong shouted, "PLEASE PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!". "yes" "Geez! why are you naked in the first place." "I was changing" "I CAN SEE THAT!" Then why did you ask?, Lily thought, while tilting her head at the young master. This is not our daily exchange. This is just one of those "accidents" that the young master has been getting into, and I''m not the only victim. There was that one time, when he mistakenly entered the changing room for women in his school, and that one time when he tripped and rolled all the way to the soaking area for women in an Onsen. Don''t misunderstand though; the man in question is having a hard time understanding why this kept on happening, thus, all of this are all pure "accidents". A good example was when he found a girl shitting in the men''s room, with the door to the stool unlocked. The lady got angry, but soon realized it was her mistake. Fortunately, it was only between them and no one else was there so no hard feelings. It was purely a coincidence. How I know of that private exchange? I am his guard. It is my duty to keep him safe no matter where he is. When Lily finished changing clothes, she proceeded to accompany the young master to the table right outside the room. They both, currently live in an apartment that''s enough to have two rooms, one bathroom, a living room and a kitchen while still having spare space. It was a standard apartment for any family with balanced salary, but in this case, it is enough for the young master and his guard. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it."By the way, what are you gonna do today?", the young master asked. "Guard you", was my reply. "Aside from guarding me all day, what else will you do?" "Make sure you''re safe" "..." The young master is clearly dissatisfied with my answer. I guess this is the part where I change the subject. "I finished reading the light novel you "lent" to me" "OH! Then, did you like it? How was the story? Do you like the MC? I know he''s a bit of an ec.." Lily interrupted him, "It used the same element and scenery as the previous books you "lent" me, the story was full of unnecessary shouts and power ups and the MC is fine" "I.. I see" Then Lily added, "But over all, the plot twist was skillfully used, the story was adventurous and the characters were not lacking" Looking at his glittering eyes, he seems to be satisfied with that answer. "Hehe. I know, right? I mean the part he was summoned and.. blah .. blah" The young master continued to speak gleefully of the book that was previously mentioned. ''He seems satisfied with this answer'', Lily thought. After two hours of non stop talking, the master finally drank some water and smiled, "Hehe. To think "The cold heart and uninterested to anything else other than orders" Frozen Lily would start reading fantasy novels. I sure have outdone myself this time." "Yes, yes you have.", I replied nonchalantly. "Even though I couldn''t make you smile or laugh, at the very least, this is a progress. kind of." "I agree" "By the way, there is.. *BOOM*" A loud explosion suddenly erupted from the floor right below us which caused some shaking. I swiftly left the table and ran towards the window to know the situation. Master Jack asked, "WHAT HAPPENED?!" It seems the enemy has made use of some hoodlums to attack. I did warn them about this. "Hoodlums, master Jack. most likely payed by the enemy for this." "What?! haven''t they learned already?!" I ran towards my room to call some reinforcements and get some weapons. "Lately, master has been getting sabotaged by anonymous people. Most likely a third party''s work" We exited the apartment and got greeted by chaos. Explosions and screaming are echoing all over the place. Bullets are being shot towards civilians. "Waah..", Master Jack made an astonished sound. "They''re getting closer, we must hurry." "yes!" Our destination was the rooftop and we were heading there, but suddenly, out of no where, a knife was heading towards me. I dodged it and faced the enemy. A hairless man in black suit is sitting in one of the benches placed outside of apartments. "Well, well. It is true, that a skillful guard is here." Without hesitation, I ran towards the man with lightning speed but got greeted by a grenade. I shifted my weight to the left of the enemy just in time and clashed with him using our blades. He''s skillful. I shouted towards the master, "Master Jack! you must run now! we''ll meet later!" "Y-you better be!" The man smiled towards me and said, "Not bad." "You too. Unfortunately I have to finish this within two minutes" I have to get to the rooftop within five minutes or else, the escape pod they sent will leave us. "Oh? Can you even keep up?" He suddenly ran outside towards the direction where the young master was heading. He''s fast too. I followed him which caused a mini sonic boom. Due to the speed we were making, our body got lifted and had to resort to running on walls. This building was oval in shape and at the center is an open space, and you could see the other floors. We jumped off the balcony and started jumping from one balcony to another while trying to keep the other one from reaching the rooftop. ''I have to defeat this man.'' This is what I was thinking, not knowing that this is the last time I''ll ever meet the young master Jack in this life. ============================================================================================= Hello. I''m new to this so I''m a bit bad at it, but I hope you guys get the idea. Ask any questions and also suggestions are accepted. I hope everyone can enjoy this. :lahla: Chapter 1: Obscure Dream Part 2 Hello! I''m new to this so please excuse my stupidity. I sometimes do mistakes without thinking it over, so I almost always regret not adding this or removing that. I hope you all can at the very least enjoy this. ...I''m nervous now... :...noo: ============================================================================================= Hell... that''s the first thought one would make after seeing the spectacle that befalls in one of the Garden domes that roam this barren world. A city that had so much life just five minutes ago is now filled with smoke, explosions, screams and death. So much death. In this city, where guns rang the streets and unwelcome guests kill civilians, a building for residents is filled with these enemies chasing after one boy. I am called Johnson Flaiden, one of the VIPs living in this city. I am a proud member of the elites, a son of the military General, called Father for classified reasons, and someone who used to believe I run the world. I used to think life is so easy for everyone, and that I could go on like this with a happy go lucky life, knowing I could say anything without a care. My words and orders were always seen as absolute because I had my father''s influence, thus, I grew up spoiled. I blame the people around me for not teaching me properly; but most of all, I blame myself for not noticing reality. I only came to understand life more right after I met her; a girl named Frozen Lily. She taught me that not all are what they seem. This girl had a really short snow white hair and a tall stature of about 5''5" ft tall. Her skin was so pale, that I thought she could break in pieces any minute. I almost ignored that freezing gaze she has with that unchanging expression that even an expert can''t read, because I thought we were in the wrong room. I asked them to double check, but... "Sir, this is the right room, according to the building''s register.", a man in formal uniform for staffs said this with a respectful yet nervous tone. "Preposterous! Are you saying that bitch over there is my new personal guard?!" They''ve been repeatedly checking the building register, because I could not accept such a simple fact that a woman would be the newly appointed left hand of Father. Father''s left hand has always been really awesome and dangerously big men that I admired so much; they are the most strongest and well liked assassins of Father''s Black Ops and they always end up becoming my personal guards. Although I said personal guard, they were also given orders by Father to do something highly dangerous since the position personal guard is just another convenient excuse. When they die in action, they almost always get replaced and never heard from again; it''s like they never really existed and I''m used to this. I was about to hit the panicking man when my butler suddenly spoke out. "Young master Jack, I believe this woman should at least be given a test, whether she''s appropriate for the job or not." This old man here is the family''s butler, and my closest attendant. My diseased mother trusted him, thus I trust his decisions the most. We became close because of this trust, thus I let him call me Jack. "...Fine.", was what I said. We decided to test her for only one day. What happened next was me being a spoiled brat. I started noticing how scary this woman was, and how unapproachable she was; she did not complain nor did she go against orders nor did she see anything I do as interesting. SHE''S EXTREMELY COLD!! I couldn''t take it, so I faced my Father in his office after a day out with the Ice lady. I wanted to ask him to tune down the neurorestrictor placed on her to restrict emotions and turn off the human limiter. Honesty, it''s the only thing I hate about this Black Ops thing, since emotionally restricted people are hard to talk to. I was determined to say something about this, but what came out of my Father''s mouth shocked me. "I would gladly do that, unfortunately and fortunately, this was how she was born." "..Eh." My mind was confused. I thought he was making one of his jokes, but when I looked straight at his face, I realized how serious he was. "Jack, do you know how we developed the neurorestrictors? Our research started forty years ago, and it was only 25% complete after twenty-one years had passed. It only rose to 0.1% by the time I met that six years old girl. For five years, we subjected her to torturous tests that killed a lot of our past subjects, and yet, she was fine and able to function after unrestricted electrification and exposure to harmful chemicals and radiation. All of us were astonished and couldn''t help but think, we could do anything with her body. And, thus, the research was complete, thanks to the little girl who couldn''t feel anything." Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.Seeing as I could not respond with that information, he continued. "After that, we couldn''t just throw this extra body, so we continued her education to becoming the perfect assassin. We even went so far as to strengthen her limbs, to be able to move like a jet. Thus, Frozen Lily was born. And now you know, her story.", then Father smiled. After that one-sided conversation, I left the room and went to sleep, only thinking of what I just heard. The next day, I started thinking, and started seeing the world differently. I slowly drifted away from being a spoiled brat to concerned citizen and started noticing the little things that Lily does. She may seem very aware of her surroundings, but do not be fooled, because this woman never shows concern towards things deemed unnecessary to remember; this includes herself. She knows her name, age and gender, but everything else are of no concern. What she wears are always uniforms, and what she does in the morning are as follows: wakes up in tears by the sound of the alarm, clean herself, change clothes from sleeping clothes to uniform, then eat breakfast. That part about tears, is what bothered me thought. The first time I saw that happen, I was shocked. Concerned for her well being, I asked her, and she explained to me everything in detail. Ever since then, I became curious, thus I started my project "Re: human". Subject: Frozen Lily. Objective: Bring out the human in her. I got excited, and along the way, gained new knowledge, and hobby of reading old light novels; something I would never do if I was still a spoiled brat. Along the way, there were times when I get targeted and that it led to Lily turning into a killing machine. I felt that if it continued, the project might fail, so I made a plan to disguise myself as a commoner and live in an apartment. Father agreed after so much argument, and thus, I started living with Lily in an apartment surrounded by other agents. I thought, if it''s like this, then Lily will not have to personally deal with those people. Oh how wrong I was. A baldy was standing on top of the corpses of Father''s special agents. Lily had to cross swords with him, while I was trembling. I''m stupid. Still stupid and stubborn... and scared. I couldn''t help but think how pathetic I was. I realized how weak I was back then. I couldn''t protect her. She had sacrificed herself just for me in the end. The two ran up the stairs. When they got to the top, just a distance from them was an egg shaped vehicle that had a seat inside its hole that had started getting off the rooftop, because five minutes and two seconds had passed since the pod arrived. "Oh no. The pod has started lifting off!", said Jack while panicking. Lily, who was next to him, had her left arm cut off by the baldy who is now left in dead a what seems to be the aftermath of their fight. The injury looked quite painful, but the subject in question does not show any signs of pain nor tiredness from loosing too much blood. She walked like nothing important was missing from her. Noticing the dilemma they were in, Lily lifted Jack over her with one arm, having only one plan in mind. "H..hey. What are you doing ?! put me down!" "Unfortunately, I can not. You are required to survive. That is my mission.", she said this while measuring the distance and timing, with the risks in mind. It was a desperate plan. She readied her stance. Jack understood what she was about to do and started making objections, "No. WAIT! That''s too risky! You''ll die!" But Lily was ready, and there was no time to loose, because the pod was already beyond the ledge. Lily started running at full speed. She jumped, but it was obviously useless because the pod was too far. This was already in the plan though. She threw Jack towards the pod and he landed right in the passenger''s seat right before the opening started to close. It was an indication that the pod was ready for high speed travel. Jack, with a desperate look on his face, tried to break the glass that''s keeping him from getting out. "no... NOOO! LILYYYY!!" Like a jet, the pod moved away from the city and away from Lily''s view as she falls into the ground. ''I''m gonna die, but that''s alright. I do not care where I go or end up as long as that boy is safe. I have successfully done my mission. In the end, I wasn''t able to learn anything about that dream though. I guess today was the last day I''ll ever see it.'' Lily slowly closed her eyes as she approach the cold pavements fast. This was how Lily''s life in this world ended. =========================================================================================== Falling from a high place is scary... [th_110_.gif] Chapter 2: The Flood Uuuu... :criesBo: I want a graphics pad or a graphics tablet. [th_015_orz-v2.gif] ===== "So this is the dungeon they were talking about..?", asked the brawny man wearing a full suit of knight armor of the same design as his companions and had a huge hammer tied on his back. This bald man with scars on his face has been staying in front of the group for quite some time now; and as one could tell, he is the muscles as well as the experienced older brother among his companions. In front of him is a hole in the side of a mountain, and inside is a deep cave system oozing with mystery. One of the men came forward, "Yes. According to report, this is the mysterious cave that the adventurers discovered." A short black haired young glasses man, with a rapier on his side, answered the muscle bound man''s question calmly. "The adventurers who entered this place said that there are what seemed to be buildings of houses and halls that