Ereth’s vision slowly returned. He found himself under an unfamiliar ceiling, a thin brown tarp that gently swayed back and forth.

  His body was aching, but it was nowhere near as bad as before. He got up and removed his shirt, examining his wounds.

  “I’m…healed?”

  His wounds were wrapped in paper with strange inscriptions. Though he tried his best to make out the written word with his extensive knowledge of language, the exact meaning of the inscriptions remained elusive. All he knew was that this paper contained a mysterious power capable of reviving his half-dead body.

  “You shouldn’t move too much, you’ll open up those nasty wounds of yours.”

  “...?”

  Ereth turned his gaze to the unfamiliar voice. It was a woman with fiery crimson hair and golden eyes. She wore a long, oversized trench coat in a light beige color with wide lapels, shoulder epaulettes, and a loose draping silhouette. The blazer was camel-colored, paired with a textured brown tie and a button-down with a vertical stripe pattern. Finally, the pants were high-waisted and wide-legged in a muted brown-taupe shade, almost touching the floor as it flowed freely through space. Off-white pointed-toe heels added a style of elegance and slickness.

  In other words, she was beautiful beyond comparison.

  “Didn’t you hear me dumbass, I said lay down!”

  “Ah!”

  She slapped Ereth on the cheek, forcing the boy back in bed. Beneath her beautiful exterior roamed the spirit of a tiger with unparalleled ferocity.

  “Can you at least tell me where I am before slapping me?”

  The lady lit a cigarette, which seemed awfully inappropriate for a medical doctor, before acquiescing to the boy's demand. “Saranhell,” she said. “Welcome to Saranhell, the dying forge of the sand planet. A real creep dragged you in. He didn’t say much, but I was certain that the guy was bad news.”

  “So he really did listen to my request…that’s a relief.”

  “How did you even get so banged up anyways? Run into some monsters?”

  “I fell from the sky.”

  “...”

  Ereth could feel the judgement coming from the woman’s gaze. “No. Seriously. I fell from the sky.”

  “And how exactly did that happen?”

  “I don’t really know.”

  “And where exactly did you come from?”

  “The Eternal Twilight.”

  “...Are you serious?”

  “Wait, what the hell is wrong with the Eternal Twilight?”

  The medical lady knitted her brow in frustration. She was clearly tired of dealing with Ereth’s antics. “You seriously expect me to believe you came from heaven? Are you a member of the church? I seriously can’t deal with you crazies.”

  “Heaven…?”

  Ereth was confused. How exactly was the Eternal Twilight “heaven?” How did she even know about that location? As far as he was concerned, it was a space completely cut off from the outside world. A human like her could not possibly know about it.

  Despite this apparent error, the medical lady continued, “Everyone knows the story. A thousand years ago, the hero Zoltin defeated an unparalleled evil in the Great Heavenly War. They ended up killing each other, with Zoltin’s spirit resting in the Eternal Twilight, awaiting the return of the new hero — or at least that’s how the story goes. I don’t give a shit.”

  “...A thousand years…”

  Zoltin had been alive for over a thousand years. It was a bit surreal, to say the least, but Ereth never actually considered how old he or Zoltin may be. Within the Eternal Twilight, concepts like time had lost their meaning. The mortal world, however, was different.

  Time passed, people were born and passed away, and legends eroded into myth. To know that his father, the man he had known and loved all his life, was nothing but a fairytale to others filled him with both a profound sadness and joy. He had made his mark on history, becoming a renown hero of all, yet no one would ever know the real Zoltin.

  “So tell me,” the fiery woman said as she exhaled another plume of smoke, “who exactly are you?”

  “I…” Ereth thought for a moment about a proper response. “I’m a wandering adventurer! Yeah, an adventurer! I had a bad run-in with a duneworm and ended up injured. My pal helped me escape, though I don’t know where he is now.”

  “So that creep was a friend of yours? You should seriously consider picking better friends.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  …Harsh.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter. As a fellow wanderer, I am simply here to fulfill my obligations and move along to the next town, that’s all.”

  “You speak as though you aren’t very attached to this place. Do it’s people not intrigue you?”

  “It’s not that. People are people — they’re fine as they are. I simply don’t have enough seats in my heart to invite anymore visitors. That’s why it would only weaken my spirit to have friends.”

  “...Man, you sound like a pretty gloomy guy. What a letdown.”

  “Excuse me?!” She shouted at Ereth with the force of a thunderstorm. “Do you know how much trouble I went through to repair that beaten body of yours?! And this is how you repay me?! I’ll kill you!”

  In an instant, Ereth performed a perfect Dogeza (土下座), his form aligned with the golden ratio down to the millimeter. Consider it a supermove, allowing Ereth to gain the apologetic feelings of anyone he has offended. “Sorry ma'am, a slip of the tongue, of course. It’s just that you have such a striking personality, I thought you’d be more inclined towards connecting with the townsfolk.”

  “It’s your fault for judging someone based on limited information. If you’re healthy enough to talk about how gloomy I am, then you can get the fuck out. I have more people to take care of, you know?”

  “Apologies, miss…?”

  It seems like you just smoke all day though… Ereth thought snidely.

  “Adra. The name’s Adra. And before you ask, your weird friend paid the fee for your treatment.”

  “I see, I’ll have to thank him for that.”

  Ereth got up from the medical bed, and surprisingly, the tent was far smaller than he had thought. The space was cluttered with various tools, artifacts, medical equipment, but most importantly, magic formulas. Her desk was covered in the strange collection of potions, ceremonial knives, and inscriptions. She was more like an apothecary than an actual doctor.

  “Ah, one last thing.”

  “What is it?” Adra said with an annoyed tone.

  “Do you happen to know where my partner might have gone?”

  “Nope. The dude hardly even spoke to me.”

  “Ah, I see.” Ereth let out a sigh of relief knowing that he didn’t need to continue his lie. He could just forget about the knight in black and live out the rest of his adventures.

  “However…there is a favour I must ask of you. Consider it a doctor’s tax.”

  “What is it?”

  Adra put out her cigarette, which had just about run out of tobacco. “You’re a wanderer like me, yeah? Goes without saying that you probably struggle with money. If you’re up to it, how about a job?”

  “A job? Like an adventurer type of job?” Ereth said with a childish grin on his face.

  “Hell yeah. If you’re willing to hear me out, then I might just let you in on some of the reward. Though I’m warning you, it won’t be easy.”

  “I’m not interested in easy.”

  ———

  “Here’s the deal — there’s a certain material called Drezah near a certain encampment near the villain, around 6 miles out. They’re highly conductive with magecraft and are highly sought after. Normally I’d just go and get it myself, but the mineral deposit itself is sat square in the middle of a monster den. I’m lookin’ for a warrior to deal with the annoying monsters. The reward, of course, will be a cut of the Drezah.”

  “Seems easy enough, deal.”

  “Wait, I’m not done. The den itself is home to the Nefa’ri, a race of Shura known for their ferocity, large numbers, and poisonous stingers. If you aren’t ready for that, then back out.”

  “Haah…” Ereth let out a sigh of boredom. “The people of this world are so concerned about precaution. As long as I have my sword, I can cut them down as much as I’d like.”

  “You seem mighty confident for someone who landed in my office half-dead.”

  “That was a different situation, alright?” Ereth retorted with annoyance. “I’ll help you with your little operation.”

  Adra guffawed laughed, “Alrighty then, it’s a deal! You bringing your friend along or is this a solo operation?”

  “Consider it a solo operation. Let’s just say he and I aren’t on the best of terms right now.”