"Mefertahane"—it was a beautiful and fertile continent. Rolling mountains intertwined with gently flowing rivers. Forests covered the land like a green quilt, and in the fields, golden wheat swayed with the light breeze, creating waves of gold. Everything was so full of life.
Of course, not everything was so wonderful.
In a forest next to a village, the sound of "huff! huff!~" could suddenly be heard. Then, from the bushes next to the low-lying farmhouses bordering the forest, a massive black shadow burst out. It was a beast completely different from the animals on Earth, shaped somewhat like a wild boar, covered in sharp bristles, with blood-red eyes.
The beast shook its head violently and roared, its blood-red eyes turning even redder. It lowered its head, revealing two gray-black tusks on its broad snout. Its right front hoof pawed at the ground fiercely, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. Then, it charged. Its massive body, like an armored vehicle, slammed into a farmhouse.
The low-lying house, built only of earth and stone, was instantly reduced to rubble. From beneath the debris came faint cries for help, like a candle flame in the rain, along with the sight of dark blood.
This beast was a Monster. This was a world filled with all kinds of strange Monsters! It was a world where humans and Monsters coexisted! Although Monsters sometimes came into conflict with humans...
But humans were not powerless. There was a type of human who possessed the ability to heal and guide Monsters. They could make Monsters docile and even control them. They used shining stones to form contracts with Monsters and summon them. They were called—
"Healers"!
At this moment, in the bustling market of a small town, a young man wearing something similar to an Arab headscarf, white shorts, and ornate clothing stood on the street with his hands in his pockets, a bored expression on his face. He was a true 'Healer.' But now, the young man's brow was slightly furrowed on his still-childish, cute face.
What was troubling him was the talking bottle—or rather, a bottle of water—chattering away like a little bird next to him.
To be more precise, it was a palm-sized girl sitting in a glass bottle filled with clear water and a few rings.
"Look! The rings at that stall over there! The color is amazing!" the tiny girl exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she pointed at a stall on the side of the market, her hair, which looked like it was made of clear water, swaying gently.
"Those are clearly low-quality fakes; they're not worth much. Let's go, we need to get to the next town before dark," the young man said, covering his face with a headache. He couldn't remember how many fakes he had bought because of her obsession with rings, or how much money he had wasted. He tried to persuade her gently.
"Trust me! With my years of experience, this one is the real deal!" the girl in the bottle said with a serious and confident expression.
However, it was no use.
"You've lost your memories... why are you so obsessed with rings?" the young man said helplessly. "It's my nature~" the girl in the bottle replied matter-of-factly.
Your nature is to buy rings?! Why do you seem so useless?!
"Fine, I'm leaving then. You can admire this ring all you want," the young man said, pretending to leave as a threat.
"Hmph! You always promise to buy me rings, but it never happens!" the girl in the bottle said with the expression of a spurned wife. "Argh! I'm so mad!" The girl in the bottle looked annoyed. While the young man wasn't looking, the transparent glass bottle suddenly flew up and disappeared into the bustling crowd.
"Hey! Melk, where are you going?!" the young man shouted after the disappearing figure—no, bottle—while hastily chasing after her.
"That idiot..." The girl in the bottle flew to a secluded corner, muttering to herself in dissatisfaction. She casually glanced around and suddenly saw a bright light in the corner of a wall. "Ooh! What's that sparkling over there?!" the girl in the bottle, Melk, asked, curiously moving closer.
"Wow! What a huge ring!" Melk exclaimed when she got a clear look at the object in the corner.
Today is my lucky day~~ I found a ring, I'm so happy~ Melk picked up the exquisite silver ring and swayed it back and forth gleefully.
"Honestly, where did that Melk run off to now..." the young man said helplessly from the side. He continued to search everywhere for Melk, feeling a little regretful. If he had just bought Melk a ring earlier, none of this would have happened. The young man hated trouble more than anything.
"Melk!" His efforts were not in vain. The young man finally found Melk in a quiet corner by the city wall. He quickly ran over.
"Melk," the young man called out. The girl in the bottle, Melk, turned around with a joyful smile and held up the ring in her hand.
"This ring is—whoa!" Before the young man could even ask about the ring in Melk's hand, it suddenly erupted in a silver light, blinding him.
Soon... the silver light faded, but the spot where they had been was... empty.
(End of chapter)