Fein's backstory, part 1

A few hours later, Fein wakes up. I can tell she hates mornings, but she's trained to deal with it. She gets up quickly, and retrieves her spear, which I used a few times through the night.

It's dull, but not unusable. Fein takes a look around, and sees the areas that exploded. She doesn't say anything, but she seems impressed. "I found a good way to use my abilities. Fireball, Enchant, and the claw make a good combination."

She just nods, accepting my answer to her silent question. She doesn't seem to talk much, she only when she has to. We walk side by side, out of the empty field, and into the empty city.

The place is quiet, without even a bird. A hear the sounds of an electric buzz, likely something broken, bit still active. I'm very happy that we gained memories for this world. Explaining modern technology is not something I want to try.

We continue to walk, looking for survivors. There were a few groups the day before, but they should have moved by now, finding a more permanent location. We search through parking garages, underground basements, and anywhere it would make sense to hide.

Still nobody. I don't think they all died, but it's possible. I killed a lot of the monsters at midnight, when they appeared, but even one monster could have killed a lot of people. Fein looks nervous, but she hides it well.

If I didn't see her looking around many times before, I wouldn't have noticed the slightly more frantic searching, the extra tension in her form as she holds the spear.

I decide not to bring it up for now. No need for more distractions. She seems to be looking for someone, or something, and it seems important to her. I don't know a lot about her past, but she rarely speaks up about her opinion, so I'm not too surprised that she hasn't said anything.

We find a good place to stop as the sun hits the middle of the sky. It's extremely hot for some reason, and the air is quite dry as well. We walk into an abandoned apartment complex, with many of the buildings destroyed or ruined.

One stands out, only slightly beaten up, but with sturdy windows and doors, with a few rooms on the first floor. We enter one of the interior rooms, giving us protection and privacy.

Fein sits down on a chair, while I drop onto the edge of the bed, my legs tired and sore. I see Fein gathering her thoughts, with her eyes closed. Even though she can't see, she keeps her guard up, ready to move if need be.

She lets out a small sigh, coming to some sort of decision. She looks to me, slightly apprehensive, but she seems to have resolved what she wants. She starts talking, but she stays weary of danger. She speaks slowly, as though she is thinking every word before she says it.

"Sorry if I was being rude. I try not to talk very much when there might be danger. It was drilled into me while at military school."

I sit and listen, noticing how important this is to her. She gives me a thankful smile before she continues. "My parents had very high expectations for me, and wanted me to be the first mage-warrior. Millions of people have tried it, bit all of them have failed. My parents said it was because they didn't try hard enough."

She looks sad as she talks, and I can tell she is still hiding something. She doesn't go into much detail, but she tells me enough to understand. "They would always push me harder, making me work for days straight. They forced me to use spells for over a week with no breaks, and barely fed me. They made me do rigorous training, and when they thought I wasn't making enough progress, they sent me to the military."

I don't say anything, just letting her get it off her chest. I can't say anything to help her, so it's best to be quiet. "In the end, it paid off. My magic and physical abilities are way above those of anyone else, except the elites. I regret letting them make me go through it. I don't think I've had any fond memories before I met you."

She smiles lightly, just the corner of her lips lifting up. I can tell how much it hurts her, eating away at her mind. Since she gained memories from this world, she probably realized more then before that what she went through wasn't right.

She takes a deep breath, steadying herself. She still doesn't go in depth, but I can tell she isn't showing even a tenth as much as it actually hurts her. "I was in military school for a year, where I surpassed everyone. When I got out, I was thrown to the Black Forest, the largest dungeon in the entire world. I watched my entire team get slaughtered, and I ran away. I hid for months, terrified of what might happen. That's when I found you, with the rabbit in hand."

She smiles a tad bit more, thinking back on the memories. "No one has ever trusted me that much before. You blindly followed me, trusting me with your safety. You didn't ask me anything about what I could give you, or how useful I might be to you. It made me feel like a person, and not a tool. I fell for you instantly, feeling alive for the first time."

Her cheeks are dusted with red, a small blush on her face. She looks genuinely happy, and content with everything. "When you asked what I would do if I could leave the world, I didn't believe you, but you made one of my greatest wishes come true. You brought me with you, even though you knew nothing about my past. Thank you."

As she says the last word, small tears form on her eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. As I embrace her in my arms, they fall like a fountain.