Twenty years after the battle between humans and demons, Leah, a humble farmer, lived at the foot of a mountain in the Freylan Kingdom.
Her life had always been confined to this small, quiet village. Though her dreams soared far beyond the rolling hills around her, leaving the safety of her home felt like an impossible gamble.
Each day, her life revolved around tending the farm and feeding the livestock. These routines were her only shield against the unforgiving winters that loomed each year.
An old woman from the neighboring house frequently warned her against leaving the village. "The world outside will chew you up and spit you out," the elder would say. "Better to die in the peace of this valley than face the hell out there."
Yet Leah's heart yearned for more. Her lifelong dream was to become an adventurer—a dream sparked by the wandering travelers who occasionally passed through the village. They spoke of dazzling lands, of peril and triumph, and of the beauty they had encountered in their journeys.
Leah longed to see the wonders they described and to step into a world beyond the mountains she had always called home.
Leah had no surviving parents or relatives. Her father had been killed by a wild beast, and her mother succumbed to illness seven years later, leaving a thirteen-year-old Leah to fend for herself. What her parents left behind—a small house, a modest plot of land, two pigs, and the unrelenting burden of a farmer's life—became her entire world.
She didn't truly know what it meant to be an adventurer, nor did she fully grasp the challenges it entailed. What Leah loved was the idea of it: traveling to far-off lands, unearthing treasures, and perhaps finding wealth beyond her wildest dreams.
Fortunately, Leah was one of the rare few in her village who could read—something she was proud of. This skill came thanks to the town chief, a gruff but kind-hearted man she had relentlessly pestered until he agreed to teach her. For Leah, books were not just a luxury but a glimpse into the unknown, fueling her longing to see the world beyond the mountains.
The villagers were kind, their generosity evident in how they never took advantage of Leah or her land when she was most vulnerable. Instead, they rallied around her, offering help whenever they could, especially the village chief, who had always kept a watchful eye on her.
Leah's favorite pastime was reading. Books were a rare commodity in her small village, but she had managed to acquire a few over the years. She once traded half a sack of potatoes with a passing trader for a tattered book titled The Tale of Ronan: Spirit of Freylan.
The title alone ignited her curiosity. Leah had heard Ronan's name countless times from the travelers passing through her village. They spoke of him with reverence, calling him the greatest hero in Freylan's history. It was said that Ronan had ended the reign of the Demon King after a mere grueling ten-year journey.
Leah had always clung to her dream of becoming a hero. But first, she believed she needed to become an adventurer, though she had no idea how long that journey might take. Perhaps it would begin after a winter passed, under a full moon, or when the red flowers bloomed in the forest. She imagined so much she could do, so much she could become.
Yet deep down, Leah knew the truth. That dream would likely remain just that—a dream. Her life would continue here, in this nameless village. Day after day, she would plow fields, harvest crops, and feed the pigs. She had resigned herself to this reality, never expecting her world to change.
But it did.
One evening, under the brightest full moon she had ever seen, Leah was preparing for bed after a long, tiring day. As she adjusted the worn blanket on her cot, a sharp, desperate squeal echoed from her pig pen, just behind her small house.
Startled, Leah froze for a moment. The sound wasn't ordinary; it was frantic, full of terror. Without hesitation, she grabbed her lantern and ran outside, knowing that if she could hear it, so could the other villagers nearby.
When she opened her door, sure enough, thanks to the visibility provided by the moonlight, she could clearly see two of her neighbors looking outside through their windows. Because of this, her fear subsided.
Using a lamp for illumination, she traversed the back of her house when she spotted two glowing eyes.
'Rats?'
She inched closer.
When Leah finally had a clear view of it, she was so shocked that her soul almost left her body. A pair of glaring red eyes stared at her. Black liquid flowed from its mouth. She could vaguely make out its shape, resembling a farm rat, yet it was so different—like the four sharp horns protruding from its head and the miasma surrounding it.
Frozen in fear, Leah tried to force herself to move her legs and run away from the creature, but another instinct took over. She screamed out loud, alerting the townspeople. Candles were lit. Knives, shovels, hammers—anything they could grab—were seized.
Awakened by her own scream, Leah finally managed to move her shaking feet. Two steps, one for each foot, before a sharp pain shot through her foot. Looking back, she saw the abomination gnawing at her flesh. In a panic, Leah tried to kick it, but it stubbornly clung to her, its sharp teeth sunk to the bone.
She was ready to rip it off with her hands when a pitchfork landed in its head, the four sharp points piercing through, followed by a shovel to its neck.
The rat-like monster, despite being gravely injured, withdrew its teeth from Leah's calf and managed to free itself from the clutches of the farming tools. With agile movement, it dashed across the ground, leapt into the tall grass, and disappeared completely in a matter of seconds. The responders did not chase it. Creatures like that were beyond their ability to deal with. Maybe their town chief could, but not them—mere farmers.
Meanwhile, Leah was clutching her grave wound, blood soaking the ground, her face pale with each passing second, her teeth clenched in pain.
"You! What happened!?"
Turning her head, she saw a familiar face. An old man with white hair crouched beside her on the ground. The town chief. Leah felt a wave of relief.
Leah stumbled, but she was immediately held up by the rough hand of the chief. He and two other men helped move her to the chief's house, where the village herbalist was probably waiting.
"We have to notify the Lord!" Kairo, the one who threw the pitchfork, shouted in the middle, while his friend—the one who swung the shovel—silently agreed.
