A Far-Away Dream

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- "Why must you persist in a pointless struggle against beings of their caliber?"

My body immediately propelled itself upwards as I began desperately gasping for air with sweat dripping down my body. Try as I may, it would seem that the more I attempt to recall my dream and what made me wake up in that manner, the more my mind grows hazy, and blank, refusing to reveal the slightest clue. Closing my eyes briefly, for composure, I steady my ragged breathing, followed up by my hand wiping the sweat off my forehead. After opening up my eyes, I quickly realized it was still early morning. The rays of sunshine from the rising sun were creeping through the old, wooden window of my room.

I allowed myself to fall back into bed, moving my hands behind my head, allowing me to rest my head on them, as my mind finally began working again.

"Well...that's to be expected, I have been through the same situation several times now, and not once have I managed to recall anything that happened in those dreams. Judging by how I wake up as if I have gone through a nightmare, combined with the sweat... just what can possibly be so terrifying? It is usually hard to recall dreams, however, nightmares are almost always memorable, so why..."

Before I could continue contemplating, I heard the sweet voice of a woman very dear to me behind the door to my room, my lovely mother.

- "Sweetie! It's time to wake up, your father is waiting for you!" - her voice echoed through the wooden door, her cheerful tone self-evident in her words. Having not immediately replied, I wait for a few moments before saying:

- "Yes mom! I will be right there!" - and with that said, I get myself off the bed to prepare and start a new day.

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Adrian's family was quite a simple one, really. His mother got together with his father at quite a young age, and were together for several years before having him. Admittedly, his father is a retired knight of the order, but it's not that simple. In order for one to be retired here, one has to either be of age or hold a good achievement record, something that his father luckily possessed. Considering his good relations and his achievement record, after meeting Adrian's mother and falling in love with her, he requested to be retired and placed in a village in which he would serve as a sort of guardian, something that most retired knights typically requested by the end of their careers.

With that, Adrian's parents settled in the village of Grindol, located in the North-West of the Knightdom of Legatoria. Grindol was quite a thriving village, with its main specialty being farming, and frankly, it was one of the largest contributors of food in the surrounding domain. In this farmer's village, Adrian slowly grew up, and due to his father's disciplining, he was being taught the art of the sword since the young age of 6, when he was still barely able to lift a mere wooden sword. Honestly speaking, the more Adrian grew up, the more he, as well as his father, Alvis, realized that he didn't have much talent for the sword to speak of. Of course, it is a given that Adrian had no major qualms learning the basics of the sword, he was not the same as his father in the matter of talent. Something that, sadly, did indeed disappoint his father; how unlucky must his father be to have a son of his own flesh and blood, be untalented? Yet, neither wished to give up despite acknowledging the situation, leaving the training to instead turn even harsher.

Season after season, as the years went by, Adrian was now 16 years old; he still dutifully trained with the sword even outside of his training with his father, and he gradually developed a rather inquisitive mind, wondering about the life outside the village and all sorts of things. As for his mother, Isabella, it could be said that she may have even received a blessing from some unknown God, considering how well she aged, her beauty remaining well-preserved throughout the years.

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Having put on my clothes and leaving my messy, pitch black hair in peace, I made my way out of my room right into what could be considered the corridor leading to the dining area, and slowly walked onwards. Having reaching the dining area, I could see my mother setting things on the table while my father was already seated at it and having noticed me, he began intently looking at me, causing me to feel slightly anxious as I wondered what he wanted from me. Nonetheless, attempting to ignore this feeling, I let out a soft smile at the sight of my parents, and greet them.

- "Good morning, father. Good morning, mother." - I move back the chair I usually sit at the side of the table and sit down on it, waiting for my mother to sit down as well so that we can all start eating together.

- "G'morning son, did you sleep well?" - my father would calmly ask as his eyes sternly faced me.

- "Why yes, ready to tackle the day!" - I replied in a cheerful tone as to throw off his questioning, knowing full well what his next question would be.