resembled a street of a very prestigious city. There are lamps with medium quality magi stones inside as well. There are other reports of rare objects found in different places, as well as what seemed to be a garden that resembled an illustration of a garden inside the capital city of Amyth. They think this is the lost capital city from a thousand years ago. But there is a problem. The place is infested with demons." When the brawny man heard the word demons, he started making a huge grin on his face . "Hehe. Interesting. Hey Captain! Shouldn''t we be entering already? What are we even waiting for?", asked the brawny man who too excited to the captain of their unit. A golden haired lady with a bun hairstyle in her early twenties walked forward to where the brawny man was currently standing. "Again, that''s VICE captain. I was never promoted, remember?", says the only lady of the group with an annoyed tone. This woman is wearing a much more revealing and feminine version of the armors the male were wearing, emphasizing on speed and mobility rather than strength, even though she uses a mace. "Really? I thought you did though, since Senya is reliable.", says the brawny man in surprise to the Vice Captain, making her sigh inwardly. That''s right, her name is Senya de Ovlen, currently the vice captain of the newly appointed unit. "And you''re our veteran supervisor, Sir Amos." The brawny man''s name is Sir Amos Coreman. A veteran knight and supervisor of the unit. "The preparations have already been finished. I believe the captain says we can go." says the glasses guy interrupting the two''s conversation. This guy''s name is Armin Coreman. The youngest brother of Amos Coreman and a knight who''s part of the unit, as well as the intelligence division. "Well then, I guess we should go now.", says Sir Amos while smiling with excitement. And like an instrument in tune, Vice Captain Senya declared with a shout to the other soldiers, "Everyone! let''s move out!". The unit enters the dungeon. >>>~~\M/~~<<< Below the ground, where no one can hear nor know about, lies a large dark cave with an old big tower that''s enough to have a lot of rooms inside. In one of these rooms is a huge circular dome shaped room that seemed untouched by time. In the middle of it is a glass coffin, surrounded by huge piles of treasure at the dome''s corners. On the sealing of the dome is a stone that emits a bright light which falls down to the sleeping little girl inside the coffin. This girl seems to be at the age of three; and if one were to look properly, the little girl has a porcelain white skin, a bright red hair and a cute yet calm sleeping face. She looked like a precious, little doll. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. It''s bright. Lily weakly opened her eyes to see what was going on, while trying to adjust to the light that''s above her; but the light was too strong for her weak eyes, so she tried lifting her body instead. Little did she know, she was inside a coffin made out of glass. Huh? What is this? I moved my arm to touch it, only to find hard glass surrounding me. I didn''t hesitate to try and push it off me; and with luck, the glass was easily moved to the side, fell then broke to pieces. She then proceeded to move herself out, but was suddenly shocked by her joint''s persistence. Her body was stiff as if it was not used for a very long time. Wait. huh? I''m... struggling to lift my upper body? Come to think of it, I feel... warm. What''s going on? Confused with the sudden changes, Lily tries to make sense of the situation by trying to recall everything that happened; but her brain responded only with a sudden head ache. With all of this going on, she could barely keep herself from panicking. ''Okay, okay. C-calm down. Why don''t we get off this bed first.'' Lily, confused with the new things she''s experiencing in her body, started talking to herself to calm down, which she never had to do before. Without noticing the changes on her height, nor the fact that she has shorter limbs or the fact that she has red hair, Lily decided to move herself out of the bed. That''s right. right now, Lily is the cute little girl that was just sleeping a while ago. I moved my feet out of the bed and tried to feel the floor, only to fall from an unexpected height. "kyah-!" In the impact, a part of the shattered glass pierced the skin of her feet and into the muscles. Surprised by the sudden feeling of pain that shocked her body, she stopped what she was going to do and took a glance at the wound. ''It''s painful'', she thought; and just like a director right on cue, tears started falling from her eyes, for the first time. After that, like flood, her emotions gashed out from the bottle that was never opened before, until now. she screamed loudly, and cried harder like a child looking for her mother. "UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH... MAAAAA.." Why? I don''t understand. I can''t control myself anymore. Someone. Please tell me what''s going on! ===== Sorry for the short Chapter. I''m actually running on empty here, and would like to take a bit of break. I''ll post a new one as soon as I can. [th_0gotas.gif] Chapter 3: Too Hard to Swallow ===== An hour had already passed since she woke up in an unfamiliar room. Without being able to notice the changes in her physical appearance, Lily lies on the floor further away from the bed, trying to grasp for air while her chest is in pain. "Haah.. haah.. haah..-" It hurts. My chest hurts. When tears started falling from my eyes, I suddenly got light headed and couldn''t control myself anymore. I even said something like mama while crying... Let''s forget about that. Instead, let''s try to get up since the pain is subsiding. I turn my body to the floor slowly, so that my hand could push me up. But I can''t seem to summon some strength enough to walk up straight. "tch." I guess I''ll have to crawl towards the door at the other side of the room, then maybe, slowly try to get up while I''m at it. With her stiff body, Lily slowly crawled towards the other side of the dome, still struggling to get up. while she struggled to coordinate her limbs, she thought of many things that may have lead to this situation. I don''t get this; I can''t remember what happened after I was able to send off the young master. On top of that, I feel that there is something important that I should remember. I''m already having a hard time enduring my.. chest pain. I can''t calm down with all this ruckus going on. Hmm? As Lily moved towards the door, she couldn''t help but notice her surroundings was filled with gold and antiques. It was a strange sight, because everyone knew these things are supposed to be lost because of that war from a long time ago, to the point that almost everyone forgot about the existence of these rocks and their supposed value. After that devastating war, the mining of gold and precious stones were stopped, and everyone concentrated on mining metal ores and other useful things to create a safe haven for everyone. Eventually, the masses forgot about the existence of precious stones, because of how dangerous mining was due to the pollution and radiation. The reason why Lily knew of these things was because she was once ordered by Father to read every book inside a huge library located in their headquarters. Of course, the order was just an excuse to keep her from just standing like a statue in the hallway, waiting for orders to come and creeping the hell out of people. Eventually, she read all the books inside that library, and strangely enough, was able to remember every detail of every book she read, till this day. Father was troubled by this, since the order was meant to keep her cold and dangerous presence from troubling others who pass by the hall way; fortunately, his son''s guard died from the last enemy encounter. It was a golden opportunity, so he gave her the empty seat, making her his left hand as well as giving her a busy schedule. Going back to the current Lily, she noticed that one of these well decorated antiques is a wall mirror, only sitting on the wall that was close to her. The decorations, as well as its clear and beautiful surface catches her eyes and made her turn to look at it. With in its frame, she saw a little girl with a messy red hair and Cyan eyes, struggling to walk, like her. It surprised Lily, since she thought she was alone, but, like the little girl''s expression, the surprise was barely shown through her struggling calm face. Seeing this made her feel something was off. It was a matter of time before she realized it was actually her reflection. Wait a minute. That''s... me?! I tried to confirm it by waving back; it waved back.. I tried that chicken dance the young master taught me; it copied it! I then walk to the side where it can''t see me, then suddenly stick my head out; it stuck its head out too. I tried jumping. walk. run. moon walk. round off. round on. wheel barrow. copy. paste. spin. pose.. All the ridiculous movements I could think of until I ran out of breathe. Before I knew it, I couldn''t sense the chest pain. I''m cured..? I tried touching the mirror and sensed the cold smooth surface run through my fingers. ... Is this what they call sensation..? Before, I couldn''t appreciate anything, and now, here I am; touching a mirror with my own will. Is this what they call... being human? Excitement overwhelmed her nerves that was neglected for so long, reviving them, knowing that she could finally feel things, just like in that dream. Amazed and overwhelmed with the new experience, Lily couldn''t help but look at her fingertips that touched the mirror''s surface and try to engrave the memory; before, it was a luxury she once thought she could never have, and now she suddenly have it. But, like every beautiful and amazing experiences, it was short lived, knowing that her situation was not a comfortable one. ... I have to move; especially now that I look like... this. This body is definitely someone else''s. Looking at it closely, it doesn''t resemble me at all. Damn it. What happened to me after that fall? Ugh. This is frustrating. ............ no..WAIT! Could it be..? Did someone perform a brain transplant using my brain? If so, it might make sense as to why I can feel things. Who ever did this must be in a different league in the arts of performing surgery; ''cause I feel a lot comfortable in this body compared to mine. It''s like my soul fits just right. ... This looks weird, yet it feels.. right? I don''t understand how one could make sense of this... "..ugh." Lily, confused with the mixed emotions and outright illogical reasoning that came with it, felt stressed and couldn''t help but flop down the floor. For the first time, her calm demeanor finally began to show its cracks. Her seemingly calm but confused face was filled with worry. It was clear that she was not used to the stress that came with the unreasonable emotions; one could say she''s at it''s mercy. Even so, it did not stop her from remembering the young master, who was determined to bring her emotions out. This gave her a chance to calm herself down. Heh. I wonder what the young master would do in this situation... Alright! I rose my body, raised my fist, then copied the pose of that girl from an old light novel''s page to try and psych myself up. I''ll try to get out of this place and i''ll try to ignore any of these.. changes until I get back to the lab to make sense of my situation. ......... my face is turning red.....? I turned to face my right side, aiming for the door, when suddenly I noticed something at the right corner of my eye. I quickly faced it while keeping my guard up. Before me was a woman... Lily quickly responded to the situation, preparing a strategy for a way out, depending on the outcome. Despite how emotional she is and how small and young her body is now, she was still the number one assassin of the organization, who went through hell and back, thus one should never underestimate her. She began to emit killing intent, as her calm face quickly shifted from neutral to hostile; her Cyan eyes began to glow like neon lights, which clearly never happened before; but it made her look even more dangerous. It was very clear that she was a toddler that one should not mess with, especially now because she wants to vent her frustration out on something. Is she the one who did this to me? Heh. There''s no use asking such a stupid question. "Who are you?" She asked, "..." but there was no response. no response..? She''s not moving... "Wait a minute..." Lily slowly walked towards it, keeping a cautious distance. She kept her body low by bending her knees down, making sure that her balance was perfect in the case something unexpected happened. She looked and felt strange due to her new body''s short stature, but she did not take it to mind, as what was important was preserving her life. She kept quite a distance, in case it was a trap. Now that I have a closer look at her, it looks like it''s one of those holograms people use for many things. Based on its frozen state, she knew for sure it was the case. Lily relaxed her stiffened shoulders a bit, knowing she''s not facing the enemy. She still kept her guard up though, since the hologram was probably meant for something. Hmm... Now that I look closely, she''s got that red hair and green eyes. She''s even wearing a beautiful green dress that I always liked. Eh? Lily was surprised by her thoughts. That''s when she knew something was strangely out of place. that I always liked? Have I seen it before..? Now that I think about it, she looks quite familiar... Strange. I usually remember the people I meet... I feel like I know this woman is.................... someone.. important? wait.. wait.. Lily started wracking her brain out to try and remember her. She felt the woman was very important to her. She began to desperately look for the answers that seem to be stuck in the tip of her tongue, forgetting all about her situation. I... I know her. I definitely know her! I-I must remember. I must! As she focused her all, the world around her began to spin -she was pushing herself so much that it was hurting her head. Even though sweat began to fall from her face, Lily pushed herself even more. She knew the answers would definitely come out if she would. "...Ugh!" Come on! Please... Please remember! Alas, nothing would come out; the information she seek refused to reveal itself. Out of frustration with no answers, she subconsciously walks closer towards the hologram, still pushing her memory out. Not noticing the oddly placed stone on the floor in front of her, she keeps walking straight. Before she knew it, her feet was on top of something that was obviously dangerous. She stops her thoughts as soon as she realized the danger she was in. What have I done. Thinking it was a trap, Lily paused and didn''t move for a second; then she noticed the hologram was twisting around. As soon as she saw the hologram, it began to scatter like paint in water. It then began to cover the whole room; moving and changing colors as if it were alive. