Prologue: Primordial World

The shabby wooden room shifted to forty five degrees, before swaying back opposite like a gentle pendulum. This continued indefinitely, as it had since the ship had departed for the New World. A small woman observed the continuous shift for dozens of more moments, praying that the gentle sway would lull her back to sleep. When even the combination of the lapping waves, the rushing wind and the pendulous movement of her hammock didn't do the trick, she settled instead to fully wake herself from her rest.

With a bit of effort, Ruby was able to untangle herself from her hanging confines. Bare feet slapping against the floor, she sluggishly slipped her legs first into her pants, before sliding on a pair of boots that rose up to her calves. Once she tied the laces, she grabbed her half-jacket off of a rung next to her hammock, knowing that the balmy warmth in the bilge of the ship would soon give way to the cool night breeze of the ocean. She eyed her sister, whose hammock hung below hers, dangerously close to the floor. The blonde tangled nest of hair framed her face perfectly, soft snores droning through the quiet night. With an affectionate pat of her sister's head, she set off to start her long day.

The low light of the lamps around her made it difficult to traverse to the lower deck, not to mention the addition of sleeping bodies piled haphazardly around her. Really, she was lucky that the two of them were able to secure their hammocks, it came with the privilege that her sister had acquired for them. With tentative steps, she ascended to the ship's upper deck, a gasp involuntarily escaping as she breathed in the cold sea air.

The darkness of the night was feebly combated by the flickering brazers set about on the deck. As far as she could see, there was only the moon, the stars and the endless abyss of a calm sea. The ship swayed, the girl compensated naturally, a skill she had recently learned, and she set forward to patrol the ship, a futile act that would only reveal what she already knew:

The sea surrounded them, and they were well on their way to their destination.

She didn't know exactly what she wanted from this topside expedition of hers. She had watched this ocean before, for more than a month. Besides trace amounts of clouds, or a school of fish, there wasn't much to be gleaned. Maybe she was just hoping something would appear in its opaque solution. But as she gazed out into the midnight waters, she could only observe what she had seen many times before, an endless horizon and a continuous rocking of her foundation. When she had set out on this campaign, with her sister in tow and all her belongings stored in a rucksack, she was hoping for more adventure right out the gate. However, the beginning of their journey had only proved that being on a ship at sea was dreadfully boring.

A sigh exploded from her mouth, her hands automatically finding the back of her head as she leaned backwards and observed the nights sky. This sight was much more interesting in her opinion. These stars were much different than those in the Old World. With effort, she could spot a constellation or two that they shared, but the majority of the sky was alien to her. It was enough to focus her on what laid ahead, an exciting world filled with opportunity, and the chance to alleviate the apathetic catharsis her life had descended into.

A few of the crew shuffled by her, tentatively caring for the ship in one of their many shifts that wound through the night. They didn't pay her much attention, one or two of them sending her a nod before continuing on their way. She nodded back, as politeness dictated. As much as she liked a few of them, she knew she might never see them again, such was the infrequency that this journey was made, every ten years, with the occasional trader ship sent every few months.

A small amount of movement caught her eye, a figure slipping from a large door that lead to the private cabins aboard the ship. Those cabins were saved for the especially elite passengers, people who had personally been recommended for this voyage, instead of the many down below who had to apply and be selected by the Hunter's Guild. Ruby herself was only able to accompany Yang through a demonstration of her skills, and even that had only landed her an apprenticeship on the other side of the world, in a new savage land.

The shadow moved forward, walking towards the bow of the ship, Ruby almost gasped as a milky white specter appeared in the low glow of the starry night. Immediately, Ruby knew that her initial assessment was correct, that this person was important, simply based on the fine robes that hung from their shoulders. Wearing a white fur that certainly did more to combat the chill of the night than Ruby's own paltry jacket. The stranger's hood was up, so Ruby could not really see them. They stopped at the top of the bow, gazing out to the sea, in the direction they were sailing.

Ruby found herself moving towards the stranger, her uncertain gait carrying her forward. Normally, Ruby tended to avoid social contact. Not that she disliked people, she just didn't have much to say. It didn't help that her sister was a social butterfly that hogged most of the attention for all of her life. But for some strange reason, she had a deep desire to talk to this ghostly apparition that seemed to shine in this bleak night.

As she approached, the stranger turned towards her, most likely hearing Ruby's booted steps. The hood slipped back slightly, and Ruby was set upon by piercing pale blue eyes. A young woman, probably not much older than her sister stared at her, porcelain skin marred only by a single pink scar over her left eye. She was a true beauty, with a sharp almond face and pale pink lips. Surprisingly, the girl had completely white hair, what little that wasn't blocked by her cloak.

