Chapter 5

Life in Qishan Pt. 2

It seemed like such a good idea at the time, but looking at how the situation was playing out made me rethink on what I considered "good ideas".

"Miriam, are you sure you want to do this?" Alibaba asked once more as he looked at me unsurely.

Despite my clear signs of exhaustion, I nodded with a small smile. We had been training in one of the abandoned areas in Qishan by ourselves for the past two hours now, however I was already nearing my physical limit.

Just a few weeks ago, I had asked Alibaba if it was alright for him to help me train. Train in what exactly, I wasn't entirely sure. While my abnormal strength could be seen as an advantage in the future to defend myself, I felt like it was also a double-edged sword. Several incidents already occurred where I accidentally broke pots, furniture, and even our own cargo during the job. I had already injured Alibaba whenever he tried to wake me from my nightmares and scared Nihlan by almost accidentally breaking his jaw.

My strength was both a blessing and a curse, but I saw it more as a burden especially since I couldn't control it.

Initially, I thought that learning how to fight will enable me to control my strength through experience. I also thought that it would also be a good idea to learn how to defend myself and make use of my ability correctly so as not to break or hurt anybody accidentally. A noteworthy incident was when I nearly destroyed an entire row or deliver carts because I tripped on a small stone. It was embarrassing, to say the least.

"How about we take a short break?" Alibaba suggested as he relaxed his stance. He returned his small dagger back into its sheath and slowly walked up to me while offering his hands out for me to take.

While Alibaba had made use of his dagger that he usually carried with him, I had no weapons. It was for two reasons; the first being me completely being competent enough in fighting through hand-to-hand combat and the second being Alibaba fearing I may actually maim him if he gave me a weapon. However, I was willing to bet on the latter being the real reason.

I felt frustrated with myself because in the span of those two hours, I gained nothing. But I didn't want Alibaba to fret over me, so I simply gave him a small smile and took his hands in my own.

Alibaba helped me up and once I stood on my own, I dusted away the dirt and sand from my dress and my legs.

"I didn't put much of a fight earlier." I noted sadly.

"It's only your first day." Alibaba said. "Besides, I think if you really did learn how to control your strength and fight properly, you would definitely become stronger than me and Nihlan."

I was sure that Alibaba added 'Although you're plenty strong on your own now…' afterwards, but I dismissed that.

The training session went with me just running around and trying to land a hit on Alibaba. At first, I thought that it would be easy enough especially since I had already hit him on numerous occasions (albeit accidentally and completely unintentionally). I was proven wrong because during the entire session I hadn't even managed to even get close to Alibaba. Perhaps it was because I didn't know how to move my body, but it was also because Alibaba was extremely agile and light on his feet. He had taught me some beginning stances and advised me during the fight himself, but nothing helped in getting me close enough to land a hit on him.

I let out a frustrated sigh and pushed my hair behind my ear. Then again, I had to admit that Alibaba was right; it was only the first day and the start of my training, so I shouldn't push myself too hard and expect results right away.

"Do you have any work planned for tomorrow?" I asked him as I tried to tame my hair by patting it down.

"Yeah, but they're mostly heavy lifting labor." Alibaba said. "The other carts already left for shipment and now we're pretty much clear from duty for a while. I volunteered for over-time though."

I hummed. "I don't have much work planned out, but I guess I'll go shopping and check our supplies."

Alibaba smiled and patted my head. "You worry too much about that! Just a little sun-dried fish and water is enough for a man."

I rolled my eyes jokingly and started to walk back into the city. Alibaba followed and walked beside me in silence. There wasn't much to talk about, especially since our lives were very much dull. Low class workers such as ourselves never had much time to find enjoyment, although my own reasons were simply because I had yet to find out what I enjoyed doing. Working and learning to fight was necessary, but I didn't know if there was anything out there that could help me pass the time especially since I didn't help out much. Even with Alibaba's protests against Frujeel's own close-minded arrangement of having me work for only a few days a week, it was still how things went.

