THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

Anriette stands up and reaches me, naked. She is crying so much her tears even wet my coat.

"Sob…Sob…They sacrificied so that I could flee and find some help. I was the only one still healthy enough among us."

"Then rejoice. You are a lucky survivor."

She looks at me like she has seen a demon. Then back off slowly from me.

"Do-do you not have any conscience? Do you not have any compassion?"

"It doesn't help to have those. Dress up."

***

After dressing up, she kneels again in front of me, folds the coat I gave her, and looks at me. Her eyes are swollen and red. But her face looks calm, peaceful.

"Mr.Dragonroad. T-thank you for what you did. I can never thank you enough. I-I will fulfill my part as I promised, but I am still inexperienced, so please bear with me."

"Don't force yourself to thank me if you don't mean it." I know what you are thinking after all.

But she just stands up, coming in front of me, she… kisses me. What the? How? I am taken aback by what she just did and back away, almost falling.

"W-what are you doing?"

"I told you, fulfilling my part."

"I told you to not force yourself!"

"But, after what you did, I can't just leave like this. I must-"

"STOP!! I told you, there is no need to thank me!" What the fuck is this girl's problem?

"I-I am sorry." Anriette just turns and holds her face. Is she crying?

When night falls, I cut some branches and start a fire. Bringing out gragora's meat, I give some to K'nor and cook the rest. Anriette's stomach is grumbling so loudly it would probably attract all the beasts of this forest.

"Come and eat. The food is ready." She comes and takes the bowl of food I have filled. Then she starts crying after the first bite. Is it that bad? Well, sorry!!

"Is it not good?"

"I am so sorry. I didn't eat any food ever since they captured me four days ago." She comes and sits near me.

"I couldn't care less." Don't eat my food and start crying!! If Selene was here…If Selene was here… The sight of Selene's mutilated body comes back like a sharp arrow in my mind. Ah, fuck!! You made remember something unnecessary.

"I… Thank you." Anriette wipes her tears and continues eating. But after some mouthfuls, she starts crying again. "I never knew I would be so happy to eat just meat and bread. Oh, MEETIA, why do you test us so hard?"

"You should eat instead of talking." MEETIA? What does MEETIA have to do with this? This is because of me, because you are weak. That's all.

When we finish eating, Anriette sits closer to the fire and looks at it intensely.

"I never thought I would survive. You know, after Nargil got destroyed, I-"

"I don't want to know." Your story doesn't interest me, and I surely know it already. The same as mine, alone and weak, facing life's reality for the first time.

"I-I… I wanted to ask you something."

"I won't do it, nor will I answer any questions anymore."

"It's a quest this time. I would like you to escort me to Syldavie. I have my aunt who lives in Mercuria, and one of the headquarters of the guild is also there."

"Can't you go to any of the guild's branch anywhere?"

"No, sadly, I can't. To work again, I need to report to a headquarter and receive a new affectation. That's the only procedure."

"I don't see what I have nothing to gain."

"My aunt will surely arrange something to pay you. I also have some money I saved, so if I am recognized once I am there, I can use it to pay you as well."

"And if you are not?" she just stays silent. So, you are not sure if you will retake your job or not, after all. I read her mind, and she doesn't seem to be lying. She is very desperate, however.

"I will do everything I can to repay you, I swear." She looks right into my eyes. The fire's light reflecting in her eyes gives her a serious and determined look.

"Is that so. I have my own plans, you know." Demether Floras and Veronica Flolerl. I must go to Floras and show them bitches the price of messing with me!!!

***

The next morning, I find Anriette buried into K'nor. She is completely cuddling him. She must have been cold. When she wakes up, she shudders, seeing as she was sleeping on him and back away a bit.

"You should get used to it already."

"How do you get used to such a beast?!" She points her finger at him while looking at me. K'nor licks it, and she screams like a little girl. "Hya!" She is really afraid of him.

"To go to Syldavie, how do we do?" After she calmed down, I start talking about more pressing matters.

"We will head West. We will normally encounter four towns before reaching KILOMP. It is a small village at the border between Titanium and Syldavie." Kilomp, I know that place, it was not that far from Tatadrum and fath… William was going there sometimes to slay some troubling gragoras.

"Is Tatradum far from there?"

"Tatadrum? No, not at all. Do you have some business there?"

"I might have. We will go there before heading to Mercuria."

"Hm…well, I am not sure it is a good idea."

"Why?" They haven't built it back after what happened?

"Tatadrum has become a fortress after an incident which happened seven years ago. Mostly soldiers stay there now. Though there still some people are living there as well. AH, of course, there is also the HILL OF THE DEAD."

"The hill of the dead?"

"Yes, after an incident which happened there some years ago with the Longinus, no corpse was found, so the church and Syldavie's royal family decided to place all the graves of the villagers on a hill. Thus, the name. Members from the church and from what I heard, even the heroes and some guys from the eternal army, go there every year to mourn the dead."

Mourn the dead they didn't even know or protect? What a sick joke.

"We will go there. I need to see something. But first, I need to go east, there is something I am looking for." I should find the dragon Cissa mentioned and recover my full draconic power.

"No problem. Now, if we go this way, there should be a small town a few kilometers ahead. We can ride a carriage there and-"

"I don't ride carriages."

"Ah…" Anriette looks at me surprised then after seeing K'nor standing up and stretching, she simply nods. "I understand. Then, if we head to the next town, I can go inside and buy everything we need to travel. We might need to buy clothes, among other things and maybe even armors."

"You seem to recover fast for somebody who was crying so much."

"You brought me a light when I was in the dark. Why should I not recover?"

"One last thing."

"What is it?"

"Never say that again. I am no one light. I will never be." I look at her and she freezes in place, trembling.

"I-I see. I understand."