Teach Me How to See

Chapter One: The Eighteenth Year

Hey guys! Well, here's my first Maplestory fanfic! To make things even better, this story will revolve around Battle Mages. I mean seriously, I don't see any! Spread the BaM love! I believe this is post Big Bang.

Will there be pairings? Oh yes…

By the way, I made pictures of each OC. So I'll post those up as they appear in my profile. Lanne's might take a while tho…

I'm kinda amused that I uploaded this on Thanksgiving

How much is a life worth? Lanne Hunter must unlock the secrets her missing parents fought to find and solve the mystery behind a class long thought to have been only myth. However, time is running out and an old enemy will soon return to the Maple World. Can she end the cycle of hatred before it rules over her, as well? The pact has been made. It's too late to turn back now.

The room was quickly collapsing. Heavy stones and metal framework threatened to fall upon the occupants of the room but a faint blue barrier shielded them all. Cracks begin to appear within the protective dome that the fatigued mage had conjured. A high-pitched ringing pierced her ears—the result of the most recent explosion nearby. She looked up defiantly at her opponent despite her blurring vision and tattered robes.

"You idiot! Stop!" a hoarse voice shouted; a mix of shock and pain carried in his cry.

"Damn…" another cursed and grunted as he tried to get up from his supine state.

The girl continued to stand before the fallen warriors on trembling legs—golden staff in one hand and a clenched fist in the other. Her small body, which was riddled with wounds, seemed to shield them from the looming black shadow above. The monster howled and spoke—its words muffled and distorted, as she released her only weapon and half turned to the two behind her. Silent words hung heavy in her mind—a prophecy that had to be fulfilled.

"Pay the price…"

The girl offered them a sad smile and mouthed inaudible words before walking away—head held high as she disappeared deeper and deeper into the dark.

"Brighton. It's 5'o clock." Mumbled a woman of 18 years, as she gently tugged the covers away from the street cleaner. "You need to go to work."

The older man moaned and tried to pull the covers over his head once more. The apple-red-head clicked her tongue and in a quick instant the covers were gone, allowing a fresh sweep of cold air onto the man. He curled in on himself and reluctantly forced the sleep out of his system. "Lanne… You're not very nice, you know that?" Her face remained dead panned.

To anyone else her face showed no warmth but over the years Brighton managed to learn that a small twitch from the corner of her mouth was the equivalent of a soft smile. "I made you some breakfast downstairs. Eat it before Black Jack notices that I made it."

The street cleaner nodded and stared at the place she once stood before sighing deeply. His dark onyx eyes narrowed at the calendar. An ominous black 'X' was etched on the entire month. "I suppose I can't keep holding this off forever." He eyed the case where he kept his staff as well as an old picture. He picked it up with calloused fingers and stared at the couple in it—a tranquil and expecting mother being held by her goofy husband. "Eighteen years, Lucas… Where the hell can you be?"

"Here, Mrs. Thompson." Lanne spoke as she handed the middle-aged brunette her mail and a small package. The woman hurriedly took the items in hand and turned back inside when a little boy poked his head through the door.

"Lanne!"

The redhead raised a brow and knelt down to the boy's level. "How are you today, Kevin?"

"I'm alright! I—"

"Kevin, come back inside. She has more work to do. Don't you?" her sweet tone belied her narrowed eyes. Lanne nodded slowly before getting back up and hurrying away from her doorstep. With her keen hearing, she was able to pick up a few words. "Don't…near…hurt."

Lanne drowned out the rest and continued her postal shift before her real job began.

Life in Edelstein was far from peaceful. The Black Wings continuously forced their way into their town—collecting high taxes as well as offering low wages for almost impossible jobs. Thus, the resistance was born. Its attackers: Wild Hunters and Mechanics. At least that's what the Maple World knows now. Lanne was among the few that knew that the Black Wings weren't the first group that terrorized Edelstein's citizens. Years before she was born, the Resistance was without a name but fighting against a force that rivaled that of the Black Mage.

The redhead shook away the story told to her and continued on her usual postal route. After the stairways she quickly deposited the mail at the shops and stopped at a familiar door. "Mr. Surl! Your mail arrived!" The elder, with his normal scowl and cane, opened the door. Lanne sighed quietly when she saw his somewhat disheveled appearance. "What did they do this time?"

He scowled even more and hit his cane against the pavement. "Those damned kids keep using the water supply as a place to hide when playing!"

