I felt a slight nudge in on the left side of my shoulder. Subconsciously I swatted it off but I hit nothing. Thinking that it was gone, i went back to sleep and continued on my peaceful little dream.
In my dream, i somehow regained my memories and was back home. There were even people in said home and they welcomed me back in open arms once they saw me.
Yet in that moment, i was reluctant and even felt a little despair. It was because their faces were blurry. I looked closer and saw that their faces look like they were erased by an eraser. It was unknown why i did it, but despite my reluctance, i accept it and walked forward to approach them.
When suddenly those blurry faces seemed to have been so far away. I hastened my steps and yet the distance between me and them still felt the same.
I broke into a dash and chased after what seemed like a fleeting memory. Running after them felt like an absolute eternity but i did give up. I saw that they still had their arms wide open as if they were waiting for a hug from me.
Not wanting to disappoint, I ran and ran and ran. But the distance didn't close. It felt that it was still so far away. I reached out my hand to at least try getting only a little bit closer and even then it was futile.
Halting in my steps, i felt my legs become heavy, plopping down onto he ground. A sense of despair started creeping over my mind, my surroundings suddenly darkening as it tried to devour me whole.
"Mr!"
All of a sudden the darkness shattered and i heard a voice. My eyes opened wide as i sat up from the bench, I felt my back covered in sweat, i felt a little wetness accumulating in my eye sockets i tried brushing them away from my eyes.
"Hey, Mr. are you okay?"
It took me a second to reply before I regained my composure and replied.
"Ehem yeah, I'm fine."
I gazed at the person who woke me up and was surprised at who it was. It seems she was the only person i remember from my shattered memories. Well, it was only because i met her recently.
Her crimson eyes and her auburn air seemed to have melded perfectly with the surroundings. Calming my racing heart every so slightly, though i don't know why.
Her expression seemed to have been a mixture of worry and surprise. I smiled and pretended that i was okay since i didn't want to trouble a perfectly good stranger.
She seemed to have believed since her expression was replaced with a relieved expression.
"That's good, cause i thought i had to bring you to the local clinic, and let me tell you, it's not a good idea if you want to keep your pockets full. Well, it's not like my pockets were ever full, to begin with."
The girl went on and on about the clinic, and somehow she seemingly switch the topic to how Mrs. Daisy kept asking her to marry his son or why Mr. Frederick was leaving the city. She had a few speculations and I often added a little bit of my own in between, but she concluded that it was none of her business.
Suddenly her face turned red and she seemed to have realized what she did.
"Wait ah I'm sorry… Sorry for talking about all these random things you probably don't care about."
She went into a light panic, like a child being caught when they were doing something wrong. Instead of being courteous, I laughed out loud for some reason and when the girl saw it, her already red face turned even more beet red.
My laughter rang for a few more seconds until I stopped to catch my breath. I haven't laughed that long for a long while ever since I was put into my situation. In fact, when was the last time I ever laughed?
Huh, this seems to be the first ever since i got my memory back.
I regained my composure and looked back at the woman. She had her face covered and seemed to have been really embarrassed. Giving a light chuckle I said.
"It's fine Rose I don't mind the little chit-chat once in a while. And it's my turn to apologize for laughing so loudly."
The woman named Rose no longer covered her face and gazed back at me. Her eyes indicated apparent embarrassment with her cheeks being red as a lobster.
"Um… Its fine too…"
I smiled and was about to reply back when i saw the stick in her hand. A very recent memory came to my attention and i asked Rose about the stick.
She realized that she was holding the tick and promptly hid it behind her back.
"Um, it's nothing really… just a stick."
"Huh, i see."
No wonder i felt a slight nudge earlier on my shoulder. But i wiped it off my mind as i felt that it wasn't a big deal. I moved the topic to another question iv been meaning to ask.
"By the way, why are you here?"
"Ah, that. Well, it's nothing actually. I just have a habit of visiting the water fountain every morning before going to work that's all."
"Ah, i see…"
I asked another question that was the most important question i needed to know in this scenario. And it's that…"
"Rose, can I ask, where am I right now?"
Rose had a stunned expression on her face when she heard my question. She looked surprised that the man in front of her didn't even know the name of the city he was in.
"Huh? What… How do you not know?"
"Uh long story. So where am i anyway."
Rose seemed to have shrugged off her earlier confusion and answered my question.
"You're in Ferlantris City."
