《In Darkness》


 Chapter 1: The Unknown Boy

    Content Warning: none


    Under the sun, dew was glimmering as it rested on the crops around his field. It was a brisk foggy morning as the farmer named Rex walked through the fields inspecting his new crops. The fog seemed to shine along with the dew as the suns rays reflected off of them. It had been a long year and this years harvest would determine if he had to travel to the city to find farmhands or not. After all his family would head to the World Fair in a couple of days so he would need help in their absence. His family alone had always been enough to tend the farm themselves ever since he brought them here, however, these last couple of years had been harder since his youngest son had left to be a ranger.


    He had been sad watching his son leave and sad that it affected his daughter so. It took her some time but she eventually returned to her normal, cheerful self and he was happy for that. He remembered back when he had been part of bloody wars, part of the beginning of this place people called ¡°The World¡±. He had been through so much and was happy that he had been able to settle down here in the region of Dysi. He had met his wife, Irema, in one of the free cities outside of The World¡¯s domain and decided to settle down here in Dysi after. He had to make some sacrifices but it was worth it. Everything he had done had been to protect and provide for his family. He contemplated whether he should take his daughter with him into the city or not, for she had only been to a couple of the nearby villages before.


    As he walked through his gayo (a plant native to the region of Dysi which resembles a mix between a squash and a pear) crop he noticed that some birds were circling around something near the edge of his crop field. He paid it no mind and went about his business pulling out a couple of weeds that had intertwined themselves beneath the gayo bushes, thinking about where he might be able to find honest workers nowadays. The World had started to accumulate tension due to turmoil between certain factions in the surrounding free cities. This region of Dysi had its own share of problems with its border being shared with three free cities and the constant bandit uprisings that kept taking hold of farmlands and villages.


    ''Kraa...Kraa...Kraa'' The cries of the circling birds grew louder and snapped him out of his own thoughts. Now he was curious as to what the birds were causing such a ruckus for. He couldn¡¯t see the ground under the birds because the fog was too thick so he got up from picking weeds and started walking over to where the birds were. As he approached the birds he focused his sight on a shadow that lay on the ground beneath the birds. Right away he assumed that it was an animal that had just found a place to live out the last moments of its life. ''It happens more than one would think on my farm'', he thought to himself.


    Rex once again fell into thought and began to think about his farm and how this place would be the perfect place to spend the last years of his life at, surrounded by his loved ones and watching his children grow. As he was caught up in his thoughts he kept walking towards the shadow and the fog finally cleared. The shadow on the ground took the form of a human¡¯s body. Rex picked up his pace and arrived at what was a young boy lying on the ground.


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    The boy had short dark black hair and a light complexion. He looked as if he was the same age as his daughter who was in her late teens. The boy was wearing a black leather jerkin with a black linen cloth shirt beneath it. His trousers were also black, and looked to be made of wool or cotton and were tucked into his slim black boots. Rex noticed that there was a scabbard on the boy¡¯s belt but a sword was nowhere to be seen.


    The boy was lying still and looked to be unconscious or dead. The boy had a gash on the left side of his head where blood had dried in his hair. Rex bent down to check if the boy was alive. There was still a pulse but the boy looked to be in bad shape so Rex hurriedly went and got a voe (a giant type of ox farmers use) and a cart. He then carefully picked up the boy and placed him on the cart. He removed the boy¡¯s scabbard and took it with him to the front of the cart.


    As Rex led the cart back to his homestead from the field he looked back at the boy lying still in his cart and wondered who he was or where he came from. He wasn¡¯t dressed in attire that people in the region of Dysi wore. The boy looked like he was from one of the free cities but Rex couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly where. He himself had once been a ranger and had personally been to various regions in ''The World''.


    Rex used to know many different people from many different regions although now that he was retired and older his memory was fading for he had been around for a long time now. He looked down at the scabbard and examined the intricate engravings of what looked like shadows or demons. Rex became worried as he continued to study the boy''s scabbard and wondered about what this boy did for a living and why he needed a weapon. Rex then set the scabbard down next to him and tried not to dwell on it, thinking about where he would put the boy.


    His wife, Irema, would want to take care of the boy until he was healed enough to be on his way, which was understandable because of the boy¡¯s current condition. However he was worried that this boy would spark his daughter¡¯s interest for she rarely ever left the farm and she had always been curious since she was a little child. He still had a lot of work to do today but now that this boy had showed up he was going to have to monitor him closely. He would still have to get some work done so he decided that he would just leave the boy with his wife until later.


    As the cart trudged along the dirt path among the fields and up to the front of his home he noticed that smoke was rising from the chimney. He knew that Irema would be getting breakfast ready for the family. He pulled the cart to a stop, got off and fed an apple to his voe. He then went around to the back of the cart and looked at the boy who still lay unconscious. He picked up the boy and put him over his shoulder. As he walked up the wooden steps of the porch and opened the door he was hit with the beautiful aroma of his wife¡¯s delicious gayo stew.

 Chapter 2: The Shadow

    Content Warning: Not really, just some spookiness


    Rex carried the boy over to a cushioned bench in the front room beneath the front window of the house and gently laid him down there. He then walked around the corner to the kitchen and saw his wife stirring the gayo stew she had just made. He stood there silently for a second admiring how her light brown hair, which had a tinge of red, seemed to radiate as the sunlight shone on it through the fog from outside. After admiring the beauty of his wife he finally decided that he should let her know about the boy so he made his way over to her.


    She heard his footsteps and her light blue blouse swirled as she turned to see him. Her round brown eyes looked at him with a gentle gaze as her lips formed a smile and then she asked him, ¡°Why are you back at the house already, weren¡¯t you going start weeding all of the fields today so you could go and look for help when we leave for the fair?¡±


    ¡°I was going to, but I found an unconscious boy in the field. He¡¯s injured so I brought him back here and put him on the bench over there (as he pointed to the front room), I don¡¯t know where he came from.¡±


    ¡° You found an unconscious boy!? Is he okay? Let me have a look at him¡± she exclaimed as she quickly made her way to where Rex put the boy.


    She looked over the boy and saw the bloody gash on the his head along with a few other wounds that had bled through the his clothes. She finished assessing the boy¡¯s condition and told her husband to put him in their youngest son¡¯s room. Rex obliged and took the boy to the room and set him on the bed after setting a few pieces of cloth over the bed. His wife came in with a rag and some water and cleaned the boy¡¯s gash on his head.


    ¡°Love, did you really use the new cloths that I just got from Dal? ¡®Sigh¡¯ those were going to be gifts for Uther¡¯s kids¡± she complained.


    ¡°Sorry dear I didn¡¯t know, ill get some new ones tomorrow from the village¡± Rex apologized.


    Irema nodded and refocused on the boy. ¡°Where did you find him?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I saw some birds circling near the edge of the gayo field so I went and found what they were circling and found him.¡±


    ¡°Well he¡¯s staying here until he¡¯s ready to be on his way, I¡¯m not having this boy leaving in any condition other than perfectly healthy,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Irema, we don¡¯t know who he is or where he came from, look, he was wearing this¡±, Rex showed her the scabbard that the boy had been equipped with earlier. ¡°I¡¯m worried that he¡¯ll cause problems.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if he had an army with him when you found him, he¡¯s injured and we¡¯re helping him; he looks around the same age as Ruki and you wouldn¡¯t want to send her off like this.¡±


    She had always been stubborn like this when it came to helping people, it was just her nature and he loved her for it.


    ¡°Ok, but only until he¡¯s able to be on his way¡± he relented. ¡®Hopefully he wakes up tomorrow and he¡¯ll be on his way¡¯ Rex thought to himself. ¡°Oh by the way, can you keep an eye on him; I¡¯m going to feed the animals. Also could you let Ruki know that im going to need her to help feed the stable?¡± Rex asked as he made his way out of the room.


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    ¡°Of course I will love, ooh I can¡¯t wait to see what he¡¯ll think of my gayo soup!¡± she replied as she excitedly began to think about the different side dishes that she could cook for the boy when he wakes up to go along with the gayo stew.


    ***


    She was running through the fields of her father¡¯s farm. She had no idea what she was doing here but she knew that she had to run from something, or someone. She couldn¡¯t see what was chasing her but she could feel its presence. All she could see when she looked back behind her was a dark shadow. She could here mumbled words coming from behind her as she rushed across the field to her home. The sky swirled with a dark gray and purple haze above her as she felt the chill of the shadow¡¯s presence at her back. She looked back again; it was gaining on her.


    She had made it halfway across the field by now and increased her speed but it made no difference because the shadow increased its speed to match her. She didn¡¯t even want to look back anymore as she approached her house. She ran up the wooden steps and across the porch to the front door. She opened it in a rush and slammed it closed behind her; locking it as she retreated towards the middle of the room. She turned and gazed at the door watching for any sign of the shadow.


    As the light beneath the door disappeared she backed away slowly. Ice slowly covered the door¡¯s lock until it had been frozen completely. Then with a large shattering noise the frozen pieces of the lock fell to the floor. The handle of the door turned and it slowly opened. She turned and ran to her room. As she locked her door she felt the handle of her door go cold. She ran to her bed across the room and huddled up in the corner under her sheets. She looked out her window as the sky outside slowly turned to a crimson red. It seemed to bleed into the room as the light shone through her window.


    She gazed back at her room¡¯s door, uncertain about what she should do. Suddenly her window shattered and the light from outside seemed to dim. The handle to her door froze over and it also shattered. The shadow poured through the hole as if it was a thick liquid where the handle had once been. It settled onto the floor and resembled a dark viscous liquid puddle. The liquid then slowly rose and formed into the shape of a cloaked figure. There was no face, just a shadow under the hood that had formed.


    As the frightened girl looked at the darkness where a face should have been she felt as if she was gazing down into the bottomless depths of a dark cave and her body became cold. She watched as the cloaked shadow slowly glided closer and closer to her, its presence growing so strong that she could barely breathe. She tried to scream out but nothing came from her mouth, she was too scared to make a sound or move.


    The shadow was now two feet away from her bed. As it crept closer a smell overwhelmed her, it reminded her of the same smell she had experienced when she found one of her fathers sheep torn apart in the field; it was the smell of death. The shadow raised its hands and reached for her. She finally heard what it had been mumbling; it whispered, ¡°Give me your Power¡±, and grabbed her.

 Chapter 3: Clueless

    Content Warning: None


    Ok, so I''ve decided that the previous chapters were too short so i took the liberty of lengthening the chapters a little. From now on the chapters will be similar to this ones length unless i decide otherwise, anyways enjoy.


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Ruki awoke suddenly, finding herself alone in her room. She looked outside her window and around her room. There were no remnants of a shadow or a red sky; she saw nothing wrong. She let out a sigh of relief; the nightmare had left her in a cold sweat. She hadn¡¯t remembered ever having that bad of a nightmare before. She slowly got out of bed and changed out of her nightgown and into her favorite pink blouse. She went over to her mirror and brushed her chestnut brown hair wondering what her nightmare meant. When she finished dressing she went out into the dining room to find her brothers and mother eating breakfast.