"Is it broken? Should I get Brighton or Checky to look at it?" she asked worriedly but Surl shook his head.

"It's fine. Oh and here's some tip. Get something nice for yourself on the way back, got it?" when he offered her a bag of mesos Lanne frowned.

"No, I can't accept this! I already get by with the wages I get from Belle and Brighton."

"Just take it before I tell Brighton about your little 'escapades' by the cliffs." He grunted. "By the way…" He leaned in close to her. "I've seen some weird bugs running about near the mines. I'm not entirely sure if they're roaches. I'd be careful about taking a few naps outside town." [1]

Lanne nodded, understanding the code, went to finish her trip and headed back to the base. On the way, her ears picked up the gossip of the citizens of Edelstein.

"That's Lilith isn't it? She's still here?"

"Don't get close to her, alright boys? Heaven knows what will happen to you!"

"Poor Brighton… I know he's kind but to take her in for this long…"

The whispers once made her throw a tantrum in the middle of town. Now, it only caused a dull ache in her chest that didn't disappear until she was safely underground. She disliked the pure blue sky and clean air. It was affiliated with the people that shunned her and spoke venomous words behind her back. Inside the base, she could hear stories of the past from people that actually experienced it. She could take care of the Jaguars she loved so much. She could help the Resistance behind the scenes instead of being such a burden.

Truth be told, she had always wanted to join. To take arms against the Black Wings and make a difference was almost every citizen's dream here. Unfortunately, Brighton and even Claudine refused to train her in a specific class. Could it be that they knew she would go out searching for her long lost parents as soon as she knew how to defend herself with a weapon on her own…?

"Lanne, are you alright?" The redhead blinked as Checky stared at her with beady teddy bear eyes. Her feet must have taken her inside the base while she was deep in thought.

"Y-Yeah. Just zoned out there." She answered and he nodded in understanding. "Is Belle down yet?"

"Actually she's training some new recruits right now!" Lanne could imagine him rolling his eyes behind the mask. He's been rather sore lately because there was a sudden rise in Wild Hunter recruits. She could only imagine how lonely the mascot could be when he had no students to torture. Lanne clapped his shoulder reassuringly and then climbed down the ladder. She was met with Claudine sitting at her desk with her head in her hands. The redhead walked over concernedly.

"Claudine? What happened?" The brunette woman looked up. Even with her shades on, Lanne could see her stressed expression. And that only happened when… "The recruits are really that bad?"

The woman groaned deeply and then picked up the knife she always played with. "Some of them will leave Belle cleaning her police pistol for a week at least." She didn't even need to ask her request since Lanne was already on her way to the Jaguar grounds where Belle always taught new recruits the basics. Upon entering the secret door she was tackled to the floor and assaulted with wet tongues to the face.

"Aw, guys!" she laughed and rubbed the cats heads while trying to push them off her. "If you guys keep smothering me I won't survive long enough to visit again." This got their attention as they backed up with reluctant growls. Lanne smiled gently and pet them again while being careful not to trip. Coming underground was her home away from home. It was a nice break to her days in town.

"No, the crossbow isn't a toy, boys…" Lanne could hear Belle's kind voice cracking with irritation from afar. She peered around a large boulder and saw five teen recruits practicing on target dummies.

"Teacher, when do we get to ride jaguars?"

"Yeah, I want a jaguar!"

Four out of the five kids continued whining while the other focused on shooting the center of the target with concentrated eyes. He was a bit scrawny compared to the other boys but Lanne appreciated his seriousness. A blue jaguar bumped its head against her back, almost begging for attention.

"Ah! A jaguar!" one of the boys grinned after seeing the exchange and rushed past Belle. Sensing danger, the cat growled and bristled. Lanne narrowed her eyes warningly and revealed herself from her hiding place. The boy stopped in his tracks in surprise at first but then glared in irritation. "Hey, can you move aside, lady? That's my jaguar behind you." The blue beast moved closer to Lanne almost protectively.

"You didn't finish your training yet. Go back and I might consider calling Black Jack off you," her green eyes burned holes into him and he bit his lip.

"Ooh, Lilith is gonna curse me! I'm so scared!" he mocked and aimed his crossbow to the jaguar. "Now…"

"Jacob, wait—"Belle called but it was too late. Lanne was faster and ran towards the rookie recruit. He tensed and in doing so pulled the trigger. She predicted this and forced his weapon to shoot harmlessly up by grabbing his arm. Then, with a grunt she flipped him over her shoulder and aimed his crossbow at his face.

