Fragment of the Past XVII: A Long-Forgotten Dream (Felkin) (2/2)

From the sky, a thin white shape came hurtling downwards with a whistling noise. Phoebos looked up at the sky with a smile, and her werewolves lunged upwards at the figure flying downwards towards the ground. The figure stopped short at roof-level of the village and white slender leaf-like blades flew from the figure and struck down the beasts. The tall and thin figure then glided above and then landed gracefully behind Phoebos and the others. "Phoebos, of the abyssal aspect of Woe. Of the surface waters of the deepest plane. Surrender the child, under the decree of the Balance-Tenders of the God Tree." The tall figure had the voice of a male, and stood tall over the group with its form. The figure wore a long white cloak that resembled long triangular leaves on his sleeves and on the sides of his legs. He was wearing a tall spiked collar which also resembled thin leaves, and had pale skin and black hair like curly leaves of a small potted plant's. He also had piercing grey eyes that had an intense stare.

"Chrysanthemum. I was expecting they send more; actually, I'm still waiting. I realize that they prioritize in getting the task accomplished in the quickest time possible but... They insult me." The girl exclaimed. "Hmph." The figure known as "Crysanthemum" rushed in, low to the ground and flicked his hands making leaf blades spring out from his sleeves into his right hand. He sent the blades from his hand towards Phoebos, and then had his left arm extended towards Felkin.

The blades sailed through the air and curved, whistling through the air towards the girl. He had his hand outstretched to snatch Felkin out of Carla's grasp, but Rea intercepted him with her blade of light. She stabbed downwards, but he blocked it using blades he brought out from his left arm. His blades were as light as feathers and flew through the air with minimal resistance, but were sturdy enough to block Rea's blade and slice through it with one flick of his hand. The two blades that seemingly weightlessly flew towards the girl were quickly broken apart by two calm flicks from Phoebos, one after the other. She then turned towards Crysanthemum and raised her hand. He saw her movements from the corner of his eye and he quickly refrained from taking Felkin, and jumped backwards.

"What... is happening?" Carla said to herself. The ones who had not taken off running were frozen in place and in awe of the display before them. "Scaredy cat? I thought you "white flowers" would stop unflinchingly and unceasingly towards your dogmatic ideals of... 'balance'." The young girl taunted him. "Hmph. The pruning and culling of the powers of the different realms are for the benefit of all other realms, if one side grows too powerful it would be a benefit for every other realm for every side to remain in their places." He remarked, before shooting his blades upwards and rushing back towards Felkin. His four leafy blades flew through the air as if he was in active control of them, as they surrounded Phoebos, and shot out from all sides at the same time. She then raised her hands swiftly with her palms facing upwards and quickly created a ring of liquid darkness around her that blocked the blades and broke down the form of the leaves, through the darkness of the liquid seeping within the leaves' veins and crumbling it from within.

"Let's go!" Rea remarked, as they tried to run away from in-between the two sides and to escape the conflict. As white-clad knight rushed after them, a beast formed from the girl's shadow sprung forth and raised its claw at him. With one wave of his wrist, white vines burst out of the ground and restrained the beast and he swiftly sliced through its throat with his blades. "Surprising, I expected you to go for elimination in regards to the boy. Is your 'order' going soft? Or are they simply underestimating the value of the boy?" The girl remarked, floating and putting herself between the knight and the others. "We recognize his importance, but killing him will only threaten the balance further. His death will only throw the flow of the world into chaos." The man replied.

Crysanthemum then raised and closed his fist, and vines emerged out of the ground towards Felkin and the others, and Phoebos responded with using her darkness to form strands of liquid to cut through them and allowed the group to escape. "So, taking the boy into your kingdom will not give you unfair advantage and tip your precious 'balance' in your favor?" She asked, as she blasted forth streams of dark water towards him. "We are simply reclaiming what was once lost from us." He replied, as he flew to the side to avoid the darkness which corrupted the ground it splattered on. "So, rules for thee and not for me, huh?" The girl said with a smile, before the knight shot more of his blades towards her. Phoebos stood still and turned her head to see Felkin and the others have ran from view, but the blades stopped short of her without her even looking. 'So, everyone's left. Good.'

Crysanthemum became alert and agitated, before leaping backwards while covering his eyes with his forearm. Flashes of red light sparked brightly from Phoebos' eyes which rendered the blades motionless, before throwing and embedding them towards the ground. The white-clad knight then flew upwards and away to give Felkin and the others chase. "Wise choice." The girl remarked, closing her eyes and suppressing her harsh red light. "Hmph." Crysanthemum remarked, soaring through the air and scanning the dirt road and forest out of town for his target.

