The Day I Met You

It wasn't just raining; it was a torrential downpour. The air was so thick with raindrops it was difficult to see even a foot into the distance. The brick-covered roads were flooded up to an inch with water, carrying dirt and grime and all matter of small stuff around and about.

It was the sort of rainstorm that seemed inhospitable, that looked like it was impossible for life to thrive in, yet one figure still ran through the storm regardless.

"Help! Help! Someone... please help me!" Her words could barely be heard over the sound of the raindrops, and her tears could barely be seen from the number of raindrops hitting her face. Her boots, once thick leather, were now ragged and wet and riddled with holes. Her once bright and golden hair was now muddied and infested with sticks and bugs, losing its shine and color. Her clothes, once a vibrant set of a bright pink top and green skirt decorated with light armor, had become so dirtied it looked like they were never colored in the first place.

And yet she screamed and screamed and screamed, screamed for someone to come for her aid. Her eyes were starting to dry out, her throat was so sore it throbbed, yet she screamed and screamed like her life was in danger.

"Hey, quiet down! Don't you know how late it is!?" A tall and intimidating dark-haired man stood in front of the girl, halting her in her tracks. His hair blocked his eyes from view, preventing them from even peeking out. The rain almost seemed to avoid him, raindrops curving around his body like they had a will of their own, like ants afraid to touch a poisonous substance. The flooded waters below parted wherever he stepped, leaving even the soles of his feet as dry as the desert.
"Hold on a moment..." He took a closer look at the mess in front of him. "Angelica? What happened to you?"

"Cyan!" The girl, Angelica, fell to her knees, a clear feeling of relief washing over her face. She was saved. All of her prayers had been answered. "Thank the heavens you're around, you have to help me!"

She tried to grab his arm out of joy, but he quickly pulled back.

"Wash your hands before you touch this, these clothes are expensive." The man, Cyan, brushed his velvety gold and black robes of any dirt. "So anyways, what are you screeching about in the dead of night?"

"We barely have any time." Angelica clasped her hands together. "Please, train me! Get me as strong as possible! And do it under a week too! And also-"

"Slow down, you aren't making any sense. Who goes around screaming for help just to ask someone to train them, are you crazy?"

"Well, that's because... Just look!"
Angelica lowered the collar of her shirt, exposing the bright and glowing symbol stamped right below her neck. It was a complete circle with what appeared to be the head of a dragon resting inside, emitting a cool blue light that penetrated even the darkness of this storm.

"No..." Cyan backed away, his face pale and his neck flushed with sweat. "That's ancient magic, outlawed and lost for just how dangerous it is. Someone like you shouldn't even be able to access such a thing."

"A-About that..." Angelica's voice started to quiet down a bit. "Me and my party went to the Helstrom Dungeon and-"

"THE Helstrom Dungeon!?" Cyan fell to the ground, clearly shivering so much it was like he was stranded nude in the Arctic. "ARE YOU CRAZY!? One of the three World-Ender Dungeons, THAT Helstrom Dungeon!? The one even the greatest adventurers are cautious to enter!? Are you and your party morons!?"

"It's nothing like that! We heard some screaming by the entrance and you know how my pals are. We went inside to help defend some injured adventurers and help them get back outside. It's just..."

Angelica trembled, finding it hard to even say what came next.

"There was this monster I've never seen before. It was like a lich, but much bigger, its head up to the ceiling, and it was covered in blue flames. Before we could even take a step towards the exit it knocked us all out with one attack."

"You're joking." Cyan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just one attack? He knew Angelica's party consisted of ten people including her, all trained adventurers in their own right. Knocking all of them out with one attack would require being over twice as strong as all of them combined, which would make this unknown monster surpass every adventurer he knew.

"When I woke up I was in its hands, and my party was in a cage made of blue flames. That was when the monster spoke to me-"

"You are making stuff up!" Cyan stood up. "No one has heard of monsters speaking, that's basically a fairy tale!"

"But I swear it spoke! It told me it was bored before touching me here and putting this spell on me! And do you know what it said?"

Cyan gulped. "Go on."

"Human, I'm giving you thirty days to spark my interest. Use that time to train yourself, become as strong as you can, then come back to fight me. This spell I grafted on you will ensure you come to me when the day comes and engage me in glorious combat! The winner gets these humans right here as their reward."

After that the two were silent, only the sounds of the rain filling their ears.

"So if you want to see your party again you need to get strong enough to actually fight that monster?"

"Yes..."

"What's stopping someone else from defeating the monster before you do?"

