Ben Tennyson has awakened in the magical world of Earthland with amnesia, no memory outside of his name. Follow our lost hero as he travels across Fiore, making new friends and enemies, catching the interest of certain people, and rediscovering who he truly is.
Notes:Inspired by One's Road to Remembrance by Insane DominatorInspired by New Beginning by Howard blake
(See the end of the work for notes.)
Chapter 1: A Shelter in the Woods Part IChapter Text
Everything was black and it stretched as far and wide as the deepest regions of outer space without the stars. The only sounds that could be heard was mostly white noise, with occasionally the rustling of trees. The black slowly faded away as an eighteen-year-old young man's eyes fluttered open. The first thing that filled his view was tree limbs covered in moss and a thick fog choking the air.
"...Urrgh…" He was a mess. His entire body was motionless, and he couldn't feel his arms or legs. His emerald eyes started to blink rapidly until he shut them and shot them open, gasping as a sudden surge of pain shot through his body. "AAGHH!"
He wasn't sure if whatever injuries he had were serious or not. It felt like muscle cramps, but it soon dialed down to a stinging sensation. His head was in a daze as a small migraine flared up, causing him to wince. Fortunately, the pain simmered down and within minutes he was able to move his limbs again.
The ground beneath him felt soft and a bit moist on his skin. He gradually sat up and winced from the sharp pain in his head. "Ow…where…am I?" He looked around and almost wished he hadn't.
Around him was a marsh-like jungle littered with meshed gray rocks. He couldn't make out more details beyond that due to the thick fog permeating the scene. Turning his head around, he paused to stare at a very large and old tree looming behind him.
Said tree had thick vine-like tread that had attached itself to the nearby surroundings, and on those vines was aged, luminescent moss. The bark and leaves growing on the tree were notably a much darker shade than what a lot of wildlife greenery was supposed to be. This, ironically enough, highlighted the moss that grew all along the branches to light up the tree.
Taking a deep breath, he nearly grimaced from how stale and foul the air was. This place was becoming more unsettling by the second, he thought. He groaned as his headache flared again and he placed a hand on his forehead. He brushed his brown hair out of the way as his eyes darted around the scene, trying to process what had happened.
But nothing came to mind.
"Where…no…" He paused, realizing that he was missing something even more important than his location. "Who am I?"
Furrowing his brows, he wracked his dazed mind for any answers, but he drew blanks. 'I can't remember anything…I don't understand. What's going on?!' The teenager was beginning to get antsy with his headache coupled with the unsettling realization of amnesia.
He took a deep breath and exhaled to calm himself. Realizing he wouldn't be having an epiphany anytime soon; he knew sitting around wouldn't do him any good.
The brunet shakily stood up, discovering that his black t-shirt was shredded, and his blue jeans were torn. His green leather sports jacket was in no better shape either, which made him feel disappointed for some odd reason. Dirt and grime covered him from head-to-toe, and bloody scrapes stained his body. His black and white shoes seemed to be in decent shape, at least.
Looking around once more, he spotted a trail cutting through the rocks and presumably into the jungle further back. Shrugging, he commented, "Better than nothing, I guess." He then glanced back at the ominous-looking tree behind him. "Gotta be better than sticking around here…"
With no alternate options present, the amnesiac teen walked toward the trail grimacing from the occasional body aches. Whatever had happened to him prior had done a number on him. As he cautiously proceeded down the rocky trail, he kept his head on a swivel and his ears open. The silence was eerie and disconcerting. Wherever he was, it was like an abyss that glared right back at him. Angry that he had disturbed its serenity.
Not like he came here on purpose…right? "Just wish I knew how I got here…or anything for that matter…"
A series of electronic beeping suddenly interrupted his grumblings. He followed the sound to his left arm, pulling up his partially torn sleeve to find a green gauntlet-like band extending halfway up his forearm. On the band was a black rectangle with tiny lights around it, four intricate green tubes, and a circular green hourglass dial.
Source: Five Years Later by The Ink Tank
"System reboot in progress…" On que, the hourglass and neon tubes then turned a light yellowish green.
He raised a brow. "Uh…okay?" System reboot? What was this thing? It wasn't telling time, so he didn't think it was a watch. He tried to remember anything about the peculiar device on his arm, but he couldn't.
This was getting really frustrating.
Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it. At the moment, he had bigger concerns, such as finding civilization…and remembering who he was.
Over an hour passed as the brunet continued down the winding rough trail. The eerie marshy jungle eventually gave way to a lush, green forest. During the trek through the forest, the young man had plenty of time to think; however, most of that time was spent trying to remember anything about himself or anyone else, which was met with zero results.
He did confirm that at least his memory loss didn't include his speech, language comprehension, and general knowledge of the world. For instance, he could recognize the earth, trees, sky, clouds, and sun. Also, when he spotted the sun through the canopy, he was able to determine two things: it was roughly mid-morning, and he was currently heading north.
Thankfully he wasn't a complete blank slate.
The trail eventually ended at a grassy cliff by a fairly large river. Approaching the edge, he looked around and was mildly disappointed to find no signs of civilization.
"Well…maybe I can follow the river? There's usually towns and stuff on them, right? But which direction?" A heavy sigh slipped out. "Man, what should I do here?" He asked no one.
Before the amnesiac teen could come to any kind of resolution, the ground started to quake from heavy footsteps and a rather large shadow loomed over him. When he glanced back over his shoulder, he was met with an extremely bizarre sight.
It was an incredibly large, gorilla-like creature that had a lavender chest and face, with a similarly lavender cone sticking out from the top of its head, and noticeably long ears and chin to match. It had green fur all over its body, save for its legs and tail, which were a darker shade of green, and the pink, heart-shaped symbols on its shoulders and arms in a line pattern.
"I'll tell ya what you can do." The gorilla creature sneered. "You can get off my turf before I smash your little face in."
He blinked twice. "Uh…you talk?"
The ape-like creature growled, visibly angry. "Are you mocking me, ya little punk!?"
The brunet turned to get a better look at the creature addressing him, moderately surprised that it could speak of all things. Looks like he made it mad though.
"Noooo. Not at all." He sounded sarcastic without meaning to. "Listen, uh…whoever or whatever you are, I'm just passing through. So if you could just–"
"That so?" It leaned down to the brunet's face with an overconfident air around it. "This is my territory, punk! Trespassers aren't welcome!"
The amnesiac frowned and subconsciously glanced at the gauntlet on his wrist; the dial and tubes were still glowing yellowish green. 'I wonder…' Whatever musings he had on the unknown device were suddenly interrupted.
"HEY! Are you listening to me!?" The gorilla-monster shouted in his face.
He visibly grimaced from the volume as well as the creature's foul breath. "Pee-yoo! Ever try brushing your teeth, dude?" Wrong answer.
Baring its sharp teeth, the beast snatched him up in its oversized hand.
"OW! HEY! Lemme–ACK!" He felt the air leave his lungs from the tight grip.
"Puny runt!" The green primate roared, squeezing tighter to make the teenager shout. This gave the creature a sense of sick satisfaction. "There's a toll for trespassers in my neck of the woods. For the human women, I take them as a wife. For the men…well…" It reared back its arm and hurled the brunet teen toward the river. "I HAVE NO USE FOR 'EM!"
