This Clueless Hero

The necklace sighed.

"There is no need to apologize. All things considered, it was a good life."

...Was it really?

That sounded pretty sad to me.

I nodded.

"If you say so."

We continued through the forest.

The necklace trembled.

"Are you not afraid?"

My head tilted to the side.

"What do you mean?"

The necklace paused.

"...Of the unknown?"

My shoulders shrugged.

"I guess not knowing is pretty scary, but I find being right next to a wolf's jaws much scarier."

The necklace did not reply for a few seconds.

"I suppose that is one way of looking at it. Still, when the danger is right in front of you, you know what to expect. If it is unknown, there is a possibility that the worst will happen."

My eyebrow raised.

"Wouldn't that always be possible? Maybe you misjudged the dangerous situation and in reality, it is the worst situation."

The necklace replied immediately.

"Yeah, that's what makes it scary! Since you never know what is going to happen!"

My brows furrowed.

"We never truly know what is going to happen, so what is the point of worrying so much about it?"

The necklace enthusiastically rebutted.

"Just because it is inevitable doesn't change how harrowing it can be!"

My mind flashed back to my time in the palace. Fear had prevented me from leaving my comfort zone. When I did finally get the courage to leave, the forest was nothing like the palace. It was filled with dangers that constantly threatened my life.

A bitter smile emerged on my face.

"...Maybe. I think what scares me more is being too afraid to walk out into the unknown. To live my entire life in a small bubble, at the mercy of the world around me."

Confusion was apparent in the necklace's voice.

"Why does that scare you? Actively seeking danger means that it is almost guaranteed. Avoiding it means that you can avoid it."

My head shook.

"It's not so much the danger that scares me."

My mind could not help but wonder about the first few days here in this world.

"I am just afraid of things staying the same forever."

The necklace trembled.

"Well, I don't understand."

A chuckle escaped me.

"I guess I didn't explain it that well."

There was an eerie laugh from the trees ahead. The laugh sounded like it would hurt one's vocal cords and was unnaturally sharp.

"That is quite the beautiful fear."

An old man walked out from behind a tree. His steps were unsteady, and his trembling hand held onto a thin wooden cane.

The clothes draped on him were even more destitute than Mark's, containing many holes and hardly in one piece.

The old man's eyes were hardly open, revealing two tiny slits. He was looking at the necklace.

"As for you, young lady, you should know that there are many more things that are scarier than the unknown."

The pale blue light began crying and the necklace was quiet.

My head tilted to the side.

"Who are you?"

The old man gave a shaky smile.

"People have called me many names. Some have called me the harbinger of death, some have called me a demon in angel's clothing."

The old man shrugged his shoulders.

"However, the most notable one, and the one I prefer the most, is fear."

My eyebrows raised.

"That is a pretty cool name."

The old man laughed.

"I couldn't agree more."

The necklace let out a faint whisper.

"We should go..."

The old man smiled.

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

The necklace froze.

My hand scratched the side of my head.

"Wow, you have good hearing."

The old man chuckled.

"Not bad for an old man eh?"

I nodded.

The old man rubbed his chin using his free hand.

"Why do you have two children following you anyway? Are you acting as a babysitter?"

My finger scratched the side of my head.

"Well, the necklace is the mother of the blue light. I don't really know how to take care of a child."

The old man waved his free hand dismissively.

"Nobody really knows how to take care of children. Some people believe that they can, but in reality, they aren't much different from the rest."

A chuckle came out of me.

"Well, it's still better that other people do it."

The old man waved his cane around.

"Ah, whatever. Anyways, back to the topic at hand, fear of the unknown."

The old man brought his fist before his mouth and coughed.

"Some people think that fear stems from the unknown, as you can be afraid of anything you could possibly imagine."

The old man slammed the cane into the snow.

"The only problem is how limited imagination truly is. There is a reason people say that ignorance is bliss."

The old man sighed.

"As people live their lives, they slowly realize what to expect from this world. They need to breathe, fire is hot, and people live in a society."

The corner of the old man's lip raised.

"But what if the air they breathe becomes toxic? What if the fire they wish to warm up with is actually cold? What if the unassuming old man could actually kill in a heartbeat?"

My hand was rubbing against my chin.

"Is that the unknown?"

The old man nodded.

"Part of it. Though we have come to terms to certain realities, the unknown lingers in the back of our heads. We understand that the probabilities are small and any worries are chalked up to paranoia."

The old man looked me straight in the eye.

"Yet... the possibility is still there, is it not?"

My hand scratched the back of my head.

"So... what are some of the things that will make people more scared than the unknown?"

The old man laughed.

"Follow me, I will show you."

The old man turned around and slowly walked away. The necklace trembled.

"We... We can't follow him."

My head turned to the necklace.

"Why not? He sounds like a nice guy."

Disbelief was clear in the necklace's voice.

"Are you kidding me? What part of him makes him a nice guy?"

My shoulders shrugged.

"He seemed to be pretty agreeable."

I jogged a few steps forward to catch up to the old man. The necklace was speechless for a second.

"Oh dear..."

Once I was shoulder to shoulder to the old man, he turned to look at the necklace.

"Oh come on child, I won't bite."

The necklace did not respond while the pale blue light was faintly whimpering.

My head turned to the old man.

"Why do you call them children?"

The old man chuckled while keeping his mouth closed.

"Children are naive, no?"

My eyebrow raised.

"Ah, so I would be a child as well?"

The old man was silent for a moment.

"Well, not really."

My brows furrowed.

"I don't feel that smart."

The old man laughed quietly.

"Perhaps..."

For a few minutes it was silent as we walked through the snow.

The old man looked at me.

"For what reason do you still seek power?"

The base of my hand rubbed against my temple.

"Without more power, it feels like I can't do anything."

The old man hummed with interest.

"And what is it that you wish to do?"

A sigh seeped through my lips.

"Well... stop the suffering this world makes everyone go through."

The old man laughed like I told a funny joke.

"That is quite strange. Have you not thought about the consequences of gaining power?"

My palm laid on the back of my neck.

"What do you mean?"

The old man stopped laughing.

"Many people try to climb the mountain that you call power. Nearly everyone at some point has at least tried to climb or thought what it would be like to be at the top. But that's where it ends, at thought."

The old man began picking his nails.

"The base of the mountain can hold countless people, but every step higher, the amount it holds shrinks. Every step you go upward is a step someone else can no longer take."

The old man looked at me and smiled.

"If you aim to grow more powerful, you are not changing this world. You are simply going along with it and continuing the cycle of sorrow."

My mouth couldn't make out any words. My mouth was only able to move after a few seconds passed.

"What else can I do?"

The old man shrugged his shoulders.

"The only option I know is to beat the system itself. Reach the very peak, where only one could possibly stand. You will have to make countless sacrifices along the way, but once you are there you can begin tearing that mountain down."

The old waved his hand dismissively.

"As for any other way, I wouldn't know."

A sigh escaped me.

Was Leon right?

"I guess I will have to make sacrifices."

The old man laughed.

"Do you ever wonder what happens to the people who fall off the mountain?"

My finger scratched the side of my head.

"Not until now I guess."

The old man pointed his cane forward and the forest in front of us darkened.

"Then let me show you."