The moment she entered the guildhall, a wave of noise and life washed over her. The spacious interior was bustling with activity—adventurers of all shapes and sizes clustered around wooden tables, exchanging stories and laughter. The smell of spiced ale and roasted meat mingled with the faint metallic tang of polished weapons. A bard in the corner strummed a lively tune on a lute while a group of rowdy mercenaries clinked their mugs together in a boisterous toast.
"So, people drink this early too, huh?" Raven murmured to herself, her gaze lingering on a particularly loud group already deep in their cups despite the sun barely cresting the horizon.
"Hey!" a cheerful voice called out, cutting through the din. "You look new here. Need any help?"
Raven's eyes shifted toward the speaker. Behind a polished wooden counter stood a girl with a warm smile and auburn hair tied back in a loose braid. She wore a light green vest over a simple white shirt, and a silver brooch pinned to her chest identified her as a guild staff member.
"Yes," Raven replied, her voice steady but low. "I want to become an adventurer."
The girl brightened instantly. "You've come to the right place! My name's Levy. I'm one of the guild helpers. Have you ever had a license before, or do you need one?"
"I recently turned eighteen," Raven said, adjusting the edge of her hood. "So, I'll need one."
Levy nodded knowingly, pulling out a ledger and a small crystal device from beneath the counter. "Got it! First-timers are always exciting. And what name should I put down?"
Raven hesitated for the briefest moment, her gaze flickering to the side. "Wraith," she finally said. "Just Wraith."
'You're too awkward,' Mavis's voice cut into her mind, laced with amusement. 'Three years of talking to me, and your social skills are still this bad? You're hopeless.'
'You don't count as normal!' Raven shot back mentally, her lips twitching in irritation.
"Alright, Wraith," Levy continued, either not noticing or choosing to ignore Raven's slight pause. She placed the crystal device on the counter and gestured for Raven to step closer. "For your identification card, we'll need to scan your face for confirmation. Could you take off your hood and mask, please?"
Raven stiffened slightly but gave a curt nod. Slowly, she reached up, tugging her hood back first before peeling off the dark mask. Her silver-grey hair spilled out, shimmering faintly in the light, and her mismatched eyes—one gold, the other a vivid crimson—were sharp and striking against her pale skin.
The room seemed to dim for a moment as Levy's gaze met Raven's. The guild helper faltered briefly, her eyes widening in surprise. "Wow… you're, uh, really unique-looking. I've never seen eyes like yours before."
Raven didn't respond, her expression unreadable as she stepped closer to the counter. "Just scan my face," she said coolly, eager to move the process along.
Levy cleared her throat, clearly trying to compose herself. "Right! Of course. Hold still for a moment." She raised the crystal device, which hummed softly as it began to glow. A faint beam of light passed over Raven's face before the device emitted a soft chime.
"All set!" Levy said, her smile returning as she handed Raven a temporary identification card. "Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild, Wraith. Your official card will be ready in a couple of days, but you can start taking low-tier quests with this."
"Thank you," Raven said, slipping the card into a pocket of her cloak.
As she turned to leave the counter, Mavis's voice echoed in her mind again. 'Unique-looking, huh? Sounds like someone thinks you're pretty. Maybe this whole adventurer thing will be easier than you thought.'
'Shut up, Mavis.'
Despite her irritation, Raven's lips quirked upward in the faintest of smiles. She thought about pulling her hood and mask back up to shield her face, but the thought faded quickly. What was the point? Hiding wouldn't change anything. She needed to embrace who she had become—the Wraith.
Her crimson and gold eyes scanned the room briefly before they landed on a small stack of newspapers on a nearby table. She strolled over, her cloak trailing slightly behind her, and picked up one of the latest editions.
"Let's see what's been happening lately," she murmured under her breath, flipping through the pages.
The front pages were dominated by recent headlines of societal importance. One article covered the treaty brokered between humans and non-human races, a milestone of diplomacy that had taken decades to achieve. The text spoke of alliances with elves, dwarves, and other species Raven had only read about in her academy days. Another story highlighted the rise of a new guild of adventurers renowned for their deeds across the continent.
But none of that held her attention for long.
Raven's focus narrowed as she scanned the columns, her sharp gaze searching for something far more personal. The events of the world were secondary; what she sought was news about herself. About what the world had believed in the wake of her disappearance three years ago.
Rummaging through the stack, her fingers brushed against an older issue. Something about it made her pause. Pulling it free, she immediately recognized the picture on the front page—a portrait of her former self.