Leah's vision began to blur as she saw the village chief call out to one of his trusted aides. She heard them whispering, but she was starting to lose consciousness.
"Gah! Fine!" the chief grumbled. "Call Clay and his gang."
"That beast is intelligent. It may try to ambush us when the opportunity strikes."
"I know. I know. We'll patrol the night. Light all of your torches and stay out of the dark."
The moment came, and Leah's vision went completely black.
Leah woke up in a room of the chief's house, hearing loud voices. She immediately checked her wound and saw that it was covered with old clothes and dry leaves. She used her wounded foot and was surprised that it didn't cause any pain.
'Did it heal throughout the night?'
Bothered by the growing voices, Leah peeked through the window and saw all the villagers gathered in the middle of the village, where the chief's house was located.
She couldn't fully comprehend everything they said, but she understood some crucial details.
Apparently, Clay had been sent to alert the Lord governing the area but returned with very bad news.
The lord, afraid of the possible trouble that surviving demons could cause, had called for help from the Church of Light. Along with their own soldiers, they were preparing to purge the evil in this small village.
The chief may have noticed Leah, as he sent all the villagers away and began heading toward his house. Then, she heard a knock on the door.
Without her permission, the door was opened by the chief's wife, the village's only herbalist, who cast a faint smile at her.
"Dear, don't falter, alright?" the herbalist said.
Leah could feel the worry in her voice.
"Ah, I-I don't understand," Leah replied, not knowing why, but her voice was shaking.
Then the chief came in and, without hesitation, said, "Quick! Prepare yourself!"
Leah didn't fully absorb what he just said and stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Crusaders are coming. They'll come to get you!"
His wife stroked his back, trying to calm him down.
My love, maybe we can do something about it. The Church may be ruthless in their ways, but they'll protect and reward those who bravely face evil."
"We didn't catch or get rid of that demonic rat. We only drove it away. Now, the sole purpose of their effort is gone, and they will find other things to purge in order to not waste it."
Drops of saliva fell to the ground as the chief spoke. His wife sighed.
Their voices echoed throughout the small room, but Leah couldn't hear any of it.
'The crusade? To me?'
She was aware of the church's activities. They were the pioneers in battling demons, and apparently, they were the ones who nurtured heroes. They would stop at nothing to rid the land of evil.
"And that mark left behind by that thing, it's—"
"Chief!" A call interrupted the chief's words.
"The horse is ready," said Kairo from outside, holding the reins of a horse beside him. The horse carried a sack filled to the brim with fruits and vegetables.
The chief looked Leah straight in the eyes and sighed.
"It was my fault. I should have thought it through."
Leah was awakened from her reverie.
"I can't let them harm you," the chief said, shaking his head.
"Your father and I were once friends, and I promised to look after his family," he whispered softly.
"I can't—I don't know how."
Leah could hear her heart beating loudly.
"Here," he said, handing her a pouch full of silver coins.
"Village chief—"
The village chief grabbed her hands and dragged her outside.
"Travel west and don't stop until you reach Jahayara village. Seek shelter for a while, but don't stay long."
Leah's tears began to flow as she understood her situation well. The men's faces were also filled with sadness, but there was no time for emotions. The crusaders could arrive at any moment now. She needed all the time in the world if she wanted to reach the next village. Kairo steadied the horse and helped Leah mount.
"May the goddess of light watch over you," the chief said.
Leah thought of saying goodbye, but the horse began to sprint before she could say another word.
As Leah got farther and farther away from her home, she couldn't help sobbing. The village she grew up in—she had abandoned it just like that. She wondered when she would be able to return. Maybe she would never be able to again.
The horse galloped toward the west nonstop for a quarter of the day. She would take a rest for herself and the horse, then continue the unplanned journey.
Fortunately, Leah knew the direction to the next village, Jahayara, because she had been there once. It would roughly take six days to reach it, including rest stops.
She didn't have much problem with the horse, as she felt a strange familiarity with it, as if she had seen it once in the stern old lady's little barn. As the day went by, she was almost sure of it.
On the third day, something happened that put Leah to the test. Slowing the horse to stop on the side of the road to rest, she heard faint galloping echoes. Immediately, she could tell what it was.
The situation was getting dangerous, but she tried to calm herself and find a way to escape. She couldn't continue going west; somehow, they must have known where she was headed. The only option now was to go north or south. But she feared going north, as it would lead her toward the capital, where the church's influence was stronger. On the other hand, going south would take her into a deep forest, and beyond that, to the sea.
She decided on her course of action.
With hurried movements, Leah steered the horse south. Her heart raced, pounding in her chest as a surge of nervousness swept over her, but she was determined to escape. The horse, unaware of her fear, pressed on.
The weather, however, was not on her side. What had been a sunny day suddenly turned into a light rain. The ground became slick and muddy, making it harder to control the horse. She needed to get deeper into the forest, hoping to find somewhere to hide—perhaps an empty cave to shelter in. But as the sun began to set, the horse showed signs of exhaustion, and Leah could still hear the faint sound of hooves behind her.
The rain suddenly intensified, pouring down even harder. Leah made a quick decision—she abandoned the horse, hoping it would find its way home, and took only the pouch with her. She ran, pushing herself forward, until the ground beneath her feet seemed to vanish. It was only when she began to stumble that she realized she had reached the edge of a cliff, the heavy fog from the rain obscuring her surroundings. She screamed, but no one could hear her as she fell, plunging into the abyss below. The cold ocean water engulfed her, and everything went dark.