He plummeted into the river's center, plunging deep into the cold water. Instincts took over as he kicked his legs to reach the surface. He managed to get a gulp of air as the raging currents immediately swept him up.
"Have a nice swim, runt." The ape-beast chortled smugly with a wave, and then walked back into the forest–presumably leaving the human man to his watery demise.
The amnesiac teenager madly kicked his legs trying to stay afloat. He tried to swim toward the closest bank, but the rapids were too strong. It also didn't help that his wounds were flaring up again after being exposed to the cold water.
Nevertheless, with his life on the line, he steeled himself and pushed as hard as he could for shore. The river unfortunately had other plans as it violently tossed him into a boulder, and his head harshly smacked against it.
The lights were out once again for the unlucky brunet.
It was a beautiful sunny day with peaceful skies and a wide expanse of trees that stretched as far as the eye could see. The birds singing as they fluttered through the air made their song echo over the area. Below the birds' overhead was a large river that cut through the hilly landscape.
Walking along the rocky riverbank was a trio of individuals.
One was a young girl with porcelain skin and long blue hair that was tied into a ponytail. She wore brown sandals, green knee-length pants, and a large blue work shirt that could've passed for a dress. On her right shoulder was a light blue tattoo of a cat with two tails.
Alongside her was a bald, tanned muscular man wearing only tan pants and brown sandals. On his forehead was a blue tattoo of a hollow circle and a rectangle underneath; the same design was on his left arm, only the circle was white, and the rectangle was red. On his left pectoral was the same cat-like insignia as the girl's in navy blue.
The third member of the trio was a small white cat clad in a yellow-and-pink top with a big pink bowtie, and a pink bow on the end of her tail. Two angelic-like wings sprouted out of her back which the cat was using to fly at head-height with its companions.
"Thanks again for your help, Wendy." The man said, carrying a folded-up fishing net in one arm and a spear in the other. "I greatly appreciate it."
The blue-haired girl, Wendy, smiled brightly. "Of course, Maguna! I'm always happy to help anyone in the guild."
"I fail to see how fishing is a productive use of your time, Wendy." The white cat curtly remarked.
"Carla…" Wendy whined.
Carla crossed her arms. "I'm just saying that if you want to truly improve your magical skills, you should be taking some requests outside of the village."
"I know… It's just…" Wendy trailed off. "...Can we drop this for now, Carla? Let's just focus on helping Maguna, okay?"
The white feline huffed, annoyed. "Fine. But we are going to continue this discussion later, child."
"This is the spot." Maguna called out, stopping by a boulder much larger than the surrounding ones. "The currents form whirlpools out in the center of the river out there, forcing the fish to come closer to shore near here." He then looked back. "Normally we'll use nets to capture them…but I have another idea."
"What's that?" Wendy asked curiously.
The tanned man grinned widely.
Moments later, Wendy stood by the river's edge while Maguna and Carla were standing further back; the latter's wings had disappeared as to converse her magic.
The blue-haired girl took a deep breath, focusing on her inner magic. "Okay…" She then swung her arms in a circular pattern. "Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!"
Subsequently, wind generated a twister in the area of the river Maguna had told her the fish would be. The idea was simply to generate a tornado that would suck up the fish from the water and throw them on the shore for easy capture. But the twister produced wasn't very large or powerful. A little bit of water was sprayed across the area, splashing on Wendy.
No fish were caught.
"Shoot…" Wendy sagged her shoulders disappointingly.
"Hey, it's alright, Wendy." Maguna placated.
"You'll need to put a little more magical power into your spell, child." Carla gently critiqued.
"Why don't you try again?" Maguna suggested. "Keep going until you get it right or tired." He purposely forgot to mention that her first attempt likely scared off any fish in the vicinity. He didn't want to shake her already lackluster self-confidence.
Besides, this would still be good training for her.
"Okay…" She replied, with noticeably less excitement. Brushing some water off her face, she breathed deeply and repeated the same spell. Again, the twister was too small to catch any fish.
"You can do it, Wendy!"
"Focus, child!"
Wendy repeated Wave Wind another seven times, making it nine in total. But the twister size and strength did not strengthen; in fact, the spell actually seemed to get weaker.
Wendy sighed dejectedly, resting her hands on her knees. "I'm sorry…" She was on the verge of crying.
"It's nothing to cry over. How about you give it one more try, Wendy? What's the saying? Tenth time's the charm?" Maguna said cheerily.
"I believe it's the third time's the charm." Carla corrected.
"Ha-ha! Well," Maguna rubbed the back of his head, "ten does represent completion and unity in some cultures. Or so I've heard. One more try shouldn't hurt, right?"
Carla sighed. "I suppose. Are you up to it, Wendy?"
Wendy nodded shakily. "Right!" Breathing deeply, she widened her stance and channeled magic into her arms once more. "Sky Dragon's Wave Wind!"
Another twister was generated in the river, and it was slightly larger than the others as it pulled in a large quantity of water. It was short-lived, however, as the tornado lost steam and petered out—dropping the water across the area and soaking the trio on shore.
"Alright!" Maguna thrust his fishing spear upward in excitement. "That was much better!"
Wendy leaned over, panting tiredly. "Did we…catch anything…?"
Carla looked around the rocky shore and spotted no sign of fish. "No. Your early attempts likely scared them off." She said bluntly.
"Oh…" The bluenette lowered her head, disappointed.
Maguna directed a frown at Carla. He knew she was only trying to help Wendy grow, but she could learn to tone her criticisms down, he thought. Before he could comment, his trained eyes spotted something heading towards them past the churning waters.
It was a large log. That wasn't strange in of itself as trees and forest debris drift down the river often, it was what was on the log that caught his attention. Studying it closely, his eyes widened in shock.
"Look there!" Maguna pointed with his spear.
Wendy and Carla followed the man's direction and noticed the debris heading toward their side of the river. They were surprised that it hadn't been pulled into the whirlpools in the river's center. In reality, Wendy's spells had unintentionally brought the log closer to shore.
As one end was pushed onto the riverbank by the currents, they noticed something clinging onto it...or rather someone.
"Oh my goodness!" Wendy gasped. "That's a person!" A surge of energy shot through her as she rushed through the ankle-deep water.
"Wendy, be careful!" Carla summoned her wings and flew after her with Maguna following close behind.
Sure enough, an unconscious brown-haired boy was clutching to the middle of the log. As Wendy approached him, she noted he appeared to be several years older than her…and the small rise-and-fall of his chest.
Good, he was alive, she thought. But his condition was rough, and he needed medical treatment immediately! "Maguna, we need to help him!" Wendy shouted urgently.
Maguna nodded and tossed aside his fishing spear and net to carefully pick up the soaked teenager in both arms. From there, the trio completely forgot about fishing and rushed back to their village.
"Aw man…this is gonna be the worst vacation ever. I might as well have gone to summer school." Then, a streak of reddish-orange light shot across the sky. "Whoa…a shooting star."
Suddenly, the meteor pulled a ninety-degree angle and was now heading towards him. He ran away as the streak of light expanded into a fireball, crashing into the ground in a bright conflagration. Chunks of earth and a dust cloud from thrown up from the force of the impact. The young boy was lying on his stomach, remarkably unharmed by a smoking furrow.
The boy got up unscathed and walked toward the edge of the smoking crater where he looked down into it. At the bottom of was a large, segmented sphere glowing red from entry into the atmosphere.
