*Thud thud. Thud thud. Thud thud.*

I blinked my eyes, the sun wasn’t even up yet. I left my bed, wondering who it was. I picked up my dagger, holding it behind my back in case it wasn intruder. I opened the door slightly, Isabella standing in front of it.

“Took you long enough.” she said in a grumpy tone. “Can’t you just leave me alone?” I grunted, clearly irritated.

“Heard you’re heading off to hunt a vampire today.” she said.

“Indeed, so what?”

“Here, have these.” She held out several small daggers, I could sense magical energies flowing around and in it. These had been blessed with holy magic. Holy magic was a unique form of magic that was primary used by members of the church. No one truly knows who came up with it, but it was one of the primary weapons used against the demon race long ago.

“Hold on,” I left her at the door, reaching into my bag and pulling out the yarn I had in stock a while back. I wove it into a small piece of cloth, enough to hold the daggers like a bag. I went back to the door and carefully wrapped the cloth around the daggers.

“What’s that for?” she asked, clearly confused.

“Force of habit.” I responded.

“Courtesy of the church, good luck on your hunt today.”

I closed the door and placed the blessed daggers on the table. I tried picking one up, only for it to sear my flesh and became hot. I immediately dropped it. The effects weren’t as bad as before, but I wouldn't be wielding holy weapons anytime soon. I carefully placed them into my bags next to the holy water, making sure to wrap it in a way so that the daggers would be safe even if the bag were to be in contact with a strong force. I looked outside, it was still a bit early but I could get something to eat beforehand. I walked towards the market district, many were still setting up shop. I bought a few apples from an old lady, crunching on them as I kept looking around. There was nothing particularly interesting so I left shortly after and went to the guild early. To my surprise, Leon and Celeste were already there before the agreed time.

I walked towards them, waving my hand.

“Hey there!,” greeted Celeste.

“Good morning.” was what I got from Leon.

“Good morning, you two were quite early.”

“Yes, we had some preparations to make before we got here. But let’s get going, shall we?” Celeste asked in response.

The three of us walked outside, dawn barely breaking across the horizon. I walked besides Leon and Celeste, we made small talk as we walked to the exit, small questions about each other in general.

“Where are you from?” they asked.

“Border town from Visereal.”

“I heard that things have been going terrible since the crowning of the new king?”

“I’m not sure, I wasn’t there when it was happening.”

“You seem to know a lot about vampires, what were you before you became an adventurer?”

“Mercenary,” I responded. “Kind of.”

“Well, we’ll be trusting your experience. You got a plan for today?”

“I do, if you trust me I think we can corner this vampire without many issues.”

I began to explain my idea to them and they agreed to it. By the time I finished explaining, we were already at the outskirts of town and walking towards the forest. I met a couple of other adventurers on the way, many recognized me and waved. I returned their signal without much thought.

The forest seemed larger than before, probably because we headed towards a deeper part of it. The maze of trees kept me on guard, making sure I checked every spot before we continued.

“Why exactly are we coming here so early?” shouted Leon from a distance. “I thought vampires are supposed to come out at night.”

“If we can find tracks leading it back to its hideout, we can corner it or drag it into a favorable situation.” I responded, observing a large oak tree.

“Plus, it’s safer to get into the forest at this time of the day, at night we can get ambushed.” shouted Celeste from a certain direction. “Wait, Magnus come here.”

I stopped looking at the tree, heading over to the general direction where I heard Celeste. She stood over blood-stained grass, looking at it carefully.

“It’s dried, but recent.” she concluded.

“We need to look for more tracks, this just tells us it could be anywhere in the surrounding area. We need to narrow it down.” I responded, looking around us. “Let’s go this way.”

We began walking into a general direction, I had a gut feeling that we would find something. I was proven right when we spotted a larger stain of dried blood and drag marks. We followed it, leading us to even more blood and a large clearing.

“We’re close,” I said. “Let’s go with the plan.”

The first part of the plan was to lure out the vampire using fresh blood. Vampires had the unique trait of being able to differentiate living things by the scent of their blood. I was hoping that with fresh blood, we were close enough that we could lure it out. This deep into the forest, it might be willing to risk traveling by daylight in order to catch more prey.

I stood in the large clear opening, the sun shining brightly right above me. It was right around noon. I waited for a moment, making sure that Celeste and Leon were completely inconspicuous. After I made sure that they would not be seen, I took off my bandage on my left arm that Rachel had patched up for me. Dried blood was stuck to the bandage, I touched my wound. Some pain flared from the wound. It was mostly closed, and I wouldn’t be able to get more blood out of it, so I took out of my dagger and sliced my palm, fresh blood slowly oozing out from the cut. Like rain, droplets dripped down from my hand to the ground, turning the grass and ground a deep crimson. I let the blood drip for a bit longer, long enough there was a small pool, and shortly after sealed the cut with a piece of cloth. I gripped my dagger, sitting down and silently keeping watch on my surroundings. The silence of the forests was met with the chirping of birds, the small noises only added to the pressure of the hunt. Normally this ambience was something I enjoyed, but on a job like this it was only a distraction. Maybe an hour or so passed, nothing to note.

*rustle rustle*

I immediately turned to the direction of the noise, drawing my sword and my dagger. The trees created a massive shadow, and out of the bushes walked a large pale bipedal creature with long black claws, a head or two taller than me. Severely disfigured and thin, it looked like a starved monster. Its eyes were completely pitch black, as if I was staring into the abyss, only it was staring back. It took refuge in the shade, as if afraid to risk entering the sun. I kept my eye on it, stalling for time. It slowly crawled towards me, and I held my ground, ensuring that I wouldn’t move out of position until the plan was executed. It took another step closer, sniffing the ground like a wild beast. It’s hollow eyes glared at me at first, then down to my sword. Clearly my silver blade offended it. It screeched loudly, its voice echoing through the forest. In the distance birds flew across the sky, its scream an unnatural force in the wild. It crouched low, as if preparing to leap onto me.

