Chapter 3: Trust & Suspicions
"So, the kid's lost all his memories, huh? Could it be because of the attack?" Gerald mused, leaning back against a log he had set up by the fireplace. The fire crackled and popped, sending a cascade of sparks dancing into the night.
"It's possible, after all; who wouldn't want to forget what happened back at that village?" Mia responded, her lips pressing tightly together as one of her hands clenched into a fist and all kinds of memories flashed through her mind. Even Gerald let out a weary sigh as he thought back on it.
"I have my doubts, though," Marcos interjected, his voice laced with caution.
"All of this... it's just too odd." Hearing his doubts, Mia frowned, looking like she wanted to say something but held back, prompting Gerald to jump in.
"You mean how he looks, don't you?" Marcos nodded as he continued.
"Exactly. People with blonde hair aren't something you just see around the kingdom. In fact, I can't recall there being any blondes in neighboring lands either. So, where did he come from exactly?"
Gerald stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking, "He's got a point, Mia. It is weird. Not to mention, he was the only survivor from that village, but we didn't find him in the village itself but on its outskirts, just as the ambush began. Now he's saying he doesn't have his memories?" It all sounded a bit too weird to be normal.
The puzzle pieces weren't fitting together, and the more they thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Even Mia, who wanted to give Magnus the benefit of the doubt after what he'd supposedly been through, had to concede, bringing up an oddity she noticed.
"Well… When I checked him over earlier to see if he was injured, I did notice that his hands and skin were weirdly smooth, completely unblemished. That's not something you expect to see from someone from a farming village. He looked more like a noble's offspring than anything; if not for his clothes matching the villagers, you could definitely mistake him for one."
Gerald leaned forward, his voice dropping a notch as he said, "The only folk known for blonde hair were the elves, and they've been extinct for centuries. So, we're left with two possibilities: either a pocket of elves survived the incursion in secret, or he's someplace else... somewhere we haven't ever heard of."
Under the weight of Gerald's speculation, the trio exchanged glances, their eyes slowly drifting towards Magnus.
Leaning up against a nearby tree, he was staring blankly at the sky above. He couldn't recognize any of the stars or constellations he saw, and the moon that was casting down its light was most definitely larger than Earth's, accompanied by smaller moons in an orbit that would seem nearly impossible back home.
Yet its beauty was mesmerizing, a stark reminder of the otherworldly reality he now found himself in, one far removed from his own.
I wonder how Wendy's doing. Without me, she's probably going to end up becoming the new guild master. Knowing her, though, she'll probably be too worried about finding me to even think about something like that. If she calls the police, it won't be long before my parents get wind of it and rush home to look for me too.
The list of everything he had left behind wasn't long, but it was still a list he cared about more than anything else in the world. Now, it all seemed so endlessly far away, and that very thought made it feel as if a pit had opened up in his stomach.
Crying was never his response to pain or sadness, but that didn't mean he was one to bottle up his emotions either; he simply had different ways to express them. Yet now, for the first time, he felt an overwhelming urge to just break down and sob. To cry his eyes out here in the middle of nowhere, with a bunch of strangers watching him.
But he didn't; instead, he just buried his face in his hands and knees as he tried to steady his breathing. Even the clothes on his back felt alien, void of any color or familiarity.
I can't stay in this world. I have to find a way back home…
It was as he had that thought that he suddenly remembered his time in that dark void the first time he had woken up. Although he was immobilized and unable to speak at the time, something appeared before him.
Right, what was that thing? A command prompt or something? Something had gone wrong; it had a bunch of errors.
He tried to think back on it, but for some reason, his memories of that moment were fuzzy, like he couldn't pick out any details.
Dammit. I can't remember what it said precisely, but that thing must have something to do with all of this.
There was no way there wasn't a link; after all, he could at least remember the fact that it glitched out just like his room did.
Come on, just think. What was it called precisely again? Uh, it didn't say command prompt; instead, it was… command console?
[Command Console]
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Users:Magnus_Wright:\>
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He nearly leaped back, hitting his head against the tree he had been leaning on, as a black, two-dimensional screen appeared right in front of his face.
"Wh-" he said before abruptly stopping himself, swallowing the words he was about to yell out. After that, he cast a glance over at Mia and the others, noticing that they seemed oblivious to not only his minor commotion but also the strange screen in front of him.
Can they not see it?
Regaining his composure, he gave the Command Console a brief, intense look before hesitantly reaching out to touch it. To his surprise, his hand passed right through, as though it were nothing but a hologram, devoid of any substance.
