Awakening

"Wow! You look great in your own outfit! I haven't seen this kind of style and design before!"

After the dramatic changing of outfits, Ikeshia followed Tia downstairs where a table was being set up by Tia's mother, a beautiful and curvaceous woman with golden skin, and dark blue hair tied in an elaborate braid with a ribbon.

Ikeshia sat down on the seat by herself. It was empty for now, but soon enough, more people would start arriving and taking their meals.

While Tia helped her mother out in preparing the food, she walked over to where Ikeshia was seated. She handed Ikeshia a small plate of fried egg and sausage, along with a small bowl of cream stew with a mug of milk.

"Here you go. Eat up. This can help bring back some memories, Miss Ikeshia."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it… Tia."

With a fork in her hand, Ikeshia looked at the food in silence. Without hesitation, she stabbed the sausage as the sharp ends slowly pierced into the meat. While holding the fork with the sausage in the air, its red skin shone and reflected the sunlight from the window.

"Well… here goes nothing, I shall dig in." With a gulp in her throat, Ikeshia gently pulled the fork close to her lips as she opened her mouth and took her very first small bit of the food. With each chewing in her cavity Tia who still stood next to her watched closely.

"So? Does the food suit your liking?"

The moment Ikeshia swallowed her bite down to her stomach, her eyes lit up with joy and a smile on her face. Without any comments, she took her two bites one by one, and with each bite, a new warmth emitted into her heart. Tia smiled at her side with Ikeshia's satisfaction.

"I am glad you like them. I will be around so let me know if you need me."

Ikeshia nodded to Tia as she left to continue helping her mother in the Kitchen. As Ikeshia slowly took in the cream stew with a spoon, the moment she looked at the kitchen counter, blurred images began to emerge in her memories.

She would see a girl who looked like she sat at the counter with numerous people around her celebrating a feast, soon a young lady came out from the kitchen offering them new drinks and she patted the girl's head.

"W-Wait… it can't be…" Pictured from the image as the young woman turned around, Ikeshia slowly recognised her proud facial expression from her. As she wiped her eyes, the image disappeared in thin air. Although she may have been having illusions, Ikeshia tried her best to regain her memories.

After a wonderful meal with a cup of hot warm milk settling her full stomach, Ikeshia surveyed the dining hall of the inn. It wasn't too large, but it was enough to accommodate all guests. There were several tables set up, each with chairs around them. And a few other people were sitting in front of their own tables, eating, and conversing with one another.

Tia collected Ikeshia's emptied dishes to the kitchen and returned while sitting in front of the round table.

"Did the meal help you to remember some of your memories, Miss Ikeshia?"

Ikeshia was in deep thought from the visions she saw. Has she been in this place before and does she know the lady? With a large deep breath, as she calmed her mind, Ikeshia mustered the courage and began to question what she wanted to know.

"Your meal supported me a lot and I appreciated it. Please excuse my rudeness but by any chance do you know a young lady with the name Brenda? She used to work in this tavern if I recall."

With an awkward silence, Tia's facial expression changed from calm to surprise. She rose from her seat with both hands slammed onto the table in shock. Ikeshia almost jumped from her seat when Tia's face came close to her.

"T-That's my great-great-great-great grandmother's name!! H-How did you know her name?!"

"W-What?! Your great-great-great-great grandmother?!"

When Tia's mother overheard the conversation, she came along and sat next to her daughter.

"Maybe time flies for an elf such as yourself." She chuckled cheerfully. "Brenda lived through the Archdemon War, bless her."

"The Arch…Demon War?" Ikeshia parroted curiously.

Ikeshia senses familiarity with these words but can't wrap her head around them. Though she can't recall this event in the past, to gain more information, she decided to ask even deeper. "Can you explain more about it?"

"You really had lost your memories, had you," The mother smirked as she leaned on the table. "The Archdemon War, also known as the Massacre of Evil when the world plunged into chaos at its edge of death. Goddess Vysarria, who was the creator of this world, summoned heroes, and champions from all continents to face the master of evil."

As Ikeshia listened, the images of the war started to appear in her mind.

"Before the Archdemon could achieve its goal, it was stopped and defeated by four heroes guided by the Valkyrie. Legend says she was sent by the goddess herself and led the heroes to victory, and of course they defeated the demon."

