It was suffocating.
He walked around, seeing nothing but darkness surround him.
He tried calling out, but nothing came.
Then, he saw a familiar face.
Mother?!
The figure of the person whom he'd called his mother could be seen from far away.
He called out to her, but the more he tried to run to her direction, the further she seemed to be.
Then he saw something.
On her head appeared a pair of horns.
He tried running faster.
And finally, he caught up.
But then.
Appeared before him then were a group of people.
"Go away!"
"You demon! You don't belong here!"
The group started insulting him and even threw stuff at him.
"Shut up!!" He closed his eyes as he yelled.
The group of people suddenly faded away into dust.
No longer hearing anyone, he opened his eyes.
To the view that had haunted him for years.
Blood.
The woman who he previously called his mother was currently lying on the floor, her body bleeding endlessly.
He couldn't believe his eyes.
"No..."
He kneeled down onto the floor.
"No...!"
"NO!!"
He started screaming.
Unknown place, inside a forest.
A boy was currently living on his own.
Suddenly, a scream could be heard throughout the forest.
He got up from his bed, sweating like mad.
He looked at his hand and didn't saw any red liquid on it.
Touching his face, he realized that he had cried.
His clothes were drenched in sweat and tears.
And a sharp pain could be felt from his head.
"Urgh..." He groaned.
That dream again.
Grabbing one of the bottles on the table beside the bed, he downed its content in one go.
"Blech...Its taste is still bad as usual... At least it would help me get over this headache."
He got out of bed and started undressing.
Taking a look at his topless body's reflection from the mirror, he could only sigh.
His body had hardened from many life and death situation he's been through.
And the evidence was the scars littering around it.
He then took out a set of clothes from the closet.
He looked at it for a few minutes before putting it on.
Grabbing the accessories on the bedside table, which consisted of a bracelet, a necklace with a flower pendant and a metal hair band.
He looked around the house one last time, trying to imprint the scene into his mind.
He had left his home to travel to farther land many times, each time he treated as the last time he could see his home again.
This time was no different.
After getting a good view of the house, he prepared the essentials such as his alchemic set, a bag full of monster cores, his trusty spear and a spare knife, he set out.
He had walked on this path many times, so much so that despite being the only inhabitant of this forest, a dirt path had formed from his own footprints.
A familiar feeling rushed into him, but also a new feeling.
Because today, he isn't going out treating and helping others.
Today, he's going to school.