It was early dawn when the group sat around the extinguished embers in silence. Both the girl and Elise were still unconscious from the day before. Gino was tending to his sister with a damp cloth in his hand. He looked over to the others that were sitting in a cluster away from him and frowned slightly.

The morning felt fresh with the cool mist that hung in the air. However, the mood in the air was nothing like the freshness of the morning.

The knights, Yu, and Edward sat facing each other. It was as if a court session was in order.

Yu sat crossed-legged and inhaled sharply. The cold air did nothing to calm himself down. Instead, it helped him sharpen his mind as he observed Cenric's unkempt face.

"Well? Will you tell us who you really are?" The leader of the knights asked with crossed arms. His eyes squinted slightly as he waited for Yu's answer.

The boy shifted his body uncomfortably under the questioning gazes of both Cenric and Greysen as he thought about his answer. Should he tell them the truth? His mind spun. Even if he told them the truth, they might not believe him. He needed allies to support his claim.

Yu glanced over to Edward and caught the older man's attention. The latter nodded with a gentle smile-- an expression unbefitting his sickly appearance.

"You'd better tell us the truth, boy. It's impossible that a simple village kid like you claimed to be could perform those moves. It pains me to say this, but even Cenric and I can’t do what you did," Greysen chimed in with a rather grouchy face.

Cenric remained silent and waited. His finger tapped a few times against his arm before it stopped and gripped his arm abruptly.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice soft yet forceful.

"I…" Yu gulped. "I don't know," came his straight-forward answer. He decided to tell them the truth after all.

"You don't know?" Greysen asked, his voice raised a pitch.

"I can't remember," Yu said through gritted teeth. His eyes looked straight into Cenric's, ignoring Greysen's accusing stares.

Cenric returned Yu's gaze. The taller man looking down on the boy. Cenric was silent as he held the gaze.

"Is that the best excuse you can come up with? Even if you wanted to lie, you should at least come up with a believable story," Greysen scoffed.

"It is the truth." Yu paused and arranged the words in his head. "It was about two weeks ago when Edward and the villagers found me unconscious in the forest. I was injured badly and they nursed me back to health. When I woke up, I realized that I could not remember who I was or any part of my past."

"How's that possible? You simply don't forget everything," Greysen frowned.

Seeing Yu cornered, Edward stepped into the conversation.

"It's possible. When we found him, his injuries were very severe. His head was almost split open. His combined injuries can cause significant damages to his mind."

Greysen shook his head, "So he hit his head and forgets everything? Sounds absurd."

"I agree." The silent Cenric finally spoke.

Yu exhaled. They did not believe him after all. How else can he gain their trust?

Since telling the truth did not work, he decided to shift the conversation into another direction. He had quickly picked up on this trick after conversing with Edward the night before.

"This is the truth but you've chosen not to trust my words. I have laid out the facts. How else can I convince you when the truth does not? Is my true identity that important?"

Hearing this, Cenric smiled.

"I did not say that I didn't trust your little tale. I merely agree that it sounds absurd. If it were someone else, I would have bound you immediately and not have a conversation like this."

"Why not?" Yu asked.

"It's because I trust Edward's words. Also, we know that you don't have evil intentions. We explained that yesterday. Even if you are lying, it should be fine for now," Cenric explained.

"Sword resonance," Yu whispered.

Cenric raised his sword. "Indeed. This blessed sword resonates with those who have wholesome hearts. Despite your brutality, your heart is pure."

Yu grunted. It was another confusing term and a situation that did not make perfect sense.

‘Pure heart? Whatever that means,’ he scoffed internally.

He would deal with the questions later. His gaze went to Edward questioningly. Why did the knight trust the village healer's words?

Cenric followed Yu's gaze.

"I trust Edward because I am quite sure that he was of us-- from the Institution of White Knights. Is my guess right, Mr. Grimlich?" he bowed slightly towards Edward.

Edward coughed weakly and frowned. "You can think whatever you want. "

Yu was amazed. The prideful knight had bowed towards the old unassuming older man dressed in ragged clothes. It seemed the identity as a knight of the Institution was something important. Despite retired, they were still treated with respect.

