Chapter 2:Who am I?

Chapter 2: Who am I?

3rd Person POV

The mysterious figure reappeared further inside the forest (away from where he found the boy). Although he had healed the boy's injuries, he had to make haste as the boy was hungry and also probably dehydrated. Even though the mysterious man's abilities were quite powerful, they were not proficient enough to heal even that.

He entered a small cottage found in a clearing next to a stream. Immediately after entry, he placed the boy gently onto a bed in the far corner and started rummaging through a small bag made from animal's hide. He then took out another pouch containing a strange green powder, and poured the contents into a wooden bowl.

Much to his annoyance, in his pursuit of whipping up a potion for the boy, he knocked over the bucket that contained the fresh water! There was no time to go fetch more water—for the boy could die at any moment. His breathing was getting shallow and unsteady.

As the figure placed his hand over the bowl, a soft blue light suddenly gathered right on it. A small stream of water appeared out of thin air and also filled the bowl, and with this he then carefully mixed all the contents together. He made his way to the boy, supported him up, and slowly poured the mixture into the boy's mouth. The boy—who had been too tired to even open his eyes until now-drank every last drop of the potion, thus sending him into a deep slumber.

After checking the boy thoroughly for any injuries he might have missed (and not finding any) the figure sighed in relief. The boy was out of the woods, and all that was left was for his body to revive itself-luckily this wouldn't take long (a few days maximum).

The stranger changed the boy's tattered clothes into something much more comfortable-a simple white robe.

Questions of who the boy was, and how he had survived swam inside the stranger's head as he stared at the boy intently. Since he knew that he would not be able to get the answers to his questions until the boy awoke from his rest, his only choice was to be patient—his answers would come soon enough.

The stranger stood up, left the room (to do his own duties), thus leaving the boy-who looked healthier then when he first saw him.

…

MC POV

I woke up to an unfamiliar scent of herbs, oak wood, and even an unfamiliar ceiling. The room was dimly lit (which made it easier for my eyes to adjust while I sat up slowly). My headache had receded, and my formally weak arms and legs felt lighter.

I scanned my surroundings. I was inside a room built from wood, and I was on a bed which was placed neatly in a corner (to not get in the way). The whole room was made to accommodate only one person. There wasn't much furniture apart from one chair, a small square table, and a bowl and cup—placed neatly to create space for a wooden bucket.

I was about to stand up when I heard footsteps outside. Before I even could react, a silhouette entered the room and froze at the entrance, just staring at me. Not knowing what to do I also stared back, appraising this alien character.

They wore white attire with red and golden embroidery. Their figure could not be discerned under the cloak and hood—this made me even more fearful-they reeked of suspicion. They also seemed to be appraising me! After a few agonizing seconds of eye contact with the creature, a hoarse and manly voice awoke from them.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly—with a tint of worry in his voice.

"F-fine." I replied with a nervous stutter.

My heart was beating rapidly due to fear and my ignorance towards the current situation. He then approached quickly and began examining every inch of my body.

"No headaches, sore muscles or-" before he could finish, I pulled my hand away from his grasp.

"NO!" my reply came out harsher than intended, which shocked the man; who at this point slightly jumped back in fright. To me the man was a stranger, so I had to act defensive— in order to protect myself.

The man seemed to be frozen in thought for a few seconds before he took off his hood to reveal his face. He was a middle-aged man and had wheat colored skin, and short and curly blonde hair and swampy green eyes nestled tenderly in his sockets. His face was engulfed by a scar that ran diagonally across his face; from his left eye down to his chin. He was about 190 centimeters in height.

He put on a gentle smile to ease my tension, and took a few steps backwards to show he meant no harm. I calmed down slightly, but still maintained some vigilance in case he attacked—but I doubt I could ever overpower him in a fight. My body was still slightly fatigued.

"I just want to help you boy, calm yourself." He said slowly, and waited for my reply to his request.

I just nodded meekly. I had just lashed out at someone willing to go as far as to request for consent to help me—I felt bad.

'Maybe I should apologize.' I mused and raised my head to speak to the man—who was already kneeling and checking for any sign of injury on me.

"I'm sorry for my behavior mister, I thought you had ill intentions." I said sincerely. The man then flinched uncomfortably when I apologized.

"Haha…Don't worry about it, anyone in your situation would've reacted the same way you did." He let out a light chuckle and stood up from his kneeling position.

"Do you have a name boy?" the man asked, as he casually made his way towards the only table in the room.

"I-'' As I was about to answer, I froze. The realization dawned on me chillingly.

'I don't remember anything!' I screamed internally. No matter how far back I went, I remembered nothing about myself; not my name, age, or even where the hell I was.

At this point I was panicking. My chest heaved up and down like ocean tides during a rainstorm, my pupils dilated, and my eyes became bloodshot.

As soon as the man realized these changes, he rushed to my side.

"What's the matter boy?! Calm down and breathe slowly!" he said hurriedly as he began to rub my back in circular motions. A warm feeling then quickly arose from my back when he did this, and with that I was finally able to calm down.

"What happened boy?" he asked worriedly. I didn't know how to reply to this. 'Should I just make up some random name, or should I reveal to him that I had absolutely no memory of who I was?' I thought to myself—feeling utterly conflicted.

I took a deep breath and gathered myself. I wanted to lie, and just spout out one of the many names going through my head right now, but I then thought to myself that lying to my savior would obviously lead to a burden of guilt— and unnecessary mistrust which I would eventually need to carry.

"I-I don't have one sir.In fact I have no memories." I spoke as politely as my anxious heart could allow me. The man stopped rubbing my back and let out a light sigh.

"Don't worry; I'm sure your memory will eventually find its way back to you. For now you must eat and rest in order to regain your strength." the man said, which came as a huge comfort for me.

I nodded weakly at his words. I desperately wanted to remember but it seemed to be impossible to force myself to do so. All I could do now was to have hope that my memories would ultimately return.

…To be continued

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