"What was that? Who... are you?" Carla asked Rea as she stopped running to catch her breath. "What we were... We wished to put it all behind us. But now... All that matters to us now, is our son." said Rea. Carla nodded in understanding, before they turned around to continue running. Crysanthemum flew downwards towards them, with his flight sounding like a harrowing screech as he readied himself to take Felkin once more. "Here he comes!" The shopkeeper exclaimed, as they heard and saw his approach. Rea quickly picked up a small shard of stone from the ground, and with a quick mutter of "Lux", she enchanted it with her magic. The knight bent his elbow and produced more blades from his sleeves as he neared the ground.

"Take him and run!" Rea said as she readied her weapon and put herself in front of the oncoming attacker. She blocked the strike of his blade with her light shard, and he flicked his arm and brought out another set of blades to strike her. "Pulsare!" Rea exclaimed, and she pushed with her hand and created a concussive blast which pushed away the oncoming arm of Crysanthemum. As his arm was blown back, he was still clashing blades with Rea and he clenched his free hand into a fist and a tangle of vines burst forth from the ground towards her. Rea quickly sliced the vines into pieces, but the knight was ready with his forearms crossed and ready to slash. With both of his arm blades slashing, her blade of light shattered into pieces and she was left without a weapon.

Without a second thought, Crysanthemum kicked aside Rea and stared forward towards his target, running forward in unpausing pursuit. "Ack!" Rea exclaimed, being struck in the stomach and thrown to the ground. She could only watch as though Carla and Felkin had cleared enough distance, the man in white was quick to close the gap. The unwitting shopkeeper ran and began to be out of breath, as Crysanthemum tirelessly ran after. He eyed a small pebble in the road, which he gave a swift kick and launched it forward. The stone landed in such a precise spot that Carla stepped on it, and it caused her trip and fall forward. She used her arms to push up from the ground to prevent herself from falling onto Felkin whom she dropped, but as she turned around she saw the knight standing had reached her with his blades raised. She could only close her eyes and put her arms around Felkin to protect him from the attack.

Clink! The sound of blades clashing against one another could be heard, and Carla turned around surprised that she had escaped from her demise. She saw a metal segmented blade, which extended and snaked from under her and curved around her body to block the strike. "Huh?" The woman was confused. "Don't... Hurt her." Felkin crawled from under her and stood up, with the sword in his hand responding to his desire. His brown eyes glared with fierce determination. "Mister, I... don't know you, but I won't let you hurt my friends, or my family!" He remarked, looking ahead of the man and towards his mother who was struggling to sit up.

'The boy, he... Is he wielding the sword using the power of the abyss? No, it's his own innate strength that's allowing him to make use of the relic.' Chrysanthemum said to himself. "I am taking you now to the realm of white. Do not resist, and no one more will be injured or killed, yourself included." He said towards the boy, walking towards him. Felkin stepped back and retracted his sword while raising it towards the stranger. 'I... don't know what this is, except that mother and father locked it in their room. I... don't remember much and I'm still dizzy, but... If I can use this to protect myself...' "I'm sorry but, I'm not letting you take me!" Felkin exclaimed. "Why not? It is not like you can defeat me in your present state, you'd be only risking harm to yourself and to others." The man said in a cold and uncaring manner.

'He's... right, but... But!' "It's not fair! That you give this choice to me, and... You're the one doing the hurting! Its your choice to do this to me, and I'm not letting you do this!" Felkin said, undaunted. 'This boy...' Carla said, staring up towards him in disbelief. "You are too! I... don't know who you are, but... If what you want is against me and my family, then I'm not going to let you do it!" Felkin remarked, as Phoebos floated in the air towards them. "Don't confuse me with the likes of him, what I wish for now is for you to be left alone by the otherworldly powers... That being said..." She turned towards Crysanthemum. "If you continue to pursue the boy, you will have to best me. An outcome in which, will certainly result in your death, don't you think?" She exclaimed.

"Hmm..." The knight exclaimed, in thought. 'If its only eliminating the boy and leaving, it would be in my ability. But... Would it be worth the trouble? The superiors seem to think he is of great importance, and I could face dire consequence, and not to mention the loss of his existence could be a great blow to the cause. He is young, and the paths he will take are still uncertain, so the best course of action is to...' "So, what will it be? Did you freeze up from fear?" The girl asked. Felkin stood uneasily and held the sword with both of his hands, waiting. Crysanthemum exhaled deeply, and then large white petals sprung from beneath his feet and began enveloping him. "From this point on, the boy will know naught but conflict as he becomes a tool of war to be used by one side or the other. Never will he know a day unburdened by his fate, and the wills of all will intersect and fall heavy upon him." He said, before he disappeared.

