.."696!"...

...."697!"...

......"698!"...

......"699!!"...

....."700!!!"...

"Finally!!"

I fell down in the grass, exhausted from swinging my sword the whole afternoon.

Just then miss Lysandra, my teacher, came up to me.

"Why are you slacking? Get back to swinging that sword."

"But I completed 700 swings already!"

"Really?" She asked me not convinced.

"Y-yes! Right now! Just before you arrived!"

"Hmm alright then... Do another 700 swings.

"B-But..."

I didn't have the time to complain.

She had left as quickly as she had arrived.

Realising I didn't have any other options, I decided to complete the extra 700 swings and rest.

.....or so I thought...

My body was so exhausted, I couldn't move an inch from where I lay. In the end I decided to rest for a while and get back to swinging later on.

I looked up in the sky, a clear day, unlike the day I left the house.

I was only 7 at that time.

To be honest, It is a miracle that I'm alive.

If I hadn't met miss Lysandra that day, I surely would've died from the cold and hunger.

She even took care of me to this day.

I don't know exactly who miss Lysandra is but I'm sure she's super strong. I've seen her use magic a couple of times and although I haven't seen its destructive powers, I can feel, from the mana itself that she is super strong.

Stolen story; please report.

That's the main reason I asked her to teach me magic as well as sword. When she learned that I was abandoned by my family because I didn't have a blessing, she didn't show me any sympathy or looked down at me. She simply smiled and said that a ritual simply determines the talent visible to it, and that I might have a hidden talent the ritual couldn't help find.

It was simple and straight to the point.

It was then I had decided to follow Lysandra's footsteps forever. I owed her my life.

I looked up at the sky again.

The beautiful blue sky was decorated with clouds, and the chirps of the birds that were flying nearby provided a calming atmosphere for resting.

My eyes were slowly falling and soon I was deep asleep.

Klang! The sound of pots in the kitchen was heard. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself sleeping in a couch next to the fireplace, covered in a blanket.

Klang! Klang! The sound of pots were heard again.

I stood up, stretched a little and headed towards the kitchen.

Lysandra was busy scurrying about around the kitchen preparing Dinner.

"Oh. You're up?" She asked, as she continued scurrying about.

"I thought I was out in the field. How did I get back here?"

"I came to check on how you were practicing but instead, found you dead asleep. So I decided to bring you back home."

I looked around for a while before speaking.

"Need help?" I asked.

"Not rea-.. Wait... Could you go and gather more corianders? You should get them around the woods you were training before."

"How much do you need?"

I asked as I picked up the basket.

"Not much. Just for tonight dinner."

I nodded and headed out.

"If you can't find it, be sure to be back before nightfall!"

She shouted as I walked out.

I looked at the horizon, the setting sun had coloured the sky orange and pink. The birds were now headed back to their homes to their families. I smiled with gratitude and satisfaction.

'Alright time to go collect some corianders.' I thought to myself

I spent the whole evening searching and it wasn't until when the stars came out, I find and collect it.

The way back was more tiresome as the path was dark with nothing but the moonlight guiding me back.

I climbed up the rocks, crossed a small stream until I was finally back.

But..

The house was burning.

It was up in flames, the walls half destroyed, the roof collapsed.

I dropped the basket as I looked at the burning house terrified and shocked.

I quickly ran towards the house. As I got closer, unpleasant memories started to come back to me.

When I got close enough, I saw Lysandra, under a wooden pillar, as the fire drew closer to her.

Flashback of my mother came back to me... It was happening all over again.

..my mother, burning to death form fire,

My teacher about to die form the fire...

My head hurts.... Memories of my mother's last moments all came back to me at once, her words haunted me, the sight of fire in front haunted me. I can hear the demons laughing all around me my ears hurt, my eyes hurt, my head hurts, my whole body hurts!!

I wake up breathing heavily, my whole body drenched in sweat....

I calm myself down and looked at the bright moon from my window next to my bed.

I'm at an inn at a town.

I slowly lie back down in the bed to sleep.

The house burning down, Lysandra trapped inside, it wasn't just a nightmare....

It happened 10 years ago when I was seven.

Lysandra died that night...... Her body was never found...