Bab 32: Alicia Sage
*What's people most desire?*, I asked myself.
People desire money, food, shelter, love, or sometimes things that are not necessary.
I always ask myself, "What is the one thing that all people desire?"
The "thing" that all people have in the list of their desires.
It is money?
I don't think so, some people are so rich.
Then food?
Nahhh. Food is a necessity, not a desire. Same with shelter.
How about love?
Is it desire? Or necessity?
They say that having love means having hope. But how about desire? Isn't having a desire means having hope too? So that means love is desire?
"Alicia... ALICIA!"
"Y-Yes?"
"What are you daydreaming about there?"
"S-Sorry!"
I'm a child who doesn't have a parent, a shelter, or even a last name.
In order to live, I go with different kinds of work. They give me money or food.
I also have some desires like other people.
Things that I don't have...
*That's right!*
The thing that all people desire is the things that they don't have.
I don't have a parent, shelter, or even last name. That's why I desire them. I want to have those things.
*Now can I sleep peacefully...*
"Ahhh!!!", someone shouted.
"Huh?"
"Run!"
"Wha-What?"
*What's going on.*
"Hey, kid! Run!"
"What's happening?", I asked.
"O-Outsider!"
"Outsider?"
"Ahhh!"
"That voice."
I look behind me and saw the old man who I'm working to get cornered by Outsider.
The Outsider looks like a giant dog but with gray skin and a blue line on its body.
"Help!"
"Gramps!"
*Wait! Wait! What I'm going to do!*
I look around and think at the same time.
I saw a wooden stick on the ground.
*Yeah, that's right. A weapon!*
I pick it up and run towards the Outsider.
"Help!!!"
"Take this!"
I smash the wooden stick on its feet but nothing happens.
"...Eh?"
"Grrr."
The Outsider looks at me.
"Maybe you want me to throw this stick, right?... Right?"
"Grrrr."
The Outsider slowly steps forward towards me.
"Woahhh!!!"
I turn around and run as fast as I could.
"What are you doing?", someone asked.
"Trying to help... I guess."
"Hey catch!"
Someone throw a metal stick at me while I'm running
"Defend yourself!"
"You're not going to help me?!"
*Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!*
This is the first time I run seriously in my whole life.
I try to peek behind me and saw the Outsider is already catching up.
*I have to do something!*
"Come on! Alicia! Think!"
Look at the metal stick that I'm holding.
*That's right. A weapon!*
I can feel that Outside behind me. Any second now he will be able to bite me.
I jump high and long as I could to put some distance. After that, I turn around and face the Outsider.
The Outsider jumps on me and opens its mouth.
"Eat this!"
I thrust the metal stick inside his mouth. It pierces up to its head.
The Outsider stop and fall on the ground.
"Is he dead?"
"Woah! Kiddo, you okay?"
"Kiddo?"
"Woah! You kill it!"
"Amazing!"
"Alicia!", an old man shouted.
"Gramps! You still alive?"
"Of course! After risking your life to save me."
The people around me praise me so much that day.
After that day, my desire increase.
I want to have power. A power that could protect people.
I went to a book shop and look at the books.
"Ah!"
I saw some books I'm looking for.
A book about self-defense.
There are so many books about it but my budget is only enough for one.
"Hmmm."
There's something about hand-to-hand combat, about sword fighting.
*Hand-to-hand is no good. I don't know how to make a sword or even a budget to buy one.*
"Hmm? Hey, kid.", someone calls me.
"Yeah?"
"What are you looking for?"
"You mean what kind of book?"
"Yeah."
"Well... books that will help me to fight Outsiders?"
"Hmm... let see."
The guys in look young. He is most likely between twenty to twenty-five.
"I don't see something useful here."
"Eh? Really?"
"Yeah, tell me. How can you defeat an Outsider?", he asked.
"Well..."
*Since hand-to-hand is no good. If I have a budget I could buy some sword and practice swordsmanship, but fighting an Outsider head-on is dangerous... so that means...*
"Sneak attack?", I answered.
"Ehhh..."
He smiles at me like he's telling me that I'm correct.
"Hm?"
"I see. Hey kid, I have to tell you something. Come at me."
He turns around and starts going out to the shop.
"Hey wai-"
*Wait? Should I follow him? He's a stranger who just talks to me for no reason.*
I gather all my courage and try to calm down.
I slowly follow and keep my distance from him.
He continues to walk until we reach the outside of the village.
"Hey, wait!"
He walks behind the trees.
I going to lose sight of him so I run.
After going behind the trees, he disappears.
"What?"
*Huh?*
I feel someone behind me.
I jump away and turn around but no one's there.
"Gotcha."
"Eeeekkk!"
The guy is behind me pointing his finger at my neck.
"I can't believe you notice me immediately."
"How did you..."
"I'm an assassin."
"...Assassin?"
That day, the guy tell me everything about himself.
"You so kill your enemies by sneak attacks?", I asked.
"Yep! Outsiders, animals...or even humans."
"H-Humans..."
My body freeze for a second.
"Yeah, I'm not a good person. Please remember that."
"Why did you make me follow you in the first place?"
"Oh, about that, I want to teach you."
"You want me to be an assassin?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I'm curious."
"Curious? About what?"
"If you can become a good assassin."
"Good assassin?"
"Yeah, you want to be stronger so that you can protect people right?"
"Yeah!"
