Chapter 1: Death >>> Deity

Kamry

Panic had reverberated throughout the streets and in the confusion, the people turned to the knight's outpost to seek assurance and security. Not that it's gonna be of any help. The soldiers themselves were pretty much shaken by the recent phenomena. After all, nothing out of the ordinary has ever happened to Alver.

Alver is one of the towns in the kingdom of Berumel. A rather prosperous town with commodities that suffice its population. It's a small rural area with no extraordinary quality. It's not a tourist destination, the shops here aren't anything special and the citizens are boringly average. Farming and crafting are the main livelihood of the people. We only have one school, used mainly for teaching reading, writing and a little magic. A small army post provided by the kingdom and the blacksmith guild, which I am a part of. There's nothing much here.

I didn't waste time, I didn't have time to begin with. Sooner or later other people who have knowledge of the prophecy would head to the light's direction and I would wager that a war of some sort would start over whatever it is that fell. Whatever it may be, I hope I would be the first one to find it.

I dropped my wares in the Blacksmith's guild and headed straight to the direction where the light had fallen. I am a blacksmith by trade but my lineage goes way back, and we're mostly oracles. Being a blacksmith in the noble line of seers is rather depressing really. My father disowned me for that reason and for having no talent for divination. At the age of fourteen I was deemed unworthy of my family name and was cast out with nothing but the clothes on my back. I left home and wandered around for a while, until I found work as an apprentice blacksmith in Alver.

Finding that fallen light would mean the world to me. Imagine the look on my father's face if I present it to him. He would be horrified. His noble name sullied by nothing but a soot covered blacksmith. Heh, serves him right for disowning me.

I travelled north with the mount I had borrowed from the guild's stable. I couldn't help the amused grin that escaped my mouth as I remembered the barkeep's face when I handed him my wares.

The guild was empty when I entered, it's to be expected. We don't get much customers here anyway. The only people who visit the guild are merchants from other towns, tourist or soldiers. If any townsfolk broke their shovel or their hoe they'd come to my smithy and not here.

"Where'd you be goin', Kamry?" Moot asked as I deposited my wares in the counter.

Moot the barkeep and master of the guild is an old bag of bones. He's almost ninety-six and he still tends to the guild. He's a tall and thin man with a bushy white moustache and a bald head. He's so skinny and wrinkled that I have been wondering what has kept this man together. He may not look like much but believe me, Moot had trained all the smiths that came from Alver. He has students all over the kingdom, he even taught my master and I have learned a lot from him as well. Moot might be old but he is as sharp as the swords he makes, which are the sharpest in the kingdom.

"Don't tell you be headin' towards that black light that might have fallen due north." Moot grumbled as he didn't receive an immediate answer from me. "'Tis not the time to be gallivantin' lad. That light is a bad omen I tell you. Not a thing in my many years happen since, not even my great-great-great-great grandfather's and he lived longer than me, he did. Bless 'im"

"I'm just gonna go check it out Moot, it's worth a peek." I answered with a sheepish grin.

"And what that might be lad? 'Tis a peek in the reaper's hood you go gettin' and nothin' more than that." Moot shook his head, pointing a shaky finger at me. "You've gots a good head on your shoulders, you have. 'Tis a shame if you lose it."

"I'll be fine old man." I assured him. "You don't know, I might find a rare metal for my smithy in there."

"Balderdash that is lad! You get your shiny metals from stars that fall at night! Not some dark ominous light in midday! 'Tis not natural!"

"You worry too much, Moot."

"I worry enough. You have such talents in you and you're wastin' it away chasin' omens!"

"I'll find something there, I know it." I said as I turned towards the door.

"Who you be to be so sure of that lad?" Moot retorted.

"Let's just say, it's a hunch." I replied, grinning to myself as I left Moot on the counter scratching his bald head.

Nameless

Pain was absent when I came to. At the least, I should be thankful for that. Falling at an unknown height and with such speed and velocity, it's a miracle I'm even breathing right now. I slowly got up, surveying my surroundings as I regained my consciousness. Heaven is out of the question as my gaze meet towering tress and foliage I've never seen in my life. Not that I'm knowledgeable when it comes to vegetation but I at least know that there is no known plant on earth that changes color from dark to bright crimson. The grass that covered the ground where I sat was perpetually changing color as the wind blew a slight breeze. It was like a steady stream of blood, ceaselessly moving about the forest floor.

I was in the bottom of a shallow hole, just about two feet in depth. I slowly stood up to take a good look. Endless rows of trees met my gaze. It’s safe to guess I’m in some sort of forest. I breathed in the forest around me.

