Being an adventurer is not always the best.

Absolute silence and darkness....

It's so quiet and dark. I can't even see my own hands in front of me. My feet move, but there's no sensation of the ground beneath me. It's like I'm walking in the air. It feels eerie and unsettling, like I'm in some kind of an alternate reality. I can't help but wonder if I'm dreaming or if this is some kind of strange hallucination.

''W-Where am I...?''

I look around, but there's only darkness. I try to scream for help, but even the sound of my voice is hard to hear. I walk and run for a long time, but everything is the same. It's like I'm alone in the world.

Am I dead?

Thoughts of despair passed through my mind when I suddenly heard something. I-I think I hear someone in the distance.

''What was that?''

My heart raced as I tried to pinpoint the source of the distorted voice. Was it just my imagination playing tricks on me? Or was there really someone there? I couldn't be sure, but the uncertainty only added to my anxiety. I run in the direction I think I hear the sound coming from, and the closer I get, the more precise the noise becomes. It seems to be the voice of a woman. I get even closer and can finally see the silhouette of a person in the distance.

I stopped for a second, trying to figure out who was in front of me. However, it was impossible to identify the person, but my gut told me it was a woman.

I keep running towards her direction, but I feel like I'm not getting any closer. I keep hearing the panicked woman's voice in front of me, but I cannot understand what she is saying because her voice is too distorted. Still, she sounds like she needs help. Also, the darkness and the distance don't let me distinguish how she looks. I keep running with all my might, but the silhouette in front of me gets further and further away.

''WAIT, DON'T GO!!!''

Even though I don't understand what she says, her voice sounds more agitated too. It makes me think she's desperately trying to tell me something. Suddenly, I start to feel something strange. My body doesn’t move the way I want, and my vision starts to blur. As I lay there, barely holding onto consciousness.

I faintly heard her say, ''Find me.''

I woke up disoriented and agitated, My face was all sweaty, and my breathing was all over the place. It took me a few seconds to calm down and realize that it was all a nightmare. But dang, it felt so real.

''I can't believe I had this nightmare again...'' I said, after a heavy sigh. The feeling of frustration was palpable as I tried to shake off the remnants of the disturbing dream that had once again plagued my subconscious. I couldn't help but wonder what it all meant and why it kept happening to me.

Since I can remember, I have had this same nightmare every so often, but lately, it has been more frequent. So bad are my nightmares that my mom had to take me to a church Cleric, thinking that maybe I was cursed. She also tried buying expensive potions hoping that would cure me, but nothing worked. At the end of the day, I just had to learn to live this way.

Still, I feel bad for the amount of trouble I caused my mother, as if it wasn't hard enough that she had to raise me alone... Speaking of which, I don't hear any noise in the kitchen. It's already pretty bright out there, so I'm surprised my mom hasn't come in to wake me up yet. Usually, she's pretty adamant about getting me out of bed at a reasonable hour. Maybe she went out to work early this morning.

I guess I should be getting ready too.

''Ouch..''

As I was getting out of bed, I put my foot down and pinched the book's edge that was on the floor. My room is small, only my bed, a bookcase, and a small table occupy all the space, and if we add to that the many books I have, it makes the perfect example of a messy room.

I left my room, and as I thought, nobody was here. Mom only leaves this early when an emergency job happens. Now, my mom is a bit of a badass. She's a hunter, and she's really good at it. Usually, when she's out, she's either hunting for food in the forest or taking care of some monster that has come too close to our village.

I live in a small wooden house with my mother, only two rooms separated by a bathroom in the middle and a kitchen with a table in the middle. A humble home in the northwest of the town, only the home of my childhood friend, separates us from being the farthest house. Her name is Amelía, and we used to make jokes about how isolated we were from the rest of the village.

''Crap, It's getting late.''

I'm all sweaty... I should catch a quick bath before leaving. As I prepare to leave, I take my old sword and two small knives I keep in my belt. Also, I grab a piece of hard bread that I'll eat on the way. I have to hurry. Oliver must be waiting for me.