Ok, well, this is weird, to say the least, but at least it's not broken this time around. Still, something's different—that new bar at the bottom wasn't there before, and it's saying I'm a user. Does that mean I could use this thing somehow?
The problem, of course, was how he was supposed to even interact with it in the first place. Without the ability to physically touch it, added to the fact that he didn't have a keyboard, he was at a bit of a loss for what to do.
Ok, let's just slow down and think for a second. This whole situation is weird, but it's not like you've never heard of this kind of stuff before, right? I mean, sure, this shit is all supposed to be fictional, but let's just move past that for now. In stories with systems, they're usually controlled by a person's thoughts, right? I mean, that's how I managed to have it appear in front of me, so maybe...
Pushing aside the sheer absurdity of what was happening right now, Magnus decided to focus his mind and try to type in the Command Console by envisioning a keyboard and hitting each button.
[Command Console]
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Users:Magnus_Wright:\> testingtesting123
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It worked! Okay, okay, that's a good sign; now we're making progress. Towards what exactly? I have no clue, but I'm progressing all the same. So, now all I have to do is 'press' enter, right?
Once again, he visualized a keyboard in his mind and pressed the enter key, and just like before, the Command Console responded to his mental input.
[Command Console]
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Users:Magnus_Wright:\> testingtesting123
[ERROR]: 'testingtesting123' is not a valid statement.
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Users:Magnus_Wright:\>
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A surge of panic washed over him at the sight of the red error message that flashed before his eyes. Yet that anxiety quickly dissipated once he realized it was merely a reaction to his input and not because of a glitch. After taking a moment to see if anything else would happen, he let his curiosity take over and began to experiment a bit.
With just his thoughts, he found himself capable of opening and closing the Command Console, typing out an assortment of words, symbols, and even some keys he just made up. In just a few minutes, he felt he had a firm grasp on how to control it.
"Sorry to bother you; I know you're probably still processing everything that's happened, but we've finished setting up camp. I think it would be best if you got some rest for now." Mia's voice suddenly cut through his focus and brought him back to reality. He didn't even hear her approach since he was so absorbed in looking into the Command Console.
Closing the interface, he lifted his gaze to meet hers. She stood there with a gentle, albeit curious, expression that he couldn't quite figure out. She motioned towards a group of newly pitched tents huddled close to the warmth of the campfire, indicating which one specifically was his.
"Right, thanks," he responded, pushing himself to his feet. He wasn't in the mood for any long conversations, or at least he was pretending not to be. Right now, he was playing the role of a person with no memories, which meant he kept his earth-born tendencies to a minimum, especially around the others.
He didn't catch a glimpse of Marcos or Gerald on his way to the tent, leading him to realize that they had probably turned in for the night. Unbeknownst to him, however, as he entered his tent, Mia's eyes were intently following him, her thoughts swirling with curiosity.
That look in his eyes just before I spoke to him. It reminds me of Master Rerzos's eyes after he emerges from his meditations. Could he have been doing something similar? But where would he even learn something like that from?
The possibility only added layers to Mia's growing suspicions about Magnus. The mysteries surrounding him seemed to multiply at every moment.
For the time being, I should just keep an eye out and not bother him too much; as long as he doesn't try anything, it should be fine. We can look for answers about his identity once we make it back to Arlcliff and give our debrief.
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Magnus awoke the following day, greeted by the enticing aroma of something delicious wafting through the air. It had been ages since he'd slept for so long, a luxury rarely afforded to him back on Earth since he had school.
Ugh, that was one weird dream.
Sitting up, he gradually opened his eyes and stretched. However, as his eyes adjusted to the morning light, reality quickly set in.
Oh, wait, right, that wasn't a dream.
As the realization dawned on him that his current situation was not something he had just dreamt up, he let out a sigh. Despite how great it felt to sleep for so long, the tent and makeshift bed inside paled in comparison to the comforts of the modern world he was used to. It was definitely not as bad as sleeping on the ground, but it still made him miss his bed.
Stepping outside, he saw that the camp was already bustling, and surprisingly, it was Gerald—of all people—who was doing the cooking.
"Good morning," Mia greeted him cheerfully, while Marcos, who seemed preoccupied, barely acknowledged him. Gerald, however, offered him a warm chuckle as he spoke.
"It looks like someone's finally been lured out by the smell of food! Just in time, too—it's nearly ready. We might not have brought much, but it should last us the journey." Magnus nodded as he listened to him, making his way over to the makeshift seating area of logs and stones.
