A much younger Ren's voice trembled in the dimness of her old house. In front of her, the silhouette of her brother, Rio, stood out against the dim light.

"Ren! What are you doing here? Why aren't you sleeping?"

Little Ren's gaze dropped to her brother's feet. There, motionless on the floor, lay her parents.

"What are Mom and Dad doing?"

A creepy smile spread across Rio's face. "They were playing a game with me."

"And what was that game?" Ren's words died in her throat when she saw a trickle of blood running between his feet.

"Do you want to play with me?"

"B-brother, why is there blood?" she stammered, fear chilling her bones.

When little Ren looked up, her brother's figure had transformed into a distorted black silhouette, with a maniacal face and murderous intent in his eyes. He ran toward her.

"AHHHHHH!"

Ren woke up with a start in her new room in Norimoa, her heart pounding and cold sweat running down her forehead. "Ugh... it was just a dream."

She opened a small cabinet next to her bed. Inside was a single letter. The return address read: "From Rio, to my loving sister Ren."

Ren looked at it with a cold, emotionless face. "Just a pawn on your big chessboard..." she whispered, her eyes hardening. "Just a pawn... huh?"

"Aaaaa... THAT HURTS, YOU IDIOT!" I yelled.

"SHUT UP, PERVERT!" Ren shouted back, followed by the sound of a door slamming.

Ren crouched down on the other side of her door. "Ugh, that idiot. I don't know if it's a coincidence or if he does it on purpose to see me naked."

She lowered her head into her arms, a light blush staining her cheeks.

"Although... I'm glad I'm not a pawn without romantic feelings," she murmured. "I'm glad he sees me like this, even though it embarrasses me."

In a barely audible whisper, she confessed to the air, "I... love... you... Natsu."

Immediately, she exploded with embarrassment, her face burning. "Ahhh... so hot! Well, never mind." She stopped abruptly. "I have to get changed."

That night, after registering for the tournament and spending some time at the guild, we said goodbye to Chizuru and Diana.

"Well, see you tomorrow for a mission," Chizuru said.

"Yeah, see you around."

As we walked through the bustling streets of Norimoa, Naori stretched.

"I want to take a bath now."

"Whatever you say," Nagi replied.

"What will tomorrow's mission be about?" I asked.

"I don't know."

Ren walked a little behind us, lost in thought. The noise of the city faded for her, and suddenly, she felt a familiar figure pass by her side. A shiver ran down her spine.

"Rio!" She turned quickly, but the person she thought she'd seen was already lost in the crowd.

"What's up, Ren?" I asked, noticing she had stopped.

"No, it's nothing... Let's go home."

Later that night, in the solitude of her room, Ren held her brother's letter in her hand. The memory of the day she received it returned to her.

(Flashback)

"Ren, honey, you got a letter," Grandma Riomi had said.

"Really?"

"Will you read it now?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, go on to sleep, it's late now."

In her old room in Nalia, Ren looked at the envelope. "Ri... o..." She threw the letter to the floor and curled up in a corner of her bed.

"A-a letter from my brother..." Her eyes filled with tears.

Slowly, she slid out of bed and picked up the letter. But as she touched it, the image of her brother about to kill her returned to her mind. "I can't... read this letter."

A gust of wind blew through the window, carrying the letter from her hands. The paper slid out of the envelope and fell to the floor. The first thing she managed to read was the phrase: "You're just a pawn on my big chessboard...". As she read it, her strength left her, and she collapsed to the ground.

(End of Flashback)

The next day, at the guild, we were about to choose a mission.

"Let's see, which one do we choose?" Chizuru said, looking at the board.

"How about the one in the top corner?" I suggested.

                                        Quest: Slay the Beast of Giori Cave - Reward: 5,000 Lyranai

"5,000 Lyranai!" Nagi exclaimed.

"Why are you so impressed by that?" I asked.

"Because that's a lot of money."

"So it must be a difficult mission," Chizuru warned.

"Guys! Have you chosen your mission yet?" Naori said, arriving with Ren and Diana.

"Yeah, it's killing a beast."

"That mission... could it be?" Diana murmured, her face thoughtful.

"What's wrong, Diana?"

"No, it's nothing."

Ren stood behind the group, distracted.

"Ren, what's wrong?" I asked her. She didn't answer. "Ren?"

"Oh, sorry."

I stared at her, worried.

In front of Giori's cave, the entrance was a giant, dark mouth.

"Wow, it's huge," Naori said.

"Well, let's go."

I used a little magic to create a small fireball that floated beside us, lighting the way. As we went deeper, the walls began to be covered with crystal spikes.

"There are a lot of crystals here," Nagi said.

"They look like Hydra scales," Chizuru said.

"Hydra?"

"Yes," Diana explained. "They're horrible aquatic beasts that attack creatures of their own kind. They can grow to the size of the city's central structure and are considered one of the most dangerous and rare beasts in this world. They say that some adventurers recently entered this cave and never came out. Only their corpses were found, with partially burned bodies."

Ren and Naori shuddered.

We reached a dead end.

"Now what? We can't go any further," Chizuru said.

"Look, the wall. It looks like a door," I pointed out.

We all started looking for a mechanism.

"I found something!" Naori shouted.

"What is it?" said Chizuru.

"A book?" said Nagi.

"Open it, Naori," ordered Chizuru.

"Yes," said Naori.

Upon opening it, there was only a worn page with figures of a flame, a drop of water, a rock, and a leaf, surrounding circles on a drawing of the door.

