'Johan? Hello...'
'Hmm? Did you say something?'
'Yes!, what did you discuss with Father Edmund!? I've been dying to know and you won't stop looking in the distance!' she complains openly, almost jumping up and down.
'Oh, that. We talked about things'
'What things? What things!? Magika, Garnatha, Dark Elves, Faugh, what exactly did you talk about!?'
After class,he asked Edmund to have a talk, just the two of them, where he finally had a look at the Grand Map of the area.
They were located, quite frankly, in the middle of nowhere. To the far east of the Human Land, isolated from any contact from the rest of the world. The closest town is in reality just a big village, weeks away according to Edmund.
The map covered most of the area around Faugh, from the nothingness that rests north at the mountains, to the more vivid south, ending just at the edge of Carminal, the Province Capital.
'As you can see, son...' Edmund told him '...we can only assume you originate from one of the southern towns, but that doesn't say much. I'm sorry son, I will send letters to my acquainted southwards, asking for any reports of a missing kid. The moment I get an answer, I will make sure to...'
'...inform me at once, he said...' he tells her '...but I would not bet on it having result'
'Don't worry, I'm sure something will come out of it!' she tries to raise his optimism, but he waves his head negatively.
'A Magikar, powerful enough to manipulate memories got in the trouble of erasing not all, but extremely specific parts of my past. Someone like that would at least take take of something obvious as that'
He stops and sighs heavily, rubbing his thumb against his forehead.
'So...annoying. So damn annoying!' he spouts, not hiding his frustration 'I did not have high hopes to begin with, so I should not be mad...' he takes one more deep breath, and the tension loosens.
'...I lost someone' he says, in a calm, somber tone 'I do not know, how or when, but I want to known how to react damn it. Just that' he sighs.
Rayla, takes the logical action of comforting her friend, that everything will be fine. After he half-heartedly agrees, they read some books together, play near the Haunted Forest, maybe even explore it a bit and finish the day cheerful, planning the next move to help Johan remember his past.
She doesn't make that choice.
Maybe, she can change the subject entirely, help him take his mind off his problem and, who knows, maybe by tomorrow he'll look at it in a different light, after he has properly calmed down.
She doesn't make that choice either.
'Hey, Johan...'
Instead...
'...have you...maybe, thought...' she starts, indecisive.
'Thought of what?' he asks curious.
She takes a deep breath.
'Have you thought about letting go?'
It's as any other sound vanishes, it's only them and the phrase she just uttered.
He forcefully opens his mouth to answer.
'Let...go?'
His face now gives no clear emotion, his body stands still, as if frozen.
'I mean...' she explains '...you had a life you don't remember, so...why not start a new one?'
The naivety of a child, cruelty of the purest intentions.
'Forget about the past' he murmurs. Not to her, but as if seriously considering the option.
'Yea! And you can be, like, whatever you want, just like a game! No, like a story! You can make your own story!' she keeps rumbling on, like a kid who just made up a new game.
A normal person, even the least logical, can see how bad this can turn out, one doesn't have to be smart to see through the stupidity of the while idea.
But Johan is also a child.
'You know what? To hell with it!'
He opens his arms in surrender, the kind that gives immediately way to the stupid excitement a kid feels in the moment. Because mature as he seems, serious as he acts, Johan is still an eight-year old kid.
'You agree!? Yayyy!, I was sure you were gonna call it stupid or something, I knew you had it on you!' she celebrates in a state of euphoria.
'I warn you, I keep "Johan", it is short and effective' he says half jokingly half seriously.
'Oh, then how about "Johansen"!? It's grander, and you can keep "Johan" as a nickname!'
'You thought of that...pretty quickly' he notices impressed 'I guess "Johansen of Faugh" does sound better, so why not' he shrugs.
'Wait!, why not take a new surname as well? We can get much more creative with it!'
'Creative? Like how?'
'I have the perfect idea! Quick!, what's your favorite color?'
'Hmm...I guess black?'
'Then "Johansen Black" it is!'
