1 Ribbon of Resilience

In the early morning, the sky was beautifully painted by the brush of the universe's creator, as if giving a gift to the children of Adam for their hard work in order to survive.

Asa Amerta stood in front of her worn-out window, its glass cloudy but it still allowed her to take a glimpse of the world outside.

Asa's hand reached for the white ribbon lying on the equally worn-out table beside her weathered window. 

Unlike the worn-out items that adorned her old shack, the white ribbon could be considered the most radiant object there. The white ribbon was exceptionally clean and well-maintained.

Asa always washed the white ribbon and took care of it wholeheartedly because it was a precious momento from her foster younger brother.

Asa's mind wandered back to those cherished moments, their laughter echoing in the corridors of her memory.

It felt like yesterday; Asa could still hear the clear laughter of the young boy who had handed her a stolen white ribbon with a big grin on his face.

"Big sister, you must look super pretty if you have long hair," he would chirp, staring at Asa's back as they walked through the woods to hunt for food.

"You little brat," Asa stopped in her tracks, turning to face the young boy holding a sword scabbard almost as tall as him, feigning an upset expression. Her hand moved to point a bayonet that was still sleeping under its scabbard at the grinning boy. "Are you saying that I am not pretty now?"

The little boy's laughter filled the quiet woods. "Well," he said, mischievous gaze twinkling in his eyes. "I am just saying but you are free to make an assumption." With that, he ran away playfully into the deeper woods.

Asa chuckled and continued her steps to chase after her cheeky little brother.

Daniel, or Dan for short, had been living with Asa for three years. Back then, Asa found a boy who could barely walk, crying near the woods, clutching a mysterious sword tightly in his hand. 

Years ago, there were no high walls separating her living area from the outside world. The entire neighborhood survived by hunting in the woods, trading with people from other regions in Antara, or even those outside of Antara.

Asa had grown up all alone, without parents or connections. She felt lucky to be taken care of by the neighborhood in the Upper North Region. So, she wanted to do the same for the small boy she found near the woods.

They bonded over time. The toddler turned seven years old. Spoiled by his sister every day, he became a cheeky boy with a warm heart.

Then, Crystal Doom, a deadly virus struck Antara, changing everything drastically.

The Upper North Region had suddenly become quiet with the decreasing population. The wind sounded louder, and the creak of the window seemed clearer.

Asa and Dan slept side by side, as they had for years.

Dan stared at the ceiling, his gaze fixed on nothing in particular but unblinking. "Big sis," he called.

Asa, with her eyes closed and on the brink of drifting off to dreamland, just hummed in response.

"Do you have a dream?" Dan asked.

The question intrigued Asa for a moment. A dream? Did she have one?

Asa had always lived her life just for the sake of living. She had never really thought about what her ideal future would look like. Maybe deep down, she always thought a dream was something a poor orphan like her couldn't afford.

So, she took her time to think about what she wanted her future to be. "I want to marry a good man," she began.

Before she could finish her sentence, a hearty laughter filled the quiet room.

Asa turned her head so fast, offended by the laughter the boy made. She lightly punched his shoulder to express her offense.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just…" he stopped between his words to calm his laughter down. "I just never thought someone as fierce as you would have such a romantic dream."

Asa pinched her brother's arm, voicing her offense. "I haven't even said anything! Why are you so quick to label it romantic?"

"Alright, alright!" Finally, Dan's laughter died down, though a mocking expression still lingered on his face. "I'm sorry, big sis. Tell me now, you want to marry a good man, and?"

This time, Asa turned her gaze to the ceiling, which was finally being ignored by Dan. She spoke of her dreams. "That man should be strong, so he can protect both you and me. He has to be kind, so he will make us happy. Most importantly, he has to be rich. That way we don't have to hunt for food anymore."

"Enough about that imaginary man of yours, big sis. Let's talk about you. What do you want to be in the future?"

"Me? I want to be a good wife too. I want to wait for him to come home after a long day of work. I want to put warm dishes on the table and eat dinner together with him. Then… then, maybe we can have a baby."

Another burst of laughter filled the room. This time, it was even louder than before.

"Shut up!" Asa punched her foster brother's arm again, this time using more force, making the boy rub his arms. But it wasn't strong enough to stop his laughter.

"Whatever. Go to sleep!" Asa finally said, turning her back to a laughing Dan, who had finally grown tired of laughing.

Another quiet night greeted the siblings once again.

Dan stared at the back of the person he had known all his life, a smile on his childish face. This time, it wasn't a mocking smile.

"Don't worry, big sis," he said with a big grin on his face, "I will help you make your dream come true."

That night passed in a blink of an eye. Without realizing, time flew by and Dan was snatched out of Asa's life.

Asa have now grown up to be a lady. Her hair has been grown long. It's always been put into a high ponytail using a white ribbon Dan gave her in one random evening years ago.

She shook off the nostalgic memories from her head. Hand reaching out the sword that Dan used to take everywhere with him.

There's no time to be drown in the memory of the past. The old Asa who bow in the feet of fate is dead now. This time, with sword in hand, she swore she will take her live under her own control.

"Fate can try me," she said, "I will fight it to death if it tries."