Somehow, I found myself alone in the darkness.

I could no longer remember how long had I been lying on the stone floor, which was cold and wet thanks to being drenched in water. I would like to take a look, but found myself unable to. My eyes didn’t seem to work, they could barely catch glimpses at the darkness surrounding me. Even if my eyesight returned, there was simply no source of light to see what’s ahead.

However, I was rather thankful to be able to regain my ability of thought, but that wasn’t a very useful thing to have when I was immobile like a rock, unable to move even a finger. It would be easier if my consciousness didn’t return before I could move my body. It would just fill me with questions and doubt that I could not answer. It wouldn’t be any different than a torture, being in this state.

I didn’t know how long it had been, lying under the cold and wet floor, under the pitch black darkness that shrouded everything in layers of mystery, with only my mind as the only thing that had some sense of activity.

But that didn’t help much. What could I think about? Aside from why was I lying immobile in a place without light, and naked like a newborn baby on the wet stone floor? Would I find my answers if I think hard enough? That was what I told myself to keep me busy in the following moments, but that wasn’t something that bore fruits.

I didn’t know who I was, why was I here, why was I in this state. I didn’t remember, I couldn’t remember. My memory was blank, with nothing noteworthy that I could recollect.

Eventually, I gave up on finding out the answers I wanted, but rather focusing on the things I could remember, or rather, know, to be exact. It wasn’t much, but at least I knew what was light and what was darkness, what was hard and soft, what my body parts could do, and what a newborn baby was like. Just a bit, enough to barely knew how things around me function. I think this was what they call common knowledge, but common for what standard?

I didn’t know of the world around me, or the world that was mine before I found myself in this place. Would my common be the same at their common? Would light still mean light and dark still mean dark? I did not know.

What was waiting ahead of me? Should I just lie here for eternity if I was afraid of what beyond the darkness?

I didn’t know. I didn’t even know what I want…

Someone, please, help…

Save me from this abyss...anyone.

I didn’t want to be alone...by myself forever.

But no one answered my plea. Darkness was my only companion. And I continued lying there, waiting for something to happen.

Every seconds felt like hours, every hours felt like days. This torturous feeling only stopped when I regained a bit of my strength, and was able to lift a finger. Only a simple act of movement, yet I couldn’t describe the joy I felt. Soon, my eyes could see better in the darkness, and I could move a part of my arm. If more time passed, maybe I could finally stand up and walked out of here.

However, that time came sooner that I thought it would.

A flame, burning brightly in the middle of the darkness. A moving flame on top of a wooden stick. A torch, if I remembered it right. Someone holding a torch approached me. From what I could make of the little light, it seemed the one standing before me was a woman. She had long gray hair and a pair of gray eyes, she looked young, yet her demeanor somehow gave off the vibe of an elderly woman instead. The woman in gray robe looked surprised, her eyes opened wide, as if she was looking at something that shouldn’t be here.

“You...how in the the world…? Who did this? How could they break the seal?”

The woman muttered to herself. I could barely understand what she’s saying, but it seemed like she really was surprised. But that didn’t matter, someone had came. There was only one thing for me to do.

I yearned for help.

“So...you are awake...”

Slowly, I pulled my arm toward the woman. But...I could not reach her, my strength failed me. My arm stumbled into the ground, helplessly lying there and unable to move further.

“Ur...ha…”

I yearned. My mouth uttered out incomprehensible words. They almost sounded like the cry of a newborn child. I might not be a child, but I was crying. I didn’t know if it was true, but I felt like I was crying. There were tears flowing from my eyes, from the joy of seeing someone for the first time, after having the pitch black darkness as my only companion.

“H...e…l…p…”

I desperately yearned, and I yearned, and yearned. If I stayed too quiet, she might leave me here again, forever in the dark. I could not imagine how hellish it would be. I didn’t want to be alone again.

Save me, help me, deliver me from this loneliness.

I tried yearning one more time, my arm continued to reach the woman in gray. Yet, my strength once again failed me. I was powerless to do anything…even to save myself.

But, the woman caught my falling arm. The torch got dropped on the stone floor, burning away. However, there was another source of light, it came from the top of the woman’s staff. Unlike the fire, the light it radiated was similar to the light of the sun. A warm and shiny light.

“Can you understand me, child?”

With what little strength I could gather, I nodded.

“If you can understand me, then listen carefully to my words, child. Do you want to get out of here? To return to the outside world and away from this prison? If you want freedom, then from this point onward, you have to listen to my words and obey my teaching. If you don’t, I will leave you here to rot for eternity.”

The woman’s words sounded more like a threat than the comfort I expected from someone who came here to be my savior.

“Forgive me, child, but I can’t let you free if you don’t promise me...”

I didn’t want to be left alone, I didn’t want to rot here. I wanted to see the sunlight and the moonlight. To feel the cold of winter, and the warmth of spring. I had no other choice, but to accept.

I nodded, but the woman didn’t seem to be convinced with a mere nod. That was why, I used up all my strength for a proper sentence.

“I...pro...mise…”

“...Very well. I shall take it upon me as your guardian from this day onward.”

The woman used her hand and caressed my face, like a mother to her daughter. The warmth I received from her hand showed me that this was what it meant to live.

“Do you remember you name, child?”

The woman asked. I shook my head, since I had no memory of who I was prior to all of this.

“Very well then. Your name from now on will be…”

------------------

I wake up from my sleep, with my body drenched in sweat.

