Months have passed during her time with Mr. Gregory.
"Mina, you gotta' finish that bear off now!" Mr. Gregory yelled, seeing the opening.
Mina nodded and leapt forward, gripping her daggers tightly. "First Form: Lunar Descent!" She brought up her daggers and slashed them in a crescent motion, creating two crescent moons out of Moonlight Essence. The daggers swiftly sliced through the bear, leaving an ethereal glow to flow out of the bear's wounds.
Mr. Gregory roared in excitement, seeing Mina pull off the move perfectly. "Atta' girl! See, I told you that you were amazin' at this! Soon enough, you'll be able to perfect all eight forms!" He walked up to Mina and gently patted her head, which Mina gracefully accepted. "B-But, Mr. Gregory, I'm unsure if I can master the eighth form..."
Kneeling down at her eye level, he gave a warm smile. "You can, trust me. I believe in ya'. But before that, let's eat this bear!" He began to skin the bear with swift precision before gripping onto its hind legs to drag it. Dragging it to his hut, he set the bear up onto the hot coals.
Mina's stomach rumbled, smelling the delicious bear roasting on the fire. Drool drizzled down her mouth as she tried hard to contain her salivation. "Smells yummy..."
Mr. Gregory chopped a cooked portion off the bear before handing it to Mina. "Careful, it's still hot." He blew on the food, cooling it down before handing it over to her. As Mina happily eats the bear, she holds an adorable tiny smile. "Mr. Gregory, you're super good at cooking!" Chomping down on a huge chunk of bear, he chuckled at her comment. "Well, cookin' for a while really does turn ya' into a seasoned chef! My wife used to teach me all the time." Hearing about his wife, Mina grew in curiosity. "How did you meet your wife, Mr. Gregory?"
"Well, erm... ya' see, I met her in a nice an' dandy tavern! Our meeting was quite awkward, ye'. Things ended up happenin' and we ended up gettin' married with a child." His face gazed into the sky as a deep sense of nostalgia washed over him. It's been quite some time since he saw her face-to-face. Even if she met a tragic end, the warm memories they made lingered.
"Listen, Mina. In life, you'll find someone who'll stand by you no matter what. You'll love em' and live happily ever after! I want you to find yourself that person! Because eventually, I won't be around..." Mr. Gregory looked at Mina sadly. Within the 11 months he had known Mina, he was already treating her like his own daughter. A daughter he was supposed to have until his entire family was killed off. His life was a cursed fate, and his life was also similar to Mina's. He knew that the only thing that could help her situation was a companion who could be there for her.
"But I want you to be around." Mina responded to her statement with a sad tone. "I'm an old man! I'm dyin' way before you! That why you gotta find someone for the rest of ya' life. It sucks bein' lonely." He spoke from experience.
"So, like marrying? My Mama and Papa did that!" Mina exclaimed with a cheer.
"I guess you could say that."
"I wanna get married! I wanna get married to a handsome guy!" Mina says with a sparkle in her eyes.
Mr. Gregory gently bonked Mina on the head. "No, ya' moron! Too early! And who gives a damn if they look pretty or not..."
Rubbing her head, she replies, saying, "Owie... but why can't I marry one?"
"Cause you'll find yourself a man who'll treat ya' right. That's who ya' need to find! Now get back to trainin'! You haven't mastered all the forms yet!"
"But I don't wanna! It's too hard!" Mina whined, flailing her arms in the air.
"Too bad ya' spoiled brat! You gotta master it all!"
Going outside, they begin their training once more. The eight different forms of the Lunar Style. A weapon combat style that's extremely hard to master. For Mina, she has gained all the knowledge of the Lunar Style but hasn't been able to physically master it.
"We're almost there, Mina, I believe in ya' let's do this!" Mr. Gregory excitingly exclaimed. Mina nodded, seeing his excitement. She smiled, with a determined grip on her daggers in her hand. "Okay, I'm ready!"
Bang!
It was the sound of a gunshot that echoed in the forest. The world gave no hesitation at the grueling sight. Mr. Gregory's head was blown out with a single gunshot. As his lifeless body fell to the ground, Mina grew stiff. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was stuck agape. With her daggers falling to the ground, her heart was palpitating.
Men in armor of dark steel came from the bushes. Their armor was tailored with a dragonic insignia on the cloth that was draped over it. A man with an Artifact of a red, scaly rifle stood out amongst them. His heavy armor clinked with every movement, and his breathing was audible through his dense helmet. "The traitor has been eliminated. Take the head." Another knight with a massive greatsword proceeded to chop the head off Mr. Gregory's corpse. They then took his head and bagged it in one of their leather bags. A knight then went to him and asked, "Captain Joman, there's also a young girl here. What shall we do with her?" They all stared at Mina, who was still frozen. "Mister... Gregory?" she questioned his sudden death. She couldn't process the sight of his lifeless body and it being immediately desecrated. "This must be a nightmare; this can't be." she thought.
Captain Joman walked over, his Artifact rifle still in hand. "She's involved with the traitor, so it would be best to kill her on the spot. But with her appearance, she'd probably sell for a high price. Take her away." One knight then tied her up and carried her over his shoulder. Mina didn't resist. Her mind was still in shock from the entire situation. "And you boys shouldn't touch her. At this stage, she'd go for thousands."
And so, just like that, the embers of Mr. Gregory had faded from this dying world. But an occurrence like this was normal for Mina. Her life has always been full of misfortune, even if she was around loving and caring people. She'd make people abandon her even if it was always unintentional, and sometimes she would never see them again. Yet, she pushed through with a smile.
"I've been a good girl. I always treated everyone nicely. So why?"
"Mama and Papa say good things will happen in my future, but I've lost everyone I cared about."
"I lived a life of happiness and kindness, so God, please tell me, what did I ever do to deserve this?"
"Was it because I didn't stay behind with Mama and Papa when the scary people attacked?"
"Or was it because I didn't give up on life when you wanted me to die? If so, God, I am sorry..."
"Was my choice to live a selfish one? Maybe... since everyone dies because of me."
"But... I want to live. So, is it wrong for me to be this selfish?"
*
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*
*
Opening her eyes, she felt a warmth against her body. The bedding underneath her was warm, and she was carefully wrapped around with a blanket. Opening her eyes half-lidded, she saw him. It was Harold in the same bed together. "You're finally awake, Mina. When I found you unconscious, you wouldn't stop clinging onto me no matter how hard I tried pulling you off." He looked at their cuddly position in the shared bed with a very huge blush. "A-Anyway, Harlibue said I should just rest here in the infirmary with you till you wake up... Now can you get off me?"
Without saying anything, she let out a content sigh before slowly closing her eyes. Nuzzling into his chest, she starts falling asleep again. "Ah! Mina, don't go falling asleep on me! Come on, I'm starving!" As soon as her relaxed breathing came into the fray again, he stopped. "She went back to sleep again." Pulling her in closer, he gently stroked her head with a warm smile. "Fine, you win. Rest well, Mina."
She slept, and for once in years, she was able to say these words again.
"This is fine."