Dreams roiled in Yu's sleep. The events of the day replayed in his mind. The fear, anxiety, and adrenaline of the event that propelled him to take action. The sounds of screams and the scent of blood that struck something deep within his heart. They jumped from one point of the memory to another.
Suddenly, the dream sequence jumped to another scene.
It was white. The lands stretched for miles without the end in sight. Yu was stunned by the purity of the landscape. He turned around. Towering mountains stood in a distance. The snow covered their blueish rocky peaks. Glaciers hugged their sides and merged with the land below.
Yu heard the sound of crunching snow. He turned towards the sound and saw a little girl trudging through the snow. She was wearing thick, fur-lined clothes with a warm hat that fit snugly on her head. Her long, straight hair flowed down to her waist. It was loosely held by a scarf that wrapped several loops around her neck.
She did not seem to notice Yu and continued on with her journey. Deep longing arose from the depths of his heart when he saw her. His hand reached out to her, but he was stuck in his spot. He wanted to call out to her and see her face, but he could not vocalize any sound.
The little girl walked farther and farther away from him. Soon, her small body became smaller the farther she went. Suddenly, she stopped, paused, and turned. Their eyes met each other. A chilling breeze blew across the landscape.
Her lime-blonde hair danced like ribbons in the wind. Her violet eyes twinkled mischievously in contrast to her pale ivory skin. They squinted as she gave the most dazzling smile possible. Her cherry lips mouthed two words that were snatched away by the wind.
She waved cheerily and turned as if saying goodbye.
"Wait!" Yu tried to stop her but to no avail. She eventually disappeared into the horizon.
*****
Yu's eyes snapped open. Darkness greeted him. Burning embers crackled amidst its glow. A rough sheet covered him.
"Awake?" A gruff but gentle voice sounded.
Yu turned and saw Edward's weathered face shrouded in darkness. He sat up without difficulty.
'Wait, wasn't my back slashed open?' he suddenly realized. He twisted and groped his back. His skin was smooth and he felt the muscles under his skin.
"You were healed by that lady mage over there," Edward pointed to Lana that was fast asleep as he handed a drink to Yu.
"Mage? Magic?" Yu asked, puzzled.
"Yeah."
For some reason, Yu did not feel the same amazement that Elise felt when she first saw the magic performed on him. It was as if he already knew the effects of magic. However, Yu did not catch this detail. It was natural to him.
Edward was slightly surprised when Yu did not react much when he mentioned magic. To note, magic was not common among the masses.
Yu accepted the drink and looked around. They were still in the forest. He saw Elise and Gino sleeping next to him. Elise was curled up like a sleeping cat. Her cheeks were damp from her tears.
He was relieved when he saw Edward and his children safe. They had helped him the most compared to the other villagers and he felt a certain bond with them.
Yu looked towards the three strangers on the other side of the embers. The mage, Lana and the man who had wanted to kill him were fast asleep. The third man was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed.
"They are knights from the Institution of White Knights. The one leaning against the tree is Cenric Hayden, the leader of this group. He has a high perception," Edward explained while slipping in a slight warning.
Yu looked at the knights. He noted Edward's warning and looked at Cenric. The knight was seemingly resting, but Yu knew that he was awake and that he was listening to them. Edward's subtle warning indicated that Yu should be wary of his own words.
All these thoughts came naturally to Yu. It could be because of the actions of the muscular knight from before. Greysen had acted on his suspicions immediately before confirming Yu's identity. This made Yu feel cautious around the knights. Therefore, he did not trust them willingly.
Yu looked at Edward with a questioning gaze. He wanted to know what happened when he was unconscious.
Edward explained the events that happened. He made sure to inform Yu about the little lie that he had told the knights. Yu was surprised but immediately regained his composure. However, he was touched as Edward was willing to go to such lengths to protect him. His heart felt warm.
"I don't know how to repay you for all you've done for me," Yu let his thoughts slip and said softly.
"What are you talking about? You're my son," Edward placed his hand over Yu's shoulders and clasped the latter's arm. He gave a firm squeeze and grinned.
Yu felt a lump in his throat and his eyes turned slightly red. He blinked a few times and gripped Edward's hand in return. His eyes were covered by his long bangs as he looked downwards.
He also thought about all the dead villagers. The death of little Isla and the way she died saddened him, but he was not affected much by it. Yu though about his reactions towards the event. He felt apathetic toward the other villagers. Inversely, he felt a strong desire to help and protect Edward and his family. This could just be him feeling indebted to Edward and this feeling extended to Edward's children.