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Lily couldn''t help but feel bewildered by the unexpected phenomenon. Her mouth fell while she gazed at the walls that were slowly changing and twisting. The room is... changing?! W-what is this feeling... It feels like the room itself is shifting; as if it is being remodeled aggressively. "...Like a storm." The hologram began to move faster and wilder; but as soon as it was at its peak, it began to settle faster than when it began. Like sand after a sandstorm, it began to assemble, building up little by little, painting a different picture. What the hologram projected was the same woman, but in a battle armor with a chaotic background. No. It''s more accurate to say the whole room changed; It seemed like the dome shaped room I was in, except there are cracks in the marble floor and a gigantic hole on the ceiling, showing the burning night sky. I can see flying creatures that can breathe fire flew over us. I can even hear screams... and explosions... How chaotic... Wait. Was this recorded during a... "...war?" Lily realized the situation. It was far too familiar to forget such a chaotic scene. Even though this paints a different picture, her memories of battling her targets and destroying other organizations resurfaced just by watching; her eyes that reflected the red burning sky says it all. The only obvious difference is how Lily feels now, who''s just watching the scene as if she was there. T-this hologram feels way to real. The noises were so real, that it began to flood her mind; but as someone who has lived in such a world, she could keep herself calm for a few more minutes, despite her heart raising and fear gripping her senses. This is her first time realizing how chaos can affect one''s mind; but before her nerves went numb, the woman began to speak. "Hello. If you see this hologram, that means you stepped on the stone. It''s okay. It''s not one of those traps I placed outside. Feel free to walk out of it." Phew. I''m saved. I usually don''t fall for these things, but that''s because I am usually calm, unlike now. "but if this is your first time encountering this trap, then... my daughter.. Hannah" "...Eh..?" In surprise, Lily made a weird sound. Daughter..? Hannah..? Then it hit her like a moving truck. As if a locked gate was opened, Lily started remembering things; memories before she was birthed into that wasteland were suddenly revealed to her. That''s right... My name is Hannah... Hannah Nadezda Amyth. My mother''s name is... Titania "Chaundra" Amyth, and my father is called Garek Braiten "Altan" Amyth. Amyth is my homeland and... and... it was my birthday... "....mama..?" A tear drop fell as soon as she muttered those words. She looked at her mother with longing eyes like a three years old that she was. Titania showed a caring face as if she could see her daughter, as if it was a response to their reunion. She patiently smiled as she began to explain to her confused daughter. "There''s a possibility, you might not remember me. It''s because I had to force your soul to do something against it''s nature. It was for you to survive. Even though it was risky; if I hadn''t done it, you would''ve..." Before she continued, she gazed down to the floor with a face that didn''t want to say the worst thing that would''ve happened. The little girl realized this was the case, so she quietly tried to remember what had happened -but her memory was not clear enough. Then, Titania looked up and faced her daughter''s way again. This time, with a happy smile not fit in a chaotic world they were in. "A-any way, I have a gift for you.." The girl''s eyes were flooded again with tears. This time, the tears were not of pain, but of happiness. She calmly let it out, knowing it can''t be stopped. Mama... mama''s voice... It''s her. It''s definitely her. She''s the one I''ve been looking for. "Ma-!" But before she could say anything, she noticed something coming from the back, approaching her mother really fast! "Mama! watch out!" She ran as fast as she could towards her, but unfortunately she tripped on herself. Damn these baby legs! When her mother finally noticed what was approaching her, it was already too late, and the hologram began to distort again. Lily panicked, forgetting it was a hologram and nothing more than a recorded message; but she didn''t care, because she was far too anxious. Her calm face began to distort, feeling worried for her mother''s safety. She didn''t know what to do nor does she know what was going on; the only thing that she does know is that she has a lot of questions she needs to be answered. Why am I here? What happened to me? What happened to my home?! Why can''t I remember the details?! Mama? Mama? Papa? Where are you?! Just like before, the hologram began to settle down and a new scenery unfolds before her; although this time, it was a nightmare that she could never wake up from. What she saw before her was her father lying on the floor, full of blood and the same cloaked man from her dreams, with a menacingly black spear in his right hand, piercing her mother''s stomach. He raised her up over his head like it was nothing; as if she was a trophy. Seeing this heinous act broke her heart, and almost threw her mind to the void of nothingness. She couldn''t understand what was happening. Her mind couldn''t process it. Mother''s... dead? No. That''s not her. That can''t be... Right? "He... he.. hehe.. buwAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH........." Suddenly, the cloaked man''s eerie laughter echoed, startling her and snapping her out of her thoughts. "Finally, I have my revenge!!" ...revenge..? This was all for... revenge?! The little girl was in despair. She did not know how to put all of it together anymore. She could not believe how far this one man would go for an empty revenge. She knew that revenge was never a simple thing; it needs power and influence to accomplish it, which is almost impossible to obtain, thus, revenge of this level, would never lead to this extent if it were that world. Yes, that world is a shit hole, but its people knew that revenge by your own hands could only lead to a bigger disaster. It was a lesson learned the hard way, though it seems that it was too late. Mama is dead because of... this?! Why... WHY?! Hannah is an assassin, so staying quiet no matter what the situation was part of her training; although, in this case, with her emotions intact and seeing her mother in the worst situation, one would be surprised how much she can keep herself from screaming. "hah... Hah... HAH..." Her breathing became ragged as she tries to suppress her voice; but the more she looked, the heavier her breathing became and the harder it was to keep herself from screaming and keep herself from looking. It didn''t took long for her emotions to overwhelm her, but before she could scream out, she noticed her mother move her index finger a little. The seemingly dead woman slowly raised her head a bit. The sight of her mother moving with a such a wound was a miracle. My mother''s not dead yet.. "n.. not yet. I''M NOT DONE YET!!" With a furious voice, the weakened Titania declared the fight was not over yet. Following those words, a white light began to emit from her. It got blindingly stronger and stronger, until the hologram distorted. The scenery changed again, unable to project the intensity of what was just about to unfold. When it finally settled a different picture was projected. This time, It''s her tattered mother standing up with deep wounds and a hole in her stomach. She wasn''t moving, and her eyes were clearly weakening; it was clear what would happen to her next. "..mama.." The man is gone, only leaving what seems to be a piece of his cloak in the floor. With all those wounds on her, I won''t be surprised if she falls to the ground. As if it was following the little girl''s thoughts, her mother falls into the ground. "MAMA!" She ran towards her and tried to pick her up, but she couldn''t. After all, it was just a hologram; but for Hannah, it wasn''t just a simple hologram. She couldn''t help but feel frustrated with the situation. "No. You can''t. Mama... mamaa-!" She struggled, trying to call out to her mother, even though she knew this is just a projection; a recorded message. But as if she could hear her calling, Titania managed to move her hands towards her. Her eyes became so wet, she almost couldn''t see clearly. She tried to hold herself back, but she couldn''t stop trembling. No. Please don''t die! While holding her mouth shut, she hears her fallen mother make weak sounds. She leaned down closely to hear what her mother was trying to say; so closely that you could say she was already lying on the floor next to her. "I''m sorry... I''m sorry... my daughter... I''m sorry" "mamaa~..uu.. sniff" "listen.. you.. are a... high human.. you''ll survive this..." "mamaa~.. stop it.. uuu~.. please.... no~.." "Bed..........Gift..................... from summer... to.. spring.." "sniff... sniff... uuww~" Even though she''s clearly out of strength, Titania still opened her mouth to tell her a few more words. "my.....Hannah... live.............." Then the hologram stopped and their corpses vanished. It was the end of it and everything returned to how it was; except Hannah. ".......mama....?" My mother is not here anymore.. "Mama? MAMA!!" She''s dead.. "Mamaaaaa....." I won''t be able to see her anymore. "UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" I''m alone... in the dark again. ===== I''m sad now.... :criesBo: Chapter 4: Gift HELLO! It''s another Chapter, so I hope you guys like it! :boworpushups: ===== Lily, or should I say Hannah, is standing at the side of the bed, looking down gloomily at her feet. Her cloudy and lifeless eyes with huge bags are obviously tired from crying for several hours. Her cheeks have sunken and her skin turned pale. The poor little girl couldn''t handle the stress of knowing her parents are dead, so she stayed there.. still staring down at her feet at the side of the bed. I... didn''t want to move. I didn''t want to get up nor get out of this place. I didn''t want to live anymore. This is... depression, I believe. I''m depressed, huh..... depressed......... And yet.... My powerless body lifted itself up and walk towards the bed, and now I''m beside it. Now, what? To answer that question Hannah recalled her mothers words. That''s right. she said there''s something... a gift she wanted to give me. I slightly raised my head up to the bed to see what she meant by gift. What came into view is a familiar design. At the side of the bed is a smaller illustration of the all too familiar wall from that garden. The only difference is that the big round door is not distorted anymore. A beautiful golden flower reef like design made up the round shape of the door; it was as if they were real flowers, crafted individually and placed on the circle like a flower arrangement. In the middle is a symbol. I recall this symbol. It''s my family''s crest; a semicircular shaped quarter moon, surrounding the sun at the middle. I remember the words she told me... It was.. "From summer.... to spring.." Ah. It''s that, isn''t it.. I remember that phrase; that''s the only clue to opening the secret garden door. If I recall correctly, it goes like this.. "Pull the sunflower''s petal.. that''s on the top of the reef..." "click..didididiidididiidi..." I lifted my hands towards the sunflower and pulled the petal like how I used to do it. In response, a sound of gears moving came out from the other side. As if my body could move on its own, I continue moving to the next. "Open the closed Helenium on the right then push it down.." "click.. click.. dididididi"*gears moving* "grab the snow bell at the left side, then twist it three times to the right." "didididi-boom.. click.. didididi" "And push the button in the middle...." "click.." The flowers started to unravel themselves to the side. Then, the circular door moved back, and rolled into the wall to reveal what was inside of the bed. What came into view, is an ornamental jewel box made out of iron and a fold-over white and black dimension bag with a long sling. The two looked so new as if time never passed by. I first grabbed the bag, since I recall that I liked this bag. Father probably saw me staring at it at that time. It was when I secretly snucked out of the castle. I saw that bag in the display window of a not so famous store in a not so populated street. At that time, my father was riding a horse to get back home, and coincidentally, he went through that same street. He was able to notice me with just a glance of my back. He took me back home with him and then gave me a lecture. I was band from leaving the castle without permission from then on, and that made me sad. I like going outside, after all. The next day, he took me with him to see the farms outside the castle. It was fun; although, we got lectured for five hours straight by mother when we came back. While remembering her early days with her father, Hannah put her hands around the bag and started squeezing it as she tries to suppress her tears. She trembles, hoping to find comfort from the gift her father left her. "Papa..." "Ah." Right. There''s one more. A jewel box. I believe this is mother''s. I opened it, and found a beautiful necklace of our family crest. This one has more details compared to the one on the door; it even has two gems embedded each on the two celestial bodies. The sun, which was in the middle has the white gem, while the moon has the black gem. It''s beautiful. "Mother...Father.. thank you." I hugged the two gifts my parents gave me, hoping they heard my thanks in the afterlife. Then, I noticed, there''s one more thing inside of the bed. It was a big and thick red book with a lock. The lock looked just like the family crest, only with a hole where the missing gems should be. Curious with the contents inside, Hannah tinkered with it; unfortunately, there was no response. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I looked at it intently, but since I''m small, and my hands are already full with the necklace and the bag, the book fell on it''s back, and the necklace in my hand slipped and fell on top of it. By coincidence, the crest fell where the lock was placed. I noticed the size of the pendant is the same size as the lock. "Could it be.." I took the necklace and put it face forward on the lock. I made sure the two stones would fall inside the two holes; then I twisted it three times. "click" A sound came out from inside the lock; after that, it was like a chain reaction. Suddenly, there were holes at the side of the lock. What came out of these were vines, which started to quickly wrapped the cover. Hannah was startled with the quickly growing vines magically wrapping it, avoiding the center. Then she noticed, some foreign letters written boldly appearing in that one area. ...? Now that I look at it properly, these letters seem familiar.... "Memoire...?" This was made from magic. Incredible. I forgot how much I liked magic. When the book settled down, its shape changed from a simple worn out red book to a beautiful book, wrapped with something that looks like vines. I hesitated to open it, but I was too curious, so I cautiously lifted the cover. What I found was a blank page, but letters were suddenly appearing as if an invisible pen was moving by itself. It looks just like the ones from the cover, so I proceeded to read it... "This book belongs to: Hannah Nadezda Amyth... this is mine." I continued on to the next text. "To our beloved daughter. This book was made for you so that you could learn and understand your situation since we can''t always be with you. It also contains our knowledge about everything; just ask for the table of contents, and say the name as well as the number, It will then lead you to that page you wished to see. Also, we love you, and we hope you could live properly, from now on; not for us, but for yourself. We''re sorry for not being there with you. From mama and papa with love...........P.S: Take the treasures in this room. They''re all for you, and also, make sure you don''t do experiments around people. You''re just like your mother, after all." "..." I can imagine mama hitting papa''s side, then pouting. Afterwards, papa tries to comfort mama while trembling, trying to endure the pain. Then they get all lovey-dovey after mama forgives him. They''ve always been like this. No matter where they are, they go from pouting and quarreling to sweet hearts in there own world. Come to think of it.. I wanted to be like that too......... my face must be turning red....... When Hannah remembered her odd yet sweet parents, it made her smile a bit and gave her some courage to walk out of the room; to live on with life, even if her parents are dead. So she made a decision, raised her head up, straigntened her slouching back and made a strong face. ".....Alright. I got it. Papa, mama... I''ll try to live for myself.. uu~... so.... umuu~.. please watch over