CHAPTER 4 -BRIK

One month. That's how long it took X to cross the Apline Mountains and the Great Plains that came after it. It might sound astonishing to a few people. After all, it does take more time on horseback. But for X, it was a mere stroll through the mountains, because he can heat up on will, so the cold made no difference. He had even discarded all of his robes, not because he felt warm in them, but because it was too stuffy and uncomfortable. For him, the scenery was all that mattered, and in that aspect, the Apline Mountains delivered.

The Great Plains also had quite the view, Fields that stretched to the horizon, smooth and undulating, covered with ripe stalks of wheat. Golden-brown and ready for harvest, swaying in the breeze. X liked brushing his fingers through the wheat stalks, and once, unknowingly burnt a stalk to a crisp.

X kept walking, and after a long, somewhat boring month, he could finally see the destination. In the middle of the Plains, surrounded by a sea of wheat, stood a massive wall. Circular and Triple-layered, the wall was made of stone, with multiple turrets where the knights were constantly on patrol, armed with bows, and multiple quivers of arrows per person. 50 meters tall, with hundreds of ballistae manned and loaded. The Fortress city, the capital of the Kingdom of Europa, the location of both the Royal Palace and the Tower, Rossenberg.

X arrived at the gates and saw guards standing at the entrance, checking visitors, before letting them enter. X joined the queue, and a few minutes later, stood at the entrance. The guards saw the kid and asked a few questions about where he was from, which X answered honestly. They then allowed him to enter, and as he crossed them, they saw the hatchet hanging on his belt. Holding his hand, one of the knights half-dragged him away from the line for further investigation. It was then that X realized that this person was a knight, possibly one of the strongest in Stage 1. 

The knight then let him go and asked him

'Why are you here? You have a hatchet, and since you were not injured by the force of my grip, shall I assume that you are a knight? Or at least, as strong as one. You certainly are no ordinary traveler. Stage 1. So tell me, who are you and why are you here?'

'My...my name is X. I come from a village across the mountains, as... as I told you.'

X replied looking down. He could feel the knight's gaze and knew that he did not trust him. He took a deep breath, looked the knight in the eye, and continued, slightly more confidently,

'I have come here to apply for the Royal Academy's entrance exam.'

The knight looked flustered by the response, which made X embarrassed. X went back to looking down, while the knight kept staring at him. Finally, The knight talked, breaking the awkward silence.

'The test is in 5 months. Why did you come here so soon?'

'I left my home one month ago, and according to my Grandfather, it should have taken a few months. I don't know why though. May... may I enter the city?'

X asked, gathering his willpower. The knight nodded, and X walked into the Fortress City. It was a sight to behold. Luxurious mansions, large gardens, public training halls, many inns, and taverns, and bars and shops, many shops that sell basically everything that the heart desires. Many people were present in the public gardens, talking to each other. Their clothes were bright and costly. X couldn't believe that people used to live here. Compared to the village he was from, this place bustling with people, was... weird. Too many people, too many colors, too much laughter, he felt like he really did not belong in this place. 

He only felt more out of place, when he went around searching for a inn to live in. The money he had in his pouch was a lot, and back in the village, a single gold coin would be enough to rest at their shabby old inn for an entire week. But here, things were different.

X asked at basically every inn in the entire city, and all of them told him the same thing. With this much money, he could barely stay for a month. Some kind people in one of the inns told him that they could allow him to stay for a maximum of two months, undoubtedly feeling pity for this poor village bumpkin. However, there were five months left for the exam. Feeling very down, X went to one of the many gardens and sat down on a wooden bench nearby. In front of him, there was a training dummy. Being the Capital of the empire, he understood that the people here loved the idea of being knights, and trained children to become knights. 

The training dummy was being attacked by a kid. Black hair, a light brown skin color, well-defined muscles that were hidden behind his baggy tunic that was a size too big for him. He was wielding a sword, and he was wielding it terribly. He jabbed the sword, aiming to pierce the dummy's heart, but his control was so bad that the sword went under the dummy's armpit. He then slashed the sword to cut off its neck. As X expected, it swung over its head. After missing a few more hits, the kid got so pissed off that he threw the wooden sword down, and mauled the dummy with his bare hands, tearing it down using his fingers, which started bleeding due to the effort. 

The kid then turned and saw X, sitting on the bench. Wiping his face with his tunic, he sat beside X and asked for his name.

'My name is X.'

'X. What's your actual name?'

'X. That's my name.'

'Your surname?'

'What is a surname?'

'A surname is the word that comes after your name. Like, my surname is Ossibus.'

'Ok. I do not have a surname.'

