Dawn casts its golden glow all around me as I pry my eyes open.
It makes a mockery of the scene before me. The devastation I've caused—the life I've destroyed. My gaze finally lands back on the lifeless corpse that was once my Mum.
"So, Fate... we're not on the same side anymore," I whisper. It feels like something, or someone, has ripped away my emotions. I don't feel anything anymore. It's as if a void has swallowed them whole.
I gradually pick my legs up, which have broken free from the pain. I glance around at the ravaged village once again.
The devastation around me clashes with dawn's serenity. In the cold aftermath, I realize there's nothing left for me here.
"I once wished for a protagonist's life... Was this the cruel answer to my wish?"
A piece of debris finds its way into my palm.
"I'm leaving," I announce. My voice echoes through the silent remnants of my home.
Without any hesitation, I make my decision.
I try to stand up, but I fall back onto my mother's body. I take a good look at my leg—it's bruised.
With all my strength left, I attempt to stand up again. I trudge around the village, scrutinising for any sort of exit.
(Illustration: https://i.ibb.co/Q8HRLX3/1000009354.png)
As I scour, I stumble upon what appears to be a cave. It seems to be the only opening. With discreet steps, I make my way into the darkness, uncertain of what awaits me inside.
As I go deeper into the cave, the darkness recedes and a blue neon light takes its place. The mushrooms—emitting the eerie glow—are a sight to behold. Their luminescent caps create a galaxy of tiny stars on the cave floor, revealing the bats and other feral creatures living here.
The ground beneath my feet is just like any other patch of grass, but the stalactites above hang by a thread, ready to fall at any moment.
"Is there even a way out of this place?" My mind ponders as the cave diverges into three distinct openings.
"I guess I'll go left."
I roam through the left path; the cave seems to turn into darkness again.
I can taste the bitter dust in the air and hear my echoey footsteps.
The cave wall, cold and rugged against my fingers, guides me through the suffocating darkness. It smells damp in here too.
After about thirty minutes of wandering, a faint glare appears through the darkness.
The way out is not what I had anticipated, but rather a hidden trail that leads into an unfamiliar forest.
The trees are tall and seem endless. The chirping of foreign-sounding birds echoes as the rustling of leaves hints at critters obscured from view.
From the suffocating darkness of the cave to the vast spectrum of the forest, I feel both liberated and cautious.
I want someone to find me. Or maybe I can find someone.
The crunch of the leaves under my footsteps and the sounds of birds chirping are my only companions.
I wander aimlessly, trying to find something or anything.
But then I hear something. Footsteps that aren't my own. Thinking quickly, I hide myself behind a nearby tree. There, in the clearing, is a woman and three men.
"Unexpected company... I'm a child, they wouldn't hurt me."
I step out of my hiding spot and my foot crunches a dry leaf beneath, announcing my presence. Four pairs of eyes whip towards me instantly, followed by an arrow impaling the tree beside me. I don't flinch at all, though.
"I wasn't anticipating getting shot at instantly."
When I look at the arrow, its tip is covered with yellow energy. Echo Surge, if I remember from the novel correctly. The ability to channel powerful energy into a weapon. The effect is delayed, but it's guaranteed to paralyse the target.
The tree suddenly gets engulfed in yellow electricity and dissolves right beside me. It also does that to non-animal things.
The woman puts down her weapon when she notices how young I look. She stares at me as if she wanted to say, "What is a child doing here?"
"Whoa, hold on! She's just a child. Lower your weapons."
The woman's gaze softens as she approaches me cautiously, her dark eyes like a window to her thoughts.
With each limping step, the weight of my injured leg makes itself known. Their eyes are drawn to it, concern evident.
"Hey, why are you out here alone? Are you hurt?"
The woman runs up to me, while the three men watch her from afar, keeping watch.
I look up at the woman. She's slender with jet-black hair that cascades down her back, contrasting against her pale skin.
She looks terrified. Is my gaze that terrifying?
"Who are you?" I ask, the indifference in my voice makes Nescia flinch.
"I'm Nescia," she replies, trying to ease the tension.
She seems hesitant, her eyes darting back and forth from my bruised leg to my indifferent expression. The three men behind her watch us, their hands never straying far from their weapons.
"What's your name?" Nescia asks, her tone softer now, attempting to ease the tension between us.