"So, you believe my circumstances?" Yu asked. He wanted a verbal confirmation from the knight.

"We have no choice but to believe you for now. Sorry, kid. Times are difficult. We need to be cautious about a lot of things. Although, we are curious about yourself. How are you so skillful, yet so young?" Cenric mused aloud.

Yu remained silent. He would want to know the answer to that question as well.

"On a serious note, we need to be extra cautious from now onwards," Cenric added.

"Aren't we already cautious from the beginning?" Greysen asked without thinking.

Cenric sighed. "Didn't you hear them? The boy was severely injured. With his level of skill, his enemy must be a lot stronger than him. And we have yet to meet such a foe."

"Well, that's…" Greysen gaped. "They're probably not in the are anymore."

"We don't know that, do we?" Cenric scowled. Then, after realizing something, he whipped his head back towards Yu.

"… which reminds me… are your injuries and the bizarre ritual somewhat related?"

Yu tensed and his leather choker felt tight against his throat. It was a possibility that he could not deny. The coincidences that surrounded his situation were, unfortunately, uncanny.

"What's next?" Yu asked. He could not stand the intense scrutiny that he was put under since waking up.

Cenric smiled wryly. "The next thing is to get home, to Fort Acker."

*****

The rest of the morning was spent tying up loose ends. They broke camp and went back to the wooden dwelling by the bog.

"It's pointless," Greysen said and kicked away a dead branch.

"We're leaving some food for them. They will at least have a better chance of survival," Cenric argued.

"The food won't last that long, you know that. Besides, their souls are broken. They won't survive anyway."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Both knights stared at each other, unwilling to back down.

"Why not kill them? End their suffering?" Yu said suddenly.

His words were like a hammer striking an anvil in the dead of the night. The knights frowned disapprovingly at his suggestion.

Yu was taken aback. He did not think that his words were any different from Greysen's a few days before. The towering knight had wanted to end his life to prevent his suffering. As he recalled that memory, he stared at Greysen. The words were clear in his head even though the pain had blotted out half of his senses.

Both of the knights grunted uncomfortably under Yu's stare.

Cenric cleared his throat. "I'm leaving some food here. We have more than enough for the journey." He held the bag with their supplies and stepped back into the dreaded room with the people inside.

"It's pointless," Greysen grumbled under his breath.

Yu shuddered as he looked into the dark room. The hanging corpses, were they taken down and buried? The knights and Edward did not mention anything about them. Although curious, he did not have the heart to ask.

He also thought that the actions of the knights were contradictory. They speak of fairness and honor, but oftentimes the lines were so blurred that the knights did not seem to realize it themselves.

He looked around. Just the previous day, it was carnage and blood. One day had not even fully passed but the forest repaired part of the damages. The bodies that they hastily covered with shrubs had almost disappeared under new growing ferns. The forest was truly alive-- its liveliness uncanny.

Next was Lana's burial. The journey was long and they could not bring her body back to the fort to be buried. In the end, the forest was her final resting place. The burial was simple: the knights lowered her body in the ground with her personal belongings. The earth was shoveled back into the ground, covering Lana's entire being-- protecting it from the world above. A simple marker made of wood and some rocks were placed above her grave.

Nobody spoke much during the whole process. When the marker was finally erected, Cenric removed a chain from his neck and hung it over the wooden marker. He knelt in front of the grave with his head bowed. He whispered some words and kissed the marker tenderly. His body heaved and shuddered for a brief moment before he quickly recovered.

It was just like that. There were no grandiose speeches of sacrifice and honor. No heartfelt eulogies from her comrades. Just a quiet, simple gesture from a loved one.

Yu watched on. He felt pity. Lana, after all, was kind and genuinely cared for them. She had also saved his life twice. The second time, however, was her sacrifice for him. In his heart, he wished that he could have done more so that no one would get sacrificed. He dreaded the feeling of helplessness.

'Thank you, Lana. I will not forget your kindness. Goodbye.'

