Memories (2)

"Um, e-excuse me… I lost track of my group and got lost in the forest. Can I stay at your house because I can't go out at night or monsters will come after my life." A man clad in tattered grey robes stood at the door. Several small scratches and wounds were visible on his body, dirt covering his cheeks.

"Huh?!" Nicolas' mother was taken by surprise. She pondered for a while before deciding what she should do. "Are you a merchant?" She inquired.

"Yes, I am indeed a wandering merchant." The man answered almost immediately. He didn't look like he was deceiving her so Nicolas' mother let him in. She was a good hearted person and couldn't see anyone in pain. She would definitely not let some unknown person enter her house this easily, but seeing the man's condition, she could not help but let him inside.

She told the man to sit on the chair and went to the kitchen. After a minute, she came back with a bowl of remaining soup and a cup of warm water.

"Thank you very much…" The man spoke in a weak, hoarse voice, as if he had just run a marathon. He drank the warm water, expressing gratitude for having found lodging. After the cup was empty, he savored every spoonful of soup as if it were his last. "I should sell this at my shop!" he exclaimed, half joking.

After he finished the bowl of soup, he finally had the energy to speak properly. "I will never forget the kindness and hospitality you've shown me today," He smiled, showing his teeth. "I almost forgot to introduce myself, I am Henry"

"Ah, I am Nicole, nice to meet you." Nicole introduced herself. "And this is my son, Nicolas." She continued, introducing Nicolas to Henry.

"Nicolas, be respectful to him, okay?" She said, taking the dishes back to the kitchen.

Nicolas stared at Henry for a minute before he finally spoke. "Are you a resident of the city?" His voice was filled with curiosity. He had never seen the city after his father ran away. He still remembered how beautiful the city was. He even had many friends there, but unfortunately, he had to say goodbye to all of them.

He hated his father for many reasons, and being separated from his friends was just one of them. Nicolas would gladly stab his dad a thousand times if he ever found him.

"Yes…" Henry answered politely, nodding his head.

"Are you really a merchant? Do you have a shop in the city?" Curious, Nicolas threw another question at Henry. He wanted to know what had changed in the city after he left it. Were all of his friends fine? Did they miss him? Or did they even remember him anymore? He wanted to know everything, but sadly, he couldn't. His mom would often tell him that his friends miss him but he knew that she was just trying to make him feel better.

'Man, why can't I live like a normal kid?' he wondered, his facial expressions turning sad.

"Yes, I am a wandering merchant, but I also have a shop in the city. It's a large shop, renowned for its top-tier alchemy products.

"Ohh! Sounds cool! How about your adventures, can you share your journey with me?" Nicolas' curiosity peaked. He was amazed when he heard that Henry was the owner of a famous alchemy shop.

"Sure, why not…" Henry replied and smiled.

"So it all started when I was just 16…" Henry told his half fabricated story to the young boy. He kept exaggerating a few things but Nicolas thought that everything he was saying was true.

As time passed, the story took many turns. 2 hours later, Henry finally finished his long story of how he became a wandering merchant and how he ended up at Nicolas' house.

"Now, little boy, mind telling me something about yourself?" Henry asked Nicolas. He was starting to take a liking to Nicolas because of his friendly behavior.

"Ah, what do you want to know about me?" Said Nicolas, raising an eyebrow. He didn't have anything fun in his life to share with Henry.

"Tell me about your family, where is your father and more." Henry answered. He didn't know anything about Nicolas' Dad, he didn't even meet him yet, making him believe that he was working somewhere in the city.

"My mom is a single mother and I am her only son. Ah yes, I also have a brother, his name is Mikey. I found Mikey when he was just a little puppy. His mother was killed by Wolves in the forest but somehow managed to escape." Nicolas answered, telling everything he could about his family.

"I think you forgot your dad, where does he live?" Henry said after listening to Nicolas' short description of his family.

"I have no dad! He left us when I was only 6!" He shouted, clenching his fists tightly. Tears gushed down his eyes. He wasn't good at handling emotions as a kid.

"O-oh! Please don't cry little boy. I will give you cookies when I find my merchant group!" Henry panicked, seeing Nicolas cry.

Nicolas immediately stopped crying as soon as he heard about cookies. "Really?!" He exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. No one would be able to tell that he was crying just a moment ago.

"Yes, yes… I keep my promises." Henry had a weird smile on his face. He was shocked by how fast Nicolas' facial expressions turned from extremely sad to happy.

"Gosh, kids these days…" He chuckled before falling asleep on the chair.

(Author: Guys, here's today's chapter! If time allows me to, I might even update 2 chapters today! Tysm for the support so far! Special thanks to @Manuel_Solis for sending 6 golden tickets to the book! Keep supporting, tysm!)