A nauseating feeling rose from within. He felt something serene within as he tried to open his heavy eyelids.
"Ugh..." Lion let out a moan as he felt soreness all over his body.
"You're awake." A sweet and melodious voice rang in his ears.
"ugh... Where is my sword?" He asked, his voice hoarse. His upper body and left leg are covered by a thick bandage.
"I can't believe the first thing you asked me after babysitting you for a whole day is where's my sword?"
"Ridiculous,"
"Here's your sword." She put the sword on the table.
"...What happened?" Lion looked sideways, he locked eyes with the woman in a purple dress. He's inside a small room with the smell of herbal medicine filling his nose.
After a brief pause, he muttered the word, "Witch..."
"Nothing special. Just an angry mob of villagers outside who wants to burn you. Luckily some villagers protected you, saying you didn't do anything wrong and that you don't deserve punishment." She smirked, her long eyelashes flashing as she looked curiously at Lion.
"Hmmm." Lion nodded. Giro's family probably protected him, he saved them after all.
'No, I'm the reason why that monster came in the first place.' Lion suddenly remembered the oddity of that night's encounter.
"The body. Where's the body." He asked.
"At the back. I've taken the heart as payment for the medicine I've poured all over your wounds. Thankfully the wound didn't fester. If maybe you're brought in an hour later, you might have found yourself a crippled lion once you woke up."
Heart, liver, abdomen, etc. Every part of a monster is important and can be used as ingredients for precious medicines and. concoctions. Subsequently, solid parts like a Wyvern's Claw and Chrysaloid Shell can be used in forging.
"Yeah?..." Lion muttered to himself.
The witch looked silently at Lion for a few seconds then said,
"The beard, the muscle, the tone. The way you answer so conservatively. I can guess the reason why they're calling you Lion. But what's your true name?"
"Why, do you care?" Lion asked after closing his eyes.
"Treat it as this witch curiosity." The witch said matter of factly.
Lion didn't answer Immediately. For a moment, the room is only filled with his breathing and the scent of medicine in the air. But then he decided to open his mouth.
"I don't have a name."
+ + + +
The green pasture of the golden field covers the vision of every passerby. Perhaps this scenery is the reason why this village is called Golden Village. Horses can be seen running on the flatland while children are playing with stones on the plaza where they bet on who can make the stone spin longer.
Lion was walking towards Giro the Stable Master's house. He knocked on the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Creak!
A short girl around Lion's waist-length opened the door. She wears a yellow expensive dress with an ornamental design. Despite their frugal life, one can see the abundance of love of her parents towards this girl.
"Uncle Lie! Papa! Mama! Uncle Lie is here!" The girl shouted joyfully as she rushed and hugged Lion.
Lion couldn't help but feel optimistic whenever the girl is around.
"Abbie, have you been well?"
The first person who ever accepted Lion in this town is Giro and his family. 3 months earlier, Lion stumbled on Giro's stable when he came out of that wretched forest. Battered and lifeless, Giro and his family took care of Lion, a stranger, and let him live in the stables, giving him free meals and treating him like a part of the family.
Lion couldn't remember anything regarding his past. All he can remember are the events 3 months prior. He woke up in the middle of the forest and fought wolves, scavengers, and monsters for 3 days and 3 nights. His bloodthirsty nature and unattachment to reality, like every day he's living a dream and maybe he will wake up one day-sort of mindset made him look like a crazy person in the eyes of other villagers. But instead of being afraid, Giro, Annie, and Abbie helped him cope with his mental concern.
The villagers started calling him Lion with his packed build, the way he looks to anyone, like a predator is to prey, and to be honest largely due to his facial hair, his bushes are too thick!
Footsteps came from inside the house. Giro and his wife Annie saw Lion and they both smiled. Giro was wearing which supposed to be a white linen shirt but has changed colors through time, and brown murky pants. Annie on the other hand was wearing a long pink dress, up to the knee, and was holding a big wooden spoon.
"Mr. Lion! Come in! It's a pleasure to know that you're healed now. Thank you for saving us that night, you risked your life for me and my family, and for that, we can't express our gratitude enough." Giro genuinely said while pointing inside the house.
"No, It's alright. I'm just here to talk to you about some things." Lion gestured with his head.
Giro said to Annie "I'll just talk to Mr. Lion outside." Then followed Lion outside.
"I'm moving out." He said. Then he looked at the untrusty wooden fences in the distance.
"We need to harden the defenses. The forest is getting restless." Lion gazed at the distance, the black forest that has been here since time immemorial. The Gloomy Forest is a place of cults and horror. It is one of the most mysterious and dangerous place in the whole Aros Kingdom. And it just happens that this town is the closest.
They may be right, it may have something to do with me. My emergence toppled the balance in the forest. But I'm pretty sure 'it' also has something to do with it...
Giro looked at the place where Lion is looking.
Giro nodded, convinced that he has to work on the defenses of his farm.
"But where will you be going Mr. Lion?" Giro asked concern can be heard in his voice.
"Witch... She will help me kill the monster in the forest," Lion said, the deepness of his voice reverberating through the soul.
"But I'll be here for a week or so. I'll help you in building the defenses."
Giro nodded.
"Oh, another thing Mr. Lion." He said as he looked at Abbie in the distance. She's waving at them in front of the house.
"Abbie said she saw you in her dreams that night."
+ + + + +
4 days later. They were finally able to restructure the fences around the farm. The fences are now 5 feet in height and have sharp edges and protruding nails at some parts of the body. On Giro's persistence, they used branches of grease trees, the type of trees that can be seen almost everywhere in the Gloomy Forest. Due to its flexibility and hardness, and greasy nature, it's a great material... A great material if it doesn't smell like rotting meat!
"Nah, it's okay, it's far from my house after all..." - Giro quoted
Also, when the witch heard about the massive reconstruction, she said to plant Arnica flowers near the fence. Based on her, that helps on fending off evil spirits and monsters.
And so, Annie and Abbie have been in charge of transferring Arnica flowers.
Lion also found out that Marvin, the Stable Master's son had been sent out to Aros country capital, Arkberg, to participate in the militant program there after that night's incident where he left his family due to fear.
"Yeah. And also Felicity, I think the girl can dream about the future. Gulp." Lion finished his narrative after swallowing a mouthful of beer.
"She said she dreamt about me dying from the claws of the Wraes that night, and thus she came out in the middle of their house in the middle of the night, and you know the rest."
"Munch, Inchiwesting, munch, munch, would chu have died though?" Felicity the witch asked Lion. She sits with her leg on top of the other while reading a book and eating an apple at the same time.
"I don't know... Maybe, I'm having a nightmare that time after all." Lion shrugged.
"Yeah? What kind of nightmare?" Felicity asked nonchalantly.
"...About the cosmos and a gigantic creature in the forest with purple eyes staring at me."
After he said that Felicity looked like a cat whose tail has been stepped on. Her face is filled with shock and realization at the same time.