TBATE | Erased (A Fresh Start)

Chapter 1: Meeting

Arthur POV

'I'm glad you made it here safely,' the Voice echoed confidently, as if it had always known I would.

"Nice to meet you, uhh... ma'am? Miss Rocks?"

'I'm not a rock-nor a cluster of them. The two large rocks leaning against each other on the other side form a crevice. That's where you'll find me,' the Voice chuckled in my head.

Looking around, I managed to spot the small gap between the two larger rocks, just large enough for an adult to squeeze through. The slight breeze coming from the crevice told me I had found what I was looking for. If the Voice hadn't directed me to this exact location, I would never even have noticed the small fissure.

'Enter through the crevice, child, but strengthen yourself with mana before you do.'

Soon I can get back to Mother and Father!

Without a second's hesitation, I easily slipped in through the gap, while willing mana to strengthen my body.

I had expected to step onto a platform, but instead, I immediately plummeted down into the dark hole. The Voice had failed to mention that I'd be taking a vertical fall.

I guess that's why she told me to use mana. The thought flashed through my head as I descended, screaming at the top of my four-year-old lungs.

The fall seemed to last several minutes. FInally I began to see a faint light below me.

I landed harshly on my feet, the impact traveled up my legs and back, jarring my entire body before I collapsed on my bottom. Groaning, I slowly levered myself up.

I instinctively tried to take a step back, but I tripped on my own legs and I fell back onto my butt. She looked like the incarnation of pure evil. All I could feel was fear, and my concentration broke for a few seconds. It was a monster-for a lack of a better word-easily more than three stories high, was seated cross-legged on a crudely carved throne of jagged stone, one arm lazily supporting her head. The petrifying red eyes that gazed down at me, though menacing, carried an oddly tranquil quality. Two massive horns protruded from the sides of her head, arching down and around her skull and curving up to a point near the front, almost like a crown. Two fangs peeks out from her lips, and her body was adorned in sleek black armor. Though it had neither decorations nor embellishments, it still glowed like a priceless treasure. But, the most intriguing thing was the massive wound on her chest, which didn't seem to affect her that much. It seemed she was holding something in her hand, but I couldn't make out what it was.

"We finally meet, King Grey."

How... How does she know? Is she an enemy? I panicked and augmented my entire body with mana, willing to fight the monster if I had to, before quickly coming to the conclusion that she could probably erase me from this world without even trying. If she wanted to kill me, she could have done so. Forcing myself to remain calm, I stood up and tried to hide my panic.

"You... What do you want? How did you know? Why'd you save me? Is my family safe? How'd you get injured?" I inadvertently released a flurry of questions. Dammit. So much for trying to remain calm.

"Fufufu, no need to be scared, little one. I promise I have your best interests in mind," she said calmly, while patting an area of her throne for me to sit on.

It's probably best for me if I do what she says. She did save my life after all, which means I'm in her debt now. And besides, she's probably the only person that can answer my questions right now.

"First things first, let me introduce myself. My name is Sylvia. As to your question on why I saved you, it's because I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize? What do you want to apologize for?" I asked, confused.