The Past That Haunts Us

The teachings of the Religion of the One Creator started off at very early, at around five years of age. Since they were still quite young, they weren't expected to participate in the weekly sermons or the proper studies of the Scriptures. Instead, they were grouped up with children their age and on a weekly basis, and an older member, usually a teen or a young adult, of the campus would teach the children specific and curated lessons based on the beliefs in an appropriate manner so that the children would hopefully start to understand.

Whilst other daily "schooling" of the children were designed to teach them physical exercises and how to write and count, these religious sessions were weekly so as to avoid overwhelming the children with religious concepts.

It wasn't until the kids hit the age of fifteen or so that they were expected to seriously study about the faith. About why the System was created by the One Creator and what a fulfilling and enlightening life entailed according to the beliefs of the Religion of the One Creator.

One day, when she herself was around five years old, the young girl returned home after being a part of the weekly sessions.

Her father was home, and he greeted her with a warm, welcome hug.

Her father was the young girl's hero. She adored the man and believed that he was the strongest person she knew. She loved her mother also, but it couldn't compare to how much love she had for her father.

After the hug, her father asked her what she did that day.

The young girl started to gush about the compliment that she got from the supervising member that day about how talented she was at exercising. How she "axe-shelled" at all the physical activities, and how focused she was during the religious studies.

The young girl's face soured a little when she mentioned that she got a little bit in trouble when she asked why everyone she knew didn't get Registered into the System until they were considered adults.

How if they were able to Register early, then her classmate, a chubby boy who was no good at the physical activities could catch up. She looked sad when she told her father that she got scolded by the supervising member because of all the questions she asked.

Her father smiled a kind, tired smile that warmed her up and gave her another soft hug. He carried her and walked outside to their family's personal garden at the back of their property.

He asked her if she knew that the One Creator created everything in the world. She nodded.

He asked her if that included the System. She nodded again.

He asked her if she knew why the One Creator made the System. She meekly said that the System was a gift.

He smiled and congratulated her right answer.

He started to tell her an old and familiar story that he had told her before. How in the past, even before he was born — even before her grandfather was born — humans struggled to live in a dangerous world.

The One Creator created the world and everything in it and decided to see how life moulded and changed over time. One day, after a long time had passed, the One Creator noticed that humanity struggled to survive in a world full of creatures that changed to become stronger than them, and that's why the One Creator decided to create the System to help humanity out.

The father asked his daughter if she knew what happened next. The young girl nodded. She started to recite, and continued the story as it had been taught to her.

Humanity used the System to get stronger and stronger until they became the strongest creatures in the world. However, as humanity got stronger, the other creatures suffered so the One Creator decided to move them to another place so that they could live in peace.

Her father laughed, impressed at his daughter's good memory of the story before he continued.

When the One Creator removed the other creatures that suffered, he realised that what the System was able to offer was too tempting and addictive for humanity and had twisted their hearts and souls.

So, the One Creator who had grown weak and tired from removing the other creatures, used the last of his powers to create the Religion to teach humanity of the righteous way of living their lives.

Since then, the One Creator vowed to step back and allow his creations to live their lives without any more interference.

The father asked if the story answered the young girl's question about why the campus doesn't let members Register till they were adult. The girl pouted because the story did, but she didn't like the answer.

"Wouldn't it be more fun if we could use the System from when we're young?" the young girl asked innocently, "if you had an early start, then you could probably be so strong you could lift up a mountain!"

Her father laughed deep and heartily. He laughed so much that he had to place his daughter back on the ground.

He wiped the tears that started to form in his eyes away and explained after he calmed down that it could be fun if they were to Register early, but that would go against what the One Creator wanted for the Religion.

What if her father could lift up a mountain all by himself, but because of what the System could give him, he turned so selfish that he wouldn't share any sweets with anybody.

The young girl looked aghast and that set off her father in another fit of laughter.

"Not even sugar leaves?" the young girl asked in disbelief. Her face turned even more horrified when her father answered that he wouldn't even share any of her favourite sweets with her.

She relented and explained that she was glad that her father didn't Register till he was an adult, because then he wouldn't share any sugar leaves with her.

***

On another day, a few years later, the young girl had gotten home early from the day's lessons when she heard her father's voice in a tone she never heard before. It reminded her of her mother. She was the one that was usually terse and was a stickler to the campus rules. Her father was the more light-hearted one.

He had always said that they balanced each other out.

Curious as to what was happening, the girl quietly entered the house and crept around until she found a spot behind a high counter that was a makeshift marker to lead a visitor to the family room. She instinctively knew that she had to stay hidden whilst listening in on the conversation.