I held up my sword, ready to engage. It sprung like a tiger, propelling itself towards me.

“Now!” I shouted as I could, and the bloody ground in front of me burst open, Leon lept out, slamming his kite shield into the face of the vampire with a loud thud, knocking it back several steps and making it lose its balance. Celeste had begun channeling a fireball as I stepped forward and wrapped around Leon, dashing straight for the vampire to take the initiative. It was still stunned and confused, giving off a loud screech. I stabbed my dagger onto its shoulder, it tried to scratch me but barely missed. It had its back turned to Celeste and Leon. I took out my gunpowder, dispersing it in front of me, and stepped far back. Celeste finished her chant, launching the fireball at it, igniting the gunpowder for a massive blast. I covered my face from the fire, the reverberation of the explosion larger than I imagined, causing me to move back from the heat. Leon had gone over to cover Celeste with his shield, and he gave me a nod when I made eye contact. When the smoke cleared, the vampire was limping, black blood dripping from it shoulder where my dagger stuck in it. It crawled towards the forest, as if trying to escape us.

“Well done.” I congratulated Leon and Celeste.

“Now we just follow it, right?” she asked.

“That’s right, it should lead us right to its hideout.”

What Leon and Celeste had done was used magic to dig a small hole in which they could hide under. Being underground hid them from the vampire’s keen sight and sense of smell, and I used myself as bait in order to draw it in.

Celeste sighed. “Did you really have to make a lady wait under that heap of dirt?” she pouted.

“It was a functional plan” announced Leon. “That’s all that matters.”

“Sorry, it was the only idea come up with.” I shook the dirt off my knees.

“Sigh, you boys need to think more about elegance of your actions,” she said, “However, I admit it was worked out.” she added at the end.

“The job’s not over yet, we still need to track it down.” I got up, and began following the vampire’s tracks.

The three of us followed the trail of black blood, passing by even more and more trees into a denser part of the forest. What we were led to what was a small cave opening with railroad tracks.

“An abandoned mine… of course.” I grumbled. “No one ever bothers remembering these exist.”

Celeste used her staff to bring up a small light, illuminating the rocky concave structure. The stone walls gave me the daunting impression of a cage. The entrance was large, but the inside condensed into a narrow corridor, creating a claustrophobic image. It would be difficult to move and hold a formation in that tightness, causing me to reconsider going inside until we prepared ourselves even more.

“Wait,” I said stopping them from going in. “Here, use these.”

I took out the knives that Isabella gifted to me and the holy water that I had procured.

“Holy water, sprinkle it on your shield and staff, you can use those to injure the vampire” I said, opening the bottle. The strong scent of mint and flowers drifted in the air. I also unwrapped the enchanted knives, offering one to Celeste. “In case you need it.”

“I don’t do so well in cloze proximity.” she answered.

“Better safe than sorry.” I urged.

She grabbed one, putting it into her robe’s pockets. I wondered about what other compartments mages like to put on the robes.

“Guess we’re going in now.” I said, “Leon, you take the lead. I’ll stay in the far back.”

Leon and Celeste headed in together, her light showing the way. Leon’s form made him look like the vanguard, perfect for protecting Celeste. I wait a moment before entering, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. I saw ore veins, pickles and some insects over the place, picking up every small detail. The mine slowly went downhill, so if we had to leave all we had to do was keep an eye out for a path that led upwards. I kept my distance, between ten or fifteen meters away, making sure that nothing could sneak up on them. I held my sword close, holding a good stance to counter-attack in case I would be picked off. I continued following them, going deeper and deeper for maybe a few minutes. They stopped, I continued walking, trying to see what had stopped them.

On the rails, black blood was splattered all over the ground while my dagger swam in it. I signaled them to continue on, trying to make as little noise as possible. I grabbed the dagger from the pool of goo, cleaning it with a cloth before sheathing it. We went even further deeper into the cave. Shadows danced on the walls, and the air was getting tighter. I hoped that this cave would hold, because we would be in danger if the walls suddenly began crumbling. I was lost in thought observing my surroundings. No sound could be heard, but I could sense something up ahead. Something alive, but not the vampire. As Celeste lit up the way, the staff illuminated a small locked door and behind it, what seemed to be a human body.

“Leon, go uncage her.” I whispered as I stepped forward, closing the distance. Leon held up his shield, slowly moving towards the cage. I like that kept his guard up, even if there wasn’t any apparent dangers. I stayed close to the walls and shadows, rendering my presence completely gone. I didn’t like this calmness, not on its home territory.

Then I sensed it. Something was crawling its way towards Celeste. I leapt out of the shadows, colliding right into the vampire. I could feel its flabby pale skin as it made contact with mine, as well as the viscous black blood that gushed out of the wound as I plowed my dagger into its side. It was surprising, showing that it had been completely unaware of me. I kicked it, pulling my dagger out of its hip and knocking it down into a corner.

Its loud screeches devolving into a soft whimpering as if it was dying. I stepped forward, drawing my dagger. It swung an arm at me. I grabbed it, making sure not to get scratched by the claws. I sliced it off cleanly, black blood gushing out of its shoulder and sides. It wailed in agony, but I continued forward. It tried to crawl backwards, as if trying to escape. I swung downwards, impaling my sword into its leg, preving it from going back any further. The wails continued, it still tried to put up a fight even when left with only two limbs. The other arm was immobile because it was the arm that I stuck my dagger in. It was silent now, as if at door’s death. I took out my dagger, still covered in the black stain of blood. I stepped on its other leg, ensuring it wouldn’t move and drove my dagger into its shoulder. More blood gushed out of it, I was surprised it wasn’t dead yet. It gave no more responses, but it moved its head slightly. Its lack of response indicated to me that it was as good as dead.

