Molly IV

15th of December?, 10:30?

The city is bustling with life, all in the darkness, with only the moon, stars and some dim streetlamps to bring some light to the people. Molly watches from inside the unicorn carriage as it drives her to Nima's house.

The Zasya house is north of the city, close to the building she had been informed was called the Ogdra and the royal palace, in the richest part of the city. Meanwhile, Nima's house is outside of the walls of Neth, in the south part, close to the poorest side, where people stare as the carriage passes through.

Molly had chosen one of the pants and shirt combo Chrysas had bought her, it was cold, and even though there was no snow on the ground, Molly still had decided to put on the boots, as the dark red clouds overhead threatened to spill everything they held at any second.

The moment they leave the city walls Molly looks out of the carriage window, trying to look ahead and sees the creepiest looking house ever in the middle of a cemetery—but not really, the metal fence that separates the cemetery from the road seems to circumvent the house, creating a cemetery divided in half and a house right in the middle.

The house itself looks like it's haunted by every spirit in the cemetery and maybe even more. It's similar in build to a victorian house, colored in dark red that makes it look like it's bleeding, made out of wood instead of the stone the houses of the city are made of. With a small front porch and dying plants in the pots on the windows.

The carriage stops just as they reach the cemetery fences and Molly takes the initiative and exits without prompt, trying not to fall on her face as she does so.

"I will wait here, Lady Enuma" says the driver, eyes fidgety and lips trembling "It's bad luck"

"The house?" Asks Molly before she can stop herself. Does she really want to know if the house is haunted? Maybe it's something even worse than that—But really, what could be worse than ghosts?

"Yes, and the Haruspex, it's a bad omen to see the Haruspex" Says the driver in a whisper "The servant of Bari is said to carry death with them, it's said one can loose a year of their life with just a stare"

"Okay… just wait here, I won't be long" says Molly as she starts walking. She truly hopes that's just a belief these people have and not an actual fact.

The road itself to the house is illuminated, something Molly deeply appreciates, more maybe it adds another creepy factor to the whole thing instead of helping. Molly doesn't believe in ghosts, she doesn't, but then again, she has traveled to another world where people have magic powers, so maybe ghosts are real and if Molly was a ghost she would definitely stay in the only creepy house in the whole city.

She swallows and refuses to turn around to look at the carriage. She won't run away. Nima is just a guy, a guy dressed in a very scary outfit and mask, but just a man. A person that won't kill her, tries to reassure Molly to her panicked beating heart, just a guy that wants to talk to her, maybe give some advice. As she psyches herself up, Molly reaches the creaking steps to the porch and too soon reaches the door.

One, two, three knocks and Molly rocks on her feet nervously, she'll give him five minutes. If he doesn't answer, then he is not home and Molly is legally allowed to leave.

But Molly is not that lucky and the door opens almost immediately after she finishes knocking.

Was she mistaken? She thought Nima was a guy?

"Oh you must be the long awaited guest" drones the woman, black eyes glittery in what Molly could call amusement "Come one in, Nima it's at the back"

The woman goes inside and Molly automatically follows, looking around the house like it's an attraction. It looks normal, smaller than the Zasya's house, and filled with knickknacks and books everywhere and Molly is so glad for the illumination, everything is lit up with actual lights and not candles. She crosses a kitchen and a living room before reaching another door the woman opens and then steps aside, like inviting Molly to go first.

Yeah, no.

"He's there, tending to the only surviving plant in this entire house" says the woman "Now, come on, I have to leave"

Molly breathes in and out and steps out. It's another porch, this one with no roof, and then steps down towards a small backyard of mostly dead grass. And there, sitting in front of a bush and next to a lamp, is a man giving her his back. She advances with a decisive pace. She is not a coward, he's just a guy.

"Nima!" Yells the woman that is still waiting by the backyard's door "Your guest is here, I'm leaving! See you in two days!"

Molly freezes with a foot raised to touch the dead grass of the backyard and the man turns his torso to look behind him without getting up.

He frowns and then his face goes back to neutral.

"Enuma, was it?" Says Nima as he gets up and dusts off his knees, he leans to the side and picks up the lantern. "I was waiting for you"

As he speaks, Molly sees something launch itself from the bush to his head. She yelps, a second away from saying something to warn him, but it's no use, the thing curls around his neck and chirps.

