The wifi is getting me annoyed these days… first, while I listen to music on the internet, they get screwed up, even if the buff is full… and it's really irritating. It ruins my music listening experience. Have you guys experienced that? It's hard to find good signals for your wifi to have a good net experience. That would usually happen to me… (okay, enough rant. On to the story )

Chapter 1: Memories

"Where am I?"

Lire opened her eyes and find her inside the forest back where she fainted. All around her were the trees cut down… and the ground forming large cracks. The druids ran to the heart of the forest where they find the Queen smashing the havens of the elves. The blonde-haired girl trembled when she saw her father and mother. Her father ran past her… leaving her mother grabbing her wrist.

"Let's go, Lire… it's not safe here," she said, pulling her daughter with her and trembling.

"B-but what about Daddy?" The girl hesitated but her mother just dragged her along. Lire started to form tears trickling down her cheeks. Kaze'aze appeared in the sky and blasted a huge fire ball that burned the trees and havens. Many druids have fallen, leaving their faint figures of skeletons lying on the ground scattered with burnt flesh. Their weapons are drenched in their blood and were left scattered on the blood stained forest ground.

"Daddy!" Lire screamed. Her mother, still holding her wrist, cried silently and pulled her daughter in her arms. The little girl cried on her mother's chest in misery. "H-he's gone…"

Before her mother could even respond, Kaze'aze turned her glance towards them. The elven woman gasped and pulled Lire in her arms, giving the Queen a murderous glare. Kaze'aze grinned and walked towards them, her claw-like hands charged with deadly aura.

"Looks like we got two remaining survivors," she said in a sly tone. "Well, you should say your last words before you say goodbye to your dear life,"

"You've caused enough damage to our village!" Lire's mother retorted. "You may do anything you want but not to destroy innocent lives!"

Kaze'aze sneered. "Such goody-goody words," her face turned grim. "But you haven't seen anything more interesting than that," She punched the ground, creating earthquakes that shook the ground violently. Lire whimpered and felt her mother's arms encircling around her for protection.

"Mommy…"

"Kaze'aze, you may kill me but not my daughter!" she heard her mother mouth out the words, causing her to gasp in shock.

"Oh, so you'll sacrifice your precious daughter over your life, ha?" the Queen questioned. "But I prefer killing you both,"

"M-mommy..!" Lire is pulled out of her mother's arms. Kaze'aze's shadow balls formed dark beams that entangled around her body like vines. She can see her mother falling on her knees and begging for her to give back her daughter.

"Give her back… s-she's my only daughter!"

"Give her back?" Kaze'aze smirked. "Why she'll be enjoying her afterlife right after I kill you first,"

"M-mommy!" Lire cried and struggled from the binds. At last, her mother made her final decision.

"Kill me, Kaze'aze… I will sacrifice my life to save my only daughter…" she said solemnly, standing up and staring at her daughter's eyes filled with her love and affection. "I love you, Lire… you will always be my daughter…"

"MOMMY!" Lire shrieked as tears flooded her eyes. Her chest hurt as she let out loud hiccupping sobs. "D-don't leave me! I… I love you! Please don't leave me!"

But she was too late. Kaze'aze struck her mother a powerful punch. It knocked the air out of her as she was sent sprawled on the ground, blood trickling down her lips.

"MOMMY!"

Kaze'aze let go of the little girl, making her fall on her stomach. "I think that's enough…" she glanced towards Lire, her face forming into an evil smirk. "Until next time, little girl… when the time comes, you'll soon end up like the rest of your own race…" She disappeared into thin air, leaving Lire running towards the limp body of her mother. She knelt down and shook her mother.

"M-mommy..?" her lips quivered as she nudged her mother. Unfortunately, the woman didn't respond. Her eyes are closed when they slowly opened. "Lire…"

"M-mommy!" The little girl gasped. "M-mommy… please wake up, you can't be dead…"

"Lire…" her battered mother coughed. "I… I'm afraid… this is the end of me."

