Note: Okay, I know I'm posting really quickly these days. I suppose it's a futile effort to try and revive the fandom. I've put in a lot of effort into this story, as compared to the other stories I've written so far. So I really hope that whoever is reading this now will persevere on to the last word. And I hope you will review, because that's the simplest way to understand that my work is really being appreciated here, whether it's good or not. Right, the word count was much less than what I had expected, but I think this is at the very least better than my previous one-shots. Still, this is why I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. So here we go again.
Verian
Nothing Changes
Nothing changes…
The same things happen every day. Nothing special or new ever happens… It's like I'm living the same day again and again.
Sure, some minor things change, simple things like the time I wake up at. But these changes mean nothing. Why do I share the same life that hundreds of others already live? Do I really want this life?
The boy lay in his bed, his head tilted lazily to an angle to peer out the glass window. A hundred skyscrapers shot up into the sky and towered above his home, a tiny speck of dust in the city that was Kerning.
It wasn't exactly his home, though. He was putting up with a few more people and he was only being allowed to stay there because… well, because he was an orphan who had no real home and he was helping out with all the housework, which sort of made for his rent.
An alarm clock sounded endlessly beside him, its ring unable to penetrate through his thoughts. By the time he noticed it, he was already late.
He would eat a slice of bread in a hurry, dash out of the house and to a small school, where he would stay for a few hours. Then he would walk back home and enter his house, before finishing off some assignments and taking off to bed.
It was the same, every day.
I need to escape this cycle, the chains of normality…
I want to break free.
Estelle
Verdict of God
Footsteps screamed throughout the empty sewers, the unseen underground of Kerning City where the heartbeat of the city did not reach. There was no pulse down here… only dead silence.
She ran, faster than her weak legs could carry her. Her shallow breathing resounded all about, suddenly becoming louder than the running water and the footsteps beneath her.
Water raged forward beside her, ramming against the edges of the wall. The cold, green liquid sometimes spilled out of the drainage and onto the ground, and from the miniature river leaked sourness that tainted the very air around her.
But she could do nothing about it, for this was the only place that she could feel even the slightest bit safe. And only for a few hours, before she had to take off again. Staying in one place for too long was extremely dangerous.
And so she ran, running from a crime she did not commit.
How nice it would be to finally be free, to breathe fresh air of the ground above her. Why couldn't she just lead a normal life like everyone else? Why did it happen to be her who was condemned to this eternal fate of running, never being able to be free?
What was she running from? Even if she ran away from a life behind bars, every single day she experienced was a prison in its very own way. How much worse could it get?
Why couldn't she just lead that normal life she wanted so badly? All she wanted was for things to settle down, to return to a quiet, insignificant and average life.
A life where every single day was not a day of fear and terror, fleeing from things she could not see.
That same, peaceful life that everybody else shared.
Verian
New Life
There was nothing holding him back.
He had no close friends, no relatives he knew of. His life in the city meant nothing to him, and he meant nothing to the city.
So there was no reason why he should stay in the city, where his life remained the same every day, where nothing ever changed.
He had been thinking about it for a while now. All he had really needed was that little push, that small burst of motivation to break him free from the life he had come to doubt. But if he had waited around forever for that push, nothing would have happened. He would have continued to live that very life again and again.
He had to do something about it.
There was so much out there for him that he had yet to see or do. Out there was a life that contained something different and exciting every day.
He had heard of powers that would be granted to anyone who longed for it. Even Kerning City had its fair share of this power. It was already teeming with bandits and thieves. A shady character granted this, the Dark Lord who practically ruled the underworld of Kerning.
Outside the city, however, lay far more. There were the warriors, people who strived to master the art of swordsmanship. There were the bowmen, those who trained to strike the perfect balance between their eyes and their fingers. Even recently, figures known as pirates had emerged, although not much was known about them.
But what truly caught Verian's eye were the magicians. The idea of harvesting mana and crafting it into something else, giving it shape and form as one wished, it was truly amazing.
It was the very reason he stood outside the doors of the Ellinia Library.
Someone would have already found the note hanging on the door to his room by then. It was in their best interest as well. They would no longer have to put up with an extra person in the house.