His conversation partner, surprisingly, was the campus leader.

The girl knew that her father was part of the campus council, but the campus leader had never come to their house before. Usually, it was the other way around.

"I don't think it's a good idea Kazuhiro," the father defiantly said, the tension of which was slightly undercut by the softness of his voice.

"Just because you say it quietly Masahiro, doesn't mean I don't pick up on your tone," the campus leader warned.

"The kids are at a pivotal stage of their lives right now, and I think that moving the campus now is not right!" the girl's father doubled down.

The girl's mouth went dry. She remembered that there were rumours from the other kids about the campus moving for the last couple of days during the break times, but she had always dismissed it. She couldn't imagine living anywhere else. To her, the campus' current location had always been home to her and all her friends and the community.

"Then when will be the right time? There'll always be children in the campus of all ages!" the religious leader asked, "we're a growing campus and we need more money from the Central!"

"I'm not saying that we don't need the funding, but relocating to the vicinity of a Crimson Tower?" her father's voice rose to a level that scared her. His voice started to become coarse and harsh to her ears.

"You know as well as me how dangerous those areas can be," her father continued, "and not only that, but you also want us all to relocate to a Crimson Tower near an established Church branch. You know how much that increases the likelihood of danger that creates?"

"Oh for One's sake, it's not like we're going to be next door neighbours with them, the proposed location is on the complete opposite side of their branch," the campus leader exasperatedly sighed.

"The proposed location being up on a high plateau also makes it easier for us to defend should the Church branch want to sabotage our campus. There's nothing to worry about!"

The girl risked peeking around a corner to see into the family room where the two men were having their discussion. All she saw were the ever so broad shoulders of her father trembling as he listened to the justifications that the campus leader had spooned for him. The campus leader was probably around another corner just out of her line of sight.

"I'm not willing to risk the lives of my wife and my daughter for your egotistical desire—"

"Egotistical?!" the campus leader exclaimed.

"—for some sort of religious renown especially after what happened back then—!"

"How dare you," the campus leader howled so loudly the girl nearly screamed and revealed herself. She covered her ears. Her father was also taken aback by the man's reaction.

The campus leader started to pace, and the girl saw glimpses of his sweaty red face as he popped in and out of her vision past her father's shaking shoulders. Though this time, it seemed like it was out of anger instead of fear.

The campus leader started again, though this time his voice was low, almost a harsh whisper with so much malice that it made a shiver go down the girl's back.

"How dare you bring that up again after the central campuses forbade everyone from talking about it?"

Her father raised his head to meet the glaring eyes of the campus leader defiantly.

"Do you think you're exempt from the rulings of the central campuses?" the campus leader's voice pitched up in disbelief at the end of his question.

"No. This relocation proposal just reminds me of what you were—" the father attempted to explain before his superior cut him off.

"Are you placing the blame solely on me? Something that would have jeopardised the sanctity of the whole Religion, and you're placing the blame on me?!" the campus leader's volume grew and grew.

"Jeopardised the sanctity? What are you talking—"

"The central campuses clearly stated that in accordance with the Scriptures that that was the case! I knew it! I knew you still held a grudge for me for what happened back then." The campus leader scoffed.

"I knew you hated the fact you were forbidden to defend or speak to your own disciple ever again, even though she was clearly a heretic! And the fact that your eligibility to become a campus leader was taken away from you and given to me instead—"

"You know that that's not it!" the father yelled back as he shot up on his feet. The campus leader now had to look up at the other man. It wasn't because he was short, it was just that the girl's father was that much taller and bigger than him.

The campus leader was not afraid however, and met the father's challenge. In a thin, menacing voice he said, "I voted to keep you in the campus. You owe me."

The girl could see how tightly her father clenched his fists. It trembled more noticeably than his shoulders. She could feel his seething anger from all the way back where she was hiding. It was such a foreign emotion to her. All that she ever felt from her father were joy and love.

"I need you to help me convince the rest of the council to agree to the relocation. Unless…" the campus leader paused.

He turned around and sat down on a seat comfortably as he continued, "you believe that your family could survive going through the excommunication process. Think of what your wife would say. What will happen to your sweet little girl?"

"You scoundrel—!" the girl's father started as he stepped towards the campus leader. The campus leader lifted a finger that made him stop in his tracks.

"I've received so much pressure from the central campuses over all these years, yet I continued to support and protect your place in our campus." The campus leader said with an evil grin, "you know they wanted to give you and your family a universal ban right? That means you won't be able to join any campus."

