Chapter 7 – The Bishop's Past

Dinah lay on her bed as she stared up at the ceiling of the room. It was 3 in the morning and she was having trouble sleeping. She thought back about what happened earlier that night. She had followed Ivan all the way to Kerning City in Victoria Island where they had been attacked.

She glanced down at the wound on her arm, which was now wrapped neatly with a clean bandage. Lea had helped treat her wound when they got back to El Nath. They also received an earful of nagging from the worried sick Bowmaster when she found out they'd been out so late.

They only got back here at 1 in the morning. The whole town was already asleep, except for Lea. She had been pacing back and forth in the training hall, wondering where the two were. Dinah had apologized to her a million times just so to get rid of the guilt.

"Sigh, can't sleep…" the Bishop mumbled to herself as she buried her face into her soft pillow. She was feeling miserable and grumpy at the same time. Her late mother suddenly appeared in her mind.

Her mother used to read her bedtime stories or cuddle with her when she had sleeping difficulties. She rolled around in her bed. "Mother…" A single teardrop rolled down her cheek. She missed her parents so badly. If they had never joined the war, they would've still been here with her.

She went back to the time when the world was still happy and peaceful. When forests were still green and monsters were still friendly. When her loved ones were still around her. She was seven years old.

"Mother! Mother!" I yelled as I ran into the tiny cottage in Ellinia that me and my family lived in. My mother, a powerful level 200 Battle Mage, was cooking something that smelled just delicious in the kitchen.

"What is it, love?" she asked gently as I ran up to hug her. She was wearing a knee-length gown that looked really pretty on her and an apron to go with. She stirred what seemed like a soup in a pot with the ladle in her hands.

"When are we having dinner? I'm hungry!" I whined as my stomach growled. My mother just laughed and patted my head.

"Very soon, dear. Once I'm done with the soup. Go set the dining table now."

"Okay!"

I ran off to obediently set the table. When I was done, I went back to my mother. "I'm done!" I smiled cheerily as she smiled back. "Good girl."

At that moment, the tiny cottage door creaked open and my dad walked in. "Father!" I greeted as I hugged him. He had slung his Marx Von Leon spear over his shoulder. He gave me a warm smile.

"How was your day, Father?" I asked.

My father, a level 200 Dragon Knight, one of the strongest warriors in Maple World, replied, "I had a great day! How about you? I see you've been helping your mother out a lot. Give me a five!"

I happily gave him a high-five. "Welcome home, dear." I heard my mother shout from the kitchen, "Dinner's going to be ready soon. How about take Dinah out to train a little bit?"

My eyes widened in excitement when I heard the word 'train'. I loved training with my father! He made such a good instructor. Of course, that wasn't surprising as he was one of the most powerful warriors of all time.

"Let's go, Dinah! We'll come back once dinner's ready." He winked as he put out his hand. I reluctantly grabbed it and we strode out of our small mushroom cottage. My father set his bag down next to a shady oak tree in the garden outside our home.

That was our usual training spot. "Okay, Dinah. Did you bring your staff?" he asked. "Yes!" I quickly said as I dragged my heavy wooden staff out of my bag. I found it hard to lift the heavy staff with my small body. I was a level 10 magician then.

"Good! Now let's try…" My father droned on and on as I followed his instructions. I had always wanted to be the greatest Bishop ever when I grew up. Or maybe, if I couldn't, at least a Priestess. I had trained hard to become…what I wanted to become.

Dinah sat up in her bed and grabbed her Timeless Aeas staff that was lying on the floor right beside her bed. "Now, I am MORE than what I wanted to be…" she whispered softly as she gripped the staff tighter, "I'm a level 155 Bishop, Mother and Father. Why aren't you here to celebrate with me?"

"Dinner's ready, you all!" My mother yelled from an open cottage window.

"We'll be right there!" My father replied, smiling. "Come on, Dinah. You must be really hungry. Let's pack up and go back."

I quickly stuffed my staff into my bag and strapped it across my body. "Done."

