A Wanderer's Lies Chapter 22: Don Freecs [2]

It has probably been over 300 years since then.

I was born into a small town under a lush and green mountain and surrounded by a forest.

Waterdrought. That was the na of my town. It was nad that because no matter how much it rained, you'd never be able to tell.

The first ti I'd experienced this was when a powerful storm had befallen Waterdrought, yet in a few hours, there were no signs of it.

No puddles, no wet mud, hell even the dark clouds had disappeared, leaving nothing but clear blue sky.

At a young age, I was quickly given the na "The Disappearing Child".

This was because I had a knack for sneaking out to go exploring in the forests and mountains.

Despite my parents telling the dangers of the breasts that would frequently roam, they could stop from exploring.

To them, I was a disobedient child that was too curious for his own good.

And although they were right about being curious, there was more they failed to see.

An insatiable hunger for adventure.

And eventually, at the age of 12, I encountered my first Beast, The Great Stamp.

A 6 foot tall pig with exceptional speed and strength, not to ntion its large and tough snout.

At the ti, I had barely escaped it, but at the ti, where I should have been happy to have escaped with my life, I was angered.

What was the point of adventuring if I had to constantly fear miscellaneous beasts lurking in the shadows.

No, that wasn't the type of adventurer I wanted to be.

Therefore, I went back and devised a plan.

It wasn't hard for to notice the pig's weak and soft forehead which was protected by its large snout.

With this information, I took my ti laying out a trap, and in a few hours, I returned to my town with the snout of The Great Stamp, a trophy of my achievent.

With the townspeople all gazing at , I still rember the mix of emotions showing on their faces.

Fear, envy, doubt, but most prominently, praise.

I was awarded with honour by the mayor and my parents were given land, or maybe it was livestock.

I don't rember.

However, I do rember the sa night where the townspeople all gathered around a bonfire, feasting on the Great Stamp I'd slain.

At that mont, I still clearly rember the feeling.

The wash of euphoria as I watched my people laugh and celebrate for sothing I had done.

The kind eyes of my mother as she caressed my cheek, the look of satisfaction my father gave , as one could tell he was no longer speaking to a boy, but a man.

It was exhilarating.

I could have died in that mont peacefully, knowing I had done sothing that brought my parents and people so much joy.

It was at that mont I decided what I wanted to do in life.

A few years had passed and I had finally beco an adult at 16.

On the very sa day, I kissed my parents goodbye and waved off my townspeople as I left Waterdrought to travel the world.

Icy tundra, erupting volcano, pouring rainforest. Anywhere that sounded remotely interesting would instantly be put on my map.

Additionally, as I passed village's and helped with their troubles, whether it'd be a wild beast ruining their crops or a Thief stealing their goods, nothing proved difficult for .

Eventually, I had made a na for myself as a Guardian Angel or Wandering Knight.

However, upon arriving in a small village in the middle of the forest as a heavy storm had suddenly erupted, I was forced to take shelter.

The village folk, who wore peculiar drapes and had a unique sense of fashion, as well as their interesting architecture, seed uncomfortable and on edge.

Upon asking around, I was able to find out the village chief's 13 year old son had gone missing.

The chief, as well as a few trusted warriors, had gone out to search for him.

But as the villager recounted the story, as well as a small summary of the son's adventurous and curious nature, I couldn't help but smile as I rembered myself at that age.

So much so that I blurted out what I was thinking.

"He's probably waiting out the storm." I rembered saying, as the villager raised an eyebrow at my words.

After hearing the story, I decided to venture out in the storm to look for the boy, soon finding him hugging his knees in a deep cave with a sprained ankle.

He was a small frail boy with blond hair and blue eyes that seemingly glowed in the dark. Additionally, it was hard to miss the small mole under his right eye that only added to his childlike charm.

I quickly started a fire and gave the boy sothing to eat, and it wasn't long until we happily laughed as our hands tightly gripped the warm cup filled with tea.

