#1 A Meeting Bound by Destiny.

On a moonlit night in the desolate plain near the Forest of Abyss, a convoy of horse-drawn carriages embarked on a perilous journey towards the County of Stila. The chosen route promised speed but held a notorious reputation for claiming the lives of hundreds each year. The guards remained vigilant, staying alert since entering this hazardous territory.

"Stay focused, warriors! We don't know what awaits us ahead." shouted the Captain, his voice echoing across the barren landscape.

"Captain, we haven't encountered any monsters since we started. You're being too cautious." commented one guard. Hearing the comment, the Captain responded firmly.

"We may not have encountered any monsters yet, but we must remain cautious! It's better to be vigilant than fall victim to a sudden monster attack."

"Captain is truly exceptional." exclaimed a guard with pride.

 "A top 100 Etherea graduate must be like this! That's why we follow you, Captain!" The Captain blushed slightly at the compliment.

"But—why did our client choose this route? It's known to be dangerous. Are they in such a hurry that they'd risk it?" asked another guard, a note of concern in his voice.

"Maybe our client is in a hurry." declared the Captain. 

"We can reach the County of Stila a day earlier if we take this route, but it's more perilous." he warned. "We're halfway through it now, so let's be vigilant and ensure our client's safety."

"Understood, Captain," replied all the guards. Their spirits burned passionately in the chilly night.

 The captain signaled to halt, exclaiming that something was approaching. The convoy fell silent as the horses stopped. Ahead, they saw something with a towering and broad figure. 

"Warriors, coat your bodies with ether! An enemy is approaching." The guards, hearing the Captain's command, promptly coated their bodies with ether, ready to face the unseen threat.

"Sharpshooters, prepare target-type attacks towards the front!" ordered the Captain. In response, the sharpshooters unleashed their attacks. The ethereal light illuminated the pitch-black night.

<Thunderbolt >

<Lighting Strike>

<Ice Shot>

Despite consecutive attacks from the sharpshooter teams, the monster remained unscathed.

"How is this possible?" exclaimed one sharpshooter, frustration evident in his voice.

"Stay calm! The monster hasn't launched an attack or moved at all. If we can—" The Captain's words hung in the air as the monster suddenly appeared in front of him, piercing his heart. The Captain, once a guiding figure for the guards, now lay lifeless, a silent witness to the brutality of fate.

"Wha—how could this happen?" uttered a guard, disbelief, and sorrow mixing in his voice. Another guard, unable to contain his anger, then shouted, rallying the remaining guards.

"Attack the monster! Avenge Captain's death!" The frightened guards, overcome by grief, pushed by a sense of duty and the spirit of one guard, launched an assault on the monster with all their might. However, their efforts were in vain, as the monster retaliated with a merciless horizontal strike, incapacitating most of the guards.

Not only did the guards fall victim, but the clients on the carriage also suffered from the attack. The promising journey now turned into a tragic ordeal.

"How—how is it possible! Everyone defeated with a single strike?" questioned a disbelieving guard.

"Ah, I—I don't want to die here! Someone, please help me!" cried the client with a desperate voice echoing through the night.

"Brother, I'm scared! Are we going to die here?" asked a younger sibling to his older brother. His fear resonated in the sound that reverberated within the carriage.

"I will distract the monster. When it turns towards me, run as fast as you can!" yelled the older brother, as he tried to protect his younger sibling. He then revealed an artifact, a glimmer of hope amid the darkness and despair.

"This is an artifact that makes someone's body translucent. We were supposed to bring this to the County of Stila. It can only be used once, but your safety is more important! So, wear it..." Before finishing his words, the elder sibling was struck by a second attack from the monster.

The second attack was as powerful as the first, causing the horse-drawn carriage to be horizontally severed. The younger sibling, thrown off balance by the vibration of the second attack, was the only survivor. The night and shining stars bore witness to the silent tragedy unfolding in the desolate plain.

"Where is the artifact?!" panicked, the younger sibling desperately searched in the pitch-black night without any illumination.

"Ah, finally found it." However, upon closer inspection, the core of the artifact was shattered. A cruel fate, as the sweet hope crumbled before the eyes of the younger sibling. The monster then looked at the sibling, grinning menacingly. Faced with that grin, fear and sadness mingled, and the younger sibling began to cry.

"I—I don't want to die! Someone, help me!" As the monster prepared for a third attack, a sudden blow struck it, a glimmer of hope amid darkness bearing witness to the tragedy.

<Rupture >

The monster was thrown high into the air and fell onto the wreckage of the carriage.

"Wow, this creature is tougher than I thought! Probably one of that bastard's creations!"

After seeing the monster thrown into the air, the surviving younger sibling, almost fainting, exclaimed, "It seems like this is my hallucination because I'm on the brink of death."

"Hey! You're still alive, hold on!" shouted the unfamiliar person.

"It seems like I need to finish this quickly."

The stranger drew its sword and the monster prepared to defend itself. But it was no match for the stranger's attack.

<Eclipse >

A curved horizontal strike, its power surpassing even that of the monster. Unable to withstand the blow, the monster crumbled as the attack hit its core.

"It's softer than I thought!" exclaimed the unknown person, sheathing his sword.

The younger sibling, witnessing the strength of the unknown person, immediately shouted, "Why didn't you come earlier? If you had come earlier, my sibling wouldn't have died!"

"Forgive me, but my abilities have limits, and I arrived too late after seeing the bodies scattered around." the unknown person replied with a sad expression, his voice carrying the weight of regret. 

Then, the stranger changed the subject and said, "Do you want to become stronger, child?"

"Anything to become stronger! I could have saved my sibling from that monster!" declared the child with a face full of regret.

"I want to become stronger! Anything to become stronger!" a statement made with determined resolve after witnessing a tragedy unfitting for his age.

"Are you sure?" the unknown person hesitantly asked, "even if it means experiencing the depths of despair?" 

"Anything!" replied the child, he resolved firmly.

"Very well then, I will teach you some of my techniques," answered the unknown person with a slight smile.

"Your training will start tomorrow morning."

"Alright, Master!" cheered the enthusiastic child.

"Oh, by the way, I haven't asked for your name. So, what is your name, child?"

"My name is Ryan, just Ryan. I don't have a family, so I don't have a last name."

"Didn't you mention someone as your sibling?"

"Me and my sibling are from an orphanage. My sibling was one of the caregivers who took care of me and the other children from a young age. He was kind and gentle to me. One day, when he left the orphanage for some reason, I immediately followed him. Seeing me forcing my way to go with him moved his heart, and he accepted me. Since then, I have been living with my sibling," Ryan explained.

"I see... well then, from now on, your name is Ryan Arden!" proclaimed the master, patting Ryan on the back lightly.

"Oh, by the way, how old are you now, Ryan?"

"I'm 6 years old!" answered Ryan. His innocence contrasted sharply with the challenges he had faced.

"Is that so... your age is the same as my grandchild's," said the master with a smiling face. Ryan, hearing this, was surprised.

"Grandchild? Master... how old are you, really?" asked Ryan in disbelief, seeing the master's youthful appearance despite having a grandchild.

"It's impolite to ask someone about his age!" scolded the master, lightly patting Ryan's back.

Ryan found himself at the crossroads of destiny, unsure of the path that awaited him after encountering his mysterious master. The bond between Ryan and his master seemed to transcend time, an invisible yet inevitable connection tying their fates together.