    ¡°Hey Ruki, you better hurry up and eat your breakfast, dad needs your help in the stable.¡± Her brother Rook said as she entered the room.


    Rook was only a couple of years older than Ruki and was one of the closest people she had to her. When they were younger Ruki and her brothers, Red and Rook, used to play in the fields, forests and rivers together. They always spent their time together and were inseparable. Red (who is two years older than Ruki and the youngest son of the family) and Ruki both looked up to Rook who was a few years older than them as he was always around the farm. When Red left the farm to go train to become a ranger Ruki was so hurt by his departure that she stayed in her room for three weeks and cried. She felt like Red had abandoned her at the farm and embarked on the adventure that they always talked about sharing together without her.


    She yearned for an adventure everyday; just an experience different than the farm she had spent her entire life on. Ruki had eventually returned to an image of herself with Rook¡¯s help. She had become very dependent on him for he had always been there for her. Her second oldest brother Rall (who is 29) was also sitting at the table and had always spent time with his wife and kids, who stayed in the east wing of the house, and Ruki¡¯s father. Rall¡¯s dream was to follow in Rex¡¯s footsteps to raise a farm with his family. He would be the one that their father would pass the farm off to since the oldest son, Ryke, left their farm when he was sixteen.


    Ruki sat down and worked on her breakfast. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the shadow in her dream and the smell of death that permeated throughout the air around it.


    ¡°Are you okay Ruki you seem a little out of it dear, do you want me to make you some Kaliga tea?¡± Irema asked. (Kaliga tea was the go-to medicinal treatment for any light sicknesses such as headaches, upset stomachs etc.)


    ¡°Im fine mother, just a little tired that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Okay sweetie, you just let me know if father¡¯s working you too hard and I¡¯ll set him straight.¡± As her mother said that she let out a little chuckle.


    Ruki sat down, finished her breakfast, cleaned her meal up, gave her mom a kiss and then hurried to the stable where her dad was waiting for her.


    Rex had just finishing brushing the horses in the stable when Ruki arrived. ¡°Someone must have had a good night sleep,¡± he said as he turned and smiled at Ruki.


    Ruki walked up to Rex and hugged him saying, ¡°Good morning daddy, sorry I overslept. Mom told me that you had a lot of work for me today.¡±


    ¡°Well¡±, Rex paused for a second as he looked towards the house and then back at Ruki in a sly way, ¡°Hehe don¡¯t tell your mother but I told her that so you could spend time with your new present.¡±


    He smiled and pointed to a stall in the back of the stable. Ruki¡¯s light brown eyes were filled with surprise and joy as she rushed over to the end stall. Inside the stall she saw the most beautiful horse she had ever laid eyes upon. It was an elegant white colt whose white mane shone as bright as the stars at night. The horse seemed to glow in her presence. Ruki approached the front of the stall and the horse put its head out for her to touch. She put her hand on the horse¡¯s snout and felt the warmth of the horse. A familiar sensation, as if she had known this horse for many years, ran through her when in reality she had only actually met it today.


    Rex opened the stall as Ruki pet the horse and hugged it. The horse was very well behaved and let Ruki pet and hug it as much as she pleased. Ruki could feel the horse¡¯s presence radiate beside her as if she could feel its life force. Rex saddled up the horse and encouraged Ruki to get on. Ruki was a very good rider, when she was little Rex often took her riding alongside him in the fields on smaller horses and other animals. Ruki always had a way with animals; it was like her presence comforted them.


    Before she mounted the horse she ran over to Rex and gave him a huge hug.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you, I love you so much daddy.¡±


    Rex helped her mount the horse, watching the smile on his daughters face.


    ¡°Now I can¡¯t let you ride an unnamed horse, so what¡¯s his name?¡±


    Ruki thought for a second, ¡°I have the perfect name, his name is Anthiros. It means one who glows in the night.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a perfect name for him, now go play for a bit while I work on the crops, but don¡¯t go outside of the tree line okay.¡±


    ¡°Okay daddy I will, thank you!¡±


    She then rode away atop the majestic steed. As she rode Anthiros her chestnut brown hair blew in the wind, she felt as though she was floating over the open pasture. She felt like this was a dream, she had been asking her dad for her own horse for a while but she thought that she would get one of the work horses, not a horse as beautiful as this. She was so happy that she couldn¡¯t stop giggling as she told Anthiros to go full speed. It was strange, she felt as if she was connected with Anthiros. She felt her heartbeat and Anthiros¡¯s heartbeat beat as one. It felt like she belonged riding Anthiros for the rest of her life.


    ***


    He was in a fight for his life, in the middle of the night under the starlit sky on some sort of flying beast. The beast looked as if it was a giant hawk with yellowish fur. He heard the clashing of swords until he realized that he was the cause. He was in the middle of combat with someone or to put it correctly he was watching himself fight from above. On one side of the fight was his black-haired self and on the other side was a person he didn¡¯t recognize, it was a slim women who had short black hair and eyes that looked as metallic as the two swords she was wielding. Although he was watching himself fight, he still felt himself fighting as well. It was as if he had split himself into two bodies yet he could control both of his bodies at the same time.


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    However the body that was fighting mostly moved on its own, taking control whenever he was in trouble. He continued blocking his opponent¡¯s attacks and counter-attacking his opponent as the fight grew to its climax. Then all of a sudden he felt himself falling; he was utterly confused at this point. ''What in the world is going on?'' He had been watching himself fight but didn¡¯t remember ever falling off of the animal he was fighting on or seeing himself fall.


    He looked down as he fell and saw nothing but darkness. He only now noticed that he had lost the body that he was watching himself with and was now in full control of the body that was once fighting, whatever good that would do him. He felt lost, he felt cold, and he felt helpless. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he soon saw the ground approaching. He yelled and put his hands up to shield himself from the impact that would occur for what little it could do, all while realizing that this was going to be the end of his life. But who was he, he couldn¡¯t remember who he was, as this thought hit him he slammed into the ground, surrounded by darkness.


    He jerked awake. He was sweating profusely and his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He looked up and saw a wooden roof; he then sat up and noticed that he was in a strange room and had bandages all over his body. He peeked under the sheets that covered his lower body and saw more bandages and that he was wearing a pair of cloth underwear. He examined multiple bruises that were all over his body along with multiple cuts on his torso and a particularly deep cut on his right side.


    He reached up and felt a piece of cloth on his forehead. He then looked upon some of the scars on his body wondering where they came from; he had no recollection of ever getting them. Come to think of it, he had trouble recalling anything except his dream. He frantically looked around the room and saw a bureau across the room along with a reading chair and a side table next to the bed he was in. There was a bucket of hot water on the side table next to the bed. He looked out of the window above the bureau and saw a field of crops ending at a tree line in the distance. It was daylight, but he had no idea where he was or what this place was.


    As he started to panic the door to his right slowly opened. He sat still readying himself for anything.


    ¡°Oh sorry to startle you, I didn¡¯t know you were awake dear, how are you feeling?¡± the woman who walked in smiled and asked him.


    He just stared at her thinking if he recognized anything about her. She had light brown hair and was wearing a light blue blouse. She gave off a comforting feeling which helped him relax a little but not enough to feel perfectly safe. He thought to himself ¡®What the hell is going on? Where am I? And who is she?¡¯ He analyzed the woman as she was carrying clothes and linens in her arms. He had no idea who she was.


    ¡°I understand your confusion, Im just going to leave these clothes on the chair and you can ask me questions when you¡¯re ready okay?¡± she said as she stood at the bedside.


    He managed to nod at her as she went and placed the clothes on the reading chair. She was about to walk out of the room when he managed to speak up and ask ¡°Umm¡­excuse me¡­but who are you?¡±


    She turned around and replied, ¡° My name is Irema.¡±


    He then asked her in a confused tone, ¡° W-wh-where am I?¡±


    ¡°You are inside my youngest boys room right at the moment since it wasn¡¯t being used for anything, oh, well I guess you may not even know what region you¡¯re in, sorry. You are in the northwestern region of Dysi and this is my husband¡¯s farm.¡±


    She paused for a moment then said, ¡°If I could ask, do you remember how you came to be at our farm?¡±


    ¡°I-I-Im not sure, I don¡¯t remember anything. I don¡¯t even remember the scars that are on my body¡± he replied looking at her as if she had the answers.


    The woman named Irema looked puzzled, ¡°Do you remember your name or where you come from? How about your age?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°My name?¡±


    He then thought to himself, ¡®My name? Whats my name?¡¯


    He stared with a blank look at Irema as he sat in shock, silent as he came to the realization that he had no recollection of who he was. The only thing he could remember was the dream he had dreamt but it didn¡¯t make any sense. Tears started to slowly roll down his cheek, these tears surprised him, he didn¡¯t mean to cry but various emotions were erupting within his mind at this very moment. He tried to wipe them away but he couldn¡¯t hold them back, he then felt a mixture of sadness and anger well up from within him.


    ¡°Its alright sweetie, I¡¯m going to get my husband, I want you to stay right here okay, we¡¯ll figure this all out¡± Irema said as she tried to comfort the boy a little before she turned, closed the door and left the room.


    The boy just sat there with tears rolling down his face, everything was unknown to him, even himself. After a while he managed to get his emotions under control and tried to sort out who he was or who his family was. In the corner of his eye he saw a sign of movement outside which caught his attention, it was a girl riding a horse that seemed to be glowing. It was as if he was in a dream as the girl and the horse glided across the field, shining brightly from the suns rays as they went.


    He watched the girl go back and forth through the field outside. Her brown hair was flowing in the wind behind her; he felt somewhat at ease as he watched her. He wondered who she was; he had so many unanswered questions in his mind.

 Chapter 4: Li

    Content Warning: None


    It was almost noon; the fog had disappeared a while ago and was taken over by the shining sun. Rex had just finished harvesting his crops from a few of the fields and tilled some of the other fields. He looked up at the sun, removed his straw hat and wiped the sweat off of his brow. He took his gloves off and examined the tear in the leg of his overalls. He had torn it when he was situating one of the voes for tilling. He would have to hide this pair of overalls from Irema or else she would insist that he get a new pair. This was his favorite pair and he was trying to save up in order to hire help so there was no luxury for unnecessary spending.


    He looked towards the house and saw Irema waving at him from the porch so he took his tools and stowed them back in the toolshed by the stable. He then walked up the porch and into the house.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear any brushing!¡± Irema yelled from the kitchen.


    ¡°Oh!¡± he had forgotten to brush the mud off of his boots so he went back and did so before coming back in.


