. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Where . . . . was I?

No . . . who was I?

WHAT am I?

All I can remember is the feeling of being dragged down and crushed by the earth.

I reached the apex of my own potential before this state.

Now I can’t see, hear or feel anything.

Am I dead or rather is this existence now?

I know it wasn’t always this way and yet I cannot remember anything from before.

I didn’t feel anything, I didn’t truly exist like this until . . .

I suddenly realized that I existed and the horror came.

I was submerged and nearly snuffed out.

But a tiny sliver remained and from it, my suffering and this state began.

I tried again, tried to picture where I was.

But I still felt like I was floating in a void.

IS THERE ANYONE THAT CAN HEAR ME?

When I was eight, I was introduced to my brother.

Apparently, my father had an affair with some noble girl.

My mother complained of course, but it was futile.

My brother was being secretly raised by his mother’s house.

But as soon as my father discovered his talents, he took him in formally.

That’s how my younger half-brother became the heir of the house.

It turns out his talents far eclipsed my own and now I’m constantly playing catch up.

Though I did manage to become captain of the knights.

One day, we were returning from confronting bandits.

But actually, they were all already dead when we got there.

Someone had already come through and cleared them out.

They were cut down easily in one or two strokes of a sword.

We found some women there among the dead bodies.

Their injuries were different, more wounds covered their bodies.

They were also covered in a lot more blood.

When we returned to the city, I had us stop by the holy lake.

I walked off on my own to clear my thoughts.

If we claim credit for this and my brother found out, he would turn out more negativity against me.

But if I didn't, he would complain that we should've been faster and reduce the knight's standing.

That’s when I heard a voice calling out.

I walked along the lake’s edge until I came across something.

The voice continued in my head.

It needed help getting its strength back.

It had fought against a great foe and now it was reduced to this state.

It needed my help to defeat its foe who could threaten the city.

This must be my chance, it has chosen me for a greater purpose.

It told me that it was weak and needed to replenish its strength.

So, I made a pact with it and started to feed it my mana in return for its strength later.

It took a while but I finally reached the city.

I had stuffed everything I could on a cart and horse.

They were being used to transport cages, probably to sell slaves.

I didn’t care so I kicked the cages off and used it load all the valuables.

Eventually I reached the gate.

I had put on the best dress I found from the pile under the cloak.

I also cleaned myself up the best I could in order to seem credible.

“Are you ok there miss?”

The knight at the gate asked me with worry in his voice.

“No, it’s horrible. I was coming up here with my father, who was a merchant. But we were set upon by bandits and they

killed him. I was forced to run away. They took our cart to their hideout and I followed them. At night, I snuck in and killed

them, but they managed to wound me”

I fed him my story with teary eyes.

Then I showed him my injury and he winced.

“Woah, you need to get that tended to by a doctor”

“Of course, that’s why I’m here”

“Well, just so you know there’s a toll”

“Please don’t try that. I know there’s no toll. Don’t make me have to report you to your superiors”

“Hey now it was only a joke”

He tried to profusely apologize but I just glared at him.

Finally, he let me drive the cart in.

With the amount of money, I currently had, I could start a new life here.

But that wasn’t what I wanted, no I have to find HER.

When we came back to the castle with new prey, we discovered it in ruins.

“Heca, I cannot find our lord anywhere”

“Search harder”

I said while feeling really concerned.

The three of us went through the rubble but we couldn’t find anything.

There wasn’t any way the castle fell naturally.

Also, there were signs of a battle, but who fought we didn’t know.

We couldn’t sense our lord either.

This could only mean one thing, he’s dead.

Even the energy he had been harvesting felt gone.

This was not possible, there is no one who could have killed him in this region.

Unless . . . no it couldn’t be?

The one they call the hero around here, he must have come.

“Heca over here!!!”

Mardu called me over and he pointed to a spot on the ground.

!!!

I was astonished, I could smell a faint scent of our lord from there.

But it was also a bloody mess.

As if he had been crushed by the earth itself.

“Mardu, Onyx we have to kill the hero now”

“Yes agreed”

“But how?”

“Simple, we raise hell and kill them in the confusion”

I responded with a smile on my face.