When she was twelve, she tried to run away. She didn't get very far before Rosco grabbed her and yanked her back to the village. He had scolded and yelled at her louder than he ever had before. In her attempt to escape, she had stumbled into a wolf's den and would have been killed if not for Rosco.
When she turned fourteen, she tried again. This time, it was Bruno who dragged her back to the village. She had discovered a patch of berries on the trail she had been walking down and ate from them, not knowing they were poisonous. Bruno had stayed by her side the following week, nursing her back from the pits of the underworld.
Her final escape attempt had been when she turned sixteen. She had stolen one of Farmer Jermy's horses and ridden off after seeing a movie about a knight who could summon horses with a flute. Watching horses and riding them was very different, though. The animal had bucked her off, and she smacked her head on a rock. Like the previous times, she thought she would die, but by pure luck, she had been discovered by an Arcane Knight who healed her head wound and took her back to her village.
Most of these attempts had started because of the bullying. Ash, Nev, and Trent weren't evil, but they were cruel to an outsider like her. She had never wanted to be part of Fri. It wasn't a bad place, but it wasn't where she belonged, at her father's side. Meeting a real Arcane Knight had also opened her eyes. For years, she had entertained the idea of becoming one since her father had told her about it, but actually being saved by one and meeting a Knight had truly set her on her path.
That was when Olivia decided she'd truly start trying to become a Knight and practiced with her blood magic every day, constantly passing out and running off to Lotus City to get sneak peeks at the Knights as they'd pass through.
This was all to say that Fri was entirely used to Olivia doing stupid things. This one took the cake, though. Fighting a real-life magical beast.
Olivia groaned, and her eyes opened as she stared up at the roof of Rosco's house. The home in question wasn't that big, and growing up in it, she had gotten annoyed at how claustrophobic she felt more than once. Now, though, she was happy to open her eyes and see it.
She was in Rosco's bed, and her clothes had been changed. She didn't move, her eyes still adjusting, but she could hear the TV was on, playing some soap opera, since Rosco liked watching them for some reason.
"I'm still alive?" She asked tiredly.
"Olivia!" The next thing she knew, she found herself being pulled into a tight embrace as Rosco held her. "Thank Haru, you're awake." The dark-skinned man let out a sigh of relief and then pulled away, looking down at her. His relieved look then grew serious, the way only a father's could. "You white-haired idiot!"
"Ow, ow, ow!" Olivia let out a whimper as the older man grabbed her by the ear and twisted it. "You're going to pull it off!"
"I should, after the emotional damage you put us all through!" Rosco growled. "Seriously, what the actual hell were you thinking? Are you just suicidal or something? Why did you try fighting a magical beast?"
"I had to save Ash and the others!"
Rosco looked down at her, giving her a serious look. "I was told everything. Ash and his band of idiots were the first to run off, and you followed. Don't act like you were doing something good by running to their rescue. If you really cared, you would have gotten me or another adult involved, but you didn't."
Olivia bowed her head, not looking the other man in the eye. He was right. She didn't even try to wake him or Bruno up. She had run off on her own despite knowing Ash was attempting to fight the magical beast, which, at the time, she had assumed was a dragon. Part of her wanted to be the one to beat it. To slay it and prove to everyone, especially herself, that she had what it took after how badly she failed the exams. She could have gotten help but didn't, and she nearly paid the price for it.
"I thought I could handle it." She felt her voice break a bit. "I just wanted to show you all that I had what it took. I-I thought that if I killed it before the Arcane Knight arrived, it'd make them think I was special."
Rosco folded his arms, looking down on her. "Olivia, you need to stop. You're always throwing yourself into danger, and sooner or later, you're going to die. Your magic isn't suited for something like this. You're seriously going to hurt yourself."
In the end, even Rosco didn't believe in her. "I have to, though." Olivia curled up and placed her head on her knees. She could feel some bandages that were clinging to her, most of which were wrapped around her head. Her body still ached, but it wasn't too bad since Farmer Jermy had healing magic, which likely fixed her up while she had been knocked out. "I want to be useful." For a moment, her mind went to that strange man. Davi Hawker. "If I were an Arcane Knight like him, I'm sure I'd be special, and then my dad would…" She trailed off.
