“Aww, nooo! I’m totally lost!”

  The young elven girl fell to her knees in despair as she came to realize that she was, in fact, lost. The land around her was a simple flat grassland with no discernible landmarks to help guide travelers. She had a map but she didn’t exactly know how to properly read it, as this was the first time she had ever ventured out on her own.

  To make matters worse, it was a particularly brutal summer. For someone as sheltered as her, it was like being burned alive.

  The girl reached for her canteen that was strapped to her backpack, unscrewed the lid, and tilted it towards her mouth. She expected to taste something cold and refreshing but was only given a few lukewarm droplets of water hitting her tongue.

  She lowered her head in defeat, prepared to let her final resting place be these lush grasslands.

  *SMACK*

  “No! I’ve come too far to give up now! I’m clearly on a road taken by many people. If I keep following it, I’m sure I’ll find a town or a farm or a fellow traveler.”

  Thus, with newfound optimism provided by smacking her own face, the elven girl continued on her journey. This was a journey she had carefully planned for years and there was no way she was going to let it all be for nothing. If she were to return to the home she had been so desperate to escape, it would be a level of shame that she would be unable to live with.

  About two hours later, her optimism was rewarded when she saw a traveler a few meters in front of her. She called out to them and waved her hand but it seemed like she was too far away. She moved slightly faster to catch up to the traveler and stopped short when she noticed their outfit.

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  Almost the entire outfit had a seemingly random pattern of various different shades of green. What was most notable was the strange object the person was dragging by a sling. It was tan with an iron tube extending from the base. There were two grips with one having a small trigger. Was it an experimental design for a crossbow? No, it couldn’t be. There was no bowstring to be seen.

  On the traveler’s left shoulder were two patches. The top most had a dark rectangle in the canton bearing many small pointed white stars and thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating between dark and light. The other had three bars pointed sharply upwards, creating an arrowhead design.

  One was definitely the flag of a country but it was not one she recognized. Was the other a symbol of social status? The only way to know for sure was to ask directly.

  “Hello!”

  The traveler, who was certainly a woman, turned around and stared at her with an intense, unblinking gaze. Her hair was dark, short, and unkempt. She wore cracked round eyeglasses. The most striking feature about her were the dark circles under her eyes. It was like she hadn’t slept in days.

  She was about a head taller than the elf, making it more difficult for her to speak clearly.

  “A-Are you about as lost as I am?”

  The traveler remained silent with her mouth slightly agape.

  “I-I have a map,” she unfolded a large piece of parchment and presented it to the traveler. It showcased the entire Third Empire of Waywrest that spanned the entire continent.

  “I know we’re somewhere in the Great Plains but it’s difficult to know our exact location without a landmark. Then again, I don’t exactly know how to read a map.”

  The traveler remained still and wide-eyed as she looked down at the map. It was like she was in utter disbelief at what she was seeing.

  “D-Don’t worry! I’m sure that if we keep following this road we’ll find a town eventually! I’m Lily… V-Valentina. What’s your name, miss?”

  The traveller’s breathing was shaky and her face twisted in a mixture of bewilderment and confusion. When she spoke, it was a barely audible whimper.

  “W-Where…”

  “Hm?”

  “Where the hell am I?”