The kid got angry at X's response. How could anyone not have a surname? And what sort of a name was X? He sat closer to X and shouted to him at maximum volume

'What is your name?'

'X...X'

X took a deep breath, collected his thoughts, and replied assertively, no doubt annoyed by the kid's questions

'See, I already told you, my name is X. So stop annoying me. Besides, you did not tell your name yet.'

'Sorry. My name is Brik. Brik Ossibus. I live here, in Rossenberg with my Grandmother.'

X then mentioned his dilemma of not being able to find a place to stay. Brik thought that he had just found a way to apologize for annoying X, and asked if X would be interested in staying at their house. X quickly accepted the offer, and quickly packed his belongings. Brik was surprised by the number of things X had with him. How does one possess only these many things? He didn't ask, since he didn't want to annoy X any further. 

When X saw Brik's house, his jaw dropped. A great wooden mansion, stylish and well-designed, with countless glass windows on the exterior, and torches lighting up the interior. This place had such a friendly, positive energy, with all the light. Brik entered behind him, and guided X through the surprisingly simple layout of the house, straight towards a bedroom in the rear end of the house. The bedroom was in stark contrast with the rest of the mansion. While the whole mansion was lit up, this room was lightless. It did not even have a window. On the cushioned, comfortable bed, was a person. X could not see who it was, so he helped Brik in igniting the torches. 

Brik was surprised to see X light the torches without a match but didn't give it much thought. After the room was illuminated, he roused his Grandmother from sleep.

'Grandma, this is X. I met him today. He comes from a village quite far away, and could not find a place to stay, so is it fine if he stays here.'

Brik's grandmother, an old, decrepit person, was so thin it seemed like she would fly along with the slightest breeze. Her long white hair was stuck on her face. She brushed aside the hair, then spoke in a small, quavering voice

'Sure, kid. Let him stay here. X dear, why did you come to Rossenberg? You must have a reason for leaving your friends behind. You have a lot of friends, unlike some kids right? Anyway, I should thank you for being Brik's only friend. Please don't leave him alone.'

'Grandma!'

X waited for a moment, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of his only friend.

' I do not have any other friends, I will not Brik alone, and as for why I came to Rossenberg, I came to enroll in the Royal Academy.'

Brik's eyes shone with joy, and he was about to say something when his Grandmother cut him off by talking first.

'A knight. Even Brik says he wants to be a knight. My son told me he wanted to be a knight. Tell me, why do you want to be a knight?'

'To slay demons and protect the people of the nation'

X said, not sure if he should tell them about his true motive of regaining his memory. Surprisingly, the answer worked, and Brik's Grandmother got out of bed and started walking towards him. X looked at Brik and saw that his face was filled with panic, and anger and that he was thinking deeply. Did X say something unnecessary?

Just then, Brik's Grandmother walked up in front of X, her eyes glowing with pity. Then her expression changed, and for a second, X saw her face morphing with fury. Then she punched X really hard, screaming at the top of her voice, before fainting. She fell on the bed. Brik ran up to X and caught him. He then explained why she punched him while taking him to his room. X listened keenly, while blood dripped out of his mouth. 

'My grandmother was originally from a village in the west, The other side of your village. One day, a group of demons attacked the village, along with two other villages. It was a planned move to make a demon nest, and there was a Stage 4 demon, so nobody survived. Nobody Except my Grandmother and my dad. She saw her husband die, then had to carry her three-year-old son, unable to help anyone, friend or foe. She ran all the way to Rossenberg, and there she expected the knights to get revenge. Instead, the previous King made a peace agreement with the demons, scared due to the Stage 4 demon. My father grew up to become a knight and married my mother, a squad member. Finally, when the new King ascended the throne, he attacked the demon, and in that battle, both my parents died. This happened when I was very young, so I don't remember anything, but they saw that after they died, my Grandma went mad due to grief.'

For a moment, they both were silent. The X asked a question, speaking as softly as he could

'If your parents died, who took care of you?'

'Oh, Uncle Ken did that. He was my dad's best friend, Stage 2 knight, and all that. He should be coming here by tomorrow. He had promised to train me. Oh, by the way, I am also participating in the exam.'

' Oh really. Nice. At least I won't have to be alone.'

They both laughed and then Brik opened the door to the room that X would be staying in. It was as big as their hut back in the village, if not bigger. It was also the brightest room in the mansion. And sitting in the middle, on a small wooden chair was a middle-aged man, with short, red hair, and extremely well-built muscles, although slightly smaller than Frederick's. And from his finger, a small stream of fire blew up, which he used to light one of the torches from the distance.

'Uncle Ken'

Brik said in shock, before running up to to him, and hugging him tightly.