I was able to find out the boy's na was William and he'd hurt his foot whilst scurrying to seek shelter from the incoming storm.

As the storm passed, I returned with the boy.

The village chief, a short and burly old man with a long white beard, gave his deepest thanks.

In return for saving his child, the old man taught an invaluable skill.

He taught Nen.

During my training, I also was quick to find out the na the people went by.

The Kurta Clan.

That's what they called themselves.

I'll never forget my ti there.

Not only did they teach Nen, but they also told stories of a forgotten land that no one dared to trespass onto.

The Dark Continent.

They told their ancestors, as well as the ancestors of everyone currently living in the known world had fled from what he described to be hell.

Unlike in today's world, where Nen was a secretive topic, in the ti their ancestors lived in the Dark Continent, Nen was known to all.

From a housewife who used Nen to quickly finish her chores, to a warrior who fought in battles and blew apart boulders with a swing of his fist, Nen was a necessity, and for those who could use it, they were seen as crippled.

However, upon a war suddenly erupting amongst the most powerful kingdoms at the ti, countless people died.

However, due to Nen and the vast emotions flowing through them, their death gave birth to the monsters that currently inhabited the Dark Continent.

Or in other words, Post Mortem Nen.

It was because of this sudden overpowering new factor that the few individuals that were left had fled to the known world, while so were left behind, and upon arriving, Nen was ruled a forbidden art, soon becoming forgotten.

As the chief recounted this story, it was like a fla inside made contact with gasoline.

This sa giddy feeling was the sa kind I'd get when looking out of the window and seeing the sun hide behind the clouds, few beasts peek through the trees of the large forest and a cool shade cast over the town as the mountain covered the sun.

The thrill to see more.

But, I knew that ti would co.

Despite seeing the chief deliberately hid parts of the story from , I decided not to pry.

And so I trained for a whole year before leaving the Kurtas and resuming my travels.

Because I now knew Nen and I didn't need to waste ti setting traps for beasts and hiding out for the weather to beco more favourable, my travels saw a significant increase in speed.

Beasts were too weak to pose a threat, and I could conformably sleep through any weather without it affecting .

And because of this, after a decade, I had completely travelled the world, returning to Waterdrought with wife I'd t along the way.

One would think I'd rest for the rest of my days after becoming the greatest adventurer known to man, however, there was one problem I had with the current state of the world.

It was too ssy.

Beasts posed too much of a threat and regular law enforcent were not equipped to handle them.

Additionally, it was typical to see things like weather, so criminals with Nen and peculiar occurrences completely wipe out so villages and small towns.

Because of this, I thought of sothing.

I alone couldn't fix all the problems of the world, however, countless individuals who were similarly trained might stand a chance.

Therefore, I created the Hunters Association.

And because of the na I'd made for myself, it was quick to expand. So much so I was soon approached by the V5 nations.

Apparently, I had beco a king of sorts in the world, similar to them. Of course, with the power that ca with the Hunter's Association, it wasn't a stretch to say I had the power of a whole kingdom behind .

It was because of this they decided to tell the sa story the Kurta Chief had told long ago.

They didn't say it, but it was clear they were afraid of history repeating itself.

After they'd left, I fell into deep contemplation for the next few days.

A whole new world I hadn't discovered yet.

But the better part of my mind disregarded the thought. My adventurer days had long passed. Additionally, I now had a wife, a newborn son, the hunter's association and my town to take care of.

Yet, despite this logic, the fla in my soul spoke to .

The sa fla I'd followed my whole life and got to where I was today.

Upon first hearing about the Dark Continent from the Chief, I knew I would soday travel there, in fact, i was looking forward to it.

And I still was.

What kind of adventurer would I be if I didn't complete my journey?

Therefore, with my wife who seed slightly reluctant, young William who was all grown up and a few other trusted individuals, I set out to the Dark Continent.

Once again, I was following my dreams.

But looking back now, it was my greatest regret.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Hey, if you're enjoying I'd appreciate the Powerstones. They help a ton.