Not being too bothered by the fact of being sexless, it still chose to associate itself to a male human being. Despite the loss of memories, he knew deep inside that he was human.
Or something close to.
After covering himself with moss as much as he could, he finally fell asleep.
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Darkness once again invaded his mind, engulfing his soul completely, the silence impassive.
Once more, small wisps of smoke took form in front of him, gradually becoming bigger, until it took a completely different form.
Someone stood in front of him and albeit not recognizing the person, he knew that he was looking at himself.
His doppelganger was immobile, as much as himself, both looking through each other's eyes.
He slowly lifted an arm, bringing it to his face, with his pale copy doing the exact same thing at the same slow pace.
He wanted to speak, but his mouth wouldn't budge and this void seemed noiseless.
He slowly took a step forward, making his way towards his other self while the doppelganger did as much. Stopping at an arm's length, he stood there, unmoving.
Lifting his arms, he tries to make direct contact with himself.
As soon as the finger connects, the face of the doppelganger changes in a fraction of second. Black eyes now glowing red, a gaping maw with rows of razor sharp teeth and a twisting face showing a frenzied expression.
Without any warnings, the beast plunged suddenly at his throat, ready to tear it apart.
Too slow and too close to even think of avoiding the charge, he was tackled down easily while the beast tore his throat in half in a single bite.
Laying on the floor, blood gushing out of the hole in his throat, he tried to lift his arm and clawed uselessly at the air. He could see the beast towering over him, with a glint in his eyes and he could swear it was grinning through the blood and gore.
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He woke up in fright, clutching his throat at the same time. Drenched and cold, looking around trying to glimpse at potential threats, he realized he was dreaming all along. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the sky.
The sun was rising, it was time to move.
Removing what's left of his emergency moss blanket, he ate some wild fruits found nearby then proceeded forward. The pine forest was calm, with only the sounds of ruffling leaves around him, not once did he hear the noise of animals.
Walking slowly but steadily, he realized that the same mist he saw in the mountains where he came from was hovering above ground here. Not even bugs were seen anywhere.
Since he had no idea about his current location, he went forward through the woods, unimpeded.
He came by the outskirts of the forest after walking for about 5 hours and the sun was high in the sky. Stepping out of the woods, what greeted him was a vast plain. He spotted some wild horses eating grass not too far away which jolted as soon as they saw him and ran off.
Without further delay, he kept moving forward for about an hour and finally caught a glimpse of a road up ahead. Sighing, he proceeded to join the road. Traveling the last parcel of land, he saw a cart pulled by an ox making its way towards him.
Stepping in the middle of the road, without a care of his nakedness, he stood there with his arms lifted and waited for the elderly.
The elderly had seen him from far away but didn't make much out of it. Sure, he was wondering why a warrior in pure white armor walked alone out of the plains which connected to the cursed forest. The idea of the man being a bandit crossed his mind but he quickly dismissed it.
He was too close to the town for a bandit hideout to be hidden near. Plus border patrol frequently cleared any potential threats along the road so bandits usually made their hideout along less frequented road.
When the elderly was close enough to have a good look at the man himself, he stopped his cart and looked at him with reluctance.
What warrior in pure white armor?
The poor bastard was stark naked in the middle of the streets, skin as white as a corpse. The only reason he knew the man was alive was because he's standing.
Locking his gaze on the naked youth in front of him , the young man seemed to be in its early twenties.
Raven black hair matted with God knows what substance that reached its lower back.
A handsome face if it wasn't for the fact that the boy was skinny as a twig. Two black pools where its eyes are supposed to be. His face suddenly puckered when he saw the empty area between its legs.
The elderly man thought the youth was probably abducted to be sold as a sex slave and punished afterwards by cutting his junk.
" Where'ye from my boy " He asked
" Burrrrlgggh "
" … "
" … "
" 'Fuck sake my boy, did they cut yer tongue as well!? "
The old driver was gripping the sheath of his dagger, ready to use it if needed, which didn't escape the eyes of the naked youth.
He nodded in silence, thinking it was simpler if the old man thought that he lost his tongue instead of not being able to simply formulate word
The elderly squinted his eyes in response and didn't let go of his sheathed dagger.
" It's only wheat inside, ye can hop in if ya want " The old man said while pointing at his carriage
The old man then threw a jute sack on the road in front of the youth.
" Cover yerself will ya, feels like I'm the one who lost me balls when I look at ye "
Covering himself with the sack, he made his way behind the cart and jumped inside. Seating himself on a pile of wheat, he closed his eyes and tried to relax a bit. The old driver took one last look at the young man behind him before cracking his rein, urging the ox to move forward.
Laying in the back of the cart, he was listening to the sound of the wheels on the paved road. He was trying to figure out the missing part of his memory. In fact, he didn't remember anything prior to waking up in the mountains. How did he end up there, how much time was he trapped inside the cocoon, where did he come from, why is it so hard to speak and most of all, who is he?
He couldn't figure out any answer he had. Not now at least.
Glancing at the young man behind him, the old driver half-heartedly said
" I'm heading to Rother "
" … "
Another awkward silence
" We'll arrive at Isern at sunset, you'll drop there my boy. There's a church in town where ye can seek refuge for the night "
Listening to the elderly speaking during their travels, he learned that the town he spoke of is the junction between two big cities, Biefeld and Stugatt. The old man had left Stugatt two days ago and was going to his home land in the East.
The rest of the trip went in silence as both of them were lost in their thoughts. It was dark when the town came into view but was still bustling with activity even at night time.
" Off you go boy "
Not waiting for an answer, the old driver took the road once more and was soon gone.
Gaining way too much focus on himself, he quickly made his way through the town towards the church, easily discernible from the other building. Clutching his jute sack tightly around his waist, he walked past numerous people.
Whispers, curses, whistles, none of it slowed down his pace towards the church doors. Grabbing the old wrought iron loop embedded in the wood, he tried to pry open the door, to no avail.
To his dismay, the door was locked. He frantically banged the door with his fist, hoping for someone inside to let him in.
After several minutes, he heard a shifting behind the doors before it slowly opened, giving way to an old priest. Dressed in a dark gown, the priest before him had thin, sparse gray hair with a stubble of a beard on his chin. A small man with a slightly arched back but with eyes filled with vigor.
When he saw the priest, a flash of pain occurred that made him flinch and stumble off the ground. Digging his finger into the ground while gritting his teeth, he lifted his head to take another look at the priest before him, but the man was gone.
Another completely different priest was now standing before him.