Even if there was nobody to do the chores for them or prepare their meals, he could easily be replaced. Furthermore, if the room was rented out, they would still end up making more mesos than they did with him around. Pity would never do them any good.
There were also so many students in that one school. How could one missing boy pose such a worry? It was also a fact that he had owed it much money for the regular school fees and being an orphan did not do much to help him pay it off.
He was only attending because the people he lived with had somehow convinced him that a bright future required some form of education. They were kind, but none of them were close with him either. If they were, he might not have left.
Verian didn't want to become a scholar anyway. He rather liked the thought of being an adventurer, a free person who travelled and did as he pleased.
The doors had probably been faced by many before him. Moss crept up the door, round the handle and at the edges of it. A web of vines was carelessly strung along the door and any careless person would have already gotten sliced by the thorns that ran long them. The walls that should have been a bleached white were a tad bit darker, the paint also fading off at certain points. Still, a majestic aura permeated the place, sending the regular adventurer's heart thumping as they stood outside the doors.
Verian pushed them open.
Thousands of books encircled him, so many that it was a little dizzying. In the center of the small room, a thick green branch tore through the wooden floor- circled around a pillar which seemed rather like a giant diamond- and up above the room.
It was all so different from Kerning, where all he could see was brick by sleek metal in every corner, every little alleyway. The dull grey tones of the city were beginning to get to him before this. This, on the other hand, was so natural, so strange and yet wonderful.
"You're not going to get anywhere by staring into space, young one." A sage-like voice grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him back into reality. It was commanding, yet soft and kind. How strange to have those qualities melded into one voice.
"Right, I'll take that into mind." He muttered, feeling a little foolish for the way he made his entrance.
"As many of those who have stepped into the library, I suppose you wish to become a magician?" While Verian could not help but rudely stare at the thousands of wrinkles on the man's face and wonder how old he really was, his warm smile seemed to make him look youthful and charming in his own ways.
"Of course, yes."
"If I may, would you mind telling me your reason for doing so?" He asked.
Verian smiled. "I just wanted a change."
"That's not like the regular 'I need the power to avenge someone dear to me' or 'I want to rule the world someday'." Grendel recited. "Your reason is very peculiar, indeed. It's the first time I've heard something so strange."
He stopped to chuckle to himself. "But, to each his own, I suppose. Alright, step a little closer, will you?"
Before Verian could step forward, the doors behind him burst open. It sounded like a tiny explosion and it nearly left him tumbling forward in shock.
"Hey, long time no see, old man."
Verian turned to see a girl about his age strolling into the place. She was a thief, no doubt about it. A dagger was strapped onto the side of her belt and a pouch of money bounced loosely on the opposite side, almost as if asking to be stolen from her.
"Ah, as energetic as ever it seems, Sharia."
"The stupid ninja has something for you.' She casually tossed a bundle of scrolls towards Grendel, who caught it quickly and cradled it in his hands, as if they were worth a lot more than the girl could ever imagine. "That idiot makes all his students do his crap for him."
Grendel only laughed to himself.
"Well, thank him for the scrolls, if you will. Have a pleasant day, Sharia." He said as she left, before turning back to Verian, who could only stare. "Sorry for the interruption. Now, where was I? Oh, yes, I was about to bestow upon you the gift of the magician…"
"You've been stalking me for the last hour now."
"I'd prefer to call it following. Stalking sounds a little too… harsh." Verian laughed.
"Ain't you the kid who was with Grendel just now? What do you want from me?
"Nothing. You just seemed interesting, that's all."
The girl called Sharia snickered sarcastically. "Me, interesting? You got a loose screw or something?"
"No, actually, not that I know of. It's just that you're not as boring as the rest of the people I knew."
"Then those must have been some pretty damn boring people you knew."
"Yeah, they were."
"So do you plan on following me around?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like I have anything better to do, anyways."
"You should be training."
"On what?"
"You could start with those things, for example." She pointed to a snail, who was slugging its way towards them along the brick road that stretched across the outskirts of kerning and zoomed by old construction sites, plus the occasional skyscraper.
Verian took a step towards the snail, lifted his new wooden wand and conked it on the shell.
"There."
"Jeez, pathetic." She rolled her eyes.
Verian couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, you can show me the ropes, then."