*****

The group walked for half a day after leaving the wooden dwelling of death.

"It's been a long way, isn't it?" Gino turned and grinned at Yu. “I wonder what this Fort Acker looks like. I’ve never been away from the village.

Yu nodded. He held the makeshift stretcher in his hands and trudged along. The sleeping Elise was in it. Her small frame bounced with every step that they took. It was amazing that she could sleep in such a movement.

The journey was slow and cautious because they had to take care of two unconscious people. Also, Cenric took extra care to pick the safest part of their route.

Edward shuffled and stumbled along with the group. His weakened body had affected his ability to travel well. Cenric occasionally swept a worried glance over to Edward and offered to take more breaks. However, the older man declined and insisted that they travel as fast as possible.

"I'm sorry that we can't do more for you," Cenric had said with regret in his voice and glanced over to the children.

It was the look on Cenric's face-- the lightly frowned eyebrows, his lips tightly in a slight grimace, and the minute unwillingness of Cenric to look at the Gino and Elise-- that created unease at the pit of Yu's stomach.

They knew something, Cenric and Edward, yet they chose not to talk about it. It was a tacit understanding between the two that irked Yu. Yet, he knew that it was not the best decision to ask them. They would not admit the truth anyway.

Yu sighed and looked at Edward's back. Foreboding overshadowed his heart as he saw the slightly hunched stature of the man that he relied on for the past few days. The world felt gloomier as he dwelled upon it.

It did not sit right with him. Yet, there was nothing that he could do.

'Why is it always like this? Why am I so… helpless?' he thought with clenched teeth.

His gaze lowered and Elise's peaceful face came into his view. Still thinking about his helplessness, he stared absent-mindedly at Elise before tripping on uneven ground. The sudden erratic movement jolted the stretcher and she slid off the side.

Yu snapped his hand out to stop her fall. Unfortunately, the weight on the stretcher was too much for one hand to handle. It tilted and Elise fell onto the ground. With a surprised grunt, Yu caught Elise with his outstretched hand but the three of them tumbled into each other.

"Ow! What the hell?" Gino rubbed his behind.

"Sorry," Yu mumbled.

"Oh, the beauty caught your attention, eh?" Greysen jibed.

Yu ignored the knight and tried to free his pinned arm. Just then, Elise stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked blearily at him. Yu, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed at her. Their faces were closer than what he was comfortable with.

"Elise! You're awake!" Gino exclaimed.

"Huh?" Elise mumbled. She was confused.

Yu tore his gaze from her and looked at Gino. He signaled with his eyes for help.

Unfortunately for Yu, Gino did not understand his signal and was too occupied with Elise.

"Elise! How are you feeling? Can you hear me?" his questions prattled the half-awaken Elise as he shook her with his hands.

Elise pushed Gino’s hands away. “S-stop shaking me! I’m getting dizzy!”

“Heh, she’s fine alright,” Greysen smirked.

Yu sighed. He looked up helplessly to the sky with his free hand on his head. It seemed that his pinned arm would not be free at any moment.

*****

The rest of the day passed without much incident and they quickly made camp for the night. However, after dinner, Elise approached Yu after a whole day of silence. She sat beside him sheepishly, uncertain of what to say. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.

"What is it?" Yu asked.

"I uhh…" she pursed her lips. "I just want to say that I'm sorry for avoiding you before."

Yu's eyebrows arched a fraction but he remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"I shouldn't have done that. It's just-- I was shocked, you know when you did… did that."

"Did what?"

"When you killed the man."

"Oh."

Elise turned red at her ears. "I didn't know how to face you at the time. You were so scary!"

"Mhmm, I see."

Elise grew flustered at his reaction. "Ah, I mean you're not a scary person! You're just different at that time. But it's okay, you're still Yu!" she explained animatedly.

Yu's expression softened as he watched Elise fumbling with her words. A warm feeling blossomed in his heart.

"I understand," he said softly.

"Huh? Understand? You do?"

Yu nodded. "… and it's okay."

