Darkness permeated everything, from the floor to the sky. There were no buildings, no nature, no people. At first, Saiya believed it was because of a lack of light, but she could see herself as clear as day. There was nothing here. The only sound came from her footsteps, which sounded like she was stepping on a tile floor. However, there were no discernible features to speak of. In fact, there wasn’t a single thing she could make out in the area. How did she end up here, in this void?

  Exhaling, a white puff of breath left her lips. Strange, it shouldn’t be cold enough for that to happen. Saiya wouldn’t describe it as particularly hot either. It just was. A small part of her knew she should be worried, but the rest of her didn’t care. This was where she ended up. Now, to make the most of it.

  Not that there was anything to interact with. It was just her in this blank void. The only thing to do was to walk forward. Though Saiya did, she wondered whether there was a point to. There was no way to know whether this place had a beginning or an end. Just an endless walk through nothingness.

  It reminded her of their travels through the wasteland. For a moment, Saiya wondered if she truly had died and this was where she ended up. It was fitting a place for her, being what she was. However, she quickly dismissed the thought. Saiya recalled her time with the Al’Yanda easily. So where was she, and how long had she been walking? The first thing Saiya remembered upon coming here was walking. Had she been unaware before that point? So many questions to answer.

  There was a body in front of her, twenty feet away. How long had that been there before she noticed it? It didn’t matter as Saiya ran over to help. As she kneeled down and turned the body on its back, revealing the face of an Al’Yanda man. She recognized him. It was the man the abomination had brutalized. His body bled from the injuries that covered him. He had stains from that inky substance.

  Saiya reached into her satchel for medical supplies. Fumbling around, she realized all she had were bandages. That wouldn’t be enough to help the man in his current condition. She still had to try. Carefully, Saiya wrapped his wounds, hoping to slow the bleeding. It was no use, as many of the bandages bled through almost as soon as they were applied.

  “Help!” A shout brought her attention away from the man. She looked up and had her breath taken away. There in the distance, Kaztos and Zeltara fought against a shadowed entity. At first, Saiya thought it was the abomination they had killed, but realized its features didn’t match. Its shape was humanoid, but at least seven feet tall. Any other features were obscured to her. Whatever it was, the thing threatened to overwhelm her friends. Standing, she prepared to join them in battle.

  A hand grabbing Saiya’s wrist stopped her. She looked down to see the bloodied man awake, staring at her pleadingly. “Please don’t go. Don’t leave me to die here.” She gently tried to tug her arm away, but his grip was too strong.

  “Saiya! Get over here and help us now,” Zeltara shouted. The plea caused Saiya to roughly pull her arm away.

  She stared down at the dying man. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.” Saiya turned away without a second thought. The pleas of the dying man rang out behind her as she ran away.

  “Please. No. I don’t want to die. Please.” The begging devolved into sobs as Saiya left. She tried not to think about it too much. It was harsh to leave him there, but her friends were in danger. They mattered more in the end. Still, hearing his sobs filled her with guilt.

  It’s then that she realized that the sobbing wasn’t getting farther away. Lookin ahead, Saiya could also see she wasn’t getting any closer to Kaztos and Zeltara. What was happening? Her legs moved forward, but she wasn’t getting anywhere. If anything, the battle seemed to get farther away.

  Saiya tried to pick up her pace, but it didn’t matter. The distance kept getting farther away. Her legs tired as she slowed down. Soon, she couldn’t muster the strength to go further. In desperation, she reached out her hand towards her friends but froze in terror. Looking at her arm, she saw it covered in blood.

  All at once, it came rushing back to her. Saiya found herself ten years old again. She was in the back room of her old home. There was blood everywhere. On the floor, the walls, and somehow on the ceiling. She heard drops hit a puddle as blood dripped off her. No, not here again. Hadn’t she come back here enough? Her body shook as numbness overtook her mind.