"A cheery sort, that fellow." The girl remarked. Felkin turned back towards her and pointed his sword. Rea quickly ran past her and shielded Felkin with herself, with one arm behind her and the other towards the "witch". "You... stay away from my family!" Rea said to her, furious. "Relax, relax... I mean no harm." The girl said with open arms. "What did you do to father?" Felkin asked. "He's fine, just in a little nap. He was wise in closing his eyes, but some lights are harsh enough to seep through any cover." She replied.

"What do you want?" Rea exclaimed. "Nothing. I've already achieved the goal I've just recently acquired, and I'll freely leave without enacting more damage. You all can go back to your homes and continue as normal." The girl answered. "Normal? You've scattered and scared away all the villagers and made them fear and spread news of inhuman beasts and magical creatures. You've let loose creatures upon town and made news of our existence spread and be privy to the other realms. Not mentioning the curse you've put upon the boy, which resigns him to the darkness! No, no... It's far from normal!" Felkin's mother exclaimed.

"Hmm... You all lived, didn't you? Even for me, that's too much to ask." The girl answered. "They'll... end up blaming this on us again. We're... going to be hated and forced to move..." Felkin remarked. "Hmm... Alright, normal. Doesn't seem like an unreasonable request." Phoebos replied. "Come on, back to the village." She said, turning around midair and then floating back towards the village. The three of them stood confused, before having no choice but to follow Phoebos back towards the village's center. They followed her until they reached the village, and then she started to float higher and higher upwards. "What... are you doing?" Felkin asked. "What you asked... I'll try to return things as they were." The girl replied. "How?" Carla asked, incredibly confused. "Magic, of course." She replied with a smile constant on her face.

"Returning things to what they were, is it temporal magic you're using? That form of magic is... Dangerous, more risk than its worth!" A man said, walking up to the village's center. "So you're awake. I expected it to take less time, but..." The girl said to Theorian. "Theorian!" "Dad!" His family called out to him. "Don't worry about the house, we're fortunate enough that 'she' extinguished my axe before putting me to sleep..." He said as he briefly turned towards them, and back towards Phoebos. "Temporal magic... Is not in my capacity, nor is it something I wish to employ. A magick I borrowed from one of the waters of the dark abyss, the hidden power of the river of forgetfulness." The girl replied, clasping her hands together and then seperating them creating a flow of clear bluish liquid between.

She raised her hands to the sky in exultation, and the streams of liquid from her palms extended upwards and began to form a large cloud over the area. The water from her hands then stopped emerging from her palms, and flowed upwards to fully form the cloud that shared the liquid's bluish color. The slow trickling of drops from the sky, from imperceptible gradually grew faster and faster as rain fell onto the village and the nearby area. It splattered on the dirt roads, the wooden roofs and through the leaves of the forest canopy. The four people below her stared at the sky, expectant and bewildered. But as the water droplets began to hit them, Carla lost consciousness and drooped to the ground, followed by Felkin who dropped his sword and then fell to the ground with his eyes closed. "Wait, forgetfulness... Rain, surely you don't mean all of us are going to-" Rea looked towards the two on the ground and feared they would forget and end up asleep and awaken with their memories fled from them.

"Don't worry, those with ample magic resistance such as you two are going to be unaffected." The girl said to them. The water raining down from the sky began to coalesce into strands which avoided them and extended into different directions. "Wait, all the people that are hiding or have fled... You're going to erase all of their memories as well?" Theorian asked. "They've not been walking far... And it's in my power to lead them all here." She answered. Rea knelt on the ground and cradled the unconscious Felkin in her arms. 'He... must be so tired...' She thought to herself. She then looked up towards the girl and asked: "Why... are you doing this? There's been tell throughout the years of desolate and destroyed villages left in your wake. So... why this... kindness?" "It's barter, an exchange. What I do now... Is for the sake and desire of the boy. What he requests now... He will pay back greatly to my cause whatever I do for him today..." The girl said, as the red mark on Felkin's shoulder glowed faintly.

"The mark you placed on him... A link this deep... It's a direct connection to the abyss! You..." The man remarked, in indignation towards her. "I gave him strength. The strength of darkness. All of those in the light, and the light itself, they revile the dark and shun it, the dark is alone against all else, making it them the ones all others repulse... For us in the darkness, we cling to whatever power we can to prevent our existence from being threatened. His case is the same is mine, he'll need the strength." She said, looking down towards the two of them, who were silent. "Let's... go home." Rea said, picking up Felkin in her arms and was followed by Theorian as they walked back to their home.

