text: [Themes: grimdark fantasy, romance, fantasy]
  
  Year 378 of the Second Era
  
  You were really starting to get tired of the color green. The forests were green, the grass was green, even your damn Realm's emblem was green. It made already boring guard duty even worse. You would pace back and forth staring at the dreadfully large expanse of forest ahead of you, but nothing would ever happen. You might see the occasional kobold walk along the edge of the forest, but they never did anything. They just watched and waited. If you weren't on a fifty foot high wall you might actually be worried, but, as it happens, you were. There was no kobold in all of the Lost Realm that could scale these walls, and even if there was it, and its disgusting green skin would get peppered with arrows before it had the chance to. Yes, this was simply the easiest most boring place to guard in all of the Realm of Men.
  
  It was because of this fact that your lieutenant was thoroughly confused when you requested to be transferred here. You were his most reliable soldier, and you knew that. You used his fondness of you to get him to give you this transfer. He'd asked why, and you'd simply replied that you needed time to get over what happened to Liliana. Your wife. She was assumed dead by everyone. The night of your wedding you and her were cornered in an alley by thugs. You were beaten to a pulp, and she was taken, in more than one sense of the word, right before your eyes. Her parting words to you before you blacked out from the pain were, "I'm lost!"
  
  I'm lost.
  
  You take off your wedding ring and examine it. It's a beautiful piece. Solid gold encrusted with an emerald gem. It is the only green you find yourself being able to stand, and only then because it was from Liliana. Guard duty wasn't paying you enough for you to be able to get rings for the both of you, so instead you blew all of your money on her ring. That one was polished iron inlaid with golden patterns, and it wasn't much, but it represented more than money. Liliana accepted your proposal, and when she found out you hadn't gotten yourself a ring she gave you her mother's ring. It was a little too girly for you, but the smile on her face turned you into an emotional sob, so you accepted. She was taken that same night. Presumed dead, and with you chosen as her closest 'relative' it was up to you to bury her coffin. You did so quickly. Many people, including your lieutenant, suggested you take things slower, but you were adamant.
  
  You didn't tell them why you were in such a hurry, and even if you did, you doubt they would've believed you. You were the closest person to Liliana and consequently the only one whom she would trust with her secrets.
  
  I'm lost.
  
  Those words could only mean one thing. They were a confirmation to a question you asked her years ago, when the two of you first met...
  
  > Memory: Meeting Liliana
  Year 366 of the Second Era
  
  At the age of ten, you were average. Your height, weight, disposition, and, well, pretty much everything about you was average. Never the last one chosen for capture the emblem, but never the first one either. Your life then was a monotonous slog: Go to your rundown academy, try to do well in your academic work, fail, and return home only to have your drunkard of a father beat you. You didn't realize how miserable your life was until the fateful day when Liliana joined your class at school.
  
  Like the rest of the girls in the class, she wore a dress. Unlike the rest of the girls in the class, her dress was obviously of fine make. The embroidery on her dress had no faults. No drops of blood from clumsy mothers who pricked themselves on their needle. No lazy patches sewn in to cover up holes. No, her dress was flawless. Her hair was onyx black, and fell down in waves around her face. Her glittering blue eyes were filled with anticipation, and maybe a little fear. She clearly wasn't used to being in these kinds of situations, and she kept glancing around as if someone else was going to introduce her to the other classmates.
  
  Your teacher, a hag of a woman, prompted her to introduce herself. "Go ahead and introduce yourself to the class, dear."
  
  She widened her eyes in surprise, but followed the teacher's command. "My name is Liliana, I'm ten years of age, and..," she looked to the teacher for instruction. She had an accent, and one that you'd never heard before at that. Not northern, or even like those from the eastern realm. No, this was decidedly different from any other accent you'd heard before.
  
  "Go on," the teacher prompted again.
  
  "I don't know what else to say," Liliana responded.
  
  The teacher frowned disappointedly. "Surely you have more things to tell us about yourself than your name?" When Liliana didn't respond, the teacher spoke again. "Where are you from? Or, what do you like to do in your spare time? Tell us things like that."
  
  Liliana hesitated once more.
  
  "Come now. We don't judge people here," the hag patted her comfortingly on the shoulder, but failed to notice the snickering in the back.
  
  Liliana, it seemed, found her words comforting, and finally started to open up. "I was born in Arboribus. My father is the king there, and it's an amazing place. There are trees larger than castles there! Oh, and I like to go stag riding with my father if he has the ti-"
  
  The teacher interrupted. "Excuse me. Where?" The teacher sounded somewhat confused, but definitely disappointed. The snickering in the back increased, but Liliana still hadn't noticed.
  