Rosco looked bummed by her response. He turned away from the girl and shrugged. "I feel like we've had this conversation a hundred times now, Olivia. I'm not in the mood to argue with you. Ash and the others are fine, by the way. A bit banged up, but Farmer Jermy went ahead and healed them and you the best he could. Bruno will want to see you now that you're awake. He's outside with that Arcane Knight."
"The Arcane Knight is still in our village?" Olivia felt her eyes widen, and she stood up, ignoring the pain as she ran past Rosco and opened the door. Stepping out, she was met with a shocking sight.
"Good… Now place that slab on top of the other one." The Knight stood in the center of the village, his arms crossed across his chest, and his ebony armor was now fixed up, having not even a scratch on it, and his helmet was off. A few kids swung off his arms or climbed on him, using him as a swing, something he didn't seem to mind. He was more focused on something going on in front of him.
Fri was a little mountain village that was as far in the boonies as a place could get. Most of the people who lived in Fri didn't even bother with a car, and the ones that did weren't even able to use their vehicles since the forest was way too thick and there weren't any proper roads built.
The Duke of Lotus was supposed to be working on a project that would open the forest up and connect Fri to Lotus more easily, but that project had been in the works for nearly five years now and hadn't started. Instead, Lotus was expanding and branching out to other places while Fri was being left behind.
Fri did have technology, like power lines and other such things, but it was very old-fashioned looking for the most part, with slanted buildings, and before now, the only thing it had that was truly worth anything was the wooden wall, which was made to keep them safe from monsters. That wall was now gone.
The wooden structure had been completely removed, and dozens of heavy-looking stone blocks and bags of cement were in its place. Dozens of sleds and ropes were scattered around, along with construction equipment such as cranes and forklifts, which several of the villagers were using to drag the blocks to where they needed to go. They would then stack the blocks on top of one another and use the cement to hold them in place. Davi was giving orders on how to place everything and, like always, was mostly speaking in a dull, tired tone.
It wasn't just Fri's wall that was being rebuilt either. Dozens of other supplies were scattered around, like an entire section of logs and tools that could be used to fix and rebuild the houses that were lost. "Where'd all of this come from?" Olivia asked in shock. It wasn't just all the supplies that shocked her, but the working construction vehicles as well. The closest thing they had to professional equipment was a lawnmower Jermy had made two years ago that blew up.
"It came from that Davi guy." Off to the side, Bruno walked up to her, already sporting his smile. His eyes focused on the Black Knight, and he chuckled. "He pulled out all these supplies out of thin air and started telling us to use them to expand and rebuild the village. Rosco decided to make a stone wall instead of a wooden one so something like the salamander couldn't get back in so easily."
"He pulled out an entire crane?" She asked, still shocked.
"Yep!" Bruno laughed. "That Knight is a bro! He let us all take pictures with him, too! I tried looking him up on the internet but couldn't find anything, so I think he's a new member or something."
Olivia watched in stunned silence. All of the people working on the wall had various safety gear on, which she was also sure wasn't anything they owned. Davi had given so much to them.
Knights were basically superheroes. They showed up and saved the day. They lived to keep the peace and made it their job to help people. She had expected him to simply leave now that the monster was dead, but he wasn't. He was here, and he was still helping.
Olivia felt a smile crack her lips, but her thoughts were interrupted when Bruno began to speak once more. The dark-skinned boy turned to look at her, and his smile faded slightly as he took in her injured look. "How are you holding up?"
"Bruno." Olivia felt her eyes water a bit. "I'm sorry." She wiped at her eyes, trying not to cry.
"What are you saying sorry to me for? You're the one who almost died, you know?" Bruno chuckled and flicked her on the head. His gaze turned, and on the other side of the village, Ash stood with his two friends, silently watching Davi. Nev was covered in bandages, and Trent's arm was in a cast. Thanks to Jermy and his healing magic, both boys survived, though they were going to carry the scars with them for the rest of their lives. "All of you were kind of silly, you know."
Olivia wiped her eyes and nodded. "Yeah." Her eyes lowered a bit. Maybe being an Arcane Knight really wasn't something she was cut out for. If not for Davi, she'd have died for sure. Maybe her father was right. Maybe her life was better spent living as a total nobody in a quiet village like this.