I’ve never been out in the open like this before. The closest thing to a greenery I’ve been into is the little garden we had at home. My nanny used to bring me there when I was little. I even helped take care of that greenhouse when I got a bit older to know that dirt isn't edible. But that green house is gone now. Along with the many other things that I had before.

I looked up in the sky and I saw the two moons and the three suns that greeted me when I descended earlier. That confirms it, this isn’t earth anymore.

How could have I possible got here, I have no idea. As long as I remember, I was bleeding to death. The next thing you know, I'm surrounded by trees.

It's a mystery.

Some things are better left unsolved and I don't want to really find out how I got here. I'm alive. Most importantly, I am away from home. If you call my previous dwelling, home. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever thought that's be able to live away from my step family much less be transported to another world. I'll just think of this as a new adventure. Something like out of the stories I've read or those that I've seen in movies before.

I couldn't help but smile at the thought that everything and everyone who had hurt me before is far away from me now and I'll never see them again. I'll finally be able to live my life as I please. I could start anew here. Live like a normal folk, learn new things. Meet new people.

But first things first. I have to know where I am and what kind of people or creatures inhabit this world. For all I know nothing that resembles humans live here. This is a whole new world after all.

I decided the best thing to do to start this new adventure is to try and find another living being whom I can get information from. Nothing hostile, I do hope. I wouldn't be able to defend myself if I happen to meet something dangerous. These thoughts are in my head as I walked the length of the forest, trying to be optimistic. What if they don't speak my language? How do we communicate? What if they eat people? Or they're savages? Well, we won't know until we meet one.

I have walked for almost two hours when I found myself running out trees and nearing what seemed to be a road. I hid myself behind a tree cautious that what I might find isn't friendly at all.

There on the road was a small cart driven my some sort of feline. It looked like a huge tiger to me but the thing didn't have stripes. It was also green and had four tails swishing on its behind. On the cart's driver seat sat a boy of about twelve. He was humming, eyes focused on the road. His clothes were well worn but clean and he had a smiling, friendly face.

I didn't hesitate. I called out to him with the brightest smile I could muster.

"Excuse me!" I yelled, walking up the carriage.

The boy turned to my direction. His humming stopped and his carriage halted. If I wasn't wrong he was looking at me with shock and concern? He said something to his four tailed no stripes tiger and immediately alighted from the cart. Hastily grabbing what looked like a piece of cloth from his pocket he ran towards me.

"Are you okay lady? Your hands are soaked in blood."

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I sighed in relief as I heard him speak. Thankfully, we share the same language and wait...what did he say? My gaze immediately went to my hands which were already enveloped by the boy's own. My hands were soaked red with perhaps my own blood.

The boy examined my hands. "Strange, I don't see any wounds…" The boy murmured.

"It's alright." I assured thinking of a good excuse. The cuts from my wrists must have healed when I was sent here. How am I supposed to explain that? "It's the stain from the grasses in the forest." I said, remembering the grasses that surrounded me when I regained my senses.

The boy nodded, to my relief. "You weren't supposed to touch those you know. They'll suck the life essence out of you. Didn't your folks tell you that?" He said, looking up at me curiously.

I shook my head. "I'm not from these parts."

"The forest beyond here is dangerous, why were you there anyway?"

"I'm lost actually. I woke up in the forest and didn't know where I was." Well that's not exactly a lie.

The boy looked at me with pity. "You're not one of those abandoned people are you?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by that."

"These parts are known for having a lot of people getting abandoned in the forest. When the lean months come in, some folks can't feed their kin so mostly they leave them to wander in the woods. It's a common practice here." The boy explained.

"Well that's just awful."

The boy shrugged. "My grandpa said some people don't have a choice. You're lucky to have come out alive there. No one's been out of that forest ever."

"I guess so. I'm not really sure where I am though."

"Oh, you're in Raiho, well part of it anyway."

By this time, the kid had already finished cleaning my hand. He gave me a toothy smile and declared, "You should come with me. If you're lost, your parents probably aren't looking for you, you can come live with us. We could always use a hand in the farm. My family would love to have you."

I didn't even have the time to refuse. The next thing I knew, I was siting beside the kid in the cart. He introduced himself as Kwan. The tiger looking thing that is pulling his cart is called an Ii-ring and is named Dew. He said they raise those in their farm. Apparently, his grandparents are beast breeders and they raise beasts for royalty and the common folk.

This is what I have learned from Kwan as we travelled. Since he thought I have lost my memories, he took it upon himself to re-educate me about the basic things in this world. Kwan told me that we are in Raiho. It's a small village near Alver which is part of the kingdom of Berumel in the continent of Lemmuria.