"What?" the girl's father whispered in disbelief.

"I know. How awful of them." The campus leader shook his head in faux disgust.

"All I'm asking for is your support in the next council meeting for the relocation proposal. I mean, surely that's the least you could do after all these years, right?"

***

The relocation proposal was obviously approved, and the girl and her family followed the campus to their new location. There was always a sense of unease in the air that the girl felt as everyone resumed their daily routines, and for several years it seemed like the relocation was good.

The campus received much more funding due to the pressures of being further away from the central campuses as well as being located in the vicinity of a Crimson Tower and a Church branch. The livelihood of the campus thrived.

The campus became part of a trading route that connected it to a number of cities that included Shinobu City, and the campus continue to grow.

Though, through all the positives, the girl noticed that there was still a little bit of nervousness in the air of the campus that was not there from before the relocation. The tension never dissipated between the father and the campus leader, and the knowledge that the Church branch planted itself in the area earlier than the campus meant that they never had the chance to live up to the full potential of becoming the religious powerhouse that the campus leader dreamt it to be.

In fact, the Church branch was more of a militaristic convent than the campus council first believed and the campus struggled to plant a strong, influential foothold in the area nearest the Crimson Tower, even with the extra funding.

Years passed and life continued until one night, on the Eve of the Bounty Feed, during the sacrificial prayers, the campus was attacked by a significant force sent by the Church branch.

The Church branch had timed the attack to happen during one of the Religion's annual celebrations to ensure that the campus' guard was down and quickly infiltrated the community.

The security officers didn't stand a chance against the attacking force as only a third of the usual officers were on duty due to the celebrations.

Most of the community were wrangled up and held hostage by the main force while a small number of Churchgoers were sent to search to deal with the stragglers.

The girl's family home was positioned slightly further out than the others due to the strained relationship between her father and the campus leader, but thankfully, was also on the opposite side of the campus as to where the Churchgoers invaded from.

The only reason why the family hadn't been at the campus centre with the rest of the families were because the girl had been running a little behind in her preparations for the celebrations.

As she finally reached the age of thirteen, it was about time for her to go through the Choosing Ceremony, where her future career as a female member of the Religion of the One Creator would be decided. The Ceremony was going to be held the next day as part of day one of the Bounty Feed and she was dragging her feet with her preparations.

The girl's mother called out to the girl and ordered her to hurry up, while her husband chuckled. The girl's mother grumbled at her husband's laid back attitude to their daughter's tardiness.

Suddenly, a scream pierced through the air that caught all three of their attention. The girl, half-dressed in the traditional Bounty Feed robes approached her parents and asked them what they thought the scream meant.

A glint of metal in the street outside caught the attention of the father as he stepped out of the home. It was part of the campus leader's robes. Why was the campus leader running through the dark, away from the campus centre? He called out to the man.

Under a lamp that hung outside the campus grain reserve neighbouring the family's house, the father could see the campus leader pause. The man looked at the father with fearful eyes and without a word, the leader disappeared.

The girl's mother appeared by the entrance with the girl. The mother asked where the campus leader was headed. The girl mentioned that there was a segment of fencing that surrounded the campus location that was loose near the direction the campus leader headed towards that the children used to sneak out of the community grounds.

The girl's mother admonished her about sneaking out of the grounds, but the girl claimed that she would never. The girl then asked her father if that could be where the campus leader was headed to.

Over the hill in the direction of the campus centre, a flame started to grow and its light cast great big shadows. More and more screams could now be heard as the flames grew bigger.

The girl's father, with great intensity ordered the girl to show her parents where the section of loose fencing was. The girl was apprehensive and asked why he wanted to know only to be told off by her father.

As she led her parents to the children's secret passageway, the girl's voice trembled as she asked her parents what happened at the campus centre. They refused to answer her and told her to focus on leading them.

When they reached the spot in the wooden barricade, they saw that the segment of wood had been forcefully pulled apart that left a gaping wide hole.

The positioning of the passage was slightly out of the way and hidden, but with the passage being pried open, it would be very easy for anybody to find it if they were only slightly looking around.

The girl's parents realised that there had to be some sort of distraction to allow whoever left through the passageway enough time to give them a chance to run away from the attackers.

They discussed this fact quietly with one another. The girl was starting to get really worried at what was happening and asked what they were talking about.

She could hear the quiver in her mother's voice. Something that rarely happened in her life. Her mother was the stoic one of her parents and taught her to be emotionally strong. Yet, whatever was happening, has caused her to lose her composure.

Her father knelt in front of her so that he would be closer to her eye level. In the moonlight, she could see the tears that streamed down his cheeks as he spoke.

