The Beggining of the Adventure

"Listen to me Luciel, I was once just a simple kid, whose destiny was to be a simple farmer, but then, I met someone, someone who make me realized what I want to be, I want to be an Adventure." – said the old man laying in his bed, sick, but whose red eyes still carry a lot of power.

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I will never forget.

Yes, I will never forget how my life change, how I decided to become an adventurer, a person who do missions across the world, a powerful being who carefree life could take him everywhere.

The year was 9942, I was just a youngster of twelve years, everything starts when one day, in our small little town, a town of farmers, a tranquil town whose stronger person was just an old man of rank Town Expert, that, an adventurer who was injure appeared.

That adventurer was injured, and yet, I could feel it, he was… powerful.

Immensely vast powerful, if the old man was like a full glass of water, that man was a huge lake, the difference was… vastly.

I didn't know how I could feel it, how I could feel his power, but… I did it, it was so simple, like breathing, I didn't know how I did it, but I felt his power.

Later in my life I would come to know that I was a special person, a natural talent of feeling the Energy of the World, the energy that existed in all beings in the world, the energy that we, the humans absorbed, cultivated, and used, I could feel the energy.

The injured adventurer was called Urs, he was a foreigner adventurer from the Ancestral Empire, he came from far away at the request of a friend of his who asked him to venture to the Great Dark Forest.

Yeah.

The Great Dark Forest.

Just mentioning the name of that place gave me the creeps.

Every habitant of the north of the Kingdom of Arcadia knew about that place very well, about what it represented.

Yes, the Great Dark Forest, that place that was located at the north of the Kingdom of Arcadia, the Kingdom of Celia, and the Great Empire of Rilentor, was one of the Five Dangerous Zone. The Dangerous Zone where the five most dangerous, deadly, and mysterious places of the whole Continent of Skypea.

Places when it was a 90% sure to die once one enter.

There was even an old legend, some believe it was a myth, other believe it was truth.

Once, thousands of years ago, even before the start of the Age of the Three Empires, in the Great Empire of Rilentor, a Powerful Emperor like no other before or after him form a mighty army of powerful and numerous soldiers who enter the Great Dark Forest.

That powerful Emperor was arrogant, he believes he could conquer one of the Five Dangerous Zone.

It was a mission that any other would think that it was impossible and stupid to do, but he was so powerful, young, arrogant, and confident of his power and his huge army of soldier and the thousands of people of huge power that served him, legends among legends of their time, just below the supreme Emperor.

If he and his army won, he would get almost all the northwest of the Continent of Skypea, it was a huge reward, something that would make the Great Empire of Rilentor finally get an opportunity to conquer the whole continent.

Sadly, for the powerful Emperor and his loyal army, they all perished. No survivor, none of the millions of persons who enter the interior zone of the Great Dark Forest came back.

Due to that tragic event, the Great Empire of Rilentor almost vanished, almost absorbed by other nations, or forgotten by the pass of time.

It is said that, since then, no King or Emperor has ever wanted to have the stupid idea of trying to conquer a dangerous zone, after all, who would want to die with his whole army.

The Five Dangerous Zone, places that only the more powerful people could have the bravery and power to enter. Places where Beasts and Monster inhabit, millions of them living there, powerful being who even the strongest army of the continent couldn't even come back alive.

And, here I am, in front of someone who has enter that fearsome place.

No other village believe in Urs, but I did, I knew that he was saying the true, not only because of the immense power he had, but, because I could feel that his eyes were saying the true.

"I'll be honest kid, never try to go inside that place, the Great Dark Forest is a place that no one would try to enter, not even a World Saint." – said Urs, and, once he said those word, those words shocked me.

World Saints, the most powerful people on the Continent of Skypea, and perhaps, the entire world. Legends among legends, people who was at the top of the nations, they decided the destiny of entire nations, of millions of people, and the man in front of me, the Adventurer Urs, he was a World Saint.

I couldn't believe my luck, I was so excited to met someone so powerful, a real living World Saint, and one who I could talk with.

So, of course, there was not ever a day where I wouldn't visited him, for four months, I always visit and talked to Urs.

When four months passed, someone arrive at my village, an attractive man with long Silver Hair, whose power was equal or even greater than Urs.

'Another World Saint!' – I thought when I felt his power.

Urs, who knew it was time to depart came to me and said: "Sorry kid, but it's time that I go, take care of yourself."

Urs, the World Saint Adventurer, the man that I respected… my idol… he left, and I would never see him again. Even so, thanks to him, I decided that I would not continue the family tradition, I would not be a farmer like my father, or as my grandfather once were.

No.

"I would become an adventurer." – I said with conviction while looking at the moons that shine bright in the dark of the night.

I started working hard for my dream. I trained day by day, carry heavy stuff, run miles around my village, trying to get stronger, faster, and more powerful. I met with the old man all days so he could teach me how to cultivate and how to use the sword, in exchange for helping him with his crops.

Day by day, week by week, and month by month. The time pass, year after year, and finally, when I turned fifteen years old, and I was already considered an adult, I decided my time has come, it was time to live my life, to leave my family, and start my new life.

"I Love You." – I said to my parents. – "I… I Promise I'll be back."

My parents who were closed to the forties look at me.

My dad, with his red hair who was starting to turn white look at little angry at me, still mad by my decision to not live the life of a farmer.

"Hm, you better not come back crying because life is hard and the world cruel, you're now a man, so be strong and never regret anything."

My mother who was hugging me and crying said with love and sadness.

"Take good care my baby… don't trust any stranger, always eat and never forget that this will always be your home."

She was hugging me tightly, after I few minutes when with the help of my father she left her grasp over my clothes, she starts to cry even louder while my father hugs her.

"Go away son." – said my father, whose face finally start to show sadness. – "Good luck."

I saw them, I saw the old farm and our old house, and I smiled.

"I will be back… I promise." – and after saying those words, I turned around, and began to walk, without stopping or looking back, so that they would not look at my face full of tears.

'I love you.' – that was true.

And, just like this, it was how I, Armando, began my journey to the City of Mara, the capital of the Vermont County.