"There is some good news," Rosco called out from behind them. "We made a small fortune thanks to that guy over there." Rosco nodded in the direction of Davi, who was still being used as a swing by the kids, and then turned back to the village square, where a pair of familiar creatures resided.
The corpses of the salamanders were sprawled out on the ground. Now that they were dead, the fire in them had gone out, allowing people to touch the once superheated monsters.
Farmer Jermy and a couple of other villagers were inspecting the corpse. The world was filled with all sorts of crazy monsters and dungeons that held vast wealth. Many cities often made a fortune by buying and selling various magical beasts, though this would be the first time their village ever had one. The cost would be enough to pay for all the repairs and get back their livestock if they were lucky, and that was just with one. They had two, all thanks to the Knight in black armor.
"Not only did he give us all this free wood and stone to rebuild, but he's also letting us keep the corpses." Rosco couldn't help but do a bit of a happy dance. "Our village is going to make a net profit even with all of the dead cattle, thanks to him!"
"The Arcane Knight doesn't want the bodies?" Olivia asked, a little surprised.
"I don't need them." Olivia jumped and let out a squeak as Davi appeared next to her. She hadn't even seen him move; could he teleport or something? "It was on your mountain, so you guys can keep it." Davi folded his arms and turned to look at Olivia. "Do you mind if we talk for a moment?"
"Me?"
"Yeah."
Olivia looked back at Bruno and Rosco, shooting them a look. Bruno patted her on the shoulder and pushed her forward. "Good luck, bro!" And then both men scampered off, leaving her alone with the Knight.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked curiously.
Davi began to walk through the village and gazed at it, letting out a soft hum. His look didn't change, keeping the bored appearance he always had present. "I just wanted to talk." He shrugged. "You have blood magic, right?"
Olivia flinched slightly, and she gave Davi a sideways look. Most people taunted her for it. Blood magic was rare, but not in a good way. It was borderline useless, and there were so many videos all over the internet about mages with blood magic knocking themselves out or nearly killing themselves after casting a few spells. "Yeah?" She said quietly. "Is that an issue?"
"I just think it's neat." Davi's words shocked her, and he turned, giving a half nod. "That Rosco guy was right. It was a little foolish to try to fight a magical beast, but you were also brave. I saw how you let those boys escape. You did well." Olivia felt a strange surge of emotions go through her. It was weird being praised. "Have you ever thought about becoming an Arcane Knight?"
Her heart skipped a beat at the question. "Y-yeah!" She said excitedly. "I have."
Davi nodded once more. "Spiraling towers where evil gods await."
"What?"
"Dragons who fly through the heavens. Caves that only lead to Hell. Princesses who tempt heroes to settle down. A labyrinth you can never escape from. Vast riches, deep dungeons, raging wars, magical animals, and so many secrets to be found." Davi still kept his blank look, but something in his eyes was different now. Excitement? "The world is filled with all sorts of things, like that salamander monster. I haven't seen anything like it since the dragon."
"Dragon? Have you seen a real dragon? They're all extinct, though. The last dungeon that had a dragon in it was a few hundred years ago." Olivia said it as if she hadn't expected to see a dragon last night. Looking back at it, her actions had been foolish.
"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't," Davi responded flatly and placed a hand to his scar. "You never really know what something is until it's too late. When I was younger, my brother and I always discussed what we would do when we became Arcane Knights and all the things we would get to see and do. If you've thought about becoming a Knight, do you have plans for it?"
Olivia's eyes sparkled a bit, and she nodded. "Yeah! Arcane Knights are the best. They get a pass to go anywhere and always take up quests to explore dungeons and stuff. They get paid to be adventurers! Part of me always wanted to be one since it meant I'd get to see the whole world and study so many magical beasts! More than that, though, they're useful." Her happy look faded slightly. "If not for you, I would have died. You saved me. You guys are special, have magic, and are the kind of people my dad would have liked."
"Your dad?" Davi raised an eyebrow at her, and he actually seemed a little curious.