"Looks like a satellite or something." He noted. The earth beneath him crumbled away and he cried out as he fell into the crater.
The brown-haired boy quickly got up and calmly looked at the metallic orb. Suddenly, steam slipped out from the sphere's interlocking plates as it split open. A beeping sound was heard as a bright green light emanated from inside the container. Peering into the sphere, he saw a peculiar bulky watch in the center.
A dial rested in the center, only it had no numbers or hands, but rather a green angular hourglass symbol. The wristband appeared to be made of a thick, blackish-grey material. It had two green buttons on both sides, and four white pipes that extended from the dial and around the rest of the watch. A faint glow shined from the dial and bathed the newly forged crater in an emerald color.
"A watch…? What's a watch doing in outer space?" The boy smirked as he stretched out his left hand to pick up the device and examine it. Shockingly, the watch lunged out of the sphere, opened up, and clamped down on his left wrist. "AHHH!" He screamed, frantically shaking his arm. "GET OFF ME! GET OFF! GET OFF!"
The brown-haired boy grunted as he tried to pull the watch off, but to no avail. In his panic, the boy lost his balance and fell on his back. He got back up and climbed out of the crater, making a mad dash into the forest.
"Grandpa!"
Black encompassed the scene once more and several murmurs could be heard in the background. He then felt a warm, tingling sensation filled his entire body. The aches and sores he had been feeling steadily disappeared as if it were being washed away.
"He's waking up."
His eyes fluttered open as his bleary vision refocused to a thatched roof with wooden beams. Whatever he was on felt soft and it took him a moment to realize he was lying on a soft padded futon.
"Urgh," he groaned groggily. "What? Where–" He then noticed a young girl with long blue-hair standing by him with blue light emanating off of her palms, which were placed on his exposed torso. The light felt warm and soft on his skin. Was that what he felt in his sleep?
"There." Wendy deactivated her magic and wiped away a few beads of sweat off her forehead. "Good as new." She then turned to the brunet with a cute smile. "Are you feeling better?"
He didn't respond immediately, trying to process the situation. "Um…yeah, I do actually."
'What was that light coming off her hands? Why does it seem familiar?' He wondered.
"That's a relief." Wendy exhaled. "I was worried we may have been too late to save you."
"Indeed." A soft feminine voice said.
He shifted his head to see two other people standing in the room and strangely a flying white cat with girl clothes. That last one made him do a double take to ensure he wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, he wasn't.
The one who spoke was a young, pretty woman with porcelain skin, a red gem on her forehead, and lavender-colored irises. She adorned a lavender knee-length skirt and a matching top that showcased her torso and a fair amount of cleavage. Ben did his best not to stare. Over that she had on a purple cloak and hood with gold trim over it, and a black veil with a gold cat-looking symbol on the lower half of her face.
"It's a good thing Maguna, Wendy, and Carla found you when they did." She said softly. "Otherwise, you may have drowned."
"Drowned?" He gingerly sat up.
"We found you clinging to a log in the river unconscious." Carla chimed, momentarily surprising the brunet by the fact that she could speak.
'River? Why was I–' His train of thought stopped when he recalled waking up in the woods, walking through the woods, and then his encounter with the green-and-pink gorilla beast. 'Oh, right.' He thought sourly.
"I see. T-thank you, then. For saving me." He said appreciatively.
"You should thank Wendy. She's the one who used her Healing Magic to treat you." Carla said pointedly. "You were in fairly bad shape."
The young man blinked twice. "Healing Magic?" He turned back to the girl. "Was that the blue glow on your hands?"
Wendy shyly nodded. "Yeah. It's my Sky Magic."
"That's cool. Um...so your magic isn't pink?"
"Uh, no…Why would it be pink?" Wendy was bewildered by the odd question.
He shrugged. "I…dunno. When you said magic, pink was the first thing that came to mind for some reason." He then shook his head. "But anyways, thank you very much for saving me, Wendy."
Wendy smiled brightly. "You don't need to thank me. I was just happy to help!"
Standing off to the side was a small elderly man with a long white beard, mustache, sideburns, and bushy eyebrows that flowed together. He wore a headgear composed of feathers, a cloth circling his waist paired with loose dark pants that stretched to his knees, and a necklace seemingly made from teeth around his neck. On his forehead was a tattoo, composed of a dot surrounded by two arched stripes.
"Hmm," the old man studied the young man's mannerisms carefully. 'He assumed her magic was pink? Interesting response.' He then coughed to clear his throat, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "Well, fate must have been smiling upon you, young man."
'More like sneering.' The amnesiac teen inwardly remarked. "Um, who are you guys? And where am I?"
"I am Roubaul." The old man stepped forward, and then gestured to the other two occupants. "You're already acquainted with Wendy and Carla here."
The brunet turned to Wendy and Carla and smiled. Wendy looked shy while Carla merely huffed and looked away.
"And this is Pepel." He gestured to the purple-clad woman. "One of our village's finer seamstresses. She offered to house you while you recover."
"A pleasure to meet you." Pepel bowed her head to him.
"The pleasure's mine." The brunet smiled and nodded. "Thank you for allowing me into your home."
"It's not trouble. But…may we have your name, good sir?" she requested.
"Well…" He rubbed his neck sheepishly. "...this is awkward. I don't remember."
The trio were perplexed by his response.
"You don't remember your name?" Wendy cocked her head.
"Yeah…yah see...I think I've lost my memories." He confessed.
The room went momentarily silent.
"Hold on," Wendy became concerned, "so, you have amnesia?"
"Pretty much," he nodded. "Although, I do remember some basic stuff; like how to speak and all."
"You had a pretty big bump on your head when we found you." The bluenette mentioned, frowning. "Maybe whatever did that caused you to lose your memories…?"
"I suppose you don't recall how you ended up in the river then?" Pepel inquired.
"Oh, that I remember clearly." He then spent the next several minutes explaining how he woke up in a creepy marsh by a large tree, wandered through the forest, and was thrown into the river by a green gorilla beast.
"That's awful!" Wendy covered her mouth with her hands in shock. "That stupid mean monster!"
"It sounds like you encountered a Vulcan." Pepel shook her head. "Vile perverse beasts. You're fortunate to be alive, especially as a man."
'Vulcan? No, that's not familiar either.' He thought. "Lucky break, I guess."
"I hardly call almost drowning a lucky break." Carla remarked sardonically.
"Considering that Vulcan could've just killed me on the spot, I would call it lucky." He retorted.
"Hmm," Roubaul hummed thoughtfully over their guest's explanation. 'Based on his description, It sounds like he woke up near Nirvana's resting place. But how could he have found it? Was he searching for it before he lost his memories?' He opened his eyes to look at the brunet with mild skepticism. 'I don't sense any ill-will coming from him at least. Still...'
"Well, you're free to stay in our village for the time being." Roubaul offered. "Perhaps you'll regain your memories in due time."
"That's pretty generous of you." He said with a small smile. "Thank you, sir."
Roubaul bowed his head. "Nabara."
He didn't know what that meant but rolled with it.
"So…" He glanced around the room, noting the ornamental design and tribal theme it had going on. "Where exactly are we?"
"You're in a village occupied by members of the Cait Shelter guild. I am the chief and master of both." Roubaul replied.
He stared at the elderly man confusedly. "Cait Shelter?"