    Irema was in the kitchen getting lunch ready. As she took out a rack of lamb out of the oven she said, ¡°the boy woke up and he¡¯s in a panic honey, I think that we should give him some space, he doesn¡¯t remember how he got here, he doesn¡¯t know where here is; I don¡¯t even think he even knows who he is!¡±


    ¡°Really? I wonder why he has no memory, I¡¯ve heard of happenings such as this before but only in the Free Cities. They call people like him Li¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Li¡¯s?¡± Irema asked as she turned her head in confusion.


    ¡°Yes, it stands for ¡®Lost Individuals¡¯, people who have had their memory and past taken away by the old gods due to the deeds they¡¯ve done in their past lives. It¡¯s usually a result from doing either really good or really bad things, and the scabbard of his gives me the feeling that it¡¯s the latter.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did notice that the boy does have quite a few scars on his body, similar to the ones I helped bandage back when you were a ranger. We¡¯ll be careful and watch him but I meant it when I said that I won¡¯t let him leave in any condition other than perfectly healthy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it easy on him, I just want to go over the situation with him. Could you bring some gayo soup in a little bit, maybe it¡¯ll make him feel a little better¡± Rex said as he made his way towards the room where the boy was recovering.


    ¡°Of course honey¡± Irema replied as she went to get a cup of tea for the boy.


    As Rex was walking away he heard his wife from the kitchen shout at him, ¡°And I saw the tear in your overalls, that¡¯s going in the trash and your getting a new pair¡±, he then stopped walking for a moment, put his head down and then continued walking again.


    Rex made his way to the room where the boy was resting. He was suspicious of this boy and it would be an understatement if you were to call him untrusting. He had always had a hard time trusting people since long ago. He knocked on the door and paused before going in, but heard no answer from inside so he just turned the knob and opened the door slowly. He slowly entered the room and walked over to the bureau and placed his hat on it. He then walked over and sat in the reading chair in the corner of the room. He did all of this without acknowledging the boy. Although when he sat down and looked over to the bed where the boy was he saw the boy staring at him blankly.


    ¡°Are you Irema¡¯s husband?¡° the boy suddenly asked.


    ¡°Yes I am, my name is Rex and this is my farm. This farm is located in Dysi, which is at the edge of ¡®The World¡¯. I found you earlier this morning in the middle of one of my fields. I saw some birds circling around something, went to check it out and found you there injured and bleeding¡±, he said that as he pointed to the gash on the boy¡¯s forehead.


    The boy reached up and touched the bandage that covered the wound on his forehead as if making sure it still existed.


    ¡°My wife told me that you don¡¯t remember anything, even your name, is that right?¡±


    The boy nodded and said ¡°yes¡± solemnly.


    ¡°It definitely is interesting that you have no memory of anything, hmmm. There are stories told about people being taken out of their old lives by the old gods, having their memory of themselves and past erased and then placed in a new environment with no recollection of who they are. These are just old wives tales but this might actually be the case with you, or you have basic memory loss and you will regain it over time.¡±


    A puzzled look formed on the boys face.


    ¡°Now I don¡¯t absolutely know what happened to you but its definitely a possibility for either case to be true due to your odd predicament.¡±


    ¡°Is there a reason why these people are taken from their old lives?¡±


    ¡°It is said that the past deeds of these people, who are called Li¡¯s for Lost Individuals, are taken into account by the gods and if the gods deem that those deeds are at a certain extreme in either a bad way or a good way they relocate this individual in order to restore balance within civilization. Ive always just thought of it as a way for the gods to toy with humans though. These Li¡¯s could either be people who have lived a pious life and are rewarded with a new life or they could be people who have been bathed in blood their entire lives and are given another chance to start over anew.¡± As Rex said this he glared at the boy, the boy felt his glare and looked down a little bit.


    ¡°So as far as I know, your name is Li until we find proof of your real name.¡±


    The boy nodded, seemingly not wanting to anger this stern man named Rex before him.


    Rex went on, ¡°Now I don¡¯t know if this phenomenon got you in the middle of my field or how you sustained such bad injuries but I don¡¯t care. My wife is intent on nursing you until you¡¯re healthy enough to leave on your own. Now you are welcome in this household but once you are able to you must help out here on the farm.¡±


    The boy was still silent and then answered, ¡°Yes sir, anything for you kind people.¡±


    ¡°Good¡± Rex then stood up to leave.


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    Irema entered the room with a cup of kaliga tea and gave it to the boy.


    ¡°Here you go sweety, this should help settle you down a little bit.¡±


    Before Rex left the room he turned back and said to the boy, ¡°I am going to warn you, if your presence indirectly or directly harms my family in any way I will not hesitate to take action¡±, while staring sternly at him.


    The boy went a little pale and just nodded silently. Rex then walked out.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t take him too seriously, he¡¯s just overprotective of us, you¡¯ll see in due time that he¡¯s a nice guy when you get to know him¡± Irema comforted.


    ***


    (Boy¡¯s POV)


    ¡®Li¡¯, the boy thought. Now I have something that I can call my own, a name. The boy now named Li had just met the man named Rex and wouldn¡¯t deny the fact that he was intimidated by the man¡¯s presence. Rex was a stern man who seemed strict and scared him a little. On the other hand Irema was a wonderful lady who was very warm and caring. Li finished dressing in some dark blue garments that fit perfectly. Irema had given them to him and said that they were one of her sons old clothes, she had joked that she could clothe a whole orphanage from ages 0-30 because of her children. He put on some old brown work boots and walked out into the hallway and out to the dining room, still trying to wrap his head around his current circumstances.


    The home looked very comfy, the aroma of cooked meat got stronger as he walked and made his mouth water; he had been in shock from losing his memory and had forgotten how hungry he was. The tea that Irema gave him earlier had eased his headache but it didn¡¯t satisfy his hunger. Li walked over to the table at the other side of the room and paused when he got to it. There was nobody around, the table was set and the food was in the middle of the table but no one was around.


    ¡°Hello¡± Li said softly.


    ¡°Hello, is anyone here?¡± he said a little louder.


    Just when he was about to shout a little louder Irema popped out from behind him.


    ¡°No need to call out honey, just sit down at the table, anywhere is fine don¡¯t be shy.¡±


    Li recovered from her scare and sat down as Irema went over to the kitchen to get drinks. He looked at the food on the table and closed his eyes, taking in the sweet aroma of the food around him; he could almost taste the cooked lamb in his mouth.


    The front door creaked open as a man wiped his boots off on the mat outside, came in and proceeded to take off his straw hat and place it on a peg by the door where a few pegs were with various pieces of clothing such as hats, overalls and aprons on them. The man looked familiar, that¡¯s because he looked almost exactly like Rex. He was the same height, had the same short dark brown hair and also had a stubbly beard similar to Rex, although it was maybe only half the length of Rex¡¯s beard. The man looked at Li as he made his way to the table.


    ¡°Hey mah, is this the kid? He looks like he wants to live with this food, what did you do, starve him?¡±


    Li realized that he had a crazed look on his face from the smell of the food and quickly regained his previously calm expression when he heard the man¡¯s comment.


    ¡°Leave him alone and sit down already, did you tell Ruki lunch is ready?¡± Irema yelled from the kitchen.


    As the man pulled out a chair and sat down he replied to her ¡°No I haven¡¯t told Ruki, dad wanted her to go sheer some of the sheep so I figured she¡¯d get that done first.¡±


    ¡°Okay thanks sweetie¡±


    ¡°No problem mah.¡±


    The man resembling Rex then looked at Li from across the table.


    ¡°Hey kid, names Rall. Im the second oldest son of Rex and that amazing woman in the kitchen.¡± He then stuck his hand out for a handshake.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Im Li¡± Li replied while shaking Rall¡¯s hand.


    ¡°So how¡¯d you come to be at this lovely farm way out here?¡±


    ¡°Um I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t remember anything, Li¡¯s not even my real name.¡±


    ¡°Wow, so your one of them god chosen then? I¡¯ve never seen one before but I¡¯ve heard stories¡± Rall replied while looking at Li as if he was some divine relic that should be placed in a museum.


    Irema came over to the table, ¡°Hush now Rall, eat your food and stop asking Li questions, he already has enough questions for himself.¡±


    With that she sat down and they all began to dig in to the delicious food on the table. It was a quiet meal with slight talking, most of the time the talking was coming from Irema and Rall discussing redoing the porch and making a new coop for the chickens. Li barely heard any of it as he savored the flavors from the feast before him. ¡®I¡¯ll never let myself starve ever again!¡¯ Li¡¯s new motto imprinted itself into his mind as he finished plate after plate of food. The only time Li talked was to thank Irema when she told him that the room he woke up in would be his for as long as he was here. She also warned Li to get some rest tonight because tomorrow they would put him to work.


    After lunch was finished Li helped Irema clean the table and put leftovers in the coldbox for the rest of the family. Rall thanked his mom for the meal and went back out to do more fieldwork after eating.


    Irema yelled after him, ¡±Let Ruki know that her lunch is in the coldbox!¡±


    ¡°Got it mah.¡±


    After all of the dishes were clean Irema told Li,¡± Why don¡¯t you take a look around the farm and get familiarized with it. I would show you around but I need to bake some bread for the World Fair that starts this week.¡±


    ¡° Okay that sounds like a good idea.¡±


    Li then made his way out the front door and began to explore the world as if it was his first time being in it.

 Chapter 5: Venomous Situation

    Content Warning: A little profanity


    Sorry for not releasing a chapter yesterday i had a midterm today so studying was prioritized. Anyways, for depriving you of a chapter yesterday i am going to release two today. Here''s the first, enjoy.


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    The wind caressed her face as Anthiros galloped across the field. After riding Anthiros for the entire morning and through lunch, Ruki finally decided to take a break from riding. She rode Anthiros back to the stable, dismounted and then proceeded to put him back in his stall. She took the reigns and saddle off of him and placed them on the pegs outside the stall. Grabbing a pile bag of feed she poured it into the trough on the stall door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back later today to feed you again okay¡± she said as she pet Anthiros.


    She then left the stable smiling and in a very good mood. She made her way to the house while humming a song that her mom used to sing to her. She walked up the porch steps, cleaned her shoes on the mat and went inside.


    As she entered the house she smelled the sweet aroma of her mom''s famous peace bread. It was known around the neighboring villages in Dysi that her mother, Irema, made the best food. She was often told that her bread was so good that it could stop a war, hence the name ¡°peace¡± bread. Ruki followed the smell into the kitchen and saw her mother kneading some dough.


    ¡°Hi mother, do you need any help baking?¡±


    ¡°Actually yes, can you go down by the lake and pick some aquadills for me please?¡± Irema replied.


    ¡°Okay mom.¡±


    ¡°Thanks sweetie.¡±


    Ruki then went and got a basket and left the house. It was already a little past noon and she had yet to eat lunch so she walked quickly down to the lake east of their farm. The lake was right past a tree line at the end of the farms eastern most pasture. As she reached the tree line she made her way down a worn path that her and her brothers used to use when they were little. While walking along the worn path she couldn¡¯t help but think of her brother Red. A hint of sadness swept across her as she made her way down to the end of the path and to the lakeside.


