The sky was dark today. Cold wind and rain battered the ground as Max stepped out of the hut. Yet no one seemed bothered by it. The villagers worked as they always did, taking slight cover from the rain but never shying away from getting wet. That shocked him. Life in this place functioned like an anthill.
Several unwelcoming eyes turned toward him, catching Max off guard. Even through the howl of the storm, whispers spread like wildfire around him. He didn't know what he had done wrong, yet the meaning behind their looks was painfully clear. To the villagers, he was nothing more than another mouth to feed, and that was the last thing they wanted.
Rosalia shot them a sharp warning glare, and one by one, they turned their heads back to their work. But she understood their feelings all too well, and that only made her decision heavier. Even so, her father had always taught her that abandoning someone in need was a betrayal of the leader's code.
Her white hair clung to her worn-out shirt, the pale strands tracing the thin linen as it pressed lightly against her body, hiding just enough to keep her from being exposed. Even so, Max still couldn't help drawing in a cold breath at the sight of her.
To him, she was beautiful from every angle, the kind of beauty that made it hard to keep his thoughts straight. His gaze slipped lower by accident, landing on her butt, and the soft, rounded curve of it made his mind spin. He quickly pretended not to look, but the restless temptation in his blood kept pulling his eyes back for a few more stolen glances.
"Listen well, Max." Rosalia turned to him, and he quickly shifted his gaze away, pretending the rain had gotten into his eye. "A magic awakening is no small expense for our village. While I agree that you should undergo one, the rest of the clan is not as welcoming."
Max opened his mouth, only to close it again a second later. He wanted to tell her that he didn't need this, that they didn't have to spend anything on him, but the words refused to come out. He hated this feeling. Hated standing here as the only useless one among them, with nothing to offer and no strength to defend even himself.
"Then let me work here to repay my debt. I want to awaken magic. I hate this. I can't even protect myself. But I also don't want to be a burden. Still, Rosalia, I wish to be useful, to your clan, and to you."
Their eyes met, and something silent passed between them. She was a leader burdened by duty. He was a man who had lost everything. Without power, he had no future in this world. And yet, the bitter truth was that they didn't need to spend a single thing on his awakening, because the system had already promised to handle it for him.
But he couldn't tell her that. He hated it. Hated the secrets. Hated the way he had to lie to her while looking straight into her eyes. Even so, he had no choice. For now, all he could do was keep playing his part.
Her eyes shone like gems catching the firelight. She wanted what was best for her clan, and because of that, she had chosen to give him a chance. Even with their food running low, they still needed more hands to survive. She knew it, and so did her father. But the secret of the village still hung heavily over both of them.
"Shake my hand. Let it be our promise," he continued.
Rosalia gave him a faint smirk. "I can't say I fully trust you, Max. But I choose to try. Don't break that little trust I have, and work hard to prove yourself to the clan. If you can't adapt..." She stopped herself and shook her head. "Let's go. The faster we deal with this, the better."
Max moved after her, staying close behind, but then his steps suddenly stopped. His eyes widened as he stared into the empty air above Rosalia's head.
Then the space above him twisted and rippled. A black system screen appeared before his eyes, and golden letters blazed across it like serpents slithering to life.
[New Quest Received: Conquer Rosalia's Heart]
[Reward: Ice Dragon Bloodline]
[Current Bond Percentage: 3%]
"Max, are you okay?" Rosalia turned around, confusion flickering across her face.
"Ah? Yes. I was just thinking about what kind of magic I could possibly possess." He couldn't help but lie again, though in a way, it was still the truth.
"Let's go?"
"Yeah."
He followed after her, but his thoughts refused to settle. He couldn't stop wondering why the system had chosen her. Was it because he already liked Rosalia as a woman? But she only liked him back by 3%, a number that in his heart felt even less than friendship. Still, the faint glint in his eyes carried a quiet resolve. He would try.
Soon, after walking past the foul-smelling pig pens and shabby buildings, Max finally crossed the muddy ground and reached a stone platform. It looked like night and day compared to the rest of the village. A large marble altar stood in the middle, rising sharply toward the sky. Its golden tip decorated the pointed end, and from Max's perspective, it looked like a giant sundial.
"What is that?"
"That is the Altar of the Gods." A voice as deep as the ocean cut through the rain and wind. Rosalia immediately let go of Max's hand and hid it behind her back as her father stepped forward from behind them.
Max turned to see a middle-aged man with a nasty scar running down his left cheek. Today, he wore a thick dark-brown hood that shielded him from the weather. Several other figures followed behind him, dressed in the same way.
One of them looked around Max and Rosalia's age. His eyes were dark green, sharp as a serpent's. His gaze lingered on Max and Rosalia for a long moment, and something dark stirred inside him, making him clench his fists.
"What a grand name..." Max couldn't help but mutter in awe as he stared at the towering structure, which stood at least ten meters high.
"Rosalia told me a little about you, Max," Henry continued, extending his large hand from beneath his robe. Max returned the greeting with a firm handshake. "Despite your age, you still haven't formed your magic. May I ask why?" His grip locked Max in place, not allowing him to pull away unless he gave a good enough answer.
"Where I come from, no one knows magic." For once, he didn't fully lie.
"No one knows magic? Who are you trying to fool?" The young man with the dark green eyes dropped his hood, revealing long dark-brown hair. "Everyone in this world is born with it. Are you saying you're a useless mutt, and all your people are worms crawling on the ground? Do you feel no shame toward your ancestors?"
Max rolled his eyes. He had seen plenty of idiots in his life, but not one quite like this. He knew he had to hold himself back, swallow the humiliation, and stay quiet, but this person, and the way he looked at Rosalia, made something burn inside his chest.
"If you're too blind to see that I'm living proof of it, then how can you claim you're not the one shaming your ancestors?" he said with a shrug.
At once, Henry's grip tightened to the point that it nearly crushed his bones. A dangerous look settled on his face, one Max could not read. All he knew was that he might have just messed up. But at least he wasn't a coward.