May 24, 1256 of the Second Era

Walking through the busy city market, Erihs tried to forget the fear that gripped her. She didn't want to get into trouble with such powerful and dangerous people. Maybe Ian would help her, or maybe he would make things worse.

Antharia market was a bustling place full of constant bargaining for those who had the skill. Almost all of the stalls were permanent, and those that weren't, attracted attention. Unlike mobile stalls, the permanent ones were filled with sturdy shelves and racks with multiple products. From food, water, ointments, potions, clothing, books, armor and weapons of all kinds. If you were looking for something of great quality, you wouldn't find it except on request and upon payment. Something unattainable for any rookie.

Water was easily drawn from the river adjacent to the city, but it was under strict control. Food and any other materials came from outside through trade. Money, on the other hand, came from the adventurers' incursions in the Nexus and from... other funds.

Eventually, Erhis made it to the food stall she used to frequent, so negotiating the price of a good chicken cheese sandwich and a clean water bottle wasn't impossible.

A few steps behind her, a rough-looking guy was watching her cute butt. In his human life as a hunter on our now unreachable planet Earth, Fen had been a lone wolf. He lived for many years in the forest isolated from everything and everyone. Loving the freedom that survival in nature made him feel. In short, he was an unpleasant man with a difficult character. He knew it, that's why he tried to hide it when he liked a girl.

As soon as he saw her with her bow and daggers, he imagined her at his side, living as he liked. However, when Erihs turned around and noticed how he was watching her, she immediately walked away. Fen tried to be polite, but he didn't have the faintest idea what that word meant. Running after her, he grabbed her arm. "Excuse me, cutie! I see you're a veteran in this town! Maybe you could give a newcomer like me some advice!"

Erihs watched in disbelief as the rough, strong guy held her insistently. However, the tense situation didn't last long. A sudden and loud throat clearing interrupted them abruptly. When Fen saw a brown-haired guy holding his arm in turn, he thought about punching him in the face, but as the strange intruder didn't open his eyes at any time and the strength with which he was holding him seemed superhuman, he thought better of it. "Fuck! This asshole is like a statue!"

Calm and gentle, the strange and frighteningly strong brown-haired guy acted politely. "I can help you, Fen! What do you need?"

Fen looked at him, unable to hide his outsized anger. "Again? How does this asshole know my name? Is it written on my head? It seems like everyone here knows it, even though I haven't told anyone!"

Erihs, on the other hand, was terrified. After recognizing the brown-haired guy, she didn't even try to break free, just trembled. Fen sensed her fear and ended up releasing her. He had the strange sensation that the guy didn't open his eyes for a reason very different from blindness. A reason that made the blue-eyed girl tremble. A reason he didn't want to know at all.

As soon as he released her, Erihs ran away. Instead, the stranger came much closer to him. So much so that it made Fen uncomfortable. "Fen, I can sense that you have potential! You know how to fight and handle yourself. Those qualities are in short supply here! I'm not in the habit of proposing this to almost anyone, let alone a newcomer, but I've taken a liking to you! You recognize danger!"

Finally letting go of his arm, the stranger approached again. Maybe too close. Less than an inch from his face, the stranger whispered. "In this world you can be 4 things. A shepherd with an awesome rifle, a stupid and suicidal wolf, a sheep or a sheepdog!"

After a brief silence, and before Fen's disgusted face, the stranger who didn't open his eyes added. "You would rather say tamed wolf than sheepdog. As you wish." Before Fen could reply, the stranger stepped aside. "Neither you, nor I, nor anyone you see can ever be a shepherd. That only leaves us one possibility, right?"

Fen looked at him askance. "All I see is that the tamed wolf can live better than the other two."

The stranger smiled kindly. "You're a smart boy, Fen! I already knew I was going to like you a lot!"

Fen smiled reluctantly. "What do I have to...?"

Before Fen could finish the sentence, the stranger pointed to his own eyes. "You need to keep your eyes peeled, Fen!" Thereupon, he turned and walked away. Fen hesitated to follow him until the stranger stopped and beckoned.

They walked some streets together, but just as they were about to leave the market, a huge guy stood in front of the brown-haired stranger. It was Ian, and his face was very hostile. "Leave us alone for a moment, Fen! I have a matter to discuss with an old friend!"

Getting too close to his face. "Yeah! I was once friends with someone named Scott, but you're not that person anymore!"

Too kind to have been scorned like that. "You're upset with the wrong person, Ian. There are a lot more sheepdogs than me in Antharia right now!" Ian's face barely relaxed. "Regardless of who it was, I'm not here to mess with your friends!"

Avoiding being overheard, Scott began to speak telepathically. "Look! I don't know how long I can keep them from going after her! There are too many interested in her dying!" Ian didn't say a word. "This time it's not like always!"

Very annoyed and clenching his fits. "Seems like this has happened a lot more times than I'm aware of!"

Scott reached for something under his robe and continued to speak to him telepathically. "More than I know myself, Ian! Listen! The Dark God is helping her! I think he's inside her!"