"I knew the circles on the door were related to something," exclaimed Diana.

"And they have symbols," said Ren.

"Look at the bottom; there's a rock symbol, and the others are empty," exclaimed Diana.

"Then we should look for the others," said Ren.

"I already found them," I said. "They were lying around here."

I placed the stone symbols in the corresponding holes.

"Okay, but now what? The book has some very strange letters," said Diana.

"I can read that language," said Chizuru. "My grandfather taught it to me. It says, 'The stones require great magical power of the corresponding element'."

"The problem now is where we get a mage," Chizuru said.

"I know how to use rock and leaf magic, but not the other two," Diana admitted.

"Natsu knows how to use water and fire magic," Ren said.

Chizuru and Diana looked at me, surprised. "Really? I thought you were a melee fighter," Chizuru said.

"That's true, but it's not technically water. It's ice," I clarified.

"What if you use your fire magic to melt it?" Diana suggested.

"No... I can try using water magic."

"Wait, you can't just use fire and ice magic?" Chizuru asked.

"No. I can use all kinds of magic."

"Oh... I forgot," Ren said.

"I don't believe you... Do you have a White Soul or something?" Diana said, amazed.

"I don't think so, but I can do it."

I placed my hands on the fire and water stones. Diana did the same with the earth and nature stones. The stones lit up, and the large door opened, revealing an underground lake of crystal-clear blue water, surrounded by more crystals... and a few corpses.

"Wow!... but there are corpses here," said Ren.

"The marks on the bones are strange..."

Suddenly, a monstrous creature, a Hydra, burst out of the water at full speed and struck Diana, throwing her against a wall.

"Dianaaa!" Chizuru screamed.

"Grrrraaahhhssss!" the beast snarled.

"Nagi!" Ren shouted, unsheathing her daggers.

"Right!" Nagi replied, drawing his katana.

"Sssshhh-GRRRRR!" the beast hissed before attacking.

Both Ren and Nagi ran towards the beast. It lunged at them first, and they narrowly dodged its attack.

"Hey! Hey! Wait, it's coming this way!" I exclaimed, jumping back.

I slid to the side just in time, and the creature crashed into the stone door, breaking it.

"GGGRRRRAAAAAAAKKHHH!" The Hydra roared, angry and in pain.

Nagi's blade grazed its head, cutting deeply and drawing a lot of blood.

"AIIIEEE-GRAAAAAKKHHH!" the Hydra shrieked in extreme pain.

Ren slashed at it from the other side with her two daggers, making a deeper wound. She slid down its neck, reaching one of its eyes and cutting it.

"NATSU, USE ICE SPIKES!" Ren ordered.

"GOT IT!"

I launched a flurry of ice spikes that dug into the Hydra's body.

"HNNNNGG-GRRRAAAAGK...!" The beast's pain was palpable.

Enraged, the beast fixed its gaze on Diana, who lay wounded in a corner. It lunged at her, but I was faster. I ran, pushing Chizuru out of the way just in time. But...

Diana slipped from my grasp.

Just as the beast was about to kill her, a figure appeared out of nowhere. A young man with blue hair, dressed in elegant clothes, who shattered the Hydra's head into pieces with a single movement. A crystal emerged from the beast's eye, which the boy took.

"Yes! I finally have you."

Ren looked at him, her face a mask of terror and surprise. "That voice... BROTHER RIO!"

"Ren? What are you doing here, sis?" he said, trying to get closer.

"GET AWAY!"

"What? Why?"

"You know perfectly well why."

"Wait, didn't you read my letter?"

"Of course I did, that's why..."

Before Ren could finish, I ran at Rio, my face a mask of pure fury.

"RIO, YOU BASTARD!"

"Ugh... Natsu."

Rio dodged my attack easily. "I'm not in the mood for your nonsense right now," Rio said calmly.

"Shut up!" I lunged again, but he dodged once more.

"Ren, please read my letter carefully. When you understand, I'll be waiting. And you too, Natsu."

He threw his cape, creating a cloud of smoke that blinded us. When it dissipated, he was gone.

"Damn it!"

Back in the city, at a medical center, Chizuru came out of one of the rooms.

"How's Diana?" Ren asked worriedly.

"Relax, Diana's fine. She's a strong girl. Today was a hectic day, you should all go home," Chizuru told us.

That night, we were back at our house. Ren finally read her brother's letter again, silent tears running down her cheeks.

Knock... Knock... Knock...

"Dinner's ready," said Naori's voice from outside.

Ren opened the door. Her eyes were swollen, but she wasn't crying anymore.

"Let's go."

In the living room, Nagi was excited.

"Hey, Ren, look, look! I got a recipe book from the north!" I said.

"Really? From Gremoria? They have some delicious recipes there," Ren exclaimed, her mood lifting.

Ren walked past the fireplace and, without anyone noticing, threw her brother's letter into the fire.

"It cost me half of everything we earned from the quest," Nagi complained.

"Don't cry about it."

"It's money."

As the laughter and chatter of our group filled the room, the flames consumed the letter. The words faded into the fire.

"...a pawn on my great chessboard...

                                     ...kill your parents but not your... and rule the southern kingdom...

                                                                                                                                          ...I need your..."

I no longer have to be held back by the past, Ren thought, smiling. I have a new goal: to love, laugh, and enjoy life until I achieve what I must. I promise... I'll help you, brother.