Disclaimers : I do not own Ragnarok Online

:+:Of Sinners and Redemption:+:

Prologue

She was always smiling, she had every reason to. She was just like every 9 year old girl in the whole world. She was not rich, nor was she poor, she did not possess the finest silk in the land, but she had a beautiful cotton dress her mother sewed for her. She had a head of messy red curls, too young to bother caring for them, they were always caked in mud from playing and frizzy from her absence of care. Her eyes were a vision of beauty. Bright emerald, her mother would always tell her she mistook her eyes for jewels. But she would also scold her for never taking better care of her hair. Thus cutting them to a more suitable length.

She was an only child, but a happy one. Why would she not be? Her childhood was nothing but bliss, everyday a new thing would be thought by her parents. Of life,of love, of trust. Like every girl her age, she would always play with the other children. She had a best friend, her neighbor. But unlike girls her age that would flock around with the same gender, her best friend was a boy. He was 2 summers her elder. But he was the brother she never had. They were inseparable since he moved beside her small cottage 3 years ago. They were so close, the parents eventually ceased calling them by individuals, but as partners. Everywhere she was, he would be. If she fell into the mud, he would too carry a patch of mud stains when he walked through his door.

She had always wondered, why both her hair and eyes never matched her parents. They both had brown hair and hazel eyes. Why not she? Her best friend had his fathers hair and mother's eyes. But she had non. When questioned her parents would merely smile and hug her, claiming that it doesn't matter how she looked like, and that they loved her the same.

Everyone called her Nova. But her parents had named her other wise, but she being the simple girl she was, never told everyone else her full name, that was only used by her mother when in raged.

"NOVEMBER ANNABELLA TERRA YOU COME HERE AND CLEAN THIS MESS RIGHT NOW!!!"

Nova cringed as she heard the sheik from the house, her best friend, stiffed a laugh as he watched her glancing back at him. Apparently her mother had found the broken vase.

"Better get going now, November wouldnt want you mother to get upset now?"

Nova glanced at her best friend, she knew that he loved teasing her about her full name. An overly sweet smile crept across her chubby face.

"I will, Lucas Amadues Constantine, you better get home to Aunt flo before she finds the broken broom the in the closet."

Lucas face turned beet red. Apparently both their parents had a knack of naming their child a weird and long name.

"Its Luke you dumbie!! And Go away you stupid little girl! Before you spread your cooties to me!!"

"FINE then! GIRLY FACE"

"TOMBOY!!"

"BIG MOUTH!!"

"BROOM HAIR"

Her life was so simple, she ran in crying to her mother. Forgetting the abandoned vase her mother would sooth her, telling her that he only said that because he liked her. She would cry, as all little girls would. There were ups and downs, but she was always happy.

She thought her world was perfect. Just like the sun.

If only things would have stayed the same.

She had begun having nightmares.

Terrible nightmares; each and every one of them the same thing. It was like a broken record player playing the same images over and over and over again. She would be sitting at her arm chair in the living room, waiting for her parents to come home from a mission that they were given. They both wore armor when they went out for missions. Nova had tried to fit on her mothers, but they were incredibly heavy.

In her dreams they took longer to come home. She would wait for what seemed like forever, and when finally came a knock on the door, she would gleefully answer it, expecting to see her mother and father. But only to see a huge goat like demon. He had large red eyes and held a long stick edged with a huge blade. There was always blood dripping down from it. It came, with its teeth bearing, and presented her her parents, only without their bodies. Disembodied heads grabbed by their hairs, faces with looks of pure terror.

She would always wake up screaming.

Nova begged her parents not to go on this mission. She cried and threw tantrums; she did everything she could think off. But they had dismissed her telling her that it was important. She had wondered was it more important then her recurring nightmares.

That night her parents did not come home. Nor did they ever do.

A man in heavy armor knocked on her door 2 days later, along with a man with white clothes. They were not the goat monster, but they might as well been for the 9 year old child. Her parents had died, both killed in the line of duty while battling the goat demon Baphomet. She did not tell the man in white about her dreams, he was like a priest. But he wore strange and different garments. He told her he was going to bring her to another place. A place where she could live with other children who had also lost their mommies and daddies.

She did not want to go. She was almost taken away, thank god for Luke's parents.

They took her in, though there were no official documents filed. They brought her tear stained face and dirty matty hair into their beautiful home. She later went to the ceremony where her mother and father were buried. She could not see them, they were covered in a white cloth and buried in a white coffin. Luke squeezed her shoulders tight, she still had Luke.

Thank god for Luke.

Thank god for Aunt Flo and Uncle Terrance.

She cried her heart out then, for she did not truly understand the reason why her parents had to go to heaven. She knew that they would never come home. She knew that mommy would never scold her for her messy hair. She knew that daddy would never give her another piggy back ride. She knew that she lost her family.

"From the ashes will rise, a new born power, courage is not fearing to die, but to move on after another's death."

Nova never did forget those words.

She was determined to move on, a smile always on her face. After all, she still had a family. Aunt Flo and Uncle Terrance loved her as their own. She had her own room in the small cottage that was their home. She kept her room clean, and cleaned Luke's room when it got messy, Luke said he wanted to be a magician, so Nova wanted to be one as well.

They trained together as novices, each holding their backpacks behind them, poking small creatures and gathering resources. Against all odds, Nova felt better as time went by, her heart ached when she visited her parent's grave every week. But with Luke at her side she pulled through. She was becoming happy once more; her life was becoming normal once again. There were no more nightmares, no more dreams of phantoms riding on horses or goat like demons.