"I'm warning you in advance. I'm won't be easy on you."
After that day, he starts to train me.
"Ahhh!"
Running towards him while raising a wooden sword with my two hands. When I'm close to him, I swing down the wooden swords towards him but he simply dodges it and slaps my hand making the wooden sword fall on the ground.
"Too slow. We need to improve your physical body."
"So, what I'm gonna do?"
"Hmm... you can do some push-ups, sit-ups, running, or any physical exercise."
"Please go easy on me."
"How old are you?", he asked.
"You're asking my age without asking my name first?"
"Oh, sorry, it's been a long time since I talk to a stranger."
"I'm Alicia. Twelve years old."
"Your only twelve huh."
"How about you?"
"Me? I'm Silver."
"Silver?"
I look at his hair, his suit, and all around his body but I didn't see any silver color.
"That's my real name! Not sort of nickname or anything."
"Oh, sorry."
"But take a look at this."
He grabbed something from his suit and show it to me.
"Here."
"Woah!"
It's a knife. It's all color silver even the handle.
"Of course, I won't give it to you."
"I'm not interested in that."
"Okay, let's continue our training."
Day after day, I train so hard until I pass out. No, even I pass out, Silver would splash water on me.
"Ha...ha."
"Okay, that's enough for today."
"Thank you... I thought I'm going to die."
"By the way, our last training is tomorrow."
"Last training?"
"Yeah, I can't stay here forever. I have to make money."
"How about I join you?"
"Huh? Didn't I tell you? I'm not a good person. Also, I want to see if you can become a good assassin. It will not happen if you go with me."
"But!"
"No buts. Also, you have to learn alone in order to adopt."
After that day, Silver and I go to our last training.
"Now, try to win this time."
We train for six months but I never win against him even once.
"This time, I won't hold back."
*Wait! He's holding back all this time?*
"Now, move forward. Alicia."
"Ahhh!!!"
In the end. He just simply dodge it again and slap my hand.
"I can't believe..."
"Now, now. You're still young, there's so much time for you to learn, but you have no time to give up."
"Yeah."
"Alicia, see you again. Next time, try to beat me."
"Ugh..."
Silver slowly walk away from me.
"I'm alone again huh."
"Hey, Alicia!"
"Eh?"
Silver stopped walking but didn't turn around.
"Go and explore the world and find new people. With that, you won't be alone anymore."
My eyes widen with his word.
"Yeah! Thank you, master!"
I bow my head.
"Master huh? I never told you to call me that."
That day, instead of crying, I train and train. Day after day. This time, I try not to pass out.
I will exceed my limitation.
____________________________________________
"Help!!!", someone shouted.
I jump to the branches to reach that person immediately.
*There she is.*
A middle-aged woman has been chased by a monkey Outsider.
The Outsider is climbing in the branches that make him hard to catch.
*I have to hurry.*
Standing in the branch, I lower my stance then jump at every branch I can reach towards the Outsider.
The Outsider is already close to the woman. He jump to the woman and raise his left hand.
In the last branch, I put more force on my legs and jump straight to the Outsider. I grab my knife and slash the Outsider's neck.
I land perfectly on the ground.
The woman fell on her feet in shock.
"Are you alright ma'am?"
"Y-Yes...t-thank you."
"No worries, you should get up now and stay away from this place."
"Yes!"
I help the woman to stand up and she walks away immediately.
I was about to leave but I hear some noise coming behind me.
"Huh?"
It's like someone running towards me.
I immediately draw my knife and wait for someone to appear.
"Excuse me!"
"Huh?"
It's a little girl who's running.
The girl just pass me and continue running.
"Hey! Don't just ru-"
"Out of my way!"
Three men appear and also run towards the girl's location.
"Don't tell me."
*They're chasing her.*
I immediately climb the tree and start jumping to the branches to catch up to the girl.
"Give it back!", one of the men shouted.
I jump to the branches faster since the girl is also fast.
"Huh?"
The girl jumps and climbs to the branch and starts jumping as I do.
*What?!*
I already match her distance.
The girl jumps to the branch that is so far from her position.
I took advantage of it and jump towards her. I grab the girl and go in the other direction.
"Where is she?"
"I don't know."
"Let's go this way."
The three men go in the opposite direction.
I land on the ground while carrying the girl.
"Hop!"
I let go of the girl whose eyes are widen because of the shock.
"Are you okay?", I asked.
"T-Thank you."
She turns around and starts running.
"Wait!"
"What is it?"
"Did you steal something from them?"
"What if I am?"
"Then I'm going to bring you to them."
"Even I give back what I steal, they still going to beat me up."
"But still!"
"Also, they're criminals. What they have now is also come from stealing."
"They are?"
"Yeah."
"How about your parents? Do you want me-"
"I don't have one."
"Eh?"
"I don't have parents.", she said with a straight face.
*What I'm gonna do now.*
I can't abandon this kid. Those men might spot her and do something not good to her.
"Ughhh..."
*Think. Think.*
"Miss?"
"Oh right! You don't have parents right? Do you have any place you can stay?"
"I also don't have that."
"Ugh..."
I feel bad for this girl.
*Why life is this hard...also... she's the same as me when I was a kid.*
"Hey, girl. What's your name?", I asked.
"Me? I'm..."
*Why she's hesitant? Did she think that I'm a bad person?*
"...Barbara."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone