Chapter 1: Foundations of a New Identity

-Kingdom of Norad
Far East Region-

Outside the town of Kardia

Month of Spring (Day 1) Holiday
Morning

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Hi there. My name is... Uh, to be honest, I really can't remember who I am. All I can tell you about me is that I'm a teenage guy with smooth dark brown hair, and dark blue eyes, and tattered clothing made of both cloth and leather. I'm hungry, thirsty, the hunger pains from my stomach are really weakening me, and I have no idea where I am, on top of that. I just aimlessly walked down the road, tired, and on the verge of collapsing even though I had a wooden staff in my hands to keep myself from collapsing, but even that will soon fail me.

"Ugh... hah... huh... So hungry... So thirsty..." I mumbled to myself, half delirious.

Eventually after what felt like fifteen minutes of dragging my feet along the dirt road, I came across a house to my left. It isn't a big, fancy house, it is just a small, plain house, nothing impressive. I stopped in front of the house- my body just didn't have the energy to keep moving.

"Ugh... hah... I... can't... go on..."

My body gave out and I collapsed on my back, looking up at the sky, but my eyelids were half closed, so I never got the chance to see the mid morning blue skies because I closed my eyes shut. I couldn't see anything behind my eyelids, all I heard was the sound of birds chirping, the gentle wind and my soft breathing. I did not want to die. Not like this. Not when I have no memory of who I am or why I woke up in the middle of the wilderness three days ago for no reason with no food or water to sustain me. Right when I decided to fall asleep, I heard the sound of a door opening, then closing, and I heard footsteps approaching me, boots stomping on concrete, and when I turned my head to the right and forced my eyelids open, I saw two legs approaching me. Adjusting my eyesight by turning my head a bit to the left to get a view of the person's head, I saw a very pretty girl looking down at me, looking deeply concerned. Her hair is a bit longer than mine, to the neck level, it's also a very bright shade of gray. Her skin is pale like a misty fog, almost very white- you can see her blood blushing not just on her face, but also her shoulders. And her blue eyes are much brighter than mine.

"Are you okay?" She asked me, kneeling down. "Wow. I've never seen anyone actually on the verge of collapsing before!" She exclaimed a second later.

Summoning the bit of strength left in my body, I stood up on my legs with as much effort as I could and faced the girl. I wobbled a little, but I managed to find my balance before speaking to her.

"Huh? Well... I've been walking... for days... with no food or water..." I said wearily and almost in a whisper because my mouth feels so dry when I speak.

The girl's eyes widened in shock.

"Ooh, that's not healthy! Hold on a sec." She ran back in her house, and seconds later, came back out with a... gardening hoe... "Here, you can have my hoe!" She told me.

She handed it to me and I took it in my hands, looking at it with a confused look. Why in the world would she give me a hoe? Looking at the girl, I forced a humored smile.

"Actually... I was hoping for some water..."

"Oh, right. Water! Okay, wait just one moment." The girl went back in her house and later returned with a... watering can...

"Here you go, try this watering can!" She said.

I felt a bit dumbfounded, holding the hoe in my right hand, and holding the water can's handle with my left hand. I was confused more than ever.

"Ummm..." I felt at a loss of words.

"Is there something else you need?" The girl asked me.

"I meant some water for me to drink..." I corrected her.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise and gently slapped her right hand on her forehead.

"Oh, duh! Sorry, it's just that the way you look and all... I thought a hoe and watering can would be more your style!" The girl apologized.

"Ah..." I sighed in relief.

I felt relieved that she finally she gets it.

"Okay, be right back!" She ran back in the house and returned with a glass of water in her right hand, and a loaf of bread in her left hand.

"Here you go, some water and bread!"

I put down the hoe and water can on the hard dirt, and politely the glass of water and bread from the girl's hands. I drank the water first before eating the bread because I don't want dry bread getting stuck in my dry mouth and throat. Oh man, it felt so good to feel cool water inside my mouth, especially when I swallowed it, I felt as if I've gone to paradise. The bread tasted good too, but I was more thirsty than hungry since no human can last more than three days without water. I then felt refreshed and energized again.

"Thank you. You saved my life," I said as I gave the empty glass cup back to the girl.

