I tied my messy blonde hair up, careful not to wake my companions. I was always an early riser, especially so when we entered a new area. There would certainly be rare materials to collect that would sell for a hefty price. Maybe then we could afford a better inn next time.

I could also fight some of the monsters nearby, but that felt like such a waste doing alone. It never felt like I made any progress. Perhaps it was because of Sirius' blessing that I was able to grow stronger only when fighting alongside him.

It was also because of Sirius that I was stuck in this mess, to begin with.

Sirius, the Prince of Shadowland had appeared in my town one day, bearing the mark of light; the symbol bestowed only by our Gods' chosen one. He would be the one to rid our world of the Corruption, a miasma that spread from the Mountains of Beginnings. It is said that all life originated from these mountains, and to the mountains we must return. The Corruption was the illnesses of the dead that accumulated in these mountains.

Normally, the Gods should be able to contain the Corruption, but... A powerful mage somehow managed to break the barrier. Now it's up to Sirius to defeat him. Just Sirius. Definitely not me. As the daughter of a long line of scholars, it was my job to see to it that Sirius survived.

The Gods have given us the power to fight back via magic. Supposedly my line of scholars possesses the most potent healing spells. You'd think the Gods would bless their chosen one with the ability to heal himself!

I never wanted to go on an epic quest to save the world. I just wanted to attend the academia and surpass my parents. I'm told I can surpass them by aiding the hero. I fail to see how keeping one guy alive using the same spell over and over accomplishes this.

I collected various stones, flowers, and berries to sell to the local general store. There was always one general store, armory, and apothecary in each town. Not to mention the town's restaurant. Food always helped us feel stronger; until midnight when all effects were lost for reasons I will never understand. Something about how the Gods don't want us "stacking" our strengths until we overpower even them.

I made it back to the rather small inn. The innkeeper paid me no mind as I sat at one of the lobby's tables.

"You're back later than usual, Cel," Jorney said, leaning against another table before walking over to mine. I hadn't even seen him when I walked in.

Jorney was one of my friends back home. He was a researcher who knew a little about everything. History, stones, edible food, you name it. He was also ordered by our town's mayor to tag along this quest. Him and Love. He was always the first to wake up after me.

"Are the others still asleep?" I asked, setting the pouch of money on the table. It was a rule that Sirius controlled all of our money, and while I want to say he was the most responsible out of all of us, that was probably actually Jorney.

Jorney nodded. "Love keeps talking in his sleep. Sirius sometimes replies."

"Sometimes I can hear him in my dreams too." I smirked.

"Are you talking about me?" Sirius leaned against the staircase's flimsy railing; a glimmer of mischief in his dreamy eyes blue eyes. One could get lost in those waves.

So what if I had a crush on him?

"More so Love." Jorney shrugged.

"What are our plans today?" I asked as I had every day. As prince, it was obviously Sirius' role to dictate how the day would be spent.

"I think we should try to make it to the next town." He crossed his arms thoughtfully; his black hair bobbing along with the nods of his head.

"Already?! Shouldn't we stock up on supplies? Fight a few monsters? Get some more Goldars so we can afford a nicer inn?"

"What's wrong with this one?" Sirius asked as creaking could be heard behind him. Love had decided to wake up. Upon reaching the bottom step, the wooden stair splintered in half.

"That." I pointed to the stair in response to Sirius' question.

"It's one stair." Sirius squinted at me like I was insane for thinking this place was a safety hazard. 

"Why are we up so early?" Love yawned as he took a seat at the table. Also very creaky.

"We're going to make it to the next town today!" Sirius said excitedly.

"Already?" Love yawned. "Okay. Wake me up when we get there."

"Love, I'm not carrying you to the next town again! That was one time only!" Jorney shouted.

"Not you; Sirius. You kept dropping me last time. Sirius has those strong muscles so—"

"Sirius isn't carrying you." I crossed my arms. I wasn't the only one with a crush. And I totally wasn't jealous. "If anything, he should be carrying me. I'm the one who pulls the most weight in this team." I huffed.

"Who is it that repairs all our weapons and gear? That's right, it's me! You'd all be dead if I weren't around!"

"Ahem, not to brag, but we would all be lost without me. And dead from poisonous berries," Jorney added, clearly wanting some credit. 

"Enough!" Sirius snapped, but there was amusement evident in his grin. "You all contribute to the group equally. If anyone contributes the most, it's me, the hero. You can continue to fight over me as we walk." He winked.

-—-

We had been fighting monsters for the past hour. It turns out that making it to the next town wasn't as simple as Sirius had thought. The monsters were far stronger than the ones surrounding Thistleburg, and we wouldn't be able to progress until Sirius gained another four Levels. According to Sirius, his power could be measured by "Levels." He would gain a Level each time we defeated a certain number of monsters. With each Level, the required amount of monsters increased.

