A Memory Unforgotten

Let's rewind back the clock a few hours.

Felix and Sofia sat on a bed in a dilapidated house in a corner of the town's slum. Sofia had just calmed down and began to recount her story for Felix to hear.

While not exactly common, her story was still a little cliche. She and her brother used to be part of a minor noble family within the Kingdom. Despite being minor nobles, the clan took their bloodlines very seriously, as they aspired to become one of the four major clans.

However, such aspirations brought nothing but pain for Sofia, as she was deemed a failure. Her bloodline powers, being different from anyone else in the clan, made her an outcast. Even her mother was suspected of infidelity, as her bloodline seemed too foreign. As such, Sofia felt alienated by everyone she knew her whole life. Even her own parents would view her with disdain. Only her brother was different.

Her brother was unique to the clan, as his bloodline was the most advanced they had seen in almost a century. Thus, he was elevated to a place of power within the clan, conferring him quite a bit of authority. It was a far cry from his sister, and yet he never felt the aversion the other members of the clan had towards Sofia.

The siblings were, in fact, quite close to each other, a fact that the other young members of the clan loathed. This resulted in even more hardship for Sofia, yet she never resented her brother, who was still the only one on her side.

Years passed on, unchanging, until she reached the age of fourteen. The Kingdom had been at war with the Empire for almost two years. As the fighting climaxed, a news most dire would reach Sofia's clan.

The Empire had penetrated deep into the Kingdom's territory, trying to reach their capital. The war had already been waged for over two years now and the Empire, tired of meaningless deaths, had launched their final offensive, trying to end it all.

Unfortunately for Sofia's clan, the path the Empire's forces would take would place them right in the middle of their invasion. As the clan enjoyed the authority that came with being nobles of the Kingdom, they were duty-bound to stop the invasion. However, the clan leader, her grandfather, did nothing. Their ambition of strengthening the clan would come back to bite them.

As the clan was avoiding fighting to retain its strength, the Empire's forces pushed on. As they reached the capital, the White Tiger clan, one of the four great clans, moved to engage them. The casualties both sides endured were massive. Mourning the loss of countless comrades, both sides chose to sign an armistice. Although the war was still ongoing, the fighting, at least, had stopped.

Sofia's clan's decision was logical, in a sense, as they would have most likely perished if they chose to fight. The white tiger clan, however, wouldn't see it that way and decided to retaliate. An eye for an eye. They would kill someone for every member of their clan that died that day.

One must know that the White Tiger clan was the most prominent clan in the Kingdom, numbering over ten thousand. However, they lost a significant portion of their members during the battle, and as such, Sofia's clan would be all but annihilated.

They pleaded with the Kingdom to mediate, but their pleas fell on deaf ears, as they were mostly considered traitors for avoiding the fight.

Having no other choice, the clan leader made his most difficult choice. The younger members of the clan scattered in all directions, trying to avoid the encirclement of the White Tiger Clan, while the older members held them back. Although most would die, at least the bloodline might survive.

Her brother was conflicted by the decision. As one of the most senior in the clan, he should stand on the front lines to help the others escape. However, as the last hope for the clan, he also had a duty to survive and revive the clan.

Sofia knew her brother's predicament and stayed silent despite wishing for his survival. Upon seeing his sister's worried face, he decided to flee with her. And so, with much difficulty, both siblings managed to survive this calamity. Their journey was far from easy, as they were still hunted by the White Tiger clan.

Most of the other survivors would be caught soon after and dealt with. Both of them would often hear stories, during their travels, about what happened to those caught. Needless to say, none of them had a good ending.

As such, they continued travelling in search of a safe haven.

Two years later, as Sofia turned sixteen, they both reached this town. Although unremarkable, they found a life here amidst the gangs. Both of them were undeterred by a life of crime, as survival was their highest priority.

As the months passed, her brother climbed the gang's ranks until he became one of the executives. His success, however, was short-lived as gang warfare escalated. A new unknown gang, namely the Raging Beasts of today, took centre stage in the war and swiftly brought the other gangs to heel.

Using unconventional methods, the new gang quickly took control of most other gangs, including the one Sofia's brother was part of. As one of the executives, her brother thought he would be dealt with, but upon seeing his talent, the gang's boss chose to use him.

Sofia's brother had always kept his little sister out of criminal affairs, so she was ignorant of most of the details concerning the war and its results.

Right after the gang war ended and peace settled, her brother suddenly disappeared. Although she wasn't part of the gang, Sofia still had contacts she could rely on. She made use of them, and after searching for months, she finally found her brother's location.

Her brother was now working as an assassin for the raging Beasts. Using his powerful poison, he would eliminate the remnants of opposition to the gang. Unlike Sofia, who could only charm, her brother inherited many of the bloodline's powers, one of which was a deadly poison.

Working as a cleaner for the new gang made her brother many enemies. Many of those he called friends had now turned on him. As such, to protect his sister, he had no choice but to leave.

Sofia knew this but refused to always be protected. She redoubled her efforts to find her brother, even enrolling in the gang herself. Rumours of the newcomer's beauty soon reached the boss's ears. She took the opportunity to inquire about her brother's whereabouts.

That day, she made a deal with the boss that if she worked earnestly for him, she would be reunited with her brother. Although the terms were vague, and she hadn't much hope that he would come through on their deal, she was desperate.

If she lost her brother as well, she would truly be alone in the world. She would do anything to find him. She spent many more months working for the gang. Once the boss realized she possessed the power to charm, he used her to deal with people violence couldn't reach, such as the governor.

Another two years passed, and she was ready to give up hope; no matter what she did, she had never seen her brother. The only thing that proved he was still alive were the letters she received. She wouldn't mistake his handwriting.

She then met Felix. She thought he would be a target like any other, but reality proved to differ. Although her contributions weren't enough to see her brother, the boss had added another way. If she could get hold of an artifact, the deal would be closed. Just as fate would have it, Felix was in possession of one. The rest went as well as expected.

As she finished her story, Felix was deep in thought. After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"I have a plan," he said. "That plan, however, is hardly foolproof. We might each get what we wish for or simply die in the process. The decision is up to you."

After Hearing what the plan was, Sofia fell silent. Indeed, the plan was dangerous. Could she trust this stranger when everyone she knew had let her down? Something inside her, however, told her to trust this man. She didn't know what or how, but she chose to follow her instinct.

Therefore, as night fell, they reached the fortress where Sofia would negotiate with the boss, while Felix, using her as a distraction, would infiltrate in case of a breakdown.

Which brings us back to the present.