I pause for a moment, "Komachi Yoshimura." I answer, my voice monotonous and distant.
The words hang in the air, an echo of a life I once had. Nescia's eyes widen slightly at my response. I'm guessing Japanese names are rare here. But I remember there being a few in the novel.
"What are you doing here?" Nescia asks.
"Walking."
Before Nescia can reply, one of the men shouts from behind her.
"Hey, Nescia, are we going or what?" a man's voice breaks through, a note of impatience creeping into his tone.
"We're here for you, Komachi. Just—" Her reassurance is interrupted as I feel my strength give way, and I crumble to the moss-covered earth.
Nescia glances back and sees me sprawled on the ground. Without a word, she scoops me up in her arms and sprints towards her group.
"Why help me?" I ask, not expecting a clear answer.
Nescia, her eyes focused on the path ahead, answers without hesitation, "You really shouldn't be out here alone. Especially not with a leg like that."
As I rest on Nescia's shoulder, I notice a logo carved into her shoulder—a badge with the symbol of angel wings in it.
I never saw anything like that in the novel or what I've read.
After minutes of walking, we arrive at a camp.
"Welcome to our makeshift home," Nescia gestures broadly. Six tents of varying sizes are pitched in a semi-circle, their materials patchworked from different fabrics.
The campfire, alive with dancing flames, serves as the heart of this makeshift settlement, while logs and stumps provide seating for its inhabitants.
"You all have been living here?"
"We've made the forest our home, it's rough, but it's shelter." Nescia places me down on a log.
"How long will I be here?"
"Eh? Well, you can stay with us as long as you want!"
"Thanks," I reply, my gaze shifting back to the flickering campfire. My mind is already scheming, calculating potential escape routes and outcomes.
"We've got enough on our plate without adding a kid to the mix."
One of the men calls out. His voice is cold, tinged with suspicion. I've heard it before—the sound of someone seeing danger where others see potential.
Nescia ignores the man and explains, "This forest has been our home for weeks now."
"A few weeks..." I echo, the information filing itself away in my mind.
As I settle on the log, I observe the camp's inhabitants—a mix of wariness and curiosity etched into their expressions.
The central campfire crackles, its flames casting eerie shadows on the makeshift tents. A tattered banner with a symbol I couldn't quite decipher flutters gently in the breeze. Nearby, a stack of scavenged metal scraps hints at their resourcefulness.
"Komachi, this is everyone. They're wary, but they'll come around." Nescia assures me.
I feel the weight of their gaze, my presence scrutinized. Is it distrust or simply survival instinct?
The lack of defences is a clear vulnerability—any attackers or predators would have easy access. But if they've survived for weeks... either they're just lucky, or there are skills I haven't seen yet.
Skills that could be useful for survival. I need to know more about these people and if they can be trusted. But why are they in the forest in the first place?
One of the men walks up to me. Their gaze is cold. They probably see me as a threat.
"What?" My eyes don't meet his.
"Stay out of trouble, kid. We've got enough to deal with."
He tosses the warning over his shoulder as he strides away.
A young man, possibly in his teens, approaches me, his face is tattered, and his clothes are ripped.
"Who sent you?" He asks.
I remain silent and for some reason, I sense his frustration at my response.
"Don't just ignore me!" He retorts as he grabs me by the hair. I don't seem to feel any pain though, "Who sent you? Spit it out!"
"Why should I tell you?"
The boy throws me onto the ground while repeatedly shouting at me, "We've got enough problems without adding a mystery kid to the mix!"
Nescia climbs out of a tent and witnesses the assault. Her gaze turns cold as she stares at the boy.
"Retsudo! She's just a child. Back off."
Retsuto scoffs before walking away. Nescia apologises for Retsuto. According to Nescia, he has trust and anger issues.
But I don't care about Retsuto, I want to leave this forest. I don't want to stay confined by the forest forever.
My gaze turns to the other inhabitants.
"They don't seem to want me here either..."
I also want to know what 'The next endowment' will be. And why this is all happening.
What were those tendrils?
Who gave me this destructive power?
How does it even work?
I tried remembering a moment when I was really angry. Like the time my mother died.
Suddenly, the same shadowy tendrils erupted out of my back, but it seems to be under control now. Maybe the last time was uncontrolled anger.
Now I wonder if I have any other abilities linked to anger. But I should learn more about this group, and why they distrust me so much.