Peering down into the pot, he watched Gerald expertly sauté some peculiar vegetables that bore a resemblance to broccoli, mixed with various meats and unidentifiable seasonings. Still, even if he couldn't pinpoint the ingredients, the sizzling and enticing smells stirred his appetite.
This would be his first taste of food since he ate some of the snacks Wendy had brought up to his room.
"Oh, it slipped my mind earlier, but we never actually got your name. Do you remember it?" Mia inquired, realizing she hadn't even learned what to call him yet.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, I remember. My name is Magnus, Magnus Wright," he responded, firmly deciding not to adopt a new identity in this world. It was the only thing he had left from his past life on Earth after all, besides his memories at least.
The rest of the morning went about as one could expect. Mia and the others found themselves repeatedly mulling over Magnus's name, trying to see if it rang any bells. But the Wright family drew a blank for them.
This would make sense if he were really just a villager, but they were already convinced that wasn't the case.
After a bit more time passed, Gerald handed him wooden bowls filled with a portion of the food he had prepared, accompanied by utensils. The meat appeared tender, bathed in a rich blend of its own juices and seasonings, with the vegetables soaking up the flavorful mix. The texture was so tender that Magnus found his wooden spoon slicing through it with ease.
Driven by hunger, Magnus didn't even wait for the dish to cool before he indulged. The contents of his bowl vanished just like that, and he lingered over the final morsel, wishing the experience hadn't ended so quickly.
"That was delicious," he remarked, albeit to himself, yet his words were caught by everyone's ears.
"I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. Cooking is pretty much the only other skill Gerald has besides his swordsmanship," Mia teased, eliciting a brief moment of contemplation from Gerald before he conceded with a nod.
"That's fair," Gerald admitted.
"Thanks for the meal, Gerald. I'm going to check on the horses now," Marcos interjected suddenly, rising from his seat and departing, leaving Magnus to seize the opportunity to ask Gerald and Mia something.
"Is it just me, or does he not like me?" He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything to piss any of them off, at least not yet.
"Huh? Oh, don't sweat it. That's just Marcos being Marcos. He's always like that with people he doesn't know well. Just brush it off." Gerald offered a bit of reassurance, with Mia nodding in agreement, not missing a beat as she continued to enjoy her meal and engage him in conversation.
"So, Magnus, did getting some sleep do anything for your memory?"
"No, aside from knowing my name and what seems like common sense, I've got nothing," he admitted. Mia's face fell ever so slightly at his response, but she quickly recovered.
"Well, that's okay. At the moment, we're near the eastern border of the Batis Kingdom. Our next stop is Arlcliff City. It's home to a garrison that serves as the military hub for this region. While we might not be able to help you right now, if you come with us, we could look into finding you a healer. Or at the very least, a safe spot for you to stay until your memory comes back."
The mere mention of Arlcliff City immediately sparked Magnus's curiosity. Without any knowledge of this world, he figured that heading towards civilization might be his best chance at gathering information and putting together some sort of plan.
I don't know much about these three, though they seem friendly enough. The way Mia and the others are acting makes it seem like they're part of the military or something like that. But honestly, the military and government in these kinds of fantasy worlds are usually seriously corrupt or something. But I guess relying solely on fiction to base my logic on might not be the best choice.
I'm still not even sure if I really got pulled into that game I was trying to play or if this is just some random world. And if we're going off of tropes, Mia would turn out to be a secret princess, Gerald her dedicated guardian destined for a tragic sacrifice, and Marcos her first genuine ally.
Setting clichés aside, tagging along with them definitely had its risks. If things took a turn for the worse, he could find himself behind bars, executed, or however else people were punished in these kinds of worlds.
On the other hand, given the fact that threats like the kryle were currently lurking about, sticking with the trio, who seemed to know how to fight, definitely felt like the safer bet. After all, the sad truth was that he had no idea how to fight or defend himself.
Right now, my best option is to try to figure out how to really use the Command Console and pray that it's not completely useless. In the meantime, I should do my best to get as much information as possible about this world from Mia and the others on our way to this Arlcliff City place. With any luck, by the time we reach the city, I'll have an idea of what to do next.
It was a plan teeming with uncertainties and dependent on sheer luck, but at the moment, those were the only cards he had to play. So, after a moment's hesitation, he made up his mind.
"Well, if it's really alright with you guys, I would like to go with you," he said. His answer caused Mia's face to light up as she jumped to her feet and clapped her hands together.
"Great. Let's get ready to head out then. Gerald will take care of the tents, and I'll tidy up the campsite."