3 Dream of Home
-18 years later-
In a small village inside the Waru Mountains, there was a small forest where a cottage peacefully stood in the center of an open clearing.
The autumn leaves blanked the rocky ground, adding flavor to the simple environment.
Suddenly, the growls and roars of wild beasts reverberated in the area, breaking the tranquil atmosphere.
As the roars traveled to the clearing, the wooden door of the cottage was flung open, revealing a thin girl.
The young girl looked sixteen-eighteen years of age, with flame-colored hair and purple eyes that vigilantly swept her surroundings.
"Grandpa, I am going to Aunt Meng's!"
"Alright, now you be careful out there!" The holler of the aged man was followed by a bout of a coughing fit.
Hanging her bowstring over her shoulder, the girl swiftly dashed out of the little cottage, speeding into the distance.
In the seven realms of the Asirian Universe, the Sybil Realm was situated in the center. As a land of mountains, hills, and cliffs, it did not possess much value in terms of natural resources. Its citizens' only sources of income were in the form of precious stones, raw minerals, and colorful gems dug from the depths of the earth.
However, not every venture into the depths of the mountains in the quest for gems and precious stones yielded fruit.
To make up for this deficiency, locals attempted to create their own sources of income by planting grains, herbs, and vegetables. They then sold them out to the more prosperous residents in exchange for bags of cornmeal, litters of oil, and packets of salt.
Hunting was a commonly seen hobby among the poorer civilians as it was their only way of acquiring meat to supplement their diet. Because meat was a commodity accessible only to the wealthy, the locals had to hunt wild beasts for their own.
As such, the ordinary residents here lived lives filled with hardship, struggling every day to survive and stay alive.
The girl familiarly made her way out of the rocky forest, appearing before a fenced village. The village had a population of less than five thousand, the residents' buildings made out of huts and shacks. The mud walls in colorful shades of red, brown, yellow, and white were about the only attractive features of the homes.
Men went about cutting logs in small shops, the women set stalls on the streets, selling warm bread and herbs while little kids played around their parents' working stations as they chased one another. There were a few kids helping their parents attract customers through dance performances and singing.
Smiling lightly at the scene, the girl sneakily approached the kids from behind. Placing her finger on her lips in a quiet gesture to their mothers, she picked one up and raised her into the air.
"Ahhhhh!"
Caught by surprise, the little girl screamed at the top of her lungs, swinging her hands and legs wildly as she shrieked.
"Hahaha, Versailles is at it again." Laughing uproariously, a simple-looking, buff man cutting logs in a shop across from the women's stalls, remarked.
"Yes, it is always a delight to see these little devils scared out of their mind every morning." A woman beside the buff man remarked in amusement.
"You would think they would have learned better by now. But no, every morning Versailles does the same thing, and every morning, their reaction remains the same." The woman in front of the stall shook her head, a smile on her lips as she watched the scene.
"Versailles, are you here to pick up the herbs you requested for your grandpa?" Asking, she rummaged through her collection of herbs, trying to find the right mix.
"Yes, Aunt Meng. Grandpa's illness seems to have taken a turn for the worse. I tried the old method, but there was no result. I want to try this new concoction." Versailles replied as she carefully placed the flailing kid down.
"Versailles, how could you do that? Humph! I am not talking to you anymore!" Pouting, the girl stamped her foot and ran off into the crowd of children chasing each other around.
"Hahaha, well girl, you made her upset now. How are you going to console her this time?" The buff man good-naturedly teased.
"I hope not another hunting lesson?" The woman beside him probed in curiosity, her brown eyes gleaming with interest as she looked at Versailles.
"Uncle Ren, Aunt Su, it is always a delight to see you well and healthy!" Versailles crossed her arms across her chest, leaning on the stall behind her, she looked at the couple with a smile on her lips.
The ravishing fragrance of a freshly baked bread spread from the other stall, tightening her empty stomach in the telltale hunger signs.
Seemingly reborn as an ordinary human after her desperate attempt in protecting the magical 'gem of three lives', Versailles now lived alone with the old man she considered as a grandfather in the woods of the Waru Mountains.
Her parents, disappointed at the fact that she was a girl and not a boy, ignored her existence, treating her like air. They neither gave her love nor cared whether she was fed or hungry, warm or cold.
In fact, if she went a whole week without eating and only drank plain water, the first thing that would come out of their mouths would be;
"Good. You should eat less more often than your little siblings would be able to eat more. You are just a useless extra mouth infringing on their resources anyway. Go to the fields more and perform chores at the neighbors' houses to make up for whatever you eat."
And as such, she spent the last fourteen years of her life living as the live-in maid of her own house while cleaning, cooking, washing, and tending the fields of other villagers.
In short, she performed free labor, her pay being a room in the chicken coop and a single meal of cornmeal a day.
Although she was in a small body, Versailles' soul was that of a serpentine from the Nar realm. She did anything and everything to survive, but she never took no for an answer and never allowed anyone to wrong her, whether it was intentionally or unintentionally.
As such, the instant she turned fourteen and had enough confidence to survive on her own, she left.
She had no money saved and her only assets were the rags on her body. Still, on one fine morning when the sunshine was at its warmest and the air smelled nice and fresh, she stood in front of the people known as her parents and spoke of her decision to leave their home and live on her own.
The expected reaction, surprise and shock, did not appear on their faces. The only expression was that of indifference.
On that day, Versailles' heart turned cold and froze.
She finally realized the people she considered as parents did not even take her existence in their hearts. They did not care whether she stayed or left, whether she lived or died. To them, she was just an unwanted daughter and they had long abandoned her.
It was then that she knew. She knew that she had no one in the whole realm to call her own.
Shattered, she silently walked out of the Skyler house without giving so much as a backward glance. People looked back at what they were reluctant to leave behind. However, in her case, there was nothing to look backward to because there was nothing she was reluctant to leave behind.
If anything, she could not be in any more hurry to leave the place that mercilessly crushed her heart, shattering her dream of a place to call home.
"Here, take this. I hope that it will be able to help him recover. The weather is not so good these days. Coupled with his age, your grandpa is more prone to get sick. You should keep an eye on his food." Aunt Meng's concerned advice broke her trance, bringing her out of her reverie.
"Yes, Aunt Meng. I will keep an eye on him. Thank you!" Straightening, she took the pouch of medicine, tying its string efficiently around the grey belt of her floor-length skirt.
"I will get going now. I still have to go hunt for a game. Grandpa needs the protein to improve his health." She turned on her heels, waving at the bantering couple in the log shop as she left.
With the warm sun bathing her slender figure in its glorious warmth, Versailles made her way through the bustling crowd in good mood.
Life was much better now.
Although she struggled to make ends meet at times, for the past two years, she was still able to feed herself and her grandpa, never having to go to bed enduring unbearable pain from extreme hunger.
Yes, a life free from that place was a lot more comfortable and relaxed.
However, just at this moment, a threatening shadow appeared in front of her, blocking her way forward.
