It's been five minutes since I split from Klint. I'm heading to see Maria.
I met her on a battlefield—though "met" isn't really the right word. More like I was busy slaughtering everything in sight while she lay on the ground, a massive chunk of rock crushing her legs.
It was a rough fight. The enemy was strong. Back then my hair was even longer, wild and tangled, but soaked in blood and sweat it hung flat, sticking to my eyes or slipping into my mouth. I noticed her watching me.
In fights, I always put my own fun and the brothers' safety first. The second I saw her eyes on me, I thought to myself, "That's enough."
The enemy was gearing up for his next attack—he didn't even get the chance to shout the name of his spell before I ended everything. I told the brothers we were done here, gave the order to pull back. Then, while everyone else waded through the blood-soaked field, I sat down on a rock.
Truth is, the only reason I stayed was because I wanted to get her out from under that boulder. But for a while I just sat there, staring at nothing.
That's when she called out to me. "Faust," she said. Faust.
How the hell could she call me that? Back then nobody called me Faust—not the brothers, not even myself.
But for some reason… I answered to it. It snapped me out of whatever trance I'd fallen into. I woke up.
Not sharper, not clearer, not anything like that. Just… different. Completely different.
I lifted the rock off her legs. They were crushed. I didn't say a word. She didn't either. I carried her to an abandoned house somewhere on that battlefield, laid her on the bed, dressed her wounds. Since she couldn't walk, I left a day's worth of food and water by her side.
She'd need the bathroom eventually, but I already knew I'd be back soon enough. To keep the brothers from noticing, I didn't touch any of the trees near Corehold.
Instead, I went to another continent, cut down ten, twenty trees, and built a house in a spot not too close and not too far from Corehold. Seven hours later, it was done.
I went back to her. She hadn't touched the food or water. I didn't think it was weird. I picked her up and carried her to the new place.
Inside there was nothing—just a bed and a chair.
Up to that point, we hadn't spoken a word to each other. The only thing she'd ever said was calling me "Faust." Everything unfolded in this strange, quiet way.
You know that feeling sometimes—like you're supposed to do something, like something's guiding you? I don't know if you get it, but that's what it was like.
There was already a barrier around Corehold that I'd made with the brothers—it keeps the place hidden and safe. I thought about putting one around this house too, but the brothers might notice.
I didn't want that. I didn't want them to see. So I built a different barrier, all by myself.
After I laid Maria on the bed, I was about to head out again to find food, but she stopped me.
She said she didn't need to eat. She pulled herself up with her arms since her legs wouldn't work, leaned her back against the wall.
"I don't need sleep. I don't need food. I just want to talk to you."
Those were her words. I didn't think anything of it.
From that moment on, after every adventure, every war, every fight, duel, mess, or headache—I'd find myself at her door.
Every single time. I'd just drag the chair to the head of her bed and talk for hours.
When did it start? When did it happen? I don't know. Not because I forgot—it's more like it never really "started." Like there's nothing to remember. Like it was always there.
I'm not even sure how old I am. Just somewhere between nineteen and twenty-one I guess.
Right now, I'm standing at Maria's door.
Today…it's a good day.