Awakening to Reality

“Hey, wake up! Camille! Are you sleeping here again, you rascal?”

Beneath a clear, sunny sky, on a verdant lawn, a youth clad in leather armor and carrying a bow knelt down. Before him lay another youth, Camille, her eyes closed, enjoying a peaceful slumber on the grass.

Feeling that this was inappropriate, the kneeling youth gently shook Camille, attempting to rouse her.

“Hm?”

Disturbed, Camille could no longer sleep. She slowly opened her eyes.

“Lance?”

As her vision cleared, the face that appeared was that of a short, chestnut-haired boy. He was someone Camille knew intimately. Her groggy mind quickly processed the information, and she instinctively called out his name.

“Who else would it be if not me?” Lance immediately stood up, hands on his hips, striking a proud, almost arrogant pose.

“You…”

Gazing up at Lance, Camille’s bleary eyes slowly began to fill with confusion. This scene felt unreal.

“Why are you staring at me like that? There’s nothing on my face, is there?” Feeling uneasy under her scrutiny, Lance scratched his cheek and asked, puzzled.

‘Am I dreaming?’ she murmured to herself, deep in thought.

“What are you talking about? Are you sick?” Since Lance was standing right beside her, he had clearly heard her words.

“…”

“You haven’t just slept yourself silly, have you?”

“…”

“Forget it, I’m not bothering with you anymore. I’m going hunting.”

“Hunting?”

“Yes, winter is coming soon; we need to make some preparations.” As he spoke, Lance turned his head, gazing toward the forest behind them.

“Don’t go! Lance, you can’t go!” Seeing him turn toward the forest, Camille suddenly sprang up as if remembering something, attempting to stop him from entering.

“I can’t do that. I’ve already agreed to meet Uncle Xiduo soon. Camille, just look forward to the good things I’ll bring back tonight!” Lance shook his head, not taking her words seriously.

“No! Don’t go!”

Seeing his determination to leave, ignoring her pleas, Camille reached out, intending to grab him and prevent his departure.

However, the moment she extended her hand, her originally sun-kissed arm transformed into a monstrous, draconic claw.

Immediately after, Lance’s smiling figure vanished like a wisp of smoke.

“No!”

The instant his figure disappeared, Phini sat up in bed, her face contorted in terror, her hand still reaching forward. Her forehead was slick with sweat; it seemed she had just woken from a terrible nightmare.

‘Was it a dream?’

She found it difficult to believe the reality of her surroundings. She instinctively looked down. Her body was wrapped in white bandages.

Perhaps sitting up so suddenly had been a mistake. A searing, tearing pain immediately erupted from her bandaged wounds. Yet, even amidst the agony, she bravely gritted her teeth, furrowed her brows, and endured the intense pain without uttering a single sound.

Once the excruciating pain became less unbearable, Phini finally had the presence of mind to survey her immediate surroundings. She was in a simple wooden cabin. Everything from the furniture to the decorations was remarkably plain, yet it gave her an unusually familiar feeling. In the past, she had also lived in such a wooden cabin, together with her sister. But those warm, happy days had been shattered by one person. At this thought, she couldn’t help but tightly clutch the blanket beside her.

After a moment, she suddenly seemed to recall something and looked around again, her eyes wide with renewed alarm.

“Thank goodness… thank goodness…”

As her gaze shifted to her side, a longsword, wrapped in white cloth, lay quietly beside her. Seeing that the Holy Sword, a memento left by her old friend, was still there, she finally felt completely at ease. After all, this was the last relic he had left her.

She reached out and picked up Narthemia. Without a moment’s hesitation, Phini endured the lingering ache in her body and climbed out of bed.

Tying the sword to her waist, she slowly walked out of the room. She found herself in a small courtyard enclosed by a fence. The yard was remarkably simple, containing only a single tree and a patch of cultivated land.

In that cultivated patch, another girl, Angela, was currently wiping sweat from her brow as she tilled the soil.

“Did you save me?” Phini asked instinctively.

“Hm? You’re awake?”

Angela, who had been focused on her work, immediately set down her tools, looked up, and turned to face the direction of the sound.

“Where is this place?” Phini reiterated her question, her tone aloof.

She was very concerned about her current location.

“This is Kabi Village.”

“Kabi Village?”

“That’s right!”

“Where is Kabi Village?” After receiving the answer, Phini stroked her chin, pondering for a moment. Despite a prolonged period of thought, she still couldn’t recall anything about such a place.

She lowered her hand and asked again, “What is the name of this region?”

“Hmm, well… I remember this place is called Ash Mountain, I think?” When Phini asked this, Angela likely understood what she truly wanted to know. After thinking for a moment, Angela slowly spoke the name she had once heard from someone else. To be honest, Angela, who had never left this mountain, had no real concept of where her small village was located on a map.

“Ash Mountain, then?” Upon learning this name, Phini once again fell into deep thought.

“What—”

“Thanks.”

Before Angela could finish, Phini immediately interrupted her, offered her thanks, and then moved to walk out of the courtyard. However, after only a few steps, she hunched over, clutching her injured side, her face utterly pale.

“Hey, your injuries haven’t healed yet! There’s no need to rush off like this!” Seeing her pain, Angela immediately rushed forward to support the tottering Phini.

“How long was I unconscious?” Supported by Angela, Phini slowly turned her head to face her.

“A week.”

“…No, I have to leave here.” Upon hearing that she had been unconscious for a week, Phini could no longer suppress her desire to leave. She had something crucial she needed to do, and she had no time to leisurely stay here!

“Whatever it is, wait until your injuries are healed!” Seeing her desperate eagerness to leave, Angela couldn’t bear the thought of her collapsing midway and patiently tried to persuade her again.

“…”

“Your injuries are so severe; you won’t be able to walk far and will surely be carried back again!”

“But…”

“Is anything more important than your own body?” Seeing Phini’s continued stubbornness, Angela finally couldn’t hold back and yelled at her. Perhaps Phini’s lack of self-care had angered the usually gentle girl.

“…”

Startled by Angela’s shout, Phini fell silent. Her physical condition was indeed as Angela had described—not good at all. If she were to go out with such a heavily wounded body, she would surely collapse again very soon.

“In any case, whatever it is, you need to take care of your body first. Even if you have an urgent matter, you mustn’t push yourself too hard!” Seeing that Phini had fallen silent and was no longer struggling, Angela continued to persuade her. Angela’s heart was simply too soft; even if the other person completely rejected her kindness, she couldn’t bear not to try and help.

“I understand…” Although Angela had been incredibly loud just now, Phini knew in her heart that Angela was genuinely concerned for her.

“Good that you understand. Now, let me help you back inside.” Seeing that Phini had finally listened to her words, Angela’s expression eased slightly.

“…”

Faced with her genuine kindness, Phini, unable to refuse, could only allow herself to be helped back to the room. Just as Phini returned to bed, as Angela turned away, Phini couldn’t help but look up, her face full of questions, and asked, “Why…?”

In her view, Angela had no reason to care about her at all. Yet, she had still stopped her from leaving.

“Does helping someone need a reason?” Angela turned back to Phini with a faint smile. “Besides, I wouldn’t want such a beautiful big sister to just disappear all of a sudden.”

With those words, she turned and left, a cheerful silhouette disappearing from Phini’s sight.