—Present times.
On that fateful day, Asa expected it to be just another ordinary day.
Yesterday, she had ventured into the woods, successfully hunted a deer, and spent the entire evening skillfully butchering the meat.
Today's agenda appeared simple enough: travel to the bustling central region to sell the venison and use the earnings to satisfy her craving for warm, freshly baked bread.
As she opened her door, a quiet wind brushed against her face, creating a momentary sense of lonely peace.
In the past six years, the governing bodies of Antara had faltered, only to swiftly rise anew.
At present, the current authority is known as The Main Pillar, comprised of:
Edgar Stein, the salvation for Antara. He was the one who bravely took leadership of Antara when no one does. Brilliant and unyielding, he tirelessly sought solutions, never giving up on his quest to create a Antara haven for the citizens.
Joseph Stanley, a young hero who courageously led the remaining Antaran troops in constructing a formidable wall that now separated Antara from the outside world. Despite the heavy losses endured during the mission, his dedication to safeguarding the nation could not be denied.
The most adorned by the nation, Theodore Dillon, a charismatic son of the Dillon family that used to be one of the richest family in Antara before Crystal Doom strikes. He frequently organized charitable events, distributing food, weaponry, and books throughout the central region, earning him unparalleled popularity.
Together, these three individuals embodied intelligence, strength, and compassion. Their collective efforts breathed life into a dying Antara, standing on the brink of extinction, stepped in a new era of salvation for the desperate nation.
A few months back, representatives from the Main Pillars came personally to invite Asa to relocate to the central region, promising better safety. However, Asa declined the offer.
She chose to wait. Who knew if one day there would be a knock on the door, and a familiar voice would call out, "Big sis, big sis," just like it had always been in the past.
After walking for some time, Asa's eyes finally caught sight of the bustling cityscape of the central region.
The familiar sight should have brought her comfort, but a sense of unease settled in her chest.
Just then, her ears detected an uproar nearby, a sound she knew all too well. It was a chilling blend of adult screams of horror and the helpless cries of children.
She dashed straight toward the source of the noise, her hand tightly gripping the hilt of her sword.
Without hesitation, she drew it from its scabbard the moment her eyes locked onto the looming figures of the Crys.
With swift, practiced movements, she swung her sword, effortlessly taking down two Crys at once, her feet kicking the chest of another, sending it sprawling away.
"Run!" she yelled at the civilians, who swiftly scattered back to the safety of their shelter.
The two Crys that Asa had knocked down earlier scrambled back onto their feet. They swung their blows with full force toward Asa's head, but to their surprise, Asa swiftly dodged the sudden attack in the nick of time.
The Crys, by nature, lacked cleverness; they couldn't alter the direction of their attack swiftly. Asa had long recognized this weakness in them.
Using her usual tactic to exploit the Crys' lack of awareness, Asa spun her sword precisely onto a thin calf as her body bent down to evade the incoming strikes from the Crys.
"AAH!" The wailing of dying Crys sounded like a lullaby to Asa's ears.
She swiftly got back up, effortlessly knocking all of those Crys back to the ground with swift, precise kicks.
She pierced her sword into the chest of each dying Crys, ensuring they were truly dead.
However, to the audience watching from behind their shelter, she appeared as a cold-blooded killer.
Her smirk grew along with her hand movements as she twisted the sword in each Crys' chest.
Asa's ears finally caught the silence as she kicked one last Crys away from her sight.
The air remained thick with tension.
She was accustomed to the silence that followed her battles with the Crys.
She didn't blame anyone; she knew how terrifying she must have appeared in their eyes while impaling those Crys directly in their chests and watching them die, unblinking.
She let out a sigh, her sword finding its way back into its sheath as her eyes scanned the area, searching for the venison that had slipped from her grasp during the battle.
Deep within, she fervently wished for that meat to remain untainted by Crys' blood. If it got tainted, no one in the market would buy it. And if no one wanted it, she would have to apologize to the nonexistent baby in her stomach who had been craving bread for so long.
"There!" Her gaze landed on the sight of the pitiful venison, lying helplessly near one of the Crys' bodies. Her heart sank as she realized it.
Approaching the venison, she kicked the Crys away from it and dropped to her knees. A sigh escaped her lips. "That deer died in vain."
Suddenly, a mischievous urge struck her. Asa flicked the ruined raw venison. playfully. "Rest in peace, little deer."
After her dramatic farewell to her venison, she picked herself up, ready to head back to the upper-north region.
There was no point in staying in the central region any longer.
Her face reverted to the stern expression she always wore after Daniel's loss. Though, it was actually her focused demeanor, ensuring she remained alert whenever Crys were near.
Creak…
Asa swiftly turned her head at the sound of movement, her hand instinctively gripping the hilt of her sword, ready to unsheath it and engage in another battle.
However, what met her gaze was not a horrifying sight of a Crys. Instead, there stood a young boy in a shabby clothes, gazing up at her with eyes full of admiration.
"Whoa," he awed, "Big sis, you are so cool!"