“Magnus, no more,” I heard Celeste behind me, speaking in a firm voice. “Put it out of its misery. Nothing deserves to die slowly and painfully.”

I obliged, thrusting my sword through its head, a fountain of blood splattering and creating a pool of black blood where I put my feet. I heard the opening and closing of a metal door behind me.

I bent over, plucking my sword out of its head and sliced its head off. Like before, I wrapped it around a piece of cloth.

“Lemme hold onto that.” said Leon, carrying the unconscious lady in his arms. He had taken off his cloak and put it over her. He set her down for a second, taking the head and attaching it to his belt. I looked at the woman, she looked worn out and weak. She was probably being drained of blood before we got here. Afterwards, Leon picked up the lady again, his kite shield and sword being held on his back.

“Wait before we leave, let me get something.” I walked over to the vampire body again, picking up its arms. I took out my dagger, snipping its fingernails off and placing them in my empty vials. Vampire nails contained small doses of poison, and small scratches wouldn't be able to poison you but if they claws sunk deep enough, it could prove lethal. But most importantly it’s usable in potions for some dangerous effects. I harvested the claws while Leon and Celeste waited.

“Let’s go.” I directed, Celeste and Leon began moving up and towards the exit. The four of us went uphill, moments later reaching the mine’s entrance. The green of the forest and bright sunlight came to greet us as we approached, a drastic change from the sinister darkness and pitch black of the cave.

“You could have just killed it, you know?” said Celeste.

“What?”

“You didn’t have to make it go through so much pain before it died.”

“Like I said, it doesn’t matter. It was going to die anyway.”

“Nobody should die like that.” she said, possibly concerned about my methods.

“Not many people get to decide how they would like to die.” I didn’t give that answer too much thought.

We continued the rest of the way back over small talk. Nothing much happened after we left the cave and continued on, however, Leon had taken an interest in my sword.

“The design of that sword.” he said, bringing up the topic. “Where is it from?”

I drew the blade, the sun’s rays bouncing off it and giving it a gleam.

“The South, it’s a rare design.” I said, pointing at the blade. There’s a small line here that separates the blade’s two materials. There was a very thin line that was carved into the sword, one had a different color as opposed to the other. “One side is silver, one side is steel.”

“Why not make an alloy or wield two swords?” asked Leon.

“Wielding two swords is troublesome, especially when you’re up against multiple opponents, both human and monster. I’ve met hunters before, they wield a steel sword and a silver one. One for humans and animals, one for monsters. They call themselves witchers. This is just something I grew up on, it feels unnatural having to sheath a sword and pulling out another one in the middle of combat, I much rather prefer this. As for why we don’t make alloys out of silver and steel, it’s because having steel mixed in with silver weakens the effect silver has on most monsters. ”

“I see.” he responded, satisfied with my response.

Feeling just a bit more talkative today, I decided to ask questions as well.

“Why’re you two travelling together?” I started.

“We’re childhood friends we decided if we were to become adventurers we might as well do it together.” Leon said in a monotone.

“Married?”

“Nope.” answered Celeste.

“Where you two from?”

“The Western Kingdom.”

“What’s your relationship with Rachel?”

“We met her on one of our journeys, ever since then we’ve kept in touch and since she settled here, we come here often. Imagine our surprise when she said she wanted us to work with someone.”

“Why is that surprising?”

“She typically keeps to herself, it’s rare for her to interact with strangers without reason.”

“Is that so?” I answered, thinking about it. I myself was one to keep to myself as well.

“But I have to admit,” cut in Leon. “You really know what you’re doing. You aren’t one of those guys with an odd personality either, wanna keep working with us?”

“I’ll consider.”

The rest of the way continued with small talk, the two of them really gave off a warm and strange feeling. I didn’t know how to describe it, but it made me feel at ease and somewhat comfortable. But at the same time they gave me my room and kept some distance, something that I appreciated when I chose to work with people. Some people just didn’t know when to stop pushing for more.

By the time we arrived back at town, we immediately dropped the unconscious lady off at the doctor. We were told that she was one of the daughters of the farmers in the outskirts of town, and that she had been missing for just a couple of days. We were lucky that we saved her, she had lost a lot of blood and was very frail. The doctor said we would be informed on how she was doing and told us to continue on our task. So we returned to the guild, the vampire head resting on Leon’s belt. Upon return, people greeted all three of us, and I guessed that they had been here for longer than I had, and many approached them, starting conversations of all sorts. I simply kept my distance, but noticed that some people were pointing at me and whispering.

Rachel stomped towards me from behind the reception. She had a scowl on her face.

“Sit over there” she said grumpily.

“What? Why?”

“You’re walking around with a gaping hole in your arm and your bloody excuse of a bandage is going to get you infected.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Just sit down.” I listened and took a seat at one of the empty tables, checking my injuries. There was some blood but it wasn’t as if I would die from this. I wasn’t used to treating my own injuries. Rachel returned with more bandages, and sat down next to me. She put her hands on mine.

“What’re yo-”. A warm yellow light began to glow from her hands, warmth spread across my hand and the pain began to fade. Restoration magic, the school of magic focused around healing others.

“Impressive.” I commented, I was genuinely impressed. She had shown that she was capable of offensive and defensive magic. Perhaps there was more to Rachel than I had initially thought. The cut on my skin began to mend itself, it took a while tho. People watched as the blood on my palm seeped back into the skin, as if time was being reversed. Healing magic was rarely learned by adventurers because it was a class of magic that’s purely supportive, very few would take the time to learn something that wouldn’t allow them to attack or defend themselves. It was also a very difficult school of magic, only certain people are even gifted with the ability to use it. However healing magic wasn’t almighty. It would not heal lethal injuries, and often required a lot of mana and time for a full recovery.

“Thank you.” I gave my gratitude.