Olivia nodded her head slowly. "My dad dropped me off at this place because I couldn't be useful to him." She looked up at the bright sky above and rubbed her head injury. "He was an Arcane Knight. He explored all sorts of ruins and fought dangerous beasts for a living. He's one of the reasons I know so much since he forced me to study up on nearly everything. I wasn't able to keep up with him, though. I wasn't special like he was. His magic was really strong, just like yours. I have such lame magic." She admitted, a bit sheepishly. "It's awful and not good at all, unlike yours, which is useful. I'm really jealous and wish I had something better. My blood magic holds me back a bunch."
"Oh." Davi turned away from her, his blank look finally shifting, showing annoyance. "You're one of 'those' kinds of people?" He sounded disappointed. "How boring."
"Excuse me?"
Davi grabbed his helmet, which had been hanging off his belt. Like the rest of his armor, it was fixed, and he placed it over his head. "I thought you were interesting when I first saw you, but you're one of those people who don't see the value in what they have and instead focus too much on other people and what they can do." His voice came out muffled now and sounded cold. "If you don't have any confidence in yourself or your magic, why are you even trying to become an Arcane Knight?" The man left her standing there, and she felt strangely hollow now. She had thought maybe he would understand her plight or even offer to take her with him, but he didn't. He just left her.
"Wait!" She turned back to him, but Davi wasn't stopping. "I'm not strong, though? That's not fair. My magic isn't good at all, not like yours! You claimed your magic wasn't good either, but it's better than mine! My father got rid of me because of how useless mine is! All I wanted to do was stay by his side and go on an adventure with him, and he dropped me off at the place and never came back!"
"So what?" The Black Knight said apathetically. "There are loads of people out there in the world. Of course, somewhere out there, someone will have magic that makes yours look like it's useless. I bet there is someone out there in the world who would kill to have the magic you do because they think it's better than what they're stuck with. I know I used to feel jealous when I saw my brother's magic and how much better it was than mine. I don't whine about my own magic, though. I work with what I have. I can only cast two different kinds of spells, you know."
"J-Just two?" Olivia felt her throat go dry. Magic was everything a mage would pride themselves on. The number of spells they knew and could cast was very important. She knew a bunch of spells but was limited by her blood. In the opposite boat, Davi could cast his spells a bunch of times, but he only had a measly two spells. She suddenly remembered what he said in the fight with the salamander. He couldn't shield himself with magic, or form a powerful weapon, or anything like that.
Yet he had still slain the beast.
Davi's eyes seemed to stare past her own, and she felt herself flinch and step back. "If your father got rid of you because of your magic, then why are you even trying to return to his side when you agree with him? Maybe instead of spending as much time as you do beating yourself up about how useless you are right now, you work on bettering yourself. You might never be able to go on that adventure with your dad, but at least you'd be able to do what you want and be happy with yourself." Davi turned away, not looking at her again. "Or don't; I just find it annoying when someone cries about how weak they are when they refuse to give it any real effort."
"Well, if you're so smart, how do I get stronger?" Olivia demanded, fighting back tears. "How? Please! Tell me! Help me!"
He didn't reply. Davi just walked away.
"Is that what an Arcane Knight is like?" She nearly jumped when she heard Ash speak. He was next to her now, his eyes glued to the Black Knight.
"Ash?"
For a moment, his eyes met hers. "I'm not going to lose again." Ash shoved something into her arms and then walked past her, his hand clutching his wand. "I'm going to become an Arcane Knight. One who won't ever be scared again. One who won't ever be saved by you again." He declared. "I'm going to surpass you!"
Olivia was once again left standing alone, even more baffled as Ash left. "Surpass me? As if I'm something special." She chuckled darkly and grumbled. "Yeah, right. Still just useless, Olivia. Maybe that Davi guy was right. Maybe I should just give up."
She looked down at the thing Ash had shoved into her arms. It was a drone. A very expensive one at that. The very same he had used to locate the whereabouts of the dungeon, but why was he giving it to her?
Was it a peace offering? A way to thank her for saving him? Was he flirting with her?
A few hours later, Davi left the village and headed for Lotus City so he could get a ride to his next destination. She watched him go, not saying anything. What could she even say, though?
In the end, it simply didn't matter.