"I can't wait for the festival!"
"Yeah, can't wait for all the food stalls...*drools*"
"Hey, did you know that the 'Hero' would finally make an appearance in the opening ceremony?"
"Really? didn't he decline to appear for the last three years?"
"Yeah~ and that's why all the ladies are stoked this year~"
"You mean, some men too right?"
"Pfft! yeah!"
Listening intently, Saine sits in the most isolated corner of the tavern sipping a very bland hot tea.
"Seems like my luck is finally turning up." Saine mutter as she looks at her empty cup. Staying in this rowdy and noisy tavern to pass the storm outside really did turn out to be advantageous for her. Putting her cup down and ordering more warm tea and hot soup, Saine then formulates a plan to finally carry out her revenge. It's been three years since her village was destroyed, stripped from all its natural resources, especially mana stones, and decimated.
It is still a mystery how she survived that incident, but she no longer dwells on it. Since she's more focused on getting revenge which meant she had to gain all kinds of skills, info, and materials to make it a success. She spent her time these past years gaining info about the 'Hero' and closing the power gap between him and her. With that aim, she decided to hide her demi-human form to navigate through the complex human society and also to gain access to the adventurers guild's exclusive pieces of information. She even went to such lengths to master a forbidden spell that allows you to steal a person's appearance and memory to do so.
Saine finishes her meal and tea, then pays her bill, and pulling her hood up she walks out into the stormy night. Taking care to memorize all the routes that lead to the opening ceremony, Saine diligently and silently inspects the paths she will take from the guard's tower rooftop. After finally reviewing the paths a hundred times, Saine quietly and swiftly without getting seen and slipping gets down to the streets and makes her way to the inn she booked for her whole stay.
Slipping into her room through her window and immediately drying herself and the wet stains on the floor with a spell, Saine shook off her coat and heads off to take a bath. Taking a bath every time she can is a habit she wishes she could quit but finds herself time and time again reluctant to part with.
"Well, I might as well enjoy this bath right now. Since I don't know what tomorrow will bring." She thinks out loud while relaxing in the bathtub and blowing bubbles. She does these while thinking about the hundred things that can go wrong and a thousand things that might go well. After taking a while bathing, Saine at last heads off to sleep.
The smell of burning flesh, as well as rotten corpses, surrounds her. Then, wailing starts to surround her too. Soft at first then it grows in intensity to the point that it rattles her bones, Saine runs. She keeps running even though darkness is all she can see. Suddenly a goo of a hand grips her leg making her stumble and fall. She can't see what grips her but she can feel the wet gooey texture of it holding her leg and then more of 'it' starts to pull her down. She struggles to move away and stand up but it seems all her strength has left her.
"Saine...."
"SSSaaaiine..'
She hears her name being whispered and then screeched. She looks around and yet darkness is all she can see. Then, all of a sudden three melting face appears in front of her looking into her eyes just inches away from her face.
"Saine"
"Saine Dear"
"Sainey"
Waking up with a start, Saine mutters. "Dad, Mom, Aine.."
"I'll get my revenge I promise!" with a tear-stained face but eyes with an intense glint of hatred, Saine then gets up and gets ready to put her plan into motion.