“Argh, Elise, I’m fine!”

“No you’re not! You’re obviously not, Alisha!”

“So what if I’ve forgotten some stuff? It’s not a big deal.”

“Alisha, you’ve forgotten your entire past, what do you mean it’s not a big deal?!

Letting out an annoyed sigh, I shot a glare at Elise who let out a sigh herself.

“At least get rid of these chains.” Lifting an arm up, I tugged on a golden chair that had been anchored to the floor.

“Considering how you ran off last time, I refuse. The staff here will give us the all clear then and only then will we remove the chain.”

“Come on, Elise. I got things to do, I can’t be worrying about a few missing memories.”

Currently, Elise and I were alone in a medical building, awaiting a doctor of sorts who had already checked me over. From what I understood, I had lost most of my memories of my past life. Apparently I had grown up as a slave in some country or town called Crater Hell, where I had two friends, Sally and Grey. Apparently I was working on getting back there, and I had a feeling that was true, but I don’t remember any of it.

“Try again, maybe you’ll remember, look at these portraits.”

“Elise, I’ve looked at them at least fifty times at this point. I don’t recognize them.” Elise pushed two pictures towards me, something Elizabeth had arranged earlier. A portrait of a silver haired and silver eyed girl and a violet haired boy had been drawn. Looking at them, I found them familiar but I couldn’t recall anything about them at all.

“Then what about Elizabeth and Olivia? Do you remember meeting them?” Annoyed by Elise’s question, which had been asked several times by her and the doctor, I shake my head. “No, I don’t. I don’t remember anything from this Crater Hell you all talk about.”

“Then what do you think about them now?”

“I trust them completely, and care for them dearly. I do remember going to that Elven village with Olivia and Elizabeth to treat Elizabeth, then being ambushed and brought to Vale.”

“And do you remember why you became an adventurer?”

“Yes, Elise. I wanted to become Black Grade so I can go back to this place.”

“And do you still want to?”

Shrugging, I sighed. “Why would I want to go to a place I don’t remember? Maybe I will if I want to remember my memories, but surely they’re not that important, right?”

Slamming the table, Elise stared at me with some anger. “They are! Why are you acting so uncaring?! It’s your past, Alisha, your friends! Meeting Olivia, Elizabeth and all of those painful memories make you, you! Even when Alice hatched, do you not remember that?”

Sighing, I looked away from Elise and pondered over her words. Nothing about me has changed so why is she getting so angry? I still care deeply for those three, I would never hurt them, so why do I need to remember when I met them?

Before Elise could go on again, the door opened and the doctor who had been talking to me walked in. Smiling at me, he sat down.

“Alisha, cases like this are not rare, in fact we’ve dealt with a lot of cases like yours. While it’s unique because a human mutated, there have been times where a monster failed to evolve and mutated. There have been a handful of cases where those mutated monsters gain the ability to ‘steal’ memories, and in this case we believe the desire the Archbishop held for your ‘power’ caused the mutated monster to want to ‘steal you’, in the sense of stealing your memories or identity, most likely the identity of being a ‘Blessed’.

“Regarding getting those memories back…I’m sorry, but magic isn’t omnipotent. There is no way to recover them with magic, it will depend on your efforts. Perhaps going to this place and wandering around will help you recall your memories? We don’t quite understand how the soul or brain work, but it is worth a shot.”

“A problem with that, Doc. Crater Hell is about thirteen years away from here on foot. Even with teleport gates it would still take up to five years, and it's not possible to use those teleport gates. Alisha won’t be able to just go for a walk there.”

“Then I can only suggest listening to stories of others who may have been there, though it does seem you’ve already heard plenty. Otherwise Miss Alisha’s health is in perfect condition, there is nothing wrong with her soul, her body is immaculate for a Gold Grade adventurer and her reflexes are fine. Other than her memories, there are absolutely no problems.”

Looking at Elise, I held the chain up. She sighed and flicked her wrist. As the chain unbound from my arm, I stood and walked out, already annoyed at her for her insistence. Exiting out of the building, I saw Summer waiting for me.

“All good?”

“Eh, missing memories, but I’m fine.”

“Well, you should get them back eventually, they don’t disappear for long. The soul remembers, it just needs to recover. Alright, let's head to Xander and the Branch Master. Apparently he rushed back to hear about this story, only the Seven know where he went.”

As we walked through the snow, I couldn’t help but feel slightly worried. I hadn’t meant to walk out on Elise like that, I know she only cared for me, but I had just felt annoyed about being questioned over and over about things I don’t remember. It had taken many hours just for the Doctor to tell me that I had lost my memories, like we hadn’t reached that conclusion already.

Perhaps sensing my annoyance, Summer simply talked about different topics on the way to the Guild. She excitedly asked about the Stat increasing food that I could make, something she’d heard about from Amelia. Smiling slightly, I talked to her while we made our way to the Guild.

