Esmeria

Gregory was a man who lived with his adopted daughter, Regina, in a house nestled deep within the forest on the continent of Azevaria.

It wasn't that Gregory chose isolation; rather, his obnoxious personality and heavy drinking habits alienated him from others.

"Oi, get me some more beer!" he bellowed, hurling an empty bottle in Regina's direction as she was busy doing laundry.

"Eek! O-okay!" she responded, startled by the sudden outburst.

Hurriedly, she scurried to the storage area where she kept the beer, retrieving a few bottles and placing them on his's table.

Regina, around 16 years old, had long pale gold hair and striking sky-blue eyes. Her appearance resembled a worn-out doll; her clothes were tattered, she looked malnourished, and bruises marred her skin. Her hair was often disheveled, a testament to the harshness of her life.

Years ago, he had found her unconscious near the forest river. His decision to take her in wasn't driven by kindness but by a desire for a servant. In exchange for minimal care and one meal a day, she was expected to fulfill all of his demands. He often manipulated her with the excuse that he had saved her life whenever she showed reluctance.

This arrangement suited him perfectly; he saw her merely as a means to make his life easier, oblivious or indifferent to the toll it took on her well-being.

Regina's daily routine was a relentless cycle of servitude. Each day began before sunrise with cleaning the house and preparing breakfast for Gregory. Laundry followed, then she ventured into the forest to fetch water and forage for food. On top of all this, she had to make trips to Berlau village to purchase beer whenever Gregory demanded. She would get beaten whenever she could not finish her chores by the end of the day, and whenever he was in a bad mood.

The legality of slavery in the Azevaria Empire meant she had no legal recourse and no one to turn to for help. Her only reprieve came when he drank himself into a stupor. During these moments, she seized the opportunity to sneak away to Ananda, a village of kindness and solace. The villagers there treated her with warmth, and playing with the village children briefly lifted the weight of her hardships.

Mary, the innkeeper, always greeted Regina with a warm smile and a plate of food whenever she visited. Despite her constant hunger, Regina never voiced her need for more, too embarrassed to burden Mary.

Grandpa Jimmy, with his weathered face and twinkling eyes, regaled Regina with tales of his youthful exploits as an adventurer. His stories transported her to far-off lands and gave her fleeting moments of escape from her harsh reality.

Grandma Yunny, a gentle soul with a quiet demeanor, would patiently listen to Regina's complaints and cries. With a tender touch, she would pat Regina's head, offering silent comfort that spoke volumes.

Tim, a mischievous bundle of energy, often teased Regina with harmless pranks and jokes. His lively antics brought moments of laughter and levity into Regina's otherwise somber existence.

The villagers of Ananda showered her with kindness and acceptance. Their genuine care made her yearn for a life among them, far away from the oppressive confines of her home in the forest. Each visit to Ananda became a bittersweet reminder of the warmth and camaraderie she craved but could never fully embrace.

Her heart raced with trepidation as she approached her house, the usually dark silhouette now illuminated by an unexpected light. Gregory should have been deep in a drunken stupor, yet there was a flicker of light suggesting otherwise. Each step toward the door intensified her fear, her legs trembling beneath her. Sweat dripped down her forehead, a testament to her escalating anxiety.

With cautious movements, she pushed the door open, its creaking breaking the silence of the night. The scene that greeted her shattered any hope of a quiet return. Inside, he sat at the table, a stern expression etched on his face, his eyes fixed on her with unnerving intensity.

"Where have you been, little wretch?" his voice sliced through the tense air.

Regina's throat tightened, fear rendering her speechless. She stammered, "I-I... I was just..."

Before she could finish, his hand slammed onto the table, causing her to flinch.

"Do you think you can sneak off whenever you please?"

His words dripped with malice.

She retreated a step, her heart pounding in her chest. The villagers' kindness in Ananda felt like a distant memory now, as the reality of her captivity closed in around her.

He got up from his chair, walked toward the frightened Regina, grabbed her arm, and threw her on the floor. With callous brutality, he began to strip her clothes while continuing to rain blows upon her.

As Gregory unleashed his fury on Regina, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a figure cloaked in black, standing ominously at the doorway, observing the scene.

"Who the hell are you?!" Gregory bellowed, his rage boiling over as he advanced towards the intruder, attempting to assert dominance.

Ignoring Gregory completely, the cloaked man strode past him, his attention fixed on Regina.