"Whoa, whoa, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he began to sob as he covered his face with his hands. For a moment, Lanne's eyes widened as her gaze switched from her hold on his crossbow to the boy it was aimed it. Eventually she let out an irritated 'tch' and threw his crossbow to the side. The blue jaguar looked at her appreciatively and ran off to the safety of the pack. Belle ran over followed by her students only to see Lanne walking away.

"Lanne? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to cool my head." The redhead replied simply and walked deeper into the jaguar habitat. The hardworking boy from before stared at her retreating back for a little while longer before tightening his grip on his own weapon in determination. The dirty blonde then turned back to the dummies and went straight back to training. Two hours later, that same boy went wandering the field (With permission of course) in search of that girl. He had just moved to Edelstein from Victoria Island about a month ago. It wasn't like he wanted to join the Resistance for the perks like those other kids. Training was becoming increasingly annoying with them along and he himself was tempted to give them a piece of his mind.

Too bad that girl beat him to it.

He recognized her as the girl that always does the morning mail. She always looked detached from everything, but he couldn't blame her when he overheard all the gossip whenever she was within eyeshot. It was a wonder how she could tolerate it. Because of that, he almost believed the rumors that she was born without emotion or the ilk. It wasn't like she showed anything other than a passive expression. But her face when that kid threatened the animal frightened him. The calm and seemingly uncaring green eyes she carried suddenly burst with a fire of their own.

"Damn it…what am I doing?" he stopped walking and looked around. He saw nothing but curious cats eyeing him to see what he was doing. In all honesty it surprised him when the cats weren't attacking him.

"You're not a threat. That's why." A voice answered his inner question and he swiftly turned to his left. There he saw a head of red hair sitting inside the entrance of a small cave. Her green eyes met his brown ones and he swallowed thickly. Now that he saw her up close she was rather pretty. Her hair was long and shone like a polished apple while her face was unmarred or hidden behind layers of makeup like some girls on Victoria Island. "Are you done staring?"

"U-Uh…" he said oh so intelligently and mentally smacked himself on the forehead. "Yeah. Are you alright?"

She nodded and turned her attention towards the deeper part of the cave, seemingly avoiding him. "Why'd you follow me?"

"Do you want the BS answer or the stupid honest one?" he asked jokingly, hoping to lighten the heavy tension that he felt between them. He could only guess that she was still a little angry from his fellow classmate.

"Honesty is the best policy," she answered without looking at him. Instead she reached her hand to whatever she was looking at inside the cave. The boy couldn't see.

"I have no idea."

Lanne finally turned towards him, analyzing for a long while before offering to him what was in her hands. It was a small black jaguar cub that stared at him with curious silver eyes. "Here. Say hello." The boy slowly walked forward and sat beside her. She set the cat down in his lap and it curled up in the makeshift 'nest'. It mewled for attention and he chuckled before scratching its ears. Upon closer inspection, he saw strange markings near its eyes… "Lanne."

"Huh?"

"My name," she rolled her eyes and shifted into a more comfortable position. "Yours?"

"Adrien. Nice to meet you, Lanne." He offered her a smile and was pleasantly surprised to see the corner of her lips curve ever so slightly. The cub in his lap purred and rubbed itself against his chest again, causing him to laugh a little. "Hey, little guy. You're quite the affectionate type, huh?"

"…When you finish your training, come to this very spot. Alone." Lanne stressed the last word with a soft glare before getting up and dusting herself off. "You'll see something good." She offered him a hand that he took gratefully. His arms and legs were a still bit sore after training far longer than the other recruits.

"Hey, Lanne. It might not be my place to ask this already but…" Adrien hesitated and avoided her eyes. "Why do people hate you so much?" She wasn't matching up to any of the rumors he's heard so far. When he looked back up at her, he saw yet another lonely expression in her green eyes. He stared at her for a while in wonder before she shook her head and ruffled his hair.

"C'mon, it's getting late. We should head home."

Brighton scratched the back of his head after his recent encounter with Belle. For the first time in a while, the seemingly dainty police officer was alight with anger at her students. In the break room of the base she took apart her pistol and put it back together. Her crossbow had already been attended to. Checky was cleaning his own gadgets and Brighton could imagine his happy smirk with the outcome.

"Is it me or is everyone stressed out lately?" asked the mage before rolling his eyes at Checky's confused tilt of the head. "Other than the bear. And don't say it's the recruits because I know you two are made of tougher stuff than that." Both Claudine and Belle gave him a weak glare before the cop returned to her gun and the knife master continued to practice playing darts on the map in front of her.

