The air pressure suddenly dropped. A huge blast of raw magical energy shot out from the dark tree line, heading straight toward the wooden carriage. It came from a hidden monster that could cast high-tier magic.
The man was too far away. He simply had no time to run back and block the spell. He ran frantically anyway, his boots kicking up clouds of dust. As the magical energy got closer, the man's eyes widened in absolute horror.
In that split second, it reminded him of the terrible time he lost his son. But now, he was going to lose his wife this time. His mind screamed to his legs to make it in time. But unfortunately, it was impossible. He was not going to make it in time.
From his spot in the carriage, Kian watched the glowing magical energy approaching at breakneck speed. He had no time to jump out from the carriage.
I'm dead, he thought, numbly accepting his tragic fate.
The magical blast struck the carriage—or did it?
The moment the deadly, glowing arrowhead of magic made contact with Kian's skin, it instantly vanished without a trace.
The man froze in his tracks. He was completely stunned, but overjoyed at the exact same time. The woman's jaw was still opened in pure disbelief.
Kian blinked twice, utterly lost. He did not understand what had just happened, but he deduced that the man outside must have used some secret skill to deflect the magic.
But then, he noticed a strange sensation. He felt his chest growing hot. When he looked down, he saw the cheap red pendant. It was burning hot against his shirt. The Vorathyn's Hunger.
The man finally reached the carriage, panting heavily. "Honey, are you okay?!"
Recovering from her shock, the woman nodded frantically. "Yes! What happened? Did you deflect that magic?"
"No," the man said, his voice laced with confusion. He looked back toward the woods, but the monster that cast the spell had already fled.
Before they could figure out what happened there, or how the deadly magical energy vanished in an instant, the retired Adventurer sensed a shift in the wind.
"Let's go," he ordered urgently. "More monsters are heading this way. We have to leave right now."
He scrambled up to the driver's bench, grabbed the reins, and cracked the leather whip.
WHAP!
"Hiyah!"
NEIGH!
They traveled for one more day until they safely reached a small village. It was here that Kian decided to stay.
The woman wept openly. "Are you sure you want to stay here? We could adopt you, you know?"
"Yes, I'm sure," Kian replied softly. "Thank you very much for letting me ride with you."
The man placed a heavy hand on Kian's shoulder. "You don't have to thank us, kid. I've got a feeling you brought us luck. If you weren't with us, I think... I would have lost my wife back there."
I brought them luck? Kian thought in disbelief. That's not possible. I have terrible luck.
Then, he remembered the blinding magical energy that had vanished right before hitting him. He pressed a hand against his chest, feeling the shape of the pendant.
Could it be... is this pendant a lucky charm? Oh! The merchant was right. This artifact really does bring luck.
The sobbing woman knelt down in the dirt. She wrapped her arms around Kian and hugged him tightly one last time. Kian was about to complain, but realizing how warmly the woman had treated him like her own son during their short journey, he let his arms fall and allowed her to hold him.
A while later, the carriage was already a small speck in the distance, slowly vanishing into the horizon.
"Family, huh..." Kian muttered to himself. "It must be nice to have a father and mother."
Tears threatened to spill from his eyes. His own parents had died exploring the dungeons before he could even learn how to walk.
The thought brought back memories of his deepest childhood dream. His parents had died wearing the badges of honored Adventurers, and because of that, a young Kian had sworn to follow in their footsteps.
He remembered the exact words he used to say: I want to become an Adventurer and save the world.
Kian bit his lower lip hard to stop the tears.
What a foolish dream, he realized bitterly. A weakling like me has no business becoming an Adventurer. I'm no longer an Adventurer now.
He clenched his fists tightly at his sides. He turned his back on the empty road and started walking toward the quiet village.
---
The sun dipped low, painting the forest in long, jagged shadows. Kian trudged through the underbrush. He was not paying attention. A sudden weight slammed into him, knocking the breath from his lungs.
Kian hit the ground hard while the girl remained standing.
She was his height, wrapped in a tattered cloak. Bruises mottled her exposed skin. She held a piece of dried meat in a white-knuckled grip, her chest heaving as she stared down at Kian. She appeared ready to attack at any moment.
Suddenly, footsteps crunched on dry leaves nearby. Panic flared in the girl's eyes. She scrambled behind a big tree, vanishing into the dark.
The girl panicked and rushed behind a huge tree to hide. Kian stood up, confused. He saw Adventurers approaching quickly. He remembered his own brief time as an Adventurer, but the shout of a mage snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Hey, kid," the Mage barked. "Did you see a girl in a hood? She ran this way."
She had no way out. If there had been a Thief in their group, she would have been caught. Fortunately, there was no Thief among them. This highlighted the importance of specific roles in a party.