Ruby realized her mouth was open, and that she had been staring wide eyed at the girl. The woman did not break eye contact, only her gaze began to tighten in frustration.

With a sigh the beauty spoke, "Can I help you?"

Her voice was melodic, and even with the evident sharpness in the question, it was the sweetest thing Ruby had heard in a month. Amazingly, she was able to keep her stammering to a minimum.

"Oh! Uh. Sorry. Just, not a lot of people out tonight. I thought…" She trailed off.

"You thought?" The girl's eyebrow arched upwards.

"I dunno, I've just been awake all night. Thought that a conversation might help alleviate the boredom."

The girl's face softened, "It is pretty boring, this trip."

Ruby groaned, "Tell me about it, I ran out of things to do the first week! There's only so many times you can lose at cards. I've lost my savings and won them back three times!"

The girl smiled and let out a giggle, a sound Ruby immediately etched into her memory, before quickly thinking of a way to hear it again. "So… Nice night huh?"

Her compatriot nodded, turning her head back to the ocean before slipping off her hood, her long white hair done in a braid that she pulled from underneath her cloak, settling it on her shoulder.

"It is, even if it is a little chilly. Are you not cold?"

Ruby looked down at herself, a tattered long sleeve shirt and a half jacket that ended at her ribs the only notable pieces of clothing that staved off the cold. The brunette shrugged, "Honestly it's not so bad."

"Don't you have anything more to wear?"

Ruby blushed, "I… this is… The only clothes I have right now."

"Ah. I see."

Silenced filled the space in between them. Now that the class dynamic had been established, it was painfully obvious what the difference between the two was. Ruby was a poor bumpkin, and this girl was an aristocratic lady. Ruby hoped to god that her clothes hadn't started to smell, bathing on the ship was an activity that had happened far less than she had hoped. Desperately looking for a change of subject, Ruby asked what had been on her mind since she saw the girl.

"So… you wouldn't happen to be a huntress would you?"

The girl nodded in affirmation, "Yes, I am. Though, a fairly new one at that. I have been on several hunts back home, but mostly with teams of more experienced hunters."

Ruby was back to staring wide eyed, "Wow… a real huntress."

"Yes… well, and you? What are you hoping to gain from this foray into the unknown?" The question was one more of formality than actual inquisition.

"Well, I'm not a huntress, but my sister is! She helped defend our village pretty much since she was old enough to hold a weapon. Im… from the frontiers, we didn't have a lot of sanctioned guild hunters around. We all had to learn to fight. I can hold my own but… I'm definitely not as good as actual hunters."

The girl nodded along, "I wouldn't sell yourself short, that life sounds tough, I'm sure you're stronger because of it. I was always so protected and… Never mind. You never answered my question, what are you going to do if you didn't come to hunt?"

Ruby looked down, absentmindedly kicking her boots against the wood of the deck, "Well… it's just me and my sister y'know? And money wasn't exactly coming in so we decided to apply to the Research Commission. Yang had a decent resume of hunts to back her up, and Ive worked with our local blacksmith for a couple of years. So I was able to get in as an apprentice to the engineering fleet in Astera. I showed them one of the weapons I made for Yang, and they agreed it would be acceptable as proof of my skill."

The white haired angel nodded again, satisfied with the answer, "A fine calling. A blacksmith is a huntresses greatest ally, for what else can we rely on if not for our weapons? Not to mention, the New World is crawling with all kinds of different species, Im sure you couldn't ask for better crafting materials."

Ruby agreed, "Yeah… I dunno, I'm a little scared, it just seems so wild that my whole life is located in a small bag downstairs in the bilge. And that I'm going to a continent months away from my old home…"

The white haired girl shifted her shoulders, and her hand slipped from the cloak, before pulling back and resting it underneath.

"May I confide in you? I feel the same way. Leaving behind family, the comforts of home… But I needed to leave, I have a lot to prove here."

"Yeah?" Ruby locked eyes with her.

"Yes. But perhaps it won't be so bad. It's exciting too isn't it? A new world, the adventure of a lifetime…"

"And new friends?" Ruby asked hopefully, praying she wasn't pushing the limits of this candid conversation.

"… And new friends." The girl's smile was small, but warm. The sun began to peak from behind the horizon, causing a gentle light to creep across the girls face.

"LAND HO!" A ship hand cried, causing the two girls to whip their heads around. Truly, in the distance, small peaks of mountains and trees were to be seen.

"There it is! The New World!" Ruby squealed, failing to stop herself from jumping up and down. "I gotta go wake up Yang!" With a sprint she headed back below deck, mumbling apologies to the many hands and heads she bumped into.

In the excitement of waking her sister, of following the mad rush to the top of the deck again, and the gazing of their destination finally within reach, Ruby forgot something that she would regret for a long time.

She forgot to ask the girl her name.

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