The comforting silence between us suddenly vanished when Alibaba started to speak.

"Miriam, I want to talk to you about something."

Sending him a questioning glance, I silently urged him to go on. His gaze caught mine but quickly shifted away as if he couldn't bring the topic out. He squirmed nervously as he walked and rubbed the back of his neck— a habit I noticed he would do whenever he would bring up bad news or an uncomfortable topic.

"Your nightmares…"

I felt my throat constrict and turned away from Alibaba immediately.

"You have to talk to me about them eventually! I know you're scared, but I don't know what to do Miriam." Alibaba said worriedly. "I try to wake you every time you have these nightmares, but now they're taking a toll on you! You might not notice it, but you've gotten really heavy eyebags and you've been really distracted lately too."

I said nothing, opting to keep quiet about the topic. When a few moments passed without a word from me, Alibaba sigh in frustration and said no more.

"I wish you would trust me." I heard him mutter under his breath.

I didn't respond. It hurt me personally that Alibaba thought I didn't trust him, but that truly wasn't the case. The nightmares were frightening and so vivid that sometimes they felt more like memories instead of simple dreams created by my own mind. I had no idea who I was and was no way closer to figuring myself out than Alibaba was in trying to understand me. Talking about my nightmares out loud made them feel more real, and I didn't need anymore validation or proof that those terrible nightmares really were happening. It got to the point where I refuse to even sleep, often choosing to stay awake as long as possible and distracting myself during the night. While my lack of sleep didn't burden me from working, it did really cause me to withdraw more and away from Alibaba.

The rest of the walk was no long surrounded by comforting silence, but a tense atmosphere of awkwardness. Still, we refused to speak with one another. Whether it was our own stubbornness about the topic or simply not wanting to make the other uncomfortable anymore— I was unsure of. What I was sure of, however, was that Alibaba was going to bring this up again.

We reached our home in silence. As Alibaba unlocked and opened the door, I walked inside and slipped off my shoes nearby the door. I then walked onto the rug that we had both recently dusted out and sat down. Only when I felt myself sitting comfortably did I realize the aching soreness that my thighs and arms were feeling from exerting my body earlier, and I cringed slightly when I twisted my body incorrectly.

"I'm going to head out for a while."

I momentarily forgot my pain and looked up in surprise as I saw Alibaba walking towards the door once again. Before I could even say anything to stop him, he already shut the door behind him.

I stayed frozen for a few moments before letting out a frustrated sigh.

I glanced around the small room. Even though it had roughly been around four months since I've met Alibaba, the place had already become my very own home. It didn't matter that we usually had food shortages and often struggled in trying to keep warm during the cold nights because being with Alibaba made it all better. His jokes, his personality, and his outlook in every situation always made me felt better.

Was hiding my feelings truly the better choice? I knew that it wasn't, but something was holding me back. Every single time I felt confident enough to confront Alibaba, something gets caught up in my throat and a barrage of horrible images flash through my mind. They were so terrifying and powerful enough to silence any kind of attempt to try and open up, which was so frustrating because I honestly wanted to confide in Alibaba about it.

But then I started thinking if I was just giving excuses to myself. Did I really let those flashbacks stop me, or was I afraid of something else?

I released a sigh as I slowly rose up to my knees and crawled towards a box inside the room. As I raised the lid, I snuck in my arm inside and tried to feel my way inside the box. My arm brushed against several objects inside, but what I grabbed what I was looking for, I pulled my arm out and returned the lid of the box properly on top.

I opened my palm and revealed a small brown sack that I had been using to keep my savings. There were barely any inside, especially since I made less than what Alibaba makes, but they were savings nonetheless.

'Maybe I could use some funds to cook something special tonight.' I thought to myself as I stared at the small sack.

I counted the coins inside my bag and heaved out a frustrated groan. They were barely enough to purchase anything!