"What's next?" Yu asked after he suppressed his turbulent emotions.
"I'm not too sure yet. The events yesterday was hectic. Everyone needed time to process what happened, especially Elise. Cenric told me that he will discuss with us tomorrow when we have rested enough,"
Yu nodded. Suddenly, he remembered the little girl from his dream. He almost talked to Edward about it when he stopped himself.
'This isn't the right time to talk about it. The knights think that I'm Edward's son. They can't know that I've lost my memories,' he thought as he bit his lip.
"You should sleep. There are a few more hours before dawn. Tomorrow will be another day of traveling," Edward advised.
Yu could only bury his question and wait for a better chance to ask Edward. He laid down and closed his eyes. Sleep came almost immediately.
*****
Dawn came in the mist-shrouded forest. The chilly morning would have been the best condition for one to sleep in. However, the group of humans was in a forest with potential perils. They freshened up and had a few bites of dry rations for breakfast.
Elise sat with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her chin rested on her knees as she was in deep thought. She was not her usual cheerful self.
Yu saw the brooding Elise and was reminded of himself. Was he not the same a few days ago? After the wolf attack, he felt that he could not continue brooding. Survival was more important. He would think about his memory loss after he got out this forest into a safe place.
He recalled Elise making the effort to keep him company and comfort him. He sighed and made his way to Elise.
"You should eat something," Yu said as he handed her some dry food.
Elise did not respond to him but gripped her shins tighter.
"Everyone's dead," she said softly.
"No. Father and Gino is still here," Yu comforted Elise. He called Edward father to keep up appearances.
Elise raised her head and looked at Yu. Her cheeks were stained with tears. Her eyes were slightly puffy from crying all night. She saw his blood-stained pants and held the edge of his shirt with her fingers.
"You almost died too," she whispered.
"Yes, but I'm still here. We're all still here."
Elise looked up to his face. She saw the same unfathomably deep dark eyes she saw on the day before. The same strange calmness washed over her. She still had the same puffy eyes, but it was clear as still lake.
Her chest heaved as she took a few deep breaths. Determination burned in her eyes.
"I don't anyone else to die. Not ever again."
Yu nodded at her determination and smiled gently.
"Alright, it seems that everyone had somewhat recovered from yesterday's ordeal," Cenric addressed the group.
"Hold on, before we go further, there's something that I what to make sure," Greysen interrupted.
"What is it?" Lana asked, clearly annoyed.
Greysen pointed towards Yu, shifted his finger towards Edward and said, "I still don't believe that this boy is the son of that man."
Yu tensed. What was this towering musclehead up to? He gulped nervously.
"Why are you still insisting on this?" Lana clenched her fists.
"I had compromised with you yesterday. You said that it won't be too late to heal the boy before questioning him. Well, he is now healed," Greysen spread his arms before he continued.
"I say, let's make sure that he's not a spy No harm in doing that right?."
Lana frowned but remained silent. There was no reason to refuse Greysen's request. He was not being unreasonable.
"Boss?" Greysen asked Cenric.
"I see no reason not to."
Although Greysen was unreasonable in his methods the previous day, he had reason to be wary of spies. It was common for Farling to spy on their neighbor in the North. The two countries were not at war, but their relationship was strained due to previous skirmishes. On the surface, the two countries were in a truce to protect their economy, but both sides were looking for loopholes to exploit the other for their own benefit.
However, Greysen missed a crucial point. Spies were not easy to spot. They were meant to be hidden to commit espionage. At least, they would not be so brazen to leave their hair red. Nevertheless, the tense relations between both countries extended to their soldiers. This made Greysen and the knights over suspicious.
A glint flashed in Greysen's eyes as he thought of an idea to test the credibility of Edward's story. He pointed at Elise.
"You. Girl, come over here. I have a question for you."
Elise looked at her father before looking back at Greysen. She looked at her father again.
Edward nodded.
Elise walked towards Greysen cautiously. She bit her lip and her head was slightly lowered. When she got about five feet from Greysen, she stopped and inched forward with tiny steps.
"Girl, am I that scary to you?"
Elise saw the ferocious man in front of her and was reminded of the large sword slashing down towards her. She paled considerably. However, she bit her lip and took larger steps instead.
"Come closer," Greysen beckoned.
When Elise was close enough, he whispered a few words. Elise was surprised but appeared to think hard about something. She blinked a few times before she whispered something back in return. Their whispered conversation went back and forth During that time, Elise glanced several times at Yu.
