Roan walked through the muddy streets of Tolaga, soulless like a puppet. Everything felt surreal to him, the squelching of his leather boots in the mud, the nauseating smell permeating through the air and the cold wind slapping against his unprotected face. His gaze on the ground and shoulders slumped, He walked aimlessly. But as he went deeper into the town, the hustle and bustle of the town slowly lifted his spirits. But that didn't last long as he glanced around at the familiar place which suddenly started feeling unfamiliar. He was never going to walk through these streets with his beloved friends ever again. It was a heartbreaking realization. He stopped and stood at the spot for a couple of seconds. His vision blurred due to tears. But he pushed back those tears and started walking again.
Roan had lived in this town for as long as he could remember. He didn't know where he had been born or who his parents were. He was just here since he started remembering things as an orphan living in the slums of Tolaga town, a northern frontier town of the Ceres kingdom, a vast southern kingdom which was one of the many kingdoms of the Asterisk world.
His life had been a struggle, begging and stealing being his way of surviving in the ruthless slums of the town. But despite the struggles and hard times, he survived and was working as an adventurer to earn his living. All possible due to his friends whom he wouldn't hesitate to call the family that he never had. They supported each other, helped each other and defended each other in times of need. They were a true family.
But he had lost them. They had died in front of his eyes and he hadn't been able to do anything but stare as the monsters tore through their bodies, ripping them to shreds.
And in such a dire situation he had survived. He didn't know how. His mind was blank from the moment he had witnessed his friends getting killed as if he hadn't even been there. He wanted answers but his memory didn't contain one. He sighed as he continued his walk through the town, pedestrians walking, vendors yelling and children playing on the streets.
"Roan..."As he was walking, Roan heard a voice call him from behind. He turned to see who it was and was surprised to find his neighbour Ruth walking towards him with his hands waving in the air, signalling him to stop.
"Uncle Ruth.," He exclaimed as he waved back at the old man. He was one of the people he considered family in this world and now the only one left. Roan stood in the middle of the road, waiting for the old man to arrive.
"did you just come back from a mission, Roan?" Ruth asked Roan with a slight smile on his black face as soon as he arrived in front of Roan. It was a dirty face, a common feature of all slum dwellers. His long hair was knotted due to lack of combing and his clothes were just as dirty. But the old man didn't seem to care for his appearance. He smiled waiting for a reply from Roan.
"Ah...yes...we were on a mission but..." Roan said as he trailed off and his eyes moistened, the memories of his friends dying which he had been working so hard to bury resurfacing in his mind. He covered his mouth with his hand and tried not to cry out loud.
"What happened?" Ruth asked with a concerned expression on his face. Roan as if a dam had broken started sobbing and recounted his experience to Ruth till he had woken up surrounded by corpses.
"Noo." Ruth cried, his face twisted in agony after hearing about the deaths of the kids that he had seen grow up to become adventurers.
"It's ok roan.it's going to be ok.....let's go home " He smothered Roan's hair who was crying on his shoulder. Ruth himself was not having a good time as his eyes were tearing up and his face was shaking. He was trying not to let go.
Both of the devastated men walked back to their homes, their heads hung low and gait unsteady.
_____________________________
Roan lay on the tattered straw mattress inside his flimsy hut, which was made of sticks and straw. It was a modest abode of his located in the heart of slums surrounded by many other huts just like his. The inside was dark and musty, with the faint smell of rot permeating the air. Roan was lost in thought, his mind fixated on the memory of his two best friends, Lela and Seth.
His friends had died while he was there with them but he had been unable to do anything. He didn't even remember what had happened after his friend's death. he knew it wasn't his fault but guilt still gnawed at his heart.
As Roan drifted off into a restless sleep, he was suddenly transported back to the moment of his friends' deaths. The scene played out before him with brutal clarity as he watched the savage beasts rip Lela and Seth apart. He felt the raw agony of his loss and the helplessness that came with it.
Then, something changed. Roan saw himself going berserk, his body consumed by dark smoke. As he watched, a dark gaseous cloud rose from his body and entered the dead bodies of his friends and the dead monsters laying all around him. It was strange.
The bodies rose from the ground, seemingly alive once more. Their steps were mechanical, the dead bodies of Roan's friends and the monsters walked towards the living monsters. They fought alongside Roan, slashing and tearing at the monsters until none were left standing. The intensity of the experience left Roan gasping for breath.
The dream was so vivid that it felt like it had truly happened. Roan sat up, his breathing shallow, and his body drenched in sweat. He tried to make sense of what he had seen, but the dream was a jumbled mess of emotions and sensations that defied explanation.
"What was that?" Roan thought. Exhausted, He lay back down on his straw mattress, hoping that sleep would grant him a reprieve from the chaos of his thoughts. But before he could drift off, his mind wandered back to his dream. He wondered if it was a sign of some kind or merely a symptom of his grief. Roan's mind raced as he contemplated what the dream might mean. He had a lot to think about, and he knew that he wouldn't get any rest until he found some answers.