"Such an efficient girl." He praised as we walked back home together. As soon as I stepped into the house, the wonderful aroma of my mother's cooking delighted my nose. "Smells good!" I giggled as she walked out of the kitchen, carrying a small pot of soup in her gloved hands.

"Let's hope it tastes good too." She chuckled as she set the warm pot of soup onto the dining table. "Come on, let's eat." She slipped her hands out of the kitchen mittens and sat down on a chair. I grabbed a seat next to her and sat down as well.

My father sat down on a chair right across the table. We said a silent prayer before digging into the scrumptious food. "So…what do you want to be when you grow up?" My mother suddenly asked me. I immediately stopped eating and proudly announced that I wanted to be a Bishop.

My mother looked a little bit shocked. I wondered what was wrong. "Oh…that's…good." She quietly said as my father just nodded his head.

"What's wrong, Mother?" I asked her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She said. After a long one-minute pause, she blurted. "I don't want to let your hopes down or anything, Dinah, but being a Bishop…is really tough."

"I know…" I said.

"Only a few people in the WORLD have succeeded in becoming Bishops. Most of them found it too hard and they just stopped at their 3rd job. Only 5 people in the world have passed their 4th job." She continued.

"R-really?" I stammered. I knew she didn't mean to, but she was really putting my hopes down. But I still wanted to be a Bishop. There was no changing my mind.

"Yes, your mother's right, Dinah." My father said. I turned to look at him. "Why not become a Battle Mage like your mother? Or a Dragon Knight like me? And there are many other interesting jobs to choose from. You could be a Paladin, a Mechanic, a Corsair, a Crossbow Master…"

I sighed. I knew that they would never understand me. I wanted to become a Bishop so that I could heal sick innocent people and resurrect the loved ones of others. I wanted everyone to live happily without worrying about getting ill or dying.

"How about a thief?" I mumbled not so enthusiastically, as I dropped my spoon onto my plate. I didn't even feel like eating anymore. My parents gasped in utter horror. I looked up and widened my eyes.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" I cried out and quickly apologized. I was afraid. My mother just shook her head and opened her mouth like a fish. Nothing came out of it except for silence.

My father spoke out for her, as if he knew what she was thinking. "You see, Dinah, magicians and thieves can never get along. Thieves have hated magicians since the beginning of time. And…your mother is a magician and I don't think she's very pleased to be speaking about such a topic."

"Thieves hate magicians? Really? Then explain the Legendary Phantom Thief and Dragonmaster Evan. They were great friends." I piped up.

"That…is different." My father whispered as he ruffled his raven black hair. I could see he wore a sad look on his face, so did my mother. I decided to change the topic.

"Okay. So…what are we going to do tomorrow?" I quickly asked cheerily. What a weird way to change a topic, but it worked. My mother got her voice back immediately and started listing out the fun things that we could do.

Little did I know that 'tomorrow' would be the day I dread the most…

I woke up early the next morning to the sound of a loud explosion. It was so loud, it was almost as if something exploded right outside my window. I rubbed my eyes as I sat up in my bed. I looked out, only to see smoke rising into the air at a distance.

I was wide awake by then and I ran downstairs, screaming. "MOTHER! FATHER!" I shrieked as I burst into their room. They weren't in there and that made me panic even more. I ran towards the front door and out into our garden. I saw my parents, fully equipped, standing outside.

"Mother! Father!" My shouts made them turn around. My mother bent down to hug me as I ran towards her. "What's going on?" I stammered. I knew something was terribly wrong.

"Oh…uhmm…." She struggled to find the right words to say to me. My father nudged her, silently telling her to tell me the truth.

"There's an invasion going on right this minute…" she sighed as she picked me up in her arms. "We need to gather the strongest people in Victoria Island to fight against the Black Mage and his monsters for the sake of our peace."

"R-right." I trembled. "W-we still have enough time to escape the chaos and take a ship to Ossyria. We'll be safe there."

"I'm afraid we can't…" my father whispered, loud enough for me to hear. "But you can."

"Well, why can't you all?" I yelled at him. Tears were welling up in my eyes.

