Curse this damn sun I say. For five hours Dad and I have been walking and all for what? Some lousy deer meat... ok the meats really good but still, why do we have to go so far for it?

This isn’t the first time dad and I have gone hunting, but it’s the first time we’ve gone after anything bigger than a stray wolf wandering too far from its home. The towering redwood trees make traversing through the forest rather easy considering how much space their roots clear up. Plus, we have a few humble trails paved from countless hunts before to keep us on the right path.

Yet is this all there is to life? I know I’m barely eleven and the world is an open oyster or whatever mom likes to say, but it doesn’t seem that open to me. I know towns and cities exist, the smallest of them still contain an inconceivable amount of people compared to our three-human lifestyle. Not like I would travel to one anytime soon, it’s not that mom and dad won't talk about our situation it’s just that I’m too scared to ask. If they’re willing to isolate us in the middle of a near-empty forest, there must be some horrible terrifying story as to why. Perhaps my parents are cursed to turn dead and infect that town with a plague to rival any healer alive. Am I a zombie child! OH NO! It’s true, it must be, it only makes sense, we’re zombie people!

“Got something to say there Alym?” Ah right, dad is here. Having seemly watch my internal breakdown dad chose to not yet push the issue. Smart man.

“Uhh yea dad, just ya know thinking about life... and stuff.” Great job Alym, impenetrable response he suspects nothing, I'm sure.

We continue our waltz through the sweltering summer heat, even with the dense foliage of the surrounding trees to guard us, the heat and moister in the air are just melting me. Doesn’t help that mom made me wear an extra layer for protection. Damn that woman and her care for my safety, let me die in comfort!

Sometimes I wonder what life is like in a city or anywhere really. A place where you couldn’t possibly hope to know even half of all the folk living there, and where one didn’t have to worry about every aspect of survival.

Like “Alym go get water from the good river” or “Alym help gather fruit, so we don’t starve tonight” ...ok that one was a bit of an exaggeration. Still, I’d love to be able to just skip down the road and take a left to a market that sold all my humble needs.

Perhaps it’s not all that great though. I mean mom and dad left that life and they seem content with their new one. Well, they have each other so I guess that helps. Unless a strapping young tree lad comes strolling into our front yard, I don’t think I’m going to have any luck any time soon.

Once I even thought about running off to find a great city, but quickly killed that improbable idea. Ignoring that fact, I’d probably starve before getting anywhere close, first off, I don’t even know where a settlement is, and secondly, I’m broke.

“Looks about right Alym, what do you think?” Wait how long has he been going on?

“Oh, yea this looks... good” Masterful response part two.

“Tsk, and to think I raised a liar” Hmph, ok masterful response may have been slightly off. “You got something on your mind kid? I haven’t had such a peaceful walk since before you were speaking.”

sigh I guess this question was gonna be asked eventually. At least mom ain’t around to make it even more awkward.

“Sooooooo... why do we live in the middle of nowhere.” Silence, really old man! Now you can’t speak? Huh big talk no bite, I guess.

“Dad you there?”

“YES, yes sweetie I’m here. I was just uhh thinking.” Nice to know the all-mighty father has some weakness, besides mom that is.

“Well, you see Alym the reason we live out here is somewhat complicated, so I’ll try and do my best” Oh? A juicy story I see, perhaps star-crossed lovers that ran away from unaccepting parents. Or perhaps... OH NO! What if we are zombie people, please Gods it was just a joke, don’t let us be cursed for all the is holy.

“About 5 to 6 days travel from here is a nice town known as Erebous. It’s where I grew up and it’s where your mother eventually moved to. You see some resources were discovered just outside Erebous around 16 years ago. We received a lot of people and a lot of good work.”

“Well, that’s good isn’t it” I knew a “but” was coming yet I was still holding out hope this story would end blandly and without trauma.

“Yes, yes it was all good... until it wasn’t.” There it is.

“These resources and economic growth brought the ire of many people, your mother's clan included.”

“Clan?” This was the first time I’d ever heard of mom being part of a clan.

inhale

“Clan might not be the right word, but it’s close enough. You see the new mine and resources that came with it had astronomically high magic concentration, making it optimal for enchanting weapons and armor. Hell, some folks managed to make a few lesser magic items.”

“What did mom's “clan” have to do with all this?”

“Right, like I said clan is most likely the wrong word, clan goes better with certain few more nomadic races. Guild may suit your mothers' people better. You see Asta grew up with a collection of mages who all mastered a specific subset of magic.”

Huh... didn’t see that coming. I guess it makes some sense, but why doesn’t mom use her magic?

“Your mom was rather young when her people came to my town and formed a sort of new group within her people. She and some others within the guild started working around the town to make a living instead of simply practicing their magic. She waitressed at my old spot and well that’s a story for when your older” I giggled thinking of my dad trying to approach mom at work, she can become a bit snappy while working on short time.

“Eventually the amount of money coming through Erebous drew the greedy eye of the Dragonborn. sigh Damn fucking lizards always have to ruin a good thing.” I’ve heard dad mention other races before but never with such disgust and hatred painted across his face.

“A small war started between the Humans and Dragonborn, but in truth, the damn lizard's armies were too big and the human armies too far to fight. They were just going to walk in like the greedy dragon wannabes’ they are and throw us all out.” The pain in my father’s eyes nearly broke me.

“That's when Asta’s people came in to play. Being a literal cult err guild of mages, he he don’t tell her I called them a cult... please. Anyway, being a group of strong mages, they stepped in as the army we so desperately called for. And it worked! We help them back three times before the lizards eventually surrendered in total defeat.” Here come “but” number two.

“But they took it too far. I’m... I’m not going to go into detail, but her people were shunned from the continent and expelled from Erebous for the atrocities they committed. Many came to a less pleasant end, along with anyone who had close ties to them. By then your mother and I were married, and unbeknownst to either of us you were on the way too.”

“So that’s why we live here. To protect mother?” I decided dad didn’t need to go any further, I’d just end it here.

--------------------------------

Aaron wanted to say more, the loss and pain hidden behind his eyes could say it all, but he just can't. He can't bring himself to explain the whole truth of the true danger of the world.

“Yea, to protect your mother... yea...” Silence filled the open forest, all other creatures scared off by persistent chatter or the human family.

“Come on now Alym, we have a deer to catch” Aaron puts his mask on once again. Not just for his daughter, but himself more than anyone else.

Name – Alym

Race- Human

Age- 11 year

Awakening – 5 Years

Class 1 - [Locked]

Class 2 - [Locked]

Class 3 - [Locked]