Origins Ch.2

Gia packed everything she had left into a small bag and left the remains of her home.

She almost didn't want to leave. Knowing that her parents were still in there made her want to go back inside and be with them. Shaking her head, Gia chided herself. She could no longer be a coward in a world where she only had herself to rely on.

Looking around the now ghost town, Gia walked in the direction of the now abandoned magic shop. Her father would often take her here to place material orders for his guild. The owner was a very nice but strange man who always ended his sentences with "cha". All in all, everyone in the tiny village was great despite their quirks.

Walking inside the store, she finds exactly what she was looking for: A map of Ishgar. "Okay let's see here." Gia said aloud as she plopped herself down on the floor. "To North is someplace called Magnolia, to the south is a desert, west of here has those dangerous mountains I heard about and east of here is a town called East Crest." She put the map down and began to think. "Hmm...there's actually no reason for me to go anywhere but east...but how long would it take? I can't exactly ask anyone because..." she stopped herself before the tears began to pool at her eyes. Gia rapidly shook her head and put the map inside of her pack.

"I can't cry anymore. Mama didn't cry in her bravest moment so neither should I." she reminded herself as she left the shop and headed for the east.

"I wonder if I'll learn Papa's magic." she thought aloud to herself. Gia was the only person left from her village with any magic potential. "But magic isn't learned overnight!" she panicked. "Ooooh! I should've thought this through! Maybe I'll be fine. East Crest looks like a couple of days from here, what could possibly go wrong?"

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'''EVERYTHING. WENT. WRONG.'''

First, she lost her pack to hungry animals. Next, she was covered from head to toe in dirt and mud after falling down a mountain. And to top it all off, she hadn't eaten in two days and was close to passing out. Gia was currently sitting on a cliff where below there was a river, crying.

"I'm sorry Mama. I'm sorry Papa. I couldn't protect you...Even if I couldn't we could've left this world together." she thought to herself as she sobbed harder. She watched as her teardrops hit the river below.

"I'm such an idiot, I'm only a kid! I should be with you Mama! Papa!" she screamed to the Heavens.

Her eyes widened and looked below.

She could end her suffering by dropping into the quick currented river right now and no one would see. Closing her eyes, she let herself fall back.

"I'm coming Mama...Papa...we'll be together in a second" Gia thought what may have been her final thought.

But it wasn't.

'''"OI! KID WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DAMMIT!" '''was what she heard before a strong hand gripped her ankle and heaved her back onto the cliffside. Her savior was a young man with red hair and ruby eyes, and he was anything but happy with her.

"What the actual hell were you thinking?! You could've died if I wasn't here to save you! Where are your parents anyway? Why weren't they here to watch you?" he raged, but softened his face as the young child began to sob.

"H-hey! I didn't mean to make ya cry! Crap...hey let's just go find your parents and-"

"They're dead." Gia said with a monotone voice.

The ruby haired man stared in shock. "She's so young...I can't believe this."

Trying to change the subject before she could cry again, he decides to ask her where she's from. "So, are you far from home? Where are you from?" he asked.

"It's not important anyway, my village was killed in a raid. I'm the only one left." she whispered sadly.

The man tensed. ''"The only raid I know of is the one on Damarion...Hell its the one that people have been talking about for days." ''he contemplated. His eyes then widened in shock at his epiphany.

"How the hell did I miss one?!"