Kynn's intrigue is peaked.

"You want to duel?"

"Yes, are you willing to?"

Korlin is dead serious.

"Hm..." Kynn turns back to Sirius. "Is he strong?"

Seeing the determination in Korlin's eyes, Sirius gives his answer.

"Well, he's about the same as me I would guess. He did tackle a flaming dog once though, so he might be a bit stronger."

"A dog?"

"Uh... it had six legs, a snoot, some white horns."

"Ah, a charhound? He tackled one... hm." Kynn slams his sword down into the ground. Holding the wooden hilt, he chuckles to himself. "Very well! I will take you on!"

"Alright!" Korlin grins in the same way Kynn does.

Sirius shuffles over to his human companion and hands him the practice sword.

"You got this."

"Mm, I got this," Korlin is overflowing with confidence. The thought of losing doesn't even cross his mind.

Sirius leans against the house beside Pholy.

"He tackled a charhound?" she asks.

"Yeah, back on our first day he stopped a rampant one and got it back to its owner. I'm surprised he didn't tell you about it."

"Hm," Pholy seems to be slightly impressed by Korlin's deed. Not that she outwardly shows it well. "He's not really one to talk about his past."

"...I guess you're right."

Apart from a couple of instances, the only mentions of Korlin's past come from his love for magic. What is his past exactly?

...Do I really care to know?

Korlin's footsteps crunch the snow as he gets into position.

The distance between them and the look on Kynn's face is exactly like how when Sirius fought him. Only this time, he has a sword.

Kynn told Sirius he was much better with a sword than hand-to-hand combat.

-Does Korlin even have a chance?

Kynn wiggles and stretches in place.

"Are you ready?" The boy is amped for battle. After just getting healed, he's ready to throw himself right back into battle.

"Yeah," Korlin loosens his shoulders. Despite knowing nothing of swords, the boy has absolute faith in himself to win.

Swords in hand, the two boys lock eyes.

With the snow falling around them, and a simple nod from Kynn...

Their duel begins.

They explode out of place, kicking stray snow behind them.

Maybe it is just the perspective, but Sirius notices...

-Kynn is way faster...

The two boys approach each other and with the distance closing, Korlin takes the first swing. He swings the wooden sword toward Kynn's side. Almost instantly, Kynn smacks his sword into Korlin's attack.

With the attack deflected, Korlin is left staggered a moment. Taking advantage of this, Kynn swipes diagonally at the boy's face.

Korlin barely manages to place his sword in between his face and Kynn's blade.

With a massive smile on his face, Kynn drags his sword across Korlin's. As soon as the blades lose contact, Kynn swipes at Korlin's hand.

The impact causes Korlin to lose his grip. The sword drops from his hands.

The look on the boy's face drops into the depths of despair.

With no way to defend himself, Kynn twirls around...

And slams the flat side of his blade into Korlin's skull.

The fight didn't even last thirty seconds.

Despite his confidence, Korlin's defeat is absolute.

The boy lies unconscious in the snow. Kynn's wooden blade bruised the area around Korlin's right eye. Small drops of blood stain the snow red.

Despite witnessing all of it, and now standing above him, Sirius doesn't feel the slightest bit worried for the boy. In fact, he slightly expected it to end this way.

"Um," Kynn's eyes are wide. "Do you think I hit him too hard?"

"Maybe a little bit."

"Why did he even try?" Pholy asks. Her hands caress the bruise on the boy's face. She is the most worried of the three.

Suddenly, Pholy lights her fingertips on fire.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to cauterize his wound."

"Ah..."

Just as she said, Pholy burns the source of the bleeding. Her pink flames scorch the blood and the weak skin folds over.

Unfortunately for Korlin, the burning of flesh doesn't feel too pleasant. The sensation instantly makes him wake up.

"AHHHH!! WHAT THE HELL?!"

The boy shoots up into a seated position and grabs the side of his face. Frantically searching for a way to numb the pain, he drives his face into the surrounding snow.

"Ah... that feels better..."

"Are you done whining?" Pholy asks.

Korlin rolls over to face the three, keeping his face shoved in the snow.

"What was that for??"

"I was cauterizing your wound, calm down."

"Did you have to make it so painful?"

"So sorry, I'll use cold fire next time."

"You can do that?!"

"...No."

"...Boo..."

Kynn clears his throat to interrupt them.

"Are you alright? Sorry, I didn't think it'd knock you out."

Upon seeing Kynn's face, Korlin is awash with feelings of inferiority. His mood sinks completely.

"Yeah, I'm alright..."

"No hard feelings, yeah?"

"Yeah..."

Kynn smiles and extends his hand to the boy.

