With the fire of destruction raining down on my village, I started feeling numb. The emotions that I have learned to control have started swelling within me. I could feel rage fill my prepubescent body - but then again, does my age even really matter? The pinnacle of my growth was reached during my life as a Prince and I understand that I am a powerless child right now but should I be satisfied with this? Should I let my loving family burn to a crisp?

"Choose." Said she.

I looked back at my companion, she who is Esha and at the same time, isn't.

The wind was masked with the scent of death and burning flesh and the forest was crying as it was sundered by a torrent of fireballs and other magical atrocities. I couldn't believe that my peaceful life has ended. I looked at Esha and felt my palms sweat. I felt an insurmountable pressure emanate from her being - which, given her stature and age, would normally be impossible.

"I will protect my family." I replied.

"Do you even have the power to protect them?" She asked.

I cursed under my breath but I knew that getting angry at her would accomplish nothing. The azure sky was tainted with smoke and the blood of the innocent - and time was running out. I have about 5 Takemikazuchi Bombs and my military training coupled with the Index and my knowledge of Alchemy - but alone I will accomplish nothing. My mastery of the consumption of aether - or lack of - is nothing to laugh at. With my barely developed body I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the seasoned warriors.

Wait – wasn’t Sylvain reputed to be a fair warrior? I thought she would come here to settle the debt with a lone warrior in a trial by combat? It is an ancient rite known to all soldiers and it is one that not anyone could simply break. She would gain nothing but contempt from people with this preemptive strike and somehow, I don't see her as someone who would be satisfied with that. A lot of things aren't making sense - and I am irked by it.

As a strategist, one must have the ability to assert complete battlefield dominance, whether it be a battle on land, sea or air and right now there are a lot of things that I do not know. There are a myriad of factors that I must consider such as prioritizing my survival over my family whose fates are uncertain. I can also formulate a series of surgical strikes which would open up a path for me to my home - but the risks far outweigh the benefits.

Eh. Why am I thinking like this? When did I ever become such a cold-hearted person? Nihilism has never been one of my more memorable qualities.

Sensing confusion slowly take over me, Esha? exhaled with a heated sort of indifference as she walked towards me. Normally, in these kinds of situations it would be a sultry older woman who would offer me half of the world but seeing the child in Esha walk towards me was funny in its own way.

Esha placed her hands over my own and brought it near our chests. She looked me in the eyes and I saw two personalities within her - the child and the unknown. Two completely different people with the exact same frown plastered on their innocent faces.

She took a deep breath and tightened her grip.

"You cannot save anyone as you are, Heron." She turned around and said, "Your mother will be violated and her corpse, discarded. Your father will die in humiliation and shame. Your countrymen will burn."

The child Esha is gone and before me is a being filled with grief and darkness. She pleaded further.

"The worse part is that you can do nothing about it. This isn't about honor or doing what is right - this is about surviving."

I knew that - I knew all of that but I can't just give up. I can't just let the people who cared for me die. I frantically scoured my memories for stratagem or even the basest of tricks just so I could protect my village.

As I was slowly losing myself to despair, a lonely voice suddenly spoke up breaking the silence and in that moment I knew that I would have to pay a dear price.

"Heron, we can drive off the invaders, maybe even save the lives of your people.." She bit her lip, "There is a price to be paid, however, and only certain men can pay it. Personally, I think you can take it.."

As she says this, a feeling of uncertainty - subtle, yet powerful - escaped her small body. I started to see this little girl for what she is: Danger. Quite possibly the most dangerous being I have ever encountered, even more so than that dastardlu archer who killed me in the first place.

I am presented with an option and more importantly, hope - but at what cost? No, there is no time to hesitate. Be it an arm or a leg, I am willing to lose that much just so I could protect my own. If I cannot even save my town, how can I hope to reform this world?

In the end, the means shall be justified - losing this much to achieve something greater is to be expected.

I closed my eyes and placed my right hand over my heart. "I accept this contract, regardless of the price."

She smiled and slowly approached me until she was a few steps in front of me. She raised her right hand and took my hand in hers.

"I acknowledge your will. Half of you, your being, your entirety, half of your life now belongs to me."

A magnificent light envelops Esha's body and a big cocoon of Aether forms around her. From within, I hear a voice as beautiful as an Aria for the soul and it reverberated throughout the forest, filling it with as much a wonder as it does mysteries.

"Inflecterent Scindite vanitatem tuam mundum de voluntate. Akasha te iubeo - simque favorem fortunae indoctus"

The cocoon starts to break as it slowly floats higher. The land around me cracks and soon, the area within the forest is terraformed into something else entirely and it feels otherworldly, as though it took a page from Man's most childish fantasy of paradise and juxtaposed that image into reality .

Everything around me looked picture perfect, even the burning sky was replaced by an energy field of the most dense aether I have ever known. It feels familiar to the point of teasing but it was still outside the realm of man.

Wh...what?

My vision started to dim and my legs slowly gave out on me. I fell to my knees and in the corner of my eye, I see a long leg as white as snow rise from the floating sphere of aether. Barely maintaining consciousness, I watch as the sphere slowly dissipates - and starting from the legs, the disappearing sphere slowly revealed a naked woman whose beauty took my breath away.

The otherworldly beauty started walking towards me and using the same angel-like voice, she spoke to me from within. Telepathy? Logic dictates it to be so.

"The promise has been made. Your land will be saved and your family will be protected but your father has already passed over to the other shore. He died valiantly." She continued, "You will journey for more than a decade and when that journey is finished, you will return to your home and strike your sword upon the tree - and only then will the debt be repaid."

With what energy I have left, I tried to look at the strange being's face and I can barely make out a smile.

"Esha will be coming with me now, after all we are __________. Thank you for taking care of us until now. See you, _______"

No good. Fading away. No ----

I passed out but I remember her words well. So all I have to live is another decade eh? Will I always die before I reach the age of thirty? Who knows but what I know for sure is that the next time I woke up, everything changed and my adventure truly began.

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Author's Notes:

I feel sad that I have to kill off Heron's father but his death is necessary. :(

So coming up is a battle from another character's point of view. I hope you will enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it even though it is short.

Again, thank you!