"The Valkyrie…" Ikeshia mumbled in her own voice as she tried to remember her memories. "After the war, what happened to the archdemon and the rest of the heroes? Including the Valkyrie."

"Well, the Valkyrie sealed the demon by herself in an unknown place which neither human nor demon or spirits could even set a foot on it. As for the heroes, they returned to their prosperous lands, but the Valkyrie disappeared and nowhere to be seen."

Slowly as Ikeshia listened from Tia's mother, she gained knowledge of the war which impacted the world so much that any living souls would vanish in a blink of an eye.

"Since after the war, have people around the world still paid their respects in remembering the heroes and the Valkyrie who saved them?" Ikeshia asked in further curiosity while she picked up a cup of water and took a slip which Tia had given to her.

"They do, each kingdom where the heroes were born still pay their respects every year." Tia's mother continued. "As for the Valkyrie, there was a silver-white tower near the Holy City of Eyldor became the landmark of herself."

Hearing the word of the "silver-white tower", Ikeshia sprouted water from her mouth in her other direction, she coughed with her hands covering her mouth which she almost choked. Tia rushed to her and gently patted her back to smooth Ikeshia's breath.

"A-Are you alright, Miss Ikeshia?"

"I…I am fine, just got a little bit of water choked in my throat." After the coughs fainted, Ikeshia regained her breath and asked Tia's mother. "The silver-white tower, isn't the one which reaches to the clouds and top of the sky?"

"Indeed, that's the tower where the Valkyrie used to live." Tia's mother replied as she continued with her late introduction. "Please call me Susha, sorry for my late introduction."

"Ah, no it is fine. Thank you for the explanations, Miss Susha." With Ikeshia fully understanding the war five hundred years before, her mind hesitated a bit. She didn't know the world she was currently in, the villages, and towns, the cities, and the continents of this world. Her mind and memories were still blurred and not able to recover, with a sigh in her mind, she stood up from her seat and headed to the doorway.

"Um… where are you going, Miss Ikeshia?" Tia asked as she stood along from the table.

"I decided to take a stroll outside, and I will be back after I have some fresh air, and thanks for the meal too." Ikeshia waved at the mother and daughter before she pushed the door and headed outside.

With Ikeshia left, Tia returned to her seat as she made a small sigh. "Mother, do you think Miss Ikeshia is a weird person? She has been here for like five days and then she lost her memories just today, will she be all right all by herself?"

Susha chuckled as she heard her daughter's words, she turned around from her seat with her face gazed at a photo stand with a photo of Brenda hugging a girl who looked like Ikeshia during a meal with other adventurers.

"Maybe, or it could be a coincidence."

—--------

With a fresh breeze passed through Ikeshia's long hair, the bright sunshine lit up the outer world now she stepped outside for the first time. Her eyes were amused by the pretty countryside covered in plain grassland and small hills, houses and stalls were also queued equally at both sides of the streets.

"W-Woo! So, this is the Vigor Village I used to visit. Wait… why do I remember and split the village name in the first place?" Ikeshia looked puzzled in her mind but seemed she had calmed herself. "Maybe my memories started to return, glad to have them back."

The Village of Vigor was located at the south-west within the territory of Kingdom of Eyllish, which took the City of Mysunde as its capital and one of the kingdoms in the west continent of Vysarria. Plain grasslands, tiny forests and medium hills were within the kingdom, in the village Ikeshia would see Mount Thyness from afar which was the highest mountain in the west continent covered in snow and ice.

Walking down the streets, villagers were very friendly with each other as they talked freely, children were running and playful on the streets, and stall keepers were sociable to their customers. Ikeshia let out a gentle smile on her face as she took her stroll, she even greeted and waved back to the villagers as she passed them, also bought some snacks too from the stalls.

Later at noon, she arrived at the village centre with a fountain in the middle. Ikeshia sat on the edge of it as she was enjoying the light breeze and warm sunshine under the blue sky. She crossed her legs as she looked at the horizon, soon it would be interrupted by a voice calling her.

"... Ikeshia… Miss Ikeshia?"

"Eh? Who is calling my name?" Ikeshia looked around as she woke up from her own hallucinate, and soon she saw a male elf rush toward her position. The elf stopped as he was pleased to see her.

"Miss Ikeshia, I am glad you are fine." He said as he was catching his breath. "I heard from the tavern girl Tia that you are away and exploring the village, I thought you just went outside to the outskirts for another solo monster sweep."