I felt my emotions flood through me and my eyes start to water. However, I shook my head and squeezed my eyes closed before any tears could properly form. It was bad enough that I was weak enough to stay silent about my problems- crying about it would definitely not improve my situation.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I tried to calm myself down. Even if I did buy something special for tonight, it's not like it would make things better.

This time as the tears pooled around my eyes, I didn't bother to stop them from streaming down my cheeks. I looked at my lap and watched as each drop turned my dress a shade darker.

Why couldn't I just say anything? Why couldn't I just become stronger so I won't have to keep facing Alibaba like this? Why am I so weak? What happened to me that made me so vulnerable? Who was responsible? Why can't I remember? Why can't I remember?!

Those thoughts continued to echo inside of my head. They started to grow louder and louder in volume and soon I fell on my side, my hands clutching the sides of my head.

"Stop… stop!" I whimpered out pathetically as the voices in my head escalated into screams. It was as if their voices were being drowned out or muffled, but the noise was still loud and clearly resounding in my head.

Before I knew it, I started banging the side of my head on the box near me.

"Shut up! Shut up!" I yelled out desperately.

The voices were now unbearable, yelling as loudly as they could.

'Why me?! Why me?! Why not everybody else?! Why am I the only like this?! Why am I the only one who doesn't know?! WHY ME?! WHY ME?!'

"Miriam! Stop it! What are you doing?!"

I felt a pair of hands grab my shoulders and forcibly halt me from moving. The voices suddenly silenced themselves and I found myself slowly coming back to reality.

"Miriam! Hey, open your eyes!"

Listening to the voice's stern yet worried tone, I slowly opened my eyes. My eyesight was blurry due to my tears, but it cleared and pieced together as a familiar man stood in front of me.

"N-Nihlan?" I whispered in shock.

His eyes were wide as he stared at me in fear and relief. His grip loosened and his large hands came to settle right atop of my own just by the sides of my face. I felt his thumbs knead my fingers and the back of my hand, slowly encouraging the tight grip I had on myself to slowly loosen.

"There, there." He hushed in comfort, taking my hands in his own. "Calm down."

I didn't notice that I was still sobbing as I continued to inhale and exhale erratically with my tears still slipping down my cheeks. Shaking my head from side to side, I started to speak frantically.

"I d-don't understand- I don't know!" I sobbed out. "I don't know, I'm so sorry! I can't- I don't-!"

Before I could speak anymore, Nihlan enveloped me in a hug. His arms wrapped around my shoulders and one of his hands started to rub the back of my head in a comforting manner. His chin was directly above my head and I found myself lying against his chest.

"Miriam, please." he said slowly. "I don't understand, but calm down now. Just calm down."

I couldn't think straight, but one thing was certain; Nihlan was here, but Alibaba wasn't.

(-Nihlan's POV-)

Nihlan stared at the sobbing girl in front of him, unable to stop himself feeling frustrated and angered. Where the hell was Alibaba when he needed her?

Her sobs didn't seem to be stopping any time soon, but he didn't mind. He silently thanked himself for going out on a walk to check on both Alibaba and Miriam today, although his original plan was to invite him to go out drinking. While this wasn't how he imagine he would be spending his free night out, he couldn't find it inside himself to complain.

He continued to soothe her- rubbing her back in comfort and simply holding her wrapped in his arms. It was painful listening to her cry, especially since the only words that left her lips were apologies and pleas for forgiveness.

When he first met Miriam, he knew instantly that she was a slave. He always was disgusted by the concept of slavery, but admittedly never did anything to take action against it. Qishan had several people in the higher class that owned slaves. They were often found around the city, walking around in humiliation as they obeyed their master's wishes against their will with chains around their ankles and wrists. Sometimes they were even subjected to public punishment, being tortured even in front of the crowd.

Never had Nihlan wanted to protest against anything so bad, but who was he to stop them? A simple blacksmith that provided those terrible human beings the very tools used to confine and hurt other people. What right had he to save the very people he had unwillingly caged as well?

