Arel had swept the beach of seashells and the likes in hopes to gather anything useful. It was beautiful, the sun-kissed ocean, and the whole of it reflecting light, shining as far as he could see. The wind called not far and beyond this was a lonesome Golem made of earth with a tree on top of its head.

He swept his gaze again. The sand under his feet. The breeze from the ocean caressing his face. It was then that he saw a figure lying on his back. He ran to this person and watched. It was a young man, should be the same age as him, whose head was gray, and wore clothing that did not match the town’s particular brand of clothing.

Arel pulled this man out of the water. He listened in to his chest and heard his heart beating. That made him sight in relief. “Okay, wait here,” he said to the unconscious man. He ran to the nearest port. He saw Bach, tall, muscular, bearded, and certainly broad-shouldered, resting.

“We have a situation!?” Arel said. “Someone drifted!”

“What!?” Bach shouted. He ran with Arel.

The two came back to where the man was and found the man still lying on his back. Bach took the man carefully with his broad arms and carried him steadily up the stairs leading to the open plaza where the church was. Arel opened the door, swooped in and saw Iris reading a book.

“Iris!” He demanded. “Someone needs help!”

She lifted her beautiful head and stared at the young man on Bach’s arms. Her gentle expression turned firm as she led Bach to one of the free beds inside the church’s clinic. The young man was laid on the white-sheeted bed. She placed both of her palms and sang a gentle song that manifested these tiny sprites in the air.

“Is he going to be okay?” Arel asked.

“He’s in better shape than when you arrive here.”

“Do you think he fell from a ship? Or an airship?”

“He seems fine. I think the shock merely made him faint. He is quite sturdy.”

Iris sang another song that manifested more sprites from the air. These sprites danced in circles around the young man and stopped when his eyelids started to twitch. He opened his eyes.

“Can you understand us?” Iris gently said.

“Are you okay?” Arel followed.

The young man traveled his gaze on the burly Bach, then, he placed it in between Iris and Arel. He held his forehead and did not speak. Arel noticed that tiny nod he did, which made him think that the stranger could understand him.

“I am…Nolan, just Nolan.”

Bach folded his arms. “So, are you lost? Where did you come from?”

He was taking it easy. Arel was surprised by how calm he was. Arel did not stay this calm. No, he felt like this man was too used to waking up like this. There was sadness in the way he moves his eyes. He couldn’t understand why.

“I don’t know. What is this place?” He asked.

“This is the Island of Concordia.”

“What country?”

They all looked at each other and smiled wearily. “We want to know that as well.”

The stranger nodded. “I am lost it seems. I have no idea where am I or where to go. I don’t think I can return home, no, not with this world.”

“That’s odd,” Arel thought.

“Do you know at least which part of the world is this?”

“We should be adjacent to the Land of the Alf’s”

“Alf?”

Bach gestured. “They are the long-ears. Do you recognize them?”

“I think I do.”

“Then there is the Sieben Republic, then the Kingdom Roland, the Kingdom of Norm, and finally the Easterly Isle. This is the continent of Adon, and I think you are lost if you don’t know any of these names.”

He smiled depressingly. “I am indeed lost. I think I owe you, people, now.”

Iris glued her hands together. “Do not worry, the Church has to watch over the lost. We understand that this was simply unavoidable. But it would help if we know what happened to you? Did your ship faced a storm like Arel here?”

The stranger named Nolan turned to Arel. “He’s lost as well?”

“Well, not really,” Bach said. “He’s one of the farmers our island. He owns the abandoned ranch and has been making it work.”

“Barely,” Arel said. “If you like then you can stay in the ranch if you want.”

“That would be kind of you,” Nolan said.

“Well, we got to help each other out.”

“So tell us,” Bach interjected. “It might help us understand. Or is it hard to talk about? Arel here didn’t remember until one good smack in the head.”

“I remember,” he started, “falling from a high place. It was suddenly out of nowhere that the impact must have had knocked me out of my senses.”

“An airship maybe?” Bach guessed.

“Or a dragon?”

“You don’t remember?” Iris asked, leaning forward.

“Forgive me, I don’t.”

“That’s fine,” she replied. “For now, how about we let the patient rest? Arel, Bach, can you let Nolan rest for a while?”

“Okay, we’ll catch up to you, Nolan. For now, rest.”

“I will get you spare clothes,” Arel said. “Looks like you’d need one.”

Nolan stared at them and bowed. “Thank you, for being kind.”

Arel went to the door and let them passed first. Iris went to the head of the church to report, while Bach sauntered away. Arel was about to close the door when he saw Nolan grabbed hold of his head. Silently, he sobbed with body-shaking sobs escaping from him.

“Why am I here? I thought I was supposed to be home? Why? What more do you want from me? I’ve given everything.”

Arel closed the door silently and looked up to the sky. There was nothing that he could do when faced with a man’s sorrow. Some things should be left alone and somehow, his heart told him that he won’t be able to console this stranger. It was a sadness that Arel did not understand.