Vandel, you're here too?

Arian staggered out of the forest and arrived at yet another grassland where the stalks and blades of the grasses were taller than a human.

He stopped at the boundary and wondered if he should go forward or just head back. Moreover, he was totally famished. He was sceptical about what may lie in wait in the tall overhead grass.

He managed to jump, hopefully he could see the end of this grass cage but what he saw stiffened him and sieved out his remaining hope.

It was as if the grassland extended to infinity. He couldn't see the end to this tall green blades that moved swiftly from the caress of the wind.

Arian gulped. It was better to go back and maybe, follow the path the mages he had met earlier took. He might get to the safe zone as they had told him.

As he made up his mind to head back, he heard muffled voices coming from behind him and for once he exhaled. Relieved that he was finally going to see other people and maybe escape this mirage with them.

He couldn't believe there would be a grassland as vast as the one before him. It was just like an illusion or probably, his brain had been affected by hunger.

A group of people appeared from the forest. They looked more like travelers than mages given the backpacks strapped to almost all their backs.

For a moment he was stunned seeing their fine attire. Then he looked down to his own, torn clothes and straw shoes. How the hell did he get into these?

The people stopped abruptly as they glued their eyes on Arian with shocked expressions, almost like they have seen a ghost.

"Vandel! You're here too?" One of them suddenly screamed.

"Huh! Vandel?"

"How is that possible? Its an orange zone."

An aged man suddenly scampered towards Arian—no, Vandel. The man cupped his cheeks and threw his head sideways to take a good look at him. He quickly turned him round to take a more serious look at him. "Vandel, you poor boy. We thought you died." The man's face cringed with anxiety. "Do you know how long you've been missing?"

A young girl in her early twenties with long wavy hair and deep chocolate eyes walked up to him with a serious face like she was going for a fight. She punched him heavily on his chest and continued on and on. "Did you know how worried I was huh?"

"Are you sure that's him? How can he be alive after being in the orange zone for two whole weeks?"

"It sure is him. Maybe he lost his way in the orange zone or he trespassed."

"..."

"Do you know the state you left mother in? What about me huh? You didn't even think of me, ha!" The girl continued screaming while punching him with her soft hands until she finally stopped.

Arian —no, Vandel kept covering his vital points from her punches. He was confused. Just a while ago, he had concluded his name was actually Arian even when he couldn't remember anything and now, some people suddenly appeared from nowhere and called him 'Vandel'

What's happening here?

Is he living a double life now? Or is this shitty system ridiculing him?

From the way this girl was repeatedly nagging him and called 'mother', she must be his sister.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" The girl asked.

"Umm..." Vandel smiled. 'I should try playing along and act like Vandel otherwise, I don't even know what will happen,' Vandel thought.

If these people recognised him as Vandel, it means he is actually Vandel even if he doesn't remember a thing about his personality. But wait... How exactly does Vandel behave?

"Has your silly behaviour robbed you of your vocality?"

"He is always carefree. What does it matter to him if his mother dies."

"Who knows what sort of hide and seek he was playing to have lost his way?"

*Silly

*Carefree

*Vocal

Qualities of Vandel. He quickly summed it up.

"Well...I lost my way in the forest while I was chasing after..."

"The rabbit? You went after that rabbit again, huh?" The girl screamed with hands akimbo.

"Yeah, the rabbit." Vandel scratched his head.

"What the f*ck! You're telling me you went missing for two whole weeks because you were after a rabbit?" A teenage boy suddenly sprang up and walked over to him. "I guess this time, you're going to be punished by the chief."

"The chief?"

"You have refused to attend a magic school. Refused to join the army or at least become a hunter instead you prefer playing around with kids! Humph!" The girl screamed.

Vandel wanted to play dumb but he thought that wasn't the best decision. He slightly bent his head like a student being rebuked by his master.

"OK that's enough..." The aged man interrupted the bickering. "We still have a lot on our table. We should first complete the quest, then head back to town. Vandel, you'll apologize to your family and the chief when we get back to town. They have been anxious since you suddenly disappeared."

"Sorry.." Vandel bowed his head even the more.

"You go tell that to mother! Humph! This time you're going back to school with me!" The girl shouted and began to head back to the group.

Vandel's stomach suddenly growled loudly as if it was shouting back at the people who just nagged Vandel. It's growl announced Vandel's hunger loudly.

The girl stopped in her track when she heard that angry roar coming from Vandel's stomach.

'And he is hungry. Who knows what he has been eating in the forest since he lost his way in the orange zone and how frantic he must be when he couldn't find his way back.' The girl thought. She felt a bit sorry for Vandel, probably he must have suffered a lot in the forest. His torn clothes were evidence that he had been through a lot.

The girl turned and threw a bag to Vandel. He caught it in both of his hands. "Eat up." Vandel quickly began to unwrap the linen. He began to munch the large chunk of meat like a hungry wolf.

"Poor boy. I guess we'll have to take you on this expedition sadly," the aged man said with a concerned look and shook his head.

"Of course we have to. He survived in the orange zone alone for two whole weeks!!" The teenage boy screamed. He was following the girl around like a fly. Always wanting some space with her.

"Stay away Orin," the girl warned and moved to another space.

"Hahaha! Your dull head isn't her spec."

Orin glared at the other boy laughing at him for being warned by the girl and snapped.

"So we'll take the grassland and arrive at the city ruins before taking the tunnel to the underground falls." A man with a map in his hand began to outline their route as he analysed the map.

"Isn't that the longer route?" The aged man asked.

"It is the longer route to the falls but the shorter one is marked a red zone on the map. It is dominated by the Cerberus horde."

"Then we'd rather take the longer route, hehehe!"

"What's a Cerberus?" Vandel asked with a mouthful of dried meat.

"You wouldn't want to know so you won't get a nightmare!" Orin yelled.

Vandel realized that he was going to face the ridicule of Orin throughout this journey. He keeps poking in. For that, he has to be ready.