16 years old and recently departed from his camp out into the wide world, Hadrian sent Mevia a small smile as they walked along a gravel road to their second stop on their journey.

Mevia had certainly improved since he had found her, now able to speak clear english as well as looking slightly less on the verge of death. Her flashbacks and defensive reflexes had begun to get more sparse, and she had also dyed her hair completely blue.

He still wasn't sure to why she could just tear things apart, and she clearly wasn't too certain either, though she expressed discomfort anytime he mentioned it.
It was implied that this state of hers had ended her up in the position he found her in, though whether it was her fault or if she had just been horrifically abused anyway was never made clear.
He never asked after the first time he tried, in which she had gotten unresponsive for a full day after digging back into her traumatising memories.

He hated to admit it, but she was a marginally better sword and axe user than him, simply via pure strength and speed.

As they entered a town, it began to drizzle which slipped into a downpour. Startled, both leapt underneath a shop front for shelter, not knowing if there was an inn and not willing to walk around for hours in the rain to find out.

A gutteral scream came out through the air. It was faint, but they both clearly heard it. Hadrian blinked, bewildered. "The hell was that?!" he exclaimed, and Mevia grabbed his hand. "Whatever it was, we should go check it out" she insisted, pulling on him. Not needing to be asked twice, Hadrian obeyed and followed her as she ran out back into the freezing rain.

Running over to where the scream had come from, both found a boy with his hands clasped over his mouth and tears streaming from his eyes. His skin was incredibly dark and he had thin black hair. He was on a bridge over a rather large lake/river, and was staring at the bottom with complete horror.

When he saw them running over a semblance of hope semed to enter his eyes as he dashed over to them.

"CAN EITHER OF YOU SWIM?" he shouted over the pouring rain. Both blinked and Mevia nodded slowly while Hadrian shrugged.

"PLEASE... please.." The boy's tone softened but didn't lose it's urgency. "M-my friend fell in, i-i can't swim, and i-!"

Not needing to be told any more, Mevia was already tearing off her jumper. "Where did they land?" she asked, and the boy pointed. "N-near the left..."

Nodding, Mevia ran down the bank to the side of the river.

Watching, Hadrian blinked at his crush's lack of hesitation. "She didn't take much convincing" he hummed, and the boy just laughed nervously, shaking. "Thank god she didn't need to.. I don't know anyone else who can help... Oh god, thank you for coming over.." he gave Hadrian a massive shaky smile. "M-my name is Otto. And you are-?"

Hadrian smirked. "My name is Hadrian. The girl is Mevia. Oh- i think she has your friend-"

Otto's head snapped around to see Mevia resurfacing, one arm around a limp figure. Yelling out in amazement, he ran down the bank to help retreive his friend. Hadrian analysed the girl Mevia had rescued.

She had dark skin, though not quite as dark as Otto's. Her hair was a dark greyish brown, and she was wearing a purple raincoat. She looked rather malnourished, and Hadrian took note of multiple marks on her neck.

While Hadrian observed, Mevia was helping Otto perform CPR, pumping water from the girl's lungs and narrowly avoiding cracking a rib.

After 6 minutes of this in which Hadrian was so bored he was considering helping, the girl suddenly coughed and spasmed, shooting into a sitting position.

Otto yelled, tears trailing down his cheeks as he tugged the bewildered girl into his arms.

Suddenly he pulled back and grabbed her by the shoulders. "WHAT HAPPENED? DID YOU JUMP?!" he yelped, shaking her. Mevia blinked and tried to pull him off of the girl, but he was too caught up in the sudden burst of emotion that had consumed him when he had realised she was alright.

Her face was shocked at the accusation before she shook her head. "N-no, i was pushed in.."

His face went a mix of rage and confusion. "Who the HELL pushes a kid into- oh" he swallowed as he came to a conclusion, and she nodded. He looked ready to punch something but inhaled shakily and opened his arms, gesturing her to hug him.

She indeed hugged him, rather tightly, and he hugged back even tighter. Being vaguely reminded of when he had found Mevia and gave her a hesitant hug, Hadrian looked away uncomfortably. Mevia just watched silently, before speaking up.

"I have no idea what's happening. Also... saving you HURT. Jeez" she complained, hacking up water. The girl's face turned nervous as she turned to her.

"O-oh, right.. I guess i should be thanking you for saving me... Who are you?" she stammered, and Hadrian propped himself against tje wall of the bridge. "She's Mevia, I'm Hadrian. And yeah, Mevia's the reason you ain't dead. So uh..
Good timing to have been pushed off a bridge?" his tone was awkward, and the girl snorted a slight laugh, slightly subdued.

"Um... I think we should go now. Harper, i need to take you to the hospital, alright? I can't tell if that fall affected you" Otto cut in as he adressed his friend. Hadrian tilted his head. Harper, huh? It fit her.

"We can help. If you want us to" Mevia offered, and Otto smiled. "Thanks. Can you walk, Harper?" Harper shook her head, and Otto sighed. "Uh" he gave them a pointed look, and Hadrian groaned before nodding and helping the boy pick a surpised Harper up.

After Harper had a check in in hospital, Hadrian and Mevia got to know Harper and Otto more. Otto was rather unremarkable aside from his suprising literacy skills and high intelligence. Harper was even smarter, and apparently a prodigy with redstone. She had recently gotten on the bad side of some pretty unpleasant people who were likely the ones to push her off the bridge. They had money and influence and she had no way of stopping them. They harassed her practically daily.

She didn't know how to escape, so Hadrian and Mevia (mostly Mevia) offered for her to come with them. Otto, hearing this, insisted he come too.

Otto of course had to talk to his parents, and it took him several days to convince them to let him go. Harper had no one to ask, and so just hung around Mevia and Hadrian until Otto was allowed to come.

And so the four of them set off into the great unknown, unknowing of their future status as unkillable legends akin to gods.

Well. Gods with an achilles heel of a certain man with dark brown hair and big green eyes.