On a sultry afternoon, a ship from the north arrived at Hermit Bay. The crew unloaded crates of goods from the hold and neatly arranged them on the dock for inventory.

"Hurry up, it's going to rain!" the captain impatiently urged. He took a manifest handed to him by one of the crew members and began to count the items listed on it. However, a shadow fell upon the manifest.

He looked up to see a tall man in a dark cloak standing before him with an indifferent expression.

The man had boarded the ship at Twilight Harbor and paid a large sum of money to request passage on their merchant vessel through the Black Jade Sea to this destination.

The captain couldn't refuse the gold that came knocking on his door, so he naturally agreed. Throughout the journey, the mysterious passenger kept a low profile and seemed burdened with heavy thoughts. The captain didn't pry into matters that didn't concern him, but at this moment, he couldn't help but want to say something.

Unfortunately, before he could speak, the man spoke first. "Thank you."

The man said this simple word with a slight accent from the other side of the continent, and then gently patted the captain's shoulder, handing him four gold coins.

"Sir, if you plan to stay overnight in the Seagull Town ahead, I can recommend a good inn for you. Go to the Sword Sheath Inn in the west of town and mention my name, and the owner will give you a 10% discount." The captain tilted his head slightly, looking at the generous passenger, and decided to do something generous himself.

At that moment, the man had already walked past him, turning his back to the captain and waving his hand as if in refusal, yet also as a farewell.

"'Sword Sheath'? I might drop by to make an appearance. Not only can I get a free room, but also three meals included," the man muttered to himself, unheard by the captain. "However, I don't have time to visit the old friends at 'Sword Sheath' for now."

The captain watched the aloof guest depart, his gaze ultimately fixed on the four gold coins. In fact, the man had already paid his fare when boarding the ship, so these coins came as a pleasant surprise to the captain.

He ran his fingers over the engravings on the coins, characters he couldn't fully comprehend. Square-shaped with sharp edges, resembling both swords and spears. Despite his years of trading, he still couldn't fully decipher these foreign characters, belonging to a completely different system from his own native language.

But what did it matter? The appearance of the coins wouldn't change their value. He happily tucked the money away and glanced back in the direction the man had left.

That's when he noticed the man didn't take the main road but instead disappeared into the depths of the dense forest. The captain was slightly surprised, but quickly shrugged it off with an indifferent expression.

A drop of icy coldness landed on his nose.

The rain was about to come.

"Make haste! Move everything over there too!" the captain shouted, urging everyone on. Work was the only thing he truly needed to care about.

***

The briny sea breeze brought forth a swift downpour, its raindrops pattering upon his cloak. Yet he did not tighten his cloak further; instead, he unfurled it, revealing a youthful, handsome, and melancholic countenance.

He stood there, squinting his eyes slightly, tilting his head back to welcome the descending raindrops. The icy water traced along the distinct contours of his face, trickling down his cheeks and seeping into his clothes, but he paid it no mind.

After a while, he slowly opened his eyes. Deep purple irises reflected the cold, dim gray sky. He wiped away the rainwater from his face with a gentle touch, pushing back the soft, black strands of hair from his forehead as if that gesture could tidy up the weightiness of his current mood.

He knelt down on one knee, submerging it in the muddy ground. He raised his hand, tenderly caressing a broken cross before him and softly spoke, "Father, I have returned."

His lips moved, as if continuing to speak, but the pouring rain drowned out his faint words, making them indiscernible.

The heavy rain was enough to conceal his voice, but it couldn't wash away the sorrow etched upon his face.

Raindrops slid down his face, blurring the distinction between tears and rain. Around him, water had formed tiny rivulets, gradually flowing to distant places.

There, there were crosses similar to the one in front of him, equally broken and dilapidated, askew and numerous to the point of counting difficulty.

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Hundreds, thousands of crosses were thrust like blades into this village once ravaged by war and bloodshed, rendering the already narrow streets impassable and intensifying the eerie horror of this deserted wasteland.

They aimed to halt lost intruders and grant solace to the innocent souls sacrificed upon this land.

The rain grew heavier.

Amidst the downpour, he rose to his feet, casting one final glance at the broken cross, then striding firmly through the muddy cobblestone path, disappearing into the countless crosses and sinister ruins.

***

"What heavy rain," Nicole sat on a stone under a large tree, propping her cheek with a somewhat gloomy expression. "If this rain keeps up, I'm afraid I won't be able to make it to Northsail before nightfall. What am I going to do about my qualifying race?"

She shook her head vigorously, as if trying to dispel the discouraging thoughts in her mind, and cheered herself on. "I will pass the final test and obtain my beast tamer qualification this year. I can definitely do it, right? Because I already have you."

Just as she finished speaking, a black panther sitting beside her licked her hand resting on her knee, looking at her with deep, mysterious purple eyes.

Nicole returned a gentle smile and reached out to pat its head. "Speaking of which, we met on a day just like this, pouring rain. Do you remember, Kuro?"

