SAMUEL.
on the sound of mutter and murmuring I awoke.
My awakening was not accompanied by any sudden noise or commotion, not because I didn't want it to be but because I couldn't produce it, and just as my mind began forming thoughts sharp pain shot through my spine.
The effects of the ritual had yet to fully heal, and my spine bled from the intense and immense pain that emanated from it.
Although a slave like me wouldn't know much about this world and who to trust and who not to, but according to common sense if someone causes such great pain to someone else then that "someone" shouldn't be trusted.
With this in mind, I concluded that those three weren't people whose company would harmless putting aside fruitful, I ought to leave this place as fast as I could, lest I encounter an even worse fate.
I opened my eyes and looked around me and not to my surprise I found them three sitting at the dining table and they seemed to be eating.
I continued surveying my surroundings and through the lit lamps and the cool air I could surmise that night has already fallen.
I looked around some more and-- what the fuck?
why is Andre here?.
he should be at the house healing from his prior injuries.
why did they bring him here!?.
did they triangulate his spine just like mine??.
I couldn't just stay still I had to know!, and as such I attempted sitting upright but turning over required me to move my injured spine which in turn caused my pain to quadruple.
I couldn't just endure it I had to make a reaction and that reaction was a very audible groan.
"My goodness, Mr. Samuel! What are you doing?" exclaimed Agatha's voice, recognizable even in my pained state.
"don't worry Agatha, don't worry. that is a normal reaction!" said Heidon laughing.
"I assume you were pretty shocked by the ritual huh?, but don't blame us for not informing you this was in your favour."
"Why is Andre here?!" I said in a hostile tone, looking at him in my prone position.
"He was triangulated just like you... but don't worry nothing bad happened to him he also probably didn't feel a thing since he was sleeping." Heidon reassured.
"Mordecai would you please help Samuel in sitting upright?" Heidon asked.
"Right on It." replied Mordecai.
he came, lifted me off the couch and put me back on it in an upright position and all throughout it I was screaming at the top of my lungs, he didn't even consider my aching spine's situation!
"Ahem, I am sorry if I caused you any unnecessary pain." Mordecai tried apologizing.
"No No of course not other than messing up my spine up even more, it was pretty good." I said sarcastically which caused him to gloom down a little.
"Now what other agonies do I have to face next." I glared at Heidon.
"In fact, none! other than training your Ru of course." he exclaimed at the start and ended it in a passive tone.
"you won't be able to sense Ru currently but in two days or so you should start feeling it in the air as well as in your body."
"I sincerely congratulate you and Andre for being able to withstand the triangulation and finally having the chance to use Ru, and because of that I give you this." Agatha held a book in her hand and laid it on my side.
I took hold of it and looked at it.
"Ru Ability Guide by Fernando German." said Heidon with a deep voice signifying the importance of the book.
" lord German was a great scholar of Ru he died over 500 years ago but he distributed his knowledge in his books and they are being used to teach all ages and levels in the Ru." Heidon explained.
"This book will allow you to form your first ability you can learn one from the selection of basic abilities listed in the book or even make your own ability."said Mordecai.
" I thank you from the bottom of my heart." I thanked Agatha with a nod.
of course that was a fucking lie they nearly killed me in the process how could I be thankful.
"Anyways what do you plan on doing now, Samuel?" asked Heidon.
"I plan on continuing my journey."
" I unfortunately have to leave Ettor, I don't think that I will get used to this new found power of mine by staying still in one place. So, If you allow me to stay here until my back heals I would be eternally grateful. although if miss Agatha could heal my back then I would leave this area in a moment's notice."
"Good. Agatha, heal him." Heidon ordered.
in the span of an hour my back was fully healed and I didn't feel any aching or pain coming from it.
in the next hour Agatha was done healing Andre's back and he finally woke up.
*****
"ok we packed you two some food it would only feed you for a day at most unfortunately." said Agatha.
"No problem at all thank you for this, but where do you think we should go now?" I asked. " I'd say a city is a solid choice, you will find everything you would want there work, school, taverns, love, Ru practitioners and users and whatever else you would need." Mordecai replied.
Agatha continued in Mordecai's stead "the nearest city would be Lonris which is the financial capital of Arnshwald. I assure you that you will find great opportunities there."