Her chest tightened. It was an academy photo, one she'd begrudgingly posed for years ago, back when she still answered to the name "Raven Vermillion." The image showed a younger version of herself, smiling faintly, her long black hair tied neatly and her orange eyes bright with a mixture of determination and innocence.
She forced herself to read the headline beneath the picture:
"Raven Vermillion, Prodigy of the Vermillion Clan, Declared Missing and Presumed Dead."
Her fingers trembled slightly as she held the paper, her mismatched eyes scanning the article. The text chronicled the search efforts after her disappearance—how her family had poured resources into finding her, how her sister Celia had personally led expeditions into uncharted regions, and how, after months of fruitless searching, the world had quietly mourned her loss.
There were no mentions of foul play or conspiracies, just a somber acceptance that the talented young heir of the Vermillion Clan had been lost to the world.
Raven's lips pressed into a thin line as she set the newspaper down. She hadn't expected to feel anything reading it—she thought the detachment she'd cultivated over the years would shield her from the weight of her old life. But now, with the evidence of her past staring her in the face, a storm of emotions churned within her.
'They moved on without you,' Mavis's voice murmured in her mind, soft but not unkind. 'But they still remember.'
'Of course they do,' Raven thought back, her voice colder in her mind than she intended. 'I was a Vermillion. Not a person, just a name to attach expectations to.'
Mavis was silent for a moment, then replied, 'That may have been true, but some of them cared. You can't deny that.'
Raven exhaled sharply, shoving the newspaper back onto the pile. Her mismatched gaze flicked to the bustling guildhall around her. None of these people knew who she was—not really. To them, she was just another new adventurer trying to carve out a name for herself.
And maybe that was for the best.
"Let's move," she muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible over the chatter of the guildhall. The weight of the decision seemed to settle on her shoulders as she turned away from the front desk, her cloak sweeping behind her in a whisper of dark fabric. Mavis's telepathic silence meant she agreed—no distractions for now.
Raven made her way toward the job board at the far end of the room. The sound of laughter, the clinking of tankards, and the occasional clash of weapons created an almost tangible hum in the air. The job board itself was a chaotic tapestry of papers—some neatly pinned, others haphazardly slapped on top of older notices. Requests ranged from escorting caravans to distant cities to hunting down dangerous mana beasts in uncharted wilderness.
Her mismatched eyes scanned the board, the golden one glinting faintly in the dim lighting, while the crimson one seemed to absorb the shadows around her. She wasn't looking for glory or riches, only something to ease her way into this new life as Wraith.
Her gaze landed on a request written in hurried, uneven script, the corners of the paper slightly crumpled. The job was simple yet urgent:
"Adventurer needed to defend Harthwick Village. Mana beasts have been sighted near the outskirts. No casualties yet, but attacks are imminent. Reward: 50 gold pieces."
She read the description twice, her fingers brushing over the faded ink.
"A village defense," Raven murmured. Her voice carried the faintest edge of bitterness. "So far, no tragedies. That'll change soon if someone doesn't step up." She pulled the paper from the board, folding it neatly and tucking it into a pocket beneath her cloak.
'This will do,' Mavis's voice echoed in her mind, calm but firm. 'A straightforward task. No unnecessary attention. We'll see how you fare.'
Raven's lips twitched upward in a faint, humorless smile. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
As she turned to leave, a group of adventurers seated nearby glanced her way. They were seasoned, judging by their well-worn armor and weapons, but their casual demeanor didn't match the urgency she felt.
"Hey," one of them called out, a man with a scruffy beard and a heavy axe slung over his back. "You sure about taking that job? Mana beasts near Harthwick are no joke. Just last week, a team barely made it back alive."
"I'll manage," Raven replied curtly.
The man chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Suit yourself, kid. Don't say we didn't warn you."
Raven didn't bother responding. She pushed open the heavy oak doors of the guild and stepped into the bustling streets of Eldoria. The city was alive with activity—merchants peddling their wares, children laughing as they chased one another, and the occasional patrolling guard weaving through the crowd.
She paused for a moment, taking in the scene. The vibrant energy of Eldoria was a sharp contrast to the dim and somber guildhall. Yet, despite the life around her, Raven felt the weight of her solitude pressing down.
"Let's get this over with," she muttered, pulling her cloak tighter around her as she headed for the city gates.
'No looking back,' Mavis's voice reminded her, a hint of approval lacing her tone.
Raven nodded silently to herself.