Forever Lost

As the torrent of memories settled and merged with Pharrus's mind, so too did the pain fade away. What was most confusing was that the images and scenes he saw did not belong to a sole individual, but jumped amongst countless lives and different periods of time.

It seemed that he was in a world of magic, one where the myths and fantasies he had grown up lusting after actually existed, the world of Haven. Unfortunately these two pieces of knowledge were the only things he truly understood. Everything else was jumbled up and incoherent, but for now it was enough. Comprehending his current situation was more important.

As Pharrus attempted to rise into a sitting position he felt that his body was much smaller than it had once been, but before he could inspect himself a sudden intake of breath to his left caught his attention.

A small girl, no older than ten, was staring blankly at him, her mouth agape in surprise. Shaking her head to regain her composure, she shouted something in a language Pharrus could not understand.

He assumed it was something along the lines of "Come here and see," or maybe even "He's awake," because soon after five others came rushing into the room.

They were all dressed in a medieval fashion. Two of the men were in heavy shirts and leather breeches while the other was in a large white robe and looked to be a priest of some sort. The two women were dressed in thin pastel dresses.

Once they all entered the room, they all stared at Pharrus, uttering words at each other and at him. After a short while they seemed to realize that he could not understand him, and the man that looked to be a priest stepped forward.

As he stepped closer he stretched his hand out, and Pharrus allowed him to place it on his forehead. The man began uttering a chant and a calming white light began to emanate from his hand and into Pharrus's mind. When he withdrew his hand, beads of sweat had formed on the man's face and he was out of breath, but he looked up and smiled gently.

"I hope that helped." After he saw Pharrus's expression change he chuckled lightly. "Wonderful! It seems you can understand what I am saying now."

Pharrus sat in place, he assumed he was wearing a completely dumbfounded expression, but what happened just then was completely illogical. One does not just put their hand on someone's head, chant a few words, and poof they learn a new language.

"How is this possible?" He whispered under his breath, but it seemed the priest heard him.

"It's a simple magic child, but let's forget about that for now. Could you tell us about yourself? Maybe how you ended up in the middle of the street, unconscious? Even if it's just your name, anything?"

Pharrus shook his head back and forth slowly. "I'm sorry, but I am just as clueless about that as you are. All I can tell you is that my name is Pharrus."

"I suppose that it is only natural for you to be experiencing amnesia based on the state you were in when you were found. Well, there is nothing more that I can help with so I shall take my leave for now. These four here will inform you of your situation and options. Please take care."

With that the priest left without a second glance.

One of the men stepped forward. He looked like he had been chiseled out of a mountain. He must have been more than six feet tall and his build was even more impressive. His face was weathered and scarred, but handsome nonetheless, inlaid with hazel eyes and framed by short cut, wavy, hair.

"I am Cole, the Captain of the Guard for Greystone Manor, where you are currently staying. Some of my men found you while on patrol, and My Lord has decided that it is now his responsibility to care for you."

"Oh shush Cole, you're going to scare the poor boy with that expression of yours." One of the women stepped forward, placing her hand on Cole's shoulder to push him back. "Don't mind him Pharrus, knights like him are brawn, courage, and loyalty, but unfortunately they are lacking in the brain department. I am Rena the head maid of the Manor."

Rena looked to be in her late twenties, her sky blue eyes and soft features were rather reassuring for some reason.

Based on the way they were talking to him, Pharrus had to assume he appeared fairly young, which would explain what he had felt when he had sat up earlier.

"Anyhow, since our Lord has decided to take you in, and now I suppose even more so since you are suffering from amnesia, it has been decided that it would be best to place you into studies alongside his children. They should be around your age, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. For now you can rest up here. I shall return tomorrow to check up on."

With a small wave, Rena pulled the door to the room closed, leaving Pharrus alone once more.

Pharrus examined his surroundings slowly, still trying to get accustomed to his new body. The room he was in was rather small, and the bed he lay upon took up most of the space. Across from the bed was a small mirror and desk, and to the left sat a four door dresser. The only source of natural light came from the circular skylight over his head, and the small palm like tree on the right of the bed served to block most of the light when a person was laying down.

He then took a tentative step down from the bed, wobbling at first as he struggled to find his balance, but he quickly managed to make his way over to the mirror.

His hair was so dark it almost looked blue, and it was ragged and spiky, in dire need of cutting. He had a very defined jawline, high cheekbones, a small pointy nose, and the same slanted silver eyes. All in all he looked similar to how he had before, maybe even slightly better, however he looked to be only fifteen or so.

Now that he had seen his face, Pharrus finally looked down to take a closer look at his body. He now understood what the priest had meant when he said that amnesia was understandable for the condition he had been found in. His legs, arms, and abdomen were all skin and bones, he was severely emaciated, and even worse were the signs of severe bruising and previous fractures across his entire body.

Even still, there were two things that caught his attention above all. The first being a brand in the shape of a snake on his chest, and the other being a naggingly familiar black tattoo on the inside of his right wrist.

The design perfectly matched the black gemstone he had found at the bottom of the lake.

Thoughts of the lake, the camping trip he despised, the world he had somehow been ripped away from surged forth. Before he knew it, Pharrus was desperately clawing at his wrist as tears began to roll down his cheeks.

As his fingers tore into the flesh of his arm and blood began to pool in the open wound, a weak and sorrowful scream escaped his lips.

"Why? Why did you bring me here?" He mumbled through the tears. "I may have complained, I may not have worked very hard, but that was my home, where I belong. I'd even take Damion's annoying ass beside me right now, or the Witch nagging me to put in more effort, or my crazy little sister smashing a hole in my wall in a fit of rage. But now all of these things, the normal I took for granted, it's all gone."

In this way, Pharrus curled into a tight ball as heavy sobs sent tremors through his small body before he soon passed out, completely exhausted.