How she wished that her life would remain that simple.

Unfortunately god had plans for her, her nightmares returned.

But this time, it was about Uncle Terrance and Aunt Flo. It was happening all over again, but this time, she dreamt of masked figures, dressed in black. Killing them, cutting through their flesh. Piercing their organs with blades so sharp.

Nova had not slept for the next 6 nights. Her eyes were wide and haunted, she did not dare tell Luke nor did she breath a word to his parents. She hoped that if she did not sleep, did not dream of it, did not breathe a word to anyone else but to herself. The nightmare would not come true. She hoped and hoped and hoped.

On the 7th day of her dream, Nova was somehow calmer. She had convinced herself that nothing would go wrong. Nothing at all

She visited her parent's graves, giving them fresh flowers and replacing the old ones. She bought groceries and even fed a baby lunatic on her way home. Luke had stayed home that day; he had asthma, so it did him no justice to go out in the weather condition in Prontera that day.

She stopped when she saw a figure lying under a shady tree, her curiosity got the best of her as she edged closer to the lying figure. It was a wizard; he did not look old, maybe in his late 20's. He was wearing a funny bamboo hat and biting on a leaf. A head of shiny blonde hair was poking out of the hat; his eyes were closed when ova approached him.

"Mister aren't you hot in those thick robes?"

The wizard opened his eyes lazily, he had green eyes. Like hers. A lazy smile slowly came to his face, he was very beautiful. Nova offered him an apple, which he took gratefully.

"Thank you child, and yes I am very hot in these robes, but being a man of my class I shall wear them in rain or in shine, you're a very pretty girl. I have a son about your age."

An innocent girl she is, she never thought there were bad people in the world. Silly girl, but she was after all only a child.

"My friend wants to be a wizard. Can you show him some tricks? I'm sure he'll love it."

"Boy you're a straight forward one are you?"

Nova blushed, it was true that it wasn't her place to ask a total stranger to do something for her after only shortly meeting him. The wizard laughed a full laugh, ruffling her already messy hair with his large hands.

"Very well then missy, since you gave me this deliciously cooling apple on this very hot day, lead the way and I will try my best to show your friend my best tricks. Mind you I'm not a very good wizard."

Nova giggled as she stood up, helping the bigger man to his feet.

"May I know the name of this little missy?"

Nova giggled more

"Its Nova, I'm goanna be a magician too!"

"Oh really? Why so?"

Nova scratched her head, true her only reason of wanting to be a magician was because of Luke wanting to be one. Truthfully she never knew what she wanted to be.

"Because my best friends becoming one!"

The wizard laughed.

"You know, you shouldn't become something just because someone else is… you should become something you like…"

"I like helping people!" the little girl replied instantly her face brightening up.

"Then I think you would make a fine acolyte."

"What's and acolyte?"

"Never mind child, you will find out sooner or later, come now, and show me this friend of yours. How old is she now?"

"No silly it's a HE!" Nova replied giggling more, her face scrunching up at the weird wizard.
"Ah, interesting now… Is this your home?"

Without Nova noticing, they had reached her new home. Her old one had to be sold to cover the funeral cost. A knight and his friend bought the house with a good offer, they now lived in it. Nova nodded at the wizard, but noticed something different about his face. It had tightened up as soon as she stepped before her front door.

"What's wrong Mr. Wizard?"

"Is there anyone home?"

"Yes, there's Luke, Uncle Terrance, that's his dad and aunt Flo." Said Nova, holding up her fingers to count the trio.

The wizard closed his eyes, for a moment, Nova felt a surge of energy pass her and entering into the house, shortly after the wizard opened his eyes and kicked the door down.

"Stay here darling, and DON'T MOVE!"

Nova was shock at the change of his expression. He looked like a total different person when he told her to stay still. Why had he said that? A cold shiver ran down her spine as she heard a strong crash. 2 dark figures crashed out the window, running to the closest alley and disappearing into the shadows. The wizard came out shortly after holding Luke on his shoulders, Luke was screaming for the wizard to let him go. Tears ran down his cheeks freely. The wizard's hat was torn, but he had just entered the house moments ago. How could that happen to him so quickly?

Nova dropped her bag of groceries. Her nightmare had come true once again. And here she thought that she was safe. She thought that everything was over. This time, it struck her new parents. More importantly, it struck Luke's parents. The wizard would not allow her to enter the home, nor did he allow Luke to. He had called for the chivalry to investigate. On that day, both hers and Luke's life had changed forever.

He did not cry during the funeral of his parents, he was silent, his normally fair skin looked ghostly pale now. Nova never had the heart to ask him what had happen. But she knew that he was gripping a piece of black cloth. It had a symbol of some kind on it. She wondered whether did it have to do with the murder of his parents.

"I understand how you feel Luke..."

He slapped her hand away; Nova was shocked to see her best friend behaving like that.

"Its nothing." He muttered.

She knew it was something, because from that day onwards. He was never the kind and cheerful boy that he use to be. But a cold silent and distant person. Luke kept the house, only selling the furniture in it, he had moved into the master bed room while she moved into his old room. He never did spoke to her much, she had thought of leaving. But if she did then who would take care of him?

So she stayed.

And she prayed. That maybe someday, her Luke would come back to the way he was.

EnD of Prologue