The dark clouds gathered together and covered the shining moon. Suddenly, Desiree stopped crying and went silent.

She could not believe what Alejandro had said. It is as if he is indirectly telling her that he would leave the house forever.

“What are you trying to say, Ale?...”

The young man did not utter a single word and started to walk back to the surface. He proudly walked in front and did not look back, signifying that this time, he would not falter anymore.

“Perhaps you are right, Desiree. I may have wasted more time than I ever needed here. You…. You blocked the sight of my dream, thus I was addicted to fighting and risking my life just for you. Let us go home, Desiree.”

Desiree looks at Alejandro's back as he walks to the surface. Her eyes were dead. Hearing all of this from someone you've been with for five years can be devastating.

She follows Alejandro up to the surface and begins to change into her clean clothing. She behaved like a zombie, as if she had no brain and moved like one. She knew that she started the argument first and made Alejandro realize all the actions he had done. However, she was also aware that she couldn't do or say anything to persuade the young man to stay a bit longer.

At this point, Alejandro transitioned from a boy to a man. When a man resolves to accomplish something, he does not back down from his words. When a man has a dream that he wants to attain, a road will open up for him to continue traveling. However, the path they choose will not be simple. It will either have obstacles to break or it will cage them and make them suffer.

Alejandro was very close to being imprisoned, however he escaped the fate that nearly cage him.

“We’re back, old man.” Alejandro greeted old man Austin as soon as they entered the house, both looked like a pair of dead flies.

“I’ll be going inside my room and rest, father.”

“Alright. Rest well, Desiree.”

“Me too. See you tomorrow, old man.”

Both the young man and woman went to their respective rooms and left old man Austin alone in the living area of the house.

I think I know what will happen next. It’s as if I rewatched a scene from a long time ago, when I also decided to get back up and achieve my dream. I cannot interfere with the boy’s decision. From the looks of him, he already made up his decision. Hence, I will wait for him here before he leaves in the early morning.

Old man Austin seems to have already known what Alejandro will do next. He silently awaits in the living area, sitting and constantly looking outside the window and would look up in the sky.

Wolves howling can be heard from a long distance. The wind blows hard yet gently. In the quiet house, a sudden creak of door noise was heard.

Alejandro has left his room. The young man was dressed with all black clothes. He wears a black long sleeve shirt with a missing button at the top just below his neck. However, he suddenly covers it with a black cape. He also wears a black trouser and a black shoes. He carries a scabbard at his back and a small pocket bag that contains two daggers.

He silently walks towards the main door of the house. However, a silhouette of a man that is sitting beside the door can be seen.

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The silhouette then lights up a candle by using a magic spell. The mysterious silhouette that is sitting appears to be old man Austin.

“I was once like you, boy. I had a dream, I was so close to achieving it. I once wanted to be part of the Royal Guards. Serving as part of the Royal Guards was everybody’s dream. You can enjoy the luxury of living as an important member of the kingdom, thus the citizens treat them more special than normal knights or hunters. I used every method in achieving my dream, even manipulating my friend Khalib in sacrificing himself for me in the war against the Underground Criminals.”

“Old man… But you said that your friend willingly sacrificed himself to defend you?”

“Once you step in your path again, you will soon realize that you cannot merely achieve your dream without sacrificing others, even if they are innocent. That is the harsh reality of our world that we live in. As long as a man has a dream that he clings to, violence will not end.”

Alejandro listened carefully to old man Austin. It was as if a father was teaching his son a lesson.

“You mentioned that you were close to achieving your dream. What happened, old man?”

Old man Austin then started to laugh as soon as he heard the question.

“Well… I was about to be promoted to become a Royal Guard, however there was someone that tricked me and made the King uphold his decision to promote me into the Royal Guards. No matter how many times I told the King that I was fooled by that man, there was no use. Instead of me, he was the one that was promoted into the Royal Guards. Of course I challenged him to a duel, however I lost. He was more cunning and powerful than I am. Remember kid, there is always a bigger fish out there. However, you must not falter when you encounter them, or else you will end up like me.”

“Brother Raphael…” Alejandro suddenly thought about his brother and unconsciously uttered his name out loud.

“Hmmm. It seems you have already encountered the bigger fish. I am sure you will meet him again.”

“I will not hold you long, boy. I am not here to block your path. I simply wish you luck on your journey. You have my gratitude for helping Desiree refine her magic storage, I already sensed that she has grown a lot stronger than before. Do you not wish to bid farewell to her?”

The young man looked back and stared at Desiree’s room. He then looks down, closing his eyes.

“No. Let her rest, besides she will eventually forget about me and move on to become more stronger in refining her magic storage. After all, she mentioned that her mother was a sorcerer.”

Alejandro then started to walk towards the door. Old man Austin then looks down, closing his eyes as if he was taking a nap while sitting.

“Thank you for everything, old man.”

“Don’t mention it. Go on, do what you must do.”

Alejandro grabbed the door knob and opened the door. A strong wind blew the moment he opened the door. He stepped outside and closed the door. He paused for a moment to think of what he should do next.

Am I hesitating?... No, I must not falter. I must not look back. They have their own lives and I have my own life. There is no need to overthink it. This is the path that I chose, which is why there is no need to hesitate, instead I must keep moving forward.

The young man began to walk in the opposite path of which the waterfall is located.

He was once an innocent boy that did not want to learn magic and instead trained his body until failure. However, many things happened in the course of five years. He lost to a fight between his brother, thus he suffered a huge burn over his entire body. After that, his own parents abandoned him in an unknown forest. Then, he was brutally molested by a well respected hunter in the Boreal Village. For the entire five years, he trained on utilizing his weapons and even participated in the Arena of Death, risking his life just to earn some coins.

He was addicted to fighting over some coins, killing fighters brutally every four days in the entire five years. He was known as the undefeated champion or the undefeated dual wielder. He was recognized by a bunch of unknown fighters. Alejandro was annoyed by the spectators, but deep inside he enjoys the feeling of being recognized by his raw strength.

However, he has woken up to reality. His dream that was nearly forgotten, was rekindled with flames again. This time, Alejandro’s resolve is much more powerful than ever. Once again, he continues to walk to the path where he belongs in order to achieve his dream.

Will he finally achieve his dream after all the training that he had done? Alejandro sets on a journey to once again find some leads to where Holm Village is located.