Carla stood up and then walked back towards her shop, but did it in a slow and dazed manner, like someone who was sleepwalking. She was followed by the others who fled from town, who carried their carts and possessions back with them as they walked and stumbled towards their previous positions they were before they ran away. It was a peaceful calm, with only the sounds of the gentle shuffling of footsteps of the townsfolk to break the silence. The ones that reached the place they were in previously stood unsettlingly still, Phoebos appeared to be awaiting all of them to be in their proper places before awakening them.

Rea and Theorian walked slowly to their house, opened the door and entered, and Phoebos disappeared from their view. They carried Felkin to his bedroom and laid him down on the bed. Theorian noticed that he still grasped his sword tightly, and pulled it loose from his son's grip, he looked at it as if he never wanted to see it again. He went to the other room to hide it once more, as Rea caressed Felkin's forehead. As he returned the blade into its hiding place, he entered his son's room. "If he's fallen under the girl's spell, then he's forgotten all about this day." She said to him. "He and the townsfolk might forget, but the damage is already done. We might repair and replace the protection wards, but the mark on him is already placed, and the other realms will know and locate us sooner or later." The man remarked. "He... must be ready for it." Rea answered.

"But training him with that blade, isn't it too early? He could be unprepared, who knows what kind of toll it can take on him." Theorian remarked. "He's already shown he can use it, earlier. If not that relic of a blade, we need to prepare him of some sort. His life will be harsh ahead of him." She answered. "Yes..." Theorian remarked. In his bed, Felkin was alike an inert stone as he was motionless in his slumber. But unbeknownst to his parents, he had passed out earlier due to exhaustion and the toll of the brand placed on him rather than the effects of the forgetting magic. He was plagued by muddled dreams and was tired enough that his sleep was not comfortable. He feebly tossed and turned in his bed, but he could not move for long as his stamina was spent.

"Felkin... Felkin... Wake up." "Mhmm..." Felkin groaned, as he was being gently shook awake by someone. He opened his eyes rubbed them as he slowly looked around the room and up at his mother. He slowly sat up still rubbing his eyes, when he looked out the window and saw dark orange light shining through. He was surprised by the lateness of the hour. "It's... This late already? I... can't believe I overslept!" He exclaimed. "Well... I didn't want to wake you, but I didn't want you to sleep through dinner." She replied to him.

Felkin stood up and began walking towards the dining area of his home, still in a slight daze. The table was already set up, with the food, cups, and plates placed atop it. Theorian poured water into the cups on the table. "Oh Felkin, good to see you're awake." He remarked towards him. Felkin yawned as he sat down, followed by his mother who came from his room. "Did I really sleep all day? I'm still sleepy so I can barely remember..." He remarked. "You must have been tired." Rea remarked as she sat down to eat. "I remember going to town to buy the things you requested, and then I went home." Felkin remarked, eating a spoonful of of cooked meat and vegetables. "Well, you did what you needed to, and then got home and got some rest." said Rea.

As his parents talked about their day and pretended that it proceeded as normal, Felkin ate his food deep in thought. 'It feels like I just had a really weird dream. Filled with strange and scary things. Maybe it's another nightmare?' Each day of his felt the same to him, so a break from his daily life felt unnatural. 'If something did happen, they'd probably say something about it. They're not saying anything, so that really was just a dream.' He put down his spoon and looked towards his hands, which had faint marks and creases from when he gripped the sword tightly earlier in the day. "What's the matter, did you hurt your hands?" His mother asked. "No... I just got them roughed up climbing a tree earlier." Felkin answered.

"Be careful about climbing those trees. You can get hurt bad if you fall. Once when I was young, I was trying to pick some fruit from the tree for your mother, when I fell. My back was never the same after that." Theorian remarked with a chuckle, inciting a smile from Rea. "Okay, dad." Said Felkin.'Why... did I lie? I think I remember where I got these from, but if that was just a dream, then I probably got this from climbing trees or picking up a rock. But...' "Felkin, finish your food." His mother said. He complied, and they chatted with small talk until they all finished their food. "Oh, and don't forget to wash your hands and take a bath before sleeping! I forgot to remind you last night." She remarked towards him. "I will!" Felkin said, standing up putting away his plate and utensils.

"You really should practice what you preach you know. How do you expect him to follow it when you forget to do it yourself..." Theorian said, half-jokingly. Rea softly punched his shoulder with a frown on her face. "Its' not like you can say that if you yourself forgot." She replied. Felkin walked to the bathroom to relieve himself from all the water he drank and so was focused on his own thoughts instead of his parents talking. "It can't be helped you know, when you're too caught up in working, or doing something, you forget these things! Forgetting to do it a few times a week is not that bad of a thing and saves water too." Theorian exclaimed. "Firstly, you're setting a bad example for the kid saying that. Second, its not like we're near the big cities where water's becoming sparse. A bucket of water from the river won't be too much of an impact. Thirdly, I've finally found out why you've building up quite a stench as of late." She replied.