Roubaul chortled slightly. "We're a small guild, so I don't blame you for never hearing of us."
'I've never heard of any, so…'
"I gotcha. So, where is Cait Shelter located on the map?"
"To the south of the Worth Woodsea."
The brunet gave Roubaul a befuddled look, his statement doing nothing for him.
"A few days' journey from Clover?"
He blinked twice, still perplexed.
"Kingdom of Fiore?" Roubaul was surprised now.
He merely shrugged. "Doesn't ring any bells."
"Hmm," the short-statured man stroked his beard contemplatively before glancing at Wendy and Carla. "After our guest recovers, why don't you both show him to the guild hall? Show him our latest map of the continent of Ishgar? Maybe if he sees it, he can remember where his home is."
Wendy nodded eagerly. "Sure thing, master! I'd love to!"
Carla sighed in mild annoyance.
The brunet took one glance at himself and noted he was wearing a green short-sleeved shirt with black tribal-like patterns…and his briefs underneath the blanket. Most of the dirt and grim was gone too as well as Wendy's magic had healed up his bruises and cuts.
Did someone change and clean him?
Pepel noticed his bewilderment and revealed, "As Wendy was treating you, I took the liberty of cleaning the dirt off you…and giving you some clean clothes to sleep in."
"Oh…uh, thank you." His face turned slightly red at the fact this woman may have seen him naked. At least she wasn't teasing him about it.
Pepel continued. "Your shirt and pants are beyond repair, I'm afraid. But you did have a green jacket that wasn't in as bad shape. I can try to repair them if you'd like?"
Ben smiled at her. "If it's no trouble, that'd be awesome of you."
Pepel nodded, smiling behind her mask.
'My jacket…' His thoughts then shifted to the green-colored apparel…and the black circle with the number 10 on his left chest. 'Ten…' Something began to brew in his head.
"So…I know you don't remember your name, but what should we call you?" Wendy asked.
His green eyes widened as something suddenly clicked in his mind. "...Ben…"
The group stared at the young man curiously.
"Ben?" Wendy repeated.
"I remember. That's my name. My name is Ben. Ben Tennyson."
Ben took a deep breath of the cool, fresh morning air. The sun was peeking over the nearby mountain range to shine its golden rays on the land. At the moment, the brown-haired teen was following Wendy and Carla through a big cotton field while holding three large empty baskets stacked in each other. Many members of their village were following behind several paces behind with baskets of their own.
With his former attire ruined, Ben was now wearing a new set of clothes that matched Cait Shelter's Native American-esque tribal theme. His attire consisted of a loose short-sleeved white shirt with a black rim on each sleeve, a black band tied around his waist, and a pair of knee-length tan pants with brown sandals.
Simple yet comfortable for the summer. Come wintertime he knew he'd need another set of thicker, warmer clothes but he could worry about that much later on. Right now he has a task to focus on.
"Although we do use animal skins to make clothing, most of our weaving material comes from this cotton field." Wendy explained.
"Right. I've noticed you guys are pretty conservative on hunting and fishing." Ben noted.
"We only take what we need." She said. "When we do kill something, it's our village's custom to use every part of the creature; whether it be for food, clothing, or building material."
Ben nodded in understanding. "Makes sense. I can respect that."
Over a week had passed since Ben's arrival in the Cait Shelter community. The first day he had spent mostly lying in bed to recover his lost stamina, but after some more sleep and several meals he was back on his feet.
Since then, he had been lending his aid to anyone in the village who needed it. Whether it be fishing the river, tilling the food gardens, or chopping firewood. It was hard work and he sometimes struggled with it, but thankfully the villagers were kind and understanding about it.
Cait Shelter was a tight-knit community as everyone was a member of the local magical guild. From what he had been told, guilds were places where wizards–people who could wield magic–could find work to earn wages and cooperate with one another. However, the Cait Shelter guild focused less on outside jobs and more on textiles and clothing, which was their specialty and brought in the bulk of their income.
Speaking of money, recently one of the town's merchants had requested to increase their usual shipment in exchange for additional Jewels–the currency for the Fiore kingdom. Chief Roubaul immediately accepted the request without hesitation, and now everyone in the guild was tasked with lending a hand to help fulfill the order. The elderly man had explained the extra income could be used to trade for more goods and equipment; however, Ben had a feeling the old man likely was going to spend it on extra booze.
Regardless, Ben helped out without hesitation; hence why he was picking cotton in the field early in the morning. The merchant was scheduled to arrive in a few days, so they needed everything ready by then.
The group spent the next several hours filling up baskets with the cotton. For Ben, it was tedious work, but it did give him time to ruminate on his situation.
'Let's recap. Woke up in a creepy marsh with no memory of who I am or how I got there. Got thrown into a river by an overgrown monkey. Now I'm living in a tiny remote village that's apparently a wizard guild…only it produces textiles for income.' He internally summarized. 'And aside from my name and that weird dream…I still can't remember anything about myself.'
That dream had remained on his mind. Was it really just a dream? No, it was too detailed. Was it perhaps a memory then? If so, of what? What was that watch that had mysteriously clamped onto his left arm? Was it related to the green gauntlet currently on his arm?
Speaking of which, the gauntlet's hourglass dial and tubes were still glowing that yellow-green color. Every time he touched or turned the dial, he'd get a series of strange beeps and whirring noises. Eventually he just gave up. When he tried showing it to the villagers–including Roubaul–in hopes of getting answers, they were left utterly flabbergasted by it. Apparently, they had never seen anything like it before.
Ben internally sighed. 'I won't get any answers here. But what should I do?'
Hours later, the group had filled up all of their baskets and started trekking back to the village.
"Hey, Ben!" Wendy rushed to Ben's side, holding a smaller basket full of cotton with both hands.
"Hi, Wendy. Good work today." He praised her.
"Thanks," she smiled shyly. "How're you feeling? You're not straining yourself, are you?"
"I'm fine." He chuckled a bit. "My muscles are still a tiny bit sore from all the work, but I'm adjusting."
"Do you need me to use my healing spell on you?" She sounded a tad concerned.
"Nah." He shook his head. "I'll live. No pain, no gain, am I right?"
"I suppose. So, um… I know we're all pretty busy today, but…" The young girl paused as if she were debating if she should continue, "...I was wondering if you would like to come see me train my magic this evening?"
Ben blinked, moderately surprised by the request, and then smiled. "Sure. I'd love to." He didn't have anything else to do, so why not? It could be fun.
Besides, he and Wendy had become good friends in a relatively short amount of time. He figured she was just happy to have someone close to her age in the village, even if it was a six-year gap. It could also just be because she's a very friendly person despite being so shy. Wendy had been helping him adjust to life in Cait Shelter and frequently shared her knowledge of magic and the world in general. Along with Pepel and Maguna, she had been very helpful.
"Child, you really don't need the distraction." Carla curtly inserted.
Wendy's companion, Carla, had been less friendly towards him. She wasn't hostile, rather she was more aloof than anything. Additionally, he figured the feline may still be wary of him; something Ben couldn't hold it against her. After all, he was a complete stranger suffering from amnesia.
"Don't be rude, Carla. Ben's not a distraction." Wendy refuted.
"I am confused though." Ben spoke up. "How exactly are you going to train your Healing Magic?"