'Where did that come from!? Wait...' he narrows his eyes, suspiciously '...you are not picking this so we both have a color for a surname, are you Red?'
'PREPOSTEROUS!' she objects embarrassed.
He does to answer accordingly, but something inside him just can't.
'I guess...' he cracks a ridiculous grin up to his eyes '...say hello to Johansen Black, Garnatha!' he laughs outloud, and she follows soon, exchanging jokes all day long. After all, this harmless little joke won't have any serious repercussions, and even if it did, it wouldn't change much in the lives of those kids, living in this small, insignificant little village.
It's all going to be alright.
.
.
.
He sees her coming from afar, but that is to be expected.
Her bright red hair move wildly in her high ponytail, sparkling under the last summer sun, and so does her white shirt, combined with her red scarf and orange trousers
As expected, Karie and Nama help with her luggage, all three vividly bumbling as they usually do, until she notices him when they are closer.
'Of course you arrived early' she smiles 'I hate to ask bro, but could you give a hand?'
He nods, takes her stuff and climbs atop the wagon to store them inside the small box-shaped room, next to his.
These last six years she has barely gained height at all, a sensitive topic for her.
On the other hand he grew taller than even most adults, and he looks even more so with his athletic but slim physique. Despite that, he dresses almost the exact same, a sinple black shirt and pants.
The only addition is an azure, heart-shaped locket pendant he wears around his neck.
'...and send a letter the moment you arrive!' continue the girls as he gets off.
'I will hardly set a foot on Carminal and will already have one ready!' she reaffirms them immediately, but gets distracted by the newcomers that just came.
Almost half the village has gathered here, at the outskirts of Faugh, as she marvels to the sight of the scene.
'Are you all here...to see us off?' asks the now fourteen year-old Rayla Red, moved.
Father Edmund takes a step forward.
'I was asked to speak on behalf of everyone here, as you have a schedule tight on time'
He continues in his formal posture, the one he has when preaching.
'We owne much to you two, Rayla Red, Johansen Black. You acted when most of us hid, and showed us all the true Spirit of Faugh, and you now start a new journey, that will surely bring even more honor to this place.
We are humble people, so we can only but humbly ask you follow the dreams you have set for yourselves, and return better people for it.
Have a good journey and may the Gods look after you'
'Thank you...thank you so much' is all she can say.
'Come on Ed, we don't want the kids to miss the boat, do we?' intervenes the wagon driver.
Johan nods and looks at Rayla with meaning.
She nods back and turns at her friends one last time.
'I'm gonna miss you so much-' she does to say but Nama flat out charges and wraps her arms around her.
'It won't be the same without you Ray!' she cries out 'I will be writing to you every chance I get!'
'Me too!, me too...' answers Rayla, suddenly blushing to the close proximity of Nama's face from hers.
'Johan...' Karie timidly approaches him and offers a small basket 'I made these for you...for your journey, I mean'
'Thank you' he says quietly and taps on Rayla's shoulder.
She nods and gently pushes Nama, still blishful.
'I'm really sorry, but I truly have to go' she smiles bittersweet, and with a last goodbye she follows him to the wagon.
She leans out of the windown and waives away, until the place and people she grew up with slowly vanish to the distance.
Johan spares no look behind, he just stares at her.
At the age of fourteen now, he is starting to see the cracks of the decision six years ago, just not to the true extend.
But for now, he has bigger concerns.
They are on their way to Carminal to be accepted as Guardian trainees, and the road is long, through areas with high crime rate and bandits ambushing travelers.
But even that, is not his primary concern.
Rayla stops leaning outside and finally takes her sit.
'Man, a little more and I swear I'd cry'
She smiles at him with warmth and takes his hand inside hers.
'We are finally doing it bro' she says with confidence.
He takes a second to answer.
He cannot as of yet say why, but this...no, she.
She is his what causes him concern over anything.
He nods for an answer and gets lost in his thoughts.
Out of habit, he does so by rubbing his pendant between his thumb and pointer.
Their prologue has ended.
BAN-DO-YER
BOOK 1 :Red/Black