"How dare you ignore me, you bastard!" Gregory seethed, seizing a nearby chair and swinging it at the intruder's head from behind.

With uncanny speed and precision, the cloaked man drew a gun from his waist and fired, the bullet grazing Gregory's hand and sending the chair crashing to the ground.

"Who are you?! I'll report this to the authorities!" he threatened, clutching his injured hand in pain.

Remaining impassive, the cloaked man approached Regina, offering her a spare cloak to cover herself. Gently, he lifted her from the floor and carried her out of the house, away from Gregory's reach.

Regina, trembling with fear and shock, found herself unable to scream or resist as the mysterious man whisked her away.

"That girl belongs to me! Don't you dare take her from me!" Gregory's voice trembled with a mix of fury and fear, his bravado crumbling in the face of the stranger's intervention.

He was consumed by fear and rage, desperately wanted to confront the mysterious man cloaked in black but found himself paralyzed with terror.

"Wait here," the man commanded Regina with a stoic voice as he retreated into the house. He closed the door behind him, shielding her from witnessing the impending confrontation.

"W-who are you?! What do you want?! You won't get away with this!" Gregory's voice trembled with a mix of defiance and fear as he confronted the cloaked figure.

The mysterious man remained silent, his expression unreadable as he retrieved a reddish bullet from his pouch. With a swift motion, he loaded it into his gun and aimed it at Gregory with unwavering determination.

"L-l-let’s talk this out, you want that slave, I will give it to yo-" Gregory's plea was cut short as the mysterious man fired, the bullet piercing through his skull with deadly accuracy.

A surge of intense heat accompanied by a burst of flames erupted from the bullet wound, swiftly engulfing Gregory's body. The fire spread rapidly, devouring the house in a roaring inferno, its flames licking at the night sky.

As the flames roared and the house crackled with the intensity of the fire, Richard stepped out into the night, his presence a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding around them. Regina, her voice trembling with fear, couldn't help but ask:

"Eek! W-w-what happened?... and who are you?"

Richard's countenance softened briefly, a hint of sorrow crossing his features before he spoke:

"I am Ilmari-”

He paused, reconsidering.

“Just call me Richard."

We need to leave this place quickly before the soldiers arrive."

Regina's eyes widened in confusion and fear.

"What do you mean?!"

Richard placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, just follow me. I will protect you."

But as the flames burst open the door, revealing Gregory's lifeless body consumed by fire, Regina's terror intensified. She recoiled in horror.

"No... I don't believe you!" With a surge of adrenaline, Regina turned and ran towards Ananda, her voice echoing through the desolate night.

"Help! Help me!"

Desperation punctuated each cry, but there was no answer, no comforting presence to be found in the ruined village of Ananda. Regina stood alone amidst the devastation, her heart pounding with fear and confusion.

As Richard approached calmly behind her, Regina's fear turned to anger. Tears mixed with ash streaked down her face, her voice trembling with grief and rage for the first time.

"Why did you do this?! Why did you kill everybody?!"

"There was nobody here when I passed by," Richard answered, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"You are lying! They were still here moments ago! I even played with the kids here!"

"I am not lying, this village seemed to be ruined for a long time, nobody lived here."

"B-but... You are lying!" Tears flowed down Regina’s cheeks as she collapsed to the ground, exhausted from all the events unfolding.

As Regina surveyed the ruined village more closely, she realized the signs of decay were not recent.

Richard couldn't have been responsible for this destruction.

Confusion gripped her as she struggled to reconcile her recent memories of the lively village with the desolate reality before her. Her head throbbed with the effort to make sense of it all.

Just as her mind was about to unravel, she finally remembered.

She remembered the past. She remembered what happened.

"There was nobody here to begin with. Ananda was a ruined village. I was always alone, playing by myself," Regina muttered to herself, the realization sinking in.

At some point, she had started to imagine a bustling village and its inhabitants, creating imaginary friends to fill the void of her solitude.

"No...this can't be real..." Tears continued to flow unabated from Regina’s eyes, unable to stem the tide of sorrow and confusion.

"We must get away from here now. Any delay, and we are going to get in trouble," Richard said calmly, placing his hands on Regina's shoulders, guiding her.

"Now, put this on." Richard gently covered Regina’s face with the hood from the cloak she had been wearing earlier.

Regina had no choice but to comply, her fear overriding any other emotion as she followed Richard, unsure of what was real anymore.