  Then the whispers began. They started quiet and indistinct. But then they became clearer, more all-encompassing. Saiya covered her ears, trying to block out the noise, but it was no use. They just kept coming. Her head pounded with pain as the volume increased. Soon, she found herself screaming. But then it stopped. A brief silence filled the room before two voices whispered in her ears.

  “We love you so much, Saiya,” a man’s voice said. Dad.

  A woman’s voice then followed. “We have a special gift to give you today. One greater than the stars themselves.” Mom.

  Images then flashed through her mind from that day. The look of pride they gave her. That hidden door behind the cupboard. Their shadowed forms on the ground. It all became too overwhelming.

  That’s when Saiya woke up in her tent with a breathless gasp. It took a second before she realized someone had grabbed her ankle. Before she could do anything about it, the person dragged her out. Panicked and still regaining her bearings, she lashed out with a knife hidden on her. Her desperate swipe missed as another hand grabbed her wrist and forced her to let go. Before she knew it, Saiya found herself tied up with rope. Her hands and feet were completely immobilized.

  As her eyes adjusted to the morning light, she saw her friends also tied up. Zeltara growled at the situation while Kaztos just looked annoyed. Saiya turned her head to see Dollanti staring down at the three of them. He then looked at her.

  “Hmph, at least you attempted to defend yourself. The other two did nothing as I tied them up.”

  “I demand to know why you tied us up and ambushed us in our beds,” Kaztos said.

  Zeltara nodded. “Yeah, what’s the big idea? What right do you have to do this to us?” Dollanti glared daggers at Kaztos and Zeltara, which silenced their protests.

  “First lesson of adventuring, always be ready. A complacent adventurer is a dead one. You will often have to camp out in the wilderness while on a mission. That leaves you open to attack or worse. The three of you failed to be on guard. If I were a bandit, then you would be dead.” The lecture killed any remaining protests they had. “Every day from now on, I’ll wake you up like this. It’ll continue until you can properly defend yourselves.”

  “Oh come on, that isn’t fair. How are we supposed to defend ourselves while we’re sleeping?” Zeltara asked. She was the only one still trying to wiggle out of their restraints.

  Dollanti began to untie them. “The life of an adventurer is unfair. Get used to it. Everyone will be out to get you. They will do any sort of terrible things to you.” Now free, the three of them stood up. Saiya glanced around and saw no one else was awake yet outside the night watch. They’d lost over an hour of sleep, by the looks of it. She turned back to Dollanti. “Get your gear and meet me outside of camp. I’ll be giving you three a test today.”

  “What about our work for the caravan? Will this interfere with our duties?” Kaztos asked. Dollanti gestured to the still-sleeping camp.

  “Does it look like anyone currently cares about your work? No? Then stop thinking about it. You’ll be training every day before breakfast. There won’t be any chance for anyone to miss you.” Great, so their early mornings would become routine. Saiya was already almost regretting this. Zeltara’s grumblings showed her to be of a similar mind. Annoyingly, Kaztos looked perfectly fine with getting up at this unholy hour.

  “Those monsters from last night only come out at night, correct?” Dollanti asked, looking at Zeltara.

  “That should be right. We haven’t seen any evidence of them wandering around during the day. Why?” The old man grumbled and rubbed his shoulder. Saiya wondered if it was an injury from last night or general soreness.

  He said, “Just want to make sure it’d be safe to go out. It’d be a waste of time to get up this early if you get killed in the first few minutes. But we’ve wasted enough time. It’ll be dinner by the time we start at this rate. I want you ready in ten minutes. Get to it.” Dollanti turned and marched away, leaving through the north side of camp. The three glanced at each other before moving to their tents to get ready.

  Saiya grabbed her cloak and wrapped it around her. Already, the outer layer of clothing provided her with a missing comfort. The nerve of him to tie her up like that. She wished her knife had found its target. Next, she grabbed her boots and began putting them on. As she did, Saiya overheard the other two talking.