"Is that…a dragon?" Asks Molly, completely dumbfounded. Why is she even surprised about anything anymore? She came here by an unicorn-pulled carriage.

"Asra here is a naga" says Nima, as he slowly comes towards her.

It is a dragon. A small one the size of a ferret, with orange scales, bat-like wings at its back and big black eyes, it's absolutely adorable and Molly wants one.

"Forget about that, we have much to speak about" says Nima, now right in front of Molly, he is tall and strong, wearing light colors, a clear contrast with his red plague doctor, a necklace hanging from his neck, it's pendant, a teardrop shaped red gem the size of a nail, resting on his chest. It's the only red he wears and Molly supposes he must get tired of always wearing the same color. He's handsome, with black hair in an undercut and bronze skin and brown eyes, a vicious scar cuts the corner of his mouth deep enough to show what's under it and then crosses his cheek up to his eye. She immediately meets his eyes instead of staring at the tooth showing with morbid curiosity.

He guides her back the house, the naga named Arsa chirping at Nima like a little bird rather than of a flying lizard. Nima motions to the couch in the living room.

"Want something to eat or drink?" Asks Nima

"I'm okay, thanks"

Nima grunts and disappears into the kitchen for a second before bringing out a clear bottle filled with a thick looking red liquid that seems to glow just a bit, and then takes a seat in the old armchair in front of Molly's seat. There's a small table in between both seats, and a thick book rests there, it's cover showing no signs of what hides inside. Next to it a small glass vial with what could be ink inside.

With an elegant flourish, Nima pulls out a feather from his sleeve, and opens the small bottle, dipping the tip—oh, a quill then!— and then opening the book.Its yellow pages are blank, with just a name at the top of it. Her name. Well, more specifically, the name Jeza gave her.

"Do you still remember your name?" Asks Nima.

Molly nods, more preoccupied with the dragon that had decided to drop to Nima's lap, allowing Molly to see that Nima's neck is all bruised up.

"How old are you?" Asks Nima as he writes down her previous answer, Molly notices that his hands, and possibly his arms that are currently covered by his shirt, are tattooed with some sort of red ink, it looks like a henna tattoo, with a similar design to those too.

"I'm sixteen" says Molly, now curious about where this is going, and forgetting about the neck and arms, it's not her business and he doesn't seem bothered by the bruises.

"How did Neth catch you?" He inquires, locking eyes with Molly.

"Catch? Ah…you mean how I ended up here? I was pushed into a pool, then something like, dragged me down and then I was in the river" answers Molly leaning forward and putting her elbows on her knees and resting her head on her open palms "It all happened so fast…"

Nima mutters something to himself that Molly can't hear. He looks confused, frowning at the page as he twirls the quill with his fingers.

"What is it? Is it weird?" Asks Molly suddenly worried.

"You weren't in mortal danger. Did you want to escape, get out?" Asks Nima, writing rapidly.

"I guess I did want to go home and escape the situation…"mumbles Molly.

"It makes sense then" Says Nima " When Neth captures us, it does it mostly of a strange need to save us. When it caught me I was escaping someone that wanted to hurt me"

"Save us" whispers Molly to herself, not really understanding what he was talking about "Why? What does it get from taking us away?"

Nima stops his writing, blinks and stares at Molly, like he had gotten lost in his own mind for a second.

"I apologize, I wanted to write the information before telling you everything, but I suppose we can start now"

He clears his throat and straightens.

"Neth is not a different earth or planet, not even a different world, not really. It's more like a parasite of our own" says Nima as he lays the quill on the table and starts closing the ink bottle "It doesn't exist in a time frame of its own, and instead moves around-"

"Wait what?" Interrupts Molly "Hold on, repeat that"

"Look at it this way; each nomad is from a different point in time" explains Nima " and as I was saying, Neth moves around time frames, staying for only seven days, after this, It moves again and-"

"Wait wait wait" interrupts Molly again, waving her hands to signal him to stop.

"What now!?" Asks Nima, incensed of being interrupted, raising both hands up in exasperation.

"Each nomad is from a different time? Like, time traveling?" Asks Molly with wide eyes.