Kian recalled his encounter. The dried meat in the girl's hand stood out to him. He deduced the girl must have stolen it because she was starving and could not afford food. Kian felt compassion for her and lied. "I did not see a thing."
"I didn't see a thing," Kian lied.
"You sure?" the Swordsman growled, hand drifting toward his hilt.
"Yes," Kian said.
The Mage signaled his companions. "Let's go that way."
The seven Adventurers ran in a different direction.
Fatigue hit Kian like a hammer, so he decided to rest. He put the red pendant into his bag. He slept under the bright moon, using big leaves as a cover from the dirty ground, though he had no pillow.
A figure approached. It was the girl from earlier. She removed her hood, revealing messy, orange hair. She stared at the dried meat in her hand, her expression hollow. ""This meat is not enough," she whispered. Her voice sounded like dry leaves scraping against stone. "I need more nutritious food to recover my strength."
She put the meat in her pocket and moved closer to Kian.
The silence stretched thin, vibrating with a predator's patience. The girl leaned over Kian's sleeping face. She rubbed his cheek and brushed his hair. Her movements were slow, deliberate. She leaned her mouth toward Kian's neck. Her jaw opened wide. Her wet teeth touched Kian's warm skin.
A few moments later, Kian woke up. It was dark. He noticed his head resting on something smooth. He blinked twice and saw the girl with orange hair staring back at him. He froze and instinctively tried to stand, but the girl pressed his head and chest back down to stop him.
"Relax," she whispered. "I'm not a bad person. Just sleep."
Kian felt something strange.
Why is this girl acting as a lap pillow?
The girl placed her right index finger against her lips and whispered in a strange language to the air. Then, she pressed her right palm to his forehead. Kian felt a strange sensation and suddenly grew drowsy.
"What do you think about demons?" she asked.
The question hung in the air. Kian's mind raced. Kian knew that after the Demon King was defeated by the Hero's party thousands of years ago, the Demon Territory became isolated. Humans and demons were mortal enemies. Humans and demons were oil and water, destined to destroy one another.
Demons ate human flesh. Since the war, humans prohibited anyone from crossing into demon territory. The remaining descendants of the Demon King were strong, making it risky to invade. Humans held the upper hand and could slaughter them, but the casualties would be catastrophic.
Instead, both sides implemented strict rules. If a human entered demon territory, they were executed and eaten. If a demon entered human territory, whoever caught them received a reward—a 100,000 gold coin bounty. Captured demons were sent to the Magic Research Laboratory for experiments, as researchers were eager to study their immortality.
The girl was terrified. If the Adventurers found her, she knew her end would be a slow, surgical nightmare.
Kian remembered a comic book from his childhood featuring a demon with flashy moves.
The girl waited.
"Demons," Kian whispered, his voice thick with sleep, "are cool."
A cold wind blew. Kian's eyes shut, and he fell asleep on her lap.
The girl's eyes widened, unable to believe what she had just heard.
A moment later, a new figure stepped into the light. Her clothes stained with the soot of a recent fight. She knelt, bowing her head.
"So, you're still alive, Margareth," the girl with orange hair said.
"Of course, Your Highness," Margareth replied. "Who is that boy? Are we going to eat him?"
The girl shook her head.
"I see," Margareth muttered. "You're keeping him as a pet? I have a sturdy dog collar waiting at the palace."
"No," the girl said. "We leave him here."
"That would be a waste of valuable food, Your Highness," Margareth insisted. "You're in bad shape. You need real nutrition."
The girl took the dried meat from her pocket and chewed it. "This is enough for me."
Grrrr!
Despite what she said, her stomach growled.
But then, Margareth sensed multiple people approaching. "Your Highness, we should go."
The girl's face hardened. She carefully lifted Kian's head and body, leaning him against a tree. She pulled a ring with a crimson jewel from her finger and slid it onto Kian's left ring finger.
Margareth gasped, her eyes wide. "Your Highness! That's the Authority Emblem. It has no magical power, but anyone who wears it will treat the wearer's words as your own. Surely you recall that."
"It's fine, Margareth," the girl said. "This emblem's authority is useless in human territory. My subjects won't ever meet him in the first place."
The logic made sense to Margareth. As long as the human boy did not stumble upon their kin, the ring was just a piece of jewelry.
"I just wanted to give him a present for saving me earlier," the girl whispered. "We'll never see each other again. I've never seen a human like him."
Footsteps grew louder. "Let's go, Your Highness," Margareth urged.
The girl with orange hair leaned down. She pressed a final, lingering kiss to Kian's left cheek, then bolted into the deep woods with Margareth.