Confused by the situation, Ikeshia tilted her head to the side as she looked at the male elf with confusion.

"Um… who are you again?"

With an instant, the male elf collapsed onto the ground in shock but managed to stand back up. His eyes were in tears and grasped her shoulder in firm grip.

"W-What?! Don't you even remember me?! Have you lost your memories?! You are my precious adventurer in my guild!"

Soon, Ikeshia started to remember some of her memories as they slowly combined like a puzzle in her brain. Her mind lit and recalled the male elf's name.

"Guild master Faus?... You are the adventurer guild master of this village, right? Sorry, it took some minutes for me to recall…"

With tears of joy, Faus flung his body onto Ikeshia and hugged her super tight. "Ah! My dearest Ikeshia-chan remembered me, I am so happy!!"

But of course, Ikeshia tried to resist the tight hug which caused a bit of pain, soon she realised Faus smuggled his chest against her massive chest and started to feel irritated.

"G-Get off me already! You pervert-crazed elf!!"

Ikeshia wasted no time as she lifted her tight and directly knocked into Faus' nuts, caused him in sharp pain and collapsed onto the ground with his knees, bowed down and covered his crotch with both hands. With two clear steps, a huge stamp went right onto his head as Ikeshia twisted her foot, with her angry shaded face.

"Dare to touch my body again, I am going to chop your ears and sell them to the black market, do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes… sorry…"

Soon after the incident, as both Faus and Ikeshia walked together to the adventurer guild, Faus wanted to offer a hand, but she refused with her face pouted. Arriving and passing through hallways inside the guild, they entered the guild master office as Faus offered Ikeshia a seat.

"Please have a seat, we have lots of things to discuss." After both sat down, Faus began to bring up the topics. "As you know, the self-monster quests you requested days ago had been approved by the head guild in Mysunde, you are able to hunt them down as you like."

Ikeshia slowly recalled bits of her memories as in a flash of light, she remembered some of the guild events from the memories too.

"So, you mean that the hunt for monsters was approved, I am glad to hear that."

"Of course, you are the only adventurer who reached the rank of platinum." After an enthusiastic talk, Faus' tone turned into soral. "Unfortunately, centuries ago, there used to be numerous famous high-ranking adventurers like you. It seemed for a long time the need of adventurers started to decline, now most of what we have is just at least at the rank of alloy, mere rookies."

In the world of Vysarria, adventurer ranks were applied to each continent. Starting with the very beginner of iron, then up to steel, and alloy for newcomers to accept basic herbs collection quest or guarding duties. Advance experience up to jade, emerald, and ruby, adventurers within these ranks were able to fight common monsters such as slime or goblins, which include reconnaissance missions.

Most experienced fighters will gain up to bronze, silver, and gold; they were allowed to explore dungeons and hunt for rare monsters. Moreover, they are allowed to be hired by kingdoms for other government quests. Finally, to platinum, no one ever reached that top of the top, only a few people in history have attained this rank. People who reached platinum would be considered a hero.

"Well, at least we still have some experienced dungeon fighters which could hold the dignity of adventurers." Faus looked at the massive window behind his desk as the trees swung smoothly from the breeze. With a moment of silence, he turned back to his desk as he picked up couple quest papers for Ikeshia as he handed them to her.

"There you go, these monsters currently appear near our village but not too far. I hope you can handle them."

Looking through the papers, Ikeshia was struggling in her heart because since she awoke, she never engaged in any combat, nor any fighting skills remembered in her memories. The moment she looked at Faus, he seemed optimistic while she smiled bitterly in return.

"Fine then, I will clear them for you by nightfall then. See you soon."

As Ikeshia walked to the door to touch the door knock, Faus called her instantly. "Ikeshia, don't forget to check your own status by chanting "Status display"."

While hearing that her face went red and turned to Faus in a blushing expression.

"D-Don't play with me like that! I didn't lose that much of my memories! Geez!"

Ikeshia opened the door and slammed behind her until she disappeared, Faus sighed as he smiled. "She had never changed since then."

Exited from the village gate and travelled to the nearest forest, Ikeshia found a suitable place as she sat on a dead log with the sun shining warmly at her. She recalled Faus' reminder and decided to try by herself. After a deep breath she chanted the word in a calm voice.

"Status display... hmmm? Eh? Eh? EEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!??"