“Next time, I’m letting you die.” she grunted, walking away.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I almost instinctively grabbed my dagger. I looked over my shoulder, it was Leon who put his hands on my shoulder and Celeste was standing right next to him.

“She has a thing for you,” said Celeste.

I raised my eyebrows.

“She would never do that for a stranger.” Leon continued.

“Well that’s because we’re not strangers, we’re acquaintances.” I answered.

“Ugh, men can be so dense.” smiled Celeste. “By the way, want to get something to eat after we get our reward to celebrate?”

I didn’t feel like going but I felt that it would be rude to turn down their invitation and since I felt like I was going to be working with them again I thought about it.

“Sure.” I concluded.

“Nice! Let’s call Rachel and her friends too.” she added, dashing off behind the reception to bother Rachel.

Leon sat down next to me, chuckling.

“Never gets old.” he said. “She’s always been the playful one.”

“I can see that.”

“You drink?”

“Rarely.”

“Cmon, you gotta live life when you’re young. Let loose tonight.” he said with a large grin.

Celeste ran to us, dragging Rachel with her.

“She said yes!” said Celeste cheerfully.

“Not really.” said Rachel with an irritated tone.

“Clara, Rose and Melindia will be joining us as well” Celeste added.

“We still have some work to do, the faster I get back to work, the faster we can get going.” irked Rachel.

“You’re secretly excited aren’t you?” Celeste teased with a grin.

“No, bye.” scowled Rachel, heading back to the reception.

I continued to sit down and got lost in thought as other adventurers began talking to Leon and Celeste. They were quite popular. My presence seemed to fade when next to them, and I had just made a name for myself just a day ago. But getting too much recognition was annoying too, I was content with how things were. I kicked back in my chair, switching to another table and took out a book, picking up from where I left off. The sounds in my surrounding died out as I spaced out and went back to a world of my own.

Leon tapped on my shoulder.

“It’s time to go.” he said in a somewhat tired tone.

“Reading’s good for you, but you need to interact with others too!” added Celeste.

“If you insist.” I simply replied.

We had a rather large group this time, six people including me to be exact. Rose, Clara, Melindia, Rachel, Leon, Celeste and myself. We left the guild together. The six of them seemed really close. It would make sense, since Leon and Celeste said they often frequented this town due to them keeping in touch with Rachel. I was included in some small talk but for the most part I kept to myself. We went to The Hearth again, seemingly like their usual place. Arriving at the tavern, we were welcomed by the smell of ale and hot food. Our group was greeted by other adventurers, some that I recognized and many that were strangers. We seated ourselves at a larger table, ordered food and some wine. Surprisingly Leon got tipsy quite quickly, and he became even more friendly. Laughter and conversations flew around, creating a rich and e+asygoing environment. We talked for quite a bit as they were quite interested in my travels and the things I had seen, and I felt fine sharing some stories of my travels. Maybe perhaps for the first time in a while I felt like this was something that was enjoyable, something that I could look forward to after a day of hard work.

Rachel placed a cup of what seemed to be wine next to me.

“Here you go.” she said, her voice almost being drowned out by the voices in the background.

“Thanks.” I mentioned as she took a seat next to me.

“Cheers.” she raised her cup up, and we both drank.

I tasted a sweet and bitter fruity flavour, more sweet than bitter. It was nice and went down easily.

“Someone’s in a good mood.” smiled Rachel.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” I took another sip.

“How’s your time in this town so far?”

“Much better than expected, I might be hanging around for longer than I thought.”

“You seem happier than before.”

“Maybe.”

“You never thought you would find yourself in this situation before, have you?”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“You know, you really should talk more.”

“What do you mean.”

“You make it difficult to continue conversations.”

“How so?”

She sighed. “You’re so tense… and you just don’t say much.” ///

“I see.”

“See? That’s what I’m talking about.”

“I’m not used to talking with people, especially for long durations.”

“I can see that.” She grabbed a jar of wine, filling both our cups.

“How did you end up here?” I ended up asking.

“I left the eleven capital after certain events transpired. Figured they didn’t want me there anymore. Nor did I want to stay.”

“Ever miss home?”

“Sometimes. How about you?”

“Nope.”

“Why?”

“They’re better off without me.”

“I suppose we have more similarities than I thought.”

The two of us sat there for a while, talking about each other. Perhaps it was the fact that she understood me, or maybe it was that I had changed in the past few days, it could even be attributed to the alcohol, but the conversation naturally flowed and we ended up talking more than we expected. Nothing important, just more small talk. Unlike with others I didn’t feel tense or feel like I had to put up a facade. I felt like for just a little bit, I could just be more of myself. Eventually Leon and Celeste spotted us in the middle of our conversation by the sidelines, enjoying our drinks. They motioned us over, our time alone finally ending. We joined everyone else to hear tall tales and crack jokes, I was genuinely amused. We stayed much later than before, by the time we were done it was almost midnight. We said our goodbyes, Leon was pretty drunk but still had his bearings.

Celeste noticed that me and Rachel were going back together.

“Hey, what are you planning to do with my friend?” she asked, tugging on my arm.

“We live in the same building.” I answered.

“Rachel, if he does anything to you, we’re here! The entire guild will come after him.”

Rachel sighed, leaving me behind. Celeste let go and I picked up my pace so that I could catch up to Rachel. I waved over my shoulder as they shouted goodbye one more time, and soon the echoing of shouting and laughter softly faded into the night. We walked silently, the moonlight and fireflies slowly illuminating our path home.

“Quite rowdy, aren’t they?” she asked.

“Indeed. But that’s not a bad thing.”

She sighed and yawned, stretching her hands.

“By the way, I heard you do alchemy?”

“Correct, how did you know?”

“Leon mentioned something about you harvesting the vampire for ingredients. What did you get?”

“Its claws.”