me...sniff.." I tried my best to hold back my tears. My eyes are a bit watery, so I wiped them off using my long sleeves. I opened the bag wide and faced it towards the pile of treasures. A vacuum came out from the bag and it sucked in all the treasures around the room. Nothing was left. What an incredible bag. I then put the book inside my dimension bag, put the bag over my shoulder and let it hang from my right to my left side to secure it. I also put the jewel box into the bag and put the necklace around my neck. I then proceeded to slap my face with my two hands. Ow. It''s not as effective as what that manga thing showed... well, what ever. "ALRIGHT! I''m ready!" Hannah took a big step towards the door. She moved forward, gradually shortening the distance with a determined face on. It felt forced, as if she was trying to keep herself from falling again, but never the less, it was her first time making a different expression other than the poker face she usually has. At the very least, her previously dead eyes finally have a little spark in them; it''s weak but it is enough to give her light in the dark. Mama... Papa... please watch over me. ===== GO GO! FIGHT!! [th_0box.gif] [th_0kick.gif] [th_099_.gif] [th_0fire.gif] Chapter 5: The doors are open Oh, don''t mind me, I''m just posting at a random pace. I have nothing else to do anyway. ===== I am currently standing in front of the only way out of this place, and right now it made me realize something.. "The door is too BIG!!" Right now, Hannah is being intimidated by the size of the door that''s in front of her. It''s bulky structure makes one think, -This thing can''t be moved-; thus, our protagonist, who is now aware of the fact that she''s in her three years old body, is pondering whether her parents wanted her to leave or they just forgot that their kid is just a three years old. Mama probably made this. She does make all sorts of things, like the flying broom and and the secret garden door; after all, she is a researcher, as well as a craftsman.. or craftswoman. She made almost all of the things in the city, thus I can''t be wrong to assume this is one of her creation. Furthermore, she''s a botanist and an alchemist. Come to think of it, she has a lot of jobs. I never asked her about who she was before she became queen. Seeing the door, and its resemblance to her mother''s design made her recall memories with her mother. They were all good memories; but, for a good dream to exist, there must be a bad dream to accompany it. I.. I need to stop thinking about the past. It''s starting to make me feel.. I have to concentrate on getting out. Now, if this is mother''s creation, then wouldn''t I know something about it? I almost always stayed in her lab to watch while she makes things. "......Hmm.., there''s a sort of simple lock system on this..." Thinking she might be right, she looked at the corners and details of the huge two way door to find what she was looking for. The square shaped door is bulky and well reinforced with what seems like black metal in its corners. There are no visible screws or nails on the smooth metallic surface, making it hard to disassemble, and the opening is covered with what seems to be pipes. The pipes are arranged as if they were a crystallized form of bismuth -square shaped swirls of different sizes, with the big one at the center-. It''s not easy to notice, but if I were to look at it closely they are all actually leading to one place. she began to concentrate her gaze towards the direction the pipes were heading to. In an opening between two huge pipes, she found something she was looking for. "There you are..." With this, I can finally open the door. >>>~~\M/~~<<< Somewhere in a huge area of a dungeon, a group of soldiers are battling a huge bear-like monster that''s discharging what seems like black smoke from its wounds. It seems the soldiers have successfully weakened the monster and are about to send it off with a final blow. "Here I come!" While the magicians restricted the monster, a brawny man with a hammer in hand charges forward towards it. The monster lifted his arm up high then swings it downwards, aiming for the muscle man; but just in time, he jumped and landed away from the arm of the monster before it smashed him down. While the arm was still stuck on the floor, the man used the arm as stairs and ran over it like an athlete, aiming for its head, But before he could hit it, the monster managed to release its hand from the pavement. Unable to keep up his pace because of the now moving arm, he jumped. Using the momentum of the fall, he smashed down the head of the monster using the hammer. It was a critical hit. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" The monster fell, the brawny man landed on his feet like a cat and everyone rejoiced. It was the end of their battle. "As expected of Sir Amos, "The Paladin". He truly loves fighting demons." She muttered with confidence. It''s a really good thing he was assigned to this expedition group, or else we would''ve had a lot more casualties than soldiers. After all, these guys are just new recruits and are all fresh from graduation. Normally, we wouldn''t let these guys come along in these expeditions, but since it was orders from the higher ups, we couldn''t say no. That is right. This expedition group is mostly made up of new recruits, because of orders from the higher ups. These people were just unfortunate to have been assigned here, most likely because of the fact that they have little to no influence in the country. The captain tried to refuse though, saying they are weak and won''t survive for long there, but as expected, the influential nobles just wanted to throw away the "extras" to their side with the excuse that they needed more people, since there are not many who would want to die in an enchanted forest with a bad reputation. Their only saving grace, is the presence of Sir Amos "The Paladin". Originally, this was an act to secure their sons and daughters'' position in a better unit, but due to the appearance of a dungeon, their greed surfaced, thus, the unfortunate ones were thrown into this expedition as a form of "training". A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. The area they are currently in is in the middle of what''s seems to be a plaza inside an underground city. The walls are made out of buildings surrounding the area that became one with the earth due to the passing of time. They had to pass through many streets and fight against demons that would randomly appear just so they could get where they are now. Due to the lack of training, many were injured, but thankfully, a man who loves to battle, the paladin, came with them. There was no doubt that this dungeon has a lot of dark mana, since the demons kept appearing out of nowhere. Maybe because of the mysterious event that took place many years ago, the concentration of dark mana around the area is very dense as if something was holding it. Dark mana is mana that was not able to pass through the natural cycle. Due to its nature to attract entities and elements, mana will become impure and would affect its surroundings in a really bad way. Just like how the adventurers described it, this place is like a city, and the plaza looks just like the illustration of that book about the legendary city of Amyth. The only problem here is the fact that there''s too much concentration of mana in the place. It''s a good thing I was entrusted with a magic item that initiates a mana cycle in a small area. It''s a metallic stake object with a white and black magi stone on top of it. Let''s be careful with it, since they number in few due to the production method. "Alright, everyone! Let''s camp here! The wounded will have to rest here, while the others should proceed to work! Let''s MOVE!!" After Senya gave everyone instructions, she stabbed the ground with the magic item, and it automatically activated. "Vice Captain!" Sir Armin approached me from the back and called out to me while looking at the map. This guy always has a serious face on. "Vice Captain Senya. The other parties'' report have been received. It seems there are no other routes left except for that door over there." Sir Armin raised his finger and pointed at the huge door on the other side of the plaza. "I see. Can it be opened though?" " we''re trying... but it seems the lock system is rather too complicated. "It''s like a maze with walls that move when you do something" was the comment of the master magi craftsman. He also added "We don''t even know if we have the right solutions to solve this complicated circuit"." "I see... guess we''ll have to-" Just when she was about to declare the end of the expedition, out of nowhere, the ground strongly shook and everyone fell on the floor. The ladies screamed loudly, and everyone was in a panic. What''s happening? The shaking continued on for about five minutes., then it gradually stopped. "...W-what was that just now?" "EVERYONE! READY STANCE, NOW!" Aware of the possibility that the shaking might have been caused by a greater disaster approaching, Sir Amos shout out to everyone to be cautious of their surroundings and get ready for battle just in case. But, as if to betray their expectation, a sound of a heavy object sliding on the floor echoed through out the place. "The door is opening..?" >>>~~\M/~~<<< "It''s opening.." I managed to reach the pin, twisted it according to the Fibonacci sequence as if unlocking a safe and pulled it out from its hole. It''s not that complicated, once you notice the pipe''s formation, and the mana distribution in the lock. That''s how mama did it anyway... After successfully unlocking the door, concentrated mana that had build up over the years was released from the pipes; then the ground shook a bit and it made Hannah lose her balance, but it wasn''t something to worry about; She already experienced a far more worse earthquake on that world than this one. After the door opened widely, she put one step out of the room and continued walking; But before she could go even further, she stopped, then looked back to the room where she was in. ".........Can I really do this...?" I''ve done a lot of bad things. Do I even deserve this..? No! I must not hesitate. Don''t get dejected now, the door has already opened. Don''t be scared. I can do this. I need to be strong. I have to be strong. I gripped the strap of the bag, then faced forward and started walking again. I won''t stay a weakling; I''ll use everything I have. In this world, I''ll be who I am, whether I have memories from another world or none at all. ===== I hope everyone can enjoy this one as well!!! Chapter 6: The Road of Thorns I''ve noticed that I made things a bit confusing for the readers when I shift from different perspectives and POVs. [th_015_orz-v2.gif] Therefore, I''m sorry. :boworpushups: So, from now on, I shall start adjusting it a bit to suit the readers. Also, I shall put this >>>>>>>>>>M<<<<<<<<<< when I go to another place or when I think it is most appropriate. ===== "Guilt" This word is defined as an emotion that which one feels after learning what they have done, think they have done, and have not done enough, had caused harm on others. According to psychologists, it is a negative emotion that leans more on internal state than external and it is greatly disliked by many, thus, it is not a good motivator. Guilt is one of the ''sad'' emotions, which also include agony, grief and loneliness in its category. If one were to experience guilt, they would most likely try to built immunity or a wall subconsciously just to escape it. But what if the guilt was too strong..? >>>~~\M/~~<<< Beyond a large old tower, structured to last a disaster or a century, lies a large historic castle, with exquisite and beautiful design, surrounded by earth from all directions. This castle, despite its old age and clear scars formed by destruction, have yet to meet its end, as it still stands firmly on its ground. Inside this castle are large rooms and twisting hallways that''s worthy to be visited by tourists; one of these tourist attractions is a very large hallway that reaches from the west wing to the center of the castle. "Hello!" I shouted "..hello...hello..hel~o.." and an echo followed. Hannah is currently inside the castle''s west wing; it''s dark, but she was able to find a torch and light it with a flint and stone she found; although, it was not really enough to light up a whole room but at least it gave her warmth. Aside from the pitch black darkness, the area is surprisingly cold and it makes one feel they are not alone. This is what people call creepy, huh. If one were to come from inside the west wing, and wish to leave it, then such a person must go through this hallway despite its darkness. One may not notice it well, especially if its Hannah, but the area is highly concentrated with dark mana, thus it is cold; on top of that, the hallway has been greatly damaged, ''caused by the disaster that struck the place with the addition of time which made it less welcoming. At the right side are huge panels of broken stain glass and a hole, large enough to reach the ceiling, while the left side has its largest mirror cracked; not even a mirror or a window was spared. The darkness covered all of these like a blanket to hide the unfortunate from its little visitor. I noticed that there are many pillars lined up at the side; they are either cracked or broken. Some are still standing, which means this huge hallway won''t be caving in any sooner. That''s good. Even though I said that, this place is too quiet; makes me remember of those times when I have nothing else to do. Of course, she meant the other world, since she barely remembers her days as a princess of the country. As she walks through the hallway and into the dining room, a sudden cold wind passes through her neck and sent her the chills. Her heart started beating fast, which made her become more cautious. She stopped, then quickly looked towards her back........ there was nothing there... But while her gaze is concentrated on the other side of the hallway, a dark, tall, slouching man was creepily standing closely next to her, to the point that its already breathing heavily on the back of her neck. Even though she was alerted by the sudden presence, she was not able to notice the pitch black man next to her. A loud screeching scream suddenly came closely from the back; it was so sudden and loud, that she subconsciously screamed and crouched down. She looked back to know where it came from. There''s nothing..? Then, she heard splashing sound of water from the other side. She looked towards where the sound came from, only to see a familiar sight she would wish she never saw again. This. How could I forget..? That''s right. I''ve been subconsciously trying to push it at the back of my head, haven''t I. I didn''t notice that I''ve been doing it, but.... why... why is this here now?! In front of Hannah is a black pool full of limbs and pieces of what seems to be human remains from a massacre. Hannah, frozen in fear, couldn''t stop but be filled with shock and horror at the sight that she should never forget; it was one of the mess she made, during a mission she was given. >>>~~\M/~~<<< "Kill all the residents from this building.", says a distorted hologram of a man. "Yes", Lily automatically answered and received a data containing the details of the mission. After the instructions were given, Lily proceeded to move towards the residential area of the poorest of the poor. Her targets this time are the people who are living in the building according to the address. She didn''t know why they are the targets, nor did she bother to think about it. There was no need to go over the data, because she was already told to not leave even a life behind. When she reached her target, she was welcomed by the residents with guns; but she was too fast that even a rain of bullets could not catch up to her. She merely used her speed and her trusted blade for the job. Within thirty minutes, she was already done, and what was left there was a pool of blood and human limbs scattered all over the place. It was a sight that no one could stomach, except for Frozen Lily. But now, Frozen Lily is no more, and what''s here is her true self, named Hannah; a girl that can feel emotions. >>>~~\M/~~<<< Hannah trembles as guilt and fear took hold of her heart, shattering it into pieces. The fire, which was the only light source she has, got extinguished as the torch hits the cold floor. Darkness is now her companion. "ah.." I''ve done something unforgivable. "AAh.." I even tried to forget about it. "kuh...uuu..." I deserve nothing for what I have done. "kuu-u GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-!!!!", Hannah screams uncontrollably, which caused her body to release a strong magic pulse, distorting the area''s mana flow a little bit. It was then, followed by laughter from a maniac. "gyahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHAHHAA!!" Unbeknownst to Hannah, a human shaped black demon have entered her mind, and has been manipulating her to believe that there is something there that greatly reminds her of what ever wrong she had done. It was actually feeding from her guilt. "YOU KILLED US!", says a head with no torso. It was then followed by the other limbs blaming her for what happened to them. This made Hannah fall to her knees, begging for their forgiveness. "I''m sorryI''msorryI''msorryI''msorryI''MSORRYI''MSORRYI''MSORRYI''MSORRY-!" I didn''t know.. I didn''t know what to do! How could I go against them?! They were heartless. I am heartless! I should''ve done something! I should have... I should have... While Hannah suffers from the guilt, the demon happily looked at her from the back, creepily smiling with its distorted dark face. "REVENGE...hehehe.... Revenge....hehehe...gyahaHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA-!" As the pressure on Hannah gradually got stronger, she falls and faints on the floor. Seeing his victim fall into the ground, the demon stood up, began to walk away from the hallway, while dragging Hannah with its long thin arms like a sack of flour. >>>~~\M/~~<<< A loud scream echoes through out the dungeon. It was then followed by a strong pulse of magic power, which caused a wave like effect and distorted the mana in the air. At that time, the expedition group were near the area and have been walking towards the direction where the magic power came from. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "What was that..?", asked Vice Captain Senya. "I don''t know, but I think it came from beyond the gate..", answered Sir Armin. "What a strong force.....", Sir Amos followed, grinning with excitement. The expedition group has been moving for quite some time now, and they are already near the castle''s gate. Ever since the mysterious earthquake and the sudden opening of the door, no demon has yet to appear before us, so we''ve gone further into the dungeon and made quite a distance than we had originally planned. On the contrary, a certain soldier has been sulking due to the lack of action; so when he felt such strong magic force, he got a bit excited again. He''s too obvious. "hehe.. Shall I open the gate?", asked Sir Amos with sparkling eyes. Senya sighed to that question. She can tell that trouble was upon them just by looking at the grin on Amos'' face. Knowing this, she could not help but answer him with a bitter face. "...Not like we have another choice..?". Honestly, this guy has been complaining about the fact that no enemy greater than the first boss we defeated here has yet to appear. We were rejoicing about it since none will have to get wounded or killed, but this guy sulked like a kid after the disappointment, and I had to keep an eye on him, or else he''ll leave the group and run off on his own. This place is like a maze, so it''s troublesome. He''s seriously a pain in the ass when things get anti-climactic; and now that we''re expecting an enemy, I seriously wish that it would be powerful enough to satisfy this man. I hope. Don''t disappoint me, demon! While Senya thought about the annoying supervisor they have, the man in question had already opened the gate and is now nearing the castle''s door while they follow behind. The door is a huge, white, two way door with a beautiful design of a moon on the left and a sun on the right. "knock. knock. knock.", the sound of knocking came out as Amos hits the door. Then suddenly, with his strong arms, forcefully pushed the door without hesitation, and a loud sound of two doors hitting a wall resounded. Everyone was shocked by the strong force that made the whole place shake a bit. Beyond the door is a large hall with two large doors, on each of the side of the room. Hanging from the ceiling is a beautiful large chandelier, covered in dust and webs. On the other side of the hall is a large stair case that divides itself when it reaches the wall with a door. It was a beautiful sight, but they didn''t go this far just for sightseeing. "IS ANYBODY HOOOME!!!!", He shouts loudly, and it caught the attention of a tall, thin, human shaped, black demon on the floor while its wide back is facing them in the middle of the hall. "Y-you. What was that for?!", the angry Senya asked the questionable supervisor''s action. "Hmm? Isn''t it better to get his attention first?", Sir Amos asked back while tilting his head. While the two were making such exchanges, the demon got up from its sitting position, and dropped what it was holding to face them. When Sir Amos and Vice Captain Senya noticed the monster moved, they became alarmed after seeing what was actually in it''s grasp. It was something they had not expected, since it was the most unlikeliest thing to happen in this situation; a little girl has been taken hostage by a demon. "Vice Captain...", asked Sir Armin who has always been at their back watching the two''s exchange. "Yeah. I know.." I replied to him while I positioned myself in my battle stance, not letting my guard down one bit. I didn''t notice it when we got here, but that demon just now was doing something else. They usually position themselves in a more ready state, since they can detect one''s presence when they are near enough. To think we''d encounter such a dilemma here of all places. I can''t even tell, whether she''s still alive or not. How did that little girl get in here, anyway? It wasn''t much, but the little girl suddenly moved her head a bit. That means she''s still alive! Never mind that. I have to give my orders. Top priority should be to save the girl. While I was thinking about all of that, Sir Amos took the initiative and had charged towards the monster to give us more time to position ourselves. "Everyone! take position! Our top priority should be to save that child!" With Senya''s voice as the go signal, everyone moved accordingly towards their position and have placed their top priority to saving the child. The first ones to enter were eight magicians and fifteen knights, then followed by ten clerics, and ten gunners. The knights positioned themselves at the front line surrounding the creature; followed by the magicians, clerics, then gunners, creating a semicircular formation with the demon as the center point. They are now ready to fight. "Charge!", declared Senya, pointing her mace towards the demon. Everyone began to fight. With the guns'' bullets as the first to breach the demon''s skin, the knights worked with each other to assist the Paladin, while some of the magicians began to chant the binding spell, as well as gradually shave off the demon''s defenses by using spells that decreases one''s stats. The demon''s thin stature was not for show though, as the creature nimbly moved its limbs as if to dodge the incoming bullets, but was not able to dodge it all, resulting to a stunned state. Taking this opportunity, the knights charged towards the creature, and began to slash and cut its limbs. On the other hand, Senya, as well as two knights and a cleric, began to secretly move towards the child, while the demon was distracted by their companions. They began to examine the child''s condition. "How is she?", I asked worriedly to the cleric with me. "She seems to be breathing, but she''s stuck in a dream loop. Most likely the work of that demon." Damn! This is bad. If that creature doesn''t fall any sooner, this kid will be in greater danger. A dream loop is a type of nightmare, that if one can''t get out, then they''ll be stuck there until they find an exit. It happens on some people without any explanation as to why, but if it is caused by dark magic, it is fatal if not stopped as soon as possible. The only way to get them out is to defeat the one that inflicted this to them. "GYAAAAAAAAAH-!!", The demon shouts out in pain. Seeing the demon was in pain, everyone continued their momentum with confidence that they''ll win, since the creature is weaker than they thought; but for any experienced warrior, like the Paladin, one of the worst things you could do is get too confident, especially if your opponent is a demon. "pain.. pain... pain. pain. pain pain painPAINPAINPAINPAINPAINPAIN-!" The demon began to say a word repeatedly. When they heard the word "pain" coming out of its mouth, everyone stopped what they were doing, as this is the first time it ever happened. It was then, followed by dark mana gathering to where the demon was currently standing. The situation was getting worse and everyone began to panic, unable to understand what was truly happening. "Sir Amos, what''s happening?!", a panicking knight asked me. I didn''t answer him, as I am also quite confused. Fuck! To think something like this would happen, and to think a demon can speak. This is truly the first even for me. Oh well. The only thing we could do now is to expect the unexpected, so I gave everyone a warning. "Every one, be ready to receive a fatal blow!" In response, everyone had their defenses up; the magicians and clerics took the liberty of chanting a wide area spell together, and a golden dome began to surround everyone. This is good. Now, the problem is, what''s gonna happen next? In response to my question, the demon''s body started emitting dark smoke. The smoke gradually got thinner and thinner, until the demon''s new form was revealed. What came out of the smoke was the same human shaped demon; only this time, it has a horn and three red eyes. It screams towards me, "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Hehe.. Things sure are getting exciting. ===== I wonder... if this is okay for you guys.. I''m sorry if it''s a bit too different from the first chapters. I had to do it, since too much first person POV would''ve made this chapter worse. I''m not gonna stray away from the original style I used from the start, though. I will just change POV when I think it is appropriate. So please leave a comment if there is something wrong with this style. thanks for reading! Chapter 7: Cloth ===== The Hall began to grow colder as a disgusting feeling starts to creep on to everyone, enough to freeze into place those who have little to no experience in facing such a disturbing enemy. Heh. Even so, I can bare with this disgusting feeling, if it means this monster is stronger than the ones before it. Right now, I am face to face with the demon that somehow grew bigger and got more disgusting than its previous form. It seems to be fixated on me; it''s probably because I have been toying with it from the start. "S-sir..." "Huh?" A trembling voice calls out, clearly with fear. Despite how weak it was, the desperation was noticed by the only one who managed to stay undisturbed, the paladin. Their only savior quickly grasped their situation, as the sight of the knight who was calling out to him, as well as the rest of the unit, was seen through the corner of his eyes. The pressure was too much to bare with their little experience; the disgusting feeling was even worse, as the monster creepily showed a smile from ear to ear, showing its sharp teeth and unnecessarily long tongue. Ah. Now that I look at everyone, almost all of them can''t move; some are even puking out their breakfast. "Alright. Everyone of you, stand down! I''ll handle this demon alone! All of you should proceed to assisting the Vice Captain and escape! NOW GO!!" When all of the soldiers heard his loud voice, they returned to their senses. They then quickly moved according to the paladin''s instructions, since they knew they are of no help. After a few seconds, everyone else, but the battle-driven man and the demon, have left the battlefield. "It''s just you and me now, bitch. So, who''s gonna make the first move..?" I casually threw a question to the demon, to confirm if it really has some sort of intelligence; it then, followed with an answer. "..K-kill!" Following those words, the demon slowly stretched its long thin arms like a rubber band; then, it turns into a blur as the demon flung its stretched arms towards his direction. Sir Amos quickly dodged to the left and got away from the creepy hands that was about to grab him. Did that thing just tried to grab me?! He then began to run around it with a speed of an athlete, circling it for a better view of the enemy, looking for its weak points. The monster as well, did the same; with its creepy head, it began to twist its neck like an owl, still staring creepily at Amos. The paladin felt disgust, but as a man with experience in battling demons, it was not enough to disturb him. He was enjoying the battle too much, that he couldn''t help but smile, knowing this is a new challenge no warrior has yet experienced before. When he finally reached its left side, the demon used its whole left arm to throw a horizontal slash towards his direction; it was so fast, that its arm was barely seen and the wall and ceiling that blocked its path were destroyed; fortunately, due to the strong foundations used on the walls, the arm was slowed down. Amos ducked just in time and used this opportunity to use the now stuck arm as a shield over his head. With the adrenaline rushing in, he then proceeded to run towards the demon with a crazed smile. HAH! You''re wide open!!! As our distance grew shorter, I stretched my right arm with the hammer, ready to strike the demon from the side! Unfortunate as it seems, it remembered that its other arm was free. Despite the awkward position due to the thrust of the previous attack, it managed to use the free arm, aiming for Amos'' side. Thankfully, Amos noticed it was coming. Before it managed to put a whole on me, I transferred my weight to the back to dodge the incoming arm. I managed to dodge it by a paper thin! As he celebrates, bewildered and surprised by the sudden blow, an unforeseen force managed to struck him from the right; it was the left arm that got stuck a moment ago! The monster, with its stretchy body, managed to wiggle it out in time, while Amos was busy with making his blow. Thankfully, I managed to react fast enough to use my hammer as a shield and soften the impact. Even so, the strength of that blow was enough to throw him towards the door and out into the open. Before he hits the ground, Amos performed a back flip to soften the impact and was able to land on the ground safely. Hehe. Just as planned. Let''s take the fight outside, shall we? Seeing as I was able to survive the throw, the demon got annoyed and started to walk towards me. Hmm... I got thrown really far, huh. It seems the demon will take a while to get here. Let''s give it some motivation, shall we? Yes. Let''s shall. "Hey, shit head! You piece of useless charcoal! That blow just now was so weak, that I almost fell asleep!" "..!!!" As if it could understand his words, the demon began to run angrily towards him. Taunting: successful! Now, what''s left is to wait for the opponent............... "Heh...hehehehe...." Me? wait? HAH! get real! As if I''m patient enough to wait. I''d rather give than to receive!! Sir Amos took a position, similar to that of a runner in a marathon; and with his overly large muscles and mana, he lifted his body and threw himself towards the demon like a bullet