But when he saw the chance to finally free a slave, he did it with no hesitation. Sure the pay originally was large and he got a huge scolding with his father when he returned with no cash, but he didn't care. When he saw Miriam, he knew the only action to take. He felt a responsibility towards her, at least that's what he tells himself. In reality, it was simply because Miriam was the only person he could feel clear his conscience of being unable to help anybody else. In a way, it was just due to his selfishness that he still hung around.

It didn't mean that he didn't care for her at all. No, he grew to care and admire for the girl he had helped save. She was such a sweet girl, naive and plagued by her past, but had pure intentions. All she wanted was to move on with her life and pay back Alibaba to show her gratitude towards him by working alongside him and show him that his efforts weren't wasted on her.

With a sigh, he simply settled himself in a more comfortable position and leaned back against the wall. Miriam's body followed his own, curling up against his chest. This position made him flush slightly, but he shook those thoughts away. This was no time to think about how he was holding one of the most beautiful girls he had met tightly against him, especially in a less than likely favored situation.

He wasn't one to complain though.

(-Miriam's POV-)

To say that things were awkward would be a huge understatement.

Communicating with Alibaba was like trying to have a conversation underwater; you think your words can be understood by the other party so you try to speak, but in the end you swallow your words down and choke on it because of the atmosphere.

That was exactly how everything was with Alibaba. Clipped responses were replies to questions and conversations became non-existent. While I knew that I should do something to alleviate the tension between the both of us, I had no idea how to fix thing between us. Even when I thought I knew Alibaba, there were still aspects of his personality that I couldn't understand.

Working with him was no problem. We often were assigned to do separate tasks and duties when in work, but even the other workers were wondering what happened between us. Some teased us that it was a "lover's quarrel", which on a normal day I would have been embarrassed and protested against it, but I simply let it slide.

Some of the other workers saw this as a chance to start flirting with me and tried to ask me out, but I refused all of their advances. A few men were persistent and tried to follow me back home, which definitely frightened me, so I often found myself walking all the way to Nihlan's shop just to feel much safer.

Admittedly, I had sought Nihlan's company much more nowadays. With my strained relationship with Alibaba, I had nobody else to speak to. While I was in no way a social person, I still longed to be in somebody's company rather than to feel lonely. It was a terrible and suffocating feeling to be alone.

I was careful in approaching Nihlan at first. I didn't want for things to seem like I only sought his company because I wanted to replace him with Alibaba, but because I trusted him and that I knew that he was a good person. Also, it seemed that other men were intimidated with him and would stray away from me when they see him around.

"Hey Miriam, think you can hand me that hammer over there?"

Looking to my side, I let my eyes glance over the room. I found the said item near the molding area and walked towards it before picking it up with ease.

"If it's too heavy, just tell me so I can-"

Before Nihlan could finish his sentence, I raised my hand gripping the hammer and pushed it to his face.

"Oh." He said dumbly before taking the said hammer with both his hands. He grunted slightly as he tried to hover it with difficulty.

"Ugh, I hate it when we need to mold armor." He said through gritted teeth as he raised the heavy hammer. With another grunt, he brought it down on a piece of hot metal which made a loud banging noise as it landed on it.

"Is it really that difficult?" I asked in curiosity as I walked towards a random table inside the room. I turned around and hopped backwards, sitting on its edge and allowing my legs to hang freely as I continued to watch him work.

Nihlan panted and paused, swiping off some sweat that formed on his forehead away with his arm before turning to me.

"Well, not all soldiers share the same body type." he explained as he gestured to the metal he was molding. "Nor do they have the same head shape. It's hard to try and form them, especially if the batch orders of armor have little differences in measurements. Repeating the process over and over isn't fun either."

I tilted my head to the side. "Then why did you become a blacksmith? Were you forced by your father?"

Nihlan looked surprised for a moment before letting out a laugh.

