"So, my job is basically to save some weaklings?" Rina asked as she got to her feet, folding her arms.
"How long am I gonna have to do that?"
She raked a hand through her hair as she continued. "Look, if this is gonna continue for years then I guess it's best I just die now."
"It's not gonna take years. To be exact, it depends on you. If you complete each job fast, you'd be able to move to the next one, and in no time you'd be done." The voice responded and Rina listened attentively.
"How many missions am I gonna have to go through?" She questioned.
"The exact number isn't certain yet."
Rina let out a groan. "Great, just great."
"Do you have more questions? If you don't, then we should finalize this agreement." The voice called out and Rina walked towards the door and pushed it open. All she saw was a clear expanse of clouds and nothing more.
"Where are we?" She blurted and the voice responded.
"The point between life and death."
"Oh."
"Yup. So, you agree to this deal, right?"
Rina pursed her lips before slowly nodding. She badly wished she had gotten a completely different mission but alas, those ridiculously dumb clauses couldn't be changed.
"Great! I'm so pleased. I look forward working with you." The voice called out and Rina only grimaced while silently wondering if she'd have better off with choosing to just die instead of agreeing to this disturbing deal.
"Close your eyes." The voice called out and even though Rina didn't want to, she found herself doing that. The world spinned around her, air suddenly rushed into her lungs and filled up every pores inside of her.
It was completely dark and quiet around her, and she believed she was floating for a few seconds. However, after a few more moments, she suddenly blinked her eyes open.
She abruptly blinked her eyes open, a loud gasp wrenching from her mouth as her gaze instantly darted around.
It took a few moments for her to realize that she was back in the cave which her and Gwen had taken shelter in. She let out a ragged breath and silently began to wonder if all that just happened between her and that faceless voice, along with the whole talk about a system– had all been nothing but a dream.
She glanced around once again before scoffing and shaking her head, and then she slowly got to her feet and stretched. Her limbs felt like they've been stiffened for ages, and after a few moments, all that happened last night rushed through her mind.
Whereby she had drugged Gwen to fall asleep, then she had sneaked out to go murder those men at the palace. She could vividly remember getting stabbed and she horribly touched her stomach and lower back. There was no sign of wounds in those areas. She checked more spots on her body for cuts but found none.
She also doesn't remember how she got here. Last she remember was dropping dead with that sword still inside of her.
For a moment, she wondered if that dream had actually happened and if that was the reason why she was currently here in this cave instead of being dead.
Rina tried to remember what the voice had referred to itself as but she couldn't remember for the life of hers.
She let out a sigh, feeling confused as hell. She began to head out of the cave while massaging her forehead.
However, on stepping outside of it, her eyes bulged in horror as soon as she spotted Gwen laying lifeless by the side, a sword deep in her chest.
Her mouth fell open and she slowly crouched, hands tentatively reaching for her pulse. It was completely still. She was undoubtedly dead. Her eyes were lifeless and open, and Rina carefully covered her eyes and then she carefully pulled the sword out of her chest.
Rina didn't know who killed Gwen. Gwen was someone whom people were fond of. She usually minds her business.
Why the hell would she get killed?
A weird feeling settled in Rina's chest and she sighed as she brushed the woman's hair out of her face. This woman had cared for Rina and protected her for years, because she still believed Rina was her daughter, not knowing it was only in body.
Rina got up and began to search for something to use in digging a grave. She was about to head into the forest when a voice suddenly spoke.
"You realize you'd have been dead if you hadn't gone to the palace to kill off those men, right?"
Rina was so taken aback that she almost tripped over a log.
"Quit fretting. It is I. Your system."
Rina let out a humorless laugh. "So that wasn't a dream after all."
"If it was, you certainly wouldn't be alive right now." The voice responded and Rina sighed. She sighted a shovel and retrieved it, and after clearing out a path, she began to dig.
As the time passed, Rina vaguely remembered Sinclair telling the king last night that he had sent some men to go kill her along with Gwen.
That only proved that the system had been right. She might have gotten killed with Gwen if she hadn't gone to the palace last night.
As she buried Gwen, she made a silent prayer to the water goddess whom Gwen always prayed to, asking for her to give Gwen eternal rest henceforth. After all her suffering, that was the only thing she deserves now.
Rina never believed in the goddess before, but after her encounter with this system, she was starting to second guess all her beliefs.
"Want me to let you in on a little secret?" The voice asked as Rina untied the horse which she won through gambling. It was still tied outside the cave.
"No." Rina flatly responded as she carefully got on the horse, determined to not fall off this time.
"You didn't realize this, but last night, you avenged Gwen and took out all the villains in her story." The voice carried on and Rina stiffened, blinking in confusion.
"I- I don't avenge people… and how is that even possible? Her story?"
"Each world is a story, Rina. There's usually a main character in each story. Gwen was one, and with her gone, who do you think the next main character of this realm is?"
Rina shrugged, more focused on steering the ridiculously stubborn horse.
"You." The voice responded.