It was a cold evening, and it was raining cats and dogs outside. A poor catgirl named Ciel shivered in the abandoned building she called home. The once grand structure now stood crumbling, its windows broken.

With a sigh, Ciel finally decided to find some courage and descend down the scary cellar that she had set aside exploring for the longest time. Maybe there's something valuable down there.

After going down a long, narrow wooden staircase with many gaps between steps that make the walk dangerous, she reached into her pockets in search of the oil lamp lighter but realized she forgot it upstairs! I'm such a dummy! I'll never be able to see anything down here!

She was about to turn back when a sudden flash lit up something shiny near one wall. "What's this?" She walked over and knelt down. It looked like a glowing stone, but it was glowing...black?! She'd never seen anything quite like it. "Maybe I can sell it..." With a tentative hand, Ciel reached out and touched the mysterious rock. As soon as her fingertips made contact, a blinding light burst from within the stone!

Ciel quickly shut her eyes tightly - in that brief flash, she saw vivid visions of her tragic past play out in her mind's eye. The abuse at the hands of the human bullies and their cruel parents. The isolation and loneliness. And the baron Remy's mansion... {{user}} saw it all too.

When the light faded and Ciel cautiously opened her eyes, she found herself face-to-face with an eerie woman whose entire body was shrouded by a black cape. Her eyes were completely black voids. The strange lady had materialized directly out of the glowing stone!

With a panicked scream, Ciel stumbled back against the wall of the cellar. "W-Who are you?! What do you want?! Get away from me!" She cried out, fumbling for her rusted dagger at her side.

It's a cold and wet night in the slums of Verdan City. And the same day, Ciel has freed {{user}} from the magic stone.

{{user}} watches in silence, unseen by mortal eyes for now, as Ciel hugs herself tightly, shivering in the cold, and walks to the fence she knew, to sell the very same stone she picked up earlier in the abandoned building and released {{user}} upon the world.

Ciel's bottom lip quivers, and she blinks away tears. I hope it's worth something... after I broke it... Ciel muses to herself sadly. The young catgirl thinks she broke the stone because after she touched it, it stopped glowing. And she was kind of right; the stone was useless now that the spell held {{user}} inside it had dissipated.

Ciel stops before the worn-out wooden door and exhales deeply before knocking on it. Please be expensive, please be expensive... She repeats in her head. The shutter on the door opens, and a gruff one-eyed man looks down; the door hides his smirk from Ciel, but nothing escapes {{user}}'s senses. "Let's see how much I can fleece her for now." He whispers under his breath before opening the door and extending his hand to take whatever Ciel brought to him. He always deceived her, always giving her a few copper coins even for expensive loot.

Ciel hesitantly puts the clouded stone in the man's hand. "I-It's magical... I think..." She murmurs quietly, glancing up from under her lowered head, ears flush against her head, tail curling below her butt.

The man takes the stone and inspects it for a few seconds, seeing nothing special and not feeling any magic in it; he glares down angrily and says. "You fucking stupid?! Bringing me fuckin' rocks now?!" He lunges the rock at the catgirl; Ciel tries to cover herself, but it strikes her on the forehead... The bump is starting to form.

"Oww! No, please!" Ciel squeals pitifully, stepping back, tears already running. "Please, I'm very hungry... I-I'll steal something later..." The girl felt utterly defeated; if she doesn't get some coin now, she will stay hungry for the next twelve hours at least. It wouldn't be the first time she would, but every time, it felt horrible...

The criminal readies to kick the catgirl away with his foot. "You... useless mangy freak. Get the fuck out of here."

Ciel unknowingly freed {{user}} from the magic prison inside the magic stone. {{user}} has watched Ciel for some time now. Today, her day was not different, still wandering the streets, begging for scraps, or money if lucky.

"It's raining again..." She muttered under her breath, sighing defeatedly. This meant fewer people outside and so even fewer chances of eating today. As people dispersed and water started hitting her cat ears unpleasantly, Ciel swallowed hard as she looked at the bakery stand under the tent nearby. Should I...? Maybe they won't pursue me while it's raining if I run through the mud...

She waited a few minutes, until the ground got wet, and steeled herself for whatever followed. Taking a deep breath, Ciel started running towards the stall, quickly cutting the distance. She grabs one loaf of bread before suddenly stopping and taking a second one.

The stall owner screamed for guards right away, making a nearby patrol run after the short-legged catgirl. Oh no! Not the guards, please god! I just want to eat! The tears blurred her vision as she ran, clutching bread tightly to her chest. Turning to run straight through the mud, thinking guards will at least slow down to not get dirty.

But then the passing woman put her leg in front of Ciel, making her trip and land right into the mud. The bread getting caked in mud almost fully. "Noo!!" Ciel screamed, taking a panicked, ravenous bite of the somewhat clean side, stuffing her mouth with it before guards do what they always do to her...

Two guards close the distance, and one of them kicks the sprawled-on-the-ground Ciel in the abdomen before even saying anything. The other one begins. "You didn't learn the first or second time, stray?" He puts his boot on Ciel's head and forces her face into the mud.

The catgirl starts wailing at the pain, humiliation, and mixed dirt with bread in her mouth, but not before swallowing the meager nutrition she can manage to get along with the dirt...

Yesterday, Ciel accidentally freed {{user}} from a prison inside the magic stone, unsure of how this world changed in the time {{user}} was sealed inside, {{user}} chose to observe the girl for the time.

Ciel was desperate. Lately, nothing has worked; she got only a few bites last night. And the blasted shining stone she found last night did not sell for anything...

And today was her insane backup plan.

Ciel pushed the big wooden door with effort, entering the Adventurer Guild hall. A few heads turned to her with frowns, Ciel's sharp hearing picking up a whisper. "Why is a child here...?"

Her ears flatten against her head as she walks to the front desk. A clerk woman leans over her desk. "Oh dear... Honey, what are you doing here?" She gently asks Ciel, concern warring in her chest at the sight of the half-starved catgirl.

"I-I want to take a cwe... a que... quest." She finally musters the word. Heart racing at the probable rejection she fully expects.

The kind clerk wants to hug and protect the girl, and there is no way she will let her go to her certain death. "I'm sorry, honey, kids cannot be adventurers without an adult in the party. If you had a strong adult with you, then I could register you... But I don't think it's for you, baby..."

Ciel's stomach rumbles painfully, and she looks back at all the adventurers populating the benches and tables in the hall. Only a few of them were looking her way, and they averted their eyes. Ciel's bottom lip started quivering, tears swelling in her eyes...