Her daughter cried as tears fell down on the dirty clothes of her mother. "Remember that… I will always love you… t-take care of yourself and… stay with R…"

"Stay with what? M-mommy… Mommy!" Unfortunately, her mother lay on the ground, gave in her last breath and closed her eyes… forever.

"No!"

Lire sat upright on her bed, tears falling down her cheeks. She broke into heavy breaths and placed her hand on her chest. She stared by the window beside her and saw the sun shining brightly for the midday.

"I've been sleeping for four hours..?"

The dreadful flashback flashed inside her head. The death of her parents two years ago… and the name of the person her mother entrusted her to stay with… Who could it be?

"What are you trying to tell me, mom?" she asked herself. "Who'll be my…"

I'm sure it's a boy… but who is it?

She stared at the sky, recalling her mother's last words before she died. She has no idea who the person is…

Who could it be? I haven't got any clue… there has to be something.

A young forest druid proceeded to a clearing. He held an axe on hand and he placed it over his shoulder. He had an orange messy hair that spiked in different directions. A green headband encircled his forehead with small yellow buttons at the front. He wore a black shirt with a dark green vest unbuttoned. It was slightly short that it showed half of his stomach. A rope was tied around his waist like a belt… and he wore a pair of black pants.

His strong green eyes stared up in the sky and to the trees. He stepped his feet on the forest ground and closed his eyes.

The eerie sound of the wind relaxed him. He needed silence and concentration. It was then he reopened them and began his training.

I need a moving target… he thought to himself. He looked around him… nothing. He is not used to target dummies. This is boring, he thought. He needed a moving target. But where can he find one?

His pointed ears heard a sound nearby. He turned towards the direction and spotted a nearby bush. It made rustling sounds that made him suspicious. He approached the bush and –

"Raargh!"

Two orcs popped out of the bush and cornered him. The boy stared at them grimly. The orcs owned stone mallets. They had those yellow fangs that are filled with cavity.

A smirk formed across his face.

Two against one… how exciting…

The orcs growled and fumed. The boy stood between them, waiting for their first moves…

Hmm… maybe a little taunt should do it.

Before he could do this strategy, the orc behind him charged. His eyes stared quickly behind. The orc leapt, ready to hit his mallet towards him. He crouched down as the orc leapt across, almost landing on the other orc. The druid smirked again.

His hands summoned green spores as they moved like gelatin. He threw them towards the two beasts: "Poison Spore!" The spores landed on the ground and dripped like slime. The orcs dodged them and lunged. One orc threw his mallet struck the ground with the weapon and shook the ground slightly. The druid twitched slightly and turned his glance at the other orc above him, ready to strike him down.

BAM!

A crackling sound filled the air. The two orcs shielded themselves with their filthy arms. To their surprise, they find a bright orange shield on the druid's place. The boy gave them another smirk as the shield faded.

Now it's my turn…

He prepared himself by charging himself with energy. His eyes are closed, as if the orcs thought he is taking a rest. Getting impatient, the beasts charged towards him when the boy's eyes reopened, his eyes filled with rage.

To the orcs' surprise, the druid roared, sending them staggering backwards and clutching their heads. The druid smirked again. Perfect…

He tightened the grip of his axe and gathered all of his energy. His axe grew larger and smashed the weapon to the outwitted orcs – "Hammering Crusher!" – creating a small tornado bursting out of the ground.

Gaining his victory, the boy placed the axe over his shoulder and wiped off a sweat. He took his one last glimpse at the orc corpses before leaving the area. His face then formed a grim stare towards the bright sky. He remembered this place… it was where the Queen of Darkness, Kaze'aze slaughtered the druids in his own race as well as the elves inhabiting the area.

The ground he is stepping at was the place where the skeletons of the fallen druids and warriors laid.

