Shinku bathed in the rays of the afternoon sun as he stepped out of the diner, after a couple hours of contemplating. A facade of peace masked the chaos that loomed in the city. Almost empty streets, the deafening silence, and the ominous feeling of dread drowned the young man as he rambled along the concrete road. Something terrible was happening and the assassin of shadows could feel it in his guts
It was only a few steps when Shinku heard the wailing of a lady not far from where he was. Concerned, he ran towards a corner to stumble upon the sight of Elise, the lady that he just helped. The wailing he heard appeared to be from Elise's companion who seemed to be troubled.
"Oh Trey I'm glad that you're still here. You can fight can you? I mean you have that sword with you." Standing at plain sight, it wasn't that hard for Elise to notice the young man, staring at them from merely a few feet. "I know it's too much but we really need your help!" Without wasting a second, the lady rushed towards Shinku, her request laid down in a haste.
"Yes...I can fight. But what exactly is it that you need help from?" It did surprise Shinku that the lady just boldly ran towards him. It was funny that his memory of the lady was that of a passive, apprehensive one whom he had to force his assistance to. Though accounting for Elise's timid nature, the young man could feel that the situation must be so dire.
"They have my son and my husband! Please save them! I beg of you!" Elise's companion followed suit and begged, her eyes drenched in tears and her skin faded into a pallid complexion. She threw herself down in despair, her body shaking in anguish.
"Calm down Janica. Everything will be alright I promise." Elise turned to her companion and consoled the distressed woman. She held both of the woman's hands and tried to gesture for her to stand up.
"I would like to listen to your request in detail but I don't think this is the right place for us to talk." There was a subtle shift in the air. Ajar windows proved the wary eyes and ears that the trio had caught. Shinku, aware of the surroundings through his shadow art, hushed both the ladies. "Follow me. Let's go to my place." They might be a harmless lot but Shinku wouldn't want to add further to the fear that seemed to had already struck the hearts of Arak'tia's citizens. He wanted to disappear in the shadows unfortunately, his abilities weren't that good enough to bring the ladies with him.
---
"Here's your card. Enjoy your visit at Suvaro Inn!" The receptionist greeted Shinku with a full smile, as she handed the key card. The young man bowed his head as a gesture of gratitude to the staff, then turned to face the two ladies behind him.
"You don't have to do this you know. This is already too much," Elise contested, almost hesitant on accepting the card key for their room. "Where did you get the money for these anyway?"
"Pardon me but I don't think we have time to discuss that. Come follow me upstairs." Shinku went ahead, the new card key still in his hand. "And don't worry, I'll just join you for a while to listen to your story then I'll leave the room for both of you afterwards." Somewhat reassured, Elise decided to follow the young man's steps with her companion just tailing behind.
The inn's eccentric design somehow fascinated Elise however, its elegant ambience brought out the feeling of estrangement in the lady. As she walked the ivory floor, it dawned to her that in such a world, they could never fit in. It broke her heart that her home, along with the world of Netherfort would be nothing but mere memories lost in the past. She wanted to weep, but had to keep her tears for the sake of her friend whose family had just been taken away.
"We're here." Ceremonially, Shinku showed the key card to Elise, then slowly placed the card on a small glass-like part of the door near it's knob. He did the motion instructively, making sure that his companion could follow. A clicking sound prompted the young man to turn the knob and open the door. "After you ladies." With a chivalrous gesture, Shinku motioned the ladies to step in before him.
Elise paused and looked inside the room, filled with incertitude whether to actually trust the young man. "I'm sorry but could you give us some time alone first?" The lady begged, her head bowed in courtesy of the man that was trying to help them.
"Of course. Oh, here take this." In response to the lady's plea, Shinku stepped away from the door then handed her the key card. "I'd be going to my room first. And that would be downstairs, on this room number." Heedlessly, he pulled his own keycard and showed the side where his room number was printed. Without much ado, he turned away from his companions and walked towards the stairs.
"Uhmmm...Thanks!" Timidly, Elise followed up a small notice of gratitude. "And I'm sorry for all the trouble. We'll come to you once we're ready."
"No rush. I'll just be waiting downstairs." Without facing the ladies, Shinku responded with the assurance of his patience. As eager as he was to attend to their request, he couldn't just force them to trust him right away. What mattered most, was that he knew they were safe. At least for now.
---
Memories, could they be chains that lock us in the past or gifts that guide us in the future? For Shinku they were the only treasure he had that connected him with his family. Merely memories, lost in the pit of time.