"Are you nuts? I have better things to do. Catch ya later." Before he could protest, she had become no more than a shrinking dot in the sunset horizon.
"Sharia, hmm?" He liked how it sounded. It was a little odd, especially when it seemed to contrast with her personality, but it still sounded strangely nice. Those sharp amber eyes literally announced an interesting personality.
Well, who would have guessed?
A little by little, his life was already beginning to become more interesting.
Estelle
A Stranger's Kindness
The nights in Kerning City was cold. Nights where the giant mob of people running back and forth in their busy lives along the streets had faded along with any sunshine from the sky that hung overhead.
When the busy city suddenly died, everything seemed to echo some strange emptiness. The streetlamps flickered on one by one, illuminating the pathways with dead yellow.
Estelle shuddered as she walked along the streets, preferring to lean beside the walls where the shadows would blanket over her in various layers. Leaving the barriers of shade made her feel completely vulnerable, as if she was exposed.
It was strangely chilly that night. Whether it was the chill of fear or simply the chill of the nights, she didn't want to know, and neither would she want to find out. Just walk and maybe nobody would notice her.
She didn't know where she would sleep for the night. While the streets were empty at night, it did not mean that she was any safer. The walls had ears and the roads had eyes. At least, that was what it felt like for she who was always running from something she couldn't see.
Maybe she would return to that abandoned hospital for the night and sleep there. She had been there once before and she hated it. It was too cold and too quiet. And there was always this feeling of another presence, as if something else was watching her behind her back.
While in fact, it was probably paranoia, the fact that she was just a fragile little teenager had not changed. Like every other girl her age, she was afraid of mice, of insects and of ghosts and darkness. The only difference between the two was that she had to run, forever seeking a solace that she would never have.
All for a crime she did not commit.
She hugged herself tightly, unable to bear any more of the frosty breeze. Winter was so far away, yet it was already so cold. Or maybe winter had already come to pass… She couldn't tell. She had been hiding for far too long. About two years of running.
She didn't have a choice. She would just have to go to the hospital for the night. Nobody ever checked the place. It was way too creepy, anyway.
She slumped back onto the wall of a house, sitting down on the cold brick floor. She puffed a small breath of warm air into her cupped hands, taking great comfort in the warmth, even if the heat only lasted for a split second before dispersing into the cold air again.
"You okay?"
Estelle's heart nearly died on her as a soft voice rang from behind her.
"I… N-No. I-I mean, Yes. Yes, I'm f-fine." She stuttered, from both the cold and the shock.
"Why are you all alone? It's so late…" It was a boy, much younger than her by the looks of it. He was probably seven or eight. She could tell by the way he spoke as well; it sounded strangely naïve.
"I'm fine. You really don't have to worry about me. Go back home." She smiled weakly, slowly recovering from the surprise.
"I'm taking out the trash." He pointed to the black bag sitting beside a metal trash can. "Do you want to come in?"
"M-Me? Why?" She shivered.
"Well, you're one of those homeless people that sleep on the floor every night, aren't you? It must be very cold." He asked, concerned. "It's okay, you can stay over for the night. My parents aren't around tonight."
"Why? Why are you helping me?" How strange for a little boy. Perhaps he felt pity for her. He had assumed she was a homeless girl, which she could almost laugh at. While it was somewhat touching, she couldn't stay for various reasons.
"Because you're homeless, silly." He laughed.
She was speechless. Was it really alright for her to deny him?
"Come on in." He tugged her arm gently.
She couldn't bear to take his arm off her, so she hesitantly followed.
Peering from behind the door, she caught sight of a small living room. The fireplace was lit and the hairs on her arm were already standing from the prickling heat. It was so cozy. Her icy fingers regained their red almost immediately.
The crackling of the dancing flames was like music to her cold ears.
"We have a small guest room."
"Stop… It's not alright for a stranger to stay over. You don't understand the implications!" She cried softly, feeling terrible for simply stepping into his house.
"Don't worry. The room is really dirty anyway." He smiled.
Dirty?
"It's not that! I…" She couldn't find the right words from her mouth. How could she deny the ignorant little child? Didn't his parents teach him never to talk to strangers?
"You… You shouldn't show such kindness to strangers. They take advantage of you and dispose you when they've taken it all." She said.