Felkin stopped at the foot of his parents' room and peered into the darkness within. 'I remember that thing in the closet. If its there right now, then my dream might be real... Later. I don't want my parents to see me.' Felkin said, as he continued into the bathroom. "Stench? That's just my natural musk after working up a sweat all day. Completely natural and completely bearable I should say." Theorian replied, flustered. "Ha, ha. I understand. Just don't forget to bathe once in a while. You might scare away the other villagers." Rea responded. Felkin had brought a set of dry clothes and a towel into the bathroom and closed the door.

A single candle was placed high and near the entrance, faintly illuminating the room. After taking off his clothes, he sat on an upturned pail as he splashed his face with water from a barrel nearby. 'That girl... Magic things, magic sword. Its... hard to understand.' As he scrubbed himself with a sponge, he touched his forehead. 'I think I remember going to the market with her. If that's true, then I got hit by that rock from the others... But I remember it healed then. So, I don't have a way to tell now.' He said to himself. After bathing, he dried himself with the towel and put on a new set of clothing. As he exited, his father was standing in the hallway. "All done kid? I'll be using the bathroom now, and with your mother's advice, taking a bath." He said, with his own clothes and towel under his arm.

"I'm all done." Felkin replied, walking past him. "Just have a short rest and sleep soon." Rea called out to him from her room. "Alright, mom." Felkin answered. "You don't suppose we can take a bath together? Saves time and saves water as well." Theorian said to Rea with a smile on his face.'A chance! If they're both preoccupied, maybe I can-' "I'd rather not, its too cramped in there." Rea answered, dashing Felkin's hopes. "Ahaha, just joking." Theorian replied, walking into the bathroom, and shutting the door.

Felkin entered his room and sat down on the bed, sighing. 'Maybe I... should give it up. When something troubles me, I usually just sleep it off and forget about it the next day.' He yawned. "And I'm... starting to get sleepy again." Felkin said, as he lied down on the bed and closed his eyes. "Hmm..." He opened his eyes, sat up whilst rubbing them. "What time is it?" He said to himself. He sat up and looked out the window and saw that it was deep into the night and possibly early morning. 'Oh, it's still nighttime.' He lied back down and tried to sleep. He closed his eyes and waited to no avail. He tried to switch his sleeping position, and he tossed and turned in bed until he sat back up frustrated. "Can't sleep. Might be because I already slept a lot earlier. Maybe a drink of water can help." Felkin remarked, standing up and groggily walking out of his room.

He looked towards his parent's bedroom once more. 'This... might be my chance. They're both asleep. No, no... If they're both in the room, they'll see me! If not now, then when? Its just a little peek, it'll be fast! Think about what would happen if you do something you're not supposed to, they'll be mad at you Felkin! But, but... I need to know the truth!' Felkin paced back and forth in the hallway trying to think. 'Alright! I'll be quick and I'll be quiet.' Felkin said to himself. He crouched down and quietly squeezed in the half-open door. Small, slow, and quiet steps, he made while crouched towards the closet near the door. His father snored loudly while his parents both lay in a large bed. His mother shifted and turned in her sleep.

Felkin watched them closely as he inched his way towards the closet. As he neared, he stepped on a uneven floorboard and created a loud creak. Felkin stopped in his tracks and had wide eyes. 'I'm... I'm doomed!' Rea turned towards him with her eyes still closed and murmured something. "Too... loud." She remarked, appearing to still be asleep. Felkin breathed a sigh of relief. 'I'm safe!' He exclaimed to himself as he inched closer to the closet door. The closet was shut closed, and he gently and slowly pulled the door open, which created a slight creak. He observed and waited for any kind of reaction, before turning back towards the box and slowly opening the lid. 'I... I knew it.' The sword was in its proper place. 'The girl, my wound, the magic, the man in white. It's... It's all real!' He thought in disbelief, walking backwards. Engrossed in thought, he didn't notice as he bumped into the closet door and created a thud. "Mhmm..." Rea began to stir, and Felkin panickedly shut the box, closed the door, and began to rush out of the room.

"Felkin? Is that you?" She asked, sitting up on the other side of the bed. Felkin stopped just shy of exiting and turned around looking guilty. "Umm..." "What's the matter, can't sleep? Having nightmares again?" Rea asked, still sleepy. Theorian became awoken by Rea's voice and sat up as well. "Do you want to sleep here? Some people might say that you're too old for that, but... It's okay if its just for tonight." He remarked. "Uh... I..." "Do you want to talk to us about something?" Rea asked. "Actually, I... There's something I wasn't telling you." He said. "Come here, what is it? We'll talk about what's troubling you." Theorian answered.

