Journey (Part 1)

The soft rays of the early morning sun caressed Shun's cheeks as he slept on a mat on the floor. He opened his eyes and a plain wooden ceiling welcomed him. He felt like he had been asleep for a very long time. His body was weak and his left shoulder and arm felt sore.

"What happened?" He tried to recall the events before he passed out. "Right! The amulet."

Shun tried to stand, but as soon as he was on his feet, his head spun and he fell back down to the mat.

KNOCK! KNOCK! He heard a gentle knock on the door. Before he could answer, the paper door slid and Raye entered with a tray of medicines.

"I'm glad you've finally woken up." She said as she sat down and placed the tray beside him, "You've been asleep for two days."

"What?!"

"Whatever caused that wound on your chest was poisoned. You're lucky to have come here; otherwise, you could have died."

"Where's the amulet?"

"Wow. That's what you first think about upon regaining consciousness, huh." Raye raised an eyebrow, "You're welcome by the way."

"I never asked you to help me. Just give me the amulet and I'll be off."

Raye took the amulet out from the pocket of her kimono.

"Here." She handed it to Shun.

The young man reached out using his left arm, but to his surprise, he couldn't move it.

"Damn! What's wrong with my arm?" He couldn't hide the panic in his face as he thought that his arm might have been paralyzed because of the injury.

"The Cheliceratan poison paralyzed some of your nerves. But don't worry. It's not permanent. With continuous medication, you should recover in the next two days. I suggest you stay here until then; so you can completely recover." Raye said as she stirred the warm bowl of herbal medicine, "Here."

Raye offered Shun the bowl, assisting him as he sipped from it. His face twitched from the bitter taste of the medicine, but he said nothing. Enduring its taste, he drank until the bowl was empty. He then wiped his mouth using the back of his right hand.

"So you're a doctor?"

"Not really."

"Should I be concerned about the liquid I just drank?"

"Pfft. Don't worry. I'm certain about the medicines I make." Raye chuckled, "My grandmother used to be the best doctor in the empire. She taught me and my sister well growing up."

"Used to? I guess she's not anymore."

"She died last year."

They were both silent for a while. Raye placed the bowl on the tray. Then she stood and slid open the room's window. The bright rays of the sun poured in the room, making Shun's red hair glow with its rays. For a moment Raye was stunned. She didn't notice right away because he'd had an anguished look on his face during the past days, but the young man was handsome. She was most especially amazed with his red hair.

"You know, a red hair color is really rare. My grandmother said it's the mark of the gods. She used to tell me and my sister many stories about the deities of Empyrea…"

"I don't really care. The deities aren't real and I'm not interested in stories for children."

"Well, then. I guess I'll leave you to rest." Raye sighed as she picked up the tray. Then she headed to the door.

"Why are you helping me? You don't even know who I am. For all you know, I could be dangerous. Aren't you even a bit concerned that I may rape or kill you?"

Raye stopped and turned to him.

"I know you stole that amulet from the syndicate who came to town three days ago."

"So you know I'm a thief. Why didn't you just leave me to die? It would have been better for the both of us."

"I may not know much about you, but I've sensed your prana. You're not the type to murder people at the least. You collapsed inside my house and I did what I needed to do to help. You must have had a hard life for you to want to throw your life easily like that, but if you want to die that badly, go do it somewhere else." With that, Raye left the room.

Raye never spoke with Shun over the next couple of days. She was not offended by his rudeness. She was used to being ignored by people her entire life, and she wasn't really expecting a different treatment by the stranger in her bedroom. She just thought that leaving him in peace was the best idea. She delivered him his medicines and meals morning and night and quietly left him afterwards.

Shun felt a little guilty for being rude. She did save his life, after all. He wanted to say something every time she came to the room to give him his meals and medicines, but every time he attempted to speak, his distrust for the woman dominated his mind. Aside from his childhood friend, Yuu Darkon, no one has ever offered him any help before. He knew that nothing in life comes for free. The young woman must want something in return for her help. Whatever it was, he wasn't giving her a chance to demand anything from him. Once his arm was well, he planned to immediately leave.

Deep white snow blanketed the hill and the vast plain below, crowning the roofs of each house in town with its pristine splendor. It had only been a few days since winter started, but Raye was already yearning for spring. The mornings had been cold, but the unceasing snowfall the other night had made this one morning particularly freezing. She wore two layers of her winter coat and put on goatskin leather mittens. She took the shovel and removed the snow on the path in front of her house.

It had been two days since Shun regained consciousness. He didn't notice any improvement with his left arm during the past days, but when he woke up that morning, he could already move his arm. Seeing his host busy removing snow on the path, he jumped out the window and left unnoticed. By the time Raye brought him breakfast, he was already gone.