Chapter Text
Once upon a time...
In a Kingdom long forgotten...
There were a beautiful princess called Chinatsu, who was kidnapped by an evil sorcerer by the name of Matsuoka, who wishes to take over the Kingdom.
A prince from a neighboring Kingdom, Prince Taiki, embarked on a perilous journey with his steadfast companions to rescue her.
This tale, however, isn't their story. This isn't the story of the prince and princess, but instead the story of one of Prince Taiki's companions, who just happened to find herself lost in the Dark Forest.
"Kyo, this is all your fault!"
"My fault? It was YOU who stumbled and lagged behind, Hina." the boy retorted, striding a bit ahead of the girl while ensuring she trailed closely behind.
Lost amidst the giant Dark Forest, the duo found themselves severed from their companions. The band of heroes needed to traverse this ominous woodland to reach the next town on their quest towards the sorcerer's tower, where Princess Chinatsu is supposedly held.
"And how come Prince Taiki and Ayame didn't hear me like you did when I tripped and fell?" Hina queried, still puzzled by the twist of fate that led them to this predicament.
"Well, those two were a tad ahead of us. Prince Taiki was trying to read the forest map, while Ayame was beside him, fervently insisting he held it the wrong way, if memory serves. It's plausible they were too preoccupied and didn't catch our mishap." Kyo explained, trying his best to explain the chain of events that led to the present moment.
"Do you think they're looking for us?" Hina asked another question.
"Likely so, though I'm uncertain about our chances of reunion in this labyrinthine forest." Kyo replied, his words subtly casting a shadow of guilt over the girl behind him. She put her hand on the pendant she had around her neck.
This is all my fault. What if we're all lost, never to find each other again? What will become of this Kingdom? What about Prince Taiki's-
Hina snapped out of her thoughts after colliding with Kyo's abruptly halted form.
"Kyo? What's wrong?"
"I sense something. Monsters, perhaps." Kyo spoke in hushed tones as he pointed at the bushes ahead, not turning to face Hina. Besides being a skilled archer, Kyo possessed the ability to detect things, such as monsters. This ability proved useful often as Kyo nearly was never wrong, though this time Hina wished he was with all her heart.
"Hina, stay behind me." Kyo instructed, readying his bow.
"O-Okay..." she replied, her voice tinged with nervousness as she held her staff closer to her chest.
Prince Taiki was a talented swordsman, befitting of the Hero of the party set out to save the Princess.
Kyo was a talented Archer. His arrows nearly never missed their target.
Ayame was a talented Black Mage. She wielded destructive spells against her foes.
While Hina was the White Mage of the party, meaning she was the worst fighter in the group.
I could heal Kyo if he were injured, but if he had Prince Taiki or Ayame with him instead of me, perhaps he wouldn't get injured at all...But don't cut yourself short, Hina! Whatever is in those bushes, I just know we can take it down!
But what emerged from the bushes wasn't a monster, it was a boy with light brown hair. A boy she has never me before. He had sharp eyes, and she was sure he was staring at her.
"W-Who are you?" She asked, lowering her guard upon realizing he wasn't a monster. Meanwhile, Kyo maintained his defensive stance.
"That's not really important now, is it? Nice pendant you have there." The boy remarked, pointing at Hina's neck.
".....Thanks?" Hina replied, not sure how to respond.
Just who is this guy? He looks to be around my age. Maybe a little younger.
"Are you lost as well?" Kyo asked, joining in on the conversation, still having his guard up.
"Erm, not really. Anyways, back to that pendant....It looks very expensive. Will you give it to me?" The boy asked, though it sounded less like a question and more like a demand.
Um, what?
"No? Why would I? It's very important to me." Hina answered, feeling puzzled. She continued. "Don't tell me you go around asking people to give you their things out of left field, that's just weird!"
"Hina, be careful. He might be dangerous." Kyo whispered, his eyes fixed on the enigmatic boy.
"Is he? I feel like I can take him on and win if I want." Hina whispered back, not seeing what Kyo was seeing in the boy.
"So you aren't going to hand it to me? Guess I have no choice but to come and take it then!" The boy declared as he swiftly dashed toward Kyo and Hina.
Kyo swiftly launched an arrow, but the surprise of the boy's actions and his incredible speed caused it to miss. Before Kyo could nock another arrow, the boy closed the distance, his presence now imminent.
Oh no! I should catch a magic shield spell!
Before Hina could take action, the boy swiftly unsheathed a dagger, severing the pendant from her neck with a swift, decisive cut. He snatched it up and disappeared into the forest. He did not look back.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going!" Hina cried out, poised to give chase, but Kyo gripped her hand, halting her in her tracks.
"Hina, it might be dangerous to chase after him. I'm sorry to say this, but I think we should let him go and continue to search for the others." Kyo suggested, a tinge of guilt coloring his words for not preventing the theft.
