First race

In the morning, Elaine and I continued training to hone my skills. As noon approached, we took a break to talk about our dreams and aspirations.

"Hey, Nolan, do you ever dream of becoming a hero?" Elaine asked, her voice calm but filled with curiosity.

"Yes, I always wanted to be a hero. It's been my dream since I was little," I replied passionately. "Why do you ask?" I added, my curiosity piqued.

"Nothing, I was just asking," Elaine said with a calm voice. As night fell, we lay down to look at the starry sky. It was beautiful, more so because the place was calm and comforting.

"The sky sure is beautiful," I said, my voice reflecting the calm and comfort of the moment.

"Yeah, you're right," Elaine replied with a serene expression. We continued to gaze at the stars and slowly drifted off to sleep, feeling at peace.

As days turned into weeks, we kept practicing and spending time together. One day, Elaine asked, "Hey, Nolan, if you could have any skill, what would it be?"

I thought hard before answering. "That would be word skill," I said.

"Oh, is that so? Why do you want that skill?" Elaine asked, her curiosity evident.

"It's not that I'm curious. I just want to know," I replied. "I'm quite good with words," I added calmly.

While we were talking, we heard a rustling in the woods. We quickly put our guard up and examined the area. To our surprise, we saw a troll in the forest. The troll lunged at me, but I dodged quickly, unsheathed my sword, and ran toward it. The troll swung its giant club at me, but I barely dodged it. I counterattacked, slashing the troll. It sustained a heavy wound, but its regeneration ability was too strong; in an instant, the wound was fully healed.

"Your regeneration ability is a pain," I sighed as the troll launched forward again. I swiftly dodged it and used my skill, "Water Manipulation: Spear." The water spear flew toward the troll, piercing it. The troll fell helplessly to its death.

"Good job," Elaine said. "You killed it."

With a smile, I replied, "I did it. It's my first time killing another race."

Later that night, we sat by the campfire, discussing our plans for the morning. As we talked, I became sleepy and said, "I will go to sleep. Good night."

"Have a good night's sleep," Elaine said with a comforting voice. I quickly fell asleep. While looking at me, Elaine whispered, "I will protect you even if it costs my life."

Afterward, Elaine also went to sleep. She dreamed about her past. The place was blurry, and she saw a god causing destruction everywhere. Houses were on fire, and everything was in ruins. She remembered her mother's soft voice saying, "You need to hide. I will hold him off." That was the last thing she remembered before waking up with a panting breath.

"It's just a dream," she thought. She quickly went back to bed, thinking about the dream she had.