“Hm, quite good for crafting poisons.”

“You do alchemy?”

“Yes, I dare say I’m quite proficient at it.”

“Know any good poisons utilizing vampire claws?”

“I could help you, but you need to help me with something first.”

“Go on.”

“Tomorrow I’m going out into the outskirts of town to gather herbs and ingredients for potions, come along with me.”

“What exactly will I be doing?”

“You’ll be helping me gather ingredients and materials of course.”

I thought about it for a moment.

“I don’t see why not, I guess I’ll take you up on that offer.” I finally decided.

“Of course you will.”

We continued walking, only the sound of our steps could be heard in the surroundings. No shadows danced, nobody else roamed the streets. We turned at a corner, the moonlight glowed a deep white hue. The stars glowed radiantly, lighting up the black sky. And for a moment, I felt like the entire town had gone to sleep and that time had stopped, just for a moment. Just peace… peace and tranquility. Eventually we reached our building, the silence had pursued us until the very end. We entered our building, the creek of the door felt louder than before.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, have a good night’s rest.” I waved at Rachel. She nodded, opening the door to her room. I could smell herbs and an assortment of fragrant mixtures originating from her room. “By the way, when do we go?” I had almost forgotten to ask.

She stood at her door, thinking for a moment. “I have the day off tomorrow, so I'll be in my room the whole day. Just get me before noon and we’ll be set.”

“Alright, sounds good to me. Good night.” I began walking up the stairs to my room, treading lightly so that I wouldn’t make too much noise. Sneaking up the stairs, I made it to my room, closing the door gently. The moonlight phased through my window, partially lighting up my room. I slowly went and sat down, contemplating about what I wanted to do. Everytime I found peace, it was short-lived. I was always on the move. That was why I never lingered in one area for more than a while, making sure that there weren’t many reasons for me to stay for too long. I shook the thoughts out of my head, my fatigued and sore body lulling me to sleep. Thoughts lingered in my head, but I fell asleep without too much trouble.

I was yet in another field of flowers. I laid flat among white and red flowers, almost feeling as if I was being held up by them. I sat up, seeing nothing but white in the endless distance, as if I was in an empty world. I turned around, seeing the very same shady figure I had seen a while ago. I stood up, walking towards it. It floated around, as if anchored to the very spot. I looked up my arms, black lines stretching across my arms and shoulders, like small tendrils wrapping around my body. I shook my head, trying to close everything out of my head. I woke up to gentle sunlight that pierced my windows, my hands raised as if I was trying to grab something. I placed my arms down to my side, taking deep breaths and turning over so that the sun wasn’t glaring rays into my eyes. The sun was just a bit over the horizon, so not much time had passed since dawn. I laid in bed for a few more minutes, uncertain about my plans for the near future.

I dragged myself up, yawning and stretching. I decided not to think too much anymore. I looked at myself. I was pretty sure I smelled and needed a new change of clothes. The change of clothes could wait after I went out, but the smell couldn’t. I went down and headed towards the bathhouse. Last time I went in the afternoon, there was nobody there. But when I arrived this time, adventurers were swarming the place, it seemed as if the bathhouse was more frequented during the mornings. Some recognized and greeted me, while others got out of my way. I got mixed reactions, it seemed. I sat down in a corner away from people, drowning my body in the hot water. The sweet smell of herbs and flowers floated across the air, cutting into the stench and completely overpowering it. I relaxed my body, allowing myself to have some comfort.

As I left the bathhouse, I ran into a group of four men. Two of them fell on their back when they saw me, as if they were afraid of me. I walked past them, unsure of who they were. I considered grabbing something to eat, but decided it would be best to get something along the way out. I went up to my room again to get my weapons and my bag first before I went knocking on Rachel’s door. I heard footsteps, and a figure slid the door open. Rachel peeked her head out, her long ears exposed without a cap.

“You get anything to eat yet?” I asked.

“Not yet.”

“Good, let’s get something along the way.”

“Alright, but we’re eating in the forest.”

“What? What’re we having?”

“You’ll see.”

She closed the door, and I heard more shuffling behind the door. A moment later, she came out fully dressed in casual clothing. She wore a long white dress with buttons, perfectly suited for her smaller body frame and a white cap, probably to hide her ears. She carried a shortbow on her back and two large baskets in her hands, handing me one.

“I suppose it’s a man’s job to carry his lady’s burdens.” I jested.

“Quite literally.” she said, “Let’s get going.”

Once again, the two of us left the building and entered the busy streets. This was slowly becoming the norm for me. We first headed towards the market, she grabbed some bread while I bought some apples. We silently ate them on our way to the exit. She seemed to be taking a different exit, seemingly towards the forest that led me here in the first place. I simply followed her without asking questions. The towns guards resided at the entrance, letting us pass through. I felt wary eyes turn towards me as I passed, but it amounted to nothing as we proceeded to the outskirts of town. We passed the very same farms that I first saw on my way here, simple farmers working away at the land. Summer crops lined the fields, corn being the most prominent one. Looking back, the town seemed so far away now. We continued on, until we reached the forest. The forest that led me to this town.

“Careful inside the forest, one of the trees is home to a dryad.” Rachel warned as we entered the forest.

“I know.”

“You’ve been here?”

“She was the one that led me here.”

She stopped and turned.

“What?” She seemed and sounded surprised. “You’ve seen her?”

“Yea, why?”

“Immortal creatures like dryads don’t do so well with humans, I’m surprised she even let you pass.”

“I know, I was surprised myself. I’m still not sure why she allowed me in, but it didn’t feel like she felt threatened by me.”

“Interesting....” she concluded, turning back around and heading deeper into the forest. The large trees created vast shadows, protecting us from the glare of the sun. Small rays of lights cut through between the leaves, allowing us to see our path.

“Mushrooms.” I heard as she crouched down next to a log off the path. I looked over her shoulder, she was picking off white mushrooms.