"Oh, it's nothing! Say, you're not from this town, are you? Are you on a trip or something?" She asked me.

I shrugged. "Well... to be honest... I don't really know myself."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't remember where I was before coming here. I don't even know who I am..." I replied, scratching my head.

"You mean... you have amnesia?"

"Maybe..." I shrugged.

"Do you remember your name?" The girl asked me.

"No..." I shook my head in dismay.

"Well, everyone needs a name," the girl added with a friendly smirk.

"That's true," I admitted.

"So... I'll call you... uh... Raguna. What do you think?"

Before replying, I gave the name some thought. I don't hate it, and it doesn't sound like a common name either, so I found it appealing.

"Raguna... I like it! Thanks. What's your name, by the way?" I asked.

"Oh, my name's Mist! Say, Raguna. What are you going to do now?"

"

well, before I met you, I've spent the last three days trying to find an inhabited town... I haven't thought past that part yet," I replied.

Mist smirked. "In that case, I have an empty house and field that you can use," she said.

I was shocked. She's offering me a home? I didn't ask for this...

"I... I don't know what to say... But no, I couldn't possibly..."

"Don't be silly! I'm not using them anyway. Besides, I meant what I said before. I think you look like a farmer, Raguna!"

I had no clue whether to take this as a compliment or a random hunch.

"Do you really think I have what it takes to work a farm?" I asked her.

Mist thought to herself for a split second. "Um... well... I think you have talent!"

"Okay..." I agreed. I got nothing better to do... Nothing I remember anyway.

"Oh, this is going to be so fun! Come on, the house and field are to the north." Mist turned around to close the door to her house and went north, walking across a small river bridge as I followed.

As I followed Mist, I looked around. To my right is a large gardening field full of withered and healthy weeds, stones logs, etc. To my left is a pond where I can draw water. Next to it is a treasure box, and up ahead is a house which is likely my new house Mist has offered to me.

"This is my home and farm. What do you think? Not too bad, eh?" Mist said to me with a pleased smile as she turned around to face me after pointing at everything.

"Yeah, but I'm not asking you to let me work on the land here or anything." I said humbly.

"Don't worry about that. It's better for me to get all the help I can!"

Mist is a very nice girl, I admit, but she's giving me more than what I asked. "B-but..." I stammered, but chose to stop myself. Mist is giving me more than I asked, and I should be grateful, not rejecting her generous heart.

"This is the field. I have not done any work on it for a while, so it's overgrown." Mist said, pointing towards the weed and stone infested gardening land.

As soon as she set foot on the gardening soil, a bolt of lightning struck 6 feet in front of Mist! The lightning subsided and a bipedal wild boar looking monster wearing leather armor with a club in its right hand appeared where the lightning struck!

"What?" Mist froze in shock. I blinked, looking at the monster, quickly realizing that its a major threat to us.

"What? There's a monster here! Step back, Mist!" I ordered.

Mist ran back to me and the pig like monster howled, beating its chest for a few seconds and slowly began advancing towards us.

"You got any kind of weapon?" I asked Mist.

"Use the hoe!" Mist replied.

Looking down at the hoe in my hands, I realized that the blunt, sharp end of the hoe would make a decent substitute for a sword. It isn't a sword or dagger, but it'll do for now. I charged at the monster. It tried to strike me vertically with its club, but using my hoe, I blocked the blow, then struck the monster in the face as hard as I could with the sharp end, sending it reeling and howling in pain. It staggered back a few feet, then looked at me with loads of rage in its eyes, huffing and puffing angrily.

"Be careful Raguna!" Mist called.

I didn't bother to look back at her and say "I will" or anything like that. That'll give the monster an opportunity for a cheap shot or fatal strike. The pig-like monster roared and came at me, swinging his club wildly. I ducked, dodged and blocked the blows. I jabbed the hoe into the monster's stomach, causing him to double over in pain, then I took the opportunity to smack him hard with the sharp end of my hoe. The monster is critically injured now, but still has a bit of fight left in him. Because of the big head concussion I gave to him, his moves and attacks were a bit slow and sluggish now, probably because his eye vision is now blurry and hazy.