"Tomorrow's the day…huh." The knife wielder began. "Eighteen years since Solomon's forces were beaten. Eighteen years since the Hunters went missing… Eighteen years since their child, Lanne was born." She sighed. "The day is coming Brighton. You can't protect her forever."

The street cleaner clenched his fists and stared at his staff that glowed ever so slightly with his fluctuating thoughts.

"She's right you know," it seemed to tell him in a voice that only he could hear.

"I can pair her up with a fine mechanic of mine. There's no way anything will get past my machines!" Checky offered proudly.

Claudine clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Mechanics are too noticeable of a force. We need someone that can protect her without attracting attention."

Belle's pistol clicked and she pulled her Police cap back on with a satisfied hum. "I can pair her up with a few of my hunters for protection. The jaguars like her as well and won't give her up without a fight."

"Oh yeah. If machines won't attract attention, giant kittens definitely wont." He chuckled. "What are they gonna do? Lick me to death?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of ripping you apart." The Wild Hunter smiled sadistically. "I wonder if they'll taste blood or stuffing…?"

The street sweeper gripped his staff tighter while the two instructors bantered. "She has to make the pact." the words were mumbled so quietly that even Black Jack would have to strain his ears to listen. Claudine suddenly threw her knife at the air between the two arguing instructors, causing them to separate nervously.

"You two are supposed to be leaders, not quarreling children! Do I need to send you back to school?" Claudine threatened as the two quieted and reduced their fight to an exchange of daggers. The doctor turned to Brighton and offered him an apologetic smile. "Sorry Brighton. Go on ahead. I'm pretty sure Lanne is home by now. I'll get these two to make up by closing shop."

"Thanks, Claudine," the street sweeper smiled and went to a passage that connected to his small house. It was dangerous to be walking around now and he was in no mood for a fight with the Black Wings or worse... Especially when the rusted cogs would begin to move again.

Lanne stared at her ceiling with mild interest after getting tired of tossing and turning. Now, she lay on her side wrapped in blankets awaiting sleep to consume her like it was supposed to an hour ago. Her green eyes stared through the window of her room that overlooked most of the town. The stars that greeted her as a little girl were gone—drowned out by the harsh lights by the mines and the Black Wings Headquarters.

"Why do people hate you so much?"

The words echoed in her mind. She wanted to know as well, although she had her own opinions. Was it because of the boy that supposedly died right after speaking with her? Or had it been the disappearance of a few townsfolk that kept close company with her before the rumors escalated? All signs pointed to one conclusion: bad things happen to those that get close.

'It's alright,' a voice in the back of her mind assured her. It was different than her own and seemed to whisper to her in a silky tone, which she tried to ignore. 'You don't need anyone like that. Don't act like you're not used to it.'

The voice had only appeared recently and she strongly told herself that she wasn't getting crazy and that she was just fed up with her mundane life in Edelstein. Lanne wanted to see the world. Experience life without being tied down by anything-the Black Wings, her title as Lilith, everything...

The redhead groaned and pulled the covers over her head to use her trump card. With her minds eye she pictured a pair of faceless smiles and a warm loving embrace instead of her own arms. "Mom…dad…"

[1] For those that don't know the Resistance code:

Roaches = Black Wings

Naps = Supplies. In this situation, Surl was saying not to transport supplies near the outer borders of town

A/N: I'm bad at introductory chapters. I promise it'll pick up next chapter. Actually the next chapter has an abrupt transition because I don't wanna waste time on the intro, lol. Cuz right now you're probably wondering "Whaaaa? Why does everyone hate her?" and "Huh? Solomon? WTF?"…yeah, I'm bad at writing these kind of plotlines but I wanted to try and see where it goes. And btw, her name is pronounced Lan (Pronounced like ran but with an L). The 'e' is silent.

I'm tempted to do Character profiles at the end of the chapters instead of on my profile. It's cleaner that way...

Trivial Trivia: Choosing a name (Hehe, i'm doing this instead of calling it "Fun Facts")

While the story was simply data in the confines of my mind, my main character's name was Kaylie. Then when I began the draft of the basic story it turned into Lia. THEEEN after careful consideration it turned into Lanne (Almost was Lenne, but the extra 'e' bothered me). This is just a small example of how hard it is to choose names. Don't get me started on titles...

And don't get me started on my OTHER Main OC that will show up eventually...