  Zeltara said, “I can’t believe this. We miss sleep after a night like that. How self-important does Dollanti think he is?” She put one boot on. Now for the other.

  “It’s not so bad. We’ve had our fair share of sleepless nights so far. What’s one more? The life of an adventurer can be harsh in many ways. I imagine we’ll have many more sleepless nights,” Kaztos said. Second boot on. Now to grab her knives.

  “I know. It’s just a lousy start to the morning, is all. I still feel sore from the fighting last night. Another hour or two would have been nice.” Now, all she needed were her medical supplies. Who knew how hard Dollanti would be training them? Best to be safe and have something on hand.

  “I know the feeling all too well. But look on the bright side! We get to learn from a veteran adventurer. Think of the amount of wisdom he could impart to us? We asked for this.” Saiya grabbed a roll of bandages and froze. She found her mind drifting as she stared at it.

  “You’re right! I need to think about this positively. Just think about all the things we’ll learn from this guy. We already killed that abomination last night. Imagine what we’ll be capable of after training? I bet he’ll be impressed with how good we already are.” Zeltara and Kaztos’ voices drifted away as she continued to stare at the bandages. Images from last night’s nightmare flashed through her mind.

  The man from last night begging for his life. Kaztos and Zeltara fought for their lives against a shadow. She was stuck in the middle, unable to do anything. Her old home. The bandages in her hand bled red. She blinked and found herself back there. The room was dark, and she huddled against the wall. The sound of blood dripping came from across the room. Glancing down, she saw blood covering her. Lords above, not again.

  A firm hand landing on her shoulder brought her back to reality. Saiya exhaled, realizing she was back at camp. The bandages in her hands were clean. It was just her imagination. She turned to see Zeltara looking at her in concern. Kaztos was looking away, but his eyes would glance over in worry.

  Zeltara asked, “Are you okay, Saiya? You spaced out there for a moment.” She couldn’t find it in herself to answer, so just nodded. “Are you sure? You look pale, and your hands are shaking.” Saiya glanced down to see it was true. With some effort, she stopped the tremors. Taking a breath to center herself, she looked back up at Zeltara.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “I’m fine, just got lost in thought.” The slight shaking in her voice did little to reassure her friends. She needed a different tactic. “We’re going to be late. We can talk about this later.”

  Zeltara looked ready to press for a moment, but sighed. “Okay, I’ll take your word for it. We can talk about this tonight at dinner.” Saiya nodded, but hoped this would be forgotten by then. Zeltara offered her a hand up, which she accepted. Being pulled up, Saiya could see Kaztos’ open worry more clearly. She gave him a small smile, which appeared to help him relax.

  “Does everyone have what they need?” Zeltara asked. They both nodded. “Then let’s head out.” She gave Saiya one more look before they headed out. The three walked out of camp. In the distance, they could see Dollanti waiting in the distance. It would be a few-minute walk. Time she was more than willing to take to recompose herself.

  That nightmare had been the worst she had suffered in a while. It had been a while since she had gone back to that night. Saiya thought she had blocked it out of her mind, but that was wishful thinking. She tried not to think about it. Just the thought of it could send her spiraling. Was it caused by the events of last night or just recent stress?

  It didn’t matter. Saiya needed to banish these thoughts again. No good would come from them. She took a deep breath and cleared her mind. Think of the training they're about to do. Better yet, think about her friends, happily conversing as they walked. It seemed to work, as the tight feeling in her chest went away. A small smile came to her face unbidden. Saiya hadn’t realized how much she missed being with others until now.

  The three made it to Dollanti, who looked between them unimpressed. Sensing his sour mood, Zeltara and Kaztos quieted as they all stared at each other. “I remember saying that you should be here in ten minutes. You’re almost two minutes late.”

  “Our apologies. It took longer than expected to get ready,” Kaztos said. Dollanti glared at him but then turned his gaze back to Zeltara specifically.

