Chapter 1

*rustle*

A deer raised its head, stopping from eating the wild green grass laid out on the soil. It stared at the distant bushes for some time, until it separated its gaze from it after recognizing that nothing was there. It lowered its head and resumed grazing.

Ssuk!

A figure suddenly jumped out of the bushes. Just as it raised its head, an arrow hit its left eye, directly piercing the head. The deer dropped to the ground, falling to the force of inertia.

"Phew"

The figure that jumped out of the bushes wiped his sweat. It was a boy of 5 feet and 8 inches tall. It was an average height for a boy of his age.

He had short wavy black hair and a pair of black eyes. His skin is tanned, signifying that he spends his time under the sun frequently. He had an average build for a male, not too brawny but just enough to not get called skinny. His name is Arscythe. He's 17 years old this year.

Arscythe hanged the bow on his back and looked at the setting sun. He then quickly walked towards the carcass of the deer. He cut its neck and drained the animal's blood. He hung the deer upside down in a branch of a tree. His actions showed the proficiency he has in this field. It was clear that he had already done this many times, despite him being only 17 years old.

"Hmmm."

After waiting for the blood to drain, he stood up and collected the prize. He hummed as he walked towards his house with the prize on his back. The sun is casting shadows on the trees and dyeing his figure in red-orange.

The place he lives at is just a normal-sized cabin, made out of logs and plywood. Behind his house is a small garden of vegetables. Beyond those is another patch of forest. That's right; he lives in the middle of the forest.

"I'm home."

He lightly announced as he swung the wooden door open. The inside is engulfed in the darkness. It is seemingly devoid of any life.

Arscythe creased his brows.

"Hey, where are the lights?" He said, calling out to the darkness again. The eerie darkness that is enveloping his surroundings gives an ominous vibe. Gusts of chilly air stroke his skin.

Dropping the deer's carcass at the door, he explored what's inside the darkness.

He walked towards a cupboard guided by his memory while spreading his arms out as he felt his way in the darkness. When he reached the cupboard, he took out a matchbox and lit a matchstick. He looked for the lamp in the cupboard and remembered that it was last placed on the table.

"...!?"

He turned around, only to be greeted by a 'ghost'.

"F@&%$!" Arscythe nearly hit it but stopped. Squinting his eyes, he pulled the blanket covering the 'ghost'.

A person was revealed under the white blanket. Her long black hair flowing down, she had an innocent face that was still visible under the faint light of the matchstick. Her pale skin was smooth like a white jade marble. She had a pair of black eyes, an aquiline nose, and thin pink lips.

The girl was surprised at first before she pouted.

"Arghh! You're late! I had to stay in the dark for a long time just to scare you. Do you know how many mosquitos bit me?!"

"Ha Ha. Very funny. What did you think is gonna happen when you forgot to spread the bug repellant herbs and wait in the dark?"

"T-that… Geez, I'm starving. Let's cook the food already." Isabella, Arscythe's younger sister, averted her gaze and managed to change the topic.

Arscythe shook his head faintly and sighed.

"Right. I caught a deer today. We'll have a feast to celebrate your birthday." He said as he walked toward the deer's carcass. Meanwhile, Isabella lit up the oil lamp on the table, finally erasing the darkness in the room.

"It's your birthday too. We're twins, you know." She grumbled.

"Right."

They were twins. Their face showed some traces of resemblance with each other. The most noticeable similarities were their nose, eyes and hair color. They're only minutes apart, with Arscythe being the older one and Isabella the younger.

They lived here in the middle of the forest ever since they were born. They have no memory of their mother, and even their father went away when they were just 4 years old. Instead, the twins were raised by their grandpa alone in this forest. The forest provided them with wild games and fishes in the river. They also have a garden at the back of their house that provided them with fresh vegetables. The three of them lived a simple but happy life.

Sadly, this life did not continue. That is because their grandpa died of old age when they were 14 years old. When their grandpa died a few years ago, their lifestyle changed entirely as Arscythe solely bore the responsibility of providing for his sister. Her sister was born with a weak constitution. When they were still kids, she was always bedridden. Although she slowly got back her health as she grew up, Arscythe never let her do heavy things. He is afraid her weak condition would come back.

He hunts animals once in a while to get meat and grows the crops in their garden. They split the work chores in the house, but most of the time, Arscythe did it alone as he was afraid that Isabella might overwork herself and catch a fever again.

There are times when they fought over who will get the last meat, or who will enter the bath first. Trivial arguments like these that are normal to siblings. But they always made up in the end, as that was what brothers and sisters do. Their grandpa told them so.