"Yes"

"When are you from?" Asks Molly with wonder, leaning forward, more curious than scared about the information dump.

"I entered Neth in 1101" Answers Nima, then he brings up a hand and starts counting down fingers "Alma is from 1812, Dagma from 908, Enma from 1806, Ryoma from 1302 and Shujama from 1944"

"Holy shit" whispers Molly in amazement, then goes over what he had told her "Who are Ryoma and Shujama?"

"Other nomads that had agreed to talk to me about this" says Nima "Most nomads prefer to live and forget about the past, they truly believe Neth saved them"

Molly nods and digest what she had learned. She wonders about how that would feel, if they had been in mortal danger, as Nima has said, this was probably a paradise, right?

"As I was saying, you entered on the 14th, so the 20th you'll gain your asha and forget your name, after that, Neth will move" says Nima and leans forward to look straight at Molly's eyes "If you want to, I think I can get you out"

Molly also leans towards him. Filled with curiosity, hope and also some nervousness.

"You have a way out"

"I do, but I'm not sure it will work, that's why I'm asking for permission" Says Nima, face sincere "I cannot assure you it will work"

"How certain are you?"

"80 percent" he answers immediately "I only have tested it with arrows, I have not ever used a living being, you would be the first. That's why I need you to be sure you really want to go back"

"Why haven't you or the others crossed?" Asks Molly with trepidation "Dagma…she seemed very unhappy, why haven't you offered her to get her out?"

"As I said, Neth moves after seven days, why go back to a time that's not your own? Most of us already have a life here" replies Nima, he looks sad and somewhat defeated "I entered this city when I was ten, I'm twenty-one now, I've been Nima Ardashir for longer than my previous identity. There's nothing for me on the other side, I cannot remember my native language nor my mother's face or voice, I don't even have my name anymore-"

"Is that really that bad?" Interrupts Molly, as she considers his words "A name is just that, a word, just like Molly or Enuma, who cares about a name?"

Nima freezes for a second, then he blinks and stands up, making the dragon in his lap to scramble up his body and return to his neck.

"Come, I'll show you something" he says as he crooks a finger and starts walking towards a rickety wooden staircase towards a second floor.

Molly hesitates for a bit, but then follows, more curious than afraid at this point.

The second floor was similar to the one downstairs, with a long hallways with a few closed doors. Nima opens one and enters without looking back, Molly follows and stops at the threshold. Wooden walls bare of any wallpaper, a comfortable looking bed, if a little old, a desk and a closet.

Just a bedroom. Nima pulls the string coming from the light ceiling and the previous dark room becomes brighter.

"I got here too young" says Nima suddenly, he stands in the middle of the room, staring at the wall beside the bed, eyes blurry with memories, Molly takes a few steps until she stands by his side "I was scared of everything, I attacked anyone that would stare at me, I refused to eat or drink anything for two days, I missed my mother and siblings, I had left them alone without telling them where I was going, I wished to return as soon as possible"

Nima takes a step forward and crouches in front of the wall, Molly follows suit and then he sees it.

Marks. No, not marks, she recognizes the symbols even if she doesn't know what it says. It's arabic. Words upon words, no… a single word repeated again and again in different sizes, all carved into the wall with clear desperation, covering the bottom half of the wall, no taller than a ten year old child would be able to reach.

"When I was told I would forget everything that mattered to me, I tried to write it everywhere" explains Nima, his tattooed fingers softly touching the carvings "I wanted to make sure I wouldn't forget it, the name my mother had given me, the one word I could always relate to her voice. When the seven days were up…it didn't matter how many times I had scratched it down or on how many surfaces, the knowledge of the language was gone from my mind, I could not even hear it in my head"

He stands again and turns to stare at Molly, his eyes look dry but she can see it hurt him to remember it.

"You still have time to retain that, to choose to either remain or return home" he says, no louder than a mumble "Think about it, Enuma"

"Molly" she corrects and he flashes her a smirk, a somewhat strange one with that scar, but a smirk nonetheless.

"Think about it Molly, if you would risk your life to return home" says Nima "I know I would"

"Four days, right?" Sighs Molly, and she looks at the name—Nima's real name, forever in front of him but never able to decipher it—with a frown "I'm obviously not counting today-tonight anymore"

Nima chuckles.

"Four days"