"A life with no struggle is a life with no substance. A life with no substance is a life with no beauty."

Someone told me that back in the cells. At the time, I didn't understand. All my life, I wondered why I had to endure such suffering. It had been like that since birth, forced to partake in cruel labor. It wasn't anything new. It was the norm. But even so, I despised every bit of it.

It wasn't until I met someone that I caught a glimpse of beauty. It was like looking at a lone star in the sky, wondering how it could shine when surrounded by darkness. I admired every bit of her and cherished every moment with her. But now, she is gone. Raphtalia would never walk on this land ever again. Beauty was stripped away from me, and now I walked the lands drenched in loneliness.

Well, for the most part.

How is this place so lively?

That question spun around my mind while I squeezed through the crowd.

The moon shone, and vendors were out, welcoming everyone with kind-hearted smiles as they hoped to earn a profit. Children held hands with their guardians as they maneuvered through the dense crowd. People yelled for a cheaper price on the item they couldn't afford. I could see why the guards spoke ill of high vending towns.

Alone, I moved through the crowd, trying to get myself into a quieter place. Too many people. Too much noise. Too many things happened at once. It was something I wasn't used to. I kept my face concealed with a hood, stuffed my hands in the thin pockets of my cardigan, and walked with my head slanted toward the ground.

While squeezing through tight gaps, I accidentally bumped into someone, causing food to drop to the ground.

"S-Sorry," I muttered.

The kid looked at me with teary eyes. "You meanie!" He then spouted unpronounced words I couldn't understand.

I turned, ignoring the child's tantrum when a thick hand grabbed my shoulder.

It was a middle-aged man, presumably the child's father. His hairy chest was visible through his white shirt, and his beard was the longest I'd seen. That isn't saying much since I've only been granted freedom for a few months.

"May I ask for an apology to my son?"

Did I not apologize?

I said a bit louder this time, "Sorry."

"Good," he grinned, "Now do you mind handing me some change to buy a new one?"

"I don't have money."

"Liar. Clearly, you do, otherwise, you wouldn't be in Ulm."

I had no idea Ulm was one big marketplace. I only knew the town's name by hearing it over a hundred times. I was new to the whole thing. Vibrant cheers from joyful people, the occasional breeze brushing across my shoulder. All of this was new to me.

"I just happened to pass by," I said, averting eye contact.

"Hmph? You're not making a case for yourself. Tell you what, give me some outis coins so I can purchase my son another panini, then we can both be out of each other's way. Sounds like a deal?"

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"I said, I don't have any money."

He gave me a smug look. "Then how are you surviving without anything in your pockets?"

"Father, just drop it. I wanna go see the crystal shops." His child had a high-pitched voice. He definitely couldn't be any older than eleven.

"I refuse to drop what's right. This lunatic knocked food out of your hands, so it's only right to owe money."

The three of us were in the middle of the street, causing traffic for the others. We looked foolish.

"For the last time, I don't have money, so I don't know what you want me to do."

"If you can't pay with currency, then hand over something in your possession."

I shuffled my hands in my pockets. "I don't have anything."

The man stuck his hand out, his palm facing the clouds. "If that's the case, then hand over the jacket."

Did he want my clothing? Screw him. This was all I had. Sure, I once had a bag, but a group jumped me and I couldn't defend myself. I had money in that bag and other miscellaneous possessions. If I gave up my cardigan, I would have nothing besides a T-shirt and black cargo pants. I wouldn't have something to conceal myself.

It's not like I was wanted or anything. I didn't like too many people looking at me. Something about having all the attention felt weird.

I gave my flat response, sticking to it no matter the cost. "No."

He sighed, "Guess I have no other option." He reached inside his pants, pulling out a concealed dagger. "You understand where this is going."

Never mind, I wasn't going to stick with my flat answer. I wanted to bite off my tongue for doing this, but there was no other choice. I slowly took off my cardigan.

His eyes widened, but it wasn't enough for him to be considered shocked. He still had that stupid smug look. Goddamn, I wanted to rip it off.

"Here." I threw my, or should I say his cardigan.

He caught it with one hand and handed it to his child. He then took a glance at me, saying, "Is that why you wore it, the cardigan?"

I assumed he was referring to my arms. I nodded without a word.

"For the future, try to pay attention to where you're going. Anyways," he stuck out his hand, "what is your name?" I ignored his hand and kept my arms to my side. "Jill," I said. "Well then, it was a pleasure doing business, Jill." He retracted his hand and walked past me with his kid, leaving me feeling naked.

I looked down at the arms of an innocent prisoner. Plagued with scars, it was a reminder of my origin. Where I was raised. For no real reason, I was treated like a criminal simply because I was born. Well, the reason, I guess, was because my parents were extreme sinners. I didn't know what, but whatever they did had to be beyond forgiveness. I had to suffer because of them.

The outside world isn't what I expected, Raphtalia.

Enough of sulking around. I couldn't do this forever. I shook my head, dismissing negative thoughts, and slipped through the crowd, trying to find a peaceful bench to sit on.

As I continued my journey, I finally reached a quieter section. Farmland was present through the dim horizon, though I couldn't tell what was growing. It was safe to say I reached the outskirts of Ulm.

I had a few choices at hand, but narrowed it down to two. I could either stay here, doing whatever, or I could hop to another town. If I walked straight, where would I lead myself? I knew nothing about towns and villages, which were generally safer than others, which were denser than others. I knew nothing.

I could test my luck, or stay in this shithole for a day or two. Well, that's probably the better option since spending the night under a random tree would be riskier. Earlier, I overheard a group of elders discussing how bandits were starting to make their presence felt. I simply thought it was hallucinations or whatnot since I'd never seen one. Well, yet again, just because I'd never seen one didn't mean they didn't exist.

I kicked a pebble on the street while making my way to a random alleyway. There was no light—total darkness. It felt like walking into the unknown. There was no choice but to spend the night there, and maybe steal another cardigan if given the chance.

With my back against the wall, I plopped to the ground, looking at the empty sky. Not a cloud was visible from this tight angle, exposing a few stars to my sight. My hand reached for the night sky.

"It's so glowy."

I lifelessly dropped my hand. I guess I was staying here for the night.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.