  "Arboribus," she said this clearly, and with an expression of incredulity fixed upon her face. The teacher simply stared at her blankly, until Liliana continued. "You know, in The Lost Realm..."
  
  The boys in the back, try as they might, couldn't contain themselves any longer. They busted out into raucous laughter that spread to the rest of the students that were typically thought of as nice. Everyone gave into the laughter, and even the teacher hag was chuckling.
  
  You were on the edge of laughter as well, but something kept you there. Stories of The Lost Realm, and rumors of a ancient city of humans therein. Your mother, before she died of disease, would tell you fairy tales of the ancient land, and how it used to be as prosperous as the Realm of Men is now. You'd always harbored the secret thought, hope, that the stories were true, and here was a person who claimed to hail from that very place. This, and the expression on Liliana's face, caused you to hesitate. Her expression was that of someone hurt , and a genuine expression at that.
  
  You held the laughter off, and waited for everyone else to do the same. They eventually quieted down, but only after tears started streaming down Liliana's face. Silence took the place of laughter, and all joy was replaced with the sad sound of sobbing.
  
  The old hag had the decency to attempt to comfort her by giving her a hug, but Liliana jerked away. Apparently she didn't like the idea of hugging the old hag. Especially since she'd promised no ridicule would come, but then turned around and gloried in it herself.
  
  "It's true!" Liliana yelled after she managed to control her sobbing. "I'm not a liar! And, and ,and..." She starts crying again, but instead of staying in the classroom for everyone to see, she ran through the door and out of the classroom.
  
  The silence continued for a moment longer, before you made your first life changing decision. You got up from your designated chair and followed after Liliana.
  
  You were no expert at dealing with girls. Let alone crying ones, and you weren't the most...
  
  > ...charismatic...
  Year 366 of the Second Era
  
  ...charismatic of people, but you were smart enough to know that, when crying, a girl needs a comforting shoulder. Not a questioning voice.
  
  You follow the sound of sobbing through the worn wooden hallways of the school, and outside, until you find the source of the crying. Liliana sits on the steps to the main door of the school. Her well crafted dress is ruffled in places and her body constantly shifts under the pressure of her tears. Her hair comes down in waves around her head, effectively cutting off any view of her face.
  
  She doesn't notice you there at first, but when the main door closes behind you she jumps and turns towards you. Tears and snot cover her face with her eyes both sad and angry at the same time, and for a moment you find yourself regretting coming here. That moment passes, and the impulse you followed earlier propels you toward her.
  
  "Are you going to laugh at me again?"
  
  Her voice reflects what she is feeling. Sadness, despair, anger, and, you think, a bit of hope color her voice. You decide to concentrate on her hopefulness.
  
  "I didn't laugh."
  
  "Everyone laughed. I saw."
  
  Clearly she hadn't been paying attention to you when in the classroom. "Not me."
  
  You sit down on the same step as her, and she glares at you. Silence ensues, and you turn away and gaze out in front of you. You want to ask her about the Realm of the Lost, but the question dies in your throat. Wouldn't it be at least a little insensitive to ask her prying questions now?
  
  Your question is answered when you hear her start to sob again. This time it's less intense, but it's still crying all the same. Maybe it's the memory of her excited face when she was in front of the classroom, or maybe you just didn't like the sound of crying. Whatever the reason, you decide to wrap your arm around her shoulders in a half hug. Liliana turns to stone beneath your touch, and you think she'll pull away, but she doesn't. She stays still, but continues her crying. You feel absurdly awkward in this position, but she doesn't seem to mind. She even leans into your hug after a while.
  
  In between holding her and listening to her crying, you find yourself staring at her wondering how in all the realms this girl was from the Lost Realm. You might be tainted by the knowledge of fairytales, but you were still aware that the Lost Realm was crawling with kobold and others of that ilk. It was a very dangerous place. At the end of the first era was when the Lost Realm was supposedly at the height of its power, but that ended when a dragon led a massive host of kobold and wyverns and sacked the entirety of the realm. Well, that's how the stories went. So how then, could a delicate being such as this come from such a dangerous place?
  