The black panther named Kuro emitted a low purr, then nuzzled its head into Nicole's embrace.

Nicole affectionately held it close, snuggling together. "Let's rest a bit longer, Kuro. Rain or no rain, we have to set off soon."

Kuro didn't respond, but lazily swayed its long tail. The movement wasn't like that of a feline but rather resembled a canine.

***

Her name was Nicole, and she grew up in the Echowater Town, raised by priests. Those who nurtured her were clergy devoted to the Goddess of Light. However, even under such favorable circumstances, she showed no talent for using holy magic, but her mischievous and playful nature grew in abundance.

From a young age, she had more energy than the other girls her age, which often left Father Ron, who managed the church affairs, with a headache. At the age of eight, being overly restless, she gave up on the typical traits of a girl, abandoning embroidery and dolls favored by young ladies. Instead, she followed the boys in the town, learning swordsmanship and archery, dreaming that one day she could go to a free city like Northsail and join a mercenary group, making friends and traveling across the entire continent.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as Nicole had imagined.

During her training, Nicole didn't show any remarkable talents. Every day, she would return home with various injuries. Despite having priests at home who could heal her wounds, Rivern, the young priest who had accompanied her throughout her upbringing, still felt immense concern for her. He urged Nicole to give up on this path, as he didn't want her to enter such a dangerous profession.

Nicole was unwilling to give up. Once she made up her mind, she wouldn't easily change her decision.

In order to change Nicole's mindset, Ron invited a mercenary who sought help at the church to talk to her about mercenary experiences. In order to exaggerate the dangers of being a mercenary as much as possible, Ron spared no expense in setting up a feast, ensuring that the mercenary was well-fed and fully satisfied. His intention was for the mercenary to fabricate some stories that would frighten Nicole and discourage her from pursuing a career as a mercenary.

Little did Ron know, even before the feast began, Nicole's curious eyes had already fixated on the mercenary's combat pet—a wetland crocodile measuring four meters in length.

At that moment, Ron deeply regretted the decision he had made. He thought to himself, why did he have to ask a beast tamer of all people? Couldn't he have asked anyone else?

Even well-trained combat pets can lose control and retaliate when faced with unwarranted harassment and provocation from strangers.

Before Ron and Rivern had a chance to intervene, Nicole curiously grabbed hold of the wetland crocodile's tail. She then tapped on its armored scales and even proceeded to hug the fierce beast's head, prying open its jaws to observe its sharp teeth.

However, the wetland crocodile remained utterly still, showing no signs of impatience or making any attempt to tear apart Nicole's reckless hand.

The peaceful outcome was even more shocking than if blood had been shed.

Then, Ron's purpose was indeed achieved—to some extent.

The owner of the wetland crocodile, the beast tamer Jessika, changed Nicole's perspective with a simple question.

"Kid, do you want to become a beast tamer?"

***

A few days later, Nicole followed Jessika to the Beast Tamer Guild in Northsail, starting her training as a prospective beast tamer.

In the blink of an eye, she turned fifteen. She successfully completed the training as a trainee and now only needed to tame a wild beast in the wilderness, bring it back to the guild, and pass the registration and testing to officially become a beast tamer.

Filled with hope, she ventured into the jungle, searching for suitable targets. Through her past training, she had acquired various wilderness survival skills, such as tracking small and medium-sized beasts, as well as methods to evade large and ferocious monsters.

Unfortunately, she had never succeeded in taming any useful beasts. Her peers who entered the school at the same time either captured Nightblade Panthers or Spearfang Wolves, and some even managed to obtain multiple ones. Even the weaker students were able to acquire wild Chocobos. Meanwhile, Nicole could only charm a few small rabbits, making them run behind her for a few minutes.

After her fourth failure, she returned to the church in Echowater feeling disheartened. Rivern served her a steaming hot dinner, but she couldn't bring herself to eat a bite. Once again, she approached Rivern and inquired about her origins, only to receive the same unchanged answer as before.

"Nicole is Nicole. Who you are and who your biological parents are doesn't matter," Rivern said, gently patting Nicole's head to comfort her.

From the warm smile of her big brother who had been by her side as she grew up, Nicole gained strength. She picked up the spoon and ate her dinner voraciously, as if she wanted to swallow all her doubts and uncertainties along with the food.

She wouldn't give up. She was going to try again.

***

Two days later, she set out once again. This time, she chose a different route from her previous attempts. Instead of heading towards the Western Borderwood, she ventured towards the direction of Hermit Bay to the north.

As the sky grew darker, the heavy rain seemed imminent. She found a cave where she could take shelter before the rain arrived. She lit a campfire and began preparing a simple dinner for herself.

Before long, the downpour began, almost drowning out the crackling sound of the fire. Nicole remained focused on cooking the raw fish over the flames, unaware of a pair of deep purple eyes observing her through the curtain of rain.