Suddenly, something caught my attention.
At first, I thought it was just the wind brushing against the trees.
But then… I felt it.
A strange uneasiness.
I slowly walked toward the window.
And froze.
Outside… stood a goblin.
Its green skin looked rough, almost like rotten bark. Its face was twisted and ugly, with sharp yellow teeth sticking out from under cracked lips. In its hand, it held something that resembled a rusty knife, dragging it lazily along the ground as it stared directly at our shack.
My heart began pounding violently.
So loud I was sure it could hear it.
I had no strength.
No weapons.
No magic.
Nothing.
We were just… children.
I stumbled backward and rushed to Lucas.
"Lucas!" I whispered urgently. "There's… something outside!"
Lucas shot up instantly.
"What's wrong?"
"It's a goblin…"
The color drained from his face.
He didn't even go to the window.
He already knew I wasn't joking.
"We have to hide," he whispered. "We can't fight that thing. Not now. If it doesn't find us… maybe it'll leave."
We quickly crouched behind the old wooden table, trying not to make a sound.
Not even breathing.
Silence filled the cabin.
Then—
Heavy footsteps.
Crunch…
Crunch…
Each step sounded closer than the last.
Crrreeaaach—
A tree branch snapped outside.
The goblin was right there.
"Lucas…" I whispered, my voice barely existing.
"Shh!" he warned.
But at that exact moment—
Whish!
Something sliced through the air with terrifying speed.
Then—
Thwack!
Everything went quiet.
No footsteps.
No breathing.
Nothing.
Lucas and I stared at each other.
"What… was that?" he muttered.
I slowly peeked out the window.
And my eyes widened.
The goblin was already lying on the ground.
Its head—
Was no longer attached to its body.
Standing before it… was a woman.
She held a blade so clean it almost reflected the sunlight. She had appeared so suddenly, so silently, that I hadn't even noticed her arrival.
"Lucas…" I whispered. "Someone killed it… in one strike."
"What?!" Lucas rushed to the window.
But before we could react—
The woman turned toward us.
Our eyes met.
"She's coming…" I said.
"What?! Here?!" Lucas stiffened.
"We're dead…"
"Do we die this easily in this world too?" Lucas groaned.
Fear wrapped around us like chains.
Our bodies refused to move.
Her footsteps slowly approached the shack.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Then she stopped right outside.
And in a strangely warm voice, she called out:
— Zeus… Lucas… come out. Your aunt is here.
We froze.
"Whooo?" I whispered.
Lucas's eyes widened in shock.
"Is… is it her? The one Mom talked about? She said… 'My sister will come for you one day'..."
"Who are you talking about?!"
"I—I can't remember her name!"
We carefully walked downstairs, every step filled with hesitation.
The door creaked open.
The woman saw us.
And suddenly—
She smiled.
Not like a warrior.
Not like someone who had just killed a monster.
But like someone who had finally found something precious.
She rushed toward us and pulled us into a tight embrace.
So warm…
So gentle…
That for a few seconds, we forgot everything.
The fear.
The loneliness.
The last three years.
No one had hugged us in all that time.
Her long crimson hair swayed in the wind like flowing fire. Her eyes held both kindness and terrifying strength—the kind of strength that could erase a goblin before we could even blink.
"You've grown so much…" she said softly. "I've missed you."
Lucas and I exchanged confused glances.
"And… your name?" I asked cautiously.
The woman laughed lightly.
"My name is Akira."
"It's a beautiful name," Lucas said.
She smiled again.
"Not 'your name'," she corrected. "We're family."
That word…
Family.
It felt unfamiliar.
But at the same time—
It felt like something we had been searching for.
"If you'd like," Akira continued, "come with me. I'm a traveler. I'll show you this world… and I'll teach you how to survive in it."
My heart started beating faster again.
But this time—
Not from fear.
This was something else.
This was…
The beginning of movement.
Of change.
Of a journey.
"Alright," I said.
Lucas nodded.
"I'm coming too."
I glanced back at the small shack we had lived in.
The place where we had only tried to survive.
Now—
We were about to step into a world far larger than we had ever imagined.
And somewhere within that world…
Our real story was finally starting.