"Ridge, listen to me."

"Mom, I'm listening. Are you going to be alright soon? This is a really, really high fever you're having."

"I don't think I can make it out of this one, Ridge. I can feel my body growing weaker as we speak."

"What!? No, Mom! Don't lose hope! You've pushed through others, you can push through this one too! So what if it's just a few degrees higher?"

"Ridge, you know that the medicine isn't advanced in our village right now. Nothing can break this fever, Ridge. You're just going to have to accept the fact that I might not be there for you anymore."

"Mom… Why? Why would this happen to you, of all people? Why can't Dad come back to help you? He could help you!"

"Ridge," His mom smiled sadly. "Your father will not be coming back."

"If he wasn't ever going to be there for us, then why did you marry him!? He should be here too!"

"We married because we loved each other, Ridge. You might understand one day. Your father loved you, Ridge, even though he couldn't come to see you."

"I never knew him… I never saw him… Why did he leave?"

"He left because he had to. If he had the choice, Ridge, he would've stayed with us."

"Mom…"

"Ridge, if I die, then you know what will happen."

"The village will get the house, not me. Yeah, I know."

"You won't be able to take many things with you, but if you do take things, be sure to always carry a weapon, food, and your father's memento."

"That old Rubik's Cube? What good will that do?"

"It's the proof that your father still exists, Ridge. Just promise me to keep it with you."

"Okay, Mom. I promise."

"Good… This fever is quite persistent. Ridge, I love you."

"Mom…. Don't leave me…"

"Mom… Please…"

"…"

"…"

"Mom…"

Ridge watched sadly as the resident Testificates carried his mother away from his house. Several of them broke away from the crowd and tried to comfort him, but Ridge knew that their words wouldn't help. His village was poor, and no one could afford a proper funeral, so they just laid her body in the ground and took turns saying their goodbyes.

The Testificates urged him to be first. He stood in front of the plot of dirt his mom now laid in and tried to say something, but he couldn't find the right words. Not even a goodbye. The more he stood in front of him mother's grave, the more he resented everything: how poor his village was, how helpless he was, and how his dad never came back to see them or at least help them.

Tears welled up in his eyes, and Ridge could feel all eyes on him. Suddenly, he couldn't take it anymore. He turned and ran back to his house, scattering Testificates and sobbing silently. He wiped the tears away in shame; he never cried before, except for the time when he discovered that his dad would never come back.

Ridgedog wrenched open the doorknob and slammed it behind him. He planned to leave the village forever, and seek out a new fortune elsewhere. He wouldn't stay here, for there was nothing left for him. Traveling to a new, unknown place was a challenging ordeal, but he would be able to cope with it, like he had been able to cope with poverty and empty stomachs. Besides, he had a better chance of living a better life if he left the village.

He prepared quickly. Ridge stuffed his day pack with the remaining food that he had, some pre-made torches, coal, the stupid Rubik's Cube, and grabbed his mom's iron sword. He didn't really know how to use it well, but he would need it to defend himself from the creatures of the night.

Ridge slung the pack over his worn shirt and prepared to leave. Just as he was going to step out the door, he stopped suddenly. A glint of gold caught his eye, and he moved closer to the spot where he spotted it, curious. The gold in the darkness wasn't his imagination. It was peeking out from the closet, smiling brightly at him.

He opened the closet slowly, curious, and his eyes widened when he saw the source of the gold. His mom never showed him this. An ornate gold and black overcoat hung from a nail in the door, preserved carefully and in perfect condition. One glance told him immediately that this belonged to his father. He never saw anything this fancy, save for the cake his mother saved up to buy from the bakery for his 10th birthday.

Ridge considered taking the coat with him for a moment, but decided against it. He looked at the coat longingly one last time, but something in the coat pocket caught his attention.

He reached out with a shaking hand and withdrew a note from the coat's side pocket. It was old, tattered and yellowed with age. Opening the note, he read the faded black ink. It looked like it was written several years ago. It read:

Ridgedog. If you are reading this, then your mother has died. Please know that I am deeply sorry for her. This coat was once mine. I would like you to have it. Keep it if you wish, and I wish you Godspeed.

-Father

Ridge was dead, dead angry at his dad for not talking to him in person and writing a stupid note to his future self instead, but he couldn't pass up on a new coat. He only had a thin jacket that he wore in the winter, and that was it. No fancy gold and black overcoat that went to his ankles.

He carefully removed the coat from the nail. It was heavier than he imagined, but the coat fit perfectly over his shirt like it was made just for him. Ridge took a moment to admire the fine stitching and expensive black wool before grabbing his pack and his sword. He stopped at the door and made one last, sweeping look across the house he had lived in for sixteen years.

"Bye," He said softly. Then he turned and shut the door behind him. Somehow, he knew that he would never return.

A/N: Short chapter is short, but things start to get interesting in the next chapter! Who will Ridge meet? Anyone know? Cover art by AJ Hateley.

Havs, out!