I awoke somewhere warm. There was laughter and chatter in the next room over. I was covered in bandages and my joints were stiff, as if I hadn't moved in several days. However, despite a mild grogginess, I was essentially fully recovered. Looking out of the window, I saw stars glistened beautifully alongside the moon, which illuminated the many blades of grass with a pale tint. This was a nice contrast to the gritty, cramped camps I was forced into in the military.
The room was simply decorated. There were no standout features except maybe how spacious it was and there was a shrine to a deity in every corner of the room which were all of simple designs. Covering a portion of the wall to the left of me, there was a strange symbol. It seemed to be a book, with an arrow piercing through it with unrecognisable words circling it.
I tried getting out of the bed but my legs couldn't support my weight and I tumbled to the ground with a loud thud! All of a sudden, there was a convergence of shadows just outside the door, whispering. The whispering cut out as soon as one of them knocked at the door.
"You awake in there sleepy head?" A voice appeared, sounding feminine.
"Y-yes!" I stammered, struggling to speak due to the dryness of his throat.
The door swung open as a group of people walked in nonchalantly. I couldn't really see what they looked like though because of the low visibility.
"Are you sure he's the one that helped you? He doesn't look like much." A small boy said, looking bored.
What did he mean by helped? I don't remember helping anyone. Now that I think about it, I don't really remember much of what happened before the conscription. When was my birthday again? It's so frustrating! Why can't I remember anything!?
"Shame he's not a girl. We're low on them right now." An older man muttered, although I couldn't properly identify his face. It just seemed to morph into different faces whenever it looked like it was finally going to settle.
"I'm sure it's him! Look he even has a scar on his lip from when he helped me. Plus I never forget a face!" A girl in her late teens exclaimed.
I have a scar on my lip? I ran my finger along and there it was. A scar. But how did I get it? Maybe in that battle. No, that's impossible. It wouldn't have healed this quickly. Wait! How long have I been unconscious?
"Really? You seem to forget a lot of things so not knowing faces wouldn't be a stretch." The boy remarked.
"S-shut up! I'm the leader here! Have some respect Ronan!"
Should I intervene? No, I don't think they'd appreciate me butting into their conversation.
"Only thing you seem to remember..." a silence engulfed the room momentarily. Then Ronan was dragged out flailing by the old man whilst a much larger, muscular lady held the girl back.
"Remember Mira, we have a guest who you saved to pay your debt back to him. I'm sure he's confused so focus on that." A deep, gentle voice that seemed to shake the room reasoned.
"You're right, as usual Kassandra. Anyway let's help him back up." Kassandra effortlessly lifted me back into the bed.
"You should probably stay still for a while. We administered some powerful drugs to help ease any pain but if I'm being honest, your wounds were already closing up by the time we found you. It was really strange. Are you a magician perhaps?" the girl asked.
"N-no. I'm just a normal person that was conscripted by my kingdom. Also, what do you mean by helping you?" I answered nervously, frightened I would anger her.
"Do you not remember anything about our encounter a few years ago?" Mira asked, disappointed and started clenching her fists in frustration.
"N-no. I'm sorry but my memory's always been a bit hazy. Sometimes I get dreams that I think are real but aren't and vice versa. It messes up someone's grasp on what actually happened in reality." I rambled on.
"How did you get that scar on your lip?" she persisted.
"I-I don't know. I've only just realized I had it myself." I replied.
"Please tell me this is some elaborate joke? How could you not remember that night?! You stopped me from bei-" Mira dropped her sentence, tearing up and stormed out of the room.
I stopped her from being what? I'm so confused!
"W-wait! I'm really sorry for not remembering. Honestly, I don't even remember my birthday."
She carried on walking out. Goddamn it. Just my luck. I've accidentally annoyed someone without even meaning to. Why am I so bad at communication?
"Hey old man! Could you come here for a sec?" Kassandra yelled.
"What's up? I just saw Mira running out the door in tears." The old man walked in.
"We both know full well that you know something. Could you please explain why his memories are distorted? I can tell there's an interference but I don't know what kind." Kassandra asked.
"How could a simple old man possibly know something? You must be getting desperate." The old man grinned then headed towards me, whilst I was tapping my leg uncontrollably. Why am I nervous?
"No need to be anxious. It's just a little check up." The old man placed his hand on my forehead. His hand was cold. Suddenly, a bright, blinding light shone out and the old man backed away, stroking his long beard. He didn't have a beard just a second ago. What is this guy?
"That's some serious spell at work. Haven't seen this since the uh... forget about what I was just about to say! Anyways, this spell is God tier, the highest level possible. Good luck unlocking those memories." The old man proceeded to dance out of the room with, admittedly, impressive skill.
"Sorry kid. Looks like it'll be a while before you can get those memories back." Kassandra patted me on the back. I heard a crack in my back but I dismissed the possibility of it being anything too serious and just smiled, so I wouldn't upset anyone else.
"Maybe I'm just the wrong person and I'm actually just bad at remembering things." I mumbled to myself.
"Despite being weird, old man Mikel can identify any spell. Who knows? You may be the wrong person, but we'll get there when we get there. I'm going to find Mira to explain the situation, you just need to sleep those drugs off. Before I go, what's your name?"
"Zeke."
"Last name?"
"To be honest I just made that first name up because I don't actually know my name so it's just Zeke."
"I'll see if she recognizes that name. Sleep tight." Kassandra waved her hand over me and I immediately started to fall unconscious.
"You can stop hiding in the hallway now Mira." Kassandra said, her voice becoming more and more faint.
"Why? Why did the one who changed my life have his memories buried? I had so much I wanted to say. Things like my name, my hobbies, who he inspired me to be but now... it would just fall on deaf ears. Only he knows what happened that night. He even made a blood pact with me to fulfil a special promise he made to me back then."
A blood pact? When did I-