Two years ago, Kaze'aze suddenly appeared in the Elven Forest, slaughtered many druids, destroyed innocent lives and… disrupted the entire forest. The little boy's parents left him inside their haven along with the maidens watching over the infants.

"Mom, Dad!" he called after them. But his father turned around and knelt in front of his son. "Ryan, you stay here while your mother and I figure out a way to put an end to this madness… do you understand?"

"Y-yes… Dad," the little boy nodded reluctantly. He watched his father leave him behind along with his wife. The maidens put him in a safer place as the infants began to cry.

The sky turned darker gray as Kaze'aze stood at the heart of the forest, watching the druids and warriors charge towards her and ready for their weapons and godlike powers.

"Don't look…" A maiden clamped her hand on the druid – Ryan's eyes to keep him from witnessing the scene.

Couldn't stand staying inside the haven any longer, the druid decided to escape; he found an open window to jump out. He tiptoed across the room and sneakily hopped out of the window. He landed onto his feet and found a hiding place inside the bushes.

Mom, Dad, where are you? He thought stubbornly.

Just then, he heard a loud rumbling noise. He looked at his right and what he saw made him gasp in surprise.

An enormous ball of fire was blasted from Kaze'aze, burning the druids alive. What left them were faint figures of skeletons lying on the ground with their weapons thrown aside.

"Mom! Dad!"

He was interrupted when he saw Kaze'aze coming towards the direction where he was. He hid inside the bushes and heard the heavy footsteps of the Queen's monstrosity.

"C'mon, Lire, we have to go… this place is dangerous,"

He lifted his head up slightly and found a woman and a little girl a few distances from him. The girl was the same age as his and her face is filled with tears. Ryan knew about the woman since he was five but he doesn't know the girl. He muttered the girl's name as he watched Kaze'aze cornered them. The woman pulled the girl in her arms.

"Any last words before you die?"

"You may do anything you want, Kaze'aze, but not to destroy the forest and harm innocent lives!"

"Ha, ha, ha… such goody-goody words," Kaze'aze sneered. "But you haven't seen anything better than the last time," She punched the ground, shaking the ground violently.

What the druid saw next was Kaze'aze creating a dark vine and entangling it around the girl's body. The woman begged to give her daughter back.

"You may kill me, but not my daughter!"

"Hmm… I do prefer killing you both," Kaze'aze replied, staring at the girl struggling from the binds and screaming for her mother.

He felt sorry for the girl. Tears fell down the poor girl's cheeks as she watched the Queen knock her mother out cold. She was sent sprawled on the ground, blood trickling down her lips. The girl was released from the binds, making her fall on her knees.

"Until next time, kiddo, when the time comes, soon you'll end up like the rest of your own race…" Kaze'aze smirked before leaving her alone with the corpse of her mother.

Ryan saw how the girl's heart broke from the death of her parents… when he later realized he wasn't the only one…

"I-I'm afraid this is the end of me… Lire, you t-take care of yourself… and stay with R…" the girl's mother gave in her last breath before closing her eyes forever.

The druid let out a soft gasp. Was the girl's mother entrusting her daughter to stay with…

He saw the girl crying miserable and running to the woods. With this, he decided to follow her to the forest without being seen. He followed her to the swamp nearby and hit behind a tree. He found her sitting on the small boulder and staring at her reflection on the water. Tiny tears poured down the girl's cheeks and let them drip on the water.

He stared at the girl's eyes… shades of light green.

"Ryan!"

The maidens called him from the distance, catching his attention and the girl as well. He stood up and unexpectedly… stole glances with the girl. The girl stared back at him in surprise.

His name was called twice when he had the urge to get back. He looked back and the girl's movements told him she's coming close. He has to know about this girl… but the maidens are calling him to get back.

Leaving him no choice, he sprinted off. The girl mouthed out a small "Wait I…" before he took his one last glimpse.

Here in the present, Ryan couldn't erase the girl's image off his head. He didn't even have the chance to know her, but one thing that he can remember that her name was… Lire.