"No, I'll chase after him. That pendant—Prince Taiki gave it to me. I can't lose it. Besides, that pendant is infused with my own magic, so I can sense it no matter where that boy takes it." Hina asserted, revealing her unwavering determination. Deep down, she recognized the rational choice would be to let it go and focus on finding the others, but her resolve remained steadfast.
"....Ugh, fine. Let's go after him. Besides, that thief seems to know his way around this Dark Forest. Maybe by following him we'll end up finding our way out." Kyo said, trying to find the positive in this situation.
And so, the duo embarked on the pursuit of the thief. Hina's ability to sense the pendant made tracking him more manageable, even though they were certain they were trailing far behind. They quickened their pace, and before they knew it, they emerged out from the Dark Forest.
Their chase led them to a small village nestled near the outskirts of the Dark Forest. The duo had no idea such a village existed here. If not for that thief, they would had likely never knew of this village.
As they entered the village, an elderly man approached them, surprise painted on his face.
"Oh my! It's not everyday our humble village gets visitors!"
"H-Hello!" Hina greeted the elderly man.
Does that boy live here?
"Excuse me, sir, have you seen...." Kyo began, describing the thief to the elder man.
"Oh? Do you mean Haruto? I never knew that boy had friends from outside the village." The elderly man responded, exuding warmth and joy.
So Haruto is possibly his name.
"Do you know where his house is? We...wish to pay him a visit." Hina asked the elderly man, choosing her words carefull, trying not to tell him more than necessary.
"Of course I do! Follow me you two."
The elderly man guided them to Haruto's house before excusing himself, having other business to attend too.
"So, Hina? Can you sense your pendant?" Kyo asked.
"Yes. I'm sure it's inside that house." She confirmed.
We really found him.
"What should we do, Kyo? Do we....knock on the door?" Hina asked, uncertain about their next move.
Kyo glanced at Hina, his eyes reflecting a mix of determination and caution. "Let's approach carefully. We don't know what kind of person Haruto is, and it's crucial not to startle him."
Nodding in agreement, the duo carefully approached the house, the soft murmur of conversation and laughter from the village filling the air. The two of them exchanged a brief nod before Kyo gently knocked. The door creaked open.
"Should we go in?" Hina whispered.
"Yes, but stay behind me." Kyo whispered back as he slowly pushed open the door and went in.
It wasn't a large house by any means. Hina thought it might only have two rooms all together. The main room had a bed, a wooden table with a few chairs, and the flickering light of a candle created dancing shadows on the walls. Hina's pendant lay on the table, catching the dim light. As if it's waiting for its owner to come and pick it up.
And the best part? Haruto didn't look to be anywhere here.
"There it is," Hina whispered, relief washing over her. She moved to retrieve it, Kyo closely following behind her.
As Hina approached her pendant, ready to touch it, a gasp escaped her lips. She noticed someone sleeping on the bed, another boy she didn't recognize.
"Ugh, Hina don't make a sound...We don't want to wake him up." Kyo whispered, his gaze fixed on the slumbering figure.
How has he NOT woken up from my gasp though? Well, it doesn't matter. I should just grab my pendant and leave this pla- Wait, this person....
Hina stepped closer to the sleeping boy.
"H-Hina?! You'll wake him up!" Kyo cautioned, trying to keep his voice low.
"Kyo, this person is....cursed." Hina said. Being a mage, and a white mage on top of that, gave Hina the ability to notice such things.
And it was a powerful curse too from what I can feel. But why? Who would do this?
"Is he?" Kyo mused aloud as he approached the slumbering boy.
Just as they were processing this strange discovery, they heard footsteps from behind. They turned to look who it was right away. It was Haruto, standing at the door, effectively blocking their exit from the house.
"W-What?! You two?! What are you-, how did you find me?" He lashed out. His eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation.
Caught off guard, Hina stammered, "We...Well, it's more so that I can detect this pendant. It made tracking you easy." She said as she swiftly reached for the pendant before Haruto could intercept it again.
"You are called Haruto, right?" Kyo inquired.
"So you found out both my name and my location. I see I underestimated you two. Too bad you missed your chance to grab that pendant and leave this place. Now hand it over." Haruto spoke as he stared at Hina, his eyes as sharp as ever.
"And if we said no? Or are you going to attack us here in your village where I'm sure people will hear the sounds of a battle." Kyo said, not feeling threatened.
"You think I can't do it? Just so you kno-" Haruto began, hand on his dagger, but Hina interrupted.
"Who is he? Who is this boy? He's cursed, isn't he?" She pointed at the sleeping figure, causing Haruto to withdraw his hand from his dagger. His face now bore a mix of sadness and conflict.
"Why do you want to know? It's none of your business."
"Haruto, you see, I'm a white mage. I might be able to lift the curse off of him." Hina explained, genuine concern in her voice. Haruto looked both conflicted and sorrowful. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
"He's my... He's my older brother, Shuji, and yes, he was cursed by none other than the evil sorcerer, Matsuoka. A curse that will never let him wake up."