"I don't know, but it seemed more that strong enough to defend itself until then. Besides, I don't know what this spell will do to me if I don't defeat it."

"From what I heard a lot of ancient spells like that would kill you if you don't fulfill their conditions."

"Kill me..."

There was more silence.
Then there was laughter.

Loud laughter, like the world's greatest joke had been told, erupted from Cyan's mouth. He laughed so hard it looked like his stomach was going to rupture. He laughed so hard it looked like his spine would crack from how far back he bent. He laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed, to the point that it just started to look odd.

"Why are you laughing so much?" Angelica could only watch, not at all understanding what was going on. "My party is in danger!"

"Sure they are," Cyan said sarcastically. "Did you expect me to believe that story at all!? A talking monster that can destroy a party of ten with one attack!? And it's asking you of all people to fight it!? You couldn't fool a five-year-old with that story."

"There's literally a spell on my neck that might kill me!"

"Those things can be faked. You have an illusionist in your party, right? Come on, just admit you were making this all up."

"But it's true! You have to believe me!"

"Okay, let's pretend it's true for your sake. There's no way I'm helping you."

"Huh?" Such words almost sounded like a foreign language to Angelica.

"I mean, do you think I even have a chance against that sort of monster? And you want me to train you to that level? Impossible. I know I'm a miracle worker, but I'm not that talented."

"But surely you can at least try! Please!? You're my last hope!"

"No way I am! Fool someone else with that story."

"But I tried!" Angelica fell to her knees, sobbing. "First thing I did after getting cursed was run to the guild. I asked everyone there I knew to help me, and even everyone I didn't know, and all of them didn't believe me! I was laughed at, yelled at, kicked out, all sorts of stuff like that!"

"And you thought I'd believe you?"

"I mean you are..." Angelica grew quiet. "Or I guess you used to be... my friend."

Cyan groaned, kneeling down until he was eye-level with Angelica. "Then let me give you a tip: quit while you're ahead. If you're really cursed then you only have thirty days to live, treat the last thirty days of your life with care. Move out to somewhere safe, eat sweets all day, do all of the things you ever wanted to do in your life."

"But my party-"

"It's impossible. You're too nice for your own good. You feel too much of a need to help and save everyone around you, so maybe it hasn't come across your mind even once, but sometimes it's just impossible. You are weak! You are the weakest spellcaster I know. It took you a month to learn how to launch a small fireball. My magic can turn a mountain into a pile of dust, and even I wouldn't stand a chance against the monster you claim exists. This is impossible, and the sooner you realize it, the sooner you can enjoy what's left of your life."

Angelica stammered and stuttered, trying her best to argue back, but not many words were able to come out. Cyan just slowly walked away, leaving the girl alone in the heavy rain.

Angelica looked up, feeling the raindrops beat down on her face. At this point it was impossible to tell the raindrops down her cheeks from the tears on her face.

Maybe it was impossible. The word impossible just didn't feel real, like it was made up just to torment her, but maybe it was true. Her party, her friends, they were all trapped and couldn't be saved.
If only she were stronger.

As she slowly walked through the stormy streets, ready to just head home already, her eyes were drawn to a small light. The faint glow of a candle, so faint and beaten by the rain it was a wonder it was still lit, momentarily made her forget about her troubles, like she saw a fairy in this darkness.

And next to that fairy was a person.

In the space between two buildings, barely covered by some wooden planks, a person laid unconscious. The clothes on him looked like barely any more than rags. His hair was a mess, and his skin was covered in dirt and bruises. He looked like any other homeless guy.

And yet, Angelica couldn't keep her eyes off of him.

The state this man was in, it almost reminded her of herself. The way he looked on the outside reflected the way Angelica felt on the inside. In the state he was in he probably didn't have much longer to live, and it probably wasn't going to be a pleasant life.

She crept towards the body and briefly touched the neck. The breathing was light and the pulse was weak, but the guy was still alive.

And if he was alive he could be saved.

Angelica lifted the boards off the guy's body and grabbed his arm. He was heavy, too heavy for her weak body to lift up. If she was more skilled in strengthening magic that wouldn't be a problem, but since she wasn't she was forced to grab him from under the elbows and drag him.

The rain refused to relent. The streets continued to remain flooded. Yet Angelica knew she had to save this man. Maybe it was impossible for her to save her party, maybe she truly was too nice, but she couldn't live with herself for thirty more days if she let someone just die in front of her. Saving this one person was still possible, she could feel it!

Angelica dragged this man towards her house, unaware of the trajectory both of their lives would be set on by this action.