Memories (1)

Late in the morning, Deep opened his eyes, waking from a night of sleep without dreams. Velis's revelations before leaving left him pondering about a lot of things. His parents were at the forefront of his thoughts. How did he find himself in the streets at an age when most kids would be protected by their parents and attending a school to further their education? Furthermore without any memories whatsoever?

He wasn't bitter or resentful, in fact, he wouldn't have cared about those folks of his were it not for the shift in his perception of reality that occurred yesterday. Now, he couldn't help but wonder. Because of this, he fell asleep exceptionally late.

The morrow when he woke up, he surprisingly was in good form, in fact, he was full of energy. He even suspected that without sleeping, he would have been fine. It seemed that the changes happening to him were more profound than his cognition.

He stood up from his bed, leaving behind the messy sheets. He was only wearing loose pants as pajamas and was naked from the waist upward. The sunlight streaming through the windows enhanced his muscles' outline. He reflexively ran a hand through his hair. They were kept relatively short and formed a naturally curly bob.

His flat comprised a single space with everything at once. The bed and the living room were on one side, the kitchen and dining table on another. Near the entrance was the only washroom and toilet in his apartment. In short, a visit to this place would only have one stop. The flat was decorated in a simple style. Deep was satisfied with this. He didn't have many belongings to his name so it was just right for him.

He headed toward the kitchen and whipped himself a small breakfast with eggs, toast, and coffee. While drinking the piping hot coffee, Deep would occasionally raise his hand against the sun and observe it. He carried a foreign expression. He felt like he could use his fingers to break steel apart. It was unknown whether it was true or not, he just felt that he could. The same way that one just knows they can move their arms.

His hand didn't look any different except for being fairer and more delicate than before. The calluses he used to have were nowhere to be seen.

zzz.

He looked at his phone, and a notification light flashed. He just received a message. He dropped the toast in his mouth and opened the message. Velis had sent coordinates. Deep guessed they would be going to this location tomorrow. Deep clicked on the coordinates link slightly curious and saw that they belonged to a mountain outside the city.

If his memory served him right, the mountain was called Mt Lomer. The place was untainted by the fumes of civilization, it was nature unsullied by human hands. Camping enthusiasts as well as mountain climbers liked to go there. It was the most popular touristic spot of Conhan City.

What is in that place that would allow me to master mystic energy? Maybe a more accurate question would be, who? - Deep wondered while finishing his breakfast.

He took a quick shower and put on a generic black hoodie with the corresponding pants. He then wore his white sneakers and grabbed his keys before leaving the flat. He was greeted with the smell of exhaust.

The area where Deep lived had a mix of older and newer structures, with some homes and buildings showing signs of wear and tear. There were small businesses and shops lining the streets, offering basic goods and services. They were already well into their day as noon was almost there.

Deep walked for a couple of minutes in his lower-middle-class neighborhood before arriving to the bus stop. He wasn't going to work today. Velis had given him time to recover and adjust after yesterday. In addition, they needed to go outside the city tomorrow. The shop would need to be closed for a short while.

He waited for approximately five minutes before the bus arrived. Once inside, he sat up near a window and opened it slightly to let fresh air in. Deep had a particular dislike for public transportation, too many people pressed against each other in a moving metal can.

That's why he would always position himself in the back, near the window, it limited unwanted contact with other travelers. The bus started moving once everybody was settled.

Deep pulled his earbuds, shutting off the world with music. He liked that just by putting his them in and listening to music at a volume not recommended by any music app, he could obtain solitude even in the midst of a crowd.

Lost in the music, he thought about earlier. After leaving his apartment.

He had unconsciously stopped before the alley where he met the horrifying monster yesterday. He took a step forward then paused. At this time of the day the alley was slightly dark. Deep was wary given his recent experience but still decided to step into the alley.

Inside there was nothing out of the ordinary. It was as if nothing happened yesterday. He observed methodically but nothing popped off except the suspicious rust-like stain in the middle of the alley.

According to Velis, it wasn't him per-say that saved him but Deep himself who took care of the assailant. But Deep couldn't recall for the life of him. He had tried yesterday before his sleep in vain.

Deep closed his eyes and just focused on his senses, everything fell silent as his psyche imprinted everything in the alley. A surge of memory swept forth in the next moment as if they were barely being held back and needed a push to come into focus.

But somehow they didn't feel like his, if he had to describe the feeling, it was like the walls were alive and had recalled this moment. Strange didn't even begin to describe it

He watched like a third party as his badly mutilated body released a powerful crimson-colored light. Further observation showed that it was the object in his pocket. His blood had flowed from his chest wound and come into contact with it.

The corpse-like man hurriedly brandished the blade to behead Deep as quickly as possible. But the previously inert body on the ground stood up like a puppet controlled by invisible strings. Deep eyes had snapped open revealing silver-slitted dragon-like pupils. His grey air seemed to float on an invisible wind.

Behind him, there was a pair of massive wings that sprung from his back. Even the alley seemed unable to contain them. His wings seemed as if they were far away in the void. As such they were illusory. They were able to pass through walls as if there were no obstacles. But somehow they still gave a dangerous feeling of sharpness.

".... .... ..... .... !!!" An unknown tongue came out of Deep's mouth. It seemed ancient, full of secrets and history.

Deep's voice rocked the alley. Although it took a bit to describe, all that happened as the corpse was swinging its blade. Deep didn't even bother to look at the blow, his right-wing simply formed a shield on his side.

Clang!!

There was the sound of a metallic collision followed by a slight vibration as the enemy's blade was repelled. The corpse-like man had only taken a few steps backward when Deep fist landed on his dry raisin-like face. Unexpectedly, that punch blasted through, cleanly. The true corpse with no head or vitality fell on the ground before turning to dust.