"Where's my parents?" A young girl said, slightly whimpering.
The man bowed his head, hiding his sad expression on his face. "Miss, your mother died giving birth to you, and your father…"
"What about my papa?" she whispered.
He glared at her with a dull gaze. "He left the instant he saw you were a girl."
Trying on her new garnier, Laklyn's heart tugged on to her as she remembered that conversation. It was so long ago, she thought, why am I still grieving? Sighing out loud, she would never forget who she was: a child lost in this dark and menacing world. She laughed at this thought. Maybe things will brighten up, she thought, Starting a new life here in Victoria Island was an brilliant idea. Buying a couple sets of subis with most of her money, Laklyn set off to train using her new rogue abilities.
After training for what seemed like hours, she stopped for a break in Perion. All around her, she saw new and experienced warriors of all ages make their way up to the tent of Dances with Balrogs. Only the brave and courageous become warriors, she thought absently. Her eyes became slightly wet as Laklyn thought of her dear friend.
Flashback
Devavio reached over for Laklyn's hand and started stroking it. They both lay on the ground, gazing up at the starry night. He crept closer and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Unexpectedly, Devavio stood up, guiding Laklyn up too. He drew closer to her, one hand touching her cheek slightly, the other reaching deep within his pocket. Out came his hand, with a shinning necklace weaved around his fingers. Gently, Devavio unhooked the necklace and slowly slid the necklace onto Laklyn's neck.
His breath tingled her ear as he whispered. "Now you will have something to remember me by, always." She started to giggle when he tickled her bare feet.
A few months pasted, but Laklyn would never forget the necklace Devavio gave her. The maple leaf is the symbol of hope, Devavio had said after, A sign of MapleStory, and it's hopes and dreams. Suddenly, her communicator began ringing and interrupted her train of thought.
"Is this Laklyn?" a voice said, slightly static.
"Yes," she said, slightly surprised and appalled by the time; it was in the middle of the night. "Who is this?"
"This is the Maple Island General Hospital calling," the voice replied, "Your friend, Devavio, is in the ICU ward, currently on life support. He asks for your presence." It contained no traces of sympathy at all.
Without answering, Laklyn grabbed her stuff off the floor and dashed towards the hospital, tears running freely, trickling down her cheeks. The building grew larger, and before she knew it, she was at the front door. The cleric at the counter directed her to the ICU room and Laklyn sprinted at the speed of light; nothing could prevent her from seeing her best friend.
Devavio's room was at the end of the hall, all isolated and lonely. All the priests and clerics walked around with a plain expression; perhaps they were immune to sadness or lost because they had seen so many cases before. Nonetheless, Laklyn hurried down the hall and quietly opened the door, after explaining to the priest who she was.
A gasp escaped from her lips as she saw her friend with an oxygen mask and a heart monitor beside him. The signals came irregularly, and Devavio's breathing was shallow. She immediately flopped down beside him, grabbing his hand softly. Devavio stirred from his dreams and opened his eyes. They seemed to smile as he set eyes on Laklyn.
"Laklyn," Devavio whispered, hiccupping slightly, "You made it…"
"Devavio!" she sobbed, not caring who was watching them.
He concentrated all his strength on his right hand and wiped away her tears. He smiled a faint smile, leaving Laklyn feeling confused.
"Laklyn," he whispered, "Only the brave and courageous become warriors. I have failed on both." Suddenly, he began coughing and the cleric shooed her out.
End of Flashback
Devavio, Laklyn thought, You are brave and courageous. You can be a warrior. A warrior of the heavens. She said a small prayer, and headed to the potion shop to restock on stars and potions. After giving a couple thousand mesos to the cashier, she headed to a local inn, resting for the night.
As time went by, she slowly arrived to the dense forest of Ellina. So tranquil, Laklyn thought, brushing away some branches. The morning birds sung their beautiful song as the sun crept its way from the horizon. Good morning, Devavio, she thought, Good morning, world. From what she heard from the innkeeper, the best place for her to train was the infamous slime tree. He had given her a map showing the path to the tree. Glancing at it, Laklyn found the tree in no time.
Standing at the entrance of the tree, she gazed up at the massive height of the tree. No wonder Ellina is the town of magic, they even have huge trees, she thought. Preoccupied in her own thoughts, Laklyn did not notice a green mushroom hopping happily towards her. It began attacking and knocking her over. Laklyn tried fighting back, but as a new rouge, she did not have the power to kill the mushroom. She cried out in pain as the mushroom bit her leg. Suddenly, the mushroom knocked her over the hedge, and she began falling…
Laklyn! a voice said.
Devavio? she replied.
Don't give up, my love, he said, Please, wake up…
Wake up? she wondered out loud, What do you mean, Devavio?
Please wake up, he said, tears running down his cheeks, Please wake up, I don't want to die…
He grew fainter, as if speaking from a distance.
Devavio!
An assassin wandered the dense forest of Ellina, searching for the point of life. What is the point of life if you have nothing to live for? he thought. He ruffled his blonde hair in confusion. I always thought power was everything, he thought, Now I have power. Why am I still not satisfied? He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a cry of pain.
Hasting himself, he tried to find out where the distressed person was. Suddenly, he had caught a young girl in his arms. The poor child was scarred and bruised, and he did not like the look of the bite on her right leg. The wound was wide open for any infections, and the poison from the mushroom form pus around the wound. Cursing, he reached in his pocket for a crumpled scroll, and whispered an ancient incantation. In a blink of an eye, they arrived at Heneseys.
Laklyn woke up with a start, wincing but ignoring the pain that shot all across her body. Where am I? she thought. Looking out the window, she found herself looking at the peaceful town of Heneseys. Suddenly, the knob on the door began to turn. She sat there, petrified by who it might be.
An assassin walked into her room, brushing away his spiky blonde hair from his face. He looked at her curiously, and then began to speak.
"Hello," he said, voice coarse, "I saw you unconscious, so I decided to take you to my house until you became fully healed. The monster you were fighting probably bit you in the right leg, am I correct?"
She nodded, still staring emotionlessly at him.
"My name is Mavifour," he said, "What's yours?"
"Lak…Laklyn," she stuttered, looking down.
"Well, nice to meet you, Laklyn," Mavifour said, "It looks like you need some training. How about I train you when you become all better?"
"Sure…" Laklyn continued to be afraid.
"Then it is settled," he said, his gaze unwavering, "I just have some rules, apprentice."
"Yes?"
"I will be addressed as sir or master at all times," Mavifour said, "And if you disobey me, you shall receive a beating from my red whip. That is the least serve of the punishments."
"Yes sir." Laklyn looked at Mavifour with distrust.
"For now," he said, tone softening, "Rest."