"...Do you ever wonder why you learn new skills and magic every five of my Levels?" Sirius asked out of nowhere.

"No, why would we?" Jorney asked. "The answer is simple: The Gods bestow us with knowledge normal people would spend years learning. It's necessary for our quest."

"Makes enough sense." Sirius shrugged.

"Look out!" Love called out, pushing Sirius to safety as he protected himself with his giant metal shield. It was hard to believe that someone so short and stocky could carry that thing, let alone use it in actual combat, but Love never failed to protect us.

"What is it? Another Boarskin?" Jorney pulled out his longsword; circling the large beast waiting for an opening that was...already there.

"Just hit it already!" I rolled my eyes.

"My skill One Hit Strike is ready. If I use it, Sirius won't gain Experience!"

"I've got it!" Sirius summoned his claymore as he clumsily rushed the beast down. By the time he made it to the Boarskin it had lost all interest in Love and turned its attention to Sirius. Love was too slow to protect him and Sirius was sent backwards into a tree. His HP — short for Human Potential — had dropped. If it reached zero he would die and our quest would be over. I quickly cast a healing spell with my staff as Love covered Sirius in the time it took to cast.

"You might as well kill it! Cel's healing spell is going to take a while to cast." Love glanced over to Jorney who was still hesitantly circling the beast.

"But this monster is worth so much Experience! At least let Sirius get one hit in!" Jorney shouted over to the three of us.

Sirius, to my annoyance, got up mid-spell and charged at the Boarskin. At least some of his HP had started to recover. He sliced at the beast bearly leaving a mark on it, and Jorney used his skill to instantly defeat it.

"How's your MP?" Jorney walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder — something he did often.

I shrugged him off. I hated it when people unexpectedly touched me. "It's fine. I can go a few more battles before I need to refill it." MP stood for Magic Potential — something only mages, sages, and the chosen ones had.

"I'm hungry," Love changed the subject.

"You're always hungry." I crossed my arms.

"I think he may have a point. I think our stats have gone down," Sirius replied.

Stats. It was a term only Sirius used to refer to the effects of food. Perhaps it was a revelation from the Gods?

"We have two options then," Jorney started. "Turn around back to Thistleburg, or push through on an empty stomach to the next town."

"Oh! Oh! I vote we go back!" Love suggested.

"Of course you would." I sighed. Maybe he did have a point, though. We didn't know how much longer it would take to get to the next town. And what if we had to fight more Boarskins? Food would definitely be helpful. It's a shame that there's a law prohibiting taking food outside of towns.

"Sure, we can go back. Before that, there's something I want to try first." Sirius smirked.

"What is it now?" I asked, knowing this couldn't be good.

"Follow me!" He beckoned as he ran off at top speed.

He led us over to a couple houses; the fences forming an almost complete square. Motioning for us to join him in the fence, he pulled out a monster call. Why would he try to summon monsters now of all times?!

"Dude, what are you doing?" Jorney asked, obviously concerned.

"It's "His Highness!" You never remember!" Love scolded.

"Who cares! Just get ready to fight!" I pulled my staff out.

But Siruis blew into the call over and over, a swarm of monsters overwhelming us. My HP quickly drained as I struggled to keep Sirius alive. I knew I was worthless in the grand scheme. It was Sirius that the Gods chose. As long as I kept him alive, our world might know peace. Even if he was a bit of an idiot.

"Cel! You should retreat and heal yourself! We'll handle the rest!" Love suggested.

I quickly glanced at their HP — something only the four of us were able to do thanks to Sirius' powers — and noticed everyone else was at half or higher. It was just me that was low.

I nodded my head and began to retreat... but there were too many monsters.

Was this it? Was I actually going to die?

I ran back to the group, casting the quickest healing spell I knew if only to keep me alive long enough for me to cast another one.

But it was pointless. My body froze, and then there was nothing.

-—-

Everything was dark. I couldn't feel my body. I couldn't see anything — I couldn't smell anything. I was dead. Would the others make it out alive? Surely the Gods would intervene and take pity on that stupid prince, right?

Visions appeared in my head. Places I had been to flashed before my mind's eye, one after another. And then numbers. So many numbers. The numbers flashed by faster and faster to where it felt like my eyes — something I hadn't been able to feel until now — would burst out of their sockets.

When everything subsided, I found myself in an odd square-shaped room.

The walls, floor, and ceiling were various shades of blue seemingly made out of peculiar cubes. I don't recall ever having seen this material before.

Then again, I was dead. Perhaps this was the Realm of the Gods — a place where those good and bad would find eternal slumber, safely protected by the Gods. I had always thought the word "slumber" was literal, but perhaps it was metaphorical?

Regardless, I should have been met by at least one god by now. Where were they?

Or had I failed them so utterly that this place was my prison now?

Before I could worry about that, a message in the middle of the room appeared.

"Something went wrong. Please try again."