  “I don’t care. An adventurer needs to be punctual. All that’ll do is annoy people at best and cause their deaths at worst. From now on, be on time.” Dollanti sighed. “It just shows how unprepared you three are for the life ahead of you.” Zeltara looked ready to argue, so Saiya put a hand on her shoulder. The contact helped calm her down. The blond girl received a thankful look for her efforts. “No more dallying. We’ve wasted enough time as it is. Let’s get your tests started.”

  Kaztos asked, “What are the tests exactly, sir?” Dollanti chuckled in response. The sound only made them nervous.

  “It’s nothing too bad. The three of you are going to fight me. A one-on-one match for each of you. It’ll show me what you’re good at and what needs improving.” It made sense, though Saiya felt nervous fighting by herself. She didn’t have a good record of fighting on her own. Zeltara and Kaztos looked eager at the prospect. Both were almost shaking with excitement.

  “Can I go first?” Zeltara asked. He glanced at her for a moment, letting her stew in suspense.

  “No.” She groaned at the blunt answer. Though Saiya thought she could almost see the barest smirk on Dollanti’s face, that left as quickly as it came. “The first one I’ll be fighting is the Molinar brat.”

  “Huzzah! Finally, a chance to show my prowess!” Zeltara grumbled about not getting to go while Saiya felt relieved. Best to let Kaztos fight first so she can come up with a strategy. Too bad she couldn’t rely on Zeltara for that.

  Dollanti sighed. “Yes, yes. No need to cheer.” He turned to the girls. “You two, give us some space. I don’t want you two to get caught up by accident.” Saiya took his advice and backed up. Zeltara followed at a slower pace.

  After the two were far enough away, Kaztos took out his hammer and asked, “What are the rules, sir?” Meanwhile, Dollanti hadn’t pulled out a weapon. While some would attribute this to arrogance, Saiya knew it was something worse. Was he really that much stronger than they were?

  “Just come at me with everything you have. I’ll tell you when the match is over.” There was complete confidence of victory in his voice. Saiya found her thoughts changing from whether Kaztos could win to how long he would last. “You may begin when ready.”

  Almost as soon as the words left Dollanti’s mouth, Kaztos charged forward with complete aggression. Saiya sighed at the obvious attack. Did Kaztos even think of a plan? Dollanti stood there completely still, even as Kaztos swung his hammer. The blow came so close that Saiya thought it would surely hit. However, a moment before impact, Dollanti leaned out of the way. The speed of this evasion was so fast she almost couldn’t track it. Zeltara gasped in astonishment.

  Kaztos had put so much energy into that first attack that he stumbled upon the strike missing. It left him wide open for a counterattack, but Dollanti didn’t take it. Instead, he stood there and waited for Kaztos to do something else. He didn’t disappoint as he began swinging strikes with his hammer. Dollanti continued to dodge, often by the slimmest of margins.

  “Wow, this guy is dancing around Kaztos,” Zeltara said. Saiya agreed to the settlement. Almost all of Dollanti’s dodges were the result of footwork rather than physical ability. It looked like a dance as he glided through the battle. She could tell Kaztos was getting frustrated, as his measured attacks became more erratic.

  Finally, their new teacher had enough playing around. As Kaztos swung his hammer sideways, Dollanti ducked underneath. He took the opportunity presented to him this time and punched Kaztos in the stomach. Saiya could tell from where she stood the blow was devastating. Kaztos dropped his hammer and bent over in pain.

  After taking a moment to recover, he attempted to pick his hammer up. His efforts are rewarded with a chest punch that staggered him. Kaztos admirably attempted to stay up, but all that did was leave him open to a high kick that landed on his chin. Saiya winced at the sound of the impact. The blow knocked him to the ground. After a moment of pause, it was apparent Kaztos wouldn’t stand back up.

  Staring down at him, Dollanti asked, “Is that it? Is that hammer all you have? You don’t have anything else you can do?” The veteran adventurer appeared annoyed at Kaztos, who was still trying to get up. Everyone knew that the battle was already over.

