Prologue 2

I was currently lying in a bed, presumably in some sort of infirmary. I just awoke from what seemed to be like an endless nightmare. I had a vague idea what that “thing” was inside me, but I had no clue what it was exactly. It wasn't like I could answer these overflowing questions in my head at the moment, so I decided to just put it out of mind until I could ask someone else about it.

 

The infirmary I was situated in seemed to be quite fancy actually. Well, it was way fancier than the sickhouse we had back at the village. Here, I was sectioned off from where the other sick people were. It’s almost like I have my own makeshift room. The walls were a nice white, and everywhere just seemed very clean.

 

There was a small desk next to me with a vase on top full of flowers. Otherwise though, it was mainly just me in the bed. I had bandages wrapped over my arms and legs, which made me wonder if I really did suffer that much injury. During the fight, I knew I got seared by the flames, but I didn’t realize the extent of the damage. I tried getting into an upright position, however the merest action sent a jolt of pain coursing through my entire body, causing me to involuntarily wither and groan in pain. 

 

That’s right, I just remembered, in addition to the burn wounds, I got stabbed. I had a cast tightly wrapped around my left shoulder. I tried moving it, but I don’t know if it's because of the cast, or because of my lack of energy or strength that it wouldn’t move. I guess it served its purpose though, and moving it would only cause unnecessary harm, so I just left it alone.

 

As I was contemplating the events of the fight I had with Anniumpa, the curtain opened and revealed Christine. It seemed she was doing well, way better than I was at least. She had a few bags under her eyes, yet overall she looked like she was just fine, which both sent a rush of relief through me, but also some jealousy. Why was I the one who had to be stuck in this bed! Hmpfh.

 

“Ah! Lyrah, you’re awake!” She exclaimed as she headed over to where I was.

 

“What.. happened?” I said as my throat cried out in agony. It was raspy and dry, which showed just how long it has been since I had last spoken.

 

Christine, upon noticing, rushed to get a glass of water to pour down my throat. I thanked her as I felt the rejuvenating feeling of cold water trickle down my throat. It was a bit awkward having someone help me do something as simple as drinking as I was too weak to lift the glass on my own, but it was oddly comforting in a strange way.

 

“How long was I out? What happened?” I tried again, this time with my voice noticeably clearer.

 

“Around about… a week and a half or so I would say. I was really anxious throughout the entire time you know? You collapsed out of nowhere and didn’t wake up for an entire week and a half!” she said as she went to sit on the bed I was resting on, “After you went unconscious, everyone quickly subjugated the enemy forces. They were almost all dead or nearly half dead from the firestorm you inflicted so it went by pretty easily. We had plans to capture the commander alive… for questioning, however, in the end she managed to kill herself in time, presumably to stop the reveal of information...”

 

“Oh, I see.” It was indeed unfortunate what had happened. I had hoped to be able to ask her about some of my concerns and questions, as she didn’t seem overall that bad a person. I knew that she did murder my entire village, and countless people at the outpost, and part of me was indeed disgusted and filled with rage. But, I don’t know how to put it, there was just a feeling. A natural order of things to say. “What happened after that?” I continued.

 

“We rendezvoused and buried the dead. After a while, we decided to scout out the ashes of the outpost to see if there was anything we could use, and unsurprisingly there wasn’t. Thankfully, I remembered that there was a merchant scheduled to come to Aeolian’s Post soon to do some trading of resources, so we waited a couple days until he got here. After explaining the situation, he took us to Reishan, which was the nearest city. We arrived a couple days ago, so we’re still sorting things out. How are you feeling?”

 

“Ughh, not the best, but I’ll get by. Everything feels kind of numb, but if I try moving it hurts”

 

“I hope you get better. Unfortunately, I have to go soon and I don’t know when we’ll have another chat just with the two of us here again, so I’ll say this now. I have to take care of some things regarding the transfer of you into my care as I need to keep an eye on you, but after you get discharged, I want you to head straight towards me. You should be able to find a map outside. Go to the place called the First Keep. You should see some guards posted outside. Tell them that you have a meeting with Christine Ehrenbuur. Understand?”

 

“Yeah, got it”

 

It was then that I finally realized Christine’s last name. It surprised me to think about it to be honest. I’ve been with her for quite a while now, an entire month or so, and I still hadn’t learned her full name. Somehow, one way or another, it felt kind of nice learning it. Like, I’ve accomplished a milestone of sorts.

 

After saying our goodbyes, I was left alone. She also told me to not reveal any information regarding the commander Anniumpa, as people will be asking me for eyewitness accounts of the situation. I didn’t really understand why, but I trusted her word for it. The fight we went through was indeed quite strange. Even stranger was the out of body experience when I fell unconscious. Maybe I should ask her about that when we meet again.