Korlin releases his head from the soothing snow and hesitantly grabs Kynn's hand. Kynn hoists the boy up and pats him on the shoulder.

"It was a good effort! You managed to deflect an attack of mine! I'm the best warrior in this outpost, you should be proud. You just need to train a little more and I'm sure you could surpass me easily!"

"...Yeah. Thanks."

Kynn's kind words don't seem to affect Korlin in any way.

Korlin is almost... empty.

"You go get yourself cleaned up, alright? Sirius, do you mind coming with me inside?"

"Oh, sure."

Kynn grins and Pholy promptly grabs Korlin's wrist.

"Come on, let's go..."

She starts dragging him towards the shed.

"Ok..."

⧗⧖⧗⧖⧗

"You don't want to practice anymore?"

"Nah, I feel a little bad for what I did to your friend."

-Friend...

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Am I finally getting that date?"

"You're into home dates, huh?"

"Ha, I don't know. I've never been on one."

"Hm, I figured you were popular with the ladies."

"Me?" Sirius can't believe what he's hearing. "Never in my dreams."

"You need to have a little more confidence in yourself."

"..."

Kynn brings Sirius to the front door of his house and opens the door.

"Try not to be too loud, okay?"

Inside the home has a cozy cabin aesthetic. A crackling brick fireplace is surrounded by fluffy chairs and a shaggy rug. A small kitchen sits behind a short staircase leading to a bathroom and a singular bedroom. A hallway to the right leads to two more bedrooms.

It's a simple and humble abode. There are no windows, so the only light comes from the fireplace and a few scattered candles. It smells like freshly cut wood.

"This is cute," Sirius mutters.

"Mhm, my mom built this whole place."

"Is your mom here?"

"Mm, she's upstairs. Do you want to meet her?"

"Oh- no, that's fine I was just wondering."

"Ah come on," Kynn grabs Sirius' wrist and drags him up the stairs. "Just don't talk too loudly. She's a bit fragile right now."

Kynn releases Sirius' hand and carefully approaches a closed door. He taps his knuckles against the door, "I'm coming in." His voice is soft and gentle.

He grabs the doorknob and delicately pushes it open. As the door creaks, it reveals the inside of the room.

Antiques, trinkets, and children's drawings litter the shelves and furniture. The room is dark, but there is an overwhelming sense of warmth coming from it. In the back corner sits a floral-printed bed with an aged woman underneath the sheets.

Kynn steps into the room, muffling his footsteps so as to not alarm the resting woman.

"I'm back, mom. I brought someone with me."

"Hello," Sirius whispers.

Kynn gets to his mother's bedside and sits down on his knees. Sirius stands off in the center of the room, unsure of what to do.

"Are you feeling better?" Kynn sets the back of his hand against her wrinkled forehead. "Hm, you're cold."

His mom shuffles in place and turns to face her son. An empty look lies in her eyes.

She grabs Kynn's hand and a meek smile forms on her face.

"Alpin..."

"No, mom. It's me, Kynn. Your son."

A tender expression makes up Kynn's face. This must happen a lot.

"Kynn..."

After saying his name, her consciousness fades and she drifts into slumber once again.

...

"I love you, mom."

Kynn leans over and kisses her forehead.

He feebly stands up and motions Sirius to follow him out the door.

They leave the dark room and close the door behind them. Leaving the suffocating sadness behind them.

"..."

"..."

Sirius and Kynn sit on the chairs beside the fireplace.

They both stare into the flames, letting their eyes burn along with their thoughts.

"Are you curious about her?"

"...Oh, a little bit, I guess."

Kynn chuckles to himself and rubs his eyelids.

"She's been that way for two years."

"Two years..."

"The healers say it's due to her age. She had me late in her lifetime, so I always figured one day something like this would happen... but it's still hard to accept. Even after all this time."

"...Is your father around?"

"No, I never even met the guy. But apparently, I look just like him."

"..."

"I still don't think she's over him, which pains me a little. But, you know, if he gave her that much happiness... I guess he wasn't too bad."

"You don't hate him or anything?"

"I try not to hate people. It's not like I know him or anything, so I can't really give an opinion on him. Even if I did find him, I doubt I'd care all that much."

"...You're view of people is really nice. I usually try to pick up on cues to try and find what type of person someone is. Then my opinion of them just kind of follows from there..."

Kynn chuckles to himself.

"...Sometimes, people just are, you know?"

"Meaning?"

"If you try to analyze every little thing someone does, it'll drive you mad. Not every little thing has a purpose or reason behind it. People are impulsive and reactionary. They do things without meaning to or realizing the consequences. Take me for example, I take life as it is in the moment. I get sad for no particular reason, and I let myself be sad."

Sirius laughs at himself.

"That must be nice... I feel bad whenever I get sad."

