I woke up before my grandparents to get out of the house early.
I couldn't face my grandfather after everything that happened last night. I felt like a petulant child. I hadn't thrown a tantrum in years yet it felt like I was five again.
Besides not being able to face my grandfather, there was also a strange dream I had. In the dream I was surrounded by golden chains and I could hear the cries of men, women, and children. They sounded like they were in agony.
My eyes bore witness to a barren wasteland and all around me were corpse with no distinguishable features except for one. It was a woman with hair covered in dirt, grime, and blood. Her yellow locks looked ruined and uncared for while some strands loosely hung in front of her face.
Her blue eyes had held nothing but hatred for me. Her arms were broken and it appeared as if she had taken a beating. All I could hear was her cursing me. Berating me. Hating me. It was like I had taken something important away from her.
And then I woke up. It was unsettling. So, I decided I would try and forget it.
I brushed it off as a weird nightmare.
The walk to town was slow. I had already picked up the unique daggers before coming this way.
On the way there, the path diverged, there was a blockade a little ways down the right path. I don't know what came over me but gazing at that barricade brought back memories.
In my vision, the barricade vanished and down the path walked multiple cloaked figures leading tied up children to who knows where. My mind replayed the memory for the nth time.
My field of vision felt lower, and suddenly, I was one of those children again.
Beside me was a crying girl with brunette hair, Cecilia. She held my hand tightly as her emerald eyes gazed towards the cloaked figure leading us away.
"Take me back to my mommy!" She cried in a mix of childish anger and fear.
None of the cloaked figures deigned to respond. Lorna was to my right. Her face was blank but her eyes held something I couldn't discern. We had been taken from our homes in the crack of night.
I wasn't sure as to the reason why. I didn't get to contemplate it any longer, though.
The cloaked figures had halted our pace, each child stopping one after the other with ropes digging into their wrists and waists.
"Come out…" The leader uttered softly. The voice was feminine and sweet sounding.
Nothing had happened for a good few minutes before a blue flash originating from the nearby bushes blinded everyone.
I blinked my eyes before realizing I had been reliving that memory again. Turning away from the blockade, I made my way for town. It was early but the blacksmith, Ryt Wayland, was one of the few citizens who rose around this time for work.
The guard on duty was familiar with me so I was able to get in without an inspection. Once inside the town I rushed towards the direction of Ryt's shop.
Thankfully, I've run into him right as he is about to set up shop.
"Ryt!" I called out to him. "I need a favor!"
I slowed my pace down to a stop once I reached him. He looked at me in curiosity as I pulled a leather satchel from my back and opened it. I left it open wide so that he could get a full view of the daggers before putting on my best smile.
"You think you could, I dunno, inspect these?" I asked, no, pleaded.
His one grey eye narrowed as he examined me from head to toe. He held his gaze over me for a good minute before it loosened while a sigh escaped his lips. Scratching his beard in contemplation, the man eyed the daggers one last time, and then he smirked towards me.
"Bah! Why not? Get on in here!" He said.
I followed behind him as we entered the shop before he moved to take a seat at his small workbench. His shop was amazing in my opinion. If I hadn't decided to become a soldier, I'd have definitely attempted to apprentice under him. He was a master of his craft. Gazing towards the large workbench that sat a few feet away from his forge and anvil, I noticed a spear that seemed to be old and rusted. He always took in old weapons.
Ryt had a unique ability when using his Ikas, energy that was used for magic, he could repair weapons regardless of quality. Hell, he could even make them better.
Turning back towards the blacksmith, I noticed him scratch his large mane of black hair in confusion.
"Is there something wrong?" I asked.
He stared at the blades for a long time before turning back to me. Back to the blades. Then back to me again.
"I don't know where you found these, kid…" He began. "but I can't upgrade them. My Modifix isn't working."
So there wasn't anything wrong with the weapon…? Strange. I knew how this grumpy blacksmith worked. If there was nothing to fix, then he would just upgrade the weapon. He loved anything with weapons and I could tell this had intrigued him.
He picked the daggers up from the table and handed them to me. Ryt had a satisfied expression on his face, which confused me. It was almost like he had found some secret that I hadn't. He turned his gaze towards the window where the sunlight was creeping through.
I was going to ask him a question before the ringing of a bell at the shop entrance caught the attention of Ryt and I. Entering the shop was a young woman with blonde hair that cascaded to her shoulders. Her eyes were a vibrant orange with these strange swirls. She was wearing the standard nun uniform for a Church of Dame.
I knew this nun. Her name is Rosalynn and she used to babysit me.
"It seems my clairvoyance was right." She stated while looking into my eyes. "Es, how have you been?"
Rosalynn claimed to have the gift of clairvoyance that was given to her by the goddess, Dame. I was unsure of how true it was, though, I believed it due to how she often knew things a person shouldn't.
"I've been good, not the best, but good." I replied meekly.
I could never handle my nerves around her. It was like her eyes could see into my soul. That was what scared me the most.
She hummed softly while still staring a hole in my direction.
"So, you still keep up that weapon training?" She asked.
I nodded in confirmation while putting both the daggers back into my satchel. I was going to close the satchel until I noticed that ring with a strange blue gem embedded into it. I clutched it in my hand, wondering what to do with it.
"You know your grandparents don't approve of it."
I put the ring back in my bag and turned my attention back to the scary nun. While I knew she was right, I didn't care. This dream was the only thing I wanted most in the world. I wouldn't let anyone take that away from me.
'But your reasons are pretty selfish, huh?'
I let my head fall as I glared into the ground.
No one would ever understand. Not because I was different or special, no, it was the opposite. I'm no different from anyone else. My fate is already set in stone if I give up. Life is like a flowing river. If I just let that river flow along and drag me to wherever, I'm not living, I'm just giving up on my dreams.
"I don't care." I said while trying to sound confident. "I need to become powerful or I'll never be happy."
But even I didn't believe my words anymore.
I pulled the satchel higher onto my shoulder before walking past Rosalynn. I didn't say anything as I waved to Ryt before leaving the shop.
'I never even got the chance to ask him about the daggers.' I thought belatedly.
I let out a disappointed sigh as I began my trek home. I wouldn't get much done today if I wallowed in self pity. Maybe if I apologized to grandpa, I could help the other farm workers with his permission.
I was halfway home when something interesting happened. There was a glow emitting from my bag. It's a bright blue light leaking out of the bag. I opened my satchel to inspect the source. I thought it would be the daggers but…
'It's coming from the ring?'
I reached out to grab the ring. As soon as I grasped it, my vision turned black. I could still feel my body and hear the crunching of leaves. I just couldn't see or control my body. It felt… weird.
The sound of rushing air brought me back to my senses. Instead of the darkness I had previously been surrounded by, I was now in a cave.
There was a large stone protrusion in front of me with water in the center. It was big enough to be considered a pool. There was nothing besides this pool. The area I was in had a dead end with nothing above the pool or near it on the ground.
"Yeah, no thanks." I muttered.
I turned around to find an exit only to jump back in fear. A giant spider web blocked my path and on the other side of that web was the bottom of a humongous spider. I didn't get to examine it thoroughly, sadly.
I had jumped back in fear and tripped right into the large pool.