    Aquadills were aquatic plants that were similar to cattails but had fuzzy-like balls at the top of their stalks. These balls were composed of small flowers that could be used for many things; her mom often mixed these flowers with hot water to help the yeast in her bread rise to a certain fluff when baked. Ruki saw a patch of aquadills rising up out of the water beside the grassy bank so she walked over to the edge of the bank to pick them.


    As she picked the flowers she sang a song that her mom had often sung to her when she was sick or distraught. It was the same song that she was humming earlier. ¡°The petals on the flower were flowing in the wind. Staring at the bright sky, often wondering what lies beyond the sky looking at the sun, thinking of a dream where they can learn to fly. After a summer rain, darkness then descends, the petals all huddle together, sheltered from the wind, but one lonely petal drifts away from them, that petal then whispers to itself that its probably the end, as it soars through the sky higher than its ever been. Then, emerging from the clouds leaving the dark behind, it sees the bright sun ahead and then it starts to fly, forgetting all about the darkness and about its friends, because it finally starts a journey, that¡¯s how it begins. First it¡¯s the darkness, then it¡¯s the light, leading to a path unknown. But the petal continues on passing countless suns, trying to find the sun that it can call its home, finally reaching the bright light in the sky that it can call the one.¡± Ruki kept singing as she picked the flowers on the edge of the bank.


    ¡°Oops.¡±


    A flower fell out of her hand as she went to put it into her basket and landed atop the long green grass on the bank. She went to pick it up with her free hand when all of a sudden she saw a green flash and felt a sharp pain in her hand. It happened so quickly that she didn¡¯t have time to scream out in surprise. She quickly withdrew her hand as she stepped back, unsure of what just happened.


    ¡®What was that? All I saw wash a flash of green and then felt pain.¡¯ She looked at her hand and saw two bloody marks that had a clear liquid flowing out of them. ¡®I was bit! What just bit me?!¡¯  As she looked around for the culprit she started to feel woozy. She tried to move her feet but they didn¡¯t respond to her demands and she stumbled onto the grass. She felt a burn on her hand where the bite was and waves of numbness took over her body. As she started to drift in and out of consciousness she struggled to make a sound. ¡°Help¡­Hel¡­.p¡± is all she managed to say quietly as she lost all consciousness.


    ***


    (Li''s POV)


    Walking through the pastures of the farm, Li made his way to the tree line and stepped into the forest beyond it. ¡®I want to explore a bit more but I don¡¯t know anything about the land or wildlife around here. Hmmm, I wont be going too far into the forest so it should be fine.¡¯ Li looked at the forest before him and mapped out a path that would give him the least trouble.


    He walked through the forest listening to the distant chirps of birds and the occasional sound of animals moving through the brush. After walking for a while his legs started to tire and he looked around for a place to rest. In the distance, through the tall trees Li saw an opening and made his way towards it. Walking between the tall trees he was able to see a small lake before him. ¡®Whoah.¡¯ Li let out a surprised exclaim in his mind as he took in the view before him. The sun shone over the sapphire blue lake making it glisten like a rare gem. Across the lake Li admired the view of distant snow-filled mountains over the tree line.


    Li made his way down to the lake¡¯s grassy bank and admired the beautiful view of nature. Finding a nice grassy place beside the water Li sat down to enjoy the view. After enjoying the view for a while Li laid his back onto the grass and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the sounds of nature. ¡®Ah, now this is relaxation.¡¯


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°The petals on the flower were flowing in the wind¡­¡±


    As Li was lying on the bank of the lake staring up at the sun in the sky, he heard a beautiful and gentle voice singing so he looked in the direction the voice was coming from. The voice was coming from behind a bunch of plants off to his right further down the bank of the lake. Li closed his eyes, laid his head back down and listened to the soft, soothing voice sing.


    ¡°Staring at the bright sky, often wondering what lies beyond the sky looking at the sun, thinking of a dream where they can learn to fly. After a summer rain, darkness then descends, the petals all huddle together, sheltered from the wind, but one lonely petal drifts away from them, that petal then whispers to itself that its probably the end, as it soars through the sky higher than its ever been. Then, emerging from the clouds leaving the dark behind, it sees the bright sun ahead and then it starts to fly, forgetting all about the darkness and about its friends, because it finally starts a journey, that¡¯s how it begins. First it¡¯s the darkness, then it¡¯s the light, leading to a path unknown. But the petal continues on passing countless suns, trying to find the sun that it can call its home, finally reaching the bright light in the sky that it can call the one.¡±


    As Li listened to this song he thought about his current predicament. ¡®I wonder if anyone is looking for me. What if I have no one to look for me, then all of my efforts in order to find out who I am will be in vain.¡¯ He then shook his head. ¡®No I can¡¯t think like that, there has to be answers. There has to be answers.¡¯ He repeated this thought in his head in order to reassure himself.


    After regaining his thoughts Li realized that he no longer heard the beautiful voice. He looked back over at the lake plants that separated him and the singer. He sat up and wondered why the singing had stopped. ¡®Maybe they got tired of singing. But then again it sounded like they were mid verse.¡¯ Li decided to go seek out the singer so he got up and walked down the bank and over behind the lake grass. As he walked around the bend he saw that there lying on the bank was the girl he had seen riding the white horse in what seemed like a dream.


    Her chestnut-brown hair was flowing gently in the wind across her pink blouse as if it were one of the stalks of the lake grass. She was lying softly on the grass with her eyes closed and a basket full of flowers beside her had been knocked over. Its contents were strewn all about. Li then noticed movement beside the girl; it was a small green snake that blended in with the grass. As it noticed Li¡¯s presence it slithered away, off of the bank and submerged into the lake.


    After realizing what had happened Li rushed over to the girls side.


    ¡°Hey are you okay?!¡± he shouted.


    He saw some blood on her hand and saw two holes that clearly indicated that the snake bit her. The two wounds had a clear liquid oozing from them. Li looked around not knowing what to do. ¡®Okay, she¡¯s unconscious so that snake was probably venomous. Should I suck out the venom, but what if it is paralytic? Shit, what should I do.¡¯ Li struggled for a moment, thinking about what to do. ¡®The more time I take the lower the chances are that she survives.¡¯


    ¡°Alright lets get you out of here¡± Li finally said.


    He gently picked up the girl and started to run back to the homestead of the farm. He thought to himself ¡®Don¡¯t die on me, Im going to get you to the farm and Irema will know what to do.¡¯ As he ran with her, the girl opened her eyes slightly, seeing Li¡¯s face while he grimaced with fatigue from running all the way from the lake. She softly said ¡°light¡± and then re-lost consciousness. Li looked down at the girl and saw that her face was snow white.


    ¡°Hey, its going to be okay, we can make it, don¡¯t die on me¡± Li said as he ran through the field.


    Breathing loudly as he finally reached the homestead, he shouted for help as he ran up the steps. Irema rushed out from the house looking at Li and the girl in his hands. Li knelt down and laid the unconscious girl on the porch.


    ¡°This girl was down by the lake and a small green snake bit her, I ran back as fast as I could.¡±


    Right after he had finished saying that a green snake bit her Irema¡¯s face turned pale and rushed over to the girl.


    ¡°Ruki! Ruki! Come on sweetie, it¡¯ll be okay stay conscious¡± Irema was frantic.


    Rall came rushing over to see what the commotion was. As soon as he saw Irema shouting Ruki¡¯s name he knew that it couldn¡¯t be good. He ran up to Irema but she yelled at him ¡°Go get your father now!¡±


    Rall turned and ran as fast as he could to the west fields where Rex was working.


    ¡°Li I want you to go into the house, in the room to the left of yours there¡¯s a bed, under the bed is a small gray box. Go get that box for me, hurry!¡± Irema said frantically.


    Li immediately rushed into the house at full speed. He ran through the front room and down the hall past his room. He rushed into the room to the left of his room and hurriedly searched for a small gray box under the bed. He fumbled with some other boxes and clothes but he finally saw the small gray box and grabbed it. He dashed back down the hall to the front room and out the door. When he arrived outside he saw in the distance two figures coming towards him. He then looked where he left the girl and saw that Irema and another lady were looking at the wound on the girls hand.


    Li rushed to Irema¡¯s side and handed the small gray box to her. Irema quickly opened the gray box and pulled out a round vial that had a purple liquid in it. Irema opened the vial and poured some of it into her own mouth. Li watched as Irema swished it around in her mouth. She then took the girls hand and started to suck the venom out of the wound. Just as she did this Rex and Rall finally arrived. Rall asked what was going on. Li explained what happened at the lake. After hearing Li¡¯s explanation Rex looked down at the unconscious Ruki and began running towards the stable.


    ¡°Rall keep your sisters body upright¡± Irema said.


    Rall hurriedly knelt down and lifted the girl¡¯s body. The other woman had already put a strap around the bicep of the girl in order to stop the bloodflow. Li watched as the previously beautiful goddess of the pasture grew paler and paler in a fight for her life. ¡®Was I too late. Is this girl going to die because I took too long¡¯ he thought as he looked down at the unconscious girl.

 Chapter 6: Questions and Preparations

    Content Warning: Little itty bit of profanity


    Okay here''s the second chapter I owe you guys, enjoy.


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    Rex pushed his horse to the limit, going faster and faster, he was on his way to the nearest village over that had and excellent herbalist/doctor. Luckily it was only a couple of minutes away by horse and after a short time he came racing down the village¡¯s main road and stopped outside the herbalist¡¯s home. ¡®Please be here, please be here¡¯ he thought as he dismounted and rushed inside. When he entered he saw the doctor in a chair drinking tea and shouted forcefully, ¡°Dal, Ruki¡¯s been bitten by a Green-fang hurry!¡±


    He didn¡¯t mean it to be so loud but because he was out of breath and his heart was pounding his voice came out as a shout and nearly startled the herbalist who was drinking tea out of her seat. When the herbalist realized what Rex was saying she shot straight up out of her chair and rushed into the back of her house. Within seconds she re-emerged with a small black pouch in her hands. Rex then ran back outside with Dal in tow and remounted his horse with Dal behind him. They then took off towards Rex¡¯s farm.


    Back at the farm Li was placing a cold towel on the Ruki''s head. Rall had went to fetch some water while Irema and the other woman, who Li had learned was Rall¡¯s wife named Tina, kept at preventing the venom from spreading throughout Ruki¡¯s system by spreading a green paste over her wounds. Li held the towel on Ruki¡¯s head and felt the warmth of her body slowly grow colder and colder. It was quiet; the loudest noise was Ruki¡¯s breathing which was getting raspier and raspier. Tina would occasionally listen to Ruki¡¯s heartbeat and then go back to sitting there beside her, checking the band on Ruki¡¯s bicep.