"How come?"

"My problems aren't worth getting sad over. Other people have it way worse than me, you know? On paper my life should be a good one, I don't really have a reason to be sad."

"You don't need a depressing backstory to be sad."

"..."

"Just because other people have problems, that doesn't mean yours are invalidated. Everyone deserves to feel."

"I guess you're right..."

"See?" He elbows Sirius. "You get it. People are blank slates. It's the moment that paints their emotions. You might feel angry or jealous, and that's alright. You're supposed to. Even if it feels wrong, what can you do? One day you might look back and realize you were stupid, or maybe you'll learn something from it. It depends on the person in the moment, I suppose..."

"Hm, what are you trying to say exactly? Act on my emotions?"

"Mm... maybe?"

"You don't even know?!" Sirius laughs.

"I just made that up in the moment!"

They chuckle amongst themselves.

Kynn leans over and extends his arm underneath his seat.

He pulls out a light, acoustic guitar.

"A guitar? I didn't think those were in this world."

"Hm? You play?"

"I dabbled in a bit of electric guitar... But I didn't make much progress and stopped."

"Electric...?"

"Just something from my old world."

"Hm," Kynn adjusts the guitar's tuning pegs. "I believe this was my father's guitar. It's the only thing he left behind. I guess I have this to thank him for too... My mom loves to hear me play."

"You really love your mom, huh?"

"Of course. She's my favorite person. Were you not close with your mom?" Kynn begins playing a simple song.

"...No, not really. I've never really been close with anyone before. My mom would always try and talk to me, but I always just pushed her away..."

"..."

"But she's the only person who has said they love me. I'm grateful to her for that... but, when I really think about it... That was just obligatory, wasn't it? She's my parent, she has to say that. I mean, we rarely ever spoke."

"Sirius..."

"Even so, I don't want to forget her. Even if her love was fabricated, what kind of son would I be if I forgot about her?"

"...Sorry, I don't know how to respond to that."

Sirius gives a weak smile.

"That's alright, I'm just rambling..."

"Are you not close with your friends?"

"Who?"

"Your friends out there. What were their names...? Uh, Korlin. The ember and the lumalin."

"Oh... I wouldn't exactly call them friends."

"...Really? You seemed to talk like you were."

"We haven't even known each other a month. I don't know anything about them."

"You don't need to know someone to be friends."

"...Mm, besides, I don't know how to be someone's friend. And I doubt they'd want to be friends with someone like me."

Kynn stops playing his guitar.

"...I think you're downplaying your own worth, Sirius. I'm sure plenty of people would want to be friends with you. You're an interesting guy."

"...I'm just stumbling through this life. There's nothing interesting about me... I'm trying to get my memories back without even knowing why... I don't know what I'm doing..."

The fire's dim glow fades. Embers rise and the charred wood crumbles to ash.

"Looks like the fire is out..." Kynn stares at Sirius. He's gazing into the charred abyss. "Would you mind getting some more firewood?"

"Oh, sure. Where's it at?"

"It's back near the king's quarters. There's a large gate that should open up and have some spare."

"Okay, I'll go grab it."

Sirius stands up and strolls over to the door.

"Mm, thanks."

Sirius steps through the doorway and shivers.

-It's cold...

The door closes and Kynn is left in the dark, candlelit home.

Thinking he's alone, he lets out a groan and stretches.

creak

A floorboard from down the hall.

"...Is someone there?"

"Oh... sorry."

From the darkness emerges a girl.

A girl with teal hair and gradient eyes.

"Oh, I forgot you were here... did you..."

"Sorry, I'm going to head out and meet with Pholy."

Aureole walks over to the door and steps out into the frigid air.

...

⧗⧖⧗⧖⧗

Korlin sits on the edge of his bed.

His head is placed in his palms.

The shed's door slides open.

"Pholy, do you have a minute?"

Aureole enters. Her voice is strained.

"Sorry," Korlin lifts his head and gives her a smile. "It's just me. Pholy left to go grab something a little bit ago."

"Oh, okay... What happened to you?"

"Oh, I just overestimated my abilities. Nothing too serious."

"Alright..."

Korlin spots something in her hand.

"Is that Sirius' watch?"

"Hm?" She looks down, forgetting she had it in her palm. "Oh, mm, he gave it to me before he fought with Kynn."

"Huh..."

Aureole walks over to Korlin. She looks at the timer on the back.

"Is your countdown similar, Korlin?"

"Oh," Korlin digs through his pocket and pulls out his watch. He compares his time with Sirius'.

Sirius: 21449190 seconds remain

Korlin: 21454362 seconds remain

"Yes," Korlin mutters. "It's just a little behind his... Just a little bit... behind..."

"I see..."