Without hesitating, my parents ran towards the Victoria Island station at the Six Path Crossway, killing monsters on the way. "PUT ME DOWN!" I screamed as I kicked hysterically. My mother paid no attention and held on to me tightly in her arms.

We reached the station of the ship to Orbis. There were people yelling and squeezing into the already full ship. It was so chaotic, it was almost like a stampede. My parents quickly walked towards a mysterious hooded man and passed me to him.

"Bring my daughter to Orbis safely, I beg of you." I heard my mother say. The man nodded.

"What? Aren't you coming? Where are you all going? Why are you leaving me?" I cried.

The man and my parents paid no attention to me. He quickly carried me into the ship. I screamed and cried. The ship began to move away from the station. "MOTHER! FATHER!" I shrieked as I saw them standing hand-in-hand at the station.

That was the last I ever saw of them…

A year later…

'I am now eight years old and I am a level 35 Cleric.'

I sat at a table in a house in Ludibrium. I was already familiar with the mysterious man who brought me here and I knew him as 'Griffin'. He was a very kind, caring person indeed. He was around his 50s and he acted as if he were my father.

I had also loved him like my father. I thought about my parents. A million questions welled up in my head. Were they going to come here to meet me? Was the war over? What's taking them so long?

"There's a letter for you, Dinah." Griffin said as he walked towards the table I was sitting at. I took the letter from his hands.

"Thank you, Griffin." I ripped the envelope open and unfolded the small note inside it. I carefully read it. I was filled with horror. I...I never thought this would happen…not ever in my life. I clutched my chest in pain and I started crying. Why? Why did this happen? Why are they so cruel to do something like this to me?

'Dear Dinah,

We're truly sorry about what we did to you back then. It wasn't because we didn't care about you and wanted to part with you. We sent you somewhere far away from Victoria Island with Griffin for your own safety. We hope you are having a happy life there with no worries or sadness.

We also hope that the invasion is over by now and the citizens of Victoria Island can finally return to their homes. We fought a tough battle. If you are reading this letter right now, it means we are no longer with you. However, we will always be watching over you from above. Please train hard to become a high levelled Bishop.

Love,
Mother and Father.'

I rubbed my eyes, hoping that what I have just read was a mistake. Maybe it wasn't meant for me. How? How is this possible? I-I wasn't ready for this…

Griffin walked over to me and gave me a protective hug. He took the blood-stained letter from my hands and crumpled it. "This will only bring you down." He mumbled. I shook my head, weeping.

"From today onwards, you're starting anew."

I looked at him. It was going to be impossible to forget what I just read. However, he was also right. I SHOULD start anew. I nodded and hugged him back.

"Thanks Griffin…"

Dinah immediately woke up, screaming. Sweat trickled down her forehead to her neck. Ivan, who was sitting next to her, quickly dabbed her face with a towel. She looked at him, confused, and cocked her head a little to the side.

"I-Ivan? What are you doing here?"

"You were yelling and screaming throughout the whole night. You were disturbing everyone. I decided to come here to shut you up." He muttered. Dinah glared at him.

"Well, did you succeed?"

"No I didn't. You were so loud, I think the whole El Nath knows you had a nightmare!" the Shadower said gruffly.

"Hmph…you can go now. Tell everyone else I'm sorry." The Bishop shook her head and wiped the sweat off her eyes. Lea suddenly barged into her room before Ivan could leave.

"Dinah! Are you okay? We heard you screaming last night and I was worried sick about you!" Lea stammered as she ran towards the shaking Bishop and hugged her, despite all her sweat and tears. Dinah shot her an assuring smile.

"I'm okay, don't worry. Sorry for keeping you all up."

"No need to be sorry." The Bowmaster giggled as she sat down on the bed. "Hanson bought breakfast. Shall we go downstairs?"

"But I…"

"Oh, come on!" Lea cried out and ruffled the Bishop's hair. "Just come!"

Dinah smiled. "Okay."

It's time. Time to forget the past, live through the present and await the future.