train, leaving only a large cloud of dust behind. Their distance grew shorter as they approach each other; and within five seconds, they clash with one another, creating an after shock, shaking the whole dungeon up. As the opposing forces move faster and faster, aiming to over whelm one another, the dungeon''s wall and ceiling began to shake intensely. Everyone who were left inside the castle, began to look for an exit, except for the Vice Captain Senya who''s watching over the little girl. >>>~~\M/~~<<<< "As always, he''s incredible...." I''m gonna repeat this again, -I''m REALLY glad he''s our supervisor-. To think that we would encounter such a disgusting monster after the rest of the demons vanished like that. If it was only just the new recruits and a bit of the experienced soldiers, by now, most of us would''ve been massacred by that thing! Thankfully, Sir Amos volunteered to supervise us, after we were chosen reluctantly by the stupid higher ups to explore this dungeon. The Vice Captain, who got appointed as the leader for this expedition group, silently cursed the higher ups who couldn''t say no to gold in their faces. Those nobles most likely wanted to be the first ones to get the special treasures and get special attention as well from the royalty, since the royal family have a very deep history with the legendary country of Amyth; after all, that family would welcome those who can find the clues of its whereabouts. This is not the first incident, since it''s a common knowledge that there are selfish nobles, who think they can do anything in this world. Although, Vice Captain Senya is one of this country''s nobles, she''s far too different from those selfish bastards since her family''s principle involves honesty and complete loyalty to the royal family that they serve. While feeling a little bit lighter from the pressure after the demon was lead away by Amos, Vice Captain Senya turned her face towards the sleeping child and began casting a spell to soothe the little girl''s suffering. "Poor girl. You had to experience something horrible at such a young age..." Her caring gaze showed how much she pitied the little girl, knowing her suffering would scar her for life. She could not dare to leave the child now, nor does she want to take the little girl out of her sight; even if her subordinate had something important to report. "Vice Captain. We found a route that can lead us out of the castle." "Then, get everyone moving. Good work, Sir Armin. You''ve done well." I carefully rapped the little girl with a cloth and lifted her up and carried her as if she were my own. I then proceeded to follow Sir Armin towards the other exit, since we obviously can''t use the one in the front. It''s annoying to leave one man behind, but since it''s Sir Amos, he can do it. The group began to make hast, heading towards the north wing, where a gate lies there, that can lead them directly to a path that can lead them back to the exit. >>>~~\M/~~<<< "BUWAHAHAHHAHHAHAHA! That was fun! But I have to finish this off soon." It took thirty minutes, but Sir Amos, with a victorious face, began to laugh as he gaze at the cornered demon that''s been continuously repeating the same question ever since its loss. "why....why.....why......why.....why.....why...." It''s been asking me the same god damn question for quite a while now, and it''s starting to annoy me; so, I''ve decided to send the demon off, with a bang. It gave me a fun experience, so it deserves a grand ending! "Sorry, bud. I can''t tell you the answer to that, since you''re too stupid to understand anyway." Using both of my arms, I raised my hammer above my head, and then quickly smashed it down, aiming for the demon''s head. After my act of violence mercy, the demon''s corpse gradually turns into a dark cloud smoke, indicating that it is now dead and won''t move again. Aaand then, the whole place started shaking.... I guess that demon has been keeping this place together. "Tch..... In the end, it''s still a stupid demon." It was an intense battle, and I had fun, but unfortunately, everything has to end; especially if your opponent is too gullible, even though it has both incredible strength and speed enough to give me a wound. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Now, where is the exit again..? While Sir Amos looks around for the exit before the cave''s ceiling falls, the dark cloud smoke that came from the demon''s corpse began to grow thinner and thinner as if it was being sucked up, until what was left was a piece of dark cloth. He noticed the smoke faded unusually fast, so he took another glance at the area where the demon once lied thirty seconds ago. "Huh? A cloth?" From a corpse of a demon? This is new. Never have I encountered a demon''s corpse leaving a residue before; and it''s a piece of dark cloth. Again, this demon never seizes to amaze me, even after death. I reach my hand to grab the piece of cloth and then proceeded to put it inside my pouch. Alright. I''ll take you with me. Let''s see what the experts would find. A rock suddenly falls from the ceiling and was about to crash Amos, but before it could, he punched it with his arm. The rubles flew everywhere and what was left was just pieces of it. Okay. I need to leave now. This place is falling apart. Sir Amos began to run towards the exit at a near impossible speed, while dodging the falling rocks. On the other hand, Vice Captain Senya, as well as the others, were able to exit the first door and meet up with the injured ones who were left in the temporary camp. They were able to grab everything before they felt the dungeon shaking, so now they are near the exit, and are about to meet up with the rest of the company. >>>~~\M/~~<<< "Where is the expedition team?!" A man wearing a shiny full armor, who just got here on a horse, asked a knight near the entrance of the dungeon. Before the panicking knight could answer, a familiar voice suddenly interrupted their conversation from inside the dungeon. "Captain! Captain Leo!" Vice Captain Senya called out to me from inside the dungeon, followed by Sir Armin and the rest of the expedition group. Thank the Gods! "Senya! I''m glad you''re all ok...... ah. Where''s the supervisor? " "He''s still inside. He let us all escape first while he distracted the talking demon." "Talking demon...? Don''t you mean a daemian?" "No. It''s not one of those. It can talk, but only one word at a time. Anyway, I''ll give you the details later, right now, there are injured people." Huh? When I noticed that last sentence, Senya and Sir Armin already walked pass me as if they have nothing to worry about. Oi! Aren''t you forgetting something? "Wait! Aren''t you both worried about Sir Amos?" ""....... Nope."" The two answered my question in perfect harmony. That pause just now means you just tried to confirm it! How heartless. While Leo was brooding over how heartless the two can be, Senya and Armin carefully ran towards one of the near tents for the injured while carrying something rapped in white cloth together. Of course, Leo got curious as to what''s inside of the cloth, so he followed them to the tent. She carefully laid the object in one of the beds and then proceeded to unwrap it, revealing a little girl, wearing a dirtied thin white night gown. "Senya. Who is she?" "I don''t know, Captain. We merely found her inside the dungeon with the talking demon. She was already unconscious when we got there." "..... I see." This girl was found inside the dungeon? Furthermore, that same dungeon that was just discovered a month ago. We had to send a message to the higher ups about the dungeon, so it took us a month until we received the order; a week to travel to the capital from here, one week or longer for them to make the final decision, another week to get the reply and then another week to assemble and prepare for departure. Within that month, nobody knew anything about the dungeon, except for the ones who discovered it and the military. While he was preoccupied with those thoughts, the shaking had suddenly stopped and he finally realized he had forgotten something very important. "Sir Amos is still in there!" I got a bit worried since there''s still no news from Sir Amos, so I ran towards the exit of the tent, only to clash with the man that has been missing in action. What a relief! "Sir Amos! Am I glad to see you! For a second there, I thought you were a goner." "Captain! You would never believe what I found inside the dungeon!" "Let me guess. You fought with a talking demon." "..... As always, you can read minds." Hahaha. I should''ve never doubted Sir Amos'' abilities; he''s The Paladin, after all. Even after an intense fight with a demon, he can make a lighthearted conversation with just about anyone. What a great guy! "Hahahahahahahahahaha" "..hu.Hahahahahahahahaha" Everyone''s gazes inside the tent gradually concentrated towards the two who were suddenly laughing loudly in the middle. Since it was the medical tent, the angry Head Cleric kicked out the two who just disrupted all of his patients'' rest, leaving Senya and Armin with the look of disdain on their faces. "Good grief. Those two can really get along." "I apologize for my older brother''s conduct just now." "No need for that, Sir Armin. My brother, Leo, was the one who suddenly laughed anyway; your brother just got swept by his pace, like always." >>>~~\M/~~<<< After the two were forced to leave the tent, they decided to walk and talk while they had the time. The both of them haven''t seen each other for quite a while due to work, so this is a really good opportunity for them to catch up with each other. "Oops. We got kicked out again." "Hahaha! I remember the same thing happened before. How nostalgic." "It was during a meeting, I believe. At that time, I just got promoted as the new Captain." "And I just got back from training in the mountains!" "It was a good first meeting." "I agree!" The two began to exchange information about recent events that had occurred while the other was gone; although, if one were to look at them from afar, they would say that those two are merely laughing without reserve. However, since the subjects are currently the two most powerful and important people in the group, they wouldn''t dare make even a whisper that could soil both of their reputations. Well, that''s what the new recruits thought. On the other hand, the soldiers who knew the Captain and the Paladin''s relationship, never showed any restrains towards the two, so while the both of them pass by one of the experienced soldiers, they would casually greet each other like acquaintances. The newer ones were amazed when they saw how casual the two are, since the powerful ones are more reserved when dealing with their subordinates and in worst cases, too strict. They thought, ''how fortunate they were to follow such good people'', but, alas, expectations are double-edged swords. And with that, the day ended with merely a few casualties, due to everyone''s efforts. They were a bit disappointed though, since they weren''t able to find valuable items, except for the magi stones inside the lamps they were able to procure in time. On top of that, the dungeon collapsed, so they were not able to get a proof that the dungeon was the ruins of the lost capital city of Amyth, other than their memories of it. Everyone fell asleep with that thought in mind; but little did they know, the sleeping little girl they saved was there biggest proof. The next day, Hannah finally woke up. ===== Finally! We''re near!! You guys are probably confused with what else is there in that world and stuff. Don''t worry. I''m putting the details as we speak! I merely gave you guys the tip of the iceberg and I plan to give out the details little by little until we get to that other part! Also, yes. The usual fantasy setting won''t be just the standard. It will include traditional mythical ones and my own CREATIONS! BUWAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!! :mowahaha: I said this, but due to reasons ( mostly because of a stupid project in programming ) I can''t make an update as soon as I could, since school demands a lot of attention. Plus, I get tired easily by just walking around a city, though moving or walking helps drive the sleepiness away (I hate pollution!!). Anyway, this is just an edit that should''ve happened two weeks ago, and you guys deserve an apology. Sorry. Sincerely Yours, The Stupid Author Chapter 8: Suppress Congratulations to me who got exempted from the exam because I passed my game earlier than the Deadline! HOORAY FOR FREEDOM! [th_084_.gif] [th_091_-3.gif] I''m so Happy.. I had no time to sleep because of that DAMN project. [th_0gotas.gif] I''m really glad I could come back here. Sorry to keep you waiting. BTW, I got really deep when I made this(I was just reading comments in youtube before this). It''s really weird. Please excuse the really deep thoughts. ===== Despair looms over the world of shadows, as hopelessness and anger takes hold of the guilty heart. -Be it young or old, no man nor woman can resist the wrath of those that had been wronged; neither death nor life can even make a difference.- Such is the fate for those who wish to redeem themselves; such is the fate for those that have to walk the road of thorns. >>>~~/M\~~<<< It happened late at night. It was after we were able to get out of that ruin like dungeon. We were able to stabilize her condition and managed to treat her bruises. Thinking we were able to cleanse her from the demon, we cleaned the place and began to walk outside. We were about to reach the door, when suddenly, she screamed loudly as if she was possessed by the demon. "@#&*23,[)! *@alf:#!" She was repeating words that I could not understand. It was as if it was another language that I''ve never heard of. Then, she began to shake us off vigorously as if she was running away from something. We thought it was just a nightmare caused by the incident, but when she suddenly opened her completely white eyes, we thought other wise and began to notice her condition turning for worse. Her mana was deteriorating at a faster rate. Nothing like this has ever happened before. "W-what is happening?!" "I''ve never seen something like this before." "Quickly! Get her to settle down!" Her strength started to rise, and her body temperature began to shift from cold to hot. It was after five minutes of struggle that we were able to restrict her movements; but after that, she started crying. Then, it hit me. I didn''t have the time to explain everything since the patient was at her worst already, and everyone else was at a loss on what to do. "Everyone! Step aside." "Senya? What are you doing?" In order for a demon to absorb the victim''s mana, they have to weaken their heart. In order for them to do that, they have to attack by means of using one''s memories that will weaken their resistance, making it easier for them to enter. The demons will manipulate and turn the memory into something worse, creating a false memory out of the original. The only way to save the victim is by destroying its outside body, then casting holy magic to the victim''s head immediately. There was no doubt that the demon had already been slain, so why is she going through this? I have no idea. It is the first time this ever happened for us who have a good history of treating demon victims. Yes, they get mentally weakened, and the experience itself is a huge turning point for their personality, be it bad or good, but this sudden 180 degree turning point is a new thing. The demon is already gone, but since that thing was not normal, I might be right to assume that its mind control is unlike any other we faced. This was just my assumption at first, but the more I connect everything, the more convinced I was to do so; to erase her memories. I knew it was unheard of, since manipulating one''s memories are only done to highly convicted criminals for special reasons, but what I had in mind was merely to suppress her memory of the past that had been corrupted by the demon, to the point that it was "gone". Although, I plan on bringing her memory back only when she is ready to face it. "Hate me for this later, but since there is no time to explain everything, I''ll only tell you this; I am going to erase her memories." "WHAT?!" Everyone was shocked, but I had no time to explain everything at that time; and so I just instantly cast the spell the moment they got confused and couldn''t react. That way, they wouldn''t be able to stop me. I only pray that it would work. "[Oh [dfsdadj] of history, I offer thee the memories of this child. Meoiudfdroi oieuroeu: [daldfkdkj] suppress]" Using the ancient tongue method that I studied a long time ago, I changed the spell of memory erasing to suppressing, and as expected, I couldn''t understand the words that came out of my mouth. After that, I fainted from mana exhaustion. >>>~~/M\~~<<< "...I see..." Inside a big round tent, the Captain, who''s now wearing a leather vest and a brown pants, sits on a chair with a table meant for a high ranking officer, facing the only exit of the tent. In front of him are two of his subordinates and the supervisor of the newly formed group -Vice Captain Senya, Intelligence division''s representative Sir Armin, and the supervisor Sir Amos, The Paladin-. A night had passed since that incident happened. Everyone was so tired at that time, and there were a lot of casualties; although, as fortunate as it sounds, the situation wasn''t so severe. The Captain, who rushed from his work after he felt the shaking, announced during dinner that it was best for them all to rest, so he gave them the morning to work and examine the surroundings just in case, the rest of the afternoon for a break and a day to prepare for departure. Everyone was alright with it, so they all cheered. On the other hand, Senya wanted to explain to the captain about the little girl''s situation so that they could do something about it before things got worse, so the captain promised a meeting for the next day during their break. What they did not expect was the event that took place late that night. The captain, who was near the tent where the little girl resided, woke up and found out about the Vice-Captain''s preposterous plan. He wanted an explanation, but they had to postpone since Senya fainted and the clerics at that time were dead tired. Right now, the night had already passed and the sun had already gone over the horizon. It has been 30 minutes since the story telling started. After it ended, the Captain quietly closed his eyes to think. He then opened his eyes, looked at Senya with a serious face and ask her a question. "Do you realize what you did?" "Yes, sir." "Do you not regret what you have done?" "I do not regret anything. If I did, I wouldn''t have done this in the first place." True. She''s not the type that does things half hearted. "Hmm..." "...." "Senya. When we return to the capital, an adequate punishment will be given for you. For the mean time, you will be the one to take care of the child 24 hours, until we reach the first military base. Understand?" "... Yes..." "So... how is her condition?" With a nervous look, I, the Captain, waited for my Vice Captain to answer that one important question. If the child were to die, it would not be something we could shrug off so easily, since what happened last night to the three years old is seen as a great insult to the country and seen as illegal. The only exemption to this rule is when it is done to prisoners. If you were to do this to someone without official consent, you will be scorned by the people around you, and in worst cases, you will be hunted down despite not being listed in the criminal records. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The reason for this is because of the ancient country''s beliefs; to be specific, it''s the personal privacy Act. According to the ancestors of the royal family in our country, there were many laws that were passed down in the ancient country of Amyth. One of them was the personal privacy Act, which means to not meddle with people''s personal life without consent or mutual agreement; hence, no tampering of the mind of others. Since the royalties of our country are big fans of the last rulers of Amyth since the founding of this country, you can expect them to include the laws of that said country. If the higher ups were to find out about that incident, and the memory erasing was all in vain, then my little sister would have her memories erased as punishment! She''ll be accused of killing a child, by that court. It''s possible, since the court is made up of malicious nobles who start criticizing people and blurring the wall between hypothesis and true story, escalating everything. On the other hand, if the little girl were to survive, then Senya''s punishment will be handled by our people, which is not as worse as the court''s punishment. That would be the best outcome since, it''ll be annoying to handle those people. After all they are the kind that hates our family for being Justice freaks and for meddling on their affairs. They will use any opportunity to strike a blow on us. With a serious face, Senya answered my worries with good news. "She''s surprisingly doing well." "I-I see... wait. Surprisingly?" "Yes. Surprisingly." Surprisingly? Did something happen that shouldn''t have happened? "Explain" "Yes. Her recovery rate is fast, despite her previous condition being worse. Her mana was very little and she was already suffering greatly when we first found her. From what I initially thought, the little girl is going to recover for quite a while, and it would take about less than a month or so, since she is still a toddler. Right now, it''s a contradiction. Based on previous experiences some clerics had with patients of this kind, the victim usually takes about a week and a half to recover and that''s a talent on its own; but at that time, it took a turn for the worse, and now that she has stabilized, her recovery rate has increased more than previously." "Are you saying she''ll recover for about a week and a half?" "I''m saying she''s recovering much faster. Faster than a week and a half. Every minute shortens the length." Everyone was shocked. We all stared in silence after that, trying to piece together everything, making sure that we did not misinterpreted her words. Then Amos suddenly started blabbering and tried to inquire more about the interesting child. "Wow. That''s incredible. It''s probably because of the powerful clerics, right? I mean, that''s kind of impossible... Did you cast powerful healing magic on her?" "Well... yes, but that has always been the case for victims like her. After fainting, I didn''t do anything else, really." "..." Armin on the other hand, is silently writing what looks to be his report for the intelligence division. It''s natural, since this place is actually his office, and this meeting is meant to be written for the intelligence division. How diligent, unlike his brother over there. I wonder why these two are so different despite being brothers. Then, while I was looking at that fast yet very neat hand writing, Amos'' question caught my attention and Armin stopped what he was doing. "Is it okay if I come to see her?" "Yes, but only if you stay quiet. She''s probably still asleep." Suddenly, Armin stood up, surprising everyone. Well, that was fast. "I will come too. I am afraid of what may come if my older brother was left with her." "Wha-! Are you saying I can''t be responsible?!" "I am saying that trouble will always follow you." Oh! He''s right about that one. Amos understood very well what Armin meant and couldn''t retort anymore. Well, If that''s the case, I shouldn''t stay quiet then. "If you guys are going, then I''m going too. Senya?" "...tch.. Then, follow me." Senya... Did you just click your tongue... on me? What did I do wrong? With a wounded heart, I followed Senya along with everyone to the tent where the miracle girl is currently resting. It was a just a short distance away from the tent we just used. We entered the place, thinking I will find a fragile three years old girl on the bed soundly sleeping, only to discover that the patient has already awakened and looking lively. What came into view was a girl with a lovely red hair, fair white skin and an "incredible" blue eyes "Eh?" >>>~~\M/~~<<< Hannah woke up, confused and a bit light headed. She couldn''t recall anything that ever lead her to this predicament. She could only recall herself entering a large hallway and what came after that was a blur. This is an indication that the spell cast on her worked as what was first expected. Unfortunately, this caused her to feel anxious, the more she realizes her situation. Out of no where, three men and a woman in simple clothing came through the only passage in this tent. Their sudden comment right after making eye contact with me caught me off guard. it was awkwardly silent. Fortunately, the shiny head one broke the silence, but the unfortunate thing is that "Are you okay, little girl?" "..." For some reason, I could''t say anything in responce. My heart began to raise, and my body trembled. I don''t know why but I feel... less safe. "Don''t be scared, we''re not here to hurt you, so come out of the blanket." "..." And on top of that, right after the shiny one finished his words, my body moved under the blanket. For some reason, I feel safe inside the tent; so, now he''s being comforted by the men he is with, in a corner, far from here. "There, there. It couldn''t be helped that she got intimidated by your size and shiny head, brother." "I don''t think that will work. Look, he''s getting worse." "..." Hannah never thought of making contact with other humans before, thus, because of the sudden situation, she reacted in a way that she would''ve never done before, if she were still Lily. Her reaction to the situation is not something new and is very natural. According to certain information, a human''s reaction to hide from certain things like crowds and open terrains out of fear, despite not being sure of the danger, is just their survival instinct taking over them. Since this is the first time she''s interacting with people as a human, and quite sudden as well, her sense of danger went over drive, right when the situation became confusing. In addition, her emotions have not calmed down yet, and is still in turmoil inside, after that whole fiasco while she was unconscious. Of course, one wouldn''t be able to properly understand what she feels right now, so just imagine yourself suddenly getting teleported into the middle of a crowd, while wearing your birthday suit. What am I doing. I shouldn''t be this scared of people. Then again, I am a toddler and they can easily dispose of me... W-wait! What am I doing?! This is not the time for imagining the unlikeliest! I don''t understand why I am doing this right now, but since this is a good opportunity to make first contact, I should take the leap! ... Wait, what should I say first? While she was pondering over leaving the comfort of the blanket or not, the man''s voice, who was comforting the bald one just a moment ago, suddenly got louder. "... Senya. Let''s just leave her be." "... No use forcing her to come out, huh." "Oi! You two! We''re leaving!" Sounds of footsteps leaving the tent began to fill Hannah''s ears as everyone followed the man''s order. This made Hannah feel a little bit of relief and a little bit disappointed of herself, knowing they were gonna leave her alone. Before Senya exited the tent, she stops, and then looked back to the little girl, covered by the warm blanket. She softly smiled with relief. "... Food will come shortly, so stay here until then, okay?" "..." Just like that, Senya left the tent with the others. ===== Chapter 9: Restlesness Anggu = a bird. It has two long feathers, each on top of its eyes, just like a person''s eyebrows. they come in different colors: pink, blue, black, green, yellow and brown. The baby form is cute, cuddly and looks like a penguin, only it has three fingers at the end of its wings, but when it becomes an adult, it will grow bigger, its second pair of eyes, that is found at the side of its head parallel to the first pair, will open, the neck will become longer like an ostrich as well as its "eyebrow" feathers, its legs will grow longer with additional "hard as a dragon''s scales" scales covering its legs from the thighs down to the toes and its tail feathers will grow longer like a chicken''s. Their color will gradually change, depending on their habitat. They become faster and more nimble, making them natural runners. Also, they are harder to tame than any other animal because of their wild, free and cunning nature, putting them in the "do not intimidate" category. Their nests are rare to find since they are good at hiding their treasures, so tamed Anggu is a no; even if you managed to find one and catch a chick, you''re going to be hunted down by its mother. Although, if you were to find a tamed one, then know that their loyalty only belongs to their chosen partner and will bite if you try anything funny. Don''t underestimate them, because their pecking power is enough to gauge your eyes out, their legs and "hands", with their sharp nails, are strong and fast, enough to destroy your bones with one kick and they can also release a sound wave, sharp enough to make one¡¯s ears bleed. Banaberry = imagine a banana but apple red instead of yellow === After confirming the little girl¡¯s condition, the group swiftly returned to the tent they previously occupied. Everyone sat on the available chair, quietly thinking of the future they¡¯ll have to face as well as the future of the little girl; but most of all, they were thinking of the surprise they never expected. This made Amos speak his thoughts out loud. ¡°That was a surprise. To think that she was already awake¡­¡± ¡°She seems to be fine.¡± Armin added, while quietly continuing what he left unfinished. My little brother sure is workaholic. The captain then continued the conversation, trying to confirm the details for the future. ¡°As mentioned earlier, Senya..¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You will directly report to general Levierre when we return to the capital. He will be the one to deal with you. For now, you are tasked to take care of the child until we get her to the orphanage. Understand?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± As for everyone, just do what you usually do. You¡¯re all on break... I¡¯m talking to you, Armin.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°Dismissed.¡± Just like that, everyone left the tent. Except for Armin. Sheesh. What the hell is that report all about? It must be a really long one. ¡°¡­ Ah.