"You know those bruises and scratches I get from time to time. Well... They're not all from playing in the woods." "Hmm?" "The kids in town, they... They don't like me. Sometimes, they say mean things to me. Push me around and throw things at me." Felkin said shyly, looking down at the ground. He had remembered the things Phoebos had told him. "Hey, hey... Why haven't you told us earlier? And... why would they do that?" Theorian remarked, holding Felkin close and was concerned. "They... they think its unfair for me to be liked by all the adults and their parents just because I have you guys as parents. That they're good to me and I'm a suck up and I just want attention from them... I... I didn't want to tell them because... Because I thought if their parents were involved, they'd get even madder at me and... It might cause more trouble for you guys..." Felkin said, still looking downwards.

"Oh, honey..." Rea went to the other side of the bed, and gently caressed Felkin's head and brushed his hair with her hand. "It's... a good thing you're thinking about us, but you don't have to do that. Your pop and ma can handle themselves. We'll find a resolution, talk to them, and clear up the misunderstanding. We'll handle it. Together." She said in a comforting manner. "What's good is that you had the courage to tell us. We'll... we'll figure something out tomorrow morning, alright?" Theorian remarked. "Can you, sleep on your own?" Rea asked. Felkin nodded. "Alright, we'll deal with it in the morning, okay?" She added. "Yes mom." He replied, walking out and into his own room. As he closed his eyes and finally fell asleep, his parents had a discussion unbeknownst to him. He then looked back up towards his parents and returned to a neutral expression. "Mom and dad... Yesterday... I went to the market in the morning and slept the whole day right?" Felkin asked. "Uh, that's what you told us and we found you asleep at home, so..." Theorian remarked. "If you did something else, we wouldn't really know because we were busy at work." Rea added.

'Oh... that makes sense. Wait, no! If they were there yesterday, they would know! So that means either they forgot... Or they're lying. But, but... how could they forget something like that? I sometimes forget things that happen earlier the week, but if something like that happened to me, I wouldn't forget that easy! But if they're lying... No, they tell me all the time that lying is bad, so... There's still a chance though...' Felkin was in thought. "Is there something wrong Felkin?" His mother asked him. "No, I... just want to take a breath of fresh air outside." Felkin answered.

"That's alright, just don't forget to wash the dishes later when you return." She replied, as Felkin opened the door and went outside. 'I... need to confirm with someone else. At least I... know that the sword in their room was real. But... if the other people don't remember... There are things I can't explain that happened yesterday. Maybe people losing their memories is part of it?' Felkin thought to himself as he walked from his house and down towards the road. 'Wait... who am I going to ask that won't lie to me? The other villagers... I don't know how they'll react, or if I can trust them. Aunt Carla! She... she was there. If she saw something, she'd say so!' He thought. As he continued walking, Theorian and Rea watched him from the windows. "Hey... Doesn't Felkin usually play near the river or in the woods? What's he doing going to town? Is he going to the market?" Theorian asked.

"Maybe... But he has a sword, and he's going into town... Don't tell me he's going to retaliate on his bullies?" Rea remarked, worried. "Surely not. After we've told him he'd resolve the situation. Right?" Theorian exclaimed. "Well... I trust him, but... we should still try to follow him to make sure he doesn't do anything..." Rea answered. "If... you say so." He answered, before the two of them exited to silently follow him. As Felkin walked, he made his way towards the market and looked around at the villagers in their home and the passersby who appeared to be normal and unperturbed. 'I remember... The people yesterday were all trying to leave the village, but it seems like they're all here and everything is normal...' He continued down the road and thought about the earlier events of the prior day. 'Yesterday... I got into a fight with the other kids, and got a rock thrown at me. I'm wondering of how much of yesterday was forgotten, if they even remember me going into town with her... I can only confirm if I talk with someone...' Felkin thought, rubbing his forehead with one hand.

"Hmm?" He looked down and noticed that he was still holding the wooden sword with his other hand. 'I brought this with me? I thought I left it behind, but... I guess it'll take more time if I ran straight back home just to drop this off...' He looked up to see the leader of the children that bullied him yesterday a short distance away. 'Urk, that's one of the kids from yesterday. I... better avoid him...' Felkin thought and prepared to move towards another way to avoid him. "Hey, what's that?" The boy asked Felkin. "Uh..." "Is... that... a sword?" The boy walked towards Felkin, interested. Felkin backed away cautiously.

