I knock on the door to Sammy`s house to no response. I knock a second time, a bit louder, and again, no response. With a bit of trepidation in my fingers, I muster the courage to turn the knob and peer inside, looking around for any signs of activity when the door is pried from my fingers. I`m now standing face-to-face with Sammy and my heart skips two beats.

　　"Oh, Ash! I didn`t realize that was you! Hang on a second." Sammy turns around and shouts toward the back. "Alright, Mom, I`m heading out again! I`ll be back in an hour!"

　　I faintly hear a muffled voice, but can`t make out the words before Sammy slides beside me and closes the door behind her. I quickly regain my composure as she meanders about the dusty road outside her family`s home and follow alongside her as she leads me on a tour of Penne. I already know most of what she says. She lives next door to the Bluefields and has a bit of a spat with their son - I wouldn`t mind decking him myself, based on what little I remember from the game. Next door is the town herbalist and doctor, Mr. Greton - I`ll need to visit his place later. And we pass by a few other buildings. A large but fairly plain building in the center of town serves as a makeshift town hall, storm shelter, and gathering place for funerals, weddings, and other occasions, and a couple of other houses of residents I vaguely remember from the game but don`t play any significance.

　　It`s late afternoon and the sun approaches the western horizon when we`re done with our tour of the town and we finally return to Sammy`s home to find a massive feast - a hero`s banquet, if I may be presumptuous - awaiting us. Some sort of savory meat dish coated in some sort of sauce makes my mouth water, and the aroma of ginger and nutmeg reminds me of the holidays back home. To either side of the meat, a pair of side dishes lay - one looks to be some sort of rice dish, while the other looks like pasta salad.

　　"Now, you must be Miss Ash," a middle-aged woman`s voice says. "Please, don`t be shy. Go ahead, come on in, get some food, and make yourself at home."

　　"Mother!" Sammy says. "I know you want to thank her for helping me out, but isn`t this extreme? We haven`t had this much food since the big harvest eight seasons ago!"

　　My stomach roars so loud my face turns red with shame. I was hungry before when I arrived in this world, but seeing all this food has sent my appetite through the stratosphere. I approach the table with trepidation, but after encountering no resistance from either Sammy or her mother, Giada, caution turns to reckless abandon as I grab three pieces of meat, a roll and a heaping portion of the rice dish.

　　Oh gosh, this food is delicious. I`d say it`s worth dying for, but having literally died for this already today, I`m not sure I`m keen on repeating the experience anytime soon. All semblance of dignity and good table matters flies out the window as I scarf down bite after bite, stopping only long enough to breathe and occasionally sate my thirst with some of the crispest, cleanest water I`ve ever had.

　　The door opens and I freeze in my tracks, cheeks still puffed with food. Sammy`s father, Arnron, enters. LSO has mostly sprite graphics, so I never really got a sense for how he looked, but seeing him now makes me shudder. At least a full head taller than I, muscular as hell, with a scruffy beard and more than a few scars on his face. I shrink in my seat and I struggle to swallow the food in my mouth as he approaches me.

　　He stares at me; I struggle to return his eye contact. The room grows silent save for the beat of my heart and the trepidation of my knees. A second passes, and each additional second feels like another lifetime gone by as he looks me over.

　　"Word is that you saved my daughter from some monsters," he finally says.

　　I slowly nod. "Y-Yes, sir. But it was just some slimes"

　　He turns to Sammy. "I told you not to leave the village without someone looking after you! Especially ever since the Calamity!"

　　"But it was just a few hundred paces out of the village! I needed to grab some herbs for Mr. Greton and I stayed within sight of the village the whole time! You can`t baby me; I`m already twenty-"

　　"Enough of this!" Mr. Relford yells.

　　"No!" Sammy jumps out of her seat and runs out the door.

　　My mind wants to rush after her, but my body is frozen with fear at the mere glance of Mr. Relford. Instead I can only sheepishly sit there, watching it all unfold, and a part of me wishes for the sweet embrace of death to reclaim my soul. After another eternity of silence, he turns back to me.

　　"Judging by your appearance, you are not from around here. From where do you hail?"

　　I freeze yet again. "I am unsure how to answer that question. I can say only that I am from a place very very far away, and that even if I wanted to, I would have no way of returning."If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

　　"I trust you are aware of the great Calamity that has befallen this land?"

　　The story of LSO isn`t particularly innovative, even by the standards of when it came out twenty years ago. The planet of Aravia is protected by a powerful star gifted to them by the goddess from time immemorial. However, six months ago, during an event known by the people as the Calamity`, the Star was shattered into seven pieces and scattered throughout the land. As a result of losing the goddess`s protection, any number of strange happenings have taken place. Monster attacks, storms and other natural disasters, deserts turning to snow, melting of regions that have been glaciated for millennia. The game begins in earnest when Sammy and the protagonist leave Penne and head on a journey to find the seven shards and reforge the Goddess`s Star.