  Then a brilliant idea came over you. There was a story your mother once told you. One about the faerie, a race of beings native to the Lost Realm. When they were in the Lost Realm they were humanoid creatures of a similar height humans, but with pointed ears and a slender build. In the story, a faerie wandered over the border of the Realm of Men and the Realm of the Lost, (Before the border walls were constructed) but the faerie were tied to their own realm. Whenever they left, they became as humans. This particular faerie panicked when they realized they left their home for another realm, and immediately tried to go back, but every time he tried to re-enter his homeland, he would get lost, turned around. He could never find his way back. Once the faerie willingly left the Realm of the Lost, they weren't allowed back. He was left in the Realm of Men to fend for himself, but he desired that no their faerie would feel like he did. Alone, confused and afraid. So the faerie came up with a code. If he thought there was another faerie, he would ask them a simple question.
  
  You ask that question now. "Are you lost?"
  
  Liliana immediately pulls from you and stares at you in disbelief. She suddenly wipes all of the tears from her face with her sleeve before asking you a question. "Will you help me fit in here?"
  
  Kinda shocked that your plan worked you only nod in response.
  
  A hint of a smile breaches her face. "What's your name?"
  
  You briefly wonder what you've gotten yourself into, but you answer regardless. "My name is..."
  
  > End of Memory
  Year 378 of the Second Era
  
  You pull yourself from the memory. That was happening way too often since Liliana was captured. And she was captured. There was no doubt in your mind about that. Captured by people who obviously knew what they were doing. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to make it through the forests of the Lost Realm without being captured, killed, or raped by horny kobold. That means there's a way to make it through that forest. You just have to find it.
  
  That was the reason you spent your time here on the wall watching, waiting, planning your route through that kobold infested place. Of course you could just leave on your own and hope for the best, but th-
  
  Your thoughts are interrupted when the roar of some beast sounds throughout the air. You jerk your head immediately towards the sound. It came from somewhere over the tops of the trees, and still must've been miles out. Every guard on the wall peels their eyes to the forest, and it isn't long before one of your fellow guardsmen spots something.
  
  "There! Above the forest!" The guard sounds quite panicked.
  
  You look where he indicated and spot several grey blots in the distance. They look like birds at first, but as they get closer you can tell they're much larger and have several more rows of teeth than a bird.
  
  "Wyverns." The guard right beside you breathes out.
  
  You turn back to look at the beasts. They're still a few miles out, but you can hear the beat of their leathery wings drawing closer every second. The guards in your platoon stand on the wall in stunned silence. Nothing happens here, ever. Why now of all times?
  
  Your lieutenant, an older fellow named Byron, calls everyone to order. "This is what we're here for men! This is why..."
  
  Byron's voice fades into the depths of your mind. It is replaced by a different voice. One that's mocking, provoking. The memory of your first fight calls back to you.
  
  > Remember
  Year 368 of the Second Era
  
  "Are you listening bitch?"
  
  A hand is shoved into your back and you're sent tumbling to the ground. Grass presses against your face, and you even feel some dirt in your mouth. That was fine. You didn't care very much. These guys could push you around all they wanted. They'd never be able to beat you as bad as your father did.
  
  "Stop it, Daniel!" Liliana's voice sounds from behind you. Apparently she didn't like Daniel pushing you.
  
  You slowly pick yourself up and off of the ground as Daniel replies. "What? You didn't like me pushing your bitch around?" That remark is followed by some laughter.
  
  "He hasn't done anything to you." Liliana replies readily. "Leave and go hit your mom if you're looking for a bitch to hit. Don't touch him." There's a moment of silence before you hear a smack. That sound reverberates around the academy yard, and for a moment you think Liliana finally slapped the guy like she said she'd been wanting to do, but when you turn around you find it's the complete opposite. Liliana is on the grass now, clutching her face. You see tears start to come to her eyes, but she doesn't sob. Not anymore.
  
  You've never been the most violent person. Your mother instilled that into you, so you let others push you around. You didn't give a damn either way, but when you see Liliana on the ground you don't hesitate.
  
  You lunge forward and shove Daniel hard in the chest, and you do it hard enough to send him flying to the ground as well, but unlike you and Liliana he gets back up to his feet quickly. His reaction is also quick. He immediately rushes toward you and raises his fist back. You can tell a punch is coming.
  
  You've grown in the past couple years, and are easily one of the tallest guys in class. Aside from Daniel, that is. You might not be taller than Daniel, but you'd bet your mother's corpse (Muse bless her soul) that you can take more hits than he can. That being said, you don't particularly fancy getting punched if you can avoid it.
  
  > let him hit you
  Year 368 of the Second Era
  
  Despite what others think of him, Daniel is weak. And you're going to prove just that.
  
  His punch comes directly into your right cheek. It has a hell of a lot of power. Certainly more than you anticipated, but you don't allow yourself to stumble. Your head snaps back as it hits, and there's a lot of pain, but you ignore it. Instead you revel in the shock displayed upon Daniel's face. He's thoroughly surprised, and you doubt someone has ever lasted past the first punch against him. Let alone be barely affected by it.
  
