章 9: Special Chapter: "The Girl"

People, I've been busy and doing things, for example, in at least 1 month I'll finish building upstairs and I'll have my piece, then I'll sign up for the In less than 15 days and well, since I'm going to have a comfortable place, I'll surely write like before, and I'll draw again, I want to save money for a graphic tablet, and be able to start drawing and animating them, but it's expensive and for now I prefer to focus on the present...

Now without further ado, back to this wonderful story...step by step...

-------

Unknown Point of View

In the heart of a dark forest, a girl ran desperately. Her bare feet were bloodied, and her tattered clothes flapped behind her.

Despite not having a clear destination, she would never stop running.

—Aha... —a voice was heard.

The girl didn't stop. She fell to the ground, tangled in branches, but quickly got back up, driven by the fear that pursued her.

Behind her, the cracking and murmurs echoing among the trees made her run faster, almost blindly.

—Aha...

As she turned for a moment, she saw a dense column of black smoke rising into the sky from where she had come.

—Sorry... Sorry...

Over and over, the girl repeated the word, as if it were the only thing she could say.

She pushed through branches, dodged bushes, and stumbled over rocks, but she didn't stop. It was a race without end, without direction, without hope.

—Sorry, sorry, sorry...

The trance she was in kept her moving, barely feeling the pain of her wounded feet or her torn clothes.

—S-sorry...

Bleeding, she kept running as if that were her only reason for existence.

A crack. Her body lost balance and began to roll down a slope covered in underbrush. She bounced between bushes and branches until her body crashed against a tree with a dull thud. Darkness took over everything.

Just before losing consciousness, a barely audible whisper escaped her lips:

—I'm sorry...

And then, everything fell silent.

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

Third Point of View

The girl slowly woke up, her eyelids heavy, barely opening to let in the dim light of dawn.

The cold air of the forest enveloped her, and her body trembled, aching. She tried to move, but a sharp pain in her side forced her to stop.

—Are you awake? —a soft voice, almost a whisper, was heard near her.

The girl opened her eyes wide.

In front of her stood an Elf, a Dwarf, and a Pullum, and beside them was a woman with red hair who appeared to be a Goddess.

—Easy. I won't hurt you —said the Pullum, raising a hand calmly.

The girl tried to get up, but her legs wouldn't respond. Fear flooded her again, whispering to her mind to run away. However, her body simply couldn't go on.

—We found you just in time —the voice continued—. Otherwise, you wouldn't be alive now.

The girl, breathing heavily, could barely process the words. Who was this person? What did they want from her?

—W-what... who are you...? —she murmured, her voice broken by exhaustion and fear.

The girl looked around with wide eyes filled with dread, trying to understand the situation. Beside her, the dwarf crossed his arms, looking at her with curiosity; the green-haired elf offered a kinder expression, while the red-haired woman had her eyes closed as she concentrated behind her.

—I'm Finn Deimne, leader of the Loki Family —said the Pullum, pointing to the others—. This is Gareth, Riveria, and that is my Goddess Loki. Don't worry, you're safe with us.

The girl blinked, still confused. She didn't know these names, but the words "Loki Family" resonated in her mind, though she didn't understand why. She had heard rumors, stories about one of the most promising families in Orarion.

—Where... where am I? —she asked quietly as she tried to process what was happening.

—On the outskirts of the Great Forest, not far from Melen —Riveria replied calmly—. What were you doing here, alone and hurt?

The girl hugged herself, her body trembling as the words stumbled from her mouth.

—I... just wanted to escape... —she whispered—. Horrible men... killed my sister. They tried to do bad things to me. One of them... gouged my eye out... —she brought her hand to her face, remembering the sharp pain of that moment—. I thought they were going to kill me too, but then... a man appeared.

Loki, who had kept her eyes closed until that moment, slowly opened them and gazed intently at the little girl.

—That man... who was he? —Loki asked with a curiosity that clashed with the softness of the scene.

The girl, still trembling, didn't know what to say. Her mind was clouded with fear and confusion, but the images of Merlin massacring the bandits remained vivid in her memory.

—I... I don't know —she replied with difficulty—. He appeared suddenly... he was so... furious. He looked like... a beast.