　　"I know the basics," I finally say.

　　"Then, I would like to make a request. In the days after the Calamity, our daughter started& changing. About a month after the Calamity, she awakened to magical potential within her. And more than that, she`s been venturing further and further out into the outside world. This isn`t the first time she`s gone outside the village, seeking herbs and doing small tasks. Something is calling to her, seeking her out. I`ve long forbidden her, out of fear for her safety, but I know I will not be able to shelter her much longer. Even if I order her to stay, she will just sneak out one day, off to whatever destiny has in store for her."

　　This part is new and my ears perk up. In the game, Sammy`s powers are mentioned just as he says, but this is the first time I`ve heard that she only developed them recently. My previously unflappable confidence after grabbing the Ice Sword wavers slightly as I wonder what else might not be as I expect.

　　Mr. Relford continued. "I`ve heard you`re a traveler. I can`t ask you to do so, but if I may request that you accompany my daughter, I would appreciate it."

　　My heart is racing again, though this time in anticipation of traveling with her. It shouldn`t be - I know well enough how this story goes that this happens and she joins the protagonist whether you want her to or not. But the fact that her father is, in some way I can justify in my mind, asking me to be with his daughter - my crush - fills me with glee. Though, I suppress my giddiness and try to keep a smile from bursting onto my face. To mixed success.

　　"I cannot guarantee she will agree, but I will talk to her. In either case, would you vouch for me to have a place to rest for the evening? I-"

　　"Of course, Miss Ash," Giada says. "We have a spare bedroom. It`s the least we can do after you saved our daughter."

　　I smile and stand up. "I`ll go now. Please save some of that dessert for me - it looks scrumptious!"

　　With a nod to Mr. Relford, I leave their home and wander through the streets of Penne under the twilight sky. Stars poke out of the sky, one by one, and before long, there are hundreds, then thousands, then millions. My thoughts drift back to Earth, back to my family, as I wonder if our sun is one of the endless multitude of stars shining among the sky. I hope that my parents are handling the news okay, and that my body is being preserved as I requested while I was dead.

　　It doesn`t take long to find Sammy, crying by a small creek on the edge of town. After watching for a moment, I muster the courage to sit down a few feet away from her and greet her with a smile and a wave. It`s hard to see with only the pale light of the half moon, but her eyes reveal that she`s been crying for a while, and, seeing the sadness in her eyes, I scoot a bit closer to her.

　　"Did my father tell you to come get me? He`s so stubborn! I`m almost twenty-one, I`m not a kid anymore, and I`m tired of living under his so-called protection!` " She conjures a small bolt of fire and chucks it into the creek, briefly illuminating her pretty face before the water sizzles and dispels her magic.

　　"I get it, he wants to protect me! He cares about me, wants me to always be his little girl.` But I can`t do that anymore! I have to go! I need to figure out why I got these powers, what my purpose is, and who I really am!"

　　I place my hand on Sammy`s shoulder and nod. "I know. And I think he knows. It was the same way with my parents when I was about your age. And probably the same for most parents. No matter how much they want to shelter you from the realities of the outside world, at some point, every parent`s final challenge is to let go, to trust that they`ve done a good enough job raising you that you can spread your wings and fly off to whatever the world has in store for you."

　　"So then?" She trails off without finishing.

　　I nod again. "He asked that I accompany you, at least for the start. I am trying to find out some things as well, and I think that if we work together, we`ll have a better chance at each of us reaching our goals than going it alone."

　　For the first time this conversation, her sniffles subside, and a smile breaks through her face and eyes alike. She jumps into my lap and I about have a heart attack from the surprise of it all. And oh goodness her hands pressing into my legs are so warm I could melt right here just like the jellies from earlier!

　　"So, uh-" True to form, Sammy gets really shy when she gets nervous.

　　"Let`s go back to your place. I know you want to leave, but it`s a bit late to head out tonight. Let`s go have dessert and spend one last night with your family, and then we`ll leave early tomorrow morning." I wink at her. "And if your father changes his mind and tries to stop us, I`ll sneak you out of Penne myself. Trust me, I know a few ways."

　　Sammy blushes ever so slightly as I help her back to her feet and we walk back to her house. Another buzz alerts me to my status screen and I notice her parameters have been added to my interface.

　　Experience: 9

　　To Next Level: 11

　　Sammy Relford

　　Level 1

　　HP

　　95 / 95

　　MP

　　33 / 45