"No, it's nothing like that." he said reassuringly as he turned back to continue his work. "I just have a knack for doing these kind of things, and I actually do enjoy them. I just dislike making weapons of war and violence, that's all."

I felt a smile slowly come up my lips as I watched him work. It was an unfortunate situation, really, but I knew I at least could relate to being forced to do something you really didn't want to do.

"Anyways," Nihlan suddenly said just as he brought down his hammer onto the metal he was forging. He lowered the hammer by the side of the work table and grabbed a pair of metal tongs from the side. Using the tool to hold the piece of metal he was forging, he then dipped it into a large bucket of water, causing a large hissing sound to come up from within it.

He then raised his sight towards me and felt uneasy as I assumed what the next topic of conversation would be about.

"What are you planning on doing about Alibaba?" he asked as he shrugged off his gloves and cast them to the side. As the gloves fell carelessly onto a wooden tool box next to him, he placed on hand on his hip and the other on top of another wooden table nearby. Even though his look was nothing close to threatening, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the topic suddenly being brought up.

I looked away, trying my best to act passive and uncaring.

"There's really nothing to do." I muttered lowly. "He wouldn't talk to me no matter what I try to do. Even when it's work related or something about the house and we have to discuss it properly, he'll just give some sort of excuse and run out the house."

What response I expected to come from him was definitely not the sound of his own chuckle. I snapped my head back at him, affronted that he found the discomfort in my situation even the least bit amusing.

"Why are you laughing? This isn't funny." I grumbled, admittedly pouting childishly.

Still with a smile on his face, Nihlan just shook his head.

"No, it's not funny, but you both are so stubborn." he noted, pointing a finger at me and turning around to start fixing up his tools.

"I'm not stubborn!" I said strongly as I swung my legs forward from the edge of the table to stand properly on the floor. "At least I'm trying to talk to him- he's simply just avoiding me and the problem."

Nihlan turned to me and raised his eyebrow, as if he was confused with my own words.

"But isn't that exactly what you're doing?" he asked nonchalantly as he used a rag to wipe the grease and excess oil off his hammer. "You're not telling him anything- or me for that matter- and you expect him to be open to you? Understanding somebody and being understood is a two-way thing, Miriam."

Instead of replying, I just huffed. I knew what I was doing was equally unfair to Alibaba, but I wasn't ready to talk about it yet. It just didn't feel right for me to simply jsut say it, even though I desperately want to do so. My throat clogs up at the mere thought of even confiding in anybody about my nightmares. How would they react? And even if they do take it in positively, would it even help stop them? I hardly understood myself or remember who I used to be before Alibaba saved me, so how could I try and understand anything else about myself?

A sigh snapped me from my own thoughts and I looked up to realize that it came from Nihlan.

"Listen Miriam," he started as he finished cleaning off his tools. "I get that everything is still confusing and you're trying your best to do everything you can and move on, but running away from a problem won't help you. If you want to move forward, you need to look back too and learn to trust others. After all, you didn't get this far without Alibaba's help right?"

Meekly, I nodded in agreement.

"Then what's wrong with asking for more help?" he asked as he gripped his tool kit and bent down, placing them on the floor near his filing area. "There's no shame in being dependent on somebody, especially if you're still trying to pick up pieces of yourself you know. A person is a person because of everybody else's influence, and depriving yourself from growing because you're too scared to face the past won't help anybody."

I stared at Nihlan, slightly shocked and impressed by his words.

I looked down, letting his words dawn onto me. What he said was true; I've only known Alibaba and myself for half a year, so everything really was overwhelming. Discovering everything about myself and learning new things was- as thrilling as it truly is- terrifying, especially since there was so much about my own life that I didn't remember nor understand. I tried to do things on my own, solely focused on repaying and showing gratitude to Alibaba that I completely forgot that I couldn't possibly achieve these things on my own.