Before their grandpa died, Arscythe grew up learning many things from him. He learned farming, hunting, tracking, and he even explored the forest so he knows it like the back of his hands. He knew what's edible or not, poisonous plants or medicinal herb, and all the dangers in the forest.

Arscythe also didn't neglect the garden, as it is one of their sources of food. He continued the vegetable garden that his grandpa built with painstaking effort. He started learning despite his early age; that's how they managed to survive alone in this forest.

He was also raised hearing tales and legends of many heroes. Their grandpa always told them stories of knights, dragons, and princesses being saved. Arscythe always liked those stories, but Isabella hates it, saying that the sister of the hero is always being neglected.

All things considered, their grandpa raised them full of love and to the point where they can live alone even without him.

Arscythe skinned the deer and removed its bones. He then cut the meat into several portions and stored some of them after preserving it with salt and wrapping it in a cloth. He only left a portion to be cooked that is slightly more than what they usually eat.

Arscythe is cutting the meat while Isabella is cutting the vegetables. Sometimes they change roles or ask the other one to help with the cutting. While Arscythe is seasoning the meat, Isabella is checking the soup's flavor and adding some spice and vegetables according to the taste. This is their everyday life.

When they finished cooking all of the food, the table was filled with simple but sumptuous dishes. An appetizing fragrance wafted in the air.

"We may have overdone it a bit. Oh well." Arscythe muttered.

The twins both looked at each other and smiled. They then sat at each end of the table, facing each other. The lamp in the middle of the table is illuminating the room with mellow light, creating a somewhat relaxed atmosphere. They prayed first and together gave their thanks for having food on their table every day. Arscythe also did not forget about their grandpa and thanked him too for everything. They both started eating.

They chatted and shared stories while eating their dinner. Most of it was a meat dish but there are vegetables as side-dishes too. There's a soup with chunks of deer meat and vegetables, mashed potatoes, grilled deer meat, vegetable salad, and more meat dishes.

After barely finishing all the food, they just stuffed the plates on the sink and promised to wash it later. Right now, they're both resting on the sofa.

"Ars, do you think grandpa is proud of us?" Out of the blue, Isabella suddenly asked.

Arscythe looked at her for a second before replying, "Of course he's proud about us. We managed to live with the things he taught us, so I'm sure he's watching over us somewhere up there."

"What about our parents? Do you think they'll come back?"

"I, err..."

Arscythe was unsure. He can't give an answer as even he doesn't know where their parents currently are or whether they're alive or not. Their father looked for their missing mother, who went away after giving birth to them; they were only 4 years old at the time he left. He never came back since then, and no news was heard from him. There's not even a single letter from any of them.

After thinking for some time, Arscythe finally replied.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I'm sure they remember us. Maybe there's just a complicated reason that we don't know of or some problems they need to solve first. Maybe if they see us right now, they'll be proud too, like grandpa."

Of course, he wants them to come back. He is also hoping that their parents won't forget them. It's not that he was burdened by Isabella; it's just that it will be much happier if their family is complete. He silently prayed in his heart that someday it will become true.

After some time, Arscythe finally stood up. He's done resting so he went to the sink and washed the dishes. After taking care of the dishes and cleaning the table, it's time for a bath.

"Should I go in first or would you like to?" Arscythe asked.

Isabella pondered for a moment before saying, "You should go in first, Ars. I know you're exhausted from hunting. I can wait."

Arscythe didn't say anything and entered the bath first. He washed his sweaty body and plunged himself in the small tub. When he did so, Arscythe finally heaved a sigh of satisfaction.

After relaxing for a bit, he gripped the pendant hanging on his chest. The pendant was a cylinder with a circular base and a pointed tip. It's at least 3 inch in length, and an inch in diameter from the base. If Arscythe was more knowledgeable about the outside world, he would know that it looks exactly like a large caliber bullet.

The pendant was made up of unknown metal. It looks like steel but it was lighter than that. Before their father looked for their mother, he left this pendant to him, saying that it was a memento of their mother.

He tried to open it and see what's inside, but the pendant has no holes or anything. He hammered it with all the sturdy material he found. Despite that, it did not budge a bit and did not even leave a scratch on it. He also tried plunging it into the fire and see what happens. He was surprised to find out that it did not even leave a mark and the metal remained cold, like the fire was a lie. Of course, he did touch the fire and his hand got slightly burnt after it. It was truly a mysterious item.

Every time he held this, the same questions appears in his mind, 'Just where are they now? What happened to them? Will they ever come back? Do they even remember us?'

He refrained from voicing these out because he has to be strong for his sister. She only has him to rely on, and he can't show his weak side to her. He only has to appear strong and reliable in front of her.

He vowed.