Gratia, a landmass flourishing with life, holds an exuberant foundation that brims with vigor at every corner of its region. Floating sinuous grounds, colorful shifting terrain, extrinsic beasts, and illustrious unexplored areas are but a few spectacles the land offers. The realm serves as an enigma, provoking the adventurous into journeys of immeasurable grandeur and ceaseless peril. 

A soothing ray of sunlight bathes a verdant hue in the landscape; the blades of grass swaying gently along the course of the eastern winds. Embraced by the azure sky lies a hamlet nestled amid mountainous terrain. Its inhabitants indulge in tasks such as construction and agriculture.   

A lone swordsman treads through the dense area of an evergreen forest. Amid combat, he fends himself against a pack of wild animals. Wolf-like in appearance, these brown jagged beasts were quadrupeds with hooks for tails. They had no eyes but made up for their lack of sight with an overly sensitive snout. The beasts relentlessly leaped at their adversary, yet one by one they were cut down. The swordsman was able to dodge their attacks through evasive rolls and blocking their fangs and tails with impressive precision, with only a handful of enemies getting small nicks and scratches on his body. As their numbers decreased to zero, the swordsman’s body began to relax. Before he could prepare to sheathe his blade, he was quick to notice another anomaly. A small, shadowy figure above trailed closely behind him, hidden among the thickness of the trees. The man’s eyes shifted to the character above in an attempt to spot it, only for his attention to be swayed at the sound of nearby rustling. His body pivots in the direction of the noise. He grips his sword near his waist and stops dead in his tracks. The swordsman takes a defensive stance and surveys the area. The wind was calm, the area was silent, and the man's body tightened once more.  

Another quadruped lurked in the shadows; its viscous, frothing yellow drool trickled onto the luscious grass. The swordsman was at full attention but did not see the predator prowling behind him. It continued forward, its paws shredding the terrain like paper. The animal reached a favorable distance and then pounced. The swordsman saw the beast leap from the corner of his eye and reacted without haste. He drew his blade with impressive agility and swung with all his might, cutting down the monster down the middle in mid-air with one fell swoop, painting the ground and trees with a deluge of its blood. Half of the monster's body flies past the swordsman, and blood spatters onto his mantle, staining it deeply. The monster’s body crumples to the ground, letting out a final whimper before keeling over. He takes a deep breath, then exhales, swiping his blade swiftly to remove the gathered blood before sheathing his weapon back into his scabbard. The shadowy figure from above leaped down from the great heights of the trees and sat upon one of its lowest branches.

“That was so cool!” 

It was a young girl, eight years of age. She was dressed in simple attire, wearing a red shirt, black shorts, and small black and white shoes. She had short, somewhat messy hair, and her face beamed with excitement as she gazed down upon the man. The swordsman, on the other hand, did not seem so pleased to see her, greeting the girl with a scowl. 

“Cyrene! What did I tell you about following me when I’m working?”   

The man’s stern, received pronunciation caused the child to turn her gaze away from his, timidly so.  

“I-I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help it!"

The young girl's eyes lit up as she peered back at his defeated opponents. She jumps down from the lowest branch and onto the ground. 

“The way you beat all those monsters was amazing! You were like, schwing, schwing, kyoo, pow!” 

She giddily mimics the man’s swordplay. Cyrus stares down at the young lady, his weary eyes observing the youthful, energetic performer struts, hops, and swings with her imaginary blade.  

“Hyah! Hah!” She continued swinging at the air.  

“Cyrene…” 

She copies the man’s serious facial expression and continues. 

“Oh? Care for more?” She imitates his voice, pointing her imaginary blade towards nothing, “Then have at you!”   

She swings her imaginary blade while forging her sound effects. 

“Cyrene!” 

Cyrus’ stern exclamation pulled the attention of the little girl. She brought her arms down to her side and avoided eye contact as he spoke again.  

“Have you any idea what those monsters are capable of?”  

“You call those the Tripwires… right?” She asks with a hint of guilt. 

“Correct. They may be blind, but their snouts make it so they can still track their prey with ease. They likely sensed you were above the treetops, but due to the height of your previous location, they settled for me instead. Had you been tailing me from ground level..."

Cyrus's thoughts transmogrify into a scowl. 

"Urgh! I don't even want to think about it!"  

“But I've watched you fight so many times! I know what to do if I've ever fought one! There's no way I would lose to those things!"  

“Watching a fight and indulging in one are two widely different experiences!” 

The little girl stomps her feet.

“Then teach me how to hunt like you! I want to help, Cyrus!”  

“Out of the question. I won’t put your life on the line. Not now, or ever. I don’t do this for sport, I do this because it's my job.”

“But -” 

“Enough,” he interrupts. “My job here today is done. We’re going home.” 

“Ugh! This isn’t fair! I want to help you…” 

Dejected by her older brother, Cyrene’s head slumps to the ground. Cyrus reaches for her arm and gently holds her hand.  

“Come now, don’t look so fallen,” he smiles weakly. “Let us return home. It's getting dark out.”  

“Alright…” 

Together, they made their way out of the forest and back to their home of Stalwart Valley, a hamlet situated in the very southwestern corner of Gratia; a quiet residence surrounded by ever-expanding nature. Its population was tiny, and out of the one hundred denizens that occupied the area, only one person served as their guardian of sorts, Cyrus Nyx.