Aureole stares at Sirius' watch for a moment. Korlin stares at his own.

"Do you want me to go find Pholy for you?"

"Oh, no that's alright. I was just looking for someone to talk to. But I'm alright now," Aureole gives Korlin a beaming smile.

Korlin gives her back one of the same.

"Alright, see you."

"Mm, see you."

With that, Aureole leaves the shed. Korlin sits alone, placing his head back into his palms.

"Behind..."

⧗⧖⧗⧖⧗

Sirius steps over mounds of soft snow.

He makes his way along the straight path toward the king's quarters. The sky is getting progressively darker.

-Why did I say all of that to him... What was I thinking?

Sirius rubs his eyelids which still sting from staring into the fire.

"Firewood... firewood..."

The quarters come into view and Sirius searches around for a gate.

Sirius walks around the building and stumbles across an encased wooden fence with a lock over it. Jumping to get a higher viewpoint, he spots firewood inside the small space.

-How do I get in there...?

Sirius fiddles with the lock but it needs a key. He contemplates jumping over the fence and throwing the wood out but retracts the thought after seeing the barbed wire.

-Is this even the right place?

Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius spots a small figure peeking around the corner of the building.

It's the same boy he saw during the meeting with the king.

The boy notices Sirius' gaze and scampers out of view.

Sirius doesn't say a word and continues fiddling with the lock.

Sirius scratches his head and looks for any opening in the fence.

"You didn't say anything."

Behind Sirius is the boy, peeking out around the corner again.

"Hm?"

"You saw me and didn't say anything."

The boy's voice is surprisingly deep but timid.

"Mm, I don't want to pry on anyone's business."

Sirius continues checking around the fence.

"...Do you need help?"

"Um, maybe... I don't want to force you or anything."

The boy walks over and pulls out a key from his pocket. Sirius steps aside and the boy shoves a key into the lock. The gate unlocks and the boy pushes open the door.

"Thank you."

Sirius goes in and grabs a reasonable amount of firewood. A little more than enough needed for the fireplace. Sirius turns around and gives the boy a nod before starting to walk off.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"Hm? Usually only when I'm spoken to. Or when it's necessary. I'm not good at talking with other people."

The boy's interest seems to have peaked.

"Do you like talking to other people?"

"...It depends on the person. But usually no. Sometimes it just feels like a chore, you know?"

"Like right now?"

"...No. You seem chill. Talking with you is alright."

"..."

The boy's lips curl up. His eyes light up from behind his messy hair.

"See you."

Sirius shifts the wood in his arms and starts walking away.

The boy watches Sirius as he gets further away. Enamored by Sirius, the boy eyes him until he disappears out of sight.

...

⧗⧖⧗⧖⧗

Sirius gives the firewood to Kynn and night falls on the outpost. Sirius slides into his bed which is surprisingly comfortable. Pholy and Korlin lie in their beds as well.

Hours pass.

Not a single one of them has fallen asleep or uttered a word.

Sirus lies with his face against the wall. Pholy does to the opposite wall. Korlin, figuring they're both asleep, sits up and sighs.

His eyes are heavy.

He grabs the bags beneath his eyes and rubs them.

Pholy, hearing his movements, gets up and faces the boy.

"What are you doing?" Her voice is tired. She swings her feet over the side of the bed to match Korlin's seated position.

"I can't sleep."

"...You've looked tired for a couple of days now. Have you been sleeping?"

"...No. I haven't slept recently."

"How come?"

"...Probably because I'm scared."

"Scared? Of sleeping?" Pholy glares at him.

"Not the act of sleeping itself."

"Then what?"

"...I've been losing memories night after night."

"Really? You haven't said anything."

"It's not that big of a deal... but... I'm scared because I don't know how it will change me."

"..."

"Will I be the same person when I wake? Will I wake up only to find this happiness I've felt was all a dream?" His voice is growing hoarse. "What if one day I open my eyes and I'm waking up in my old bed...? If you and all of this is just a dream..."

Pholy leans over and bonks Korlin on the head.

"Rude."

"Well," Pholy smiles. "It definitely isn't a dream, right?"

Korlin relaxes his shoulders and smiles.

"Thankfully."

Pholy climbs back under her covers.

"Goodnight, Korlin. Get some sleep, please."

"I'll try..."

Korlin goes under his sheets and stares at the ceiling.

"Do you think..." Korlin hesitates. "I can become someone admirable?"

Pholy takes in the question.

"Where did this come from?"

"..."

"I'm sure you can."

"...Thank you, Pholy."

Korlin rolls over and attempts to fall asleep.

Sirius, having heard the whole conversation, closes his eyes as well.

Haunting silence overcomes the shed, as yet another sleepless night passes.