It was a morning just like any other.I got up from my bed after a long night sleep.The sparrows were chirping energetically and i could feel the warm and vivid sunlight pouring through my window, from my window i could see my father practicing the sword.He was always punctual when it came to sword practice, when I was seven years old i asked him why he chose the sword as his weapon.

”The sword is a man’s best companion, when you encounter a life or death situation it's not your friends or comrades who will be there with you till the end but the weapon in your hand,” said my father with a solemn face.Although I couldn't fully comprehend his words then i could understand that he went through a lot to stand where he is now.

My father, Godric Leopold was a former tier 5 swordsman hailing from the middle class Leopold aristocrat family, throughout his 20s he worked in the Azure kingdom’s military as the commander of the western troops, known for his valour and victories in his battles against the scarlet kingdom.

He married my mother Beatrice Sebastian when he was 27 years old and she was 21.After I was born my father quit the military and fled to a small village in the Dragon claw region of the south, relinquishing his noble status and duties in hopes of a peaceful life away from the bloodshed and gruesomeness of the frontline.

“Clement, are you awake.”

“Yes mom”

“Hurry up and have your breakfast”

I went downstairs to the living hall,My mother was cooking in the kitchen and my younger sister was eating bread and butter

“Good morning brother”

“Yeah good morning”

I hastily ate my bread and gulped down some apple juice

“Ahh if you are in such a hurry wake up early, an hour back Euphy came to check up on you and she had a grim expression when i said you were still sleeping”

Oops to think Euphy of all people came to visit me.She is the daughter of a merchant whom my dad is friends with.She is a young girl with an intense red hair and hazel eyes but is extremely arrogant and has an hot-headed temperament.When I first met her, my instincts were screaming to not get involved with her but be that as it may she was my first friend. 

I was on my way to the secret spot or that's what we called it.It was a small cave we found in the nearby glade, while Rudolf and I were playing in the woods.Our group always met there and we also stored our things there.Yesterday my burly friend Hugh told us to rendezvous in the secret spot to show us something.

When i went there i was greeted with a jab to my face by a fuming Euphy

“Late, VERY LATE!!”

“Ouch,you don't have to hit me for it.”

“What, you think I have nothing to do like you.”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Well she does have nothing to do after this but i controlled the urge to voice my opinion as it would warrant another punch to my face

“Well he is here now so why not cut him some slack.”

“Hmph! I am going in.”

Petra greeted me with a wry smile and then went inside the cave.We all know each other for three years now.I am not a gregarious person to be honest so i did not have any friends in the past but when i was ten years old due to the insistent demands of my father, i was forced to go outside and play with others of my age.Though my presence wasn’t well received among my peers, I still managed to make friends with Euphy,Rudolf,Hugh and Petra.

“Everyone’s here, so tell why you called us here,Hugh.”

“Hold your horses Rudolf...um where is it”

Hugh was searching for something in his bag.

“Here it is.” said Hugh while placing a map on the floor.

“A map, what is it for?”

“I found it in one of my father’s drawers.He said that it was a map for a hideout he used in his younger days during the war.”

Hugh’s father and mine are retired officers from the army.While my father was in the western troops,Hugh’s father was a tier 3 archer who served in the southern troops.Now that the war is over, both our fathers maintain the security of the village and also protect it from monsters in the forest.

“He should have stored a lot of weapons and other treasure from the war.How about we go on an adventure to that place.”

I expected as much.Hugh always likes to talk about the adventures and stories of the war his father told him.He dreams of becoming a powerful spearman and enlisting in the military like many youths in the village.

“I don’t think it's a good idea to wander in the forest.There are scary monsters in there.”said Petra with a worried expression

“It is not a problem after all you have me and Clement who can fight them,right?”

“Huh.”

“You really expect us to entrust our safety to a muscle-brain and a wimp”said Euphy

This girl is rude to the core.Although i am not interested in joining the military in the future, my father made sure i chose one of the four weapons:sword,spear,bow and the sceptre and practiced in it from when i was 7 but a group of thirteen year olds traversing through the forest doesn’t strike me as a rational idea.

“Really? Will you protect me in the forest?” Petra asked me with eyes of veneration

“Huh..yeah i will.”

Damn i seriously don’t want to go to the forest but my heart skipped a beat when she asked me with those eyes.Petra is the daughter of the village’s head.She is a pretty girl with dazzling blonde hair and eyes.She is a kind girl with a gentle temperament.She is well known among the villagers and has many admirers among the children of the village.I first saw her when i tagged along with my father to visit the village head.When i befriended Euphy, she introduced me to Petra and the others and we have been close friends ever since.

“Hey stop blushing, it's creepy.”said Euphy with an annoyed expression.

“Uhh no...i wasn’t blushing or anything”

“ Hey you two stop it.So are we going then?”asked Rudolf.

After i acted all high and mighty in front of her it would be unbecoming of me to refuse.

“Yeah i am fine with it”

“Alright then i am also coming”

“Me too”

“I’ll protect myself if the need arises”

“Good then lets meet here tomorrow afternoon.Bring your weapons too.”

I was on my way to my house excited and a bit frightened about tomorrow.

“I’ll just have to be wary of the monsters and it isn’t unheard of for kids to roam in the forest.”I solemnly pondered in my soliloquy

But little did I know that the least of my worries would be about monsters.