William, a stout man in his early fifties, marched through the forest with the resolve of a seasoned traveller. His boots crunched rhythmically on the damp leaves, the sound echoing through the serene silence. The light was fading fast, but he knew the path like the back of his hand. He had made this journey countless times before, from the village to the city and back, carrying goods and news between the two worlds.
As he approached a large oak tree, his eyes fell upon an unexpected sight. A boy, not much older than fourteen, lay sprawled on the forest floor, his chest rising and falling with the steady rhythm of sleep. Williams's heart skipped a beat. He knew that forests had wild animals, and the worst-case scenario was that a creature from beyond may appear in these woods, and the thought of leaving the child to fend for himself was unbearable. He approached with caution, his hand instinctively reaching for the knife at his belt.
Drawing closer, William studied the youth. The boy's features were soft and unblemished, his clothes neat and well-kept.The fabric worn but free from the usual grime of the road. His breathing remained peaceful, untroubled by the encroaching shadows. No signs of injury marred his skin, and the absence of any immediate threat allowed John to relax his grip on the knife. He bent down, his knees creaking, and gently touched the boy's shoulder.
.....
Three years later,
A young man walked through the street of the village, gaining glances from people around him, like always, due to his unusual silver-coloured eyes and black hair. He saw a chubby young man talking with a girl and swiftly gave him a smack in the back of the head, surprising him.
"Ugh, who did that?" Kit, the chubby young man, turned around to see his friend Asher, who had returned from the city quite fast, surprising him.
"Yo, Kit, did you miss me? And how about you, Meli?"
Asher, quite energetic, greeted his two friends.
"Asher, you returned quite fast, didn't you? You said it would take a week to return from the city." Kit, who wanted to speak, was a bit slow compared to Meli, who asked this.
"That actually was the plan, but Grandpa said since my birthday is coming, I should better celebrate in the village than waste too much time outside."
"Ah yes, your birthday. I almost forgot; it will mark three years since you came to the village," Kit answered, not so amused after having his head smacked.
"Well, yes, that was the plan; Grandpa Will already went home to rest. He is getting older but shows no signs of weakness. That man can walk for miles and make me get tired."
Asher could not help but be amazed every time at his grandpa for not getting tired; even he himself, who has excellent stamina for his age, can't keep up!
"Well, Grandpa Will is awesome, but don't let him push himself too hard, okay? He is at an age to rest, not to run," Meli reminded in her gentle tone.
"You should tell him that he doesn't listen at all to me; anyway, did something interesting happen while I was gone?" While talking, he looked toward Kit, who was still grumpy at being smacked but kindly answered.
"If we say something unusual did happen, yes, it did. Yesterday morning a man with a crazy smile and looks came to the village. Everyone was quite weirded out by him and maintained distance; he later went to the tree in the middle of the village and did some unusual behaviour again, like climbing it or throwing fruits on people."
Kit explained in detail about the weirdo.
"It was quite scary; that weird guy was laughing, and then people complained to the chief and had him kicked out the same day by evening. Although he just laughed and sprinted away,"
Meli quite shyly explains her own unusual experience after seeing that man.
"Meli is being a bit considerate, but that man was clearly a lunatic!! He was dancing around, doing weird stuff. If someone asked who he was, he would simply show a crazy smile," Kit added his own words.
"You two really saw something interesting yesterday."
Asher could not help but sigh at not being able to see that crazy guy's antics.
"Oh well, Asher, you were also going to meet an awakener for your memory. Did it help?" Meli asked excitedly.
This friend of hers with his unusual eyes but gentle personality came to the village three years ago, carried by Grandpa Williams. Even though he doesn't have any memories of the past, many in the village have speculated that he may be of some noble or great clan birth.
The village, once in a while, will even speculate that he was a son of some big awakener who has concealed him in this village.
"Well, no, it did not help. Sorry to say this, but it's already been three years; I have given up on gaining my memories, if I even have them." Asher told without any hint of sorrow.
He has already accepted that he doesn't have any chance yet to get his memories back.
"Don't worry, man, you will get them back some day, and not like you will need them for a person with a blank head; you are quite sharp," Kit, who was quite all this time, did his own playful jab at him.
"Yes, I am sure you will get your memory back," Meil nodded, doing her own encouraging.
"I hope so." Asher could not help but give a wry smile to his two friends, who today were being very optimistic.
"Well, for now I will go back; my mom has called me to come back soon today to help in the home," Meli said her goodbye and left.
Seeing her leave, "Well, I should go as well." Kit, who ran away after Meli, to follow her.His intentions clearly to chase Meli.
"This guy should confess already," Asher mumbled as he saw Kit run towards Meli.
Asher also, after looking around, decided to head back home to rest.
But fate had other plans for him. In the dead of night, he was jolted awake by a firm hand shaking his shoulder. Groggily, he opened his eyes to find his grandpa Will standing over him, his face etched with worry.
"Asher, wake up," William's voice was a harsh whisper, urgent and filled with concern. "Our neighbour, Thomas, he's gone missing."