Taking advantage of his condition, I whacked him in the face one more time, causing him to spin 180 degrees and collapse on his knees and fell face flat on the ground. Then seconds later his body disappeared and a bright white ball rose from where his body was and rose up to the sky. With a sigh of relief, I returned to Mist.

"Phew... I managed to defeat it! Are you okay, Mist?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm okay. What about you, Raguna?"

"I'm okay. But I think I killed the monster," I said, remembering what happened after it died.

"No, it's still alive!" Mist protested.

"What?" I looked confused.

Mist walked up to me and held up the gardening hoe as if presenting the tool to me like I've never seen it before.

"Weapons and tools have a kind of magic called "Retornen"!" Mist explained with a hopeful smirk.

"Retornen?" I frowned in confusion. I never heard of this.

"It's a kind of magic that sends monsters back to their original place," Mist said.

"Original place?" I repeated, still not following what Mist is talking about.

"Monsters are a kind of spirit. They originally came from a different world from ours. It looked like its soul went to Heaven, but in fact it returned to its real homeland, the 'First Forest'!"

I'm so glad to hear this. "Oh really? Well... I'm glad I didn't actually kill it!" I sighed with relief.

"Anyway, I was impressed by you there! Did you learn swordsmanship somewhere?" Mist asked me.

"I may have. But my memory..." I reminded her, tapping my skull with the index finger of my right hand.

"Oh yeah," Mist understood the hint, nodding and looking sadly concerned.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"That's beside the point, I want to know what the monster was doing here," Mist said.

"Don't they usually appear above ground?" I asked.

Mist shook her head in denial before replying to my question verbally.

"There are people called Earthmates who can summon monsters."

"Earthmates?" I repeated while tilting my head to the right because that's another term I've never heard of.

"They are people who can hear the Earth's voice. Some of them can communicate with the monsters. Some people in town live with monsters, but this is the first time a fighting monster was summoned."

"Really?" I asked.

"Well, anyway, you saved me! Thank you so much."

"Hey, it's nothing," I shrugged, holding my hoe with my right hand, letting it rest on my shoulder.

"Raguna, I really owe you for this!" Mist got really happy now.

"No, really it was nothing," I said modestly.

"As a token of my gratitude, I'm gonna let you work on the fields here," Mist said.

I didn't have the heart to turn down Mist's reward. I don't have a home or a place to live. I might as well stay here for a while and grow my own crops, at least until I remember who I am and where I'm going or supposed to go.

"Well, if you insist. Thank you very much!" I nodded gratefully.

"You'll work here! I'm so happy." Mist smiled, wrapping her hands together in delight.

"But why are you doing so much for me?" I asked.

"I'm not really sure... I feel that you have potential."

"Potential?"

"Yeah, I feel that you seem to understand the ways of the earth."

"Is that so?" I smiled.

One wild hunch after another.

"I also feel that while growing vegetables, your memory may come back."

"Oh, really? In that case, I'd be happy to work on the fields for a while."

"Great. Just get out there and get working."

"Okay." I nodded.

"Ask me if there is anything you need to know."

"I'm fine. I don't have any questions for now," I said.

"Okay than. Right, I'm gonna give you these seeds, Raguna. Use them to grow your vegetables." Mist gave me a bag of radish seeds.

"Oh, what would you like to name your farm?" Mist asked me.

"Hmmm... how about... Rune Farm?" I asked.

Mist giggled. "Well, I never heard a name like that before! It's a bit confusing!"

"What's that?" I asked.

"Okay, I'll be here at lunchtime tomorrow, so ask me then if there's anything you need to know." Mist said before leaving.

I watched her head north along the path that is in between my new or temporary house and the crop field towards a small town that is only two miles away, I could only see the tops of a few buildings towering above the trees from where I stood. Feeling tired, I entered my new house. There's not much to describe in there, but there is a bed. After walking for days without food and water, and fighting that monster in the garden, I felt a strong urge to jump in the bed and rest. I didn't fall asleep, I just laid in my bed, happy to let my body rest on a soft mattress, pillow and bed sheets instead of resting on the ground in the middle of the wilderness every night before I arrived. Besides, I need my energy to get to work as a farmer.