The morning sunlight shone that day, Dex opened the wooden door, and stepped outside.
He took a deep breath, gripping the sword at his side.
Ronan stood at the doorway, still with a tired face and old eyes that seemed to have seen far too many tragedies.
"Where will you go?" he asked quietly.
"Lumiran, a small town on the border, my mother's hometown"
Ronan stared at him for a long moment, then walked inside, taking an old, worn leather bag. He handed it to Dex,
"A few bandages, some food, and potions to suppress infection. I don't know how long you can survive out there, but if fate still favors you, maybe you'll get there in 10 days if you use a horse"
Dex accepted the bag without saying much.
"Why help me?" he asked softly.
Ronan smiled faintly. "Because if I didn't help you, I'd be no different from them"
"Seems I should thank the soldiers for leaving their horses here" Dex said as he mounted one of the horses
"I hope you make it safely" Ronan said, his voice trembling
"Thank you" Dex pulled the reins, turning slightly. "Goodbye, I hope we will meet again if fate agrees"
Then he gently nudged the horse's side, and the animal began walking slowly,
Ronan stood where he was, watching Dex's back until his silhouette disappeared among the trees, swallowed by mist and light.
***
The sun was about to set, Dex had left in the morning but now it was nearing night.
The path he took was not the main road, but a narrow trail between trees, an old route rarely traveled because it was dangerous.
Dex chose that route not only because he wanted to arrive quickly, but because he wanted to avoid surveillance.
Every step of the horse echoed among the damp trees.
Dex remained silent, every time he closed his eyes, his mother's face appeared, the gentle hand that once stroked his hair now felt like embers burning his thoughts.
He lowered his head, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter.
"That's enough" he whispered.
Dex arrived at the edge of a small river.
He lowered his horse to drink while he himself sat on a large rock, washing his face and wounds.
The water was clear, reflecting a face he hardly recognized, sunken eyes, pale skin, and a gaze that had lost life.
Dex let out a long sigh, then stared at the slowly flowing current.
"Lumiran…" he murmured quietly. "What should I do when I get there?"
The sound of rustling leaves behind him made him turn quickly
His hand reflexively touched the sword hilt.
But what appeared was only a small deer, staring at him with innocent eyes.
Dex lowered his hand slowly. "You're lost too, huh?" he said softly,
The deer ran off, leaving small tracks in the mud.
Dex stared at the direction the animal had gone for a long time, then looked at the sky. Clouds were beginning to thicken. It might rain again tonight.
When night came, Dex built a small fire under a large tree.
He ate a bit of the dry bread Ronan had given him, drank water from a leather pouch, then leaned against the tree trunk.
The wind blew gently, making the fire flicker. Dex slowly closed his eyes, for the first time since the tragedy, he could sleep without nightmares.
***
Days passed without much happening,
Dex passed empty fields, small rivers, and busy villages.
Children ran along dirt paths, people sold harvested goods, and laughter echoed from small taverns.
He only stopped briefly at a public well, drank some water, then continued riding.
***
10 days passed without anything special happening.
Dex patted his horse's neck, slowing its pace.
"Almost there, just a little more"
A few hours later, he arrived at a small town on wide plains.
Dex stared at the scene for a long moment,
"Lumiran" he whispered softly.
His mother's hometown, a place that had only lived in stories, now lay real before him.
Dex slowly dismounted, leading his horse down the town's entrance road,
He didn't see many people,
Some children ran past, carrying small baskets of wild fruit,
An old woman closed her window when she saw him pass.
The atmosphere in Lumiran was different from what he imagined, quiet, yes, but not a peaceful quiet. More like a quiet that held something beneath the surface.
He gently patted his horse's neck.
"I know, you're tired too" he murmured,
The horse neighed softly as if understanding, then Dex led it toward what seemed like a small inn in the middle of town.
A wooden sign reading 'The Silver Lantern' hung in front of the door, swaying slightly in the wind. He opened the door carefully, the smell of old wood and tobacco smoke greeting him.
Dex approached the counter.
"Is there an empty room?" he asked briefly.
The man was silent for a moment before taking a key from the shelf behind him.
"Upstairs, the room at the very end, water for bathing is outside in the back, your horse can be kept in the stable behind this inn, five copper coins for one night"
***
Dex lay on the bed in the room, the room tidy, not too big, not too small.
Dex looked out the window of his room
Watching the children playing, they shouted out the names of their cards, pretending to be heroes.
'Cards'.
The word was not new to Dex,
Since childhood, people always talked about them,
Everyone in this world grew up with stories of Soul Resonance, when at the age of 10–18, a person's soul would reflect the form of their own power.
Attack, Support, Summon, Trap, Domain,
Five types of cards that determined a person's life path.
People said Resonance was a blessing, but for Dex, it was only a source of chaos, for thanks to the power given by those Cards, many evils existed in this world, basically power always came with evil, card users were also the ones who destroyed his village.
Because not everyone was blessed with strong cards,
Most only received E-rank cards, or even F, which meant nothing in the eyes of the world.
Dex never expected much,
He knew he wasn't a talented person, and maybe, would never become anyone.
"Even so, I'm curious about tomorrow"
Tomorrow, he would turn eighteen, receiving his own Card Resonance, which people always said determined the future.
He closed his eyes, trying to sleep.
***
"arghh" Dex clutched his chest.
Right when the clock's hand passed midnight, Dex woke up, the air around him turning cold, swirling slowly, as if something within it had come alive.
Dex opened his eyes, a faint light appeared in front of his chest, forming a smooth circle of flowing wind.
Something came out of that vortex, a card, floating slowly in the air.
Its surface glimmered bluish, faint letters written in the center.
[The Wind]
Rank: B
Type: Support/Attack card
The card floated calmly, as if waiting,
Dex stared at it for a long time, wordless.
He didn't know whether to be happy or sad for receiving a card that was quite useful.
Even though he had this card now, everything still felt meaningless.