He instructed her to step through the hole in the fence and run into the forest. The girl was confused at the meaning of his words. She reminded him that none of the kids had ever gone into the forest near the campus without their teacher or mentor with them.

Her father tightened his grip on her shoulders, almost to the point that it started to hurt her, as he told her to just do what he told her to do. That caused her to stop. How her parents were acting, and all the screams that she could hear in the distance. It all finally clicked for her and the girl understood.

He turned her around to face the hole in the wall and pointed in a direction slightly to the right according to her perspective. He told her that if she continued through the forest to the north in that direction, she would reach a city. The city she visited only once with her mother since the campus relocated.

She knew that the city took around two days on foot to reach, and was fearful at the prospect of going through the forest all by herself.

The girl could feel her father's hands on her shoulders shake as she heard him sob. She asked him what was happening one final time as he hugged his daughter from behind.

It was a tight hug, and it wasn't like all the other normal hugs that the girl got from her father before.

The girl's father begged his daughter to promise him that she would run to Shinobu City as best as she could. She asked him through tears of her own if they were coming with her too. He assured her that they were going to head towards Shinobu City too after a while. She knew what that meant.

"I'm scared," the girl's voice trembled.

"Sometimes it's okay to be scared," her father's voice croaked. He planted a heavy kiss on the back of her head, "but only as long as you don't let it rule your life."

The father asked his daughter to repeat to him what he wanted her to do. She does. He reminded her that she can't return to the compound until she gets help from people in Shinobu City. She understood.

With one final goodbye, he released his hold on her shoulders and helped her get through the passageway in the fencing. She turned around back to him when she stepped out the other side.

"I'll see you and Mother at the City," she mumbled softly.

Her father nodded.

"Your mother and I love you very much," her father said tearfully, "now run!"

***

"—cursed one will be holding them back, and from what I could see the older adventurer seemed like he was nothing special, I'm pretty sure I could destroy him in a second."

I snapped out of my daze. Older adventurer? Was she talking about Mr Saizo? The "cursed one" seemed to be Mr Mobito. She wanted to hurt the men who helped me out?

I gritted my teeth as I struggled to decide what to do. I knew that Ryuu had mentioned Mr Saizo knowing about his parents' murders, but Mr Saizo had always been a kind man towards me. I didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

"Are you okay?" Ryuu's voice asked softly. I had warned them that I was going silent since I heard something or someone coming closer to me. I didn't realise how long I had been silent. I double checked how far Head Pastor Maru was and leant back against the rubble I was hiding behind.

"The Head Pastor of the Church is back again," I whispered as quietly as I could, "she's back as a zombie."

I stiffened when the woman yelled out loud out of nowhere, "you can chirp in my ear all you want Mirou, but I'm not going to listen to you!"

"Do you need me to come over to you?" Mr Saizo asked.

"No, Saizo, you have to keep our Anchor safe," Ryuu piped up. His voice made it sound like an order more than anything.

"What do you expect her to do about the Head Pastor then?" Mr Saizo argued.

"It's okay," I whispered to stop them from fighting, "I'm sure I can think of something."

My throat was so dry as my anxiety continued to get worse and worse. I could hear the woman who murdered my family and friends get closer and closer as she continued to rant about her misgivings to someone only she could hear.

What could I do? I couldn't rely on Mr Saizo and Ryuu forever, I already knew that. I managed to get myself a little bit stronger by killing those basic zombies, but I was still nowhere near as strong as an adult!

What could I do? What should I do? Mum. Dad. Wished you guys were still alive. You could've told me what to do.

"I don't give a shit if I'm wasting our time or turn or whatever the hell we're in now!" the Head Pastor screeched in the distance behind me, "I'm not gonna stop till I get that stupid little bitch and those adventurers payback!"

I remembered what my father told me before he told me to run from the compound. I had to get stronger. I can't run away all the time just because I'm scared.

I looked at my Status Window and decided to place the three Ability Points I got from levelling up to level four into Agility.

I knew what I had to do. I tensed as I prepared myself physically, but something still held me back in my head. I started to repeat my father's advice over and over again.

Don't let it rule your life.

Don't let it rule your life.

Don't let it rule—

I jumped out from the rubble that I was hiding behind. Head Pastor Maru stood in front of me, about 200 metres away.

"Hey!" I attempted to yell with a confident voice. What came out was only a shaky, squeaky call. However, it was loud enough to do its job.

The Head Pastor's head snapped towards my direction.

"You…" the woman hissed at me as she started to limp towards me with conviction.