- "You didn't have an imaginary dream... thing, again, did you?" - he continued asking me with his stern expression, his gaze as if analyzing every fiber of my being in order to detect a lie that I could utter.

- "As I told you before, they stopped; I forgot the last time I even had one!" - I inadvertently raised my voice.

- "Now, now. Let's all have a good meal, after which, Adrian, your father and I have something to tell you, isn't that right, dear?" - my mother's calming voice could be heard yet again as she diffused the situation with the introduction of something else, leaving my father with a more relaxed expression.

Frankly, I am itching to know what they wish to tell me.

- "That's right, darling." - he replied to my mother, and after pausing for a moment, he hesitantly continued - "Perhaps... it may be better to start now, hm?"

My eyes would then trail back towards my mom, and upon seeing a gentle nod from her, I landed my gaze back at my father, eagerly awaiting the words that would leave his mouth.

- "Me and your mother have been thinking for some time and have finally decided. We want you to spread your wings and leave the house, register with the Adventurer's Guild, and adventure."

The world around me froze.

Spread my wings?

Adventurer's Guild?

Adventure?

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to leave our village, Grindol, and see what the world has to offer but I never directly expressed my opinion as I knew full well that my parents would get easily worried. Frankly, it is part of the reason I grew to be inquisitive, constantly nagging my father and mother about how the cities are, what do the knights look like, and more.

I've always wanted to know more.

I've always wanted to have more freedom.

My parents have done something that I still couldn't comprehend, despite the fact that quite some time has passed after my father had uttered the words that stunned me. However...

How could I reject the very dream I wished to experience? With that question in mind, endless gratitude in my heart, and determination in my voice; tears of joy slowly fell from my eyes as I finally replied:

- "Thank you, father and mother. This... means the world to me and I will gladly spread my wings."

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The Adventurer's Guild can be considered to be quite a massive association, seeing as how it has branches in each of the nations known to mankind. Furthermore, the Adventurer's Guild has developed its own universal combat-party system, as well as a ranking system, which is quite different from the armies of various nations.

The 'universal combat party' system the Guild has developed refers to specializations that people are recommended into training and then partying with other specialized members for requests. The specializations are as follows: Frontline, Warrior, Ranger, Assassin. Based on these specializations, the Guild conducts introductory training for each of them. All four of these combined make a formidable team; and the Adventurer's Guild once again showcases through more training sessions, what the role of each individual is, based on their specializations.

When it comes to the ranking system, instead of utilizing titles in the army or something of the sort, your rank is determined by a single letter. The lowermost rank is E, above which are: D, C, B, A, and lastly, S. Each rank signifies a drastic change in the combat power of an individual, and advancing to each rank only gets more difficult. There is no magic. The combat power of an individual solely relies on the handling of their weapon, training, technique, and wit; and how they portray all of it when they battle.

In this world, magical creatures are mere stories that parents pass on to their children; and frankly, the two greatest threats in this world always remain to be either of the two: wild animals, or other humans. As such, the requests almost always come in and are related to either of the two. If anything, becoming a bandit is actually a lucrative business depending on where you station yourself. Some nations are quite lax in regards to their inner security, and some simply cannot afford it, hence, unless the Adventurer's Guild gets involved, bandits can freely roam the lands and target merchants, unprotected villages, and in some cases, even towns.

Many seek the easy path to coin.

Not many wish to dedicate themselves to their nation, or work hard to get some high rank in the Adventurer's Guild.

When it comes to the Knightdom of Legatoria, it is actually a relatively secure domain, the faith of the people in the Knights of Legatoria is steadfast, and not too many dare to disobey the law, and when they do, the knights even take care of moderately sized bandit groups. It is a relatively safe place for growth, one can say.

Or in other words, the Knightdom of Legatoria should only be the beginning, for our soon to be member of the Adventurer's Guild, Adrian.