"Where have you been, and what happened to you? There are bandages on your head, and your dress is dirty!" Han exclaimed as soon as Ellisa and I arrived at the doorstep.
"Relax, Dad. I got into a scuffle with some guys who wouldn't take no for an answer, and things escalated. End up I almost get mugged by them, but Kiseki stepped in and helped me out," Ellisa explained.
Han's eyes widened in shock. "You were almost mugged?! And you think it's not serious?"
"Oh, come on, Dad. I'm fine now. Kiseki came to the rescue. It's not that big a deal," Ellisa retorted, folding her arms and turning away.
"You could have been seriously hurt or worse! This is no joke, Ellisa! I sent you to the city for supplies, not for you to get into trouble!" Han snapped, his anger palpable.
"I've already said Kiseki saved me! I'm safe, Dad! Why are you making such a fuss?" Ellisa countered defiantly.
"If your mother were here, she'd react just like me! You promised her you'd stay out of trouble!" Han yelled, pointing a furious finger at Ellisa.
Ellisa was taken aback by Han bringing her mother into it. "Don't drag Mom into this! If you had been stronger back then, maybe you could've saved her, like Kiseki did for me!"
"That's enough, young lady! I don't want to hear any more excuses coming from you! Get yourself cleaned up and go to your room!" Han's voice boomed with anger. It was understandable; any parent would be frantic if their child nearly got mugged.
"Ugh! I'm not even a kid anymore! Why are you treating me like this?!" Ellisa exploded, pushing past Han into the house and slamming the door of her room shut behind her, leaving her father seething.
Han eventually sighed and approached me. What could I say to him? That it's not a big deal? No, any parent would react the same way if their child were in danger.
"Sorry you had to see that, Kiseki," he said as we walked away from the house for a moment.
"No, it's understandable," I replied.
Leaning against the fence, Han gazed into the distance. "I can't bear the thought of losing my only child. Taking care of her after my wife passed away is what keeps me going." He spoke softly, almost to himself.
Maybe this is the best time to ask him what happened to Ellisa's mother.
"So, what happened to her?" I asked, broaching the subject carefully.
His eyes darkened momentarily as he began to recount the events.
"Fifteen years ago, my family lived peacefully in a small village within the border of the Kingdom of Gale, located far side of the southern part of the Ender Human Continent. During that time, war has already raged for a few years. But, my family decided not to let it get on our way to live our life to the fullest."
"Back then, my wife, Silvia, used to run a tavern within the capital city of Boulderguard. Everyone loved her food, including her hospitality, and never once did the tavern wasn't packed by adventurers like you. Despite her primary focus being the tavern, she was also a skilled mage, specializing in healing and support. While she wasn't the most powerful mage, her magic was a lifeline for many adventurers in need."
"Running the tavern single-handedly wasn't easy, though. Her biggest helper back then was, Ellisa. Even though she's only ten years old, she holds her responsibility on helping her mother so highly."
"Both of them were very close to each other. Ellisa and her mother spent every day of their lives trying to bring joy to the tavern. As for me, I used to work in the castle as the Head of Defense for that city. I kept the order and peace within the walls onto its feet. Because of that, the City of Boulderguard is well known to other societies to be one of the strongest and safest places to be during the war."
"Not long after, we received a report from our scout that the neighbouring kingdom has fallen due to the attacks from the Devil's army. It was a chilling realization that we were their next target. I was an arrogant fool back then to think that nobody can penetrate the walls of Boulderguard. So, despite being advised by other personnel to evacuate the city, I ordered the soldiers to fortify our defenses, preparing for battle."
"During the day of the attack, we were surprised by the sheer number of the Devil's army. There were hundreds if not thousands of them surrounding the city. By the time, I'm well aware of how outnumbered we were against them. From that time onward, the fight raged day and night. We were desperate to hold them off, and our soldiers slowly grew tired. Some of them even lost their lives. In the end, I conceded my defeat and asked my men to prepare for the city's evacuation."
"While arranging for the evacuation, one of my reporters told me that the village where my child and wife lived was overrun by those monstrous regimes. I was shocked and in fear for the life of my family. Instead of giving commands to my soldiers, I backed away and rushed to my village as soon as possible. There was destruction at every corner when I was on my way there. Houses were burning down, the buildings were crumbling, and dead bodies were scattered on the streets." Han slowly teared up as he gripped the palm of his hand together.
Han's voice wavered as he continued, "It was my failure. If only I had listened and evacuated the city sooner."
"And then what happened?" I prompted, offering a comforting pat on his back.
"When I arrived at the village, our house that we lived in has already been in ruins. The flame has completely engulfed everything inside. I thought I was too late,"
"But then, I heard Ellisa's crying in the distance while screaming for help. I quickly ran in the direction of her voice. The next thing I saw was my wife and my daughter were on the ground while being surrounded by the Devil's beast, trying to devour both of them."
Han's POV
"Silvia! Ellisa!" I shouted desperately.
"Han! help us! Please!" Silvia's voice trembled with fear as the monsters closed in on them.
Drawing my sword, I charged forward, slaying those creatures one by one as I made my way to Silvia.