    ¡°Irema i''m sorry that I couldn¡¯t get her here earlier, I heard her singing by the lake and then it stopped, but I didn''t know that she had been bit by a snake and then when I went to see why she stopped she was lying on the floor and wasn¡¯t moving, I didn¡¯t know what to do¡± Li desperately apologized.


    As Li rambled on apologizing, a small amount of tears flowed out of his eyes from the guilt inside him causing him to close them and put his head down, occasionally sniffling as he continued apologizing. He kept beating himself up inside for just staring at the girl when she was passed out beside the lake. He then felt someone¡¯s arms around him, hugging him gently as his tears flowed. He stopped crying and looked up, it was Irema who was gently holding him.


    ¡°Li, listen to me, it''s not you¡¯re fault. You¡¯re not to blame, had you not been there Ruki would¡¯ve died but now we are going to be able to treat her. If you hadn¡¯t been there at the lake I would¡¯ve lost my only daughter. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing up when you did. You shouldn¡¯t feel ashamed at all¡± Irema said in a gentle and loving tone.


    As Irema said this, tears fell from her eyes. Li, Irema and Tina were able to keep the venom from spreading and when Rex had arrived with Dal they immediately treated Ruki¡¯s wounds with a seaweed-type plant of some sort. Li didn''t recognize it. After Dal treated Ruki, Rex carried her to her room and stayed with her the entire night. Dal stayed the night as well, just in case Ruki had a reaction to the treatment.


    Late that night Li had changed into some light black sleepwear, got into his bed but couldn¡¯t sleep. He kept remembering Ruki¡¯s face and how she just laid on the ground motionless and without color. He shuffled and tossed around his bed for a bit but sleep still never overtook him. Finally fed up with tossing and turning he sat up and left his bedroom. The hall and front room were dark and he had to make his way by moonlight as he walked through them. He made his way to the front room, opened the front door and stepped outside. As soon as he closed the door behind him Li looked up at the moon. It was a full moon tonight and it seemed to get closer as he stared at it.


    ¡°You think you can touch it?¡± a voice said.


    Li was startled and looked to his right. On a wooden bench was the doctor named Dal dressed in a light green robe.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Li said.


    ¡°Sit down¡± Dal said as she looked at Li.


    Li politely obliged and sat down on the wooden bench next to Dal. Dal looked younger than Irema even though Irema told him that she was many years older than her. Li looked at her and thought that she was a nice looking lady who had a sense of wisdom about her. Dal then began to speak.


    ¡°When I was young there was a folk tale about the moon. One day a god from another universe came to ours and observed every living thing here in what we call The World. He observed for quite a long time and came to the realization that none of the living things here valued what he valued. So the god appeared before every living thing and told them the value of power, the power to overcome your neighbors, enemies and friends alike. He then showed them a shiny white fluorescent orb, telling them that if they could gain power and reach this shiny white fluorescent orb he would bestow upon them unlimited power. He then placed it up in the sky and watched as the living things of our world competed and struggled for this so-called unlimited power. He was rather amused, yet no matter how long they tried to reach it they couldn¡¯t obtain the orb.¡±


    ¡°After many years the god grew tired of waiting for someone to acquire the orb so he once more appeared to every living thing and said ¡°I will leave this universe, however I will leave the orb right where it is, over time it will come closer and closer to your world. Only once one acquires the orb will I then reappear. Just remember that all rays of light shine together through the darkness.¡± And with that the god left.¡±


    Li listened intently and after Dal finished the tale Li looked up at the moon and responded.


    ¡±So the orb in that tale is the moon, that¡¯s why you asked me if I could touch it, right?¡±


    Dal chuckled and replied, ¡°Yes, but you must understand the moral of the story. It doesn¡¯t necessarily have to do with the moon. What the god wanted to see was every living thing work together to obtain the orb. They could have easily acquired the orb if they had linked together to reach it. However, they fought amongst each other, consumed by greed and jealousy and no one acquired the power. You can¡¯t acquire true power without friends and loved ones Li.¡±


    As she said this she stared at him. He didn¡¯t understand why she was telling him this or why she was staring at him in this way. ¡®Does she know who I am?¡¯  This question crept into his mind as he stared at her. Dal then stood up and walked towards the door.


    Before entering the house she looked at Li and said ¡°Have a good nights rest Li, maybe dream about touching the moon. But beware you might come crashing down from the sky and into a new life.¡± As she said this she smiled and entered the house.


    Li sat there stunned. He thought to himself ¡®Does she know about my dream? Did that thing she said about a new life have something to do with why I have no memory? She must know something.¡¯ He was convinced that Dal knew something. He got up and walked inside the house. He went to the guest room where Dal had been staying and opened the door. When he entered all he saw was an empty room, Dal had already gone.


    The rest of the night was calm but Li still wasn¡¯t able to fall asleep. ¡®She definitely knows something. That old witch knows what happened to me but she just ran off without telling me shit!¡¯ Li was frustrated but as it grew later he finally fell into a deep sleep and dreamed of what had happened today. He kept dreaming of the sight of Ruki lying on the ground, bitten by the snake yet peaceful with her hair flowing in the wind. Ruki¡¯s voice softly sounded out within his dream as he dreamt of her singing by the bank of the lake as she stared up at the sun. As he dreamed this he felt warmth on his chest. This warmth was comforting and slowly woke him up. He opened his eyes and saw Irema with her hand on the spot where he dreamt it was warm. She was softly nudging him, trying to wake him up.


    ¡°Li, since Ruki is still in the process of getting better i''m going to need your help at the fair.¡±


    Li sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Irema brought a cup over which had steam coming out of it.


    ¡°Here''s some warm milk to help you wake up. You must have stayed up late, I know it¡¯s hard getting used to unfamiliar places but it¡¯ll eventually get easier¡± she said as she handed him the cup of warm milk.


    ¡°What part of the day is it?¡± Li asked.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Its just before sun-up¡± Irema cheerily said.


    ¡°Now after you finish that milk, get dressed and come to the kitchen. Rall¡¯s getting the carts together and I already have some bread in the oven so you¡¯ll have to help me with the food.¡±


    She then smiled, turned away and left the room. Li thought to himself, ¡®How can she have this much energy so early in the morning. Well I shouldn¡¯t be complaining, its not necessarily a bad thing.¡¯ Li finished the milk, got out of bed, stretched and got dressed in an all black outfit (not purposely). He headed to the kitchen and saw that in the front room there were baskets on baskets on baskets. There were so many baskets and boxes that you could probably build a small house out of them. The entire front room was full of them. Li was staring wide-eyed at all of the baskets and the many aromas that caught his savage sniff.


    ¡°C¡¯mon Li don¡¯t just stand there gaping at this ol¡¯ heap of goods, help mah out.¡±


    Li snapped out of his stupor and turned to see that Rall had just walked in the front room and was taking some of the boxes outside. Li immediately went over to the kitchen and helped Irema out. As the day went on Li helped make countless batches of peace bread, gayo soup, kaliga tea, lamb bites and many other things ranging from medicinal meals to mending glue. Rall, Tina and their two sons, Connor and Talio, had continued to load up the carts throughout the day until the front room became emptier and emptier and returned to its original state.


    ¡°Whew, this is the most cooking i''ve done in my life. Well, as far as I know¡± Li said as Irema, Rall and himself chuckled.


    ¡°Great work boys and Tina. Now you all need to pack for the journey¡± Irema said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Li had an expression of confusion on his face. ¡°Journey?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the journey to the fairgrounds in Etheski, the capital of Dysi. We¡¯ll be making the trip right before sunup. I told you that I would need help at the fairgrounds. The trip to Etheski is a four-day ride by horse. That¡¯s why I packed so many coolboxes and water leaves to prevent the food from spoiling. Your coming along Li, you¡¯ll act as a substitute for Ruki.¡±


    Irema then looked at Rall ¡°Go get your family ready, i''ll go talk to your father about the caravan affairs.¡±


    ¡°So how long do I need to pack for?¡± Li asked.


    ¡°Hmm, I would say that you should pack for about a month¡± she replied.


    ¡°What?! An entire month?!¡± Li was shocked.


    He knew that Irema had been preparing for the fair, but he had never heard of a fair lasting a month. Not like he could remember anything anyways, it was still a long period of time dedicated to going somewhere away from loved ones, even though he didn''t have any.


    ¡°Yeah, the actual fair is two months but you only need a month¡¯s worth of clothes cuz you¡¯ll wash ¡®em. You¡¯ll love it Li. Theres people from all over The World who make month-long trips to go. Theres people from every region and the free cities, last year I even met a man from Dalimar!¡± Li just looked at Rall blankly as he said this.


    Rall then realized that Li clearly had no idea what he was meant by that.


    ¡°Haha, I forgot, you have no idea of any part of The World. But maybe we¡¯ll find someone who¡¯ll recognize ya pal¡± Rall said as he patted Li on the shoulder.


    Over the day, ever since Li had saved Ruki, everyone treated him very well and acted as if he was part of the family even though it hadn¡¯t even been two days since they found him. He didn¡¯t mind in the slightest, he felt welcomed here at the farm. He felt lucky that he ended up here rather than who knows where. Li smiled back at Rall and said ¡°Ya, maybe.¡± Li felt a sense of hope that he would find something out about himself if he went to the fair.


    At these thoughts he looked at Irema cheerily, ¡°Okay i''m going to pack up my things and then go fetch some more water for the horses and voes.¡± Li then hurriedly rushed towards his room.


    Irema smiled, ¡°Well look what you did Rall. You got him all excited about the fair. However I think it¡¯s for the best. Go get situated, I¡¯ll be over before sun up to help get the kids ready for the trip.¡±


    ¡°Okay mah.¡±


    He then turned and left the house. Irema made her way towards Ruki¡¯s room with a fresh set of clothes and a wet towel. She quietly opened the door to Ruki¡¯s room and smiled as she saw her husband sound asleep in a chair next to Ruki¡¯s bed.


    Rex had sat by their daughter¡¯s side all day. She knew that Rex was protective of Ruki because she was their only daughter and Rex was always like this whenever something happened to Ruki. Irema set down the freshly washed clothes on Ruki¡¯s bedside table and replaced the towel that was on Ruki¡¯s forehead. She then went over and gently sat on Rex¡¯s lap. Rex slowly put his head up, his eyes returning from sleep. He looked at Irema and smiled.


    ¡°I was having a pleasant dream you know.¡±


    ¡°I know, you had a goofy smile on your face while you were asleep.¡±


    They both let out a laugh. Irema sank into Rex¡¯s arms while he held her. They were both looking in the direction of Ruki.


    ¡°She¡¯s going to be really sad that she¡¯s missing the World Fair, she looks forward to it every year¡± Rex said, remembering Ruki¡¯s excitement when she was allowed to go to her first World Fair years ago.