Never heard of it, but i nodded to her nonetheless so didn't garner enough suspicion. I inspected her throughout all this and realized that she may be someone important. If i don't play this right, i might get fucked over.
"I see."
"Well talk to ya later mister, I'm off to work."
She waved goodbye at me before skipping towards another street. I waved back and saw her off until she was no longer in sight. Giving a slight sigh, i was glad that i didn't seem to be too suspicious of myself.
I looked at my surroundings and noticed that a lot of people were already walking around the street. And since I have nothing better to do except wait, i might as well walk around.
Standing up i tried walking towards the street opposite of where Rose went but i bumped into something. Confused, i reached forward and felt that i could no longer extend it any further.
So i pushed with both of my hands and still felt that i couldn't pass through. Even more, confusion overtook me. But i calmed down and analyzed the situation with a level head.
I looked down and noticed something, so I gazed around my whole surroundings and a conclusion sprang into my head. I can't move past the fountain.
Seeing the line separating the fountain and everything else, I tried another area of the fountain but nothing. This doesn't make sense. I could move around the city yesterday but what changed?
I thought that Rose might be up to this along with her colleagues but i don't think that is likely since there were only several seconds separating from her departure.
To cast a spell this big in an instant well, it would take someone of the blond guy to do it and i don't think anyone is strong enough to match him here.
Different solutions went into my head yet every single one of them was unfeasible. I thought of asking for help but that would garner even more suspicion and attention to me, which is something i don't want.
Last time i caught someone's attention i was almost sliced in half. Sure maybe an outside force might be protecting me but who to say that it would protect me forever?
A creeping sense of anxiousness started invading me but i calmed down my beating heart and sat down on the fountain. I closed my eyes and just felt the peaceful city surrounding me. I listened to the bartering of merchants and the laughter of children.
My racing heart finally calmed down. Opening my eyes, i thought about my problem level-headedly and only came to one solution. And I already knew that solution before my little predicament.
It's to wait.
Throwing a fuss isn't gonna help and I suspect that the more i try to break myself out of this prison, something even more frightening might replace it on its stead.
So i did what any other good person trapped in a mirror would do, i waited.
Sitting on the ground, i leaned my back against the fountain and felt the peaceful dropping of water from it. I looked around the busy crowd and felt that maybe this isn't so bad. Sure I might be trapped here but i know it's not forever.
And the alternative is being stuck in a place full of mirrors, so this is an upgrade compared to that. Taking a deep breath, i thought that maybe this really isn't so bad. I closed my eyes and savored the peaceful atmosphere.
One thing i know in this world is that along with this prison of mine, nothing lasts forever.
All of a sudden, warning bells started ringing in my mind. My skin felt hot and i opened my eyes to see something horrible. My stomach dropped and i felt overwhelming despair.
Everything was destroyed. I stood up and looked around me. Houses were demolished as if something ran to them as the citizens who once lived on them were on the ground. Lifeless.
Blood was running through the once peaceful streets of Ferlantris city, making me puke on the fountain that was already died in blood. Its tiers were destroyed. Half of it was already destroyed while the other half was already crumbling on itself.
"What happened…"
I saw my face reflecting on what little the water had left on the fountain. Then i saw something else reflecting on my face. I looked up and noticed that the sky was red. The moon was bloody red as it shined down.
Suddenly i thought of another person. Rose.
Without thinking i ran to the street i saw her off last as i didn't notice that i went past the fountain. In the streets, i saw mangled corpses being displayed everywhere, with its perpetrators gone like the wind.
Pure anxiousness consumed me as I ran faster and faster. I turned left but it was a dead end. Yet i saw who I was looking for. She had her back turned against me and saw that she was still alive.
Apparent joy was on my face as i ran to her but just as i got close, i noticed that something was off. I stopped when I was just halfway and called out to her. "Rose?"
She didn't respond. I called out again and in a much louder voice. Calling out again but louder than even my voice throughout the street. Yet nothing.
A sense of dread flooded my mind as I might have realized something, but I ignored it and walked closer. With every step i walked, I felt that something was weighing me down.
Every step felt like a house was strapped into my legs and yet I pushed on. Just when i was near her, I reached out to her and I called out her name in a meek voice. "Rose?"
I touched her shoulder slightly yet that was enough. Her body toppled to the side, crashing down on her back. Pure horror filled my eyes when i saw her condition.
Her eyes were burned out with a look of shock on her face.