It was a dark and stormy day. At least, it should be. An entire town was burnt down. And those who swore to defend it were mercilessly killed one by one.
As bright and beautiful as the day was, it only served to make the woes of a young man seem all the more insignificant. It worsened his already terrible mood. And who wouldn't after such an encounter? Where once he only felt weak, he now feels more frail than an ant.
Sier sat on the side of his bed and stared out the window of his room at the Guild Hall, his eyes dry and heavy from restlessness. He had no tears left to cry, even when that was the only thing he felt like doing. In his right fist was the skill scroll he got from the dungeon. He had gripped it for so long the paper was starting to mold to the shape of his clenched hand.
Sier didn't bother looking away from the window when he heard the door to the room open.
"Hey, kid... Thought I'd drop by to check on ya'..."
Kade closed the door quietly. For once, he wasn't in his armor. Instead he wore the only fancy suit he had.
"Funeral's gonna start soon. Sendin' her off like how the Vancinites do it. Are... Are you gonna be there?"
Kade looked to the young man, who gave no answer. It stayed that way for a few seconds. When it was clear he wouldn't respond, the older man sighed.
"... I see how it is. Listen, kid, I... Since you won't hear any of us speak, I'll just say it now. We're all here for you. If there's even a single thing you need, ask. Doesn't matter how unimportant you think it is. You're a part of our family. Don't forget that."
Kade opened his mouth to speak more but paused. He supposed the kid would hear enough of it from everyone else. He turned around, opening the door to head back out.
"We all love you, Sier."
The door closed quietly, leaving the young man inside alone once more. He clutched the scroll in his hand even harder, digging into his skin. Before it got to the point of drawing blood, however, he stopped. With a deep sigh that let out far too little stress, he carefully place the scroll on the desk and began to unravel it.
As he did so, his eyes traced the writing just as he had done countless times already. The single word of a skill that he feels could have saved the day. And, perhaps there was truth in that.
{Sleep}
'A skill that forces the target or targets into a deep slumber. Duration and effectiveness are dependant on target's mana capacity in comparison to the mana used to cast the skill.'
Even if it was only for a few seconds, maybe it would have been enough. Maybe it would have even lasted longer than that. Maybe Ari would still be alive if he just took a couple seconds to add it to his arsenal. It wasn't like it could be any more useless than his flames.
His damnable flames. His useless fire. The pitiful embers that do little more than put on a light show.
Sier grit his teeth, his sorrow momentarily overtaken by anger. But it disappeared moments later as if he had never felt it to begin with. No, instead there was something else.
Sier looked out his window into the open training grounds. Down on the ground was a group of three little kids. They had snuck onto the grounds with everyone being away for the funeral. With excited smiles, they each picked up a training sword and began play fighting each other.
Something within Sier resonated with what he saw. Memories from long before his days as a Guild member returned. Only a year after he and Ari's parents died, he stumbled upon Yorrin, his best friend and the strongest person he knew. With only a stick and an angry look, he fought off a group of bullies attacking the young Elf. From that day onward, they began training, not knowing where it would take them.
A few tears came to the young man's eyes as more memories came to mind. Some months before he left his squad, he had a talk with Yorrin. It was another day where he was feeling like nothing more than a burden. Another day where he was calling himself useless.
Yorrin saw how his friend was acting when others weren't looking and went to talk to him. Telling the Elf of his plight, Sier was expecting a hint of pity. Perhaps agreement. Maybe even empathy. Instead, what he got was a scolding.
X
"Never speak those words again, Sier Kallahan! If you do, I'll slit my own throat!"
The pale haired Elf glared hard at his taller friend, angry golden eyes staring into pools of velvety red.
"Not once have you disappointed this squad! You have been with us since the very start, caring for us, cheering us up, and keeping us together even on our worst days! Don't ever put yourself down, because that's not something anyone has the right to do!"
Yorrin pushed a finger against Sier's chest, right over his heart.
"You are our best friend! The brightest star in our lives! Everywhere we go, you bring nothing but smiles! There is neither a man nor woman in this entire realm with a heart as grand as yours! Do you understand me?!"