"Healing is only one aspect of Wendy's magical capabilities," Carla responded. "In fact, she's the Sky Dragon Slayer."
Ben arched a brow, looking at her confusedly. "Sky Dragon Slayer?"
Later that evening, nearly half-a-mile outside the village, Ben, Wendy, and Carla were standing in a relatively small clearing in the woods with over a dozen uprooted trees lying on the ground.
"So this is where you train?" Ben asked.
"Mhmm." Wendy nodded. "Master suggested I could practice my magic on this old part of the forest. If I can blow all these old trees out of the ground, we can harvest them, and new trees can be planted."
"I gotcha. Training with a purpose."
Moments later, Ben took a seat on a stump at the clearing's edge as Wendy took several steps forward. Carla stood a few meters away from him with her arms crossed.
"So…" He turned to the white feline, hoping to shorten the gap between them through conversation. "What does this Sky Dragon Slayer magic do? Aside from killing Dragons, I mean."
"In addition to healing, her magic grants her the ability to control the air itself." Carla explained. "She can manipulate it into various spells for offense and support."
"Seriously? That's really cool." Ben commented, amazed.
Wendy, meanwhile, widened her stance and took a deep breath; her cheeks comically puffing out. "Sky Dragon's… ROAR!" Amazingly, Wendy exhaled a tornado-like attack in front of her. The trees in the vicinity of the blast bowed over, and the ones closest to Wendy were blown to the ground.
Upon concluding her attack, Wendy bent over slightly to catch her breath.
Ben sat on the stump, slack-jawed at what he had witnessed. "Whoa…" All that power came from one little girl?!
"Hmph," Carla huffed proudly. "Though she is young, Wendy is quite the capable wizard."
"I'll say…" Ben agreed.
"Okay…" He had heard Wendy say to herself. "Again."
She inhaled deeply and unleashed another Roar spell that knocked a few more trees over. Wendy continued this process several more times until half-an-acre of trees was blown down–ready to be harvested. By the end of it, the bluenette was panting a bit and wiping some sweat off of her forehead.
"Uh," Ben turned to Carla, concerned, "she's not gonna drain herself, is she?"
Carla shook her head. "She won't drain her magic per say, no. Dragon Slayers are capable of restoring their magical reserves by consuming their respective elements."
Ben gaped slightly. "Hold on…so she can literally just breathe air and BAM! She's back to 100 percent?!"
Carla was mildly annoyed by his outburst. "More or less, yes."
Ben turned back to Wendy in wide-eyed amazement. "That's incredible…"
From there, Wendy continued to demonstrate various spells on the timber. The poor trees stood no chance against hurricane-level winds. All the while, Ben watched her with an awed expression as Carla occasionally provided him with tidbits of information regarding Dragon Slayer magic.
At some point, the image of a bipedal tortoise creature suddenly popped in his mind. 'That's…odd. Why would I think that?' He pondered.
As the sun began its descent and several stars appeared in the sky, Wendy had cleared out another half-acre and was ready to call it a night. The trio stood at the edge of the clearing, preparing to head back to the village.
"I'm pooped." Wendy sighed tiredly. "I'm ready to just collapse in bed…"
"Out of the question." Carla crossed her arms into an X. "You must clean yourself properly before turning in for the night, child. You don't want to get your mattress filthy.
"Okay…" Wendy exhaled, too tired to argue.
"Wendy," Ben spoke up, perking her up a bit, "thanks for inviting me. I gotta say your magic is pretty incredible."
"Oh c'mon," Wendy looked away shyly, "it's nothing special."
"Are you kidding?" He said incredulously. "You can heal people, which is great. Heck, I should know. Its name is Dragon Slayer magic! And with your element being air, you can recharge yourself practically anywhere, anytime. Your magic's awesome!"
"I don't know if I'd go that far…" Wendy said sheepishly. "I still think I'm far behind."
Ben quirked an eyebrow. "You should have a little more confidence in yourself, Wendy. It can go a long way."
"I concur." Carla backed up. "You're never going to grow if you keep doubting yourself."
Wendy frowned. "I know…"
Ben furrowed his brows, trying to think of something else to add to persuade her. His expression brightened when something came to mind. "You told me only a minority of this kingdom's population can use magic naturally, right?"
"Y-Yeah." Wendy replied.
"Ten percent, to be precise." Carla said matter-of-factly. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything. That means the vast majority of people in Fiore aren't wizards, and even a smaller percentage can wield Dragon Slayer magic, right?"
Both girls nodded in confirmation.
"So…" Ben grinned. "That means not very many people can do what you can do, Wendy. Look." He pointed back to the training grounds. "You're only twelve and you're able to blow tornadoes out of your mouth. Just imagine how much stronger you'll become?"
Wendy smiled a little. "Y-yeah, maybe—"
"No 'maybe'. You can do it." Ben smiled confidently at her. "You just have to believe you can. I know I do."
Wendy lightly gasped; her blue eyes widening.
"For what that's worth coming from a guy who lost his memories." He then motioned to Carla, smirking. "Also, I know Carla feels the same way. It's partially why she nags on you so much."
"I do not nag!" Carla shouted; a tick mark appeared on her head.
Wendy stared at Ben shortly before lunging forward to wrap her arms around his torso in a tight hug. "Thank you, Ben!" She beamed.
Ben was momentarily surprised by the hug before gently returning it, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You don't need to thank me. I'm just happy to help."
He glanced up to see Carla shooting him a small smile. It was the first expression she had given him that wasn't a scowl or a neutral frown. She then mouthed "thank you" to him, and he wordlessly nodded in return. He didn't think he did much, but he was happy to help in any small way.
Ben sees himself standing in the middle of a small clearing in the woods. With a stick in hand, he was shoving it under the bulky watch trying to get it off. His attempts, however, proved fruitless when the stick broke off.
Groaning in aggravation, the young boy fell to his knees. Turning his attention on the peculiar device, he unknowingly pressed a green button on the side. He was caught off guard by an electronic beep and the dial popping up. Looking around to see no one around, he turned back to the watch as the hourglass symbol shifted into a diamond shape that had a black silhouette of a humanoid.
"Cool!" Intrigued, Ben pressed the faceplate back down.
Green light filled his vision as a surge of power coursed through him. He almost wanted to scream as he felt hot lava pour over him…but it didn't hurt. When the light died away, Ben was shocked to find that his hands had turned into flaming rocks. Taking one glance at himself, he was horrified that his entire body was literally made of rocks…and on fire!
"AAHHHH!"
Ben's emerald eyes shot open, and he immediately sat up from his sleeping bag. He frantically looked at his hands and then checked the rest of his body. Confirming that he was still flesh-and-blood and not fire-and-magma, he relaxed himself. His breathing was hectic as some sweat raced down his face.
He plopped back down with arms sprawled out, remaining in that position for several moments until he had finally calmed himself down. It was still nighttime, and he could hear the sounds of nocturnal wildlife from the forest nearby.
Ben then held up his left arm over his head and the sleeve he wore on it. The sleeve stretched from his wrist to his elbow and had green, white, and black stripes with tribal-based patterns incorporated into it. Pepel had sewed it for him after he complained one-time about the gauntlet's light keeping him up.
Pepel was pretty nice, he thought.
He carefully pulled back the fabric to reveal the green gauntlet; the hourglass dial and tubes were still glowing yellow green.