  But to their shock, Kaztos shot back up with a yell. He stood unsteadily on his feet but seemed ready to continue.

  “Well, at least you can take a hit. That was meant to end the fight,” Dollanti said.

  Through gritted teeth, Kaztos responded, “It’ll take more than that to stop a Molinar.” To everyone’s surprise, Dollanti chuckled at the comment.

  “Even so, I’m calling the match.” The adventurer saw Kaztos’ indignation and continued. “We both know how this will end. No need to get hurt by being stupid. Another lesson to take in is to know when to run to fight another day.”

  With a sigh, Kaztos put his hammer away. He walked back to them, mood downtrodden. Saiya could sympathize with him. He got completely destroyed.

  “Blond girl is next, get up here.” She and Zeltara both mumbled curses, likely for different reasons. Unlike her friends, Saiya had no desire to eat dirt. Nonetheless, she walked forward towards her fate.

  “Good luck, Saiya!” Zeltara said behind her. She responded with a halfhearted wave but kept going. Saiya needed a lot more than luck to get through this.

  As she passed Kaztos, he said, “Watch out for his speed. He’ll start slow to lure you in, then he’ll be right on top of you.” Saiya nodded her thanks. She hadn’t even noticed that. After another minute, she and Dollanti stood twenty feet apart.

  “Same rules as last time. Ready?” Saiya nodded. “You can start whenever.” Like last time, he gave her the first move. She hadn’t thought of a good plan to fight him. With how easily he defeated Kaztos, it would be impossible for her to win. Still, best to keep her distance and try to dictate the fight. Maybe she’ll last longer that way.

  Saiya grabbed a knife from under her cloak and threw it at Dollanti. He easily dodged, but she had expected that. She threw another knife at him. This one was a little closer but still off the mark. Saiya needed to keep up the pressure, so threw a third knife. To her surprise, Dollanti made no effort at evasion this time. What was he planning?

  Just as the knife was about to hit his chest, Dollanti’s arm blurred. Saiya stood awestruck as he caught the knife midair. How did he do that? Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent the knife back towards her. One moment the knife was just leaving his hand. Next, it was embedded in the dirt next to her feet. Saiya broke into a cold sweat. She hadn’t been able to react to that throw. If Dollanti had wanted to, he could have killed her before she could react. She truly stood no chance here.

  “You need to be careful with your weapons. They can be used against you,” Dollanti said. He then started running towards her. Panicked, Saiya pulled out her wand and cast a fireball. She thought it would buy her some time. In response, Dollanti stopped and pulled out his own wand. He channeled mana into the medium, and a shield of wind formed around him. The fireball impacted the shield and dissipated. Saiya wondered how that worked. Shouldn’t the wind have just empowered her fireball?

  Her moment of distraction proved costly, as Dollanti was suddenly in front of her. Before she could react, a kick landed on her chest. Saiya fell to the ground in pain. Gasping out breaths on the ground, she briefly considered getting up. The kick hurt, but it wasn’t debilitating. But what was the point? Saiya saw what happened to Kaztos. If she stood up, all that would accomplish was another meeting with the ground.

  Giving her a hard look, Dollanti asked, “Are you going to continue?” She shook her head. He sighed and rubbed his face. “Fine then. The match is over. Elf, get over here.” With the pain dissipating, Saiya stood up and started to walk back. Meanwhile, Zeltara seemed excited as she walked forward.

  As they passed each other, Saiya said, “Good luck.” Zeltara gave her a smile.

  “Thanks. I know that I’ll need it.” As she continued walking, Saiya could see Kaztos waiting for her with a grin. What could he be happy about?

  As she reached him, he said, “Good fight out there! You’re getting better with those knives. I’m happy we could show our skill.” Saiya gave him a disbelieving look.

  “What are you talking about? Neither of us lasted two minutes. He picked us apart.” Kaztos seemed to stumble over his words before recovering.