Ian's face changed so much that one could almost feel terror. Ian didn't ask how such a thing could happen. Trying to hide his visible tension, he took the paper Scott handed him.

Ian walked away slowly, hiding the paper. Scott, for his part, beckoned to Fen, who cautiously approached.

Very boldly, Fen blurted. "I get the feeling that big bastard is an untamed wolf, handsome!"

Without the slightest concealment, Scott smiled. "Yes and no! If your question is if you can be like him, the answer is no! The only reason he's not dead is because I promised someone I loved with all my being that I wouldn't kill him! And I always keep my word!"

Fen smiled mischievously. "Does that mean you're going to have someone else kill him?"

With a gentle smile, Scott's eyes widened just an inch. They were completely black. Fen wasn't able to make out his iris or what must have been the white of the cornea, but he did feel some disgust and terrible fear. "Like I told you, I like you Fen. Keep your eyes peeled! Follow me, and you will live long! Leave me, and you will beg me on your knees to kill you!"

Fen walked behind Scott regretting ever meeting him, and not even imagining his Power, Dexterity, Intelligence and Willpower scales. Attributes that granted him such high levels of Perception that allowed him to perceive with perfect precision where she was and who she was with. Without the need of lackeys, and despite being more than 200 meters away from her.

Emhe, meanwhile, walked happily eating a delicious beef sandwich with onions, tomato, lettuce and cheese dressed with a rich green avocado salsa. "You went to get another sandwich for me? Thank you! You are very generous, Mother Fae!"

Aloof and belittling her own kindness. "And there are more on the way!"

Annoyed, the old woman asked. "How the hell did you lose 25.000 Energy points before reaching Antharia?"

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Emhe didn't want to talk too much about it. "I had to make a pact with them to save my life!"

The old woman sneered and opened her mouth. "What did they give you in exchange for 10 sandwiches? A stick with a piece of metal on both ends?"

Realizing something important. "That's right! I had forgotten! Before I got here, I gathered enough experience to level up!"

The old woman was completely perplexed. "How many creatures...?! Never mind! Don't even think about leveling up until you reach 110 points in all your attributes or it'll cost you a lot more to increase them later!"

Emhe lowered her voice to a faint whisper. "Resting, I've gone to a very gloomy place where I've raised 18 points out of the 40 I need! But I couldn't..."

Supherm spoke, believing only Emhe would hear her. "Shut up, idiot! She doesn't have to know about that!"

Mother Fae laughed looking at nothing. "Shut up, you decrepit old man! Do you think I can't hear you? Do you think I don't remember you can access the planes?"

Focusing her attention on Emhe again. "Don't be fooled by that bastard! You'll end up insane if you keep going there!" Looking more closely into the redhead's eyes, the old woman tried to scrutinize what she was looking for. "Though... How many points did you say you'd increased?"

Emhe skipped the answer, focusing on something much more important to her. Somewhat timidly, she whispered. "I met a girl who looked just like me. Her name was Dianna and when..."

The old woman froze. Emhe kept silent and took a step back when she saw the old woman quickly approaching her. Pulling at her clothes so that Emhe crouched down and she could speak into her ear. "Are you fucking crazy? If she finds her..."

The Dark God answered with a mixture of pride and arrogance. "You have nothing to worry about! Although it may not look like it, she has fought against two level 40 beings and won! It wasn't at the same time, but she endured terrible pain without giving up! Plus, her synchronization is at 2% and she's still alive!"

Suphem tried to say something about it, but was silent. If the Dark God found out that Emhe almost died because of him and that he had something to do with her victory, it would make him look like a liar. Those were problems he didn't want to have.

The old woman was so surprised that beads of sweat ended up falling down her forehead. She seemed to smile, unable to hide a kind of madness and ecstasy. "Stop! No more talking! Effective immediately, you are my pupil!"

Emhe didn't understand why Supherm hadn't said anything, nor why the old woman seemed so enthusiastic. She simply followed Mother Fae as she made her way to her home-school. "Come on, come on!... Listen, child! There are several ways to belong to the Adventurer’s Guild, but for newcomers there are only 2. Enlist and go to the Nexus to undergo their trials directly or find a mentor who decides to teach you and prepare you much better. However, for the latter, you must have potential! One in 1000 usually has it, but it's not easy to see with the naked eye. With you it's as easy to see it as a light in the dark. A fucking blinding light!"

Walking very excited and barely turning around, she went back to being cynical and rude. "Don't you dare tell anyone everything I've told you! Don't talk to any of my pupils! Don't tell them that you can absorb essence, that they are trying to kill you, that you can see a character screen, and much less, that you hear voices in your head! What's more! Don't separate from me and don't talk to them! I will take care of them!"

Emhe was clearly excited as well, though Mother Fae set the record straight. "I will provide you with my invaluable help now that you have nothing. In exchange, you will help me with something that I can't do myself and I don't trust anyone to do!... It's not like I trust you either!... This... This is a pact! If I feel even the slightest chance that you will betray me, I will kill you myself! Remember! I can read your mind like an open book!"

