Chapter 2 - Encounter

Chapter 2 - Encounter

In a small, unremarkable village east of Lunaris, the inhabitants woke to the morning sun, ready for another day of toil and back-breaking work.

In the middle of the village stood a young boy whose chest was heaving as he sweated profusely. The villagers slowed their steps, murmuring among themselves as they watched him stumble and clutch at his head.

—

Alexius

—

"Hhh! Hhh! I… I’m alive…?"

I frantically clutched at my neck, feeling for my head. Luckily, it was still there.

My blurry vision slowly focused, and that was when I realized that the scenery had completely changed. Was I hallucinating, or was I in heaven? The scenery of a burning Arcanum was gone. Instead, it was replaced by a village square with a dirt path worn from countless steps. Simple wooden huts with thatch roofs lined the path on all sides.

The morning sun shone brightly on me, and I saw smoke rising lazily from the chimneys as the villagers got out to begin their day.

My heart froze as I took in the details. Nothing was on fire, no screams, and no wyvern flying overhead.

I staggered backwards.

“Where am I... This isn’t Arcanum.”

Every instinct inside me screamed that something was wrong, and I tightly clenched my sword, only to realize there was nothing there. Then, a thought hit me: The burning city, the invading demons, and the demon king— were they all a dream?

No! I remembered the pain. My arm was getting ripped off. My blood spilled, and the terror of dying, these were all too vivid…too vivid to simply be a dream.

Sweat dripped down my face as a chill ran through me.

“Could…could I have?”

I froze mid-step, the thought lingering in my mind. But that was impossible, right? No one had ever heard of time magic before. Yet, despite my doubt, something deep inside told me this was how it would begin: another chance at redemption.

Perhaps this was just a cruel joke by Lumira to punish me, but I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes again; I had to grow stronger. This time, I wouldn’t be completely useless. Alright, the first step was to become a proper adventurer and form a party.

I approached one of the villagers and inquired,

“Excuse me, do you know if there are any adventure guilds around?”

“An adventure guild? Here? Boy, are you crazy? You expect that to exist in a village like this,” he said.

And then it clicked,

“Where the hell even am I?”

“Seriously? Kid, did you hit your head somewhere? This is Mudrun, a village east of Lunaris. Go to Lunaris if you want adventure. Now scram,” he replied, visibly annoyed.

Oh welp. I should get myself a sword to defend myself. I checked my pockets and discovered that I had 3 Silver Valors and 4 Copper Valors. This was not a lot, but it should be enough to buy myself a weapon.

On the way to the village blacksmith, I bought an apple as a snack for one Copper Valor; it was quite tasty.

“Welcome,” a blacksmith greeted me as I entered.

The shop was modest in size and appeared quite old. Various items were on display, such as swords, daggers, bows, armor, and other equipment. I took a quick look at the item on sale:

— Prices —

Iron shortsword - 8 Silver Valors

Wooden Shield - 5 Silver Valors

Iron Longsword - 12 Silver Valors

Hunting Bow - 6 Silver Valors

Hah… These items were all too expensive for me. I looked around the store for some second-hand items instead, and found a barrel full of cheaper, rusty items. I picked out an old iron dagger worth 2 Silver Valors and picked out a leather sheath, 1 Silver Valor.

“Hey, mister, this sheath is kind of worn out. How about 8 Copper Valors for this sheath instead?”

“Ha! You’re not trying to rob me, are you, kid? Fine, 8 Copper Valors it is, but don’t expect me to go any lower.”

I handed over 3 Silver Valors, feeling a small victory as he handed me back 2 Copper Valors. I sheathed the dagger and tucked it into my leather belt before walking out of the store.

Now that I had bought some gear, I decided to head to Lunaris and become an adventurer. And I almost forgot that I needed to look for a party this time around. Fighting with comrades was always better than fighting alone. That was a harsh truth I learned through blood.

The journey to Lunaris felt…strangely relaxing. It had been a long time since I had gone out to the countryside. I felt the wind’s gentle breeze hit my skin as I watched the grass dance to its rhythm. Birds sang from tree tops as I traveled along the dirt road.

I remembered the last time I travelled through this path. Back then, the Southern walls had already been breached by the demons. People all over the countryside had rushed frantically to take shelter inside the capital.

As I entered the woodland path, voices reached my ears from somewhere ahead. Narrowing my eyes, I caught faint movements between the trees. Bandits. My stomach tightened. Thankfully, they hadn’t noticed me yet. I slowed my pace and slipped behind a thick tree trunk.

I could see them clearly now: two men sharpening their daggers and a third one adjusting the string of his bow. I wanted to avoid a confrontation if possible. If I were careful, maybe I could circle around and take a detour—

Then something moved farther down the path? I squinted. Wait…is that a girl? A girl was walking casually into the clearing, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

“No, don’t come here! Bandits! There are bandits here, turn around!” I shouted—

in my head.

Unfortunately, she didn’t hear my silent shouting. Oh dear, Lumira, please, don’t let them see her. Please, please…

But then, one of the bandits tapped his partner on the shoulder; his eyes had already locked on her. Ugh, curse my luck.

~ End of chapter ~