Chapter 5: Events Of The Past Coinciding With The Present 1/2

-Time at 500 years ago-

"Be careful, there's a village ahead." Versailles and her group walked around the villagers carrying crops in their arms, turning in home after the long day's work.

Little boys and girls ran around, happily laughing as they chased each other among the crowd of adults.

Moving to the side, they took a turn on the fork of the road, their destination the woods beyond the village hill.

Once they left the village vicinity, they quickened their pace, taking another turn that led them directly into the dense woods.

Under the cover of the trees, they slowly trotted on their Wains until the light disappeared.

Soon, darkness set in, and the moon made its ascent high in the sky, illuminating their path as they weaved through the lush green trees and wild vegetation.

As the bright radiance of the moon shined upon the branches and leaves of the trees, their silvery emerald and dark hues heightened the ethereal beauty of the dark woods.

They ventured deeper into the woods, their journey becoming more difficult as the path turned from clear and smooth to rocky and treacherous.

Around her, rabbits and squirrels panickily scurried about, sensing the approaching troop.

As the Wains crushed the dead leaves and twigs under their spiky hoofs, crackling sounds reverberated in the silent night.

Careful of traps, Versailles made her way towards the south of the woods, where there were signs of human treks.

Within a few heartbeats, the sight of the stone cave she had been dwelling in the past few weeks appeared.

Feeling despondent on recalling her time spent in the wilds, she silently strode ahead, her troop closely following behind.

The soft evening breeze caressed her cheeks as silent tears rolled down her face.

Her life so far had been one full of loneliness and pain. The love and nurture that others kids her age took for granted, she could not receive it even if she begged for it.

Because to the people she called family, she was either a pawn to be used or an enemy to be eliminated.

Today was her eighteenth birthday. She should have been celebrating it with her loved ones like any other eighteen-year-old kid. But because of her family background and family relations, she was all alone.

She could not even recall if there was ever a day in her life where she had laid her head on her mother's lap and slept without a care in the world.

Her world was broken, that much she knew. The cracked shreds fell looser the older she grew.

Now, there was only an empty shell, waiting for the next great storm to hit and crush it beyond repair.

"Are you tired? Don't worry, this place is secluded and we can rest for awhile." The reassuring voice came for her left, but she had no intention of responding to it.

Tired? That was a word used by those not used to struggling every day to survive and stay alive.

For her, however, the struggle for survival was an old matter. So old in fact, that ensuring her survival became a second nature.

She worked hard every day to stay alive, but what was the point of living such a life where she did not even know what she was living for?

Maybe if she no longer fought, everything could be over. Maybe what she needed was an end. An end to all this and her life. At least then, her fight would be over.

At the thought, a bitter smile rose to her delicate lips, filled with unbearable loneliness and deep sadness.

'Is death even an option for me?'

She dejectedly gazed at the bright moon in the sky, wishing there was someone who could answer her question.

There were still people out there excitedly anticipating her return, and giving up halfway would not be fair to them.

Those who believed in her, gave her shelter and warmth while placing the burden of their trust on her frail shoulders.

Either way, as far as she knew, there was no stopping now.

Oh, but she felt so drained and empty...

Versailles chuckled, the sound more painful to the ear then anything else. But since it was her first laugh after the departure from the temple, the troop only lowered their voices before slowly turning silent upon sensing her dark mood.

"I am fine. The lot of you go in and get settled down. I want to go for a ride." Feeling their secretive glances, she immediately excused herself once arriving at the cave entrance.

It was best for her to take a breather before she snapped at them.

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Before anyone could object, she turned her Wain around and dashed into the beckoning claws of the wild.

Even after more than 10 years, the wound in her heart from being abandoned by her own parents never healed.

As she wandered from place to place, struggling for survival, she changed from Eona, the gentle abandoned girl, to Versailles the brave and fearless woman.

As she aimlessly wandered in the dark woods, she saw a shadow flash past.

Recalling the shadow that had been stalking her, she immediately gave chase.

The dark woods were silent and still, as if there was not a single creature alive. As she cautiously walked around the trees, the sound of her breathing and footsteps resounded in her ears.

After a long search in the dark, she could not find anything.

"Was it just my imagination?" With furrowed brows, she wondered in confusion as her gaze swept her surroundings.

Sighing in disappointment, she turned on her heels, intending on returning to the cave-dwelling.

Right at this moment, however, her foot got stuck in an inconspicuous trap, bringing crashing into a dark pit.

Pain shot through her body, filling her violet pupils with tears. With gritted teeth, she shakily got to her feet, looking above her head.

"Anyone there? Please help me!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, hoping someone would hear her voice. Otherwise, she would have to spend the night in a hole.

Shuddering at the thought, she screamed even louder.

Then a man appeared out of nowhere, his dark form looming over the top of her head as he peered down at her miserable figure inside the hole.

Dressed in a black robe that was held together in the middle by a large pure-blue lotus flower gem and dark boots, the man carried himself like he owned the world.

'He is definitely not an ordinary person'

She instantly concluded the second their gazes collided.

His midnight hair shimmered with the moonlight as he shifted his weight and held a hand out to her.

She stared at the outstretched hand with complexity, not able to digest the fact that someone was holding a hand out to her. Since little, no one had ever offered her a hand.

Seeing her dazed expression, the man chuckled, causing her to shift her violet eyes back to his face.

"May I help you out, if you do not mind, that is?" He playfully said.

'He is most probably making fun of me for my strange behavior.' She despondently thought.

But the thing was, ever since she was a kid, no one cared about her.

When she fell, she had to grit her teeth, endure the pain, and get back on her feet on her own. Because there was never anyone around to extend a helping hand.

And suddenly seeing a stranger do something that even her family had never done for her before, she was overcome with emotions.

After an awkward moment of silence, she decided to speak honestly.

"No one has ever offered me a hand before. Are you okay with me clinging onto you after helping me out?"

"Oh? Do you have what it takes to cling onto me? You would at least need to have magic to accomplish that. I do not sense any magic on you." He said disdainfully.

"Magic? You have magic? But how can that be? I mean, you are, you are…"

"I know. I look human. But you must keep in mind that in this world, there are many wonderous things, and appearances do not define a person." He indifferently replied, unaware of the impact his words had on the girl in the hole.

Versailles blankly stared at the man in front of her, her mind in a daze as words failed her. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but was not able to utter a single word.

"I should not be hallucinating from the fall earlier, right?" She thought with a confused expression.

She could not express in words what she felt, but she felt something snap inside her. Something primitive, powerful, pure, and right.

But before she could make any heads or tail of what the strange sensation was, the man held her hand and pulled her out of the hole, slowly setting her slender figure down on the leave-covered ground.

"Thank you for the help. You are not only my savior but also the first person to lend me a hand without any hidden intentions." She absently whispered.

"It was no big deal. I helped because I could help. But you are also the first person that I have ever extended a hand to in my life.." He thoughtfully said before turning into a blur and disappearing.

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