"It's okay? Really?" Elise's eyes rounded.

Yu nodded. The presence of Elise was like a burst of fresh air. Her honesty was refreshing compared to the layers of deceit from the knights.

"Okay! I just want to make sure that you understand that I think that you're not a scary person. I was shocked at the time. I didn't know what to do and how to react. I also hope that you don't think that I'm avoiding you, you know, I just don't know how to look at you because every time I do, I remember that guy… in-in blood. It was really scary. B-but you're not a scary person! You saved my life! Twice! And you're a nice person!"

Elise's eyes shone like stars in the firelight. She beamed. The words that flew out from her mouth were unstoppable like a hurricane that swept Yu's mind into temporary confusion.

"Oh." Yu blinked a few times, his mouth slightly open.

"I'm really glad to have met you!" Elise added.

Yu frowned slightly. He felt strange that Elise thought so highly of him.

'A nice person? Am I, really?'

Yu maintained his silence and turned away from Elise. He stared into the embers while Elise waited for his reply. A sigh escaped Elise's mouth when the silence was prolonged.

Just then, Gino popped his head in between them and cleared his throat.

"What are you two whispering about? Are you bullying my sister, Yu?" he grinned.

"What?" Yu snapped his head towards Gino in confusion.

"Aww, you see, Elise here is almost in tears!" Gino teased and pinched his sister's cheeks.

"Ouch! What are you doing?" Elise cried and slapped Gino's hands away.

"Testing to see if you're still in this world," Gino laughed.

"Why, you!" Elise fumed.

Their short banter was interrupted by Cenric's stern warning.

"Keep it down you three. It's late. Go to sleep."

"Okay," the siblings chimed while Yu simply nodded his head. Elise grimaced and rubbed her cheeks. She looked at Gino and harrumphed.

Gino merely shrugged and gave Yu a knowing glance. The latter kept a poker face and ignored Gino. It was his little revenge for the incident in the afternoon. Besides, Gino accused him.

"What?" Gino mouthed.

Yu shook his head and lied down to sleep. He could not be bothered with Gino's shenanigans.

*****

Days passed and the trek through the forest felt endless. They made steady progress. However, the injured girl was still unconscious and had to be carried by the boys.

Edward's health was deteriorating. He had frequent bouts of breathlessness and was getting weaker by the day. Edward would adamantly refuse help from either of the children but would accept help from the knights. There was nothing much that they could do expect to gather some herbs. They at least provided some relief to Edward's pains.

It was the sixth day since the attack.

"Look!" Gino exclaimed. He pointed towards a clearing beyond the trees. "Is that the prairie?"

"It is," Cenric replied solemnly. "Once we reach the edge of the forest, we should be able to Fort Acker from a distance.

"Oh my god! We've finally arrived!" Gino pumped his fist into the air with gusto.

"Not quite yet. There is still half a day's journey at least after we reach the clearing.

The blonde boy's fist lowered slowly. "Oh… but still!"

"Since we're almost there, I might as well give you this now," Cenric said and he handed a mantle to Yu.

Yu looked at Cenric questioningly.

"Put this on. Your hair attracts too much attention."

"Thanks," Yu obliged and slipped it over his head. It covered his hair and his face was partly hidden in the shadows underneath the mantle.

"Perfect. Let's go." Cenric smiled.

Their steps were lighter and their paces quicker after they realized that they were near the edge of the forest. Each one of them could not wait to leave the forest.

The blazing sun shone on them when they finally stepped out of the forest. They were finally free of the canopy that shielded them from the sun rays. Yu squinted as his eyes adjusted to the sudden change of light.

Then, his eyes grew wide as he saw an impressive fortress in the distance. Its massive dark walls were bluish like faraway mountains. He could faintly see rolling farmlands spread out around the fortress. A long road snaked into his view from the east. People dotted the road-- seemingly crawling along its length.

The children stood agape at this view. Yu brimmed with excitement and hope. Finally, it was time for him to step into a new place.

Cenric's voice floated in, barely registered in their heads. "There it is, my friends-- Fort Acker."