Eternia: The Dawn of Dusk

Part 1: Introductions; Chapter 1: The Old and The New

ANYA

I'd always dreamt of becoming an adventurer, but my family wouldn't have it. I grew up in a house that had nothing less of ludicrous expectations of me. And despite the crushing pressure, I managed to meet most expectations. By eighteen many of my tutors called me a genius historian and excellent at mathematics. I'm not the most well-spoken person, per se, but I have always been an avid reader. That's probably one of the reasons why I know so much about the history of our world. I grew up reading the stories of great adventure and heroic tales, such as The Fall of the Adamant Tyrant, The Luminous Crusade, The War of Devastation, A Day in the Life of a Planeswalker and such so thoroughly I could probably recite my favorite parts by heart. I knew the names of all of the greatest adventurers of our century: Seraph, Eden, Faron, I'd name them faster than one could recite the alphabet. But my parents believed that adventuring was a job for uncivilized barbarians, ones who "had no other way to make a living." In their eyes I was "meant to be the pride of the house," but it was my elder sister they loved more. She was like me when it came to being knowledgeable, but cared more about studying. Her interests aligned with that of our family, especially when it came to arcane magic. So she became an initiate, an apprentice to an archmage that father always kept close. This was father's vision, his plan: I would become a governess, a "true lady," and Mel would become an Arcanist.

He'd say "There could be no greater legacy: one leading the Starshards into a bright future of comfort and riches, while the other advanced the house in the areas of magic."

"But no," I had always rebelled "I want to be an adventurer."

Throughout my teenage years I had made many an attempt to convince Dad to let me visit Mortalis, the Capital of Planeswalkers. We lived on the western outskirts of the city, so I thought he would at least consider my simple request, but this made his gaze over me even more confining. He hired private tutors, food was brought to me. I was not even allowed to leave the premises of the manor I resided in and its walls. He held an iron grip over my life and that same fatherly grip slowly suffocated me.

When I became eighteen, mother convinced him to let me make a few choices of my own. Father gave me a bit of gold and let me go out on my own for a while, with the idea of "letting me taste the danger and foolishness of my childish dream." Two weeks was the period of time that I'd been given.

Then again, there was another problem. While thanks to my obsessive reading of any and all historical epic events I'd learnt of all sorts of creatures, their origins, and how to combat them best, I had little-to-no practice. To be completely frank, I could get jumpy from just seeing an abnormally large rat, lizard, or spider, or any spider for that matter. As you can see, for someone who wants to be an adventurer, this is a complication. Regardless, I packed my bag, bought a few days-worth of rations with the help of my loyal butler Roger. The half-elven man had always been nothing but kind to me ever since his first day here five years ago, even if he was under the employ of my sister. He promised not to tell anyone about the specifics of my choice, and there were none I'd trust more than him to keep such things. I looked into my old and trusty mirror on the wall of my bedroom, eyeing the reflection of a hefty backpack near the door out of my room, then back at myself. For the final time, I decided to brush my dark hair within the walls of my childhood home using the newer brush that my sister had bought for me, as my favorite one was already packed in the bag. Just in case, I did decide to bring the dagger she also had commissioned, no matter how awkward the thing looked with the somewhat heart-shaped pommel. I stared into my own blue eyes, trying to ignore that annoying mole at the top of my forehead that painfully stuck out on the pale skin of mine. Covering it with my hair while combing wasn't really an option. This is it, I thought. This is the day my life truly begins.  Roger and I exchanged a last goodbye as I struggled to lift the bag. I comforted him as well as I could, I'd be back with stories and presents that would make him shake in awe. Since no one else was home today, instead of wasting time. I set out for Mortalis a little earlier than mid-day.