The bustling town was far behind them, and ahead lay towering clumps of silver trees—the Silvercryst Groves. Whistling and kicking a rock, Farem’s hand rested on the scabbard by his waist. Another adventure, at last. Honestly, he had gotten a little tired of the Enchanted Forest—not with Aria, though. Every day with her was a dream come true. Farem scratched his stubble in thought. The whispers of the wind through the silver leaves reminded him of a lovely memory.

***

It was a dark, cloudy night when he first met Aria. Nine years ago, he was just a greenhorn. Unsheathing his steel sword, he slashed at an oak tree to train. The blade thudded against the bark… and got stuck there. Farem groaned and tried pulling it out. But his sweaty palms slipped from the handle, and he fell backward on his bum. It was useless. The sword now belonged to the oak tree.

He sprawled on the ground, defeated. No matter how much he practiced, an E-Ranker like him couldn’t kill a mere High Plains Wolf, let alone slay the Dark Lord and save the world. But that was what the Keepers of the First Light entrusted to him. With their long beards, pointed hats that bore a sun symbol, and robes of many colours, the Keepers had teleported—or more like kidnapped—him to their sanctuary a few days ago. By miracles, he was the Chosen Hero, and they wanted to tell him about the Prophecy.

After hearing it, Farem nodded. “I solemnly swear: The Dark Lord will die by my blade,” he declared, vengeance scorching his sword hand. He hated Dark Beasts. Slaying their queen would no doubt destroy their empire. Pounding a fist on the ground, Farem stood up, jogged over to his sword stuck in the tree, and tried yanking it out one more time.

Then he heard something.

It sounded like… music? Curious, he crept through the undergrowth to track down the source. The leaves swayed and jiggled, waltzing to the melody. Every note was thunder to his ears, echoing beneath the moonless sky. Deep inside the forest, someone was playing piano. As he snooped inside a small bush, Farem saw her—the Dark Lord herself, with that dreadful, unmistakable silver hair.

He almost gasped too loudly. Slapping a hand on his mouth, Farem watched in silence as the Dark Lord, veiled in only a thin nightgown, continued performing. Swallowed in branches and vines, the piano looked too broken to be played. And yet, when her fingers flourished across the keys, the piano sang from the deepest reach of its soundboard heart. Some notes were played too late. Some were missed. But she kept playing, lamenting, her Arpeggio bleeding with sorrow, yearning for something she could never have; it was a blizzard that grew to a crescendo of agony, and when the snowflakes faded as the early sunrise kissed the ground, the piano softened to a delicate end, the music ringing in his ears long after the piece was over.

Farem couldn’t say a thing. This was the monster he wanted to slay? No, it couldn’t be. He thought she was evil incarnate, but now, he wasn’t sure. Her performance stole his breath. But before he could clap, the Dark Lord vanished into the resonating air.

He studied the seat where she had sat. Someone who played the piano this beautifully couldn’t be a total monster.

***

A hand jumped into his vision. “Helloooo? Are you awake yet, Mr. Daydreamer?” said an annoyed and slightly worried Dark Wife.

Farem rubbed his eyes, grateful for the memory. Sometimes at night, in their cottage within the Enchanted Forest, he would still hear the faint piano music. So Farem decided: He would buy her a piano one day. She wouldn’t have to sneak out anymore.

Anyway. Quest first. “Yep. Wide awake now.”

Borius was walking in front. Next to him was the brim-hat priest. The path to the A-Rank dungeon lay deeper in the Silvercryst Groves, a sprawling forest of silver trees surrounding the Town of Oroga. Within the patches of leaves, tiny fairies were dancing and singing, trying to ensnare nearby adventurers in their melodious trap. But Farem knew better, and so did Aria. Ignoring the buzzing fairies, they both strode with purpose and speed unfit for their fake ranks.

“Why do you need that Private Info Board so much?” Aria whispered.

“You’ll see. They got everything there. It’s as you said: The kingdoms are on the move again to hunt you down—”

“Hunt you down, too,” Aria grumbled. “The Dark Lord and the Chosen Hero, working together… It must be the High Emperor’s worst nightmare.” Her lips curled into a slight grin.

“We’ll manage. First, we finish this quest. Second, we score some gold coins. And third, we rise in rank quickly. Finally, we get some info on where the safest place to live is. If things don’t go smoothly, I’ll call some of my friends. They kinda got a grudge, though, but they’re good people.”

“What grudge?”

“Don’t worry about it. I stole their loot one time. Hehehe…”

Aria looked away and walked even faster, practically drifting through the air like a shadow. “You’re a bad liar,” she said, her voice breaking slightly. Farem stared blankly at his shoes, wondering if she had known the truth—the real reason his party left him.

“Okay!” Borius stopped in front of a stone gate. “We’re here!”

Farem drew a standard-issued Longsword; unsheathing his shining Light Blade would attract attention. Welp, here they go.

Onto the next adventure.

Or, in this case, the next dungeon.