“Any in particular you want me to watch out for?” I asked.

“Get them all, some of them are poisonous but they have their uses as well.”

I proceeded to go past her, looking for a damp place where mushrooms typically thrive. I looked around, spotting a stray log under some trees. Looking inside, a large amount of black mushrooms had taken up residence in the empty log. I plucked them, putting them into my basket. I noticed bright red flowers growing. I plucked them too, anything with vibrant colors usually indicated magical properties or at the very least poisonous effects. I harvested the red flowers but didn’t go any further. I didn’t want to get separated, so I headed back. Rachel was sitting on the log.

“Took you long enough,” she commented.

We continued deeper into the forest, picking out ingredients as we saw them. We didn’t overharvest, making sure to only pick from large or dense clusters so that they would continue to thrive. I occasionally catch glimpses of deer, stags and other forest animals but they never approached us. Birds flew across the air, their soft chirps softly echoing through the forest. We eventually reached a grove, smaller trees lined up the sides, surrounding a large hollow tree. A campfire resided away from the trees, tree stumps next to it as if substituting for chairs. A lantern was hung up on one of the branches, and as we got closer a table with a quiver rested on the table in the tree.

“We’ll take a breather here.” Rachel said, taking off her cap and short-bow, placing both of them on the table.

“What this place?” I asked.

“A small encampment I made in this forest.”

“Nobody else comes here?”

“Nope, nobody wants to mess with the dryad here.”

“Why? She seemed harmless to me.”

“Supposedly she seduces humans, and many that have come here don’t go back.”

“Is it true?”

“Baseless rumors, they were swirling around before I even settle down here. Point is, not many people come here, there aren’t many monsters here either. It’s a haven for alchemists.” She went back into the hollow tree and returned with a small kettle and two clay bowls.

“Go wash them for me.” She directed me towards a different path from where we came from. “And bring back some water.” she added, passing me a water bag.

I took the clay bowls and the water bag, taking the path that she had pointed at. I walked for a couple minutes until I heard what sounded like a stream, and I continued on the path. Light shined on my face as I approached. The moist soil grabbed onto my shoes the branches no longer spread across the sky. A beautiful thin stream rushed across, the water clearer than the skies. I knelt down on one knee, dipping my hand in it. Cold water flowed around my hand as I put my hands together and cupped some water to drink. It tasted clean, even cleaner than the water that I drank in town. I put some water into the water bag and dipped the clay bowls in the water, cleaning them. I heard the rustling of leaves to my side. I turned to my right, a wolf emerging from the bushes. It had scars and was bruised all over, glaring straight at me.

It slowly and carefully approached me, but it didn’t seem hostile or hungry, just cautious. It came closer, making no sudden moves. We made eye contact for a little bit, as if assessing each other. I sat down, continuing to wash the bowls. It turned away and drank from the stream, as if concluding that I wasn’t a threat. After it had its fill, it curled up and sat, looking at me. I pulled the bowls out of the water, setting it down on top of the water bag.

I turned towards the wolf, it’s overly cautious eyes still following my movement. Reaching out my hand like I was offering a handshake, it turned its head like it was confused. I reached a little closer. Little by little I edge closer to it, until my hand was right in front of it. It continued to rest, I hovered my head above its head and rubbed it. It lowered it head and put its chin onto the ground. It allowed me to stroke its back, wagging its long furry tail. I continued playing with it for a little bit, forgetting what I came here to do initially. I must have taken a while because the dog began growling at the path behind me, and I heard footsteps approach. Rachel appeared out of the path, making her way towards me.

“So you like animals?” she asked.

I continued patting the wolf, acting as if Rachel wasn’t a threat. It seemingly got the message, and stopped growling. Rachel walked over, keeping her eyes on the wolf. She crouched down next to me. The wolf had calmed down, but now its eyes were looking at Rachel instead of me. She stretched out hand like I had, offering it to the wolf. Its gaze carefully followed it, unsure of what to do.

A howl pierced the silence, and the wolf stood up, as if responding to it. It turned, rapidly turning and walking besides the stream back to where it came from. It dashed into the bushes, disappearing. I stood up, picking up the bowls and the water bag. Rachel followed, walking beside me.

“You didn’t answer me.” she reminded me.

“Yes, I like animals.” I answered her previous question.

“That’s strange for someone like you.”

“Animals make better companions. They’re loyal.”

“You have a familiar?” she asked.

“A crow,.” I answered. Familiars are creatures that are born from magic. Typically a person that learns magic is able to manipulate their mana in order to give it a physical form. Continuous usage of familiars makes it less taxing on your body because familiars are simply solidified mana that you can interact with. Once they return to you, so does your mana. Constant practice will allow you to use familiars without any effort. I haven’t had the need to use many of them on my journeys. A person can have to as many familiars as they wish, but typically chooses a form that they can utilize effectively, most commonly in the form of an animal.

“Show me” she said, waving her hand. Blue strands of mana flowed from her hand, and in a flash a rabbit appeared. It bounced around, rapidly moving around and making it hard for my eyes to keep up with it.

I held my arm up, blue drops of mana dripped from the tips of my fingers and flowed to the top of my arm. The droplets gathered, flowing and weaving together to create a crow. It perched on top of my arm for a moment before taking off, soaring across the air.

“You use that for scouting?” she asked.

“Correct.”

We let the two run around for a little while before they returned. Unlike normal magic familiars can run off and do their own thing. If not given a certain task they will wander until called back. Their owners are also able to see through them. Anything that the familiar sees can be seen by the owner, anything that the familiar feels the owner also feels, including pain. In practicality they were like an extension of one’s own body.

Rachel’s familiar leaped towards her, fading into mana that slid back into her hand. My crow dove at me, I held my hand out so that it could grab onto my arm before it disintegrated into mana and returned to me. We arrived back at her small campfire, and she began brewing something with the water I got.