"You don't look like a bad person." He shrugged innocently.
She really stopped speaking after that line. It was hard to disagree… She really wasn't a bad person. It was just that…
"Here we are. You can stay inside for the night."
She reluctantly entered, trying her best to smile back as she closed the door.
She took a seat on the bed. It really was comfortable. The bed was so soft, compared to the hard brick of cold floors and the icy metal in the sewers. The room actually smelled good, compared to the foul sour of the cold green liquid down there.
She was protected from the sharp coldness outside. How could she not want to stay inside? And yet…
It was not alright at all. She was implicating the boy! He didn't know that he was helping a criminal on the run…
What would happen to him if someone ever found out?
No, it was not alright to stay inside…
"I brought you a glass of-"
The boy stopped in his tracks as he entered the room. The girl was gone.
All that remained was an open window, the blinds fluttering about in the chilly breeze that grazed his warm cheeks with frost.
Verian
Companion
A warm blue light enveloped Verian as he finished off the last slime in the area, signifying his thirtieth level-up.
"I've always wondered about that. Where does the light come from when you level up, anyways?" Sharia eyed him from the wall across, her arms folded as she leaned against it.
"Technically, levels are just a measurement of your mana capacity. Grendel tells me that when you level up, your mana capacity and control have actually increased. The excess energy formed in the process is expelled out of your body all at once and into the surroundings, therefore creating a bright blue light. Your-"
"Enough, genius. I'm not really interested. It was just a passing comment, nothing more. My brains are beginning to hurt already." She interrupted before he could finish his lecture, obviously bored. "God, you actually asked Grendel about that? I didn't even expect you to answer it."
"Right…"
"So, what are you gonna be? Fire venom magician?"
"It's Fire/Poison Mage. And no, I'm not going to become a Fire/Poison. I'm thinking about becoming a Cleric."
"What, you mean the healer? Boring." She mumbled.
He laughed. "Yeah, probably. But still, this beats the city life."
"Yeah, yeah." Her impatience never seemed to grow on him.
"Alright. Hey, since when did you begin to follow me around?" He grinned.
"I don't know! I'm not a stalker like you are, okay?" She protested, bright red beginning to flood her face.
"Relax, I was joking. Besides, I rather enjoy your company."
"You what?" She stared, wide-eyed. "Just so you know, you're totally not my type."
"You're not mine, either." He chuckled. "I didn't mean it that way at all."
"W-What are you staring for? Get a move on it already! You're not going to make it to the library before sunset for your advancement if you don't move quickly!" She quickly turned, hiding her face and running off at the same time.
"Wait up!" He laughed again. So amusing, that girl.
Estelle
Guilt
It didn't feel right.
She had implicated a clueless young boy, dragged him into this web of punishment and pain. If something ever happened to him… how would she ever forgive herself?
Maybe it was time…
Maybe it was time to stop running and to face the punishment, even if she didn't deserve to be punished…
Verian
The Healer
"It's nearly been two months since you became a Cleric, and you're still at level thirty?" Sharia yelled.
"Yup."
"What the hell have you been doing, stupid?"
"I finally realized that if I had continued to train and fight monsters, I would simply be falling back to the same lifestyle I once held… Every day would be spent doing the same thing, fighting and killing, leveling up and then killing more."
"That makes no sense at all. Bishops can do much more, like revive the dead to a certain extent, as well as utilize that holy magic thingy you guys have. What's the point of staying a Cleric if all you can do is heal, heal, heal, heal, heal and heal?"
"It doesn't have to make sense to you. Besides… It's not as if the time was spent wasted…"
"What do you mean?"
"Follow me." He took off, the same way Sharia always did.
"Wait up!" Their roles had finally been reversed, hilariously.
After covering a short distance, they quickly arrived at the small park in Henesys. More specifically, an area that was rarely ever visited in Henesys Park.
The sky had already lost its sunshine and the world was lit by the evening glow, orange and pink blending nicely above them. Any trace of blue that had once been there had now bled out of the sky, trickling down below even the shortest, dark figures of buildings in the horizon.
"What are we here for?" She mumbled, concealing her soft panting behind each word.
"The dead tree."
"What about it?"
"Look closely."
Sharia looked up, and for the first time, Verian saw a sparkle in her eyes.
