I wasn't meant to be important.
Some people are born for greatness, princes, knights, warriors with legendary blood running through their veins. Others have power, magic that bends the world to their will, skills sharp enough to carve their names into history.
Me? I was just Ray.
A guy with no last name, no special bloodline, and no great destiny waiting for me. Just an ordinary guy in a world that didn't have space for ordinary people.
And I was fine with that.
At least, I thought I was.
I lived in a small town called Blackwood, working at the only inn worth mentioning, The Rusty Lantern. It wasn't much, but it kept me fed and gave me a place to sleep. The owner, old man Geralt, wasn't exactly kind, but he paid me enough to get by. That was enough for me.
Most days were the same.
Wake up before the sun, clean the tables, take out the trash, serve drinks, deal with travelers who didn't know how to keep their hands to themselves, and pass out in my tiny room upstairs. Nothing exciting ever happened.
Until he walked in.
I had served all kinds of people at The Rusty Lantern. Mercenaries, thieves, knights who thought they were better than everyone else. But I had never met someone like Kael.
He didn't look like much at first. Just another traveler, wearing a hood that hid most of his face. But when he pulled it down, I knew he didn't belong here. Not because he was rich, but because he had that look, like someone who had spent his whole life pretending to be normal but never quite pulled it off.
Sharp blue eyes, the kind that never stayed still. A voice that sounded too careful, like he was afraid of slipping up. And his clothes were too simple for someone with hands that soft.
He wasn't a farmer. He wasn't a merchant. And he definitely wasn't a normal traveler.
He was hiding something.
And in Blackwood, when someone hides something, it's usually bad news.
I didn't ask questions. That's rule number one when you work at an inn. You see someone suspicious, you keep your head down. You hear things you shouldn't? You forget them.
But that night, when the tavern was nearly empty, Kael made a mistake.
A group of drunk mercenaries were harassing a girl named Mira, a farmer's daughter who worked at the inn. She was used to it. Every girl who worked here was, but that didn't make it any less disgusting.
"Come on, sweetheart," one of them slurred, grabbing her wrist. "Just one drink with me."
She pulled away. "Not interested."
"Hey, don't be like that," another laughed. "We're paying customers, ain't we?"
I should have stepped in. I wanted to. But I also wanted to keep my job.
Then Kael spoke.
"She said no."
It wasn't loud. It wasn't angry. But the way he said it, like it was an undeniable fact, made the entire room go quiet.
The biggest of the mercenaries turned toward him, frowning. "You got a problem, traveler?"
Kael just stared.
That was another mistake. When someone like that challenges you, you're supposed to look away.
I saw the punch coming before it even started.
The mercenary was fast, but Kael was faster. He stepped aside, grabbing the guy's arm and twisting it behind his back in a single, fluid motion. The man screamed as Kael slammed his face into the bar.
The other mercenaries jumped to their feet.
I knew what was coming. A fight. And fights in places like this didn't end with just a few bruises.
I should have run. I should have hidden.
Instead, I grabbed the nearest chair and smashed it over a guy's head.
I don't know why I did it. Maybe because Kael had stepped in when I hadn't. Maybe because I was sick of watching scumbags like these act like they could take whatever they wanted.
Either way, I was in it now.
And that's how my boring, ordinary life ended.
By the time the fight was over, the inn was a wreck. Tables broken, bottles shattered, one guy unconscious on the floor.
Geralt was furious.
"Get out," he growled.
"At least let me clean up..."
"You're fired, Ray."
I opened my mouth to argue, but stopped. There was no point. I knew how this worked.
I grabbed my bag, slung it over my shoulder, and walked out into the night. Just like that, the only life I'd ever known was gone.
Kael followed me out.
"I didn't ask for your help," I muttered.
He smirked. "Yeah, but you gave it anyway."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "So what now? You gonna disappear, or…?"
He hesitated.
And that's when I knew.
He wasn't just running from something.
He was alone.
"…I could use some company," he admitted.
I should have said no. I should have walked away.
But I didn't.
Because for the first time in my life, I had nowhere else to go.
And just like that, my story began.