I ran as fast as I could, still hearing footsteps behind me. I looked back to see the brown-haired man chasing me.

"Get back here and fight me! Wood-Make: Wood Wall!"

I snapped my head back around to see a wooden wall rise up in front of me. I smirked and quickly jumped up, skillfully climbing my way over and continuing my current pace.

"Wood-Make: Arrow Storm!"

"Shadow Claws."

Feeling the shadows envelop my hands, I stopped in my tracks and spun around. With the wooden arrows flying toward me, I slashed my claws at them, cutting them to pieces.

I glared at the man from under my hood and said, "I'm done running. You want to fight me? Fine."

I charged forward, dodging his attempts to stop me and repeatedly clawed at him. He managed to knock me back with a large fist made of wood.

I landed on my feet, watching the man now covered in scratches and panting lightly. A small smirk tugged at the corners of my lips.

"Shadow Sphere!"

I created an orb made from shadows between my palms. I threw it outwards at the man, watching it collide into him.

The shadows that covered my hands dispersed as the man fell to the ground, out of breath and magic energy. He struggled to get up and I walked over and stopped in front of him.

"I'd stay down if I were you."

The man gazed up at me, smirking as he chuckled slightly. "Don't think this is over. You may have beaten me, but there are much stronger wizards from my guild. They're going to be coming for you."

I frowned as I glared down at him. "They'll have to find me first."

I merged my body into the shadows at my feet and left the man behind in the forest. I quickly headed toward the nearby town and emerged in an empty alley.

This is the town known as Oshibana. With the sun already setting, I sat down on the hard pavement and leaned back against the side of the building. I tugged my dark cloak closer around my body as I attempted to keep warm and close my eyes.

My name is Freya Darkheart. I'm a wizard who specializes in shadow magic. I was born with the unique gift of precognition, which is the ability to have visions of future events.

I've been alone and on the run almost my whole life. I have no family. I have no friends. I only have myself. Which is a good thing because anyone who gets too close to me will be in danger.

I suddenly had an image flash through my mind. It was a person, a man to be exact. I instantly recognized his face and shot up in surprise.

I looked around the dark, empty alley before placing a hand against the side of my head. "Was that a dream, or a vision?"

I shook the thought out of my head. "Probably a dream. It has to be. It couldn't possibly be him, could it?"

I stared at the darkening sky for a moment before curling up and closing my eyes again. The next morning, I stole some breakfast and headed on my way. I should probably get away from here in case any more wizards start looking for me.

After about a day's walk, I found myself close to another town. I could see it in the distance. I believe that is Onibus Town. I suppose I can stop there for a bit and rest up.

Walking past the tall trees and nearing the town, I stumbled upon someone. It was a woman with long, wavy orange hair. She wore a simple green dress with brown boots and she carried a basket under her arm.

The woman's eyes widened when she saw me. She backed away slightly as if she were afraid of me. I quickly held up my hands to show her I meant no harm.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

I slowly slid my hood off my head, allowing her to see my face. She sighed and smiled, placing a hand over her chest.

"What a relief. With that black cloak you have on, I assumed you were from a dark guild or something."

I returned her smile and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm just passing through."

"That's quite alright."

"Um, if I may ask, what are you doing out here in the woods? You're not lost are you?"

She laughed lightly. "Oh no, I'm just out gathering herbs. I'm a healer, you see. My home isn't far from here."

I smiled slightly. "Well, I'll just be on my way then."

I started walking past her but quickly stopped when I felt her hand on my arm. I turned my head to look back at her to see her green eyes watching me with concern.

"Wait, you said you were passing through. You don't have anywhere to stay for the night, do you?"

I glanced up at the orange evening sky before meeting her gaze again. "Well...no."

"Then why don't you come stay at my house for the night?" she asked while giving a closed eye smile.

I quickly shook my head. "No, no, that's all right. I don't want to be any trouble."

"Nonsense, dear. It's no trouble at all. I insist you stay the night."

My eyes were wide as I gazed at her. She's being so kind to me. I finally returned her smile.

"Well, if you insist. Thank you very much."

She grinned happily at me. She turned and started walking with me following behind her. She suddenly glanced back at me.

"My name's Isla, by the way."

"I'm Freya."

We walked a little ways before coming to a small wooden house. "Here we are. Come on in."

I followed her inside and immediately took in the interior. The rooms were small and there wasn't a whole lot of furniture but I found it quite cozy. Heck, it beats sleeping out in an alley.

I only just noticed the dark green-haired man sitting on the couch, grinding plants in a small bowl. He looked up at Isla as she strolled over to him, placing the basket beside him.

"Liam, honey, this is Freya. She was passing through and I told her she could stay the night. I hope that's okay with you."

The man smiled kindly and looked at me. "Sure it is. Nice to meet you, Freya. I'm Liam. Please, make yourself at home."

"Thank you, sir. I'm very grateful," I replied.

"Dad! Dad!"

I looked past where Liam sat to see a little boy running down the stairs. He rushed over to Liam and held out a picture.

"Look, dad! I drew you, mom, and me in front of our house!"

Liam smiled down at the boy and looked at the colorful picture. "And look at that, you got the colors just right. I wouldn't be surprised if you became an artist one day."

The boy grinned happily before suddenly looking at me in confusion. Liam glanced at me. He looked down at the boy with dark green-hair similar to his own.

"Milo, this is Freya. She's going to be staying with us for the night."

"Really? Cool!" the boy exclaimed with excitement.

Isla suddenly chimed in, "Come on, let's get supper ready. You're welcome to join us, Freya."

I nodded and smiled. "I will, thank you."

We all went to the kitchen where Isla quickly fixed some type of stew. With everyone sitting at the table, I took a spoonful of the stew and placed it in my mouth, savoring the taste before swallowing. It's been quite sometime since I've had a meal this good.

"So, Freya, are you a wizard?" Isla suddenly asked me.

"I am. I use shadow magic."

I noticed a grin on Milo's face. "Cool! What guild are you in?!"

I smiled sadly and looked down at my food. "I'm afraid I'm not in one."

Liam cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Why's that?"

"It's...complicated," I answered.

"I see," Isla quietly said. "So you just travel then?"

I nodded. "Yeah, and even though I'm not in a guild, I still like to help people in need. What about you? Why do you live out here instead of in Onibus?"

Isla took a sad glance at Milo and began explaining, "Well you see, Milo was born with a weak immune system. It's easy for him to catch a number of illnesses. Being healers, my husband and I decided it was best to live outside of town where it was easy to gather the herbs and plants we needed to make medicines for him."

I frowned and looked over at Milo. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay though," Milo said with a grin. "I'm used to it. And I don't have to worry because mom and dad can cure me."

We soon finished our supper and Isla took Milo upstairs to his room. Liam started moving things and fixing up the couch with pillows and blankets.

"I'm afraid we don't have an extra bed so I hope you're okay with sleeping on the couch."

"That's fine. Thank you, Liam."

He turned the lights off and headed upstairs with a simple "goodnight". I removed my cloak and laid comfortably on the soft cushions and pulled the blankets around me. I closed my eyes and peacefully drifted off with a smile on my face.