X
That same night, Yorrin had decided to throw a party for his squad. Not for another quest well done, not for another victory in the face of certain defeat, not for valiant efforts. It was just for surviving another day as a squad. Something so simple, yet so rewarding.
Thinking back on it, it may have been the single best night of Sier's life. He made damn sure that he carved it into his memory so that he would never forget it. And here he is, remembering that night at a time like this. Perhaps that's exactly what he needs, though.
Without another word, Sier stood. His gaze went from solemn to focused in an instant. The last word spoken by his sister, Aurelia Dierza Kallahan, resounded in his mind with a driving force.
He looked down at the skill scroll on the desk and picked it up. He gave it one last glance before ripping it to pieces without a hint of regret. For some, it was a useful skill. To Sier, it would only be a reminder of his inability to save a life. And neither he nor the life in question would ever want that.
Ari told her brother to live. So, that is what he will do. There is no doubt in his mind that he will fulfill her last wish. No matter what.
X
Mila had been feeling numb for the entire day. The one time she took a break, she couldn't keep herself from fidgeting in place. She'd cleaned and recleaned her glasses well over a dozen times now. She'd sorted papers into neat stacks, only after taking the time to fully read each one. She'd been keeping herself as busy as possible, yet even that wasn't enough.
Now, with nothing left to do for the nearly nine hours of daylight left, she found herself thinking. She'd seen many people come and go. She'd seen so much life and so much death. Such was the burden of an Elf. But, over each of those years she'd seen people pass on, she learned to find a kind of beauty in it.
Mila will live far longer than most around her. There is nothing she can do about it, nor is there anything she'd want to do. She came to terms with it long ago. At least, she thought she did. But, something about this new life that was lost... It almost felt like too much. Almost.
Right now, though, there is someone who hasn't gone through what she has. Someone who shouldn't have even had to in the first place.
Mila quietly left from behind the counter, heading down the hall leading to the inn. He may not want to see anyone right now, but she knew Sier needed to be around someone at a time like this. All the better if it was someone as close to Ari as he was.
After a brisk walk and heading up a flight of stairs, Mila stopped in front of the door to Sier's temporary room. She softly knocked on the door three times before calling out to the young man.
"Sier? Can I talk to you?"
Just like earlier in the morning, she received no answer. With a sigh, she called out once more.
"I'm coming in."
She opened the door and poked her head inside. Only, she wasn't met with the form of Sier blankly staring out the window. Actually, she was met with nothing. Not even a hint of the young man remained. The room looked as if nobody had even been there to begin with.
She was almost positive she got the right room. Well, it is quite an off day so maybe she didn't?
Right as Mila turned to leave, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. There was a piece of folded up paper on the nightstand.
Walking over, she picked up the paper and unfolded it. As she read what was written, her eyes went wide. It was left floating to the ground as the Elf ran out the door as fast as she could with her thoughts going a mile a minute.
'There's no way! I would've noticed if he did! Was it during my break?!'
The double doors of the Guild Hall were blown wide open as she sprinted out. She continued on, making her way to the city gates as quickly as she could.
The standing guard noticed her and put a hand up to halt her. She skidded to a stop, looking frazzled and out of breath.
"Miss Mila, is somethin' wrong-"
"Where's Sier?!"
The guard tilted his head slightly.
"He left about an hour ago."
Mila paused, regaining her breath. She looked out into the open past the armored guard with a worried expression. The guard continued to ask about her concerns, but she didn't give him an answer. There was nothing she could say.
Sier left without so much as a goodbye. He's on his own. Again.
Mustering a quivering smile, Mila had only a single thought on her mind.
'Be safe, Sier. Please. We can't lose you, too.'
X
Figuring out what he needed to do was easy. Sier needed to get stronger. The hard part came when he asked himself how. Even now, on the road, he was still wondering what to do.
Just how could he get stronger?