Ben scrunched up his brows. 'It was bright green before… Said something about rebooting, and then turned yellowish-green and hasn't worked since. What's this thing's deal?'
He fiddled with the dial only to get a series of incomprehensible beeps and whirls in return.
"Ugh!" Groaning in frustration, he pulled the sleeve back up and lowered his arm. "Seriously…wish I could remember." He grumbled.
'That dream though… Is it a memory? Touching that watch turned me into some kind of fire monster. Can this gauntlet do the same?' He paused to consider that possibility.
Moments later, he sighed heavily and clenched his eyes, deciding he'd deal with it in the morning. When Ben finally did drift off to sleep, the gauntlet beeps thrice.
"System reboot progress… 80 percent complete."
Early the next morning, Ben stepped out of a tepee and started performing a series of stretches and light exercises.
Several days prior, the village had lent him a teepee-like hut at the edge of town for him to stay in. Though Wendy and Pepel had both offered him a place to stay in their respective homes, Ben had politely declined. For Wendy it was because Carla had glared at him, silently telling him 'Don't even think about it'. He'd rather not deal with the prissy feline anyways.
As for Pepel, well…though he was an amnesiac, he was still a hot-blooded male. Best not to tempt fate by staying in the home with a single, beautiful young woman; especially when she appeared to be close to his own age. He was eighteen, right?
Completing his exercises, he headed to the village bathhouse to wash up and later proceeded to the guild hall.
Cait Shelter's guild hall was a large pavilion taking the form of a cat's head. Stepping in through the main entrance–which resembled the cat's mouth–the inside had wooden floors and fabric walls supported by a wooden frame. The furniture was exotic with carpets bearing the guild's ornamental pattern. Various decorations representing cats were placed around the building.
A large assortment of food was spread on an ornamental rug on the floor and many of the members were lining around him. Ben looked around and spotted Wendy, Maguna, and Pepel waving him over. Smiling, the brunet walked over and took a seat in a spot they saved for him between Pepel and Wendy.
He was momentarily surprised to see that Pepel's mask and hood were off, revealing a pretty face framed by silky raven hair that went past her shoulders. It was beyond him why covered her face.
Friendly chatter and banter were exchanged between the members. Meanwhile, Roubaul sat in his designated seat near the front, consuming a large jug of booze, making Ben sweat-drop.
'Does that old man ever not drink?' He inwardly deadpanned.
"Is something troubling you, Ben?" Pepel asked to his left.
"Huh?" Ben snapped his attention back to the group. "Oh, no. Not really." His gaze shifted to his left arm again as he recalled the dream that he had last night. "Well, actually. There is one thing on my mind."
"What is it?" Wendy glanced up at him. "Did you remember something?"
"I…think so." Ben sounded unsure. "I had a pretty vivid dream last night…it felt so real."
"Yeah?" Maguna, sitting across from him, said. "Why don't you tell us about it?"
"Well, where should I start…" Ben then spent the next few moments best explaining his 'dream'. By the end of it the group was left baffled.
"Such a peculiar dream," Maguna commented, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"I know right? I'm pretty stumped by it."
"Perhaps it isn't just a dream." Master Roubaul spoke up, gaining the guild's attention. The bearded elderly man took several gulps of his alcoholic drink before continuing, "But rather a vision."
"A vision?" Ben raised a brow. "Like a memory?"
"Yes." Roubaul nodded. "From what you describe, your 'dream' sounds too detailed to be just that."
"Really?" Wendy looked up at Ben. "What do you think, Ben? Did any of it seem familiar to you?"
"I dunno," Ben sighed deeply. "It's honestly hard to tell what's a memory or just my mind playing tricks on me."
"Don't fret, Ben." Roubaul then took another swig. "Every journey begins with one step. You may not get to your destination as fast as you may want, but you may discover that the journey there was more meaningful than the destination itself."
"...Wow." Ben blinked twice, surprised. "That…was actually kind of profound. Thanks, chief."
Roubaul nodded and proceeded to down another jug of alcohol; much to Ben's exasperation.
"If your dream is indeed a memory, then that would mean you possess the ability to transform." Pepel pointed out.
The word 'transform' suddenly stirred something inside Ben's mind. "Transform…?" He repeated.
"Ah, I see." Maguna chimed in. "Like that She-Devil of Fairy Tail we used to hear in the grapevine years ago."
"Uh…She-Devil?" That didn't sound good. Was she some kind of evil wizard? Also, what was Fairy Tail?
"Ah, yes. She was a renowned mage that could turn into a demon." Pepel turned to Ben. "You could possess Take-Over magic as well."
Now Ben was even more perplexed. What were they talking about? "Uh, Take-Over magic? What's that?"
"It's a Caster Type magic." Carla answered while using a fork and knife to delicately cut away at a smoke fish. "As the name implies, it allows a user to 'take over' the power of an entity. In your case, it sounds like you can potentially take on the abilities of some sort of fire creature."
"Oh wow!" Wendy became starry-eyed. "That'd be so cool if that were true! Ben would be like the Salamander of Fairy Tail! Ooh, maybe we can try to see if you can use magic later today?"
"I guess it's worth a try." Ben shrugged. 'But…I have no idea how to transform.'
After breakfast, the guild headed out to perform their designated tasks. They still had a big order to fill and only three days to do it. As Ben made his way toward the fields to gather more cotton for the fabric-weavers, he was stopped by Pepel–who had put her mask back on.
"Pepel?"
"Ben, do you think you could follow me to my house?" She asked. "There's something I need to show you."
"Uh…sure." He replied, sounding confused. "Let's try to make it quick though. I've gotta head to the fields soon."
Pepel nodded, smiling. "Of course."
At the same time, Wendy and Carla stepped through the entrance and were about to proceed toward the designated 'weaving' stations to lend their aid. Then Wendy noticed Ben and Pepel walking down the main stone pathway together away from everyone else.
"Heh-heh," Maguna stepped up, sporting a smug grin. "Wonder where those two are going off together?"
"Pepel's been spending a lot of time around the new guy." A man, wearing maroon pants and a dark green open vest with a small tree sprouting out from the top of his head, noted.
"I heard she even offered to let him stay at her place." An old, hunched back woman added. "Hmph…the shame!"
"Ah, let 'em be." Another middle-aged woman waved off. "They're not hurting anything."
Wendy listened attentively to what her guildmates were saying and turned to Ben and Pepel walking together down main street. 'Wait…are Ben and Pepel…' She gasped as her blue eyes sparkled in excitement. 'Are they really dating?!'
"Child, let's get a move on." Carla instructed. "We have much work ahead of us today."
"Just a moment, Carla. I need to see something first." Her curiosity getting the better of her, Wendy started running down the street after the pair.
"Wendy?!" Carla activated her wings and pursued after her.
Meanwhile, as Ben and Pepel continued down the path, the former glanced over to his purple-clad companion. Something occurred to him that piqued his curiosity.
"Can I ask you something, Pepel?"
She turned to him, nodding. "What's on your mind?"
He paused briefly, mulling his next words carefully. "Why do you wear the hood and veil? I notice not many other women in the guild wear it. Does it mean something?"
"Oh, that? It's traditional for women, especially single women, to wear headcovers." She answered. "Of course it's not mandatory; hence why you see some women not wearing it."
