Welcome, fellow travelers of humans and non-humans, to the lands of Tellus, where countless wondrous tales of adventure and excitement unfold. From demon lords, an almighty king whose power shook the lands of Tellus to their core with each step he took, to a hero of a hundred blades who vanished from the face of Tellus, or the prophecy of the four chosen children destined to overthrow the Red King!

But alas, so many tales and so little time. Ah, perhaps I'll tell you one of my personal favorites—of how an unlikely band of over-arrogant, bashful, and novice adventurers who hated each other at first later became renowned in the lands of Tellus. They would be known as The Spirit Of Fire, a tale not for the faint of heart, as it weaves betrayal, revenge, heartbreak, and the longing for answers.

Now sit back and enjoy the tale, as it begins with the most unlikely of fellows, deep inside the dark forest…

A figure resembling a young girl, with vines and a mushroom growing upon her head, lies at the foot of a tree within a deep ditch and begins to rise.

“Ughh… where am I… who am I…” She tries to stand up, only to fall back onto her bottom.
“I… feel weak… where am I…?”

The mysterious girl looks up into the sky.
“The sun… it feels warm… it feels good… I feel like I’m getting full… I… remember… I was killed… but why…?”

She begins to rub her chest, trying to confirm the wound.
“I don’t see it… was it a dream…? No. I know what I saw… and that pain… it was undeniable…”

As the mysterious girl reaches toward the sun:
“I must have a reason for being here… my purpose isn’t over… why do I feel that way… I feel like something is shouting within…”

The mysterious girl rises to her feet, slowly leaning on nearby trees for support.
“I’m… slowly remembering things… I must get somewhere… but where…? I feel like I need to be there… but where is there…? My head… it hurts… I feel so weak… my thoughts… they’re fading…”

She wanders further down the forest path, unaware she has been walking for days. Her feet are bloody and bruised. Just as hope seems lost, she sees a bright light in the distance.

“Light… Am… I… almost… there…?”

As she reaches the end of the path, she collapses. Her last thought echoes in her head:
“No… not now… not when I was… so close…”

Fade to black as she loses consciousness.

“My name… you ask for my name… Air…? No… Aria? No… it’s something similar…”

…
…

“Ariana. That’s my name… and my purpose I’m still unsure… huh…? Where’d you go…? Please… don’t go… I am afraid… PLEASE DON’T GO!!”

Ariana leaps awake.
“Ughh… my head… that dream… who… who was I talking to…? And where am I…?”

As Ariana looks around, she notices she is in a bed, in an unfamiliar room.
“This room… when did I—” Knock knock!

Ariana jolts upright from the sudden knock.

An old gnome woman walks in with a plate of food and medicine.

Old Gnome: “Ah, I see you are awake, young Anthesi. You should be more careful, dear. I know the villages near the Kingdom of Goldenwind treat monster folk like us kinder, but that’s no excuse to be in the nude.”

As Ariana hears this, she looks under the blankets and realizes she has none of her equipment or armor. She begins to blush in embarrassment.

Ariana: “I’M SORRY!!”

She bows profusely while lying on the bed.

Old Gnome: “Ah, it’s alright, dear. First things first—we should care for the cuts and bruises on you. After all, you must’ve come far to have so many. And I’m aware Anthesi folk don’t eat traditional food, so I brought some plant-growth substance I like to use on my little farm. It’ll heal you a lot faster than trying to absorb the sun alone.”

Ariana: “Um… t-thanks. I don’t know what to say… if not to be rude, Miss Gnome… where am I, and how’d I get here?”

Thadbe: “Haha! The name’s Thadbe. As for where you are—my little ol’ tavern I run on the side for fellow adventurers who pass by for a bite or a rest. I found you myself, lassie, while tending to my crops. You best count your winds it was me that found you, and not a dire wolf or them pesky forest bugbears.”

As Ariana remembers collapsing, she recalls the dream… her name… and something dreadful wells up inside—something unfamiliar.

Ariana: “Thank you, Thadbe. I’m sorry to be a bother. I promise I’ll be gone by evening… after all, I feel like me being here is…”

Thadbe: “Nonsense, little Anthesi! You are no burden. In fact, you’ve made my year. It’s been a slow crop season, and with most of our soldiers and adventurers called to the Kingdom of Goldenwind, it just hasn’t been exciting in this little ol’ village. But what’s this about a feeling?”

Ariana: “I don’t know… I feel like a part of me doesn’t belong… like I’m missing something…”

Thadbe: “Well, little Anthesi, you aren’t wrong.”

Thadbe walks toward Ariana with a rag soaked in medicinal water, placing it on her legs.

Ariana: “What do you mean? Am I supposed to be at a loss?”

Thadbe: “Hmm… no, loss is a stretch. What I was referring to is what you are. Most Anthesi are the second reincarnation of the living being whose skeleton you’ve absorbed.”

Ariana: “W-wha—l-like I ate that person?! Am I some sort of m-monster then?! N-no, I c-couldn’t have…” She flashes back to the memory of cold steel.

Thadbe: “Whoa, whoa—hold your horses, lassie. No! From most folk stories, killing living beings is not within Anthesi nature. I reckon you must’ve stumbled upon a poor adventurer’s corpse. Plenty of those within the dark forest, after all. Not many return after fighting the monsters in those deep woods.”

Ariana: “Then what am I, Thadbe…? What am I even here for, if the me I can remember is not even me…?”

Thadbe: “...Hm.”
Thadbe: “You are who you wanna be. After all, not many of us get these chances in life. If you are the person you can remember, then I reckon you are that person through and through.”

Ariana: “…Ariana.”

Thadbe: “…Ariana. That’s a lovely name, dear. Now let’s get you washed up and fed.”

Ariana (cracking a slight smile): “Yes, I would love that…”
…I don’t know why, but I still feel that dreadful feeling… why…? What am I supposed to do…?

End of Chapter 1