Chapter 23

Ten years ago.. Village of Lost Souls..

Face down on the ground Tyson's body was bruised, dirtied, and bleeding from scrapes and cuts. He could hear the sounds of the whispering souls before him. The lights dancing in front of him felt almost like a hallucination before the cold reality he was in. Hearing the sounds of approaching foot steps he could hear the voice of his sisters final words to him to stay alive. Gripping a hand full of dirt in his hand he contemplated throwing it behind him at them and running away. Weak as he was he couldn't even stand.

"Are you going to die and give more work for me?" A man's voice called out to him. Though the man was asking a question his words and tone were full of exhaustion from the idea of cleaning up another corpse from the pathway to the village.

Struggling to his knees Tyson swung his head around to see a man standing tall in a black suit. His red eyes gave off a glow while glaring down at him. Unable to find words quick enough to respond the man spoke once more.

"I'm not one of you players this year. Do not fret." Hand held out towards Tyson they man said.

Tyson hesitated as he could not understand what the man wanted with him. Nobody in Numen's Garden was kind and yet this stranger was reaching out to him as if it was all normal. Feeling that it was a trap he struggled to his feet to run but found himself stumbling to fall. Before he could, however, he found his clothes behind grabbed by the collar.

"Come. Now." He ordered while dragging Tyson along with him.

"Wait.. Wait! Who even-?" Tyson struggled to get free but he was too weak, tired, and hungry to put much of a fight against the man.

Before Tyson knew what was going on he found himself being thrown into the booth of one of the local bars. His breathing was weak from the failed struggle to free himself the entire way. Sounds of humming could be heard along with the movement of dishes and glasses. Soon the sounds were followed by the smell of freshly baked bread and red wine. The food being sat down in front of him gave him the strong urge to eat but he knew better then to accept anything from someone in the garden.

"If I wanted you dead young one.. why would I bring you inside when I could have left you there?" The man asked with a laugh as he saw the hesitation in Tyson. He could only find that natural instinct a good sign that the boy had a strong will to survive. It was something he did not see very often.

After contemplating the man's words for a minute he raised the bread to his mouth and began to eat. He thought about reaching for the drink as well but the man quickly pulled it away from him and shook his head. Smiling all the while the man was not willing to let the man touch his wine no matter how badly he felt the need to drink. Slowly sliding a glass of water towards Tyson in exchange.

"Is there something wrong with the wine?" Tyson asked curious as to why the man would guard it so heavily.

"Consider it my own special brew.. I have my own ingredient I put in this wine. Maybe some day you'll learn of it but for now.. best you don't drink it." The man said with a look as if he was pondering over something. Drinking down the wine himself it looked as if black veins were moving along the man's neck.

"Bitter.. yet sweet. Just as life should be." The man said with a smiled once the wine was completely gone down to the last drop.

"What's your name?" Tyson asked him curious to gain the name of his savior.

"You can call me Loe, young one. I've been here far longer then you could imagine. I lost count hundreds of years ago probably." Laughing at the idea of how long he had been in Numen's Garden he could only consider his existence a fruitless one. Spending his days watching lives come and go from the garden. Each year was like the same thing to him over and over like a bad movie.

"I'm Tyson.." He said to the man while trying to understand the look in his eyes. Thinking about it for a moment he wondered if the man would know anything about his sister if he'd been living in the garden for so long. "Have you seen a gir-"

"I can not give you any details as to anyone in the garden. You see.. I am bound to this village and can not go outside of it very far. Unless they come through here I simply do not see them."

"Oh.." Tyson's face drooped downward as he lost another bit of hope for finding his sister.

Loe could see the disappointment written all over the young man. It was obvious to him that Tyson was looking for someone important to him. Knowing the risks to being the garden he could understand the pain of losing someone within it. Dead or alive it all felt fruitless and painful no matter which side of it you were on. An idea coming to mind he smiled kindly and leaned in to Tyson as he placed a hand down on the young man's shoulder.

"I may not know where they are.. but what if I help you in another way? You want to live long enough to find them, right?" Loe asked him.

Looking at the young man in front of him Loe decided to do something he had not done in centuries for another living soul. For and unknown length of time Loe took Tyson under his wing and taught him how to survive in Numen's Garden every way he could for the boy. Whether it was pushing himself through harsh terrain or learning to control his body down to slowing his heart rate Loe guided him. They were all things that Tyson did his utmost to understand and perfect. He was grateful to Loe for all that he'd taught him but regardless of how grateful he felt the one thing he learned quickly about Loe was to never drink the wine!

Loe would lace his wine with poison so that when visitors he didn't agree with, or were a risk, entered his village all he'd need to do was serve them a drink and have them removed afterwards. When he initially set out that wine in front of Tyson he had been contemplating the moment they met whether or not to kill the boy but for reasons unknown to Tyson he had changed his mind and guided the boy instead.