The forest where I fell is not named but it is infamous to be the only one with the crimson grass growing in it. Kwan said that those weeds, are pretty to look at but are extremely dangerous to humans and beasts alike. He said they drain the blood off living things, making the forest an ideal place to leave people behind. I find it strange though, because I walked barefoot on that grass and I am perfectly fine. I didn't mention this to Kwan of course because he might think I'm strange. Well I am not from this world so the weeds probably don't work on me.

Magic exists in this world. Kwan asked me if I had any affinity to it and I shook my head.

"That's alright. Not everyone has enough mana in them to have affinity in magic." Kwan grinned. "My grandparents said I inherited mine from my mother. She was a mage in the capital before she settled down and married my father. He's a beast tamer like my grandparents. They met when he was selling off some of the Ii-ring cubs to the king."

I haven't seen much of this world yet but I'm pretty sure I'd be happy living here. From what Kwan had mentioned I'd wager this place is more fantastic then I've ever dreamed off. I can't help but smile at the prospect of living an ordinary farm life. I've always been fond of animals but I've never really met one up close. My step parents didn't allow me to have any pets. But it's different now. They're not here and no one is going to stop me from petting all the furry beasts to my heart's content. I really am looking forward to a life in the farm.

Kamry

It was almost midday when I arrived in a dense forest. I have calculated the trajectory of the fallen light and I am sure it would be in the forest up ahead. Fortunately I met no riders nor caravans heading the same direction. It may not be too late. I will be able to retrieve that fallen light for myself if I make haste. If I'm not mistaken I should be arriving in Raiho in a couple of minutes.

I have been in these parts before but I have never been in the forest up ahead. I know the locals have warned people from entering it as it is home to the crimson grasses that are well known to these parts.

I have heard of stories of people getting abandoned in the forest to fall victim to the crimson grasses. The folks around here say they drain the blood from whoever comes in contact with them. If that may be the case, I would have to look for a way to enter the forest and retrieve that fallen light without getting myself killed in the process. It may be difficult, but it's possible.

I heard hoof beats from behind. I sighed in annoyance. This could mean trouble. I slowed down my pace and waited. Not long a group of men caught up with me. I stole a glance at them and gritted my teeth. They were armed with swords.

Mercenaries. Just my luck.

They ran passed me without even a glance. They must have figured I'm no threat since there were five of them. I have to chase after them. The forest is just up ahead and if I don't hurry, they might beat me that fallen light. To my surprise they didn't take the path that would lead to the forest but they took the one for the village.

I might have just recovered my luck.

Not a moment passed, a scream reverberated through the silence. I wiped my palm on my face. I could just ignore that, right?

Nameless

They came to us without warning. We were too preoccupied of our chat that we didn’t even notice that a group of men have already caught up to us. Without a word, they surrounded the cart and we were forced to halt. Dew hissed at them fiercely but the men who came just snickered.

The man nearest to cart grabbed Kwan's hand and pulled. I acted on reflex that I didn't know I had and grabbed Kwan's other hand and tugged. Kwan screamed.

"Let go of me!"

Dew's paw shot to the air and nearly nicked the man's arm. He moved in time. I glared at him in contempt. Tsk… even a in world like this, people of this sort also exist. I clenched my fists in frustration. I can't do anything. I definitely don't have the skills to knock down these men.

"Leave!" Kwan shouted, standing up and grabbing a short sword from the cart.

They snickered in response and continued circling the cart. The guy who grabbed Kwan spoke.

"I suggest you drop your sword boy. We don't want you to harm yourself. We only need you and your cat and the pretty little thing sitting next to you. Submit and live."

"I'd rather die fighting." Kwan replied between gritted teeth. He sprinted towards the first bandit and slashed. He missed and was countered with a slap instead. Kwan fell to the ground with a bloody lip. I alighted from the carriage and helped Kwan up.

The man who seemed to be their leader since he was the only one speaking this whole time snickered. "I won't hesitate hitting you boy. Damaged merchandise is still merchandise."

"You're despicable." I glared at them. "Armed men against a woman and a child. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?!"

The men merely sneered at me. I was furious. I couldn't do anything other than glare back. I can't fight them because I have no means to. All I could do at this point was to pray for someone to help us. I won't cry though, because that solves nothing. But there's one thing I can do though. It may not be much. I gathered my courage and breathed in deeply and then I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Please somebody help us! We're being attacked."

Not that it would do any help but I'm sure anyone would be able to hear that since we're near the town. I know it's not a very effective course of action but it's better than not doing anything at all.

It was really unexpected. I didn't anticipate that someone would come and save us and like a knight in shining armor, well more like worn leather, a youngman did come and he swung his sword to disperse the bandits that were surrounding us. We might actually be saved.

/End of Chapter 1