The ache was still there even though the cause was no longer to be seen.

Aonair kept walking and finally back home. He went straight to bathe and soaked himself in the bathtub.

His body was quite toned since he mines every day. His height was quite short among his peers.

One could see a scar on his lower side of his stomach. It's a scar from a stab wound.

Every time he saw the scar, his mind went back to the time when he got it first.

It was back then when he was nine. He and Laoch were interested in mushrooms that grew outside the village.

The boys decided to go outside, but Deas didn't want to and tried to stop them. Aonair got angry and ran outside alone, leaving Laoch with Deas.

Aonair ran and ran until he reached a forest. It was true that many kinds of mushrooms grew there. He started to picked it up and put it inside his bag.

But suddenly, creaking sounds came from trees. From there, three green creatures holding bow and swords came out.

Aonair recalled the information from the book he saw. It said to watch out for *goblins* when someone wants to pick up mushrooms.

It is a monster.

Aonair couldn't move a single inch. It's the first time he saw monsters and the barbaric appearance scared the little Aonair so much.

The three goblin, however, didn't stop and approaching Aonair slowly. They growled and let out some chuckles. The goblins might realize Aonair couldn't do anything.

Aonair scared, but he has to do something. He mustered all of his courage and thrown the mushrooms toward the goblins.

The goblins who leisurely walking, suddenly emitting strong bloodlust toward him. Aonair fell to the ground and even wet himself.

His eyes were crying, but not even a shout came out from his mouth. Eventually, one of the goblin ran to Aonair while brandishing its short sword.

*STAB*

“Gha--! U-UWAAAAA!!!”

The sword easily went through Aonair's stomach and planted deep inside. Aonair screamed and moving his body wildly to fight back.

The goblin jumped back, but he let the sword stayed inside Aonair's body. It even smirked as if it already knows the outcome.

Aonair who's crying and screaming after getting stabbed frantically trying to escape.

He dragged his feet with tears on his face. He cried and screams “Go away!” “Help!”

...but no one came.

Watching the weak Aonair, the sword goblins decided to finished his life.

They surrounded him and prepared to stab him from two sides.

“Ugh… Why... Help…”

Aonair couldn't do anything but stood there. He would die, but nothing he can do to prevent it.

But when the goblins with the sword tried to attack the weak Aonair, they were slashed into two horizontally by a great sword.

Aonair opened his eyes and looked at the person who came to save him.

“Lad!”

After killing the sword goblins, the man attacked the bow goblin and ended its life with one stroke.

The man who saved Aonair from his death was Zel. Later, it was told that Laoch and Deas told Zel about Aonair who ran outside the village.

Deas and Laoch thought the strongest person in the village could save him, and they made a correct choice.

Zel immediately ran and managed to arrived at the right time. If it wasn't him, maybe they won't take it seriously and Aonair ended up dead.

With that, Aonair was taken back and treated as soon as he arrived. Deas cried loudly when she saw Aonair.

A scene where his body covered with blood and stabbed with arrows and sword was surely a nightmare for a girl like her.

In the end, Aonair managed to survive. It was a miracle that he still alive with those horrific wounds.

The other wounds were healed and completely disappear, except the stab wound. It still remains because the sword was stabbed too deep.

For himself, Aonair thought the scar as the sign of his weakness. Almost died makes him thinking about how fragile life was.

That's why, he never wants to fight. If possible, he wants everything to be peaceful. But it just a mere dream in this cruel world.

He shook his head and get up from the bathtub. He soaked himself too long. Furthermore, he couldn't let Laoch waiting, after all.

After drying himself, he wore the good-looking clothes and walked out again once more.