"Hey Miriam? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

I blinked and looked up, realizing that Nihlan had walked up in front of me. He was looking at me expectantly, as if waiting for my answer.

With a soft and reassuring smile, I nodded sincerely. Pink dusted his cheeks and he looked away, embarrassed.

I had no idea why.

Several thoughts raced my head all at once. I felt like my newly found revelation was definitely helpful and that Nihlan definitely deserved more than just my gratitude, however I also realized that there was still unfinished business present that needed to be attended to.

It took a few moments to decide on a plan of action and reflect on whether this truly was the best course of action, but then it was final.

"Nihlan, do you know how to fight?"

"Wait, what do you mean he's gone?"

Frujeel had the audacity to look sheepish and nervous, to which I would've felt satisfied, if only for the circumstances.

"Alibaba was assigned to deliver some goods along with the others near the edge of the eastern border of the plateau." Frujeel explained. "They were ordered for an anonymous group, although I can only expect what kind of people they'll be expecting with what kind of armories and weapons we'll be delivering."

I was feeling both frustrated and worried. Qishan was located in the desert part of the Tenzan plateau, so reaching the eastern border would definitely take time to get to and from there. Adding to the fact that Fruhjeel had basically implied that Qishan supplied armories to an anonymous mercenary group and the civil war breaking out in the Kou border where the eastern border was…

"Miriam, he was adamant about not taking you." Fruhjeel said.

I snapped my head towards him in alarm and narrowed my eyes. If I had known better, I would've detected a hint of fear in the old man's eyes.

"Why not?" I asked sharply, unable to contain the irritation from my tone.

"W-well, he just said that the trip would be too dangerous for you." the old man stuttered out. Seemingly intimidated by my sudden shift in mood, his eyes darted around him until he landed on something towards his right.

"Ah, it looks like I need to return to transcribing the records." He said as nervous sweat rolled down the side of his head.

I raised my eyebrow and was about to protest, but Fruhjeel had already piped out an 'Excuse me!' before shuffling away from me and running towards his previous post and doing well in avoiding my gaze the entire time.

Huffing hotly, I crossed my arms. In doing this, a few strands of my hair fell across my face and I blew them away instead of caressing them properly with my hand. Why on earth didn't Alibaba tell me he was going to leave? I could understand that we were both frustrated with each other, but that didn't erase the fact I still cared about him.

But as I thought things through, my shoulders slumped downwards and I let out a small sigh. Things were getting difficult, especially since the both of us were too stubborn to say anything first. If anything, maybe the time he would be gone off into a delivery would prove good for the both of us.

I looked up at the sky and noted that it was already well into the mid-afternoon of the day. Despite the scorching heat of the sun, I felt myself smile a bit as a rush of excitement coursed through me. I turned around and quickly ran back into the deeper parts of the city.

With the time I've spent in Qishan, I've learned to find my own way in and out towards certain places in the small town. Even though the architecture was very complicated, it was easy to figure out shortcuts and secret roads and compartments. I stumbled across them when I was trying to find a way to avoid using the main street to get to Nihlan's place since I usually see a lot of men and even slave traders active in business there. It was sickening, and truthfully a small part of myself will always be afraid of those sorts of people, so I learned how to navigate my way through the city. Admittedly I got lost a few times, but the end result was worth it.

Walking through a few twists and turns in a smaller part of the city, I managed to get to Nihlan's blacksmith shop in just a few. I didn't even realize I was panting until I reached the back door, so I took a few moments to myself to calm down and wipe some sweat from the sides of my face away.

However, before I could knock, the door swung open. I was taken aback, but I managed to step back just in time to avoid being hit by the wooden door.

Behind the door stood a muscular man, even more so than Nihlan himself. His skin was tanned, but seemed to be aged with the lack of warmth in them. He easily towered above me, being almost 2 heads taller. He had a mop of ashen gray hair, though it was cut short and cleanly. The same could not be said for the growing scruff around his jaw and the wisps of gray hair peeking from underneath his nose.