***

“That concludes my report, sir.” Giving a slight bow, Summer sat back down. Alexander and Xander both sat there, thinking. We had told them everything up to when the Demigod of Vale had appeared, leaving out everything that had followed. Since the Demigod of Vale had sworn an oath, we had decided it would be best to not inform them of anything until after Lady Astraea had left.

“So overall, the mission found success, my disciple lost memories of her past and has been exiled from the Moon Goddess’s Sisterhood? To think that even the Demigod of Vale had appeared, meaning an Angel must’ve descended. Judging from the aftermath, I take it all parties made it out safely.” Alexander mutters before looking at me.

“It’s good you’re okay. Well done.”

Nodding to him, Alexander got up. “I don’t see any need to remain here, so I’ll head back to my own mission.”

“Ah!” At that moment, I recalled what Selenia had said. I had been meaning to tell Alexander for a while now. “I was told to tell you something, Master.”

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Alexander nods. “Go on.”

“There is a Blessed Orb of Salus in Crater.”

Alexander raises an eyebrow before he frowns. “Did you place it down?”

I shrugged. “Don’t know, I was just informed that I should tell you, I don’t know why.”

Tapping his chin, Alexander looked up for a moment and shook his head. “I won’t ask who told you to tell me. Alright, I will meet with you in six months to reward you for your previous task. I’ll assign you a new task then, so get yourself prepared. Finish your training with Flowing River to the best of your abilities while also levelling.” Turning to Xander, he says “The Hunting Zone that you prepare for them will be provided until further notice. You should know which one to give them.”

“Are you sure sir? The nobles won’t be happy.”

“Fuck the nobles. Xander, you know my hatred for those bastards who need to pay others to protect their arses.” Alexander turns to me. “I expect you to have risen to at least level 80 by the time I come back. From then, I will formally begin training you and I will not be as kind as Tael and Halone have been.” Alexander pats me on the shoulder. “Truly, good work. Rest well, train well and eat well.”

After Alexander leaves the room, Xander and Summer sighed, both looking older at that moment. “Come and see me in three months with your team. Inform Bloom as well, we’ll make the arrangements for the hunting zone. For now, leave the clean up to the Royal Guard, you two rest.”

Thanking Xander, Summer and I headed out and separated in the lobby. Sighing, I stepped out of the Guild, planning to just walk for a while to clear my head. As I walk, I ignore the presence following me as it poorly attempts to stay hidden. Walking under the night sky, I look up and see the new moon high above the city. It would take about two or three weeks for the full moon to appear, sighing I wondered what to do.

Although I had been ‘commanded’, I knew from the tone Lady Astraea had used it wasn’t strictly a command but a request. Meet the Moon Goddess on the next full moon? What is so special about me that I am being told to meet a Goddess? I had become rather eager to know the answer to this question, so if I met Her, would I know? Not only had Selenia told me to discover my origins, but so had Lady Astraea now. Just what is so special about me? I can’t remember my past now, is it something I’ve forgotten? No, otherwise why would Selenia tell me back when I did have my past memories? This is too confusing.

I knew in the past I had been on guard constantly, not trusting anyone but those I had gotten to know, but right now I don’t know why I acted as such. Is it because like Elise said I had been a slave in the past? I don’t remember those times, perhaps because of that I don’t have that feeling of mistrust anymore. Sure, Her Church had been hunting me, but now that I knew the Archbishop had purely wanted my status as Her Blessed, I knew it hadn’t been Her wanting me dead. Then that leaves the question as to why it reached the point where I had no choice but to attack the Church. Yet when I did, the Sisterhood sent Luna to punish me, even though I had no choice, and I had to be saved from that situation.

Honestly I wanted to turn my back on all of this. I didn’t care about the Moon Goddess, nor would I be willing to ‘serve’ her like the Sisterhood does. It’s strange, why me? That is perhaps the biggest question in my mind right now. Why am I a Chosen? Does it have something to do with my origins? Then how are my origins so special? The most I know is I was born in some town called Crater, a hybrid between man and monster, yet now I’m being told by these powerful beings that I am a Chosen of a Goddess I knew nothing about. I have doubts, questions and a thirst to find the answers. I can’t make a decision on the future without knowing, and now that I had no need to get stronger any time soon, I lacked the motivation to find the answers to move forward.

I soon found myself at a large lake, with no one here. It was rather late at night, and sitting on a bench, I sighed. After a few minutes in silence, I called out without turning around. “Instead of standing there, come and sit down, Aubrey.”

The sound of footsteps approached the bench before Aubrey sat down next to me. We sat in silence for some time before I spoke. “What do you know?”

“Elise told me everything.”

“Mm, I see.”

