Riven sat with his eyes closed, the wind brushing softly against his face. The scent of food drifted through the air—grilled meat, warm bread, sweet pastries—mixed with the chatter of townsfolk and the distant bark of a happy dog. He sat still, letting it all wash over him as Mona's words echoed through his mind, again and again.
He exhaled slowly, hands resting in his lap, his thoughts heavy.
That light she mentioned… it had to mean something. Something important.
Hope, And yet… it had shattered.
Was it love? Had I lost someone? Or maybe… I lost myself.
But even then, he realized the light didn't have to be romantic. It could've been friendship. Connection. A bond that once gave him purpose.
And the way Mona ended her reading—" love may still find you"—maybe it wasn't just about a person. Maybe it was about finding hope again.
And then there was punishment.
Was that the price I paid for losing that hope? Or… something else entirely?
"Riven?"
Mona's voice pulled him from the spiral. He looked up, blinking.
"…Yeah?"
She tilted her head, a gentle frown on her face. "You're crying. Why are you crying?"
"Huh?" He blinked again, confused. Slowly, he reached up. His fingertips came away damp.
A tear.
How odd… he thought. I don't remember anything. And yet, just hearing Mona read my fate made me shed a tear. That must mean… whatever she saw—it was real. It mattered.
He looked up at the sky, searching for answers in the clouds.
But none came.
How frustrating… he thought. I wish I could remember. My only hope now… is to keep searching.
He wiped his face, pulled himself together, and turned to Mona.
"Say, Mona," he said softly.
She glanced up from her bowl. "Yes?"
"Thanks for the reading," he murmured. "Even if I don't remember anything… it's good to know I had a past."
Mona gave him a small, knowing smile. "There's no need to thank me. The stars only reveal what's already there, even if it's buried deep."
She stood, dusting off her hands. "Now then onto something truly important."
Riven raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
She grinned. "Payment for the food. So we can move on."
He groaned. "Figures…"
Woof! Spark barked happily, a content dog with a full belly everyone except yours truly, who hadn't eaten a bite.
After paying for the meal, Riven was broke again. He let out a weary sigh.
Still, curiosity tugged at him.
"Mona… is there any way you could read more of my fate? Maybe figure out who I really am?"
Mona paused, her expression thoughtful. "Well, now that you ask… there was something strange. Your constellation, it was mostly shattered. At first, I assumed it was because of your memory loss. But now I realize… memory loss doesn't affect the stars."
She folded her arms, brows furrowing. "Something else caused it to break. And whatever it was… it must have been powerful."
Riven leaned in, hopeful. "So… can you read more?"
Mona slowly shook her head. "I'm afraid not. With your constellation so fragmented, it's like trying to read a torn page with half the ink missing. The stars can't reveal what no longer remains."
Riven let out a soft sigh. Of course, just when he'd found his first real hint, the trail went cold. Still, it was something. A fragment. But now another question stirred in his mind.
If Mona could read his fate… did that mean he was from this world? Or not?
He glanced over at her. "Mona… do you think I'm from this world?"
Mona tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… good question. I've never met someone from another world before, but I know they exist."
She paused, then added, "I'll have to ask my master about that, she might know more. But if I had to guess… let's just assume you're not from this world, for now."
Riven raised an eyebrow. "Because?"
"Well," she said with a half-smile, "you don't look like you're from any nation I've seen. But hey,I could be wrong."
He nodded slowly, but another issue was starting to creep into his mind, money.
"Say, Mona," he asked, glancing over, "does the Adventurers' Guild offer jobs?"
"They do," she replied, then blinked. "Wait… you're not in the Guild?"
"No." he blinked.
She smacked her forehead. "Of course you're not. Yes, they offer commissions. You can also sell materials to them, but they take a percentage. If you're not a member, the cut is even higher."
Riven froze. Great. He resisted the urge to smack himself in the face.
he walked into the Guild and sold that core without thinking… I probably got scammed.
He nearly shed a tear, the sting of regret hitting harder than a slap from a wet fish. But then—salvation! A butcher's stall came into view, like a beacon of hope wrapped in raw meat.
Without hesitation, Riven dashed toward the towering man behind the stall. The butcher was mid-swing, cleaving a chunk of meat with the precision of someone who definitely didn't need a second swing.
"Excuse me, sir!" Riven called out, waving a rabbit hide like it was a flag of surrender.
The butcher looked up, eyes squinting beneath bushy brows. "You buying? Go inside."
"Ah—no, sir. I'm here to sell!" Riven held out the rabbit hide with the desperate enthusiasm of a man trying to barter for his dignity.
Now, you might be wondering why Riven looked so desperate. Well, he had just blown all his Mora on food and wasn't about to spend the night under the stars like some hilichurl.
The old man mentioned you could rent rooms to sleep for the night and Riven wasn't about to prove he was a wild animal by roughing it outdoors.
The man looked agitated, about to yell at the young man, when he suddenly spotted Mona hurrying up beside Riven.
"Oh, hey Mona," the butcher said with a grin. "Fancy seeing you all the way from the capital."
"Well, you know me, reading stars and wandering about," she said, brushing a bit of hair behind her ear.
The butcher nodded, arms still crossed, hands streaked with animal blood. "Right. Sorry about your friend here, thought he was just being rude. What's his name?"
"Riven," she answered. "He's new in town."
The man nodded again. "I see. And since you're a friend of Mona's, here's a bit of advice. We usually buy animals whole. As for hides—we don't often take them. Most folks around here know we buy them cheap, since we don't really need them. We just resell 'em to merchants."
Riven nodded, taking in the explanation. "That's fine, sir. I still want to sell this rabbit hide." He placed it on the counter. "I just need some spare change for now. But I do plan on hunting more and bringing in full animals. That way I can afford better gear."
"Oh, a hunter now, are you?" the butcher said, raising a brow. "Well, lucky for you—we've been short on hunters lately."
He glanced at Mona. "And you didn't think to mention you brought one with you?"
Mona shrugged, choosing not to mention that they had only just met.
The butcher turned back to Riven. "Listen—if you're serious about this, you could take out a loan from the bank. Use it to buy better gear. With the way meat prices have been skyrocketing lately, you'd earn it back in no time. People are desperate. Supply Is low, demand's high."
Riven blinked. "A loan, huh…?"
"Think about it," the man said. "If you're quick on your feet and good with a bow, you'll be making coins before the week's out."
Riven sat there, lost in thought, glancing at his companion Spark as the pup happily chased birds and played with the local children.
Alright… goals are simple, he told himself. Make it to the city to look for amber. Also earn enough Mora to afford a roof over my head. And, most importantly—learn how to fight.
Getting smacked around by slimes once was enough embarrassment for a lifetime.
Finding out who he really was? That would come with time. For now, surviving came first.
Also… Visions. Those glowing things people seemed to have, cool and mysterious. He made a mental note to pester Mona about them later.
He stood up, determination settling in.
"Where do I take a loan?"