“Here, have some.” she said, pouring me a cup.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Tea. Ever tried it?”

“Nope.”

I tried a sip. It tasted weird, a little bit of sweetness and bitterness at the same time, and it tasted very herbal. As someone that often worked with herbs, I enjoyed the earthly taste. The two of us continued to sit down and relax, taking our time with our drinks.

“You mentioned a dryad resides here and that the people of the town are afraid of it. How about you?” I asked.

“Dryads and elve go back a long way. Typically as residents and protectors of the forest, we get along.”

“Is there a way to contact it?”

“Not exactly, they typically don’t appear unless it wants to find you. Why, you need something?” she seemed interested.

“Just curious.”

“About what?”

“Maybe it can answer some of the questions that I have.” I finished my drink, picking up my basket and standing up. “I’m gonna continue looking for more herbs, I’ll be back.”

“Don’t get lost.” I heard over my shoulder as I went back into the forest. I felt like I went deeper, the trees getting larger and thicker. Branches began to sway, the wind pushing against my back as if encouraging me to go even deeper. I kept walking for a few minutes, and I saw the branches and the tree roots shifting. The dirt began to shift, revealing a broken stone path. I followed, heeding the summon of the dryad. Up ahead, the stone path lead to two arching trees, bent in an irregular shape. I saw a grove beyond, and yet again I found myself in the same sanctuary that guided me to the town.

“I’ve been here plenty of times.” I heard a voice behind me.

I turned back, putting my hand on my dagger.

Rachel’s silent footsteps walked across the stone path, I couldn’t read her face but I detected a slight hint of curiosity.

I relaxed my stance, letting go off my dagger and putting my hands to my side.

“Why did you follow me?” I asked.

“It’s rude for a man to leave a lady like that.” she approached a few steps closer. “It’s also rude to lie to a lady as well.” she added.

“I have my reasons.” I sighed, somewhat feeling guilty.

She walked past me, as if ignoring my response.

I turned around and followed her. The stone path ended, meeting the mild green grass that danced along with the breeze. The very same massive tree resided in the middle, surrounded by grazing animals of all kinds. Deer, bears, wolves and rabbits all calmly and peacefully rested by the side as if sleeping at their own home. To my surprise a woman sat atop one of the branches, looking down at us. Her skin was deathly pale like a sheet of paper. She wore a green dress seemingly made of leaves, revealing much of her skin. But what surprised me was not her presence, but how I had failed to notice such an immense amount of mana radiating from her.

Vines around the tree shifted and untangled, picking her up by the arms and slowly lifting her down. Her presence commanded attention as the animals surrounding the tree began to draw closer as if being drawn to an unnatural force. She had deep green eyes and her lips were a deadly shade of red, everything coming together to create the image of a beautiful lady, almost too glamorous to be real. As she approached, the smell of saffron and strawberries flooded the air, the sweet smells making me feel somewhat drowsy.

She took a step forward but suddenly tripped.

I heard a small laugh as Rachel went over and helped her up.

“She’s a little bit clumsy.” Rachel said as she went past me.

“Mind if I ask how old she is?” I whispered.

“She was here before the first Divine War.” she whispered back.

Most non-mortal races lived for millennia, but among them some were special. For instance dryads are immortal, they live for eternity but in exchange they have to bind themselves to a singular tree, and if careless with their choice they would have to suffer the consequences. If the tree dies then they die as well, which is why they go to such extents to prevent people from entering their forests by scaring them away. To be as old as the Divine War itself… she must be the oldest creature I’ve ever encountered in my life.

The dryad got up with Rachel’s help, giggling like a little girl. She hugged Rachel, and surprisingly Rachel didn’t seem perplexed or annoyed by this. The dryad let go, turning towards me. She had a look of curiosity and interest towards me, as if I was something that she had never seen before. She kept her distance, as if circling a dangerous beast. She did this for a few moments.

“Hi! What’s your name?” she cried excitedly.

“Magnus. Just Magnus.” I responded.

“My name is… um. Call me Green! You won’t be familiar with dryad tongue.”

“Alright, Green.”

“I am protector and guardian of this forest, I belie-” she nearly tripped again.

At the back of my head all I could think was “Seriously?”.

“I believe we’ve met once,” she continued after composing herself. “I let you through here.”

“Correct.”

“Hmm…” she seemed to be thinking about something but she momentarily she turned to Rachel. “Anyways, Rachel, you’re here for more ingredients?”

“Yes, if everything’s been growing well.” she responded, looking around.

“Go ahead, everything’s been doing great since the last time you came.” Green added cheerfully.

Rachel went over to a couple of flowers and plants, looking at each one carefully. As she went, rabbits and stags went over to her, casually grazing the grass by her side. Rachel seemed to resonate with the animals, and she seemed to fit in perfectly and I couldn’t help but stare. It looked like something that came right out of a painting.

“You may gather as well if you wish.” Green cut in through my thoughts and I stopped daydreaming. I went to another side of the grove, keeping an eye out for large clusters of ingredients. Green followed, I felt it was because she doesn't trust me yet.

“Trust me, I don’t plan on doing anything.” I said as I looked over my shoulder only to discover that she was leaning over me and was very close to me.

“I know.” she said as a approached her, grazing on the grass. Grass seemed to grow very rapidly in the grove, because no matter how much grass the animals ate, there were no empty patches to be seen.

“Why else would you be following me?” I continued asking.

“Because you’re interesting.”

“How so?”

“I allowed you for the first time and led to you to the town because I felt like you were from the non-mortal races. You have enough magic in you to rival an immortal… but yet you’re still human.”

“Is that so?”

“I’d rather have you as a friend than as an enemy. Consider yourself as a friend of this forest, as long as you don’t violate the residents of this forest without just reason, you will have our blessing.”