    ¡°I thought we were gonna lose her. I honestly did¡± Rex then said solemnly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if we did.¡±


    Irema looked at him, ¡°Don¡¯t think about that now, the truth is that she is safe. It¡¯s all thanks to that boy you are so cautious of. If he hadn¡¯t been at the lake and heard Ruki singing, we would have lost her. Li seems like a good boy. Im going to take him to the fair tomorrow with the caravan.¡±


    Rex looked at her surprised.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to take a boy that we just met on a month long trip with most of our family?¡±


    ¡°Why not, I haven¡¯t seen any indications of Li making any attempts to negatively effect our family. In fact, I¡¯ve only seen him help us. He saved Ruki, he¡¯s helped around the house and besides he doesn¡¯t even know who he is, the poor thing.¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just hard to fully accept that. We don¡¯t even know who he used to be. What if he remembers who he is and then starts acting against our family?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to fully support him and focus on who he is now. That¡¯s the only way we can be sure that he becomes and stays good person.¡± Irema replied giving Rex a soft gaze.


    Her gaze then became stubborn, ¡°You need to stop being so cold with him, he saved your daughter. Besides, don¡¯t worry about him, he¡¯s a nice boy. The other reason I wanted to take him to the fair is so that we could perhaps find somebody who knows him.¡±


    Rex looked at her.


    ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t even think about that possibility until you mentioned it now. Okay, it¡¯ll probably be for the best then. Plus, Rall and the other villagers will all be equipped and able to help out if anything happens¡± he said reassuringly to himself.


    ¡°It never ceases to amaze me at how protective and paranoid you are. Im going to miss you honey.¡±


    After saying this she gave Rex a kiss and then turned to look at the moonlight shining through the window and onto Ruki¡¯s face.

 Chapter 7: Caravan

    Content Warning: Action starts to take the stage.


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Light began to crawl over the fields and pastures of Rex¡¯s farm as morning arrived. It was about sun-up as Li looked back at the farm in the distance. The group leaving for the World Fair had already said goodbye to Rex and left. The caravan they were in was currently on its way to the World Fair located in Etheski, the capital of Dysi.


    The caravan consisted of 10 supply carts and 8 wagons, along with around 30 soldiers on horseback hired by the nearby villages to help guard the caravan. Two of the carts and one of the wagons belonged to Irema¡¯s group. The rest of the carts and wagons were owned by various villagers who lived throughout northern Dysi and had arranged to leave for the fair from Rex¡¯s farm. Irema knew many of the villagers because they conducted this trip every year with each other.


    The caravan moved down the dirt road in a single column with various men on horses scattered around them. The people on horses consisted a mix of the guards and the villagers. Irema¡¯s carts were situated near the middle of the caravan, surrounded by many horsemen. Li was sitting beside Irema in their front-most cart when he saw a man in leather armor riding a brown horse down the column, occasionally stopping by carts and talking to the villagers. Li watched this man the entire time he did this, it piqued Li¡¯s interest. For all he knew, the horsemen escorting the caravan were the first warriors he had ever seen.


    The man riding the brown horse wore a complete set of weathered leather armor with a leather helmet along with a leather cuirass and greaves. The man had a quiver full of arrows and a bow strung across his back. On his left side he wore a scabbard with his sword sheathed. As Li looked around this seemed to be the favored attire by the guardsmen. As the man eventually made it closer to Li¡¯s cart Li saw that the man had a massive scar below his left eye. The man rode over and had his horse trot alongside the left side of the cart where Irema was holding the reigns.


    ¡°Hello miss my name is Captain Tomar and my men and I will be escorting you to Etheski on this journey, can I ask your name?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°My name is Irema and this boy next to me is Li, nice to meet you¡± Irema replied with a smile.


    Captain Tomar looked over at Li and gave him a nod. Li nodded back.


    ¡°It was nice to meet you folks, I¡¯ll be on my way¡± Captain Tomar said as he continued to make his way down the column.


    ¡°Well he seemed like a nice man didn¡¯t he¡± Irema said as she turned her head to look at Li.


    ¡°Yeah, are all warriors like that?¡± Li asked.


    Irema let out a little laugh, ¡°Actually most warriors that you¡¯ll meet on the roads have no manners whatsoever, usually there are only a few warriors who carry themselves the way Captain Tomar does. He reminds me of Rex back when he used to be a ranger.¡±


    Li was shocked, ¡°Your husband was a ranger? Is that why he''s so strict?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡± Irema let out a louder laugh this time.


    ¡°Yes he used to be a ranger but no that¡¯s not why he¡¯s strict with you. He¡¯s only strict with you because you just showed up at our farm so suddenly, but don¡¯t pay him any mind okay.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    As Irema spoke of her husband Li tried picturing the grisly man with the beard named Rex as a ranger.


    ¡°My husband doesn¡¯t like to talk about his past as a ranger, he had a lot of experiences that he¡¯s not too proud of along with ones he is proud of. The life of a soldier is a chaotic one no matter where they¡¯re from¡± Irema said in a solemn tone as if recalling the past.


    Li looked at a nearby horseman riding a grey spotted horse. The man had on the same attire as Captain Tomar but the man¡¯s blue long-sleeved shirt stuck out from beneath his cuirass. The man didn¡¯t look too much older than Li himself. As Li looked at this man he thought of this man¡¯s life and wondered what had happened in this man¡¯s short lifetime. Had he killed people or even watched people die. ¡®Did I live a life similar to his¡¯ Li thought to himself. The only thing that Li was familiar with was his own body. It was very toned and muscular for a boy of his age and he was able to get any physical chore done easily around the farm. ¡®Well I can only hope that I find out something about myself at the fair, then I¡¯ll know the truth¡¯ he mused. A voice suddenly broke his train of thought. He looked over at Irema who looked as if she was waiting for him to say something.


    ¡°Im sorry did you say something?¡± Li asked her.


    Irema chuckled, ¡°Looks like you were caught in thought again. You do that a lot you know.¡± She said smiling at him.


    ¡°Im sorry, I tend to get carried away in my thoughts, I¡¯ll try to work on it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry it doesn¡¯t bother me, it means you¡¯re mind is active that¡¯s all. Besides if you stop getting lost in your thoughts you¡¯ll lose another part of who you are.¡±


    Li understood what she meant and nodded. This was a part of his ¡°new¡± identity and he shouldn¡¯t change it for her sake.


    ¡°Earlier, when I was thinking, I wondered if I used to be a soldier like that young man over there¡± Li said as he gestured towards the young man with the blue shirt under his cuirass.


    Irema looked over at the young man Li gestured towards and then asked him, ¡°What would you do if you were?¡±


    Li was perplexed by this question. ¡°Um I don¡¯t really know, I guess just go back to what soldiers do.¡±


    Irema looked at Li, ¡°The gods took you¡¯re memory for a reason Li, it would all be a waste if you just went back to being who you were before. Even if you were a good person, there must have been parts of your life that they wanted you to forget because you couldn¡¯t change them once they happened. I don¡¯t know if you were a soldier, nobleman, farmer, journeyman or any other things. All that I know is you are a nice young man and that from now on you should live your life the way you want it to be and to not regret anything that you do. In the end just be satisfied with who you are and what you do.¡± After she said this she gave him a big smile.


    Li looked at Irema taking all of her words to heart. He had only met this woman two days ago and yet he felt as if she were his own mother. He smiled back at her and then looked up into the sky.


    ¡°Thanks Irema, it means a lot,¡± he said while staring at the sun.


    It had already been two days since the caravan left Rex¡¯s farm and there was still four days until they would reach the fairgrounds in Etheski. Over the two days they had been travelling Li had been introduced to many of the villagers who travelled in the caravan every year with Rex¡¯s family.


    There was a man named Gregg and his ten-year-old son named Tom who lived in the same village as Dal, the mysterious doctor who saved Ruki. They were the two who were manning Irema¡¯s second cart. Rall and his family had ridden in the supply wagon. Li also met two women named Lauren and Sasha who were sister merchants from a village in the northern part of Dysi named White peak. There was also a boy who looked around the same name as Li named Rinnar.


    Li and Rinnar usually went and fetched water for the caravan together while traveling. Rinnar was the son of a carpenter named Hal. They lived in a place named Brookridge Village. Apparently it had been built on a ridge over a river delta and that was where the villages name came from.


    Li was happy to meet new people and expand his small world. Li would occasionally strike up conversations with the people he had met when the caravan rested but he mostly stayed around Irema, doing whatever she needed him to do. The sun was going down and the guards signaled the caravan to once again make camp for the night. The caravan was led off of the road and into a clearing surrounded by trees a little ways away from the road.


    The wagons and carts were put into a circle and the villagers set up tents within the circle. This was to protect the camp from bandits. Each cart was covered with tarps just in case it rained overnight. Li¡¯s group had lined their carts right next to each other in the circle and set up their tents next to their carts. While Li was helping set up the two tents they had brought, he saw that about half of the soldiers were on the outside of the cart circle standing watch. He looked the other way at the temporary camp and saw the rest of the villagers and guards setting up tents, sitting, chatting, resting, eating, and sleeping.


    Once Li¡¯s group had finished setting up their tents they got situated in their respective tents. Irema, Tina and her two sons stayed in one tent while Li, Rall, Gregg and his son Tom stayed in the other. Li¡¯s spot in the tent was right on the left side as you walked in. He put his bag down onto his sleeping mat next to his wool pillow. He saw that everyone else was still getting situated so he went and sat outside the tent. Li watched as Lauren and Sasha fought while putting up their tent. They were causing quite a commotion. He then turned to watch various other villagers carrying out their tasks to prepare for the night.


    Nightfall soon came and Li was still sitting outside his tent. Gregg and Tom had just gone to bed and Rall was over by a fire eating and talking with a couple of the other villagers. Li hadn¡¯t been able to fall asleep and so he just sat outside staring at either the sky or the camp. ¡°Camp sure has quieted down¡± he thought to himself as he looked around. Li looked at Irema¡¯s quiet tent and assumed that everyone had fallen asleep.


    He heard the shuffle of grass and turned to see Rinnar walking up to him carrying two wooden buckets.


    ¡°Hey Li, want to come with me to fetch water for the morning that way we don¡¯t have to get up as early?¡± Rinnar asked while smiling goofily.


    Rinnar had a goofy side to him and loved to go explore while the caravan was stopped, it was no wonder he was happy when his father gave him the choice to either get water now or in the morning.


    Li looked up at him, ¡°Sure Rinnar, Im having trouble sleeping anyways.¡±


    Rinnar¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Haha I knew you would say yes, lets go tell Captain Tomar so he¡¯ll let us through the cart wall.¡±


    Li got up and followed Rinnar through the camp, walking towards a gap in the carts that had guards posted at it. This gap acted as a walkway to get in and out of the camp. Next to the cart on the right side of the walkway was a tent with its flaps open. Behind this tent were the temporary pens that they had built to hold all of the livestock.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.As Li and Rinnar walked closer to the tent Li overheard Captain Tomar discussing something with a couple of his men and pointing to a map on the wooden table in front of them. Li had previously realized that his senses were extraordinarily better than most of the people around him and was able to pick out part of what Captain Tomar was saying.


