It was dusk. Gentle rays of the setting sun glowed from the other side of the mountain, dyeing the entire forest in scarlet and enveloping the land with motley radiance. Somewhere in the forest, a tent could be seen erected with a man sitting outside of this tent seemingly lost in thought.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the inside of the tent before a girl suddenly walked out from it. It was Amber.
”Master, you were outside?”
Orpheus nodded before ordering.
Amber nodded; her eyes seemed lifeless. That defeat did her a lot of damage. Orpheus could see it.
”How was it your first defeat?”
”Painful!” Amber answered she didn’t hide how she truly felt.
”That good then. Remember this pain; it will make you stronger. If it were a deathmatch, you would have died, but fortunately, it was not one. You lost but transforming this defeat into a determination to win next time is a good thing.”
From her master, he must have watched the whole fight. No wonder he knew so much.
”Master, I want to become stronger and don’t want to lose ever again, but I guess this is impossible because there will always be someone stronger than you, so without being the strongest, you will lose once you face a stronger enemy. I just want to become stronger to help you because I believe you helped me for a reason, maybe you saw a potential that can be used, or there was another reason. So to not disappoint you, I must become stronger. This is not about me but my master; I must not tarnish your reputation. I must make you proud of me because only this way can I repay you for saving me. I signed the contract knowing what I was signing for.” Amber declared with her head held high.
Orpheus smiled, a rare smile, and like usual, Amber was charmed by her master smile.
”It is good you know that. Nothing is free.” He said before looking in the sky as though he was thinking about something.
”In two weeks, we will be going to the Heaven Star Academy in Wratharis. We will enroll as students.”
Orpheus’s announcement truly surprised Amber; she was shocked. One of her dreams before knowing you couldn’t be an origin master was to enroll in that academy. It was the most prestigious academy in the world; only the Saint Star Academy, its twins, could rivalise with the Heaven Star Academy. Getting enrolled in this academy was the dream of many youths, so naturally, upon hearing she would enroll in this academy together with her master Amber was beyond happy; she couldn’t wait to be there.
”Naturally, before we leave, you must at least become Level 6 Origin master. The twins will be there; you can get your revenge in the academy.”
”I understand, master. I promise to work harder not to disappoint you.” Amber declared proudly with her chest held high.
Orpheus chuckled before grabbing Amber stepped across space, and they disappeared.
When the duo reappeared there inside an alley. The dark alley was dimly lit, proof that this place was where the unwanted resided. This is the slum.
Amber was not surprised by the smell here as she was familiar with this smell; she grew in the slum after all, while their orphanage was still at the edge of the slum, a place better than this place it was still the slum nonetheless.
”Help!” Someone shouted.
Amber finally snapped her attention forward and saw a scene that angered her. A small girl, barely fourteen, was being chased by a group of thugs. The small girl was already out of breath but dared not to stop for a moment because she knew what would happen if she were to get caught; the worst would be being sold as a slave for some perverted noble or getting raped then silenced.
And Amber understood this well, she looked at her master, wondering what he had in mind, and as if he could read her mind, Orpheus chuckled and pointed at the running girl.
”Although I am not a Samaritan who does good deeds anywhere he goes, those things should serve a tonight practice. I will let you take care of them.”
Orpheus disappeared after saying those words simultaneously; the small girl also vanished, forcing those thugs to stop in shock.
”What the hell just happened?” One of them declared while tightly grabbing his leather armor; he scanned his front but found nothing which scared him more; he was not the only one scared; the situation was too bizarre. One second they were chasing a girl without any strength, and the next second, she just vanished; it was not because they all experienced the same thing at the same time they could have said it the alcohol in their blood playing tricks on them; however, it was not the case.
Just as they were wondering what happened, they heard a sound of someone walking forward, one of them flung his head back, and his eyes widened upon seeing Amber calmly walking toward them. In an instant, the feeling of loss after the small girl’s disappeared got replaced with excitement.
”Slurp! This one looks tasty. The Gods might have favored us. A pie just fell from the sky when we lost one. Hahahaha! Tonight would be a wonderful night.” The man seemed to be the leader of this group of thugs. After he said those words, his subordinates began to laugh while scanning Amber’s body with lustful eyes.
Amber furrowed her brows, feeling disgusted, she was enraged, but she still hesitated because it was her first time facing this situation. Naturally, she hesitated, unable to decide what to do, and as if he had predicted this, Orpheus’s voice suddenly echoed inside Amber’s head; she froze.
”Looking at them, the only outcome awaiting you if you continue to stay passive would be hell. Kill but for a reason.”
Amber understood what her master’s words meant, but she still hesitated; however, soon, her expression became frosty when she heard the thugs following words.