I almost died from a boar.

  That is not an exaggeration, nor is it something I am particularly proud of!

  Usually, stories about seven-year-olds involve finding a cool stick or catching a shiny beetle, but I decided I was going to be a legendary hunter today.

  The forest of the Midgard Empire was super quiet that morning, with only the rustling of the golden leaves and my own shaky,

  "I'm-definitely-not-scared," breathing exhaled from my nose broke the silence.

  My sword was trembling in my hands, only a little, I swear. Right in front of me stood a wild boar.

  It had big, sparkly red eyes fixed on me and a body as tense as a coiled spring, ready to charge.

  was seven years old, which is practically grown-up, right? And I had thought I could hunt it all by myself!

  I could already see the look on Mother's face when I brought home a giant feast.

  That was my first big "uh-oh" mistake.

  The second mistake was underestimating just how fast and terrifying a cornered beast could be.

  It didn't look like the fuzzy piggies in my picture books at all. it looked like a runaway mountain with tusks!

  "thump thump thump!" My heart was thumping against my ribs like a trapped bird.

  But I did not want to run away.

  If I caught this boar all by myself, everyone would finally see that Rick isn't just a little kid.

  They'd say, "Wow, Rick is so amazing and strong!"

  Maybe Frans would finally stop calling me a "squirt," and Father would look at me with those proud, crinkly eyes.

  I took a huge breath, let out a warrior shout, and rushed forward.

  The boar charged too.

  Everything happened too fast!

  My sword struck its thick hide, but instead of cutting deep, it only slid across its flesh.

  Oh no! Before I could even say "oops," the boar went "BAM" right into my tummy.

  "Oof!"

  It felt like a giant pillow made of bricks hit me.

  I went flying through the air like a bird with no wings.

  CRUNCH

  I hit a big old tree.

  Ouchie.

  My chest felt all tight, like a giant was stepping on it, and my legs felt like wobbly noodles.

  I tried to stand up to tell the boar that wasn't very nice, but he was already puffing his nose again, getting ready to stomp me!

  Then, a big shadow covered me.

  It was like a cool breeze suddenly blew past.

  Shiiing

  It was the prettiest sound ever.

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  A silver flash danced in the air, and suddenly, the boar wasn't grumpy anymore because... well, his head wasn't on his neck anymore! It went flip-flop into the grass, and a bunch of red stuff splashed everywhere.

  It looked like spilled berry juice, but it smelled a bit funny.

  I stared in shock as the huge body collapsed only a few steps away from me.

  "…You're still too reckless, Rick."

  I blinked my eyes really fast.

  Standing there was the coolest person in the whole world.

  I blinked my eyes really fast. Standing there was the coolest person in the whole world.

  "…You're still too reckless, Rick."

  It was Frans Avenir! My big brother! He's fifteen, which is basically a thousand years older than me, and he's super tall and never gets scared of anything.

  He didn't even look out of breath! His sword had some of that red juice on it, and he looked at me with his serious, "I'm-the-big-brother" face.

  "I told you not to hunt it alone," he said, sounding like a teacher.

  "…I almost got it," I squeaked. I didn't want him to think I was a scaredy-cat!

  He made a funny noise with his nose.

  A snort!

  "You almost got yourself killed. Still, this was a good lesson."

  "A lesson?" I asked, tilting my head.

  Was there going to be a quiz?

  "I only stepped in when you were about to die," he said in his flat, calm voice.

  "Remember this feeling. Next time, you either win by yourself… or you don't fight at all."

  Frans is super-duper harsh, but I don't care.

  He's the strongest person I know! I want to be just like him when I grow up to be fifteen.

  We started walking back, and we had to carry the big boar on a long pole.

  It was heavy, but I helped a little!

  The forest smelled like wet dirt and yummy green grass again. The sun was poking through the leaves, making polka dots on the ground. I kept looking at Frans's back. He's so brave.

  "Frans," I said, trying to keep up with his big steps. "How can someone get the Avenir Eyes? I want mine to sparkle too!"

  Frans didn't stop walking. "It's not something you can force, Rick. Awakening is born from conviction and resolution."

  "Con-vic-shun? And res-o-lu-shun?" Those were really big words.

  Did they mean eating all my vegetables?

  "When you truly decide something," he explained, "when your will becomes stronger than fear, stronger than pain, stronger than hesitation. That's when it happens."

  I swallowed.

  I gulped. My will had to be stronger than the "owies" in my chest? That sounded hard.

  "How did you get yours? Did a fairy give them to you?"

  He was quiet for a second. "I was attacked by a wolf. It was fast. Strong. I couldn't escape. No one came to save me. So I decided not to die."

  Whoa. That's it? He just decided? Frans is so cool!

  "…So… I have to almost die too?" I asked.

  I hoped not, because the boar part was not very fun.

  Frans looked at me from the corner of his eye. "No. A boar is good enough for you."

  "Hey! Not the boar again!" I pouted.

  He sighed a big, long sigh. "Listen, Rick. I'll be the one who leads the clan. You can stand behind me. But you still have to be strong. Strong enough not to slow me down."

  "Why?" I asked, swinging my arms. "Is it a race?"

  "Because the Empire's movements have been strange."

  I made a sour face. "The Empire people? They're silly! They come to our village with shiny coins and ask Father for people to join them, but Father always tells them to go away. They don't have honor, and honor is way better than gold!"

  "You're not wrong," Frans said, and he looked really serious now. "But that's why they're dangerous. There are strong ones among them. Knights of Starheim. Blends Mercenaries. They like to make trouble, especially for bloodline clans like ours."

  "Why us? Do they want our boar?"

  "Because our eyes are valuable," he said.

  Valuable? Like a treasure chest? That felt a bit scary.

  I didn't want anyone trying to take my eyes! I need those to see the cool thing!

  As we walked back toward the village with the boar between us,

  I thought about our family, the Avenir Clan. We're special because we come from the God Who Sees Everything.

  When we get really, really, really focused or super excited, our eyes change into the most beautiful things ever. They aren't just one color like the other kids'.

  They have four rings! A blue middle, then white, then yellow, and a bright red ring on the outside!

  We call them the Blessed Pupil of Avenir. When you use them, the whole world goes in slow-motion, like a dream! Everything becomes clear. Every movement, every breath, every opening, even mana can be seen.

  I'm going to get mine soon. I just know it! I'll have the prettiest eyes in the whole village! even better than Frans' already awakened eyes. hehehe

  Suddenly, Frans stopped so fast I almost bumped my nose on his cape.

  "…Do you see that?" he whispered.

  His voice sounded different. Tight. Like a guitar string about to snap.

  I looked where he was pointing. My heart did a big, scary hop.

  There was a big, curly ribbon of black smoke reaching up into the blue sky.

  It was coming from right where our village was. Right where Father, Mother, and all our friends were.

  "…That's…" My tummy felt all cold, and not because of the boar this time.

  "Rick. Don't fall behind!" Frans yelled.

  We dropped the boar—thud!—and we started running. We ran so fast the wind whistled in my ears, and all I could think about was getting home.