Xayan is sipping his tea, while Leon is walking around the walls nervously. Ri is cooking in the kitchen and Otilia is speaking with the two immortals she invited in her room. She hopes Xayan is comfortable enough to start speaking now, but her companion is not as patient as her.
"How are your memories intact?", Leon asks in an almost rude manner.
"When you are conscious for so many years and locked up in a tube, you tend to do a lot of self... reflection, my friend. At first, I had no memories too, but as time passed by, as I got more and more desperate, memories started to flood me. Until one day, when my thinking became foggy. I believe that they could somehow tell I was getting flashbacks of the past and they added something in the liquid I was trapped in. Afterwards, I became a spectator to my sad destiny. Life was unfolding in front of me, but I had little to no awareness. My existence vanished and came back to me, I am really grateful to you both. Especially to you, Otilia."
Otilia's cheeks turn red for a second and she fake coughs in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. In the Underworld, you do not thank people, you pay them.
"Can you tell us exactly what you remember, Xayan?", Otilia says patiently. "Memory by memory, I am trying to figure out who both of you are."
"Well, yes, I was an extraordinary man in my 'past' life, I believe. I was the highest ranked red light district worker in the whole capital city. Which is ironic, considering where I was kept captive..."
"You were what?", Leon says with his mouth wide open.
"Yes, you have any problem with that? I was truly talented. I could write poetry, I could dance, I could sing...", Xayan adds proudly.
"Ok, both of you. We are here to discuss more important matters", Otilia adds, not really interested in talking about their past careers.
"Oh yes, of course. Well, with the money I made, huge amounts of money, Leon, I went to school to be a wizard. And of course, I was extraordinary at that too. This part is where my memories fade away. I was a wizard, I could control multiple elements, water, fire, electricity. And I could use my magic to teleport up to 20 people. I once attempted to teleport 21, but I would rather not mention what happened to the last one", he says while Otilia imagines a man being teleported in pieces, separated pieces and shows a disgusted face.
"So, I remember that many years later I had to go fight in a war. What kind of war? I have no memories of that. I remember that Leon was there too. And four more men. We were all miserable, it was not our war. I was really old, but my body was very young, you see, just like now. I should be ...201 years old now, yes. I had many regrets regarding my inability to die. We won the war and then we were separated. I think they were using us in different ways in order to experiment with magic, but I am not knowledgeable enough to tell you how and why. You are a psychic fairy, therefore I would suggest saving the other four men and trying to unleash our memories. Whatever had us kept there, it's coming for us, and a forest, no matter how dangerous, won't save us. However, I did stain my clothes with with the green liquid. We should preserve it", he finishes while the other two are trying give some meanings to all the words he just said.
"Do you remember where the war, battle, whatever happened?", Otilia asks trying to search some information in her mind about any possible wars she might have been taught about.
"Yes, I can take you all there. But... but I don't think it is wise. I don't know what is left of it, but as we left it, it was a big mass of darkness. A lot of dark energy gathered in one place and light could barely break inside. I remember we made a shield around it, to prevent anyone from entering..."
"I think I know the place...", Otilia says.
"You do?", Leon asks.
"Yes, it's the Forbidden Desert. Once you were in, you cannot go back on your own. Someone needs to drag you out. Most wanted criminals of the Empire were thrown there to die, rumors said. From the outside, it seems like a mass of pure darkness, but on the inside, you could actually see a little bit, if you use your powers", she adds.
"You are a most wanted criminal?", Leon wonders.
"Well, they were rumors. It wasn't the criminals who were thrown in there. It was the Cannibal Fairies. Entire Groups. Sent inside to devour each other. Last man standing was allowed to go out."
"After all this talk about who we are, it seems you should be telling us who you are, pretty lady", Xayan tells her, almost ordering her to speak up.
"Oh, well, I guess trust is necessary in a situation like this, isn't it? Fine, I am 60 years old and, as I already told Leon, I am able to extend my lifetime using magic I captured after eating the heart of a dragon."
"That's awful", Xayan replies. "Dragons used to live in these lands when I was..."
"Look, shut up. There is no dragon living here. When I was four years old, my village was raided by the Empire's troops. The new Emperor decided to enslave fairies after accusing us of serving some random God that's not their God. I don't know. Something about religion. Men were killed, women and children taken away. They analyzed our compatibility with magic and the ones that were considered 'ideal material' were taken by the army where we were exposed to different experiments. One of them was being thrown inside the Forbidden Desert with some other people. They thought that cannibalism was the key to achieving greatness, so they forced us to kill and devour each other for survival. Once only one heartbeat was detected, that person was taken back. After a few years, only a group of 20 people was left. I don't know how many were originally elected, but it should have been at least 1000. We were gradually exposed to black air, miasma. That's when I found out the real purpose of the experiment. They wanted to conquer the North of the continent, but the air there is unbreathable. The only beings that can survive in there are the dragons and some other ones we have no information about. They're not in any book. Anyway, I'll make this short before Leon starts crying", she mentions while looking at a Leon with tears in his eyes. "All of them died one by one, except me. The miasma was too much of them and they got sick. Some became pale and skinny. Others started spitting blood. Others stopped breathing with no previous signs. I was considered a genetic jackpot and they decided to introduce me to a breeding program, where I have a lot of babies with different men and make super soldiers. So I did what I knew best, I ran away to the only place where I thought I wouldn't be found. The North. I killed a dragon, I came back, end of story."
"How did you kill the dragon? Why?", Xayan asks with a sharp voice.
"Well, he wanted to make me steak, so not much of a choice there, jerk. Whatever image of dragons you have, it's all wrong right now. Dragons don't live with us. Dragons don't like us. And if they find you, they'll make a fine barbecue out of you. I heard a little more than I was expected to and I found out the Emperor was really interested in dragon hearts. Therefore, I got a taste of it after I killed my hunter. Happy now?"
Xayan wants to show he is offended by her sarcastic tone, but can't do so because Leon starts wailing and the woman goes to comfort him. Unsure of what to do, the silver haired man walks out and decides to give Ri a visit in the kitchen.