"It's… amazing."
The tree that had once thought to be dead was beginning to grow back its yellow leaves, the beautiful golden glow lighting the tree, giving the image that it was sparkling. The red leaves scattered among the yellow seemed to radiate with life with their rich, deep red.
"It's never actually been dead… just deprived of essential nutrients. It's one of the only remaining Maple Trees in the entire world and it was such a pity to see it go. I've been practicing my skills… particularly heal."
"You… revived this tree?"
"Were you listening? It's never been dead. Besides, I'm not a Bishop, just a lowly Cleric. But I ought to be the best healer in the world." He smiled, running his fingers along the tree bark. "It's the only skill I've practiced ever since becoming a Cleric, so I'm really good at it now."
"But wait… if it was this easy, some other Cleric would have done it ages ago!"
"It was thought to be dead… That, and the fact that nobody really cares for nature any longer. Clerics only heal humans, anyway. That's the norm among them."
"And you could somehow heal trees?"
"Initially, I thought Clerics could heal all life, which is why I began to heal this tree. And then I found out from Grendel that not anyone could do this… Maybe it's because I spent all my time practicing heal instead of training, like other Clerics." He himself looked as if he was dazzled by what his hands could do.
"Heh, and I thought you were just lazy." She grinned. "But hey, you didn't turn out so bad after all. In fact, you're amaaazing." The sarcasm hit its peak in her voice.
"Of course I turned out fine!" Verian stared up at the tree again. "Do you know? If I keep coming here every night to heal the tree, one day, it will return to its former glory: A beautiful, majestic tree."
"I'll be looking forward to that day, Verian."
"Woah. That's the first time you've used my name!" Verian exclaimed, in a rather teasing manner.
"Shut up!"
Estelle
Worthy Sacrifice
Estelle stood outside the entrance of the Kerning Prison. Her heart was racing, the sound ringing in her ears.
It was time to do what was right. No more implicating others, no more carrying danger to whomever she went to. For the sake of them, it was time to go.
"Excuse me…" She called out to a man who had just walked out of the doors.
"Yes, can I help you?" He smiled.
"I… I'm here to turn myself in."
"You… You are? Goodness, give me a second!" He ran back into the prison for a short while, running as quickly as possible. He reemerged a second later just as he had promised, with a small list in his hands. "Could I have your name?"
"Estelle… Estelle Kyrstia." She stuttered, her nervousness beginning to get to her.
The man's eyes slowly went down the list, carefully scanning it from top to bottom. A puzzled look began to form on his face. He lifted his head and scanned the list again, from top to bottom once more.
"A-Are you sure you're a criminal?"
"What? Yes… Yes, I am."
"I beg your pardon, but could you wait here for a second once more?"
She nodded and he took off once more. What was going to happen now?
Again, he emerged from behind the darkness of the entrance.
"You're the girl… The one who murdered a bandit?"
"No- Yes! Yes, I did." Her heart leapt. It was time to face the music… Someone else's music.
"Oh. Well, the real killer was found a while back. You're free now." His face was still a little puzzled, but a look of concern slowly began to take its place. "Oh… Oh! You're crying! Glory, I'm sorry if I did something!"
She shook her head, flinging teardrops in every direction.
It was stupid, really. All this time, she had been running. Since when did she have the right to be free? When had she regained freedom?
But she couldn't complain about how she had wasted her life away. If she hadn't found the courage to turn herself in for the sake of others, she would never have been free. She would have been running forever, never wanting to face her fate.
And she had finally done it. She had finally learnt the meaning of a worthy sacrifice and this… this was her reward.
"Thank you…" She forced in between her sobs.
"I'm sorry for whatever trouble you were put through… You ran, didn't you?"
"Y-Yeah, I did."
"Well, that was silly of you… but you're free now, so don't let it worry you. We just need to complete a few documents here and there with you and then you're free to go. I'm sorry for the terrible things we must have put you through..."
She nodded again, the floodgates of relief and joy opening in her heart.
It was finally over.
Intertwined Fates
Two unrelated lives, lying under the same shade of destiny
The Maple Tree was bursting with life. Branches had begun to sprout out in every direction as leaves began to sprout out of them. It brought a lovely shade to the park, where people could sit under and watch the clouds go by in the mornings and the sparkling jewels in the night sky.