When they were done, Elise looked at Yu hopefully. Greysen grinned triumphantly as if he had gotten something precious. Yu looked at Elise and gulped. He hoped that he could pass Greysen's test.
"Boy, if you grew up together with them, you should know this," Greysen said.
"Tell me about the only time when Gino won the argument against Elise."
Figurative bells rang in Yu's head.
'I see, so that's how it is,' Yu thought. He smiled in his heart.
Yu blinked in response and looked up. He pretended to search for his memories.
"Gino and Elise always argue with each other, how am I going to remember the exact one?"
"Oh? Are you trying to evade the question now? It's 'the only' time that Gino won."
Yu furrowed his eyebrows and pretended to look frustrated. He gazed at the forest floor for a few moments.
"Is it the time when Gino was successful in making the poultice?"
"No, you're wrong. Hah, I knew it. Your story was a lie!" Greysen gripped his greatsword.
Elise looked at Yu anxiously. She did not expect Yu to answer the question incorrectly.
"Hold, Greysen. Give him a chance. The event was many years back," Cenric stopped Greysen. He heard about the story that Elise had whispered to Greysen previously with his enhanced perception.
Greysen loosened his grip on his sword. His mouth twitched.
Yu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that his act was still in play. Once again, he thought hard.
"Was… was it during the time when we were at the river behind our house? Gino was ten while Elise was eight. We caught a large Golden Scale and argued about the best way to cook the fish," Yu started the story.
He saw the recognition in Greysen's eyes and continued.
"Gino suggested that we should coat it with ale and fry it. Elise said that it was a waste of ale. In the end, father agreed to Gino's suggestion."
Greysen nodded his head and pondered.
'Great, I've answered his question in a believable fashion. There should be no problems,' Yu exhaled.
Suddenly, Greysen raised his head and asked, "You didn't mention your age. How old were you at the time?"
Yu froze. He would not know the answer. He was not there. His mind was spinning. What number should he say? What if the number that he said was different from what Elise said?
'There's no time to think! I have to pick a number!' Yu screamed in his mind.
"I was nine," Yu said the number that first appeared in his head.
"Really? I thought you were eleven?" Greysen asked slyly.
'Damn you!' Yu cursed inside and grit his teeth.
"Really. I was nine," Yu said, his face showing no emotion.
He decided to stick to his initial answer. Cold sweat soaked his back.
"Are you really sure? If you admit that you're a spy, I will spare your life," Greysen said as he set his verbal trap.
Yu nodded confidently.
Greysen stared at Yu for a few more seconds. He was trying to intimidate Yu into giving the wrong answer. Yu stared back at him. The staredown continued for ten long seconds before Greysen relented.
"Alright, I believe you now. Damn, intermarriage between an Arbeannean and a Farling," he tutted.
Yu exhaled in relief. His luck had held up somehow.
Elise beamed at Yu. They shared an unspoken victorious moment with each other.
"Right, now that's out of the way, let's talk about our next steps," Cenric said.
Now that the suspicion of a spy had been resolved, the knights explained their mission to the Edward and group. They were sent to the forest on a mission to search for the source of corruption. Escorting villagers was not their main priority and could disrupt their mission.
However, leaving villagers to fend for themselves was not an option. The forest had its perils, especially from the corrupted beasts. They could travel across the prairie but might get attacked by bandits.
Hence, the villagers had two choices: One was to tag along with the knights to look for the source of corruption. The knights could not guarantee their safety and will focus on their mission. The other was for the villagers to try to reach the nearest town via prairie. However, they were prone to bandit attacks and possible beast attacks.
Hearing the word bandits, Elise shivered. She would rather follow the knights than meet the bandits again. The teenagers looked at Edward and waited for his input.
Edward weighed the options.
"I think that we should follow the knights. Even though it might be more dangerous, the chances of surviving are higher," Edward chuckled dryly.
Yu agreed. He felt that it was a better option to follow the knights.
Elise and Gino nodded their heads at their father's suggestion.
"I see that we've come to a decision. Alright, let's go," Cenric said.
The group broke camp and geared up for the long trek in the forest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N (because Author's Thought cannot exceed 500 words):
Thank you for reading so far. From now on, I will be posting on alternate days (Mon, Wed, Fri, & Sun). This is to stock up chapters. I will follow this schedule until further notice (until my life schedule becomes less erratic).
I really, really, appreciate those of you that read and keep this novel in your collection. Even if my current audience is minuscule, I am very glad. Just imagine, out of billions of humans, we are connected together via this novel. Isn't that amazing?
Cheers, and excuse my long-windedness.
(2019-06-20)