Chapter I – Heartless (Provisional)
"…Mid-month already, huh?"
Awoken by horrible abdominal pain, the young woman cast a bleary glance at the calendar hanging on the wall of her small room. Today's date was marked: the 18th of Duzma, the heart of the winter season, when temperatures hit their lowest. It was also the hardest time of year for the girl.
Sigh "Just… 18 more days to go…" she muttered, more to convince herself than anything else.
With those words, she rose, already gripping a sheathed sword. But almost immediately, she felt her blood rush slowly to her head, forcing her to steady herself against the wall. Her vision was obscured by a strange black veil, and dizziness clouded her mind.
"This… has been going on for a week now, I think. I need to buy something."
Sliding her hand over her nightstand, she grabbed the notebook she knew was there. The rest was automatic—she didn't even need her eyes to count the exact number of pages to flip to reach her expense log.
"…?"
