From Makoto's Perspective:
Entering the dungeon, we were met with a sight, numerous skeletons, some with bows, some with swords, and some with staves. As soon as we entered, they began to move and attack.
Four skeletons were right in front of us. I barely had time to blink before they were gone, my father and Ralph quickly killed them. Kirima and Chris were collecting some sort of dust from their bodies that poured out of their skulls after death.
"Makoto, you stay in the back. Chris, left, Ralph, right. I'm in front. John's with me. Girls, center," my father commanded, walking into the next room.
I drew my sword and followed them, looking around the dungeon, narrow corridors, dim lighting, a musty smell, half-ruined walls with cracks and marks from swords, magic, and arrows.
About five dozen more skeletons. Ralph rushed toward the mages, quickly closing the distance with his rapier and killing them one by one. Chris shot his bow straight into the skulls of the farthest skeletons, splitting them in half, while John and my father cut down the nearest enemies with their massive swords.
Kirima and Mia seemed to be whispering something quietly, holding a staff and a book. Looking closely, I noticed a faint glow coming from them; it seemed the girls were enhancing their strength and stamina.
Suddenly, behind me, I heard a strange sound, a skeleton with daggers had crept up behind us. He swung at me, I raised my sword to block the strike. In an instant, his dagger flew aside with a dull clang. I seized the moment, counterattacked, and sliced through his spine, but it didn't kill him. I realized I needed to strike the head, then a stone spike flew over me and hit the skeleton's skull, shattering it into splinters.
Turning around, I saw Kirima with her staff raised in my direction. All the enemies were dead, and John and Ralph were already collecting dust.
"Makoto, you did well, but I decided to help you a little," Kirima said with a light smile.
Mixed feelings filled me. On the one hand, she helped, but on the other, I thought I could have handled it myself. Though, maybe I took too long with a single enemy, considering my past experience.
We moved corridor by corridor, clearing crowds of skeletons until we reached the final room. In the center stood a white sphere, like a pearl.
In front of us was a giant centipede made entirely of bones. I tensed, but then I heard my father,
"Let me warm up a bit," he said calmly.
He charged at the centipede and, with two blows, split the creature into four pieces.
I stood in shock. I knew my father was strong, but killing a dungeon boss in two strikes, even the weakest one, was impressive. I wanted to become as strong and kind as my father, I thought to myself.
We gathered everything valuable and went outside. The dungeon entrance darkened, now I understood how they determined whether it was active.
"Well, guys, see you. Take care," my father said.
"You too, guys. It was nice to hunt together again after so long! Write if you want more, we're always in," John replied.
When their carriage disappeared, I was about to ask how we'd get home, but then I noticed a horse.
"So, Makoto, how was it? Tell me," my father asked.
After thinking for a moment, I answered, "Well, it was very interesting. I enjoyed fighting monsters. I'd like to become an adventurer in the future."
"And what about the academy, sword and magic? Or just one? Wouldn't you like to enter? Learn magic or swordsmanship there?" he asked.
"Dad, I know that studying at the academy is quite expensive. I know it would be difficult to pay for tuition and living expenses. And besides, I have you for swordsmanship, and I can learn vis from mom somehow. Better save that opportunity for a little brother or sister, if I ever have them. I'm completely fine with becoming an adventurer, so don't worry," I said, ending the conversation.
We rode home in silence. Mom greeted us with hugs and showered us with questions. I told her everything, from the first step into the dungeon to the moment dad cut the boss in half.
After a fun evening with my parents, I took a bath and went to bed. I tossed and turned for a long time before I finally fell asleep, and then I had a dream, not just a dream, but a nightmare.
The older me, standing before a burning dojo, Takume dying in my arms. The body of my burned godfather beside me, surrounded by corpses of people I knew. A rush of emotions, disbelief, denial, grief, fear. My breathing quickened, I couldn't get enough air, I inhaled more and more, but still felt like I was suffocating. I wished to wake from this nightmare, and suddenly everything vanished. It became dark, and I was standing in the center of this emptiness. A torch appeared in my hand, I walked and walked until my foot touched something. Bringing the torch closer, I saw corpses, a mountain of corpses, and then they began crawling toward me, bodies of people I knew and strangers. They began to cry out…
"Raven, where were you?"
"Why didn't you save me?"
"This is your fault we died!"
The corpses began to climb on me, dragging me into the ground.
I woke up covered in cold sweat. Fear, a primal fear, filled me. The fear of losing everyone I cared about, of being left alone.
Looking out the window, I saw a full moon. It was the middle of the night, but I couldn't sleep. Leaving my room, I heard strange sounds coming from my parents' room. Ignoring them, I went to get some water. I still felt short of breath, so I decided to take a walk to my favorite lake. Leaving the house, I followed the familiar path through the forest.
Many thoughts spun in my head, what I wanted, why I wanted it, what would happen next, what was happening now. Reaching the lake, I sat on the pier. The chaos in my head made it hard to breathe.
I was tired of everything that had been before. Watching my father, I realized I wanted to live like him, to be a good man and a wonderful father one could only dream of, to spend each day doing what I love, having responsibilities only to myself and my family. I wanted to live a happy life, with no regrets, without losing anyone dear to me. I wanted to find a girl, faithful and smart like my mother, settle somewhere in a village like this, maybe near Alfheim, where it's always beautiful, work as an adventurer, and raise a son and a daughter, so that in my old age I'd have many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. To die with a smile on my face, happy. To show that I lived my life well, that I had changed, proving first to myself that I, too, was worthy of a good life.
After so much time, I finally realized what I wanted. I was ready to work every day to achieve it. Strength is an essential element in reaching my dream. I'd have to fight a lot. Ambitions without strength and perseverance are just empty words, and strength and perseverance without ambition are madness, a constant cycle of repeating the same thing, hoping for change.
I don't know how long I sat on that pier. Closing my eyes for a moment, I found myself back in that nightmare, playing over and over again. Opening my eyes, I heard footsteps. Turning, I saw a cat.
A black cat with red eyes. I was surprised by the red eyes, but it didn't matter, she approached me and lay down right on my lap, curling up into a ball. I petted and scratched her, and suddenly I felt something strange, as if everything around had gone silent. I realized I felt calm, as if everything had gone away, and then I heard a voice.
"Now everything will be fine," the cat said in a gentle female voice.
I was very surprised. "Who are you?" I asked immediately.
"I won't tell you anything, you'll find out for yourself," she replied, then got up and left. I turned, but she was already gone without a trace.
Returning home and falling asleep, I realized that I no longer had the nightmare. I think it was she who helped me get rid of them.
The next morning, I approached my mom and asked,
"Mom, is it possible to awaken vis on your own?"
A minute of silence, and, "Yes, you can awaken vis on your own, but it depends only on whether you can feel it and understand it. To do this, you need to make the vis move in your node, and how, you must figure it out yourself. Do you want to awaken vis by yourself?" she replied and asked at the end, looking at me questioningly.
"Yes, mom, I want to try to awaken vis myself," I replied, putting a dirty plate in the sink.
"Well then, I'll give you ink, paper, and a quill, and you'll try to do it. I think if you write down your attempts, you'll be able to understand sooner or later how it works," mom replied in a questioning tone.
"I love you, mom!" I told her.
"And I love you, son," she said softly and warmly.
A couple of hours later, I received plenty of paper and ink. Mom had already taught me to read and write.
I tried to feel and give shape to vis in my head, recording my thoughts and results on paper.