As he waited for the ladies, Shinku couldn't help but relinquish his memories of old times.
"Thanks Kane, we really don't know what would become of us if not for you." A man of pallid complexion spoke, his voice shaking in fatigue or hunger. "Once this famine is over, I'm sure to give back to you ten folds."
"Don't worry about it Aito, you know how glad I am to always be of help. And don't worry, we will all survive this. I'm sure of it." A smile from Shinku's father sent off the weary man almost bursting in tears.
"Uhmmm father, wouldn't we run out of food if we keep on sharing what we have? Will we even last till tomorrow?" Young Shinku protested, his eyes anxious of their hardship ahead.
"There's still so much that we can do about tomorrow, son. But if we turn a blind eye for those who need our help now, there's no taking it back. Besides, would you rather have people taking us for granted, should we be the ones that are in need of help?" Kane lectured the anxious kid, hoping to somehow influence the boy of kindness.
It would have been a memory worth reminiscing however, the sudden sound of an electronic chime pulled him out of his daydream. Being apprehensive as he is, Shinku decided to sense his visitor's spiritual signature before making his way towards the door. Quickly, he recognized the aura of Elise, who seemed to be alone behind the door, thus making him move with haste. He quickly opened the door for the lady, so as not to make her wait much longer.
"Uhmmmm...I'm ready to talk about it now. But well...can we do that downstairs?" The lady wasted no time on laying the motive for her visit, speaking the moment Shinku opened the door.
"Sure just give me a minute. Actually, can you go ahead? I promise to go down as soon as I can." The young man responded, politely sending the lady off with the assurance of his aid.
"For sure. I'll wait for you at the lobby then." Trustful of her savior, Elise made her way to the inn's lobby to wait for Shinku.
True to his word, Shinku met with the lady without much delay. Being the sole person at the inn's lobby area, the young man was quickly able to see Elise, sitting at a wooden stool on the corner. He made haste to join the lady, taking a seat at another stool just beside her.
"Hey, so can you tell me what help your friend is in need for?" Without further courtesies, Shinku quickly started with his inquiry.
"Well, I already told you what happened to our world and how some of us ended up here. Most of us are still barely getting by and yet, we face another trouble. There are some of us that have developed some sick religion...ugh cult of worshipping Septimus, the one they say is responsible for the destruction of our world. They believe that we all are that demon's lost property and that they ought to return us to him. Well...I know because a friend of mine is part of that cult. He once convinced me to join them but of course I refused. There's no way that I would be part of that sick group. He tried to force me to be one of them, even trying to drag me with him but I was able to resist him and run away. He kept on insisting that it was the right thing to do and joining them would guarantee my safety but I couldn't bear joining a sick cult such as theirs. Now, Janica's husband and daughter are missing and I believe it was their doing. She was able to catch a glimpse of several robed men leaving from their makeshift abode one night when she came home late. She was lucky that she was able to find a place to hide or she might have been taken as well. That same night, when she entered their shack, her husband and daughter were nowhere to be found. She thought that they were from this world, warning us to leave but from her description of their robes, I am sure that it's them." Elise narrated, her voice trembling in fury.
"Hmmm.. how did she describe their robes then?" Shinku inquired, hoping to get a piece of clue about his targets. He moved his eyes around, checking for anyone else that could be watching them. Luckily, the lobby was empty of people save for the receptionist who seemed to be taking a nap.
"Oh of course. She caught a glimpse of this symbol on the back of their robes." Taking a piece of paper and a pen, the lady drew an hourglass symbol before the young man. "I know that it's them for I saw that same symbol on the hand of the friend I told you about." She continued, her eyes locked on the man who she hoped would aid them in retrieving her friends' family.
"Do you have any clue of their possible hideout?" Shinku probed, eager to extend his aid for the lady.
"Well, I have no idea except that I once saw my friend...errr past friend entering a dark alley beyond the slums. Well that's where most of us are." The lady could only bow in disappointment, realizing how impossible their search could be.
"That'll do. Can you take me to that place? I'll start from there. And I promise to bring your friend's family back." Shinku spoke sternly, aiming to spark some hope from the lady's anxiety. He once saw families and friends slaughtered before him, and he doesn't plan on witnessing the same for others now that he somehow got the power to actually fight.
"Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me...to us." The lady burst into tears, moved by the young man's determination to help them.
"Don't mention it. Now we have to move as fast as we can before it's too late." Shinku stood up, taking the lady by her hand. As much as he wanted to comfort the lady at her drama, he deemed that they could not waste more time if they wanted to see Janica's family alive.