We’d done it. Our first quest was finally over. It might not have been much but the feeling of success was incredible. A weight that I didn’t even realize weighed down on me seemed to lift off my shoulders.

  It was now the first day after our quest, which despite not going as planned, ended well. We were currently on our second quest, running errands for an old lady. It didn't pay much, but sometimes a little kindness was worth more than coins.

  The old lady’s shopping list turned out to be an endurance test. Even with all four of us, the heavy weight of the groceries had us struggling down the streets like packed mules.

  The lady had an exquisite taste, demanding we go to a store on the other side of the city. Getting here in the first place took us almost two hours, so the way back fully loaded with groceries would take even longer.

  If it hadn’t been for Kuro warming the air around us, the cold wind would have tortured us on our way back. Even though we were in the middle of spring and the days were getting quite hot, the wind in the mornings and evenings were still very cold.

  We dutifully carried the grandmother’s groceries through the whole city and collected our reward of five silver coins. Not exactly lucrative, but her warm smile made it worth the effort.

  I was glad that the wound on my leg had almost healed by now and wasn’t painful anymore, or else this quest would have been hell for me. We strolled through the city back to the guild building, in excited anticipation of the warm lunch we could eat soon. When we arrived at the guild, we didn’t even bother to bring our equipment to our rooms before getting lunch. We instantly lined up at the bar in the main hall and ordered our food. Hina picked some seats at the tables for us and we sat down together to enjoy our meal.

  Sitting down with my friends at the guild hall for lunch, I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that we were real adventurers now. The metal card in my pocket and the few coins we’d earned told me it was real, even though it still felt like a dream.

  We’d come so far since we became friends, I would have never thought we’d go on adventures together when I was young. It was all just so surreal, like a dream that I could wake up from every minute now. But even though this was like a miracle that happened to us, it wasn’t all fun and sunshine. All of us had a reason to be here. I was still searching for my mother, even though I didn’t have a track to follow yet. All of us had their own demons to fight, but we still tried to enjoy our life together as much as we could.

  Maybe this was what strength really meant, not avoiding pain or hardship, but carrying it with you and still finding reasons to smile. I wasn't sure but it felt like the right answer. I didn’t know for sure though. But what I did know was that I would not let anything tear me down again. I had stumbled through my life without any purpose or idea on who I was or what I wanted to do for way too long, I would not allow anything to bring me back there. The food was surprisingly delicious today. Not that it was bad on any other day, it was always good. But today it was just better. I ordered the meat plate with potatoes, even though it was a little more expensive.

  The meat was perfectly cooked and juicy, and the potatoes had the perfect consistency. After enduring the cold of the morning wind and having to walk through the whole city, life rewarded me with a delicious lunch. That was just exactly how life was. Sometimes something bad would happen, but once you got over it, life would also give you something good. If you choose to hold on to the thought of the bad that happened to you, you won’t be able to enjoy the good things that come after. Sometimes it’s good to let the past be the past, and focus on the future.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  That’s exactly why I chose not to sulk over the loss of my mother, or the ominous futures that I saw, but rather stride forward and try my best to create the best possible outcome. Life wouldn’t reward me for being down about what happened, but it would definitely reward me for my training and my efforts to make a change for the better. I happily munched down on the meat and the potatoes, enjoying the present that I shared with my friends. Even after finishing our lunch, we stayed seated at the table and chatted merrily. At some point, even Chris, who had just returned from a quest, got some lunch and sat down with us.

  I wouldn’t want to exchange this life that I had for any other, if I was given the chance. But I was wondering, was this the life that the future version of myself wanted for me? The future was still unclear. I didn’t even know if joining my friends on their journey had any impact on the horrible outcome I’d seen. We still had to get a lot stronger to face what was laying up ahead, and I had a bad feeling that it would only get harder from now on. I was pretty sure that the yellow-eyed woman that attacked Kuro in the forest, and the woman I’d seen in one of my visions were the same. This woman was most likely also responsible for the abduction of my mother. I needed to become strong enough to face her.

  When Chris finished his lunch, I told the others that we would need to get a lot stronger, and should probably spend more time training. My words found nothing but approval among my friends, and even Chris wanted to train with us to become stronger. So we went to the training hall, to have a short training session.

  I took turns fighting Ryu, Hina, and Chris, focusing on refining my dagger techniques. Each fight was a challenge and required me to adapt and grow and I learned something new from each match.

  All three of them were incredibly strong, so there was a lot I could copy from them. My movements had already become a lot smoother and more refined, due to Layla’s training. I fought Ryu and Chris five times each, only emerging victorious one time against Chris. When I fought Hina, I managed to win two out of five sparring matches, which filled my heart with joy.

  While I had a clear speed advantage with my dagger against her mace, she was still the one with more experience in close combat. I also fought against Kuro, but that was an easy win for me every single time. He just wasn’t used to his short sword and underestimated the range advantage that he had against my dagger. I was sure that either Kuro would get used to it soon, or he would reach a point where he didn’t need to carry it around anymore. I was honestly impressed when I looked at the progress Kuro made in such a short time. When we travelled here with the merchants, Kuro couldn’t use a spell without an incantation properly, while he now almost always cast his spells silently.

  I was proud of my friends. We had all become so strong already. It was true that we were no match against really strong adventurers, but we would eventually get there. We would keep growing steadily, until we finally belonged to the best of the best. I would give everything I could to make it happen. Day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute, I was coming closer and closer to saving my mother. The day would come when I could finally say that I had done it.

  What started as a short training session initially, became an activity that filled the entirety of our day. It was already night when we finally stopped our training and tidied up the training hall.

  By the end of the day, the training had left our bodies aching and sore. A long bath in the guild’s bathhouse was exactly what we needed. The hot water worked wonders, easing the tension in my muscles and washing away the dirt and sweat of the day.

  This bath was heaven on earth. I would really miss it when the day to move out of the guild building came. But for now, I made sure to enjoy every second I spent inside of it. Even after the boys had already left, Hina and I remained inside of the soothing hot water, letting it seep deep into our bones. This was exactly what we needed after spending half our day outside in the cold. We stayed in the bath for a bit longer, and got out when we started to get light-headed.

  Clean, warm, and thoroughly exhausted, we made our way to bed. The soft mattress and heavy blankets pulled me into sleep almost immediately. Tomorrow would probably bring a whole lot of new challenges, but I felt ready to face them all.