I swallowed, knowing fully well who he was and took another hesitant step backwards.

"Good afternoon Kahlan." I said politely, bowing my head slightly.

As if only noticing my presence then, his sharp gray eyes landed on mine. I felt nervous sweat forming once more around my forehead as he continued to stare at me. It wasn't even the fact that he was taller and much larger than me that intimidated me, but the fact that he always held a permanent scowl on his face and that he had a strong and firm persona. It didn't really help that his customers were always on the receiving end of his blunt and harsh words. There were even people saying that some grown men have cried in his presence, but that was a rumor yet to be proven.

"You." he stated in a bored tone. "Here for my brat?"

I nodded once, still a bit unsure on whether I should say something or not, but a moment later I had no need to. From behind, Nihlan popped up and slid from behind his father and towards my side.

"Sorry about that Miriam, I had to finish cleaning up back there." Nihlan said with a small smile. When he turned towards his father, his smile vanished and a completely blank look overtook his face. "I'll just be with Miriam for a my entire break. I'll be back by sundown."

The only response Kahlan gave was a grunt before he turned back to walk inside the shop and slamming the door behind him. The loud noise made me flinch and I stared at the same door for a couple of seconds before staring back at Nihlan.

"You're really different from your father." I noted.

Nihlan turned to me and seemed to appreciate what I said.

"I hope so." he said as he crossed his arms. "I would rather be myself than somebody like him."

I stayed quiet, not knowing how to respond. I was unsure of how parent-children relationships worked, but it felt uneasy hearing somebody speak ill of their own parent. Even with those thoughts clouding my head, I simply stayed silent.

"Anyways, are you ready for today?" Nihlan asked as he shifted the topic.

The atmosphere changed entirely and I felt a confident smile come up my face as I gave him a nod. Nihlan gave me a toothy grin before walking away from me, heading towards the shed behind the shop and grabbing the axe that laid on the side of a barrel.

"You better be!" he said as he raised the axe and swung it around, showing off his skills and expertise in carrying the said weapon. It was not a regular axe used for chopping wood, but a customized double-edged battle axe that I could only assume he made himself. The handle was made out of lightweight metal, but had a leather grip around the lower part of the base. The metal blades were painted deep red and designed with silver lines, but the battle aesthetic did not fool anybody from its dangerously sharpened edges that gleamed as the light reflected off it.

Despite the weapon gleaming dangerously as Nihlan wielded it, I felt no fear at all. Instead of quivering, I turned to walk towards the same shed Nihlan had picked his axe from and took a pair of dual swords and gripped them tightly. Admittedly, it felt awkward to hold them since I haven't gotten use to wielding them properly yet, but I refused to show my uncertainty and masked it with a face filled with determination.

"Try not to go too easy on me please," I said as I raised the right sword in front of me. Just as Nihlan showed off his abilities as a display of expertise, I decided to show him my own aura of confidence by pointing my sword directly at him.

Seeing this, Nihlan himself smirked and swung his axe downwards.

"Wasn't planning to."

[A/N:] First update of 2019! How time flies. Just a little bit more pushing and I'll be finished with my finals and I can finally hibernate and make up for the sleep I've lost in the last year.

I intentionally wanted to update sometime between Christmas, but I had some family obligations and personal problems to deal with. Unfortunately, my laptop was also malfunctioning and being a total uncooperative ass which explains why this update was later than intended.

Now for the responses for the reviews!

Guest: Thank you for your lovely review! Miriam will definitely go through some in-depth development, though I'm excited for the chapter where the plot finally starts. Hopefully we'll get there soon.

Yoruhime: Thank you for your lovely words, I truly appreciate it. As for the pairing, I won't answer that since I don't want to think of having to pair anybody romantically yet. It seems premature for me to do so, but let's see where this story goes, yes?

Thank you everybody! Have a lovely day.

~ Irene (01-16-19)