"That's cool! Is it real?" The other boy asked. "It's just made of wood, but I think it can be considered as a sword..." Felkin answered honestly, raising the weapon and looking at it. "Can I take a look at it?" The other boy asked. Felkin remembered the times the neighborhood children pushed, taunted and took his belongings only to torment him. "I... don't want it to be nicked or chipped, my parents might be mad if I break it..." Felkin remarked. "Come on, I won't break it..." the boy said, wanting Felkin to hand his sword over. Theorian and Rea were watching from behind one of the houses. "That boy... Is he one of the ones who bully him?" "If he is, then maybe we should step in!" Rea and Theorian whispered to each other. "Wait... Let's... give him a chance." said Rea.

Felkin became angered at the boy's suggestion and gripped his sword firmly while thinking about the things he'd endured from them in the past. "Hey, you don't always need to be a suck up for the adults and-" "Hey! Just because I don't want others to take and break my stuff doesn't mean I'm a suck up! It's going to be my fault if I give this to you and you break it! My parents will be right to be mad because I didn't take care of it!" Felkin yelled right back. "I won't break-" "You will! You and the others always just take and take from me, and you break my things, and say mean things to me, and I don't know why! You say I'm just being favored by the adults, but that's not my fault! They're being nice to me, and that's their choice! Maybe its your fault, if your parents aren't doing the same for you!" Felkin exclaimed. He gripped his sword tightly. 'It's... like last time. Even if he doesn't remember... He'll still do the same things! Maybe I can... use this sword. No, no! I can't!' Felkin thought.

Theorian looked around, wary if anyone saw but luckily the others were out of earshot of the area. "Hey, things are getting dicey, we might need to break this up soon." He remarked. "Let's just wait a little more..." She answered. "I..." The boy teared up. He thought back towards words said by his parents."Why aren't you helping around the home? You're always outside playing with your friends, you might as well be good-for-nothing! Why can't you be like that "Felkin" boy? He's kind, he's respectful, and he helps out his parents. They're good people, and they've earned our trust doing good for us. You could do well being like them." His mother said to the boy.

"I just wish they'd... stop comparing me to you!" The boy said and turned away from Felkin as tears welled up and sprinkled onto the ground. "Oh... Hey..." Felkin suddenly felt bad and felt awkward as the other boy stifled tears. "You can... take a look if you want to. Just promise not to break it." Felkin said, offering up the sword in his hands to try and comfort the boy. "Really?" He asked, wiping tears from his face. He then took the sword and looked at it closely. "It's... a sword. It's made of wood." The boy remarked. "Yeah... I think it is." Felkin answered. As the boy held the sword in his hands, he had thoughts of stealing it away from Felkin. 'I could... take this from him and show it off to the others. I would look cool in front of them! But... it isn't fair to him if I do it. Even if the adults use him and his family as an excuse... Its not his fault, and its not like he can do anything about it anyway...' "I... wish that one day I can have something like this too." The boy said as he returned the wooden sword to Felkin. "Thanks, I hope you do..." Felkin remarked.

The other boy sniffled as he rubbed his eyes using his forearm. "I'm... sorry. For the things that we did. We... had no reason to be mean to you. We were just looking for someone to blame, and someone to put our frustrations into..." The boy remarked. "Wow, that was suprisingly mature of him." Theorian exclaimed as they hid from behind a cover. "Even if you have a reason, and that person is doing something mean to you... You shouldn't be mean or hurt them back either..." Felkin answered. "Woah, that's... pretty mature too." His father exclaimed. He then turned towards Rea. "Hey! Are you alright?" He asked. "Yes..." Rea exclaimed, with a proud smile and tears in her eyes.

"I know you know my name... But I don't even know what yours was..." Felkin said to the boy. "I'm Ray." The boy replied. "I hope... we can be friends, Ray." Felkin said, extending his hand forward with Ray shaking it. "I think... I'm going to go think somewhere for now. Steer clear of the others, I think I'll talk to them later." Ray replied. "Hey Ray, about yesterday..." Felkin asked. "What about yesterday? I don't think we saw each other yesterday. Maybe you saw someone else? Anyways, see you later." Ray said, before walking away. "You too." Felkin remarked, waving at the boy goodbye.

"Whew... That went well. It looks like he can handle himself, do we go back now?" Theorian asked her. "Sometimes I ask myself... Did we do right in raising him? But when I see him now, I..." "I think we did pretty well." Theorian finished Rea's words. "We should do better. The road ahead of him is long and... difficult. We haven't yet fulfilled our old promise. Not fully." She replied. "Yeah." Theorian answered. Felkin continued down the road and was in thought.

