fifteen centuries ago, this world took an unexpected turn. It ceased to be a home for those you might consider 'mortals' and transformed into something you'd call 'incredible.' The moment a massive tremor tore the lands apart, the continent responsible for this atrocity emerged: The Dark Continent...
"Uh... Mr. Angel, why are you telling me this now? We're knee-deep in snow, I think my toes are freezing off... couldn't we have stayed in that forest...?"
Khayiio stopped dead in his tracks. He let a snowflake melt on his human nose, his expression one of pure disgust. He turned toward the boy, who was clutching his books as if they were heat shields.
"BECAUSE YOU NEED TO KNOW THE BASICS TO SURVIVE HERE, YOU LITTLE GLITCH!"—the angel roared, though his voice trembled slightly from the cold. —"If you don't understand why this continent is surging with unstable mana, don't complain when a carnivorous plant mistakes you for premium fertilizer. Besides..."— Khayiio looked down at his own muddy boots. —"Talking distracts me from the fact that my feet feel like two slabs of dead meat."
"Could we stop with the 'Glitch' thing every five seconds? ACHOO!!"—The boy shook his head, sneezing from the biting cold.—"Can't we go somewhere else?"
"This is our best shot. Just follow me."
"Not like I have much of a choice... ACHOO—"
Khayiio ignored the sneeze and trudged on with the awkward gait of someone who absolutely hates having knees. The wind lashed at their faces, stinging them with snow.
"Khayiio... I'm hungry,"—the boy whimpered. His stomach churned and roared like a father startled from a nap.—"Back home, there was meat pie... and water..."—He sobbed.—"Water..."
"The water here would freeze your throat solid... Shut up already!"—The angel didn't even look back, his voice dripping with disdain.—"If you want to eat, keep moving. We're still far from the capital, so you'll eat whatever you find."
They stopped in front of a frost-covered thicket. Tucked between the branches, a pale blue rabbit watched them. It was far from normal—a crystal horn protruded from its forehead.
"There,"—Khayiio whispered, pointing at the rabbit with an exaggerated gesture.—"That's your dinner. Hunt it!"
The boy's eyes went wide, his arms still wrapped around himself for warmth. —"ME?! I've never hunted in my life...! Why do I have to do it? Couldn't you do it with your... I don't know... divine lightning?"
Khayiio shot him a look that, had it carried any actual power, would have incinerated an entire army.
"Do you see any part of my body crackling with lightning? If I could do anything at all, the first thing I'd do is abandon you. Now move, or we'll be eating snow until we arrive."
The boy sighed. He carefully placed his precious books on a stone (wiping off the snow first, of course) and picked up a fallen branch. He approached on tiptoe, shaking more from fear than the cold.
WHAM!
He swung clumsily. With supernatural agility, the rabbit leapt over his head, kicked him in the back of the neck with its hind legs, and bolted into the brush, leaving the boy face-down in the snow.
"...A valiant effort,"—Khayiio said, his voice thick with sarcasm and a hint of amusement.—"Thanks to your incredible survival instincts, we are officially without dinner. Get up. The capital walls shouldn't be much further, and I'd rather beg than watch you hunt again as long as I live."
They walked for another twenty minutes until the forest finally opened up. Before them rose a wall of dark grey stone, reinforced with metal plates that shimmered under the pale sunlight. It was the entrance to the border capital, Oromir.
At the gate, two guards in heavy armor blocked their path.
—"Identification, or 10 copper coins per head,"—one said, sounding bored.
The boy fumbled through his pockets. All he found was a bookstore receipt and a single cent he knew was useless. He looked at Khayiio with pleading eyes, but the angel only stared back with a raised eyebrow.
"We're... uh... a little short on cash,"—the young one began with a nervous smile.
"No pay, no entry. Beat it before you get turned into slaves,"—the guard lucked.
Then, a clear, commanding female voice rang out behind them:
"Let them through. I'll pay for these two disasters."
They both turned. Standing there was an athletic-looking girl in casual clothes. Her dark blonde hair was tied up practically, and her honey-colored eyes sparkled with a mix of pity and a curiosity that seemed to dissect every detail of their strange attire.
The guards relaxed their posture upon seeing her. She dropped the copper coins into one of the soldiers' hands, never taking her eyes off the brooding angel and the boy who was shaking like a leaf about to fall.
"You look like you just crawled out of a blizzard. Are you adventurers?"—the young woman asked, gesturing for them to follow her into the capital.—"Do you have anywhere to go? You won't last in an inn without coin."
Khayiio didn't even meet her eyes. He began to bask in the warmth of the torches lining the path. The aura of arrogance he carried didn't quite match his cheap snow boots.
"It's none of your business, brat. My 'responsibility' and I just need a roof so we don't freeze to death. If you're going to offer something, get on with it."
The boy looked at Khayiio as if he had just murdered his mother, then bowed quickly to the stranger, flushed with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! He... he's just had a rough time since we got here... Thank you so much for helping us, truly. If it wasn't for you, we..."
"If it wasn't for me, you'd be part of the labor force by morning,"—she interrupted with a proud smile, tossing her hair over her shoulder.—"Follow me; I know a place where you can stay for free!"
"Uh... before that... could you tell us your name?"
The girl spun around, planting her hands on her hips in a nearly conceited stance.
"I am the adventurer Shayasse! Don't you forget it, kid."