Riley slowly wiped his face in a clear pool of water.
He stared at his reflection for a moment… then turned his face away.
He muttered softly, yet firmly:
"It's time… to leave the forest."
He stood and moved through the dense trees of Alxeron Forest.
He was not afraid.
Not of monsters, nor goblins, nor anything else.
His steps were quiet… yet heavy with memories.
The sound of birds filled the air,
the wind brushed his face, moving his hair,
as if the forest itself was bidding him farewell.
Sixty-six years.
Every step he took carried him back through those years…
years of torment, silence, and hell.
And every time…
one name appeared in his mind.
Ascaron.
The friend who had sacrificed himself
so that Riley could escape hell.
> Was this luck?
Or fate?
Or something else…?
He suddenly stopped.
A memory of a strange monster, its face distorted, flashed through his mind.
And the next moment—
He bumped his head on a tree.
Riley:
"Ah… my head…"
He looked up…
and froze.
An old wooden sign,
with an arrow,
and a single word beneath it:
EXIT
His eyes widened,
his heart pounding with excitement.
Joy… real joy.
But he paused.
One question pierced his chest:
> Should I go to my mother… to my family?
Or somewhere else?
An image of his father, Armand, appeared in his mind,
shouting:
"Ungrateful son!"
Riley clenched his fists.
He took a deep breath.
"I'll look for a village… first."
He continued walking, following the arrow.
He increased his pace.
Then he ran.
He ran just to feel…
the sky.
And suddenly—
The forest opened up.
A vast blue sky.
Green land stretching endlessly.
Trees dancing with the wind.
Riley stopped.
A tear slipped from his eye without him noticing.
He whispered:
"If you were here now, Ascaron…
we would have laughed together at this sight."
He smiled sadly,
then continued on his path.
After some distance, he saw smoke rising in the distance.
"A village…?"
He moved toward it,
climbing over rocks.
And then—
He froze.
From afar…
he saw his family's mansion.
He stood, contemplating, with a heavy heart.
And then…
he saw her.
His mother.
Standing by a window, speaking with a maid.
For the first time…
he saw her from afar.
He laughed.
Smiled genuinely.
Then he turned.
"I'll see you later."
And continued on his way.
After a while, he found another sign:
Border between two families
He remembered Ascaron's words.
He realized he had entered a new region.
But he kept walking.
As he walked, his thoughts returned to his magic.
> Ascaron didn't know his element…
He said no element could be black…
He raised his finger.
A small flame…
black.
His eyes widened.
"Dark element…?"
But his inner voice was cut off—
"Adventurer!"
He turned.
A man was standing behind him.
Man:
"Are you on a mission?"
Riley:
"Sorry… I'm not an adventurer."
The man paused, then said:
"Apologies for the disturbance."
And left.
Riley continued walking…
until he arrived.
A village.
Children laughing.
Elders sitting.
A market full of life.
Riley stood in awe.
"So… this is what villages are like?"
He remembered the man's question.
Adventurer.
Which meant…
Adventurers' guild.
A wave of happiness filled his chest.
He asked a man:
Riley:
"Excuse me, where is the Adventurers' Guild?"
Man:
"Go left, and you'll find it."
Riley:
"Thank you!"
He ran eagerly…
and suddenly collided with a girl in noble knight attire.
He stepped back quickly.
Riley:
"Sorry! I'm very sorry!"
She looked at him with disdain.
Girl:
"Watch your steps, peasant."
He didn't respond. He didn't care.
His heart focused on only one door.
He stood before the building.
A large wooden plaque.
Adventurers' Guild
He smiled.
He took a step inside.
The first step…
on the path of an adventurer.