A Distant Reverie

Chapter 97

Another distant memory.

Marine remembered that day with startling clarity. It was the night after she discovered that her parents were considering to sell her off to a passing noble. In hindsight, it should have been obvious to her where was coming. But she was still naïve then. She held out thinking that everything had just been a terrible misunderstanding. After all, these were her beloved parents. How can they even consider giving away their treasured daughter?

Reality, however, was far crueler than what she knew at the time.

But perhaps thanks to this wretched betrayal, she gained an insight into the core of human nature. People were capable of anything as long as it was for the right incentives.

For Marine's parents, the incentives were simple—trade their accursed daughter in exchange for wealth and acceptance back into the community that they had built their lives upon. For them, a life of poverty and isolation from the people that they had grew up alongside had been too much to bear. Giving up a daughter that would eventually leave their household anyways became an obvious decision.

It was cruel and heartless, but when Marine processed the events from that frame of view, she could understand the logic in her parent's decision. Not that she agreed with it, of course. Simply put, her parents had chosen to regain their old life over their own daughter. There was no universe where Marine would ever forgive them.

But there was one silver lining. Marine's understanding of the human nature would serve her for years to come, letting her see things with an unclouded eye. Follow the incentive. Understand her enemy's goals. Then what would happen next would be easy to predict. No matter how ridiculous her conclusions were, they always ended up coming true. After all, if even her parents were capable of betraying her, then anyone was able to do anything.

She distinctly remembered retreating to bed that day. Night had fallen. The fresh fragrance of the spring breeze lingered from the windows of her modest abode. She had toiled the entire day, pitching in to rebuild the parts of the village destroyed by the pirate's raid. Despite being shunned, she was still expected to do her share of work.

The soreness of her limbs had seeped into her bones when she was finally allowed to rest. She flopped onto the bed, trying to ignore the sweat clinging uncomfortably between her skins and clothes. With a weary mind, she closed her eyes. It was when she was on the verge of deep sleep when all hell broke loose.

The door to her room suddenly slammed open. Marine was instantly alert. Footsteps stormed across the room. Before she could process what was happening, she found herself forcefully pressed against the ground. A pair of men with their faces masked intruded. Her mouth was immediately gagged. Her hands were tied with rope. She tried to scream for help to no avail. Quickly realizing that she was on her own, Marine thrashed and fought with every fiber of her being. Even when bound by rope, she was relentless.

Then something hard struck the top of her head. Immediately, she saw stars. Her eyes rolled back before everything went black.

That was the last time Marine saw her parents.

When she woke up, she found herself far, far away from the tiny port town that she called home.

***

The ground beneath her body was unbearably cold.

The air was frigid and stale, marked by a distinct dankness reminiscent of a cavern. She must have been underground somewhere. The marauders probably collected her from the rubble and carried her to whatever this place was. There was no other reason to explain how she was still alive after being buried by the collapsing ceiling of the parking lot. Marine vaguely remembered the shouts of her enemies, crying afoul about the incoming Incursions before she lost consciousness.