  You look him dead in the eyes and smile just before returning his punch with one of your own. He doesn't get away in time, and is hammered by your punch. He stumbles backward, and you take a step forward and shove him to the ground once more. There's no time for him to react as you pounce on top of him and lay punch after punch into his face. His 'friends' don't rise to stop you, and the courtyard is silent save for the sound of your fist pounding his face.
  
  After several more punches you feel a hand on your shoulder. You nearly jerk away from it, but, despite your frenzied mind, you are able to recognize that it is a distinctly feminine hand. Liliana, you think and stop punching. Daniel doesn't stop his groaning as you rise to your feet to face her.
  
  There's less baby fat on her face now than when you first saw her, and is beginning to be quite the knockout. Her eyes are still slightly red and the right side of her face is still red, but she isn't crying any more.
  
  "Enough," she whispers to you.
  
  You only nod in response. You start to walk away from the scene when you realize that you'd gathered quite the crowd. You think about saying something, but instead you reach for Liliana's hand and glare at everyone in the crowd. Your look says it all.
  
  You leave the scene with Liliana in tow.
  
  > return from the memory
  Year 378 of the Second Era
  
  The memory fades away, and Byron's voice returns. "I need one person to light the signal light over by the watchtower. Everyone in division two stay here and support us with arrows. Everyone in division one follow me!"
  
  The wyverns are still racing to the wall, and a fight seems inevitable.
  
  Byron leads the way as he and division one head down to the ground to support the rest of the group. Everyone else stays and prepares their bows.
  
  You were assigned to division two upon your transfer here, and so your orders are abundantly clear.
  
  > stay with division two
  Year 378 of the Second Era
  
  The signal fire will get lit by someone else, so you don't need to worry about that. After that your decision becomes even easier. You aren't a fool. Leaving the safety of the wall when it's under attack, and of your own volition at that, would be utter foolishness. You stay right where you are and string your bow with the rest of division two.
  
  The distinctive sounds of the wyverns approaching doesn't change, but as you wait for them to draw near, you hear another set of noises. Several sets of hooves pound against the ground just beyond the edge of the forest, and before too long you see the culprits of the noise bursting through the edge of the wood. Five horses, mounted by at least one person apiece, ride from out of the forest. They ride at a very fast speed, and the horses themselves seem to be running more from fear rather than their rider's instructions. A few moments after they come out of the woods almost twenty giant lizards come out of the forest. The beasts are generally green, but many, if not, all, have blue or purple scales scattered across their hide. Three kobold ride atop each of the lizards.
  
  If your division wasn't silent before, then they certainly are now. The math is easy. There are around sixty kobold, and that is discounting the wyverns and their riders still on their way. You briefly wonder what in the four realms this group of less than ten individuals did to anger this many kobold, but the thought is dashed from your mind as the kobold come into range.
  
  You aren't the best shot out there, but you are far from the worst, and today is a good day for you. Nearly every one of your arrows finds its mark, and many an enemy dies at your hand. You continue this up until the very moment division one clashes with the kobold host. After that you slow down, and pick your shots. You don't want to accidentally hit a fellow guard after all.
  
  You're so focused on the battle below you that you nearly miss it when the wyverns make their first approach. The beasts, although much larger than the giant lizards, only carry two kobold apiece. The wyverns themselves are a leathery grey color with razor sharp teeth, and hind legs that could tear guards apart. there are only five, but you have trouble thinking about how you and division two are supposed to bring down one of these monstrosities. Let alone five.
  
  The fear in division two is palpable as you and your fellow guardsmen switch your attention from the kobold below to the wyverns above. Almost as if they could sense the fear in your comrades, three of the wyverns barrel past the battle below and head straight towards the portion of the wall your division is centered on.
  
  Specifically, and unluckily so, one of the wyverns seem to be coming straight toward you. You find yourself in the midst of a decision that could cost you your life, and you only have a second to act.
  
  > Dodge to the side
  Year 378 of the Second Era
  
  You act on impulse and throw yourself to the side as the wyvern makes its pass, but you don't throw yourself nearly far enough away to avoid its claws. While it doesn't manage to grab you and fling you off the wall, its claws do manage to carve your stomach to pieces. If that wasn't enough, the sheer momentum of the beast flying at you at breakneck speed and hitting you is enough to send you flying off the wall.
  
  Your body can't even keep itself together as you plummet to your death.