Seeds of Hope

“I know we didn’t really get much time to talk, but… are you guys okay?” Roman asked, glancing around the group, his gaze lingering on Jessika and Lexi.

“Yeah, we’re okay. Thank you for saving us... but... why?” Lexi’s voice was soft, unsure. Her hands fidgeted as she clutched them together. “Why did you leave us? Why did you run?”

Roman’s heart sank. He had expected this question, but the weight of it still caught him off guard. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice low and honest. “I saw the fear in your eyes, Lexi. I thought… I thought you were terrified of me.”

“What?! I wasn’t scared of you!” Lexi’s voice wavered, trembling at first, but quickly gained strength, the shyness beginning to crack.

“It sure looked like it,” Roman said quietly, regret clouding his gaze. “When you looked at me after I… after I killed those men, you looked so scared, like I was a monster. I didn’t know how to handle that. So I ran. I didn’t want to make things worse for you, or for any of you.” He paused, guilt weighing heavily on each word. “I’m sorry for leaving you all alone… and vulnerable.”

Lexi’s hands balled into fists, her voice rising with a mix of anger and hurt. “I wasn’t scared of you!” she shouted, the timid girl disappearing in the heat of the moment. “Yes, I was scared—but not of you! I was terrified of what was happening! The chaos, the blood, the killing—it was overwhelming! But you… you saved me, Roman. You didn’t scare me… you protected me!”

Tears welled in her eyes as she stepped closer. Her voice softened, but her words carried no less conviction. “You’re not a monster, Roman. I wasn’t afraid of you… I was afraid for you. I was terrified that you’d gotten hurt.”

Roman’s chest tightened, the realization of how deeply he had misunderstood the situation washing over him like a cold wave. He opened his mouth, but for a moment, no words came out. He hadn’t expected this—a truth so far from what he had believed.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “I didn’t know…”

Jessika, who had been silent until now, placed a comforting hand on Lexi’s shoulder. “She’s right, Roman. None of us were afraid of you. We were afraid of everything else, but not you. You’ve always been there for us.”

Roman looked between them, his guilt replaced by something warmer. He had run, thinking he was sparing them from his darkness, but in truth, they had never seen him that way. They had seen him as their protector.

Lexi stepped even closer, gently grabbing his hand and holding it tightly in hers. She looked up into his eyes, her voice steady but her cheeks flushed. “From the moment you walked up to our fire, it felt like you belonged with us. Like you were the missing piece we didn’t know we needed. And…” She smiled shyly, her voice becoming bold. “It doesn’t hurt that you’re crazy handsome.”

Roman blinked, caught off guard by her forwardness, but he noticed the shy blush spreading across her face. He chuckled softly. “You’re right. Nobody could be scared of my devastating good looks,” he teased, smirking as Lexi tried to pull her hand away. He gripped it tighter, playfully refusing to let her retreat.

Seth, standing nearby, grinned and rolled his eyes dramatically. “Oh great, now he’s going to be completely insufferable. We’ll never hear the end of his ‘devastating good looks.’”

Jessika chuckled softly, crossing her arms. “Well, I can’t say she’s wrong, Roman,” she teased, raising an eyebrow. “But if you start acting like royalty, we’ll have to bring you down a peg or two.”

Roman grinned back. “Don’t worry, there’s only one prince here,” he said, turning to Seth. “Speaking of which, you’ve got some explaining to do.”

Still holding Lexi’s hand, which now felt natural, Roman didn’t think much about it. Seth shifted uncomfortably.

“Oh… uh… yeah,” Seth stammered, scratching the back of his neck.

“That’s all you’ve got?!” Jessika blurted, throwing her hands up. “I knew you were some kind of wealthy noble, but the Crown Prince?!”

“I’m sorry,” Seth said, his voice apologetic. “I just needed you guys to focus on escaping, not treating me differently. And I didn’t want you to think of me as ‘the prince.’”

Jessika huffed. “Yeah, whatever. Between Roman’s insane strength and your royal status… what’s next? Lexi, are you secretly a princess or something?”

Lexi giggled. “Not that I know of.”

The group fell into a comfortable silence, soft smiles playing on their faces. Z, who had been quietly observing the exchange, finally spoke up, his dry tone breaking the moment. “Roman, lucky for you that your fighting skills match your looks, or we’d have left you behind a long time ago.”

Lexi, still blushing, tried once more to pull her hand free, but Roman held on tighter. She laughed nervously, her face flushed with warmth. “Don’t get too cocky now, Roman.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Roman replied with a smirk, their eyes meeting. For the first time in what felt like forever, the group shared a moment of genuine levity—a brief reprieve from the chaos surrounding them.

Seth walked over, clapping Roman on the back. “In all seriousness, man, you’re one of us. Don’t forget that. We’re in this together.”

Roman’s smirk softened into a genuine smile as he looked at his friends, the weight of their acceptance washing over him. For the first time since entering this world, he didn’t feel like an outsider. He felt like he had a place—among people who had his back, no matter how tough things got.

“Thanks, guys,” Roman said, looking around at each of them. “I won’t let you down.”

Jessika nodded with a grin. “We know you won’t. Now, let’s go kill some monsters and level up! I’m this close to hitting level 20 and getting my class upgrade!”

“Oh right! I don’t think I ever asked—what levels are you guys? Like, are you average, or on the stronger side?” Roman asked.

Z answered first. “We’re on the upper side for adventurers, but still weak compared to the top fighters in the kingdom. I’m level 18.”

“Same here,” Seth added.

“Sixteen,” Lexi said, a little embarrassed.

“And I’m 19, almost 20!” Jessika said excitedly before turning to Lexi. “I’m sorry, Lex.”

“No, it’s fine. I started later than you guys, but I’m catching up!” Lexi smiled, cheering herself up.

“Right!” Jessika agreed.

Roman looked thoughtful. “That’s awesome. I wonder what my level would be if my system worked.”

Seth chuckled. “Uh, probably like level 90, based on the stats we saw.”

“What?! That high?” Roman asked, surprised.

Seth shrugged. “Maybe not that high, but one of the top royal guards is level 80, and your strength is higher than his. But levels aren’t all about two stats, so who knows. I didn’t see many skills either, so I’d guess you’ve got crazy stats but low skill level. You’d have unlocked more if you were higher level.”

Roman frowned in thought. “So you get skills from leveling up your class… but what if you don’t have a class?”

Z chimed in. “I have no idea. Everyone I know has a class—even homeless people in the slums have the peasant class. You’ve gotta be an odd case.”

Roman’s mind raced as he considered this. He had unlocked a few skills on his own, like flash step and elemental damage for his glaive, but he had done it through sheer effort, not by leveling up.

Then the thought appeared to him…

Do I just need to create my own skills?