As a child, I never really knew love.. My parents wouldn't care for me no matter how hard I tried to convince them.
Woman: Your daughter caused trouble again!
Mother: I'm sorry, she's becoming a real issue isn't she?
Man: You're both good parents, it's her that's the problem! She needs a good ole lesson!
The small child hiding behind a stone wall runs off with tears streaming down her face, and eventually she finds herself in front of her father.
Father: What are you crying for? You did something again didn't you!?
She looks up at him, with tired eyes before running off again. She sits down against a tree and her long golden hair blows in the wind.
Marigold: I only do it so you would both pay more attention to me.. I'm not the issue...
Feeling an unexplainable pain in her heart, Marigold sits there in bitterness for a while before a strange person walks up to her, holding out a cross necklace in their hand.
Stranger: Take this, child.. You have a bright future, but not before a very dark and lonely present.. Please don't fret, the pressure is what makes a diamond..
Marigold looks up at this strange person with a black cloak and a warm smile on their face. Cautiously she grabs the necklace and suddenly memories begin flooding her mind, weaving together cobwebs of pain and happiness. She sees a glimpse of a boy around the same age as her with red eyes, before she's pulled back to reality and the stranger is gone, leaving only the necklace in her hand.
Marigold: Hm...?
Without thinking much she stands on her two feet and begins running deeper into the forest. She runs and runs no matter how painful the rocks get underneath her bare feet. And suddenly Marigold opens her eyes, realizing she was dreaming about her past. When she looks down, she notices her hand was clutching her necklace so hard there's blood there. Then she's abruptly shook by Fritz.
Fritz: Hey you were making weird noises in your sleep, what did you dream?
Marigold: I'm.. Fine... It was a nightmare.
Fritz: You aren't fine, I detect an injury on your left hand..
Marigold: Really, everything is okay.. Hey where's Crimson?
Fritz: He said he was going to use the body of water we found to clean himself up. He got scratched up when the arena collapsed in your battle with Fallore. This is what he told me..
Marigold: I see..
While the girls both wait there in the grass next to the tree, Crimson calculates their journey while washing scars on his arms.
Crimson: (From the town of lost souls we headed north, so we probably need to head southwest to reach the kingdom again.. But like Fritz pointed out earlier, we don't have the proper strength as a small group to beat the mage on our own, and the king probably has other formidable guards too. So we head south to perhaps get more allies in the city of relief. My parents spoke about a man there who has the ability to cut through space itself with his katana.)
While he plans their next stop, Marigold cleans her hand and necklace, treating her wound before realizing something.
Marigold: F-Fritz? Where did you go!?
She looks around but doesn't see the doll anywhere. Crimson starts patching up his arm before he hears a rustle in the bush nearby.
Crimson: Who's there?
Fritz: Its me. Your senses are sharp, Crimson. I'll be honest, I remembered that I was instructed to observe and learn about you, so I will be sticking closer to you for now.
Crimson looks mildly perplexed for a second but before he could respond, Marigold steps out from the path to the side.
Marigold: I knew I heard you heading this way Fritz..
Crimson: Well since we're all here, we should head out again.. We have a long journey ahead of us.
Fritz: Hm..
Marigold: Right!
They start walking again through the greenery, and chatting while on the way.
Marigold: So you say this place will be a strange one?
Fritz: The city of relief is known for being really warm due to the four volcanos surrounding it, and it's also said to be where people find romance easily with the roses and red colors used everywhere.
Marigold: Really?
Crimson: When I said it would be strange, I was referring to the behavior of the people who live there. I'm not sure how exactly they act but my parents ventured there before, and they had quite the tale to tell.
Marigold: That's pretty nice..
Marigold looks to the side, thinking about something but deciding to stay quiet for a bit longer. And after traveling for half the day, they finally arrive at the city of relief.
Crimson: It's even more beautiful than I had imagined..
Fritz: That is likely due to our arrival being at this time of day. The lanterns, and buildings with mixtures of orange, red, and white look better at night..
Marigold: There's all kinds of people here..
Crimson: (Something's bothering Marigold.. She clearly won't speak up though so I'll allow her to build up the strength first.)
Fritz: So on our way here you said we would find a samurai correct? I know of a samurai here. He is known for being very powerful yet also blind.. He uses his sense of hearing to tell where you are and he is very quick and strong.
Crimson: Yeah that's who we're looking for..
Fritz: Rumor has it, he can use his breath to perform special techniques as well.. But he's the queen's samurai so how will you convince him to join us?
Crimson: Well we'll have to improvise when we meet him..
Marigold: Uhm, is it just me or is there no knights patrolling around here?
Crimson: Everyone is wearing gray cloaks, leaving only their faces uncovered. I assume the knights are blending in with the people, but I'm not sure.
Fritz: Well is our plan really to just waltz into every royal palace we come across until we have a royal army?
Crimson: Well for now until we can think of something better..
They walk into the doors and are greeted with a peculiar sight.
Crimson: These are green vines on the walls..
Fritz: And the stone is a different kind than what was used outside as well..
Marigold: What does this mean?
Crimson: Stay on guard, something isn't right.. The people outside have grown quiet and this place looks nothing like what it should.
They travel through the silent empty corridors of the stone dungeon they seem to be inside of, and before they could react, everyone hears a loud crash as they all lose consciousness..
*End Of Chapter 3*