Looking at the night sky, I felt truly lost on what to do. My main goal, to launch an assault on the Church and cause a bloodbath, didn’t exactly go to plan, but everything had been resolved anyway. I had lost memories of my past, something I knew drove me before but I couldn’t remember anymore. I had been freed of being forced into the Sisterhood and even the Blood God no longer acknowledged my existence. For what purpose did I need to get stronger if I no longer had a desire for strength? So I started talking to Aubrey, telling her all of my thoughts and feelings, telling her I felt lost.

As I finished, I leaned my head against the shoulder of the very first friend I had made in Vale as silence once again returned. After a few minutes, I asked her “What should I do, Aubrey?”

Aubrey remained quiet for a moment before speaking. “Whatever you want to do, Alisha. You might’ve lost sight of your past, but what about now? You have Alice, Olivia and Elizabeth. Don’t you have feelings of wanting to protect them? This world is filled with danger, a monster tide could arrive at this very moment and wipe everyone out. Perhaps you should gain the strength to fight against what this world throws at you. Or just enjoy whatever you want to. How about cooking? You could start a high-class restaurant with the food you make. When you can start making stat increasing food that you told me about before you’ll make a lot of money.

“I’ll stand with you, whichever direction you go, Alisha. I’ll help you no matter the path you walk down. Perhaps speaking to the Moon Goddess will give you a direction? Though, you’ve always kind’ve wanted to move down your own path, haven’t you?”

I knew Aubrey was right. Perhaps the best thing I can do right now is continue what I have always been doing. Getting stronger never hurts, and I couldn’t stand the thought of facing something without the strength to at least use my own power to overcome it. If I could get stronger but didn’t, causing Alice, Elizabeth or Olivia to die, wouldn’t that be my fault? Feeling motivation build within me, I close my eyes and start to feel more determined than I had been feeling.

“Thanks, Aubrey.”

“Sorry, I’m not really good at helping others.” Hearing her nervousness, I smiled imagining her usual nervous expression. It had surprised me that she followed me here, especially since I hadn’t seen her for some time. When I asked, she told me she had decided to slowly try to learn and fight herself, and made a bit of progress.

“I can use a shield now, and I can fight with some magic tools. I can’t use any weapons, my hands are too clumsy.” Laughing nervously, Aubrey sighed. “I just hate sitting there, watching you all fight while I can’t do anything. I’ve been doing my best to level as well, and thankfully I reached 49, so I only need one more level to evolve.”

“Want me to help?” Her words resounded with me, it’s a reason why I had started getting stronger here in Vale as well. I didn’t want to fight by and let others like Lenny or Floof protect me, like they had done at the inn.

“No. I’m okay, I’m taking it slowly, don’t worry about me. How about this? In three months, we’ll meet up again and go on an adventure outside of Vale. Oh, you’ve got the hunting zone! We can explore more of those and show each other our new strength.”

Chuckling myself, I smiled a bit more. “Sure. Just the two of us?”

“Well, Alice can come. Though we might need a mountain of monster cores.” With both of us laughing, we continued chatting for a while by the lake.

***

“Three months. You will not be able to leave here for three months. Our gates will be locked, no one allowed in or out for those months.” Halone stood before me with her arms crossed, a serious expression on her face. “In those three months, Tael and I will hammer everything we know into you. If you give up or become unmotivated, we will throw you out of those gates. I will find you a teacher to teach you how to use a rapier as well, but most of your time will be spent working on our techniques, skills and spells. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“You will not falter, no matter how hard it is. I will warn you once more, we will not be easy on you. We have shown you the building blocks to Flowing River and now we will hammer everything into you. You currently only know the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Flowing River, these next three months will be the most exhausting, terrifying and demanding months of your life. I will ask you again, do you understand?”

“Yes!” Giving Halone a firm nod, she nodded back.

“Good. We will leave you alone come the full moon and waxing moon as you’ve requested, but only for the ones coming up. Now, undress and put these on.” Handing me a new outfit that was light blue in colour, it had a small symbol on its chest, a symbol of a river. The shirt was a sleeveless shirt while the pants were short. Changing my clothing, Halone nodded.

“Good. That will be your clothing for the next three months and will assist you in your training. Now, follow me.”

As I follow Halone, I close my eyes and breathe out. I had left Aubrey to tell Elizabeth of my plan to come and train here. I was worried about Olivia and Alice and I knew leaving them without talking to them first was wrong, but right now I needed to regain my motivation and train before I faced them. I don’t know why, but I felt scared to face them right now since I truly had forgotten our time together in the past. I still cared for them deeply, and that is why I wanted to start training right away.

I had also instructed Xia through Aubrey to keep Olivia safe, and that if anything were to happen to her, she was to tell Halone or Tael and they would either assist or tell me if the situation was truly dire. They had both agreed to this and after telling the two I wanted to train for the next three months, Halone had led me to the underground training field. So as I followed Halone, I kept myself motivated, wanting to get stronger now to protect those around me.