 

A short while after she left, a nurse of sorts came to check up on me. I had asked her an approximate date on which I’ll be released, and it seemed I’ll have to wait a couple days here before I could leave. 

 

Over the next couple of days, I was visited by multiple people asking about what happened back at Aeolian’s post. I could tell that they were trying to probe for more information, but adhering to Chistine’s advice, I took care to repeat the same story to everyone I met. A large group of bandits or raiders ravaged the outpost and caused a huge fire which burnt the place down. Christine and I had escaped in the midst of the confusion, and when we returned, we found the travelling merchant that brought us back here. I made sure to stick to the original story as much as possible, but making sure to exclude all the fantastical moments. 

 

Speaking of fantastical things actually, under normal circumstances my floating hair would be visible for everyone to see. Thankfully however, I had something called my trusty blanket and pillow! Hiding under the covers with my head barely poking out, I managed to dampen the effect. Now, if only these people would leave me alone. I was getting quite tired.

 

They then asked me who I was, and how I got acquainted with Christine. At first, I didn’t really know how to answer that question, so I was silent for a while. But after thinking for a bit, I realized how I could manipulate the situation. I told them that I met Christine at Aeolian’s post, and happened to run in her direction during the chaos of the arson. I told them that since I was a survivor, it would be best to keep me under her care for a while for evidence and testimony. That, and Christine was overall a nice and caring person. I really do hope I didn’t say anything stupid though…

 

After the exhausting hours of questioning and the like, I hid back underneath the covers under the pretense that I needed to rest. Although that was true, I also just wanted to escape their glaring eyes. I felt that if it continued on, I would accidentally let something slip. Crawling back into the sheets, I fell asleep as the days went by uneventfully.

 

---

 

At last, the day finally arrived. After checking out and picking up my belongings, I was released. Just as Christine had said, there was a map nearby in which I could look at everything from a bird’s eye view. I quickly located the location that I was at, indicated by a green dot, and I traced the way towards the First Keep. It wasn’t pretty far, I just had to remember the directions. Though if it came down to it, I’m sure I could just ask some random pedestrians for directions.

 

As soon as I left the building, I was blasted by sunlight. It was bright out, and my eyes haven’t adjusted to it yet. The city we were was actually quite fancy. Large stone houses were erected as far as the eye could see. People were dressed nicely, walking along a stone tiled path. It was so utterly different than what I had been used to, that I sort of just stood in gawk and awe before realizing that I needed to move out of the doorway. This was completely different than well, anything I had ever experienced before. Back at the village, we never really had tiled paths. Everywhere people went and dressed seemed to just scream money and fanciness. Nothing of the like I’ve seen before.

 

If it weren’t for the fact that Christine had lent me some of her spare clothes, seemingly anticipating the situation, I would be completely out of place in this environment. Secretly thanking her, I made my way through the streets. 

 

Passing by tall buildings, I drew near a sort of central plaza of sorts. If I recalled correctly, I had to take a left somewhere around here. However, since this plaza was circular and me being absentminded I quickly lost track of where I actually was. Was I lost? Uhmm… obviously not. I one hundred percent knew where I was going.

 

Why didn’t I just ask other people for directions you may wonder? Well, that’s because I thought it was better to just explore the area a bit. If I was truly truly lost, then I would ask for help. Otherwise, I should be fine for now. Plus, I don’t really know how to interact with people here. Maybe my manner of speech would be too rough, creating a sort of dichotomy between my speech pattern and my clothing.

 

Picking the direction I assumed was the correct direction, which probably was wrong given my luck, I headed onwards. The high multi-floor buildings gradually faded away into what I would assume was the poorer part of the town.

 

Whilst the buildings back in the plaza were clean and pristine, the buildings here were more run down. They were still way better than the buildings we had back in my village, however, it was clear as day I went the wrong direction. Christine was of one with high status and nobility; there was no way she’d be in a place anywhere like this.

 

Turning around to head back the other direction since Christine said to head straight to her place, I suddenly felt a tug on the hem of my skirt. Turning around once again, I was met with a little child. He looked battered up, with his cheek bruised. His hair was ruffled and his eyes full of pleading. The brown clothes he was wearing were raggedy and riddled with holes. Almost as if it were falling apart.

 

I was particularly surprised because although this part of the city was worse than the central plaza, it was still relatively nice compared to what I was used to. This child just didn’t match the environment at hand.

 

Sheltering the child in my arms, I looked around to see where he came from. He can’t have turned a corner as I was in a more or less straight walkway, and since there weren’t many people walking around, it was unlikely he was a lost child. Which means the only way he could be here was from a door in a building. Looking around, most of the doors to the houses or shops were closed. However, in the corner of my eye, I noticed one that was slightly ajar. There weren’t any windows connected to the building, which was a common occurrence here, however, something about it gave me a really ominous feeling. Protecting the child behind me, I watched the wooden door as it slowly creaked open.