  “Well, at least we put a lot of effort into it. That counts for something.” She sighed but let the point go. Just like Kaztos to see the bright side of things.

  As they finished their conversation, Saiya turned back to the next bout. Both stood across from each other. Dollanti appeared as calm as ever. If anything, he seemed to have loosened up over the previous hour. Perhaps he wasn’t as much of a hard ass as he presented himself as. Zeltara couldn’t seem to stand still. Her excitement had her almost jumping from one foot to the other. While logically Saiya knew she had no chance, a small part of her wondered if Zeltara had a plan. If anyone could figure something out, it would be her.

  “You can start whenever.” While Dollanti was still speaking, Zeltara acted. She pulled out a white marble and tossed it at his feet. Saiya closed her eyes to the flash. When she opened them, she saw Dollanti covering his eyes. Taking advantage of the opening, Zeltara pulled out three back marbles and threw them at him. Two landed on his chest and exploded. The other hit the ground. The blast kicked up dirt and smoke that obscured Dollanti. Saiya had to hold back a wince. That would probably leave a mark. While the explosions weren’t large, they definitely had force behind them.

  “Yes! I got him!” Zeltara said. Saiya facepalmed at her gloating. Did she really believe that was all it took? The blond girl was proven right as the smoke cleared. Dollanti was on one knee. His clothes were lightly burnt but otherwise seemed fine. Seeing this, Zeltara pulled out her crossbow. As she did, Dollanti got to his feet and rushed her. Zeltara only had time to fire one bolt, which missed to the right.

  Once again, Dollanti launched a kick as soon as he closed the distance. Zeltara appeared to anticipate this and used her crossbow to block. The force of the blow still knocked her over and broke the crossbow. As she fell, Zeltara dropped a white marble that Saiya saw at the last second. She closed her eyes and then opened them. Dollanti appeared unaffected. He must have figured out the trick to them.

  After taking a moment to crawl away, Zeltara launched three more back marbles. This time, Dollanti ducked and asked, “Are tricks all you can do?” Zeltara growled at the question as he closed in. Dollanti moved in to grab her when Zeltara pulled a knife out and swung it at him. Saiya wondered how long she had that. She had never used it before.

  Unfazed, Dollanti grabbed Zeltara’s wrist and disarmed her. He then wrestled her to the ground and had her pinned. Zeltara thrashed around, trying to escape, but was unable to.

  “The match is over,” Dollanti said. Zeltara appeared to ignore him and tried futilely to break free. After a minute of struggle, she finally stopped. He then asked, “Are you done?” Zeltara nodded. After getting up, Dollanti looked over at Saiya and Kaztos. “Get over here. We need to have a talk.” Hearing the serious tone, they hurry over to join them.

  The three stood in a line facing Dollanti as he scrutinized them. Finally, he said, “I don’t know how you three survived this long. Frankly, that was terrible.” He looked at Kaztos. “You came at me, a superior opponent, without a plan. All you did was swing that hammer around. You had nothing else when that didn’t work. If I were actually an enemy, you would have been dead in five seconds.” Kaztos blushed and stared at the dirt at his feet.

  He then turned to Saiya. “You panicked in the middle of battle. Then, when things got tough, you laid down and gave up. You’re only going to get yourself and your friends killed doing that.” She scoffed at the accusation. It’s not like this was an actual battle. Who cared if she didn’t do her best?

  Finally, he addressed Zeltara. “All you had were trinkets to fight me with. Do you actually have a way to kill an opponent? Because you’re terrible with that knife and crossbow. As it is, all you are is a distraction to everyone else.”

  “They aren’t trinkets,” Zeltara grumbled under her breath. Dollanti ignored her.

