The sky wasn't black but a purple hue, with countless glittering stars all of various sizes illuminating the night. The mountaintops to the north grazed this sparkling firmament; below them, the shadowy trees rose to the sky, dark pillars of wood and leaf casting shade down to the path below. On this path, two people trekked, one limped and the other walked, his head turning in all directions as he soaked in the world.
As he glanced around, taking in the sights of the absurdly tall trees and strange sky, Alex asked the question. "So Caleb, what makes you think an alchemist would be able to return my memories?"
"Well, alchemists study medicine; if anyone would know how to return your memories, it would be them. Don't worry, bud. I made you a promise, didn't I? I'll be sure to get my brother back." Caleb offered a sincere smile to Alex, who gave a halfhearted smile and nod in return.
"You know maybe ignorance is bliss, but I might be fine without having my memories; I mean, I can make new ones, right?" Alex tried to sound hopeful and cheery, but really he was trying to weasel his way out of visiting some doctor who would easily be able to identify a dead man walking.
Caleb chuckled, "Well, I like your optimism, but I think it will be hard to hold a job with you not even remembering the town you live in."
"Right, yes um well, not that it proves your point, but where do I live exactly?"
Caleb gave an uncomfortable shrug as he looks a bit uncertain. "Currently, I think you were staying with a friend, or was it a lady? I don't really remember you never stayed put long, but the town we both live in is Kain."
Noting my confused glance, he explains a bit, "You didn't really settle as it were; I mean, you were always bouncing from job to job from couch to bed to haystack, ahem, but I was always there for you, just like tonight." Caleb playfully pats Alex's shoulder as he explains how he always looked out for Decklan, and it only made Alex pity the man slightly for having a big brother who was such a piece of work.
"Well, thanks for always looking out for me, Caleb." Alex gave a gentle smile to Caleb, which was met with Caleb's confused and surprised face. "Um, y-your welcome, man, of course I'm happy to help." Caleb's tone made the smile on Alex's face falter slightly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing just you would never thank me is all, you would always go on about how I needed to stay away and leave. Just surprised is all. You really seem like an entirely different person." At Caleb's words, Alex's face lost all smile, and his eyes glimered a shade of red in the dim light. He glanced sideways at Caleb, his body tensing up as he prepared to flee or fight.
"You must have really hit your head hard! We don't know how bad the damage is; we need to hurry to my place and get you laid down, alright, me, and you both need a good long rest."
Alex relaxed his body, leaving its prepared state, as he heard Caleb's concerns. "Yep, I hit my head pretty hard. I was knocked out for a bit. Just glad to be alive." Alex gave a small chuckle to hide his nerves.
After a few more minutes of walking, Caleb paused, and he gestured for Alex to do the same: "We're almost there. Put the mask back on until we're behind the walls. You take this route to and from work; you're sure to be recognized, and you should be buried in a cave right now." Alex grumbles slightly to himself as he pulls the mask back over his face, hiding his identity.
They continued to walk forward, and a bend in the path grew near. At the bend was a small shelter about the size of an outhouse with a large, unlit bonfire about the same size as the hut next to it. "Halt! State your name!" A man left the cover of the small shelter; he wore a green shirt and brown pants similar to Caleb's, but he had a spear leaned against the hut that he grabbed and reinforced leather strapped to his vitals.
"Harold? It's Caleb just passing through."
"Caleb! We'll look at you; what brings you outside the walls?" The man Harold was about Caleb's age; his short blond hair was ruffled and unkempt as he leaned against the spear as we both approached.
"Just doing a favor is all I had to help this man find his way to town for an alchemist. He had an accident and lost his sight, so I have to help him find his way." Under the mask, Alex's face looked confused at the strange lie, and he quickly reached out, grabbing Caleb's elbow to show he was being led.
"Ah well, uh, what's with the face covering then, mister?"
"His face? He lost his looks in the same accident that took his eyes. His face is too shameful to show." Caleb grated his teeth a bit as he felt Alex painfully nudge him in the ribs.
Alex added a rasp to his voice before speaking, "Yes, I'm much too ashamed to show my face. My family must surely despise me for having to see such unsightly features." Caleb let out a surprised cough at Alex's words, and he tried to keep his face from showing anything as Harold raised an eyebrow but brushed off the odd behavior.
"Alright, well, it was good to see you, Caleb. I'm glad your working; it's good too to keep busy with what you're going through."
"Yeah, well, my brother will pull through; he always does. I promise you haven't seen the last of him." Caleb gives a resolute nod to Harold as he starts to walk again, heading past the hut Alex is next to him, and Harold watches him go, his face showing pity.
The two turn the bend in the road, and as they do, Alex is met with the sight of rolling fields stretching for almost two miles. The fields were speckled with small homes that looked like small English cottages with wooden and thatch construction. The fields were filled with crops swaying in the wind, with paths weaving through them all heading to a large stone wall behind which a sprawling town could be seen.
Alex was fascinated as he took in the sight, and Caleb gave a chuckle, holding his side a bit as he winced and held out a hand to gesture to the town in the distance, "And that, my big brother, is Kain."
He smiled seeing Alex stop to take in the sight. "Let's keep moving; it will still take another thirty minutes to reach the wall."
They walk forward, making their way between two fields along a dirt path. The crops on either side sway in the breeze as they walk, and Alex looked over to Caleb for a moment. "So Kain is a farming town?"
"What no, we're a mining town. The caves scattered through the nearby mountains are filled with aura crystals." He looks at Alex and raises an eyebrow, a bit confused. "Wouldn't you think most towns have farms to keep the people fed?" Alex nodded a bit, agreeing with him, but glancing around, the amount of farm compared to the size of the town ahead didn't add up in his head. "Do you sell off extra food, and where are the livestock?"
"Livestock? Are you alright, your coming up with words now?" Caleb looked at Alex concerned as they walked. Alex was confused as he glanced around and listened carefully, but no noises of animals could be heard even deep into farmland. Alex decided to keep his mouth shut; any further questions would raise too much suspicion, but he made sure to keep track of if he heard or saw animals.
After about thirty minutes of walking, they made their way to the massive stone wall, almost three stories tall, with a gate that blocked the entrance. Around the gate were a few guards dressed the same as Harold from before, all wielding spears. One stepped forward to greet us as he approached; his face lit up, and he jogged to reach us quicker. "Caleb! Hey man, what's going on? Your out pretty early starting your rounds?"
"Oh, um, no I was escorting the gentleman into town to see an alchemist. He lives out on the farms and had an accident."
The man glanced at Alex, and he looked a bit curious, but he nodded his head and gestured for Caleb to follow, "Alright, then let me get the gate for you." He jogs to the gate and opens a side door made for pedestrians, gesturing the two of them through. "Good seeing you, Caleb. See you around!" He shuts the door, waving to the two men.
Alex and Caleb step onto the cobblestone streets of Kain. The odd-looking street lights cast a dim glow to the main street. Already, many people were starting to set up stalls and receive earlier morning deliveries. Alex felt a slight itch and a slight discomfort in the back of his head as he glanced at the sky. The sky had brightened slightly, and danger rang in Alex's head. He felt as if danger was approaching him, but he couldn't pinpoint it exactly.