Ben didn't miss how she emphasized the single part, making his heart skip a beat. "I-I see. But if that's the case, how come you decide to wear it?"
"Why do you wish to know?"
Ben shrugged nonchalantly. "I just think you look better without it. That's all."
Wendy, from her hiding spot behind a hanging rug, overheard Ben's comment with her keen hearing and happily squealed to herself. 'Oh wow! That was so romantic, Ben!'
Even Carla, who was next to Wendy, had to internally admit it was a smooth line.
"Oh?" Pepel placed a hand on her cheek, smiling slyly. "Is that so?"
"Um…y-yeah, well…" He looked away, feeling flustered. "Yeah."
'And not so smooth.' Carla inwardly remarked.
Pepel giggled happily. "You're so adorable, Ben." The brunet's face got even redder. "To answer your question though…I wear my headcover publicly for one reason." She stared into Ben's emerald eyes. "I'd like to reveal it when I find my special someone." She then winked at him.
"Oh…" His pace slowed down as his blush intensified. "I…get it…"
After taking a few steps ahead, Pepel stopped to look back at him. "Coming?"
"Y-yeah," he nodded dumbly.
The pair remained oblivious to the fact they were being followed. As Ben and Pepel arrived at the latter's house, Wendy and Carla sneakily walked around the house and rested on their knees beneath an open window.
"Child, we should leave." Carla murmured, her tone sounding stern. "We have no business being here."
"I'm sorry, Carla, but I need to know for certain." Wendy whispered back.
"Know what?" She asked impatiently.
"If Pepel and Ben are dating."
Carla was utterly dumbfounded. "Of course not! You know Pepel is just a flirt!" She made sure to keep her volume down. "Why would you assume otherwise?"
"I heard the other guild members talking about it…" Wendy said innocently.
"You shouldn't believe every bit of two-bit gossip that you hear." Carla chastised.
"Ssh!" Wendy hushed her. "They're talking." With her keen hearing, Wendy listened in while Carla puffed her cheeks in frustration.
Meanwhile, as Pepel and Ben stepped inside the former's house, she pulled down her hood and veil. The purple-clad woman then led Ben to a small room that had ornamental rugs, clothing, and fabric-making supplies.
"So, what did you want to show me?" Ben inquired.
Pepel stepped toward a table full of various supplies and pulled out something familiar.
"This." She unfolded his green leather jacket and presented it to him. The dirt and grime had been cleaned off of it, and it even appeared some of the superficial tears had been stitched up nicely. The jacket was still far from being fully repaired, though.
"As you can see, it's still in rough shape. Progress has been slow. Truthfully, it may take some time before I finish." She informed him. "The stitching here is quite…unique. I've never seen anything like it…"
Ben felt a bit disappointed by that update, but he didn't blame the seamstress. "I understand. I'm just grateful you're at least trying to fix it."
"This jacket has special meaning to you. Yes?"
Ben nodded and stared at it wistfully. "Yeah, it does. Not sure why, I just know it does somehow."
Pepel adopted a determined aura, clenching a fist. "Then I will do everything in my ability to bring it back to life!"
Ben was momentarily taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm, but smiled, nonetheless. "Thank you, Pepel. I really appreciate your kindness."
She beamed as her lavender eyes somehow brightened. A short moment of silence followed between the pair. From outside, Wendy struggled to contain a gleeful squeal at the touching scene while Carla merely rolled her eyes.
Ben cleared his throat. "So, um…was there anything else?" He asked sheepishly, his face flushing a bit.
Pepel's face had reddened slightly as well. "Yes, actually." She stepped back to her desk and picked up two smaller items hidden underneath some fabric and presented them to Ben.
It was a peculiar green rectangular device that fit in a hand and a black wallet.
"I found these hidden in an interior pocket in your jacket." Pepel handed the items to him. "Apologies for not giving them to you sooner."
Ben took the items and studied them closely. They did seem familiar. He tapped the green device, but it did not respond. 'Maybe being submerged in water ruined it?' Stuffing the device in his pants pocket, he then shifted his attention to the black wallet. 'Wait…wallets usually have ID in them, right?'
"Did…you look inside this?" Ben held up the wallet to her.
Pepel shook her head. "No. I wanted to respect your property."
Ben nodded and proceeded to unfold the wallet. Inside he found a few crinkled up green pieces of paper. The large fonted words he noticed on the slips were: FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and ONE DOLLAR. In addition to the intricate decoration and superficial words and letters, the number 1 was in each corner with the head of an old man in the center. A small banner beneath him read 'Washington'.
'Wait…' Ben furrowed his brows. 'I think I recognize this. It's money.'
"Hey," He pulled out the one-dollar bill, "have you ever seen currency like this?"
"Hmm," Pepel took the bill and looked over it. "No. Nothing like this, I'm afraid."
"The United States of America…" Ben read out, lowering his head thoughtfully. "Is that the country where I'm from?"
"I've never heard of it." Pepel stated.
The brunet rummaged through his wallet and pulled over several rectangular cards. It all looked familiar, but he couldn't decipher what they meant. One card immediately caught his attention.
It had his headshot on one side with presumably his signature underneath it. In large font at the top was 'NEW YORK STATE' followed by 'Driver License' in smaller font. Before Ben could mull over what a driver's license meant, his eyes focused on a specific line of text.
1051 Roswell Lane Bellwood, NY XXXXX
"Bellwood…Bellwood…Bellwood…" He gasped as his eyes shot open.
Images of large buildings, houses, vehicles, and a building with an anthropomorphic grey cup and red straw on a sign out front played through his mind.
"Ben? Is something wrong?" Pepel asked worriedly.
"I…I remember." He murmured.
"Pardon?" Pepel blinked in confusion.
"I remember where I'm from." He elaborated. "My village, so to speak. It's Bellwood…in a place called New York…in a country called the United States of America."
The ravenette beauty clasped her hands together in excitement. "That's wonderful, Ben! Do you remember anything else? Like your family and friends?"
Ben shook his head. "No, nothing specific. But…" His smile widened. "...I finally have a starting point." He stared at his driver's license for a moment before placing it back in his wallet. "When I leave the village, I'll know what to look for."
"When you leave?" Pepel seemed bewildered.
"Yeah? I mean, now that I know where my home is, I can start heading back." He said it as if it were obvious.
"Yes…I suppose that's true." Pepel dropped her gaze, frowning slightly. "When do you plan to leave?"
"As soon as I can." He responded. "That merchant is coming in three days. Maybe I can convince them to give me a ride to the nearest town? From there I'll ask around and come up with a plan of how to get back home."
"I see…" She said morosely.
Ben cocked a brow. Why was she so down? Before he could inquire about it, she looked back at him smiling softly. "Well, I'm happy for you. Perhaps when you return home, more of your memories will follow suit."
"That is the hope."
"I'll–we'll certainly miss you around here." Pepel added. "When do you plan to inform the other members?"
"I'll tell them at dinner tonight. Rip the bandaid off, yah know."
Outside the house under the window, Wendy and Carla had been listening attentively.
"So he'll be leaving soon?" Carla closed her eyes. "Well…at least he remembered where his home is. Hopefully he finds his friends and family too. Come now, Wendy, we need to get to–"
The white feline stopped when she finally noticed how distraught Wendy was as her eyes brimmed with tears, sniffling.
"W-Wendy?" Carla became concerned.
The Sky Dragon Slayer couldn't take it anymore. She suddenly stood up and started running away.
"Wendy!" Carla exclaimed. Summoning her angel wings, the white cat pursued after her.
Wendy kept ignoring Carla's protests and continued running until she had left the village boundary and into the forest. Realizing that the girl wasn't going to stop, Carla swooped down to pick Wendy up by the back of her work dress.
"C-Carla!? Let me go!" She screamed.
"Not until you listen to me, child!" Carla shouted angrily. "What has gotten into you?!"
Wendy turned away, trying to hide her face. "Just…just leave me alone, Carla." She stubbornly replied.
Carla didn't respond immediately. It took her a moment before everything clicked. She looked at her companion worriedly and returned her to the ground. "Wendy, are you upset that Ben is leaving soon?"
"..."
'Ah, so that is the reason.' She mused.
Carla sighed heavily. "I see. Tell me, did you really believe he was going to settle down and join the guild?" She asked pointedly.
"...Maybe?" She weakly replied.
"Wendy…" Before Carla could continue, Wendy cut her off.
"I know it sounds silly. But Ben's the first friend I've made with someone close to my age since I've been here and…he really reminds me of him." She said absentmindedly.
"Him?" Carla said quizzically.
"It's…a long story." Wendy exhaled sadly. "I'd rather not discuss it at the moment."
Carla stared at her self-appointed charge momentarily. "Fair enough. But we are going to discuss Ben. Yes, he's a nice boy and all. But you heard what he said; he's a foreigner. He has his own country, his own village, and presumably his own friends and family out there waiting for him. Don't you think it'd be selfish to demand he'd stay here?"
"I…I know you're right, Carla." Wendy lowered her head, tears running down her face. "I know he needs to return home, but…I can't help how I feel."
'Oh Wendy…' Carla mentally sighed, feeling empathetic toward her companion.
Unbeknownst to the pair, a large hairy figure was carefully watching them from behind a tree. It peaked its head out and sneered widely, its eyes twinkling with a mischievous light.
Later on, as Ben was walking through the village's rounded stone plaza totting a large basket of cotton, there was a cry from the sky.
"HELP! HELP! Oh please, help!"
'That sounds like Carla?' Ben stopped and followed the voice to see Carla flying toward the village.
The white-winged feline hovered above the plaza with a panicked expression. Her fur was ruffled, and her clothes were torn in places, signifying a struggle of some kind. "Everyone, we have an emergency!"
All of the present guild members' attention was focused on her.
"Carla!" Ben shouted worriedly. "What's going on!?"
"It's Wendy!" She cried. "She's been kidnapped by a Vulcan!"
Ben dropped his basket, his eyes widening in shock. 'What?!'
The plaza was full of worried and angry mutterings from the horrible news.
"What's this about Wendy being kidnapped?" All eyes turned to see Roubaul stepping out of the guild hall with a serious expression.
"We were in the forest area over there," Carla pointed behind her, "and then a Vulcan ambushed us and knocked her out!"
"Why didn't you try and fly her out of there?" Ben demanded angrily.
"I tried to! But it knocked me into a tree and I passed out!" Carla lowered her head as tears poured out of her eyes. "When I woke up…the beast was already gone…"
Hearing this, Roubaul stepped forward. "Everyone, stop what you're doing! Head to the forest and spread out! Search for Wendy! A few of you stay behind in case she escapes and comes home."
Not one person hesitated as they dropped what they were doing and complied with Roubaul's order. The majority of the guild armed themselves with various weapons–mostly spears–and headed into the forest.
Ben immediately ran toward Roubaul. "Look, I know I'm not a guild member, but please let me help. Wendy's my friend!"
Roubaul studied Ben's expression momentarily, noting the determined fire in his emerald eyes. He didn't have to dwell over his response. "Very well! Every set of eyes is needed."
Nodding, Ben turned and spotted Carla on the ground bawling her eyes out in shame. "Carla!" He ran toward her and knelt by her. When she didn't respond, he called out her name again, "Carla!"
"What do you want?!" She snapped.
Ben was briefly taken aback by hostility. "Look, I get your upset but I'm–"
"Of course I'm upset!" Carla glared at him. "Wendy was kidnapped because of you!"
"Me!?" He exclaimed, taken aback by her acquisition. "What did I–"
"She got angry and ran off when she heard you would be leaving!"
It took Ben a moment to process her response before anger flashed across his face. "Hold on, were you spying on me and Pepel?"
Carla was about to retort until realizing that he was right to be angry. "I–Well," she stammered timidly, "I told Wendy she shouldn't snoop around, but–"
"We'll discuss this later." Ben sternly said. "Right now we need to focus on saving Wendy. But I have to ask you something about the Vulcan first. Was it green and did it have pink hearts on its arms?"
"Y-yes, it did." Carla answered, surprised by his accurate description. "How did you–"
Ben scowled. "It's the same one that attacked me."
"There's a toll for trespassers in my neck of the woods. For the human women, I take them as a wife…" The Vulcan's words echoed in his head.
'That sick monkey!' Ben gritted his teeth.
"Are you serious!?" She cried.
"Hard to forget an ugly mug like that." Ben dryly remarked.
Carla shook her head and wiped away her tears. "I can't stay here! I have to go back and search for her!"
"Don't bother. They're long gone by now." He stated. "If it's the same Vulcan that attacked me, I know where it is…or at least where it's going."
"What do you mean?" Carla was still befuddled.
"You can fly us upstream to the spot where I encountered that Vulcan." He clarified.
"Why there?"
Ben explained, "Before that Vulcan threw me into the river, it said I was trespassing on its territory or whatever. If I had money, I'd bet that's where it's taking her."
"How can you be sure? That's too big of an assumption to make!" Carla argued pointedly.
"Do you have any better suggestions? Right now everyone else is searching blindly. At least for us we have an area we can search." Ben pointed out.
She inwardly conceded that he raised a fair point, but there was one issue with this plan she realized. "How will you recognize the Vulcan's territory then? The Worth Woodsea all blends together and is barely distinguishable!"
"I'll know when I see it." He replied simply. "Look, I know you may not like me all that much, but we need to put that aside. I know where the Vulcan's territory is but I can't get there in time without you. So Carla, please help me save Wendy." His eyes burned with resolve.
Lowering her head, Carla considered Ben's idea. She didn't have any other ideas and–even with the whole guild helping out–the Worth Woodsea was a very large area to cover. Their chances of finding Wendy before anything awful happened to her were dropping by the moment. They needed to act now!
That left her with only one option.
She exhaled deeply. "Very well. I'll go along with this."
Ben smiled and nodded.
Summoning her wings, Carla grabbed the back of his shirt and ascended upward…albeit slowly. "You're…quite heavy…" She struggled.
"Geez, thanks." Ben sweat-dropped.
Once they were high enough, Carla flew toward the river in the upstream direction. Roubaul, from his spot standing in front of the guild hall, watched the pair intensely as they disappeared in the distance.
He recalled the mysterious blue-haired boy who had dropped Wendy off at his proverbial doorstep several years ago; the day the Cait Shelter guild was born. 'Please you two…bring Wendy back. May fate be in your favor.' He thought.
Ben narrowed his eyes as his hair flapped in the wind. 'Just hang on, Wendy. We're coming!' He thought determinedly.