“You know that we can’t pick and choose our emblems, mother.” Willow said before taking a peek at Elm.

“I’m sure, my brother will obtain an emblem that reflects his beauty.” Elm said with a straight face.

Leonard laughed out loud at that. Despite wanting his son to become strong and tough, looking at him closely and remembering his weak constitution, he knew that Elm had a better chance of inheriting the art of the hunt from him. “That may be true Elm. We can only hope that Lord Hum is understanding and reveals our son’s emblem to be one of great origins.”

Willow took offense to that but had long since known that his role would not be in the battlefield, so he let it slide.

“Well, don’t be so downspirited, dear. After all, I’m sure that your sister will receive something worthy of her talents.” His mother said, hinting at the genius talent Elm had in the art of battles. “She’ll protect you.”

Leonard smiled widely and placed his bear-like hands on top of Elm’s head, ruffling her hair as Elm stood like a dead owl. “Our daughter right here has finally done it this morning.” He looked extremely proud and excited to reveal his news. “She’s finally surpassed this old man.”

Olivia gasped in shock. “How many did she catch?” Leonard raised two of his fingers reminiscent of a peace pose in Willow’s past world.

“2? No, 20? She managed to hunt twenty animals?!” His mother was seriously surprised. After all, Leonard had been considered the greatest hunter in their town but even he had only managed to catch a total of 10 critters in a single morning.

“Ten young bucks. Five grown. Four brown bears.” Leonard paused for dramatic effect before revealing Elm’s greatest achievement. “And, One Were-bear.”

The room was dead silent as both Willow and his mother were in awe. Their stunned silence was understandable as a were-bear was strong enough to be ranked outside of animals and fell into the tier of monster-kin. Sure, it was in the lowest tier possible but it wasn’t anything that a young child who hadn’t even awakened her emblem yet was supposed to achieve.

Willow on the hand had feelings of pride, amazement and dread bubble up in his chest. Pride and Awe because that was his sister who had racked up such a prodigious accomplishment. But dread because hinted at his theory that since this was reality, the world may not go accordingly or exactly as in the game.

But he ignored that uncomfortable feeling settling in the pits of his stomach as he focused more on the other primary emotions.

His mother was the first to break the silence. She immediately ran up to her, hugging her, kissing her on the cheek and praising her with him and his father joining along the way but of course, Elm’s expression never changed. In such a heart-warming moment, Willow had failed to realize that the dread he had casted aside would be the shortcoming that led to his downfall.

For now, he believed in the eligibility of the masterplan he’d spent ten years of his new life on, believing that there would be nothing wrong as he smiled and laughed with his family.

* * * * * *

As night fell, lanterns started to rise and a play of the flute announced the start of the traditional night festival before every [Awakening].

The village started to bustle with the sound of the crowd as the festival was mostly centered around the Awakening Square, where a statue of Mercy, the goddess of fertility and blessings was erected.

The glow of lanterns seemed to be even further illuminated as the sound of hawkers and vendors arguing with their heckling customers entered their ears. Golden Red banners that symbolized the Awakening Day hung through houses, forming a spider web of silk strings above them. The smell of roasted meat, delicacies and spices pervaded the air as villagers dressed in jester costumes performed magic tricks so as to provide something to look at while you ate.

Willow and Elm were greeted by a number of the villagers, all met with smiles and grins as he wondered why he’d been presented with so many free treats. Also, was it just him or was Elm a lot more clingy tonight than usual? They’d met their parents along the way, seeing that their mother was scolding their drunk father for being too carried away as usual.

A couple of laughs later, their mother had asked them if they were done for the night. Willow nodded and before they could retire into their beds, their mother gave them a special present, presenting to them the perfect place to cap off the night.

And so with it, Willow and Elm arrived at the place. They stood by a cliff with an outstretched head, a high rough elevation so that it presented them with the perfect view of the town’s festive mood in all it’s golden glory.

A cold wind swept by their faces, bringing with it the scent of grilled food and scented spices. A look of melancholy softened Willow’s expression, remembering that in the game’s lore, this was a secret place only those within their family knew and it was also the cliff where their father proposed to their mother.

He looked up, seeing the moon cast it’s light upon them and just tonight, it didn't seem so lonely by itself.

“Want some?” Elm asked, extending a skewered meat stick that’d been glazed in honey.

Willow shook his head, declining the offer. He couldn’t take his eyes off the festive scenery, wondering if he was really sitting on the top of a cliff, overlooking a village he grew up in. He felt a sense of disbelief, pondering over the fact that he’d just spent 16 years of his life in an entirely new, fantastical world.

“Have you ever thought about life?” Willow started after a long silence. The scenery was just perfect. “Where would we be if we weren’t born to our parents? Maybe we could have been born as princes or maybe even Kings.”

He turned to look at Elm. “A whole future completely different from what we have right now, all at the hands of the gods.” Willow smiled sadly. “So many things that could have gone differently. So many opportunities we could take.”

Elm didn’t reply, still drunk on the sight of his beautiful form. Willow shook his head, apologizing for the sudden weird topic before he saw that her hands were starting to shiver. With it, he reached for her hands, bringing himself closer to her in the process as the two stuck in a lovely, warm embrace under the lazy moon.

“Were your hands always this big?” Willow asked, comparing his hands to her as he was once reminded of how small and feminine he actually was.