Riveria moved a little closer, carefully observing the girl's wounds while murmuring words that seemed to be a healing spell.

—Easy now, you're no longer in danger. Whoever he was, he took care of the bandits. And now you're with us —Riveria said, her voice calm like a gentle breeze.

Her hands quickly grabbed a potion, pouring it over the girl's wounds, slowly healing the more superficial cuts.

Finn frowned, thoughtful.

—I suppose he was a semi-beast, in his bestial form, and yet he let you escape —he reflected aloud, crossing his arms—. It seems there's more to this story than we thought. Loki, what do you think?

Loki pondered, tilting her head and looking up at the sky.

—I think this is becoming much more interesting. We came because we were in Melen, and the massive fire could burn everything, but to discover it was all caused by the struggle of one man, now I wonder, was it Evilus? —she replied in her typical carefree tone, though her eyes sparkled with malice and curiosity.

Gareth, who had remained silent until that moment, finally spoke, his deep voice resonating among the trees.

—Whoever he is, if he's nearby, we should find him before he causes more trouble. We can't allow someone like that to roam so close to Orario.

Finn nodded slowly, his face serious as he crossed his arms.

—You're right. If he saved this girl, maybe he would be willing to cooperate. But we can't rule him out as a possible threat... yet.

The girl, Flamie, watched the conversation without fully understanding, though she felt that something important was being decided.

The fear she had felt until a moment ago began to dissipate little by little, thanks to Riveria's warm and gentle care.

—What's your name? —the elf asked softly as she finished healing her wounds.

The girl swallowed hard, feeling the lump in her throat, and replied in a barely audible voice:

—...I'm Flamie... Flamie Speeddraw...

Finn leaned in a bit, looking at her kindly.

—Flamie, do you feel strong enough to guide us to the place where you saw that man?

Flamie hesitated. The memory of that place still filled her with terror, but she knew that if anyone could find and help her savior, it was these people.

Loki smiled with a mix of interest and amusement.

—Perfect. Let's go find our mysterious "hero."

Riding on Gareth's broad shoulders, Flamie guided them through the shadowy forest.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at a completely devastated area: charred trees, the ground covered in ashes, as if a fire had ravaged everything.

—This looks like the aftermath of a war... —Riveria murmured, observing the destruction around her.

Everyone's expression turned grave when, in the distance, they spotted a mountain of bodies. The atmosphere grew even heavier. Finn frowned.

—Damn it, this looks like the work of Evilus... though we know well who did it —he said with a voice heavy with suspicion.

Suddenly, Flamie's attention was drawn to something else. She hurriedly climbed down from Gareth's shoulders and ran toward two separate graves, her legs trembling under the weight of the sadness that flooded her heart again.

She knelt before the graves, tears falling onto the earth.

—Sisters... —she whispered between sobs, remembering the cruel way they had died. The pain of not having been able to save them was unbearable.

Then, her eyes landed on something else. A worn, burnt cloak lay on the ground. Flamie recognized it immediately.

It was Merlin's cloak. With trembling hands, she picked it up and hugged it against her chest as tears soaked the frayed fabric.

—I'm sorry... I'm sorry for abandoning you... —she murmured, her voice broken with sobs.

Clutching the cloak tightly, Flamie buried her face in it. Tears flowed endlessly as she felt that this gesture, however small, was all she could do at that moment.

—I promise to find you... and thank you for saving my life... and also to apologize... my savior... —she whispered.

With determination, she stood up, wrapping herself in the worn cloak. She tore off a small piece of fabric to cover her injured eye and placed a rose on her head, as a symbol of the promise she had just made.

[Image]

Turning around and looking directly into Loki's eyes, Flamie spoke:

"Loki-sama... Can I join your Family?" Her firm gaze only made Loki smile.

"You're in luck, girl. We're looking to recruit, so if you're ready to be an adventurer, you're welcome," Loki said with a smile on her face, as she looked at what she thought would be one of them.

Thus began the journey of Flamie Speeddraw, to find Merlin, the man who had saved her life, to thank him, and though there was no need, she wanted to apologize.

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

[End of chapter 9]

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

[1700 Words]