'It looks like he doesn't remember yesterday... But I gotta ask someone else just to be sure.' Felkin continued towards the market, and felt he was being watched from behind the cover of trees from the nearby forest by someone else. "Hey Felkin! What brings you here? Your parents sent you to buy something?" Carla asked Felkin as he reached her stall. "No, I was just... Walking." Felkin said. "What's that in your hand, is that a wooden sword? Did your parents give it to you?" Asked Carla. "Uh, yeah. Said I could use it for protection and stuff, but I think I don't need it right now." Felkin answered. "Did you come all the way here to show it off to me?" Carla asked, leaning forward towards him. "Uh... maybe." Felkin said quietly. "But... But I want to talk about yesterday." He added forcefully.

"Why, did I miss something that was on the list? Or maybe you're still worried about the extra coin yesterday?" Carla asked. "No... I might have been not remembering things correctly." Felkin remarked. 'I knew it, so she doesn't remember either.' He thought. "You know... If you just wanted to see me, you could have just said so. Your aunt Carla's always going to be your friend, even if the other kids won't be." She remarked. "Well actually... I made a friend today. Ray in fact. He's going to try to not be mean to me anymore." Felkin said smugly. "Oh, that's nice then. Guess you wouldn't be needing me anymore then." Carla replied jokingly. "Well... It's not like I only want one friend..." Felkin said, frowning. "I was just joking. Good for you. Hopefully, the others will follow suit." She said towards him. "I... hope so too." Felkin answered, walking away. "Well, see you some other day!" "You too." Felkin replied.

'Well... Now that I've confirmed that either nothing happened yesterday, or something happened but the other people didn't remember it, I guess the only thing to do is to go back home.' He said, heading back. "Hmm?" Felkin remarked as he saw a figure hidden from view behind the cover of trees. "Hey!" He called out, running after the figure who retreated deeper into the forest. He reached the trees and looked around before spotting the figure and chasing after it. "Hey, wait! Come back!" Felkin called out. "Stop." A voice said within his head that did not belong to him, stopping him in his tracks.

'That voice...' "Hey, is that you? Uh... Phoebos? Can I call you that? I knew what happened yesterday was real!" Felkin remarked. "Listen... Yesterday, didn't happen. At least you should live your life like it didn't." She said to him. "Why?" "Your parents... they assume that you've forgotten yesterday's events. Be keen on keeping it that way. What I did yesterday... And what your parents are doing, they're to stop and hinder what lies ahead of you." She remarked. "What lies... ahead?" Felkin asked. "You... are a unique type of human. A rare being that is capable of causing great imbalance and carrying great potential. Potential for power, or a threat..." "So... yesterday. You, and that other guy, were here... for me?" Felkin asked.

"I was here by happenstance, but... Yes, many desire your power. And more will come after you in the future." She answered. "So, the purpose of this sword..." Felkin said looking at the wooden blade. "They probably seek to train you, and you normally won't know why. But... I'm sorry to say, but only pain and suffering will be on your path, the only way you'll get through it alive is through training, and rigorous preparation..." "I... don't know what to say..." Felkin remarked. "Stay away from me and stop pursuing. If you're lucky, you'd live your entire life in peace without being found. The less you are involved by the otherwordly powers the better." And with that, the voice went silent and Felkin felt her presence disappear. "Hey, wait!" He remarked, but to no response. 'All of that... was because of me? Mom and dad... they're protecting me. I... need to do something. I... don't know what to do. But the only thing I can do, is prepare...' Felkin thought solemnly.

"He's... back." Theorin and Rea spotted as Felkin neared the house. Felkin was practicing swings and slashes as he walked, though it was apparent that his movements were amateur at best. "Looks like he's taken to it nicely." Rea said, as Felkin entered through the door with sword in hand. "Hey champ. Like the sword?" Theorian asked. "Yeah, I think I'm getting the hang of it, but... It's a little heavy." Felkin answered. "That's good." Rea remarked. "Uh... Listen, I... think I want to start... Training, with this." Said Felkin. "Oh? Why so?" His mother replied. "Uh... Its like you said. Its dangerous, and there's lots of dangerous people out there, and uh... wild animals." Felkin answered.

Theorian and Rea then looked at each other and then nodded. "But, it'll be very hard... Are you prepared for that?" His father asked. "Honestly, I... don't know. I want to do it, but... I'm afraid. But all I can do is my best. And I'm going to try hard!" Felkin exclaimed, determined. "Well... First, we're going to talk to the kids parents to try to resolve the bullying that they're doing to you. We can do your training later." His mother replied, ruffling Felkin's hair. "Right!" Felkin exclaimed.