"Then to Lonris it is, we will go on foot for sometime and then we will start hitchhiking, I thank you once more for your hospitality and I bid you farewell." I bowed and we went on our way.
******
after being on foot for around two hours we could no longer see Ettor in the distance.
"finally we left those demons!" I exclaimed.
"demons? if they are anything then they would be good and nice people." Andre disagreed.
"I don't blame you for being fooled by their seemingly kind and helpful personalities but I assure you that if you were awake and felt the pain of the triangulation you would curse at them till the day you die." I assured him.
"it can't be that bad..." said Andre while considering what I may have gone through.
"well it is at least worse than what I am going to do to you now."
"what are you going to do to me???" said Andre frightened to his core.
"just come with me behind that tree right there." I said pointing at a nearby tree.
"no I am not coming with you behind that tree Samuel, I already had a feeling that you would do this to me one day but I didn't expect it this early." he brought out a knife from his survival kit and pointed it at me.
what the fuck does he think I want to do with him...
don't tell me he thinks I will...
"what the fuck do you think I will do to you, Andre?!" I shouted at him.
"heh, it is clear as day Samuel I am a 10 year old boy and you are a grown-up can't you connect the dots?" Andre said sarcastically.
"Just Tell Me." I enunciated.
"You must think that I would be a burden on you and as such you are going to get rid of me by killing me!, but your nefarious plan has been through by me ages ago!" Andre exclaimed with utmost excitement.
oh, thank god he didn't think that I was going to care for him or tend to his wounds.
although he may have a point with his theory because I may do that as a last resort if I needed food.
I sighed and shook my head " No, Andre I am not going to do anything you may try and predict in your mind just come with me and stop wasting time."
"aha! that's exactly what you would say if you were tricking me! "he exclaimed just as he pointed at me with his tiny finger.
"You know what?, I don't have time for your shit I will go there by myself if you want to follow go ahead." I laid it out and turned immediately and went to the tree.
when I reached its back, I got a mirror and scissors from the survival kit.
I looked in the mirror and it reflected the face of a man with messy blond hair full of dirt and lice.
the man's face was not the most handsome at least according to that man's calculations, but he was proud of it.
a pair of scissors started cutting the outliers of his hair starting with his hairline.
With every "Clip" some of his hair falls.
and the "clips" went on for some time.
****
eventually a figure of a much younger human appeared in the mirror and that younger human had black hair that had grey ends.
the younger human looked curiously at the scalp of the man and asked, "why are you shaving?".
"I feel as if we need some type of identity right now, an identity other than just being Samuel and Andre."
"And what does that have to do with us getting our hair cut?"
"it's quite simple we need money right?, we need a temporary shelter and also work, and I thought that we should probably not relate our true selves with what we are going to do now, which may turn out to be some illegal work or something."
"Before we continue this Samuel, I have a rather important question for you."
I looked at him with a confused look on my face.
"Samuel, why do you do this?"
"Do what?"
"Like, why did we even run away in the first place?, why are you thinking so far ahead and why do I that you are always on the move?"
"Andre Firstly, you should know that you being here with me is due to pure coincidence, and what I made you do back there I would have done alone if I had no other choice."
"Secondly, it doesn't matter why we ran away. it truly doesn't matter if our reasoning was to live a better life or to escape that hellish place, it doesn't matter."
"What matters then?"
"What matters is that we ran away and that we are here completely healed and fully ready for new experiences."
"Thirdly, being on the move and thinking far ahead are two essential keys for our survival and I can't say I mastered them, in fact I came up with that idea on the spot."
"Lastly, we are partners Andre and maybe even brothers. You are to be called Andre Maelstrom and I am to be called Samuel Maelstrom."
"isn't Maelstrom a bit too heavy on the tongue and also it doesn't sound neither friendly nor familiar?"
I stopped clipping my hair and flicked my fingers and pointed at him.
"Exactly Andre, it is a name that is only preserved for the high and mighty. It is a name that already requires us to have enough might to call ourselves by, and that name is truly a name to remembered."
"Now, will you stop and let me cut my hair in peace, oh also stay here so that I cut it for you too."
"Fair enough."
he shrugged his shoulders and sat down with a sigh.