Derina, Finn's mother, was an exceptional mercenary. She was not the strongest by any means, but she was not weak either. She was known as a Saintess during her time as a mercenary due to her extremely good healing capabilities.
His father, on the other hand, was a brute who had muscles for brains, he was one of the top brass in the town. He was so cold and ruthless that people began to call him the blood-soaked warrior. The couple, though only comrades at that time, were in a mercenary group of four.
Through countless life or death battles, the group had unquestioning trust for each other. The brute known as the blood-soaked warrior slowly fell in love with the saintess in their party.
Their love followed a marriage and a happy time for the party, they decided to not take any commissions for a while and just enjoy their life. That decision was taken by the captain of their group, who was Finn's father.
The party was disbanded, with the members either going on their travels, or living a quiet life in the countryside. One year passed and Derina gave birth to Finn, the whole group was called together again to celebrate the occasion.
The following time was the happiest for the couple, they also moved to a countryside village to live a quiet life. After two entire years, after Finn turned one, his father decided to move to the city again for his education.
Derina and her husband never wanted their child to be an uneducated mercenary like them, but they still decided to teach him swordsmanship in order to better survive when met with a challenge.
They rounded up their savings and got a pretty big house in the city, and not knowing any other jobs, his father decided to take on commissions again. He sent letters to his former teammates who were now married if they could come, and the new couples happily obliged to go on another adventure.
Time passed as Finn grew up with Derek, the son of the other couples from the party. Both their parents would go on commissions that sometimes would even last a whole week. But each day was a happy one for them, all they needed was each other.
One day, Finn's mother decided to stay behind to teach the young ones how to wield a sword. Finn had heard his mother and father arguing about who would teach them swordsmanship.
But the argument did not last long as the man who fell deeply in love could not say no to his woman. Derina won the exchange of words and decided to teach them how to wield longswords.
The lessons continued for a long time, but they always got repeated warnings on why they should not become muscle-headed mercenaries like them and live a better life. Finn and Derek, both did not give much thought to it and just agreed, but they never had any plans to be mercenaries.
Limdon was a town that was harsh to people looking for a job, so many opted to be a mercenary because of the easy entrance criteria. Because of the availability of a variety of people in the mercenary guild, it was extremely popular.
But as people who had education were less, there would always be demand for them in other areas of work that did not require one to endanger their life. While Finn and Derek were too young to know this, their parents definitely were aiming for their kids to work in a safer environment.
But as a wise man once said, "Nothing ever goes as planned in this accursed world". (The line is by Madara from Naruto, and if you haven't watched it yet... Why?) And that was always the reality for those who hope without a plan.
On a faithful day, both their parents headed to work for a short flux zone exploration. Flux zones were dangerous places where the ether swirls around with wild fury, it was a place where you become unable to use ether.
That would make the venture difficult, thankfully, there were no monsters inside other than the ones without any ether, but they were physically strong. There was only one reason why people still headed into the place despite the difficult situation.
Any strong artifact requires a base that contains a huge load of ether, and the one thing that causes flux zones to appear, the flux core, would contain a beastly amount of ether inside it. Nobles and wealthy individuals would pay a hefty sum to mercenaries just to get their hands on one.
This was such a mission, just a big commission to head inside a flux zone and get the flux core. The zone was around for a couple of decades, but it was only discovered recently. The wyvern noble house called Drakonis, who never commissioned the mercenaries was the one who gave the mission.
It was rare for them to give missions because their knights were all extremely talented. But it was a time when some cultists were at war with them, they said that it was dangerous and they did not have enough manpower to spare.
Finn and Derek had insisted that they go with them, but as protective parents, they refused. The headed into the flux zone with an dozen more or so parties— but it was more dangerous than they expected.
Turns out, when dragons say 'dangerous', it is pretty dangerous.
Weeks had passed without a word from Finn and Derek's parents. The memory of that night remained sharp in Finn's mind, haunting him even as time blurred the edges of everything else. It was the night when his world unraveled.
Derina, Finn's mother, had returned alone. The once-proud mercenary, known for her healing skills and resilience, wobbled into view just before sunset. Her cloak, once spotless, was stained with blood and dirt, her body barely upright as she made her way toward the house. In her arms, she carried a bundle, tightly wrapped in a cloth, that shifted with each of her uneven steps.
Finn could still remember the cold weight in his chest when he realized what was happening. Derina collapsed just as she reached the front of the house. He had run to her then, his hands trembling as he reached for her. She had tried to speak but her voice had been faint, barely above a whisper.
He didn't need to hear the words. The cloth had fallen away, revealing the battered and lifeless form of his father. The blood-soaked warrior, the man who had seemed unbeatable, now lay cold and motionless in his mother's arms.
Finn's breath had caught in his throat as he stared at the corpse, his mind refusing to accept the sight before him. His father's face, pale and hollow, was the only thing he could focus on. His mother had tried, she had fought her way back, but the weight of their failure had been written across her face. She had come back alive, but his father hadn't. And neither had Derek's parents.
Derina had whispered something about the flux core, about how they had not found it even at a terrible cost. The place had been far more dangerous than anyone could have imagined. The creatures they encountered weren't like anything they had ever faced. And despite their experience, despite their strength, it hadn't been enough.
And while he was focusing on his father, and Derek's eye wandering off without focusing anywhere— his mother collapsed.