Emhe didn't know what to say, so the old woman cheered her up a bit. "If I don't help you, you will die within a week. It's as sure as they'll kill me if I leave Antharia!"

Stunned. "As powerful as you are?"

Sighing, she looked away to avoid telling her too much. "You know nothing of what lives in this world, child! Nothing! The demons of hell would look like cute puppies! You will have to survive the impossible! And for that, you will need to prepare yourself thoroughly!"

Without uttering a single word, they continued in silence through the streets of the city while Emhe ate. As they climbed the stairs they had previously descended, Mother Fae seemed genuinely impatient to get home. However, before they arrived, Erihs caught up with them while panting. It looked like she had run quite a bit. "I thought you'd be at the training dummies..."

Annoyed, Mother Fae interrupted her, as if she had forgotten about her. "I thought you would come accompanied by someone else!"

Emhe sensed fear in the young archer. Bowing her head, Erihs tried to muster the courage to face the old woman, for in her presence, she did not seem to be herself. "I won't be running any more errands for you, Mother Fae!"

The old woman spat on the floor. "I don't care about that! I don't care about a scumbag like you, brat! I just wanted Ian to come!"

Trembling, Erihs placed the food and water on the floor. She also left the rest of the copper coins she had been left over from the purchase. Annoyed with the old woman, Emhe confronted her. "Why the hell do you do that? Why do you treat everyone like that?"

Showing hate in each of her words. "I can't stand scumbag! Those whose motivations are still the same as when they lived on Earth! Thinking about such stupid things as love and friendship! They don't seem to understand that they are just sheep!"

Erihs was an insecure girl who constantly deluded herself into thinking that she could survive alone in this world. However, she knew that without the help of friends like Ian, she would have been dead a long time ago. Crying, she walked away until she disappeared into the streets of the city.

Seeing that Emhe pretended to follow the girl, the old woman exploded in anger. Surrounded by a black aura and with an increasingly monstrous voice. "Why the hell hasn't Ian come?! Why does that bastard avoid me day after day?!"

Still full of anger. "Pick that up off the floor and come with me! Do what I tell you, when I tell you, and don't answer questions from any of the donkeys who pay to be my pupils! Is that clear enough?!"

Emhe nodded and did as she was told. Somewhat regretful of that awkward situation, she followed Mother Fae in silence.

At one point, when they had passed the Guild building, they turned right onto a wide street. Larger and higher quality buildings were erected in that part of the city. In their backyards, some of the adventurers were training against dummies and performing exercises of strength or dexterity. Excited to find herself in the same situation. "They seem very disciplined!"

Understanding that they had paid to be able to train and practice there alongside mentors who looked really scary. Looking at the old woman, she picked up her own small sack of coins. "Will I have to give you my money for being your pupil?"

Annoyed, the old woman sneered. "Don't be ridiculous, child! With those measly 10 silver coins you barely have enough to get started!" Turning around. "I told you to stay by my side without saying anything!" Emhe quickened her pace with the water and sandwich in her hands.

The old woman stared at her, even more furious. "You haven't eaten that yet?"

"But… I'm not hungry!"

After a snort from the old woman, they continued to a house with a backyard. As soon as she opened the door, two individuals approached them. A brown-haired, green-eyed half-elf and a very dark-skinned young woman with curly white hair and almost red eyes.

"We were worried about you, Mother Fae!"

"Where were you...?”

As soon as they saw Emhe, they were speechless. Mother Fae looked at them with disdain. "Leave that false concern for whoever buys it, you hypocrites! You only want your invested money to pay off! Have you done what I told you, you lazy bastards?" They both nodded, gaping at the tall redhead as she tried to avoid their gazes.

Very upset, Mother Fae told Emhe to walk to an office at the back. The other two students tried to follow her until the old woman yelled at them. "Where the hell are you fucking assholes going? Don't even think of bothering her or talking to her! Damn maggots! Come with me!"

Observing her surroundings, Emhe timidly entered the room. The walls were lined with shelves full of books. Tables littered with glass containers of all shapes and sizes. Not far away, there was a constant hammering and the smell of smoke. "Do they also have a forge here?... Maybe it's in another house!"

Alone in the huge room, she could hear Mother Fae yelling at her students in the backyard. On the desk were several open books. One of them had a drawing with an illegible text for her. The picture was of a huge being that seemed to devour people by handfuls. "What the hell is that horrible thing?! Does it exist?"

Athest's voice startled her by echoing in her head. "Don't you feel it?"

The Dark God replied uneasily. "Yes! I sense a presence, but I can't detect where it is! Get out of here! Go to the old woman! NOW!"

Terrified, Emhe tried to leave the office, but as soon as she took a few steps, something invisible grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth. Without giving her time to react, the invisible individual drew a dagger. A weapon of precious workmanship and fearsome appearance that aimed at her neck.

Thinking that the individual would end her life without her being able to do anything, Emhe froze, preparing for an end that never came. However, the huge guy simply brought his head closer and sniffed her hair as he spoke in a sad and somehow kind tone. "Please! I beg you! Don't make me kill you!"