Chapter I - Upon Falling From Heaven

On a clear spring day, a strange opening in the sky caused a massive explosion that shook the region. A portal ripped open in the sky and launched a body out that was Jin. He realized as he shot towards the earth that he was in the sky. Gravity pulled him down hard: so hard that weakly gathered water molecules disappeared as he crashed onto them. The boy tried to cast a spell to prevent a hard collision with the ground below, but the strain he felt in his trip through the portal prohibited anything. So, he prepared for the worst and allowed his body to take a beating as he bounced off tree branches and other greens. Finally, the boy rested but not without damage.

"Ah…" the boy gasped. "That hurts…" He raised his left arm and saw blood pouring out. Cuts were all over his body and his clothes were drenched in mud. Ignoring the pain, the boy looked up into the sky and wondered if Foley (1) had made it back safely from the Other World.

"Hmm, nope, I don't feel his presence."

The damage began to take its toll, but he bore it silently. His sword was still in its sheath, hardly scratched despite the hard fall. Then, Jin wondered if someone would help him. No, he was probably the only human around the isolated area. He did hear the waves crashing on the rocky shore not so far away, but could not determine from which direction they were coming. With any luck, no monster in the area would ambush him in his weakened state. He tried to resist sleep, but a mixture of fatigue, injury and humidity caused his slumber to overcome him.

In his sleep, he dreamed about his earlier adventures with his comrades from two years prior. Faces of his friends came and went; a blur for everyone but Tessa (2), the noble white mage from the world capital Alfidaria. It was something about her that he missed dearly and her image stuck in his mind for some time. However, the dream ended when somebody in his surroundings stepped on a twig, snapping it and causing Jin to waken.

Without a word, Jin opened his eyes and saw a figure before him. The silhouette reached down towards Jin's forehead and noticed a fever. Jin thought to himself, 'A medic?' It put something in his mouth, which caused Jin to sleep once again. It ran back to whence it came and returned with reinforcements. They carried Jin back to a village.

The next morning, Jin awoke under the bright sunlight. Birds sang cheerfully and the villagers were rounding their morning affairs, sounding rather pleased with their lives. Jin got up from his bed and tried to look around. He felt lightheaded. He thought that it must be because of the difference in the atmosphere between his and the other world. Then, a voice sounded from nearby.

"No, you mustn't!"

It was a girl's voice and before Jin was able to look straight ahead, the girl rushed up to him and carefully placed him back down on the bed. Jin was on his back again and finally caught a glimpse of the girl. She had old clothes, or more like rags, on and looked like a servant. She had clear blue eyes and long brown hair and a calm look on her face. Nothing about her had a dangerous aura and her serene ambiance made Jin relax. Without a word, the girl wiped the sweat off Jin's face and hummed to herself.

Jin turned his head to his left and saw the features in the room: compact, clean and undecorated. He located his weapon of choice by the window adjacent to the bed. Then the girl's voice pleaded again:

"Please, stop moving. You're hurt so please, stay still."

She placed her cold, smooth hands on Jin's shoulder and released all his tension. For a few minutes, she left her hand on him as if she was reading his magical circulation. Jin was sure she was a white mage specialized for quick healing, like Tessa. Then, with an urge to break the silence, Jin asked the girl for her name.

"Ah, my apologies," the girl answered. "My name is Rena. I have no family name and work for the village mayor, Hirou Marco-sama."

"So you're a…" Jin tried to speak.

"Yes, a servant," she interrupted. It wasn't what he wanted to ask, however. "And I am also your caretaker, so whatever you need…"

Jin saw her having a hard time finding the word to say, but he took a guess and tried to fill in the blank.

"It's Jin. Just Jin is fine."

"Ah, yes," she remarked. "My apologies, Jin-sama. I am bad with names but I promise to learn yours right away."

"No, no, it's fine. But thank you for taking care of my wounds."

"No, Jin-sama, it's an honor for the one who fell from the heavens."