    ¡°¡­and if we take that road around the river we can avoid any bottleneck ambushes that could happen should we attempt to cross a river at this bridge that is surrounded by forest. The road we would take will take about a half a day longer but it will probably save that many more lives¡± Captain Tomar said in an orderly voice towards his men.


    ¡°I received a hawk earlier today from Captain Tiller of the Redguard Brigade relaying information that a couple of bandit groups were recently seen in these areas.¡± Captain Tomar said as he once again pointed to the map.


    ¡°Now if we take the longer way around the river it will be safer. Not only because its further away from the places bandits were last seen, but because the bridge is located in a flatland area without trees giving us a wider range in sight.¡± As Captain Tomar finished talking the men around him nodded their heads in approval and went to their respective positions and tents.


    A guard approached Li and Rinnar as they neared the tent. This guard wore the same attire as all of the others. He was about a head taller than Li and had a short fuzzy blond beard.


    The guard looked at the two boys and then at the buckets asking, ¡°What do you boys need?¡±


    ¡°We were wondering if we could ask Captain Tomar if we could get some water from the stream west of here¡± Rinnar told the guard.


    The guard nodded and led them to the table where Captain Tomar was still standing. Hearing the approaching footsteps Captain Tomar looked up seeing Li and Rinnar and a smile appeared on his face. ¡°Hello Li, Rinnar, how could I help you boys?¡±


    ¡°We were wondering if we could go fetch some water from the stream thats to the west of here?¡± as Rinnar asked this he and Li showed him the two buckets they had brought.


    Captain nodded and said, ¡°Well it is after dark, however I am pretty positive that there are no bandits in these woods. Tell you what, have Muhler here go with you¡±, he gestured over at the guard that had escorted them in, ¡°just in case there are any wildlife around, make sure to make it quick.¡±


    ¡°Sir¡± the guard named Muhler nodded and said, turning to lead the boys out of the tent.


    Muhler led the boys over to the walkway entrance and exchanged a few words with the guards there. The guards looked over at Rinnar and Li and then let them through.


    Before they left camp, Muhler, who was walking in front of them turned and said ¡°Okay boys, Ill lead the way to the river. You two stay close behind me.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir¡± Li and Rinnar said in unison. Muhler then turned and led them west of the camp.


    As their small group of three walked through the woods west of their camp moonlight shone down on them through various spots the canopy of the trees didn¡¯t cover. Muhler led the boys while Rinnar was looking around and pointing stuff out to Li. As Rinnar was pointing at a small set of glowing eyes in a tree to the right Li thought he saw a shadow jump from one tree to another off to their left. Li looked at the tree where he thought he saw the shadow. He heard a slight rustling as he peered closely at the tree.


    ¡°!¡± Li jumped as Rinnar patted Li on his shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so tense Li, nothings going to happen out here, relax. You heard what the Captain said¡±, Rinnar reassured Li as he smiled.


    Rinnar turned away to look into the forest once again, leaving Li to look at the suspicious tree in the distance. ¡®What is this feeling, am I just scared¡¯  Li thought to himself. He had never felt this way before, it felt like his senses had heightened and his body was on high alert. ''I have a weird feeling of danger and something else.''


    After a while Li had calmed down. They had walked quite a ways until they finally heard the rushing of the stream ahead of them even though they couldn¡¯t see it. The soft clanging of the buckets could be heard as the group approached the side of the stream. The stream looked so peaceful as the moonlight reflected off of the water.


    ¡°Okay boys go fill your buckets and make it quick¡± Muhler said.


    ¡°Yes sir¡± both of the boys replied as they turned and knelt beside the river to fill their buckets with water.


    As Li was kneeling beside the stream all he could hear besides the clanging of the buckets was the rush of the stream. As Li filled his bucket up with water beside Rinnar he heard a small noise that didn¡¯t quite fit with the sound of the rushing stream and then a sudden grunt and thud come from behind him. Li stopped filling his bucket, turning to look behind him. There in the moonlight was Muhler lying on the ground. Li nudged Rinnar and stood up. Li walked over towards Muhler as Rinnar followed, confused.


    ¡°What¡¯s up Li, What¡¯re you doing?¡± Rinnar asked as he followed Li.


    Li pointed towards the arrow that was stuck in the chest of the lying Muhler. The boys both looked at each other, Rinnar had wide eyes.  They both then immediately started scanning the nearby area. All that they saw was darkness and trees. Li then made his way towards Muhler, Rinnar followed suit. Muhler was motionless; blood had stained his leather cuirass around where the arrow had pierced his chest. Blood had also come out of his mouth and had dyed part of his beard a dark crimson. Li knelt down and felt for Muhler¡¯s pulse. There was no pulse.


    ¡°Muhler¡¯s dead¡± Li whispered to Rinnar.


    Rinnar looked at Li and then at Muhler¡¯s body. ¡°Are you sure¡± he whispered back.


    ¡°Yeah i''m sure, go ahead and check for yourself¡± Li replied as he gestured towards Muhler¡¯s body.


    Rinnar put his head on Muhler¡¯s chest and listened for a heartbeat. ¡°He¡¯s definitely dead¡± Rinnar confirmed.


    Rinnar had a scared look on his face as he scanned the area once again. ¡°What do we do Li?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well first off, I don¡¯t think that the one who shot Muhler saw us or else we¡¯d already be dead. Second, we were kneeling in the darkness down by the stream whereas Muhler was here in the moonlight¡± Li said.


    ¡®I wonder if it was one of the bandits that Captain Tomar spoke of earlier. Had they followed us here?¡¯ Li thought. ¡®The archer could¡¯ve been the shadow that I saw earlier.¡¯ Suddenly with a realization they both looked at each other. ¡°¡°We need to hide¡±¡± they both said at the same time.


    Rinnar nodded and pointed towards a big green thicket of bushes. ¡°There¡± he said as he pointed. Li nodded and went to follow Rinnar, but before he followed him he unsheathed Muhler¡¯s sword from its scabbard and took it with him. There they lay beside one another in the thicket of bushes whispering to each other about what they should do.


    ¡°We should run back to camp and get help¡± Rinnar whispered to Li.


    ¡°We do need to get back to camp, but running straight there doesn¡¯t sound smart, there could be more than one archer out there¡± Li replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right. How abou- mfff.¡±


    ¡°Shhh.¡± Li shushed Rinnar and covered his mouth.


    He then pointed towards the stream. There in the moonlight that was being reflected off of the stream were three figures making their way across the rocks.  They arrived at the same side of the stream where Muhler¡¯s body lay and Li could hear them talking.


    ¡°I tol¡¯ ya I¡¯d git¡¯em in one shot Mor, you seen it wit your own eyes.¡±


    As the three figures walked into the moonlight that surrounded Muhler¡¯s body Li saw that it was the shortest man of the three who was talking.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, just check him for loot will ya.¡± The fuller man to the let of the short man responded.


    The short man knelt down and searched Muhler¡¯s body. He suddenly stopped, looked around and then looked back at the tallest man.


    ¡°His sword¡¯s gone¡± the short man said.


    They all looked at each other and then looked around. Li and Rinnar looked at each other. Rinnar then looked at the sword in Li¡¯s hand and started shaking in fear. Li put his other hand on Rinnar¡¯s back to reassure him. The three men then drew all of their weapons.


    ¡®What are we going to do, think Li, think¡¯ Li said to himself. The fuller man had a two handed axe, the short one a bow, and the taller one a sword.


    ¡°Keep an eye out, there are rats about us¡± the taller one said.


    Li could feel Rinnar shaking beneath his hand as the three men spread out in different directions. The fuller man walked away from them down the stream, the short one walked off to their left and the taller one walked the closest to them, just slightly over to the boys¡¯ right.


    Li handed the sword to Rinnar and said quietly ¡°If any of them get close enough, ambush them with this. I¡¯m going to go take care of the bowman.¡±


    Rinnar looked at Li and shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t leave me, please.¡±


    Li could see tears rolling down Rinnars face. As Li looked at Rinnar he realized that he perfectly embodied the word ''afraid''.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, if something happens just stay here until day okay¡± Li said, and with that he crawled through the thicket quietly and left.


    While sneaking through the dark words Li started thinking about his current status, ¡®No, it¡¯s not fear of danger that I¡¯ve been feeling, it¡¯s excitement.¡¯ As Li confirmed this strange new feeling he blended with the darkness.


    ¡¤

 Chapter 8: Bandits

    Content Warning: Fight! Fight! Fight! There''s some cursing and blood.


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    As Li moved silently through various bushes and around the trunks of trees in the direction of where the short man had went, he ventured further and further from Rinnar.


    It had been a while since Li had left Rinnar and Rinnar was getting nervous. He was still in the same thicket of bushes where they had first hid, grasping tightly on the sword in his right hand. Out of the corner of his vision he eyed the gleam of a sword in the moonlight to his right. It was the taller man and he held a sword in his left hand making his way along the front of the thicket of bushes.


    As the man crept slowly, looking around, Rinnar readied Muhler¡¯s sword. Rinnar then slowly got up and into the kneeling position. However, he made a slight scuffle sound. The taller man heard that sound and headed towards Rinnar¡¯s direction. The moonlight continued to gleam off of the man¡¯s sword.


    Rinnar was in the bushes so the moonlight didn¡¯t give away his position by shining off of his sword. The man was now within a few steps of Rinnar. He was looking over the thicket of bushes. The man approached the bushes and was an arm¡¯s reach right in front of Rinnar. Rinnar brought the sword up and was readying to strike when a rabbit rushed out of the bushes and past the taller man. Rinnar and the man both jumped at the same time, however, because of the rabbit the man had turned around and watched the rabbit as it ran away and hadn¡¯t noticed Rinnar.


    ¡°Holy fuck, that scared the shit out of me¡± the taller man commented.


    ¡°Whew for a second there I thought it was another soldier, haha¡± the man said as he chuckled to himself.


    Unfortunately for him, right after he finished chuckling Rinnar sprung up out of the bushes, thrusting Muhler¡¯s sword straight into the taller man''s back.


    ¡°Agghh!!¡±


    The taller man let out a painful shout as Muhler¡¯s sword entered his body and exited out the front of his stomach. The man dropped his sword and looked down at the sword that had gone through him. Rinnar then pulled Muhler¡¯s sword out of the man. The taller man watched as the sword left and its presence was replaced with a gush of blood.


    The man then fell to his knees and then toppled over. Rinnar just stood there staring at the blood on Muhler¡¯s sword and the body of the man he had killed. All of a sudden he heard a ¡®whoosh¡¯ and felt a cold numbness in his left side. He looked at where the coldness was on his side and there, embedded in his body was an arrow. Rinnar looked up in the direction and saw the short man pulling another arrow from his quiver and drawing his bow.


    ¡°Ya fuckin¡¯ rat! After I put a few more arrows in ya I¡¯ll gut ya like a fish!¡± the short man yelled.