¡± Speaking of which ¡­ I should tell him about the pitch black cloth I found. Since he''s part of the intelligence division, he should mention this in his report as well. >>>~~\M/~~<<< "Sigh" An unrestricted sound of air from the mouth of a beautiful woman, bounce from wall to wall as she put food on a tray inside the tent. It has been about five hours since their short meeting ended and she has been troubled with something. The cooks, whom she did not put into consideration, couldn''t help but notice the heaviness of that sigh just now and could only look at that small back, knowing they could never directly ask their vice-captain''s worries. It''s not because she''s a woman, since some of the cooks are also women; it''s because asking your superior about their problem is like asking for classified information. It''s a matter of privacy, but quite unnecessary for an army if you ask the veterans. After all, they will be your comrades at arms in battle and bonding with everyone is what makes an army stronger and Senya knows that well. Unfortunately, there are no such veterans in the vicinity. Even so, there''s no need to worry about that since we don''t need consent to know what they''re thinking. What do I do? I''ve never made much progress with her. The morning had already passed and it has been five hours since our first contact with the little girl, but so far, I can''t seem to get her out of the blankets nor can I even move her with bait. This never happened before. I''ve tried baiting her with candies I had packed for this trip... They were very hard, so I discarded them instead. I tried giving her a stuffed toy, but there was no response. It was badly made anyway. I tried telling her a story about a monster under the sheets. I don''t think she was listening though. I tried talking about how tasty her breakfast was, and told her if she were to come out of the blanket, I would feed her, which will make the food even tastier, but as expected, it didn''t work. I tried all sorts of other things, but to no avail. I even went so far as to catch a baby Anggu that I found alone in the forest by chance... I had to release it before its mother finds out though. Unfortunately, a person like Hannah, who has 20 years worth of experience as an assassin, can''t be easily moved by baits like any other child. After all, she was trained to be as hard as a cold steel both inside and out. Even if her emotions are back, it still won''t falter the "will" of the most dangerous assassin in the organization. Of course, Senya doesn''t know of this, thus, she thought it must be because of what she had went through; although, Hannah''s reason for not making contact yet is of different topic. If this keeps up, she won''t be able to make any friends when she gets to the orphanage. That is if, she has no more relatives that she knows, but that''s just assuming the toddler can speak and remember things. "Sigh" I want to see that cute little face of hers one more time. Not many know of this but Miss Senya has great fondness for little children, which makes this situation most appreciated. She likes to visit orphanages whenever she has free time and loves to play with the little bundles of joy. She says it''s because they give her energy, but those who witnessed her weird happy face as children pull her down and grab her hair without hesitation, says it''s almost like an illegal drug to her. Don''t worry, it''s not pedophilia... I think. That vibrant red hair.. ivory skin and.. a beautiful pair of sky blue eyes... wait, was that color really Sky blue..? Come to think of it, it seemed like it was glowing... or was I just imagining things..? "Oh." Before I knew it, I was already spacing out. I looked around, and everyone was staring at me with a worried face. When they noticed my gaze, they quickly looked away and returned their attention to their job. How embarrassing. Ok. Let''s forget that ever happened. "Hmm.. let''s see... A light soup full of vegetables cut in small pieces, a glass of water, bread cut in bite size and a banaberry." This should help her strength back. Okay! Let''s go back to the battlefield! With determination, she puts on a smile and walks towards the tent where the child resided. The distance wasn¡¯t too much to handle, since it¡¯s been lined up along with the white medical tents, which one could see once they leave through the food tent¡¯s only entrance. If one were to look at their left side, they¡¯ll find tents lined up for the soldiers, while at one¡¯s right, one will find bigger tents for the officers who were tasked to plan the military base; yes, this is one of their reasons for staying here a little longer. They were tasked to make a military base suited for defending against invaders. Before they learned of the dungeon¡¯s existence, they were already planning on making a base inside the forest as their frontier; but were confused as to how and where they would make the base, since the forest surrounding them is enchanted and is full of anomalies as well as mysteries. They feared it, since there were certain incidents where one got lost by just stepping into the forest, or a creature with bulging red eyes suddenly attacked adventurers out of nowhere and killed everyone. In addition, the forest would suddenly grow overnight, making it hard to control. ¡°If one were to get lost here, they are sure to be doomed¡±, was what the elders who lived near it used to say. Fortunately, they managed to find a way to go against its growth rate. It¡¯s a forest full of big, thick, and twisted trees covered in moss and vines with unusual characteristics; a forest so big that it covered the center of this huge continent, blurring the boundaries between the neighboring kingdoms. This forest had many names, but now it is known as the Ancient Mystic forest, because of the stories that surrounds its existence. As to how these soldiers were able to find their way inside, it is because of a road formed by the many attempts made by people who wanted to explore it, and maybe, conquer it. Rumor has it, the forest contain the ruins of Amyth, the kingdom of legend, said to have a Saintess as the queen and an outstanding human king. This is the main reason for the military base. The legend speaks of the kingdom¡¯s boundaries, which was said to have never existed, since the kingdom itself was the biggest kingdom in the entire continent based on the elders¡¯ stories. Of course, the kingdom was said to have existed one thousand years ago, so its true history has become blurry and the only records left of the kingdom, are but pieces of papers with blurred and unreadable texts and books that are far too old to open. I enter the tent in a very careful manner, so that I won¡¯t spook the child. I carefully parted the curtains to take a peek at the sleeping girl, only to be suddenly assaulted by a small creature. ¡°Uuf!¡± Due to its small size, it didn¡¯t manage to knock me down, but instead, it surprised me. I look down, and to my surprise it was the little girl, starring back at me with its mesmerizing blue eyes. >>>~~\M/~~<<< Earlier at that time, while Senya was preparing the food, Hannah was sitting on the bed, looking around the room, feeling restless. ¡°It¡¯s quiet¡­¡± I muttered in a small tone, hoping the silence would go away. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "...sigh... When is she coming back ...?" I''ve been waiting for a very long time here, trying to summon some courage to talk to them, and now that I finally have enough after every failed attempts of coming out, it takes long for them to come back! On top of that, I somehow do not like being alone! This is not normal, even for me. I do not like this. I do not like this at all! Hannah has been odd lately. Ever since she woke up, she has been feeling agitated and always seeking distraction. It has been bothering her for quite a while now, since she knows very well that being alone in the quiet comes naturally for her, since her experience in that awful world made her more of what she is now than when she was still the three years old Hannah. It is most likely not because of her uncontrolled emotions, since it has started calming down, though not as much as it should be. No. I should calm down. In this situation, it is better to have patience and not panic ... Ugh. Now I understand how hard it is to be patient. ¡°Sigh¡­ What do I do in this situation¡­¡± She had thought of many possibilities that lead her to become restless, but knowing her situation, she can¡¯t be bothered to think about it, even though it bothers her so much; thus, she made a conclusion to forget about it; but little did she know, the cause of her odd behavior is far too deep for her to truly understand. She''ll most likely discover it in the future. I looked around, hoping to find something in this little tent with only a makeshift wooden bed, a makeshift table at my right side and a chair in the left facing me. Sitting on top of the chair is my bag. Seeing it gave me an idea. Why don''t I just read the book. That way, I would be making most of my time learning about this world and how to survive. I nimbly crawled towards the bag and reached for it. ¡°Got it!¡± Okay. Now how do I do it again¡­ Ah. Right. I just have to think of the item¡­ I held the bag near me, opened it, stuck my hand inside and then thought of grabbing the book. In order to answer my wishes, the emptiness inside the bag was suddenly filled with only the book¡¯s touch. I grabbed it, and then pulled it out of the dimension bag. This is definitely magic. ¡°... I should try to get used to this more.¡± I''m used to how things have physics and the idea that magic does not exist, so this is... how should I say it... weird ...? ... yeah. Yeah! It''s weird. After agreeing with myself, I looked at the book in my hand. It¡¯s locked.. ¡°¡­ I have the key, so no worries.¡± It seems that the book will lock itself. I remember I didn¡¯t lock it again after closing it and putting it inside the bag. How convenient. While remembering the things that happened inside the room where she woke up, Hannah skillfully moved her hands to unlock the book; but suddenly, her hands stopped. Somewhere inside her half empty bottle of chemicals, a sort of complicated feeling rose from the bottom. Though she doesn''t know why, but she understands that she has no will to read the book right now; or rather, she lost the will to do so, though she doesn''t want to admit it. ¡°¡­ M-maybe not right now.¡± Y-yeah¡­ I shouldn¡¯t recklessly do things in uncertain situation. ¡°... That¡¯s right.¡± I am currently in a place I don¡¯t know and I have no idea who those people were. Don¡¯t get me wrong though. I don¡¯t feel any bad intentions from them, but still, it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. I put the book inside the bag, and then closed it. I then returned the bag to its former place where it¡¯s safe. ¡°...This is for the best.¡± ..Yes¡­ but¡­ what now¡­? I asked myself this question, hoping I might find an answer. While Hannah thought of many things that she could do, a strong but gentle wind managed to bypass the curtain that covered the entrance. It then moved towards Hannah, as if it was asking for attention. Hannah felt the refreshing wind, caressing her skin gently. In response, she looked towards the direction where it might have come from. Despite how calming and gentle the wind was, it managed to move the curtain, revealing the outside world a little. Hannah saw the curtain¡¯s waltz with the friendly wind along with the bright world outside, and it made her curious like a child that she is. The dream-like memory then began to resurface, making her even more curious of what was outside this small tent. Without hesitation, she moved to the side of the bed; with her little body, she slowly puts her feet down on the floor, making sure she was balanced and able to walk. After confirming her health, she then returned her gaze to the dancing curtain, as if she was mesmerized by the light that keeps playing with her sight. Without noticing it, her feet moved slowly towards the curtain, as if her fear and anxiety faded from memory. She raised her left hand slowly reaching for the curtain with her heart beating faster as she takes a step. Wait! Before I realized it, I was already reaching for the exit. ¡°What am I doing? I shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Then again... NO! She says to stay put, so stay put. Are you following orders from a stranger? As expected, you have not yet been freed from that dark world''s control. How pathetic. Without realizing it, she began to argue with herself. Conflicted between realizing the desire to see and feel the breeze that she longed for for so many years and the attitude towards orders and obedience she got used to from that world, Hannah began to try make sense of what she wanted and needed more. She also started betting against herself. That''s not true! Oh really? Then prove it! Put one feet out of the tent and prove me wrong! Okay! I''ll do just that! I moved my little feet towards the exit. Step by step, I began to move faster, but somewhere in that moment, I must have closed my eyes, because I bumped into something. "Uuf!" Or someone. I fell on to my bum, but because of my toddler body, It wasn''t as painful as they say. I looked up to see what I bumped into. To my surprise, it was Miss Senya. ... Someone, help me. The two stared at each other intensely. As one would expect, the surprise was unexpected. Hannah could not say anything, because the situation was very sudden, even though she tried to ready herself as much as possible. On the other hand, Senya is frozen because of excitement. To finally see the cute child''s face after many attempts gave her a sense of fulfillment, and the urge to hug the child, but she didn''t want to scare the little girl even more, so she''s holding herself back. Calm down. Calm down. Let''s try to apologize! That''s right! Apologize for bumping is what people usually do in this situation... right? Well, that''s what the books in that library from the other world say. I looked up to the lady standing in front of me, summoned some new found courage, and then I began to speak. "... Am sowy..." "......" ... Great! I did it! I''m so stupid! Embarrassed by how awful she pronounced the simplest sentence, Hannah, with her blank expression, looked down and began to self-deprecate herself inside her mind. This kind of mentality was caused by the other world''s norms. Back there, a single failure meant a great lose, so, as an assassin she could not afford to make a single mistake, even in communicating. On the other hand, Senya responded with silence, but inside her, she was screaming with delight. She could not hold it in anymore and just wanted to hug the little girl, but her hands were occupied, so she walked passed her as fast as possible to put down the tray she was carrying. Hannah, not knowing the intent of Senya''s sudden action, thought she was being ignored for her failure, which indicated that she was a failure, based on the norms from that other world; this made her feel even worse than she already is. ... I- I must have offended her really badly ... I''m awful. As I was about to crawl into a dark place, two hands suddenly took hold of me from the back, and then lifted me up. W-what''s happening ...? "Come here." Is she gonna kill me? Then the hands skillfully wrapped itself around me, and with her soft yet bloated chest I was forced in a lock. Is this how I end? ... but it doesn''t hurt ..? Hannah could not understand her current situation, since she thought she was being ignored for her failure, thus, she thought the hug was a killer move of some sort. She doesn''t know how adorable she was when she said those words like that; and if used against a person like Senya, it would become a killer move, which, in this case, it already is. Seconds passed. "..." A minute. "..." Five minutes. "..." Fifteen minutes later. ... I can''t move. We''ve been sitting on the bed while in this... tight situation for a while now... I don''t understand why, but, based on what I recall from the young master''s teachings, it seems that I am being hugged. She''s been saying weird things, like how cute I am and adorable with a really wide smile on her face. ... I really don''t understand why this stranger is doing this to me. Is this supposed to be a custom or something? "You''re such a little cutie! Look at that cute cheek of yours. I could just eat you up!" ... I should really move out of this. Tired of her current position, Hannah tried to get herself out of the hug. She moved her little hands against Senya''s arms, and began to push herself out; but it was not effective, so she tried wiggling her way out. As Hannah tries to move out of her embrace, Senya realized what she was doing, and thought the little girl must be feeling uncomfortable. "Oh! I''m sorry. Was I hugging you tightly?" "..." I wanted to say yes but I don''t want to make another mistake. Unfortunately, her stomach said other wise; like a comedian waiting for the cue, her stomach growled loudly. "..." ... this is embarrassing. "Do you want to eat?" Senya delightedly asked the obvious question, thinking the growling sound of Hannah''s stomach was also cute, like a creepy mom. Hannah''s face was still calm, but inside, she wanted to throw herself out. She nodded in response, hoping this interaction would just end already. =====