Verian lay beneath the large shadow, beside Sharia. They had been basking in the glory of reviving the tree. It was even bringing in so much attention now. More and more people were beginning to come by, dazzled by the glory of the tree.
Even as he thought this, a girl had settled herself down at the opposite side of the tree. She smiled as if the whole world was smiling back. If that tree brought such joy to the lives of others, he had done the best job he could.
"Hey, Sharia."
"Yeah?"
"What do you want in your life?"
'Huh?"
"I mean, what do you aim to achieve in your life?"
"I…" Now that she had thought about it, she wasn't sure at all. "I'm not really sure, actually…"
"Why do you keep fighting monsters and leveling up? What's the point?" Verian stared at her, anticipating an answer. Maybe it would give him a reason to fight, too.
"I… I don't know. Isn't that what everybody else aims for? To obtain power? I'm sure it must feel good to know you have control over your life in some way or another." Her voice was filled with uncertainty and Verian found it slightly hard to believe those words. But they made sense, too. "Why did you become a magician?"
"I… I wanted to escape the life I had. Nothing happened in my old life. Nothing changed… It was just… boring, I guess. I needed a change in my life. This was it."
"Did you really get anything out of it?"
"Not really, I suppose… It was just the first step to changing my life. And then conveniently… In came you."
"Me?"
"You're… interesting. And strangely random too. I thought that if I stuck around you, my life would become more interesting, little by little."
Sharia burst out laughing. "Seriously! Me?"
"Yeah, what's so funny?"
"I... I guess I'm a little surprised. Nobody wanted to be around me before. I was… alone. I'm not quite sure why people avoided me, but I didn't want to know at that time."
"Of course they avoided you. You're the most rough-mannered, rude and yet spontaneous person I've ever known."
"What?"
"But at the same time, interesting. My life would never have changed if I hadn't met you."
"I'd really like to take that as a compliment, idiot."
"Then take it as a compliment."
"I… I guess so." She said. "So what happens now?"
"I intend to stick around you for a long time to come." He grinned, his usual grin. "I don't want to fall back into that boring life again."
"I… I guess I do enjoy your company too…" She mumbled under her breath, almost as if she was embarrassed to say it out loud.
A large smile spread on Verian's face.
"But just so you know, you're totally not my type."
It felt so good to finally breathe fresh air. The world seemed to light up for Estelle as she strolled along the pathway of Henesys Park. The grass was greener than she had ever noticed before, the sky's color running as deep as the turquoise of her eyes.
She spread her arms wide open, ignoring the odd stares of the people around her. How beautiful the world was in the early morning. How crisp and fresh the air was!
And…
How peculiar! The dead Maple Tree she had used to visit as a child… it was alive! When did it happen?
She had never seen a Maple Tree with its leaves or with such a brown bark in her life! It was… spectacular. Nothing like what she had ever seen before. It was simply breathtaking.
A crowd had already formed around the tree. It seemed like the tree had begun to revive only recently.
It was as if it was there to welcome her back to the world, to remind her of the freedom she had finally regained. It was so strange, yet so great!
It was so great to be alive!
She took a seat down under the large shadow cast by the glorious tree. The breeze ran through her shoulder-length hair, blowing into her face. She took it all in.
How funny. And she had finally realized something in the two days of her newfound freedom.
If you wanted a change in life… You had to bring the change about. Sitting around and waiting… it would never do you any good at all.
Even if the future was sketchy and uncertain, sometimes… sometimes you just had to plunge in.
And sometimes, just sometimes… you would be rewarded with things you would never have imagined you would obtain.
At the opposite side of the tree, laughter echoed out. As she turned, she saw a couple sitting down, a bandit and a magician. They lay on their backs, probably watching the clouds fly by as they conversed. How nice it was, to be so happy and carefree.
She felt tempted to do the same.
And so she did.
She sat down and lay on the grass, her hands cushioning her head from behind. She watched the clouds float by, slowly and calmly.
The sky seemed to shift with it, blue and white swirling together.
A red Maple leaf slowly drifted down from the tree, landing on her nose.
She laughed.
She had finally obtained everything she had desperately cried for and dreamt about: A normal, peaceful life.
All was as it should be.