    All Rinnar could do was watch as the man drew his bow aiming at him, the cold numbness turning into a searing hot pain. A shadow then jumped out of the bushes and tackled the short man as he let the arrow loose. The arrow whizzed to the left of Rinnar and over the stream. Rinnar fell to his knees, feeling the pain creep through his body. As he was on his knees he looked over at the two people tussling on the ground ahead of him. One was the short bowman and the other was Li. Li was struggling for his life.


    ¡®Damn it, I let him shoot Rinnar with an arrow before I ambushed him¡¯ he thought to himself. His right hand was tangled with the bowman¡¯s left hand as they both rolled around in the bushes they landed in after Li had tackled the bowman. They continued struggling with each other.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill you ya cunt¡± the short man yelled as he pulled a small carving knife from his belt with his free hand.


    The man then went to strike at Li¡¯s neck, who was on top of him. Seeing this Li raised his forearm to block the merciless strike.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Li yelled out in pain.


    The man¡¯s knife went into Li¡¯s forearm and caught his bone. His forearm was searing as if he had stuck it in an oven. He pulled his left arm away from the bowman¡¯s right arm and with it went the knife. The knife had been plunged so deep into Li¡¯s arm that it was stuck in one of his bones and he could feel every painful movement of his arm.


    Li rolled off of the man as the man moved to punch Li. After Li tumbled backwards a few yards, he bounced up onto his feet. The bowman scrambled onto his feet as well and immediately started to rush towards Li. Seeing this Li grabbed the knife that was stuck in his arm with his right hand and gave it a hard pull. The knife came free and with it came blood spurting profusely from Li¡¯s wound. Surprisingly there was so much pain in his left arm that it had gone numb, Li couldn¡¯t even feel the pain in it anymore.


    Li held the small knife in his right hand as he saw the charging bowman come towards him. Suddenly Li was hit with a sense of D¨¦j¨¤ vu, it was as if he had been in this predicament before. Li looked at the knife in his hand and it felt just right. He then flicked the knife so that he was holding the blade. He readied into a stance that felt very comfortable, looking towards the bowman again as he came closer and closer.


    Li focused on the bowman¡¯s head, he was focused on a little emblem on the front of the black wool cap the bowman wore.


    ¡°Ya ready to die!¡± the bowman yelled as he neared Li.


    Then in a flash the bowman collapsed to the ground motionless. Li was in a position as if he had just finished throwing something. He walked over to where the bowman lay and turned the man over. Right there in the front middle of the man¡¯s head was the small carving knife embedded in the middle of the wool cap¡¯s emblem.


    ¡®How in the world did I do that? That felt surprisingly familiar and good¡¯ Li thought to himself. He raised his right hand and stared at it curiously as if he had just rediscovered it.


    ¡®This is actually a little scary, that felt as if I had practiced it every day.¡¯ Li was caught up in thought when he heard a booming voice.


    ¡°What the fuck ¡®ave ya done!¡±


    Li looked to the right and in the distance was the fuller man looking at Rinnar angrily.


    ¡°You killed my brotha ya bastard!¡± the man said as he rushed forward with the two handed axe in his hands.


    Li saw this and then remembered the bow that the short man dropped when he was tackled. He wouldn¡¯t be able to make it in time if he ran so he looked around for the bow and saw it lying on top of a bush near him. He grabbed a couple of arrows that were scattered on the ground that fell out of the bowman¡¯s quiver while they fought. He rushed over and grabbed the bow. It was a small short bow made of a dark wood.


    Li grabbed it with his left hand and noticed that his hand was covered in blood. The wound on his forearm had continued to bleed and his left arm from the middle of his forearm down was covered in blood with no skin to be seen under the crimson.


    Regardless of the blood, Li gripped the bow tightly. As he did this he started to feel a sensation in his arm, the pain was beginning to come back; he had to hurry before it did or else he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold the bow.


    ¡°I can do this¡± Li said out loud to himself as he placed the arrow and drew back.


    He saw that the man was now standing over Rinnar with his axe raised high. Rinnar was on his knees looking up at the man. Once again, as Li aimed the bow a familiar feeling crept over him. He felt comfortable as he focused his aim on the man with the axe and finally let the arrow fly.


    ¡°Say goodnight ya fuckin basta- Aggh!!¡±


    The arrow Li had released flew through the air, soaring straight into the man¡¯s shoulder.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Fuck!!!¡± the man cursed in pain.


    He looked over to where Li was standing and glanced at the body of the short man.


    His face filled with rage again as he yelled, ¡°You killed Bart you fuckin¡¯ scum!!¡±


    He looked back at Rinnar and visciously kicked him in the face, causing Rinnar to fall onto the ground motionless.


    ¡°Ill deal with you later¡± the man said as he started walking over to Li.


    Li saw this and was relieved that the man hadn¡¯t struck Rinnar with his axe at least. Then Li realized that the man was coming towards him so he once again drew back and fired an arrow at the approaching man.


    The arrow soared through the air flying straight at the man¡¯s head. CLANG! The arrow was deflected off of the head of the axe. The man had blocked the arrow with his axe before it had hit him.


    ¡®Damn it, I¡¯ll just aim at his legs and stop his movement then¡¯ Li said to himself. Once again Li drew back the bow. Just as he was about to let loose he felt a snap in his left arm and the bow dropped from his grip. The tendons that allowed Li to grip the bow in his left arm had torn. They had been sliced by the carving knife when he was first stabbed and were on the verge of tearing the entire time after that until they finally did just now.


    A searing pain shot up his left arm and throughout Li¡¯s body. ¡®No! Not now!¡¯, Li started to panic. He couldn¡¯t grip with his left arm and the pain was returning.


    He saw the man approaching him at the same pace and that he was already halfway to Li. Li had to find a weapon to yield. He ran over to the bowman¡¯s body and pulled the carving knife out of the man¡¯s head. ¡®If only I had a sword¡¯ Li thought to himself.


    Li then gazed past the approaching man with the axe and saw two swords glimmering in the moonlight. ¡®I have to get one of those swords¡¯ Li thought, focusing on the man approaching him.


    He was a little bigger than Li previously thought. He was a good two heads taller than Li and about twice as wide. The axe was also bigger than Li previously thought; it was also double sided.


    The man finally reached Li and stopped in front of him. Li and the big man both had their weapons at the ready. Li had a small carving knife and the big man had a great axe that was almost as tall as Li.


    The man then started to speak in a deep voice, ¡°My name is Mor and I will be the one to kill you and after I have I¡¯m going to cook the meat on your flesh and devour you like a dog because you deserve to die like a dog!¡±


    To Li¡¯s amazement he didn¡¯t feel afraid. Even when he couldn¡¯t use his left arm to its full use and was facing a huge man with an axe using a small carving knife he was still calm. Li just looked at the man, staying silent and watching for the first move.


    Li felt his senses strengthening. He could smell the difference in the blood trickling down his arm and the blood of the bowman on the knife. He could hear the wind gently blowing by him; see the rushing stream in the distance behind the huge man and felt the sudden rush of something within him.


    ¡®What is this? What is up with me, am I nervous, anxious, or is this excitement again?¡¯ Li was baffled; it didn¡¯t feel the same as before.


    The man named Mor suddenly rushed towards Li. As he did that, Li realized what the feeling inside him was, it was bloodlust; he wanted to make this man feel fear and end his life.


    Li charged towards Mor, who was also charging Li. As they drew close to each other Mor swung his axe from left to right with all of his might, trying to cleave Li in half. However, Li had foreseen Mor¡¯s attack and rolled beneath the strike. Li bounced up behind Mor and dashed for one of the swords on the ground ahead.


    Mor turned, surprised that he had missed and went chasing after Li. Li ran over and slid onto the ground and grabbed the sword which lay beside Rinnar¡¯s unconscious body for it was the closest one. It was also a bit longer than the other.


    Just as Li turned back around, Mor struck down at Li with his axe. Li raised the sword with all of his might and deflected Mor¡¯s blow to the left of himself. When Li deflected this blow a shockwave of pain circulated down the right side of his body. Mor¡¯s blow was too powerful.


    As the head of the great axe embedded itself almost entirely into the ground, Li jumped back, trying to nurse the pain that was shooting down his right arm. ¡®That guy¡¯s blow is really strong, I cant block it head on with one arm¡¯ Li was contemplating his options when he saw that the sword he was holding had been cracked by the blow from the axe.


    Luckily the second sword was lying on the ground next to him so Li tossed the cracked one aside and picked up the slightly shorter sword. ¡®If I hadn¡¯t of noticed that crack the next attack from him would probably have been the last¡¯ Li was stuck in thought as he watched Mor retrieve his axe from the ground and proceed to approach him.


    Once again Mor swung his axe from left to right. Li rolled backwards and bounced back up. ¡®Damn, he¡¯s trapped me against the stream¡¯ Li suddenly realized. Sure enough two steps behind Li was the stream, flowing just as it had been when Li first saw it. Li thought of his options and then decided on one. He retrieved the carving knife from his right boot where he had put it after picking up the first sword. He held it in the same hand that held the new sword with.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know if this will work but I sure hope it does¡¯ Li said to himself half-reassuringly.


    Mor once again approached Li, ¡°You have nowhere to run now ya little rat. First I''m gonna smash you and then I''m gonna smash your friend over there¡± Mor said, his face still full of rage.


    Li readied himself, placing his sword in a downwards-left position as Mor raised the axe above his head and swung down, grunting with power. As the axe came down Li swung upwards and to the right with all of his strength. Mor¡¯s great axe and Li¡¯s sword clashed against one another. As they did Li¡¯s sword shattered under the power behind Mor¡¯s strike. Allowing the great axe to continue downward.


    However, because of the clash between the two weapons, the great axe¡¯s trajectory was altered causing it to skim the very outside of Li¡¯s right shoulder, easily taking a chunk of flesh and muscle with it. Using the momentum of the blow to his advantage, Li spun clockwise, still wielding the carving knife in his right hand.


    As Mor¡¯s axe embedded itself into the ground Mor was bent over with his head lowered to Li¡¯s height. Using the aid of Mor¡¯s blow, Li was able to spin around, and pierce the right temple of Mor¡¯s head with the small carving knife.


    Mor¡¯s body went limp and fell onto the ground beside the stream where his axe was embedded and had cracked the ground. When Mor¡¯s body hit the ground the crack in it had spread and that part of the ground gave way, sending Mor and his axe into the stream along with pieces of Li¡¯s shattered sword.


    Li still held the carving knife in his right hand and fell to his knees. With both arms at his sides he looked down at his left arm which was completely covered in blood and then over to his right arm which was also covered in blood coming from the massive wound on his shoulder.


    Li looked up and over to where Rinnar lay and smiled. ¡®Well that went pretty well I guess¡¯ Li thought as he smiled, knowing that Rinnar was probably fine. As he smiled his vision started to blur. Then after a moment everything went black.