1 Unknown Memories

TESSIA ERALITH:

I ran past one tree after another in this never-ending forest of Elshire engulfed in a dense magical fog. I looked back in hope that my pursuers lost sight of me in the dense fog only to be disappointed to see two men coming in the view from either side of the trees. I panicked and tried to run faster, my mind filled with fears and eyes with tears. Everything looked hazy through my watery eyes as I fell face-first on the ground. I turned around, facing my pursuers while I tried to drag my body away from them but it was futile.

Both the pursuers slowly closed in as a predator does while it has cornered its prey, they gave me a vicious grin as the lanky one said "Finally caught ya, any guesses who was a real pain in the butt?" in a low growling voice as if he was genuinely complaining. The other man came closer taking out a rope to tie me down as he grabbed my hands.

"NOOO! HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP! MOMMY! DADDY! NOOO I'M SCARED!!!", I yelled with all my might.

"Someone shut her up! She's going to attract attention" a man sitting on a carriage pulled by forest hounds commanded.

The man tying me with the rope hit me hard on the side of my neck. As I felt my consciousness fading, I heard some of their conversations.

"Quick. Put her in the back of the carriage. We're only a few days away from the mountain range. We'll be safer then. Don't relax and keep moving. "

"Hey, Boss? How much do ya reckon she'll sell for? Elf girl go for a lo...." another man said while the already muffled voice faded as if I was drowning deeper into an ocean, darkness surrounded me as the world went silent.

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I heard a thud and the sound of footsteps as I opened my eyes regaining my consciousness. I found myself in a carriage. Remembering what happened before I fell unconscious. I yelled, "HELLLLP! MOMMY! SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASEE!!"

"Pinky! Deuce! The kid is awake! What the hell are you guys..." someone barked from the other side of the cart in a sleepy voice.

I looked at the sky through a small gap between the walls and the ceiling of the carriage, its night, seems like I was out for several hours. Then I saw a figure moving swiftly towards the man who was complaining just now. I heard the sound of blades slashing through the air. "gah!" a man howled in pain ."Is it a mana beast?" I asked myself. A faint smile formed on my face thinking that I might be able to go home once the mana beast killed all the bad guys. But a terrible thought crossed my mind," what if...it killed me too?" fear took over me as I put my thoughts in the form of words.

Tears started forming in my eyes as I folded myself into a ball-like shape, covering my ears, not wanting to hear the fight going outside. I cried silently, not wanting to attract the attention of the mana beast. 'if only I had not ran away from my home' I thought to myself as I remembered my father telling me not to go near any human. Tears fell down my eyes flowing sideways, reaching my ears as I imagined the image of my mother spreading her arms with a gentle smile on her face, my father and grandfather standing beside her looking at me and calling my name, I ran towards them planning to jump into my mother's arms but a sudden noise from the back of the carriage snapped me out of my dream.

I watched wide-eyed as a boy around my age in dirty and ragged clothes with auburn brown hair and large bright azure eyes stood before me.

I opened my eyes, looking at the not-so-familiar ceiling of my room in the castle of Agrona, the head of a clan of actual deities. I tried to stand up, getting off my bed but fell right back onto it as I felt a sharp pain in my head. I tried to recall the dream I just had but was unable to recall the faces of anyone in it. "like usual", I mumbled, "Who was that boy? Did he kill those kidnappers? Alone? Are kids here that strong?"

I have been getting these dreams and headaches since I came to this world. The dreams were always very detailed, the trees, the soil, the moon, the smell of food, the sound of the waterfall, and the feeling of breeze whispering in my ears everything was so vivid that it felt like...like a vision... As if someone was showing me these memories.

I shook my head, trying to get all those thoughts out of my head. Nico and Agrona always warned me to never let these thoughts engulf me as my mind is still vulnerable and straining it will only worsen my condition, but somehow it doesn't feel right.

I walked towards the balcony where a cold breeze welcomed me. I looked down at the city where people were already rushing for their duties, busy in their own world, "world...huh?" "How many of them would get a second chance to live, in another world?" I asked myself. I looked up at the bright blue sky which looked the same as the sky back at Earth. Never thought I will look up at the sky thinking something like this, I smiled as I felt lost in this new world where people can control several elements, producing fire to light up a dark room, drinking water through the surroundings using mana. Where fascinating creatures called mana beasts existed which came in different sizes and shapes. There is are lots of wondrous things in this world.

I leaned against the black railing surrounding the balcony and tried to recall the memories of my previous life at Earth, which were still fuzzy. I used to live in an orphanage, there were many children but I used to keep my distance from everyone, not even speaking a single word.

I don't seem to remember the faces of any children from the orphanage, their facial features are not clear and it's not just their faces but I can't seem to recall the face of anyone whom I might have seen throughout my life. Only Nico's face has always been clear, Nico being there for me from the start, even when I was—or am—a pariah. He was the only one who used to acknowledge my existence, the other children at the orphanage used to act as if I do not exist. This might be my own childish imagination but it is true that I was comfortable with Nico, after all, he has saved my life in several instances. But why is Nico the only one I can remember? Headmaster Wilbeck was there too but I can't seem to clearly remember her face...Why? Why only Nico?

"Maybe it's because Nico was also reincarnated into this world", I reasoned.

Despite all this I just can't seem to get along with Nico, he is supposed to be my oldest and the only friend I know in this world but I don't like being in his proximity. I feel an ominous aura coming from him all the time as his alien eyes are filled with malice for...everything, the people, the Vritras, these mountains, this air, these rivers, these beasts, these plants, this world everything. He is not Nico. Maybe that's why a strong feeling near my mana core, where my ki center used to be, seems to oppose Nico from touching me with all its might.

A knock on the door startled me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I collected myself and opened my mouth to speak when a voice said from the other side of the door, "Cecilia, it's me, Nico. Agrona asked me to bring you for your body stabilization session".