  “You three are a mess. You’ll likely die within three months of being adventurers.” The condemnation had even Saiya looking away chastised. Is that all there was to it? Dollanti sighed. “But you aren’t completely hopeless. I see potential in all of you. The smallest bit at least.” The sudden reversal had the three whip their gazes back to him. “You’re all young, and I can tell you're untrained. Even so, you’re better than most people your age. So, I’ll teach you.”

  Kaztos and Zeltara cheered while Saiya smiled. They did it. A good thing too. If they were as bad as Dollanti said, then they would need all the help they could get.

  “Thank you. We’ll make sure you won’t regret it,” Zeltara said. Dollanti frowned.

  “Shut up. I have something to say to the lot of you.” Kaztos and Zeltara quieted down. “The life of an adventurer is a bleak existence. It’ll demand everything from you. Your bodies, your minds, your relationships, even your very souls. Most likely, at least one of you will die within the first two years, even with my training. Only one of you will probably make it to adulthood. The last will be lucky to make it to retirement. I’m telling you this so you realize that you’re signing up to die. No one is forcing you to do this. You have a job at the caravan that is much safer. You can get work doing anything else once we find a settlement. So, having said all that, let me ask you. Are you committed to becoming adventurers?”

  A suffocating silence filled the clearing as the three digested his words. Even Kaztos wasn’t shouting out his dedication to being an adventurer. Dollanti succeeded in making them truly think about this. Did they really want to be adventurers? And Saiya thought about it. She had the weakest reason to become one. Zeltara and Kaztos were almost forced into this by their dreams. And those two would die before giving up on them. That, and they were all too happy to live a life in danger.

  For Saiya, she had no strong force driving her forward. No dream needed her to take this path. Before she met her friends, Saiya was content to settle for a simple life. It was those two who pushed her forward. She didn’t want to be left behind. But was that a good reason to keep going? She looked at them and saw a passion that was absent in herself. What was she really doing here other than needlessly risking her life?

  “I am,” Zeltara said. “I can see now that this is the path for me. If I want to reach my dreams, then I must become an adventurer. Please teach me Dollanti.”

  Kaztos grinned. “Well said! I couldn’t have done better myself. How could I face my ancestors if I gave up now? I’m ready to see it through to the end.”

  Their determination made Saiya smile. A fondness not felt since a time long gone welled up within her. What was it about these two that pushed her to go forward? It couldn’t be just because they were friends. She knew how weak those bonds could be sometimes. So what was it? What pushed her to walk with them? Even when the path got hard, or they frayed her last nerve of patience. Saiya didn’t know, but she knew one thing for sure.

  She couldn’t imagine going back to a life without them. A driftless existence that sometimes threatened to drown her. They were the first people since that day who made her think life was more than just surviving. So, if they wanted to walk the path of adventurers, then Saiya would follow them. Whether that was over the next hill or to the ends of the Earth.

  Everyone turned to her, waiting for an answer. With a smile, Saiya simply said, “I’m ready.” Zeltara and Kaztos grinned at her. Before they could celebrate, Dollanti interrupted.

  “Very well. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I expect you all to give it your best. We will meet outside camp every day at sunrise. We’ll train until breakfast time. Understood?” The three nodded. “Then get going. People are starting to wake up.” Dollanti then rushed off as if he didn’t want to be around them any longer.

  Zeltara huffed and said, “The nerve of that guy. What a terrible attitude.” Kaztos gave her a pat on the back.

  “Nonsense! He’s our trainer now. So what if he is a little rough around the edges?” Zeltara shook her head as they walked back to camp. Saiya followed and listened in on their conversation. She felt a sense of finality in her decision. Now, for better or worse, she was stuck with them. The two that burst into her life and changed everything. Saiya couldn’t know for sure, but it felt like the right choice. That thought brought a rare moment of peace to her.

  Everysekai

  by Bluesycobalt

  > Female Lead with cast of developed side-characters

  > A lot of poking at Isekai tropes

  > Rational and Underpowered Protagonist fighting for her life

  > 1500-2500 Word Chapters

  Updates MWF at 7:10pm EST