“I’ll take you up on that.” I picked up some toadstools, smelling them. I recognized them, I also recalled ways I could use them for poisons. I put them into the basket. “But I’m assuming you want something in return?”

She smiled innocently. “Of course, just one small favor.” I felt her slender fingers on my shoulder, the scent of strawberries and saffron flew past me once again. “I want to ask questions.”

“Really, is that it? You want to ask questions?”

“Yes, I wanted to know one thing.” she strolled towards me. “When I let you in the first time, I mistook you for someone else. I thought you were someone else… someone not human.”

“What are you on about?”

“Don’t take me for a fool. I walked these lands before you humans even existed. And in all my life I would never mistake what I felt for anything else in the world. ”

She immediately appeared in front of me, surprising me as her hands playfully wrapping around my face, forcing me to stare into her eyes.

“I see that thing inside of you,” she whispered in an eerie tone.

“Get to the point, what do you want?” I growled.

“Tell me… what do you know about that other you? Can you mortals even remember what he was?”

I was silent. I knew, but I had to be careful about what I said.”

“You humans are so frail and forgetful… it only takes a few hundred millennia for you to forget your greatest enemy.” she leaned in towards me, as if looking down on me. The sun stood above her head, signaling that it was just a little past noon. “You humans forget that history is written by the victors… heroes and villains are just two sides of the same coin. When the lines are so blurred, and the stories are so short, can you say for sure who was right, and who was wrong?”

“You seem to be very familiar with our history,” I have to admit, I was slightly curious and at the same time, scared.

“Of course I did. That thing inside of you, I knew him personally.”

“How did you know him?”

She had her back turned to me, her slender figure casting a long shadow along the side. She stood still, as if she was thinking. She turned over her shoulder, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tear drop out of her eye. Her eye was glistening, and for a moment she looked… vulnerable.

“What do you know about the Divine War?” she asked.

“A war between the demon race and the human race. The humans won, but had many casualties. Back when the demons were the strongest among us all, yet their numbers were so few.

“And what do you know about the one that rests inside of you?”

“I know enough. Maybe you know more.”

“Two thousand years ago, back when I was only a millennia old, more demons roamed the Earth than they do now. At the moment, all that’s left are the dregs of a once mighty race. Only the strongest have lived on, and even then they no longer have a physical form to roam the Earth. The weakest ones have been forcefully devolved into mindless creatures with a craving for slaughter and revenge. But before, it would have taken a hundred humans to take down a demon. How ironic it is that the strongest of the immortal races was taken down by the weakest among the mortal races.” she walked towards me, sitting down right next to me.

“Humans…” I interrupted. “Devious by heart, cruel by nature.”

She smiled, as if entertained by the thought. She continued on.

“The other races were not allowed to interfere with the war between the demons and the humans, even when pressed into a corner the demons refused our help. The humans exploited their weaknesses and their pride, driving them into a corner. Even when only a thousand of them remained, they stood strong until the very end. Unwavering and firm. The lesser demons escaped, hoping to rebuild their nation, but it never happened. The strongest were torn down from their thrones, their knees and head at the whim of humankind.” She stopped, as if unable to continue on. “What do your history books say about the ending of the holy war?” she asked.

“They say that the demon lords were destroyed, their souls completely exorcised from this world. They say that humanity had an overwhelming victory and that the demon race would go extinct in less than half a millennia.” I recalled the history books I read.

She laughed in a mocking tone. “Would you like to know what actually happened?”

“I suppose there’s no harm in knowing the truth.”

“The demon lords were captured and restrained, but unbanishable. What remained of their souls were sealed into great vessels and locked away, never to be seen away. Chained and bound, these lords would never be able to manifest their powers completely by possessing a host. The locations of their vessels were long forgotten, so that no human would ever be tempted to seek their might or favour. They have been lost in the annals of history, torn from memory and paper by those that feared the demon race. But it seems that at least one of them still lives on.”

She leaned forward, tapping the left side of my chest, then putting her palm on it. I could feel her sensing my heartbeat, and she could tell that my heart was only beating faster and faster.

“What you have inside of you, is the fragmented soul of the most powerful among the demon lords. We met long ago, far before the end of the holy war. You humans might call us lovers, but for dryads love comes seldom and is a dangerous emotion. It’s very difficult to combat a dryad in her home territory, but only takes a fire to burn her tree, and her life. But I could trust him. And he proved it to me. He was devilishly handsome, unwavering and undeniable. Until he joined the war, he was just another living being in this world. We spent countless nights under moonlit skies. But unlike dryads, demons are not immortal, and he knew that although he would live long, his years were still numbered. So he sought out a method of extending his life. He succeeded, relying upon ancient magic, and the power of the gods to defy his fate. Upon returning we spent a millennia together. For a while, we were together again… but the war began. As his nation was cornered he chose to return to his homeland. He would not watch as his race would be annihilated while in the comforts of his lover’s arms. The demon race preserved their pride, denying help from any of the other races, and we were separated once more. I never heard from him again, I was unable to join him, but had the opportunity came I would have. The other dryads forbade it, as it would drag our whole race into the fray. Disaster struck when I heard that the humans had won. I wept and mourned his death after the holy war, cursing the human race. During his life, he discovered magic so ancient that it has been long forgotten by the sorcerers of today, using it to amplify his life and his strength. They say that every battle be joined flooded a gore of shadows and a sea of blood. While the other lords represented fear and ruin, he was the manifestation of absolute might, the calamity itself. He defended the demon capital against hundreds of thousands of humans using demon magic, as well as magic that he himself created. For that the demons hailed him as a great deity. He earned and received the title of the fourth demon lord. The very same being that you have accepted, he who held might, and with it made right.”

My heart raced as she spoke. Chills went down my spine as she whispered.

“My dear love, Asura the Abysswalker.”