"We have to leave, now!" I urged her, panic rising in my chest.
"I can't, dear..." she replied to me,
I asked, "What do you mean you can't?!" She showed her feet towards me, and it was severely injured. By the looks of it, there's no way she can move around with that kind of wound.
"I-... I'll protect both of you! I won't leave you behind!" I said to her while fending those creatures away from us with my sword.
"No, you have to take Ellisa and go!" Silvia insisted,
"Nonsense! There's no way in the name of God will I ever leave you behind!" I yelled,
I glanced at the soldiers I had brought with me, but they were held back by the overwhelming numbers of the Devil's army.
Minutes passed, and exhaustion crept over me as the relentless onslaught continued unabated. The monsters seemed to come from every direction, their sheer numbers outrageously overwhelming my defenses.
"Han, please," Silvia's voice was soft, weakened by loss of blood. "Take Ellisa away. It's okay to leave me. You need to protect her."
"I can't," I choked out, the desperation is evident in my voice. "We'll face this together."
She smiled gently, her expression pained yet serene. "I'm sorry, my love. There's no other way."
As she began to chant, panic surged through me. "No, Silvia, please don't do this," I pleaded to her, tears blurring my vision.
She was casting a teleportation spell, attempting to send Ellisa and me to safety. Confused and frightened, Ellisa looked to her mother for answers.
"What are you doing, Mommy?" she asked between sobs.
Silvia cupped Ellisa's cheek and looked into her eyes gently. She kisses her forehead and said to her,
"This is magic, dear. Listen to me closely. From now on, daddy will take care of you, okay? Promise me you be nice with your dad, okay?"
"Magic...? What do you mean, mommy? Where are you gonna go? Why are you saying like you're not coming with us!"
Silvia held Ellisa close, her silent embrace conveying love and protection. Hurrying to join them, I sank to my knees, enveloping them both in a tight embrace.
"Silvia... I'm sorry that I failed you, my love..." I whispered, grief weighing heavy on my heart.
"You didn't fail me, Honey..." she murmured, resting her head against my chest with a faint smile.
As tears traced down her cheeks, and the monsters drew nearer, a soft glow enveloped Ellisa and me. The next thing I know, Ellisa and I were already outside of the village.
**Back to the present**
"I'm sorry for your loss..." I said to him, breaking the somber silence.
"It's okay... It's all a thing of the past now." He replied, slowly calming himself down.
With a grateful smile, he thanked me for protecting his daughter, "Thank you, Kiseki. For protecting my child,"
"No, I owe her as much. Without her, I wouldn't have made it out of Delher Woods alive," I admitted.
Han draped an arm over my shoulder, attempting to lighten the mood. "Let's head inside. All this emotion is making me hungry, hahaha." he joked.
Unbeknownst to us, Ellisa had been listening in on our conversation. Sneaking back to her room unnoticed, she closed the door quietly.
Seated at the dining table with Han, I broached the topic of earning money, "Hey, old man. Do you know where I could make some money around here?"
HSurprised, Han paused mid-bite before suggesting, "Aren't you an adventurer? Why not just go kill something and sell them to the traders?"
"Yeah, but I'm unfamiliar with this area. So I have no idea where to even start. I can't go back to Delher Woods and get myself killed by the Trelmir again. I explained, shaking my head.
"Hmm... you're right," Han mused, scratching his beard thoughtfully. Then he offered, "You could try hunting at Halman's Plains. It's not too challenging for newcomers, from what I recall."
"Halman's Plains, huh? How do I get there?" I inquired eagerly.
"It's simple. Just head down the road and southwest from here. You'll know you're in the right place when you see two large, jagged stones leaning against each other in the middle of the field," Han explained with precision.
"Thanks for the tip, Han. I appreciate it," I said gratefully.
Han's expression turned mischievous as he eyed me. "You know, it's strange how clueless you seem sometimes. Are you sure you're really an adventurer and not just a runaway kid?"
"Ah aha!-" caught off guard, I stumbled over my words. I couldn't exactly tell him the truth about not being from this world.
"Relax! I'm just playing with you! Go get yourself some rest! You can head to Halman's early in the morning tomorrow."
Annoying as he could be, Han had a point. I better get to sleep now. It will be my first hunting day tomorrow.
"Alright, I'll hit the hay. Thanks again for letting me stay, Han," I expressed my gratitude before heading to my room.
"Don't bother, kid! Having you around kind of helped me cure some of my loneliness, hahaha!" Han replied warmly.
"Hahaha- that's great, old man." chuckling awkwardly, I closed the door behind me, feeling a sense of warmth from Han's unexpected kindness.
In the quiet hours of the night, a soft knock came at my door. When I opened it, there was no one in sight, but a set of old, worn leather armor lay on the ground. It had to be Han's doing.
Smiling to myself, I whispered, "Thanks, Han," as I brought the armor into my room.
The next morning, as I prepared to leave at dawn, I was taken aback to find Ellisa standing on the other side of the door, hands on her hips, and a determined look on her face.
"I'm going with you!" she declared, her voice firm despite her grumpy expression.