No answer came as he continued along the road to the now destroyed Holleon. Nobody starts out strong, that much was obvious. The same went for he and Yorrin. So, how come he was so strong when the young human was not? It wasn't just because of his skill, it had to be something else.
Sier decided he would search for this something. There had to be answers out there, for more than just why he remained so weak. And there had to be an answer for this skill of his. Every ounce of his time in the past six years had been dedicated to growing along with his squad, along with figuring out this "Arcane Everburn". Why did his efforts fail? He had no clue.
In his pursuit of reasoning, Sier knew there was one thing he could do. He had to backtrack his own path. He had to do it all over again, if only to prove he isn't as weak as he feels. The challenges he faced with his friends... He'll overcome them on his own. Strength is what he needs, so it's strength that he will chase.
With a determined expression, Sier picked up his pace. His next stop on his path of memories is the city of Greyvend.
X
In a bar filled by laughter and stories stood a woman wearing a dark purple, armored kimono with wooden sandals. On her left hip rested a sheathed katana with a silver guard made to looked like an open maw. The handle was bound in black string. The sheath itself had an ornate silver design, showing a silver serpent breathing fire. Her dark purple hair that complemented her deep orange eyes was tied into a high ponytail at the back and went almost all the way down to her rear. Her bangs covered her forehead and framed the sides of her face. Almost unnoticeable were some deep purple scales that faintly traced her musculature. Though, not many could be seen with such little skin on display.
The woman let out another soft chuckle at the person she was talking to. It was another woman about the same height as her with deeply tanned, golden brown skin and short, curly, white hair. Her eyes were a shade of baby blue and lacked pupils. Her ears were pointed and each pierced with two gold rings. She wore a shade of lipstick that matched her eyes. She wore a white scarf loosely that wrapped around her neck and trailed a bit down her back. Her torso was mostly exposed as she only wore a deep blue bikini top, showing off her impressively large chest. On her arms were various golden bracelets and a pair of bangles decorated by a few precious gems. Her legs down to her ankles were covered by loose fitting, puffy, white pants which were held up by a frilled, blue sash the same color as her top. She wore no shoes, instead replaced by more golden jewelry on her ankles.
"-But seriously! He didn't even try hiding it! I swear, those two were made for each other."
The woman in the kimono laughed while shaking her head at her squad mate's consistently blunt attitude. The other woman also laughed before catching something out of the corner of her eye.
"Hm? Oh, looks like the paper's here."
She spoke in a bubbly voice as she walked over to the front door of the tavern. The eyes of the woman she was talking to followed her as she picked up the neatly stacked paper left under the door.
"Hey, uh, Reiya?"
The woman, Reiya, walked over to her white haired companion as she motioned to look at the paper. They both read the headline, feeling a hint of recognition.
'HOLLEON FALLS! ALAGON'S STAR BURNS OUT?!'
It was the cover for the front page. Looking a little further down, they found the details which were rather unnerving.
"Alagon is... Isn't that where Yorrin and Sier come from?"
Reiya looked over at the other woman and nodded.
"He'll wanna see it. C'mon."
The white haired woman nodded and followed Reiya deeper into the crowded tavern. They had to push their way through a few groups of people, but they eventually made it to the table the other members of their squad sat at.
Sitting at the table was the pale haired Elf, Yorrin, and two others. One was a large man with no hair on his head, a braided beard and a soft looking face. His deep brown eyes lacked no amount of life. He wore a full body of dark red armor with a large, black and gold metal shield attached to his back. The other was a woman with vibrant red hair and pale, freckled skin. She wore a brown, leather hide jacket over a light brown tunic. Her tight, white pants were held up by a dark brown utility belt. Her shin length boots had straps on the outsides that each held a gleaming dagger that shimmered in the light.
Yorrin turned around, putting his conversation on hold as he saw his other two squad mates looking a little concerned.
"Reiya? Namaya? What's wrong?"
The woman with the white hair, Namaya, handed the newspaper to Yorrin, who began to read it over. If he were already stunned by the headline, he was positively shellshocked by the actual article. He put a hand up to his mouth, letting out an inaudible gasp.
"Sier..."