I just had a dream, a strange dream, of somewhere unfamiliar, through the eyes of someone I do not know. But there is one thing for sure, I saw Headmaster Nilrem in that dream.

Is it really important? I do not know. Dream is a strange thing, it may be a thing of the past, or a premonition of the future. But I cannot tell whether it is real or not.

However, I do not live in the dimension of dreams. I live in my reality, no matter how absurd it currently is, but I can’t escape from that reality.

Which is why my eyes are now focusing on the things ahead, namely, the ceiling above.

An old ceiling, not exactly ancient, but certainly is rusty. There are crystals with artificial light stored inside, but they are scarce, only enough to shine the way to get around the room, not enough to lighten the whole place as if it is daylight. But judging from the sound around, I have already figured out what is this place.

The moaning of pain, the cry of the wounded, the rapid footsteps of busy doctors and nurses. I have been to this place once when I delivered the newly made medicines for them.

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This place is a makeshift hospital, hosted at the castle’s storage room. It’s not a very big place, especially with all the food and material crates nearby, but still big enough to house a small legion of wounded men.

Those are enough to know why am I here. Not as a medicine delivery boy, but as one of the wounded.

I try moving my body to no avail. The pain coming from my chest is too much for me to handle, it paralyzes all of my body parts, enough to stop me from moving. I can barely move the white blanket covering my torso. Right now, I’m useless. I just hope that I can recover from this sort of wound. If I happen to lead the life of a cripple afterward, maybe they shouldn’t saved me from my death at Origen’s hands to begin with.

But, now that I think about it, how did I even survive a wound like that? And who saved me and carried me to this place?

“Oh. You are awake, I see.”

A voice comes from somewhere nearby. Since I can’t move my head, I can’t see who’s the owner of that voice, but he soon approaches me instead.

“We meet again, young cadet.”

That eerie yet cheerful voice belongs to a talking skeleton, who’s wearing something that resembles nomadic clothing. I remember him, he is the owner of this school’s general shop. I...don’t know his name, so let’s call him Shopkeeper for the time being. But if he’s here, then that means…

“WOF! WOF!”

That dog is here as well! And it is lunging at me, crushing my bones under its weight while poisoning me on the face with its smelly saliva!

Someone save me before I die for good!

“Not now, Fidus. Now is not playtime for you.”

The skeleton shopkeeper takes the dog off me, but not away from me. It’s still sitting there, waiting for another chance to strike. I know it will…I know it!

“He’s just happy that you woke up. He found you while you were on the brink of death, after all.”

I fall silent for a moment, like what they always say, a cat got my tongue.

“We were going back to our shop to fetch several things we forgot, and then this fella here just ran off away to somewhere when we were done. As I followed Fidus, I found you, dying, as you got carried on the back of a heavily wounded soldier. I brought you to the doctors, and they saved your life after an operation.”

“I see…”

I try nodding, but I’m still too weak to do anything aside from moving my mouth to talk. However, that story still amazes the hell out of me. Surely, dogs are no friends of mine, but I don’t mind being saved by one. My world doesn’t lack tales of heroic dogs like him, but it’s too bad that his tale won’t appear on Earth.

Come to think of it…

“You said of a wounded soldier...Do you know where he is?”

Or did he…

“I’m not dead yet, if you’re asking.”

I hear his voice, Lapidoth’s voice. It’s still the same irritating voice of a prick, but a part of me is glad that he made it through the battle.

“Or would you be glad if I did die before you?”

He’s still kind of a dick, though.

“Mister Lapidoth.”

Soon, the soldier approaches the skeleton shopkeeper. His right arm is still covered in bandages, but right now it is supported by a cast as well. His armor and helmet is a bit dirtied with blood from his earlier battle, but that doesn’t seem to stop him from being an asshole, mostly to me.

“How’s your information gathering? Did you find anything noteworthy?”

The shopkeeper asks. Seems like they have exchanged greetings when I was still under treatment.

“A bit, but not all are good. The influx of wounded soldiers had stopped, the dead had outnumbered the wounded. The guys outside can no longer afford to waste manpower for taking wounded soldiers inside for treatment. But, a quick thrust in the heart does wonders.”

“I see…”

The skeleton shopkeepers mutters as he hear the grim news from Lapidoth.

“There are other things that I learned, but those informations are for this foolish kid only.”

“Got it, then I won’t bother both of you. Thank you, mister Lapidoth.”

The shopkeeps nods.

“Come, Fidus. We still have jobs to do.”

The dog barks. However, rather than following its master, it lunges at Lapidoth instead and hugs him. Yet, the man laughs and happily pets the dog’s head, which makes the dog very happy.

“Ha ha. You’re too heavy, big boy. Maybe you should consider a diet.”

I know I literally just met him yesterday, but this is the first time I hear him laugh without being ironic about it. It’s...strangely comforting.

“That’s nice. Fidus is usually shy in front of strangers.”

The shopkeeper speaks, accompanied by the dog’s bark as if he’s trying to confirm its master’s words.

“He’s right, you know? You shouldn’t get too familiar with strangers. Now go back to your master, before you kill me with your weight!”

The dog barks, and surprisingly, it listens to Lapidoth’s words. Soon, both the dog and its master return their own task, leaving me and Lapidoth on our own.

“Poor guy, he’s helping out in a war that isn’t his. They worked him to the bone and made him help tend the wounded in this place. But he accepted that task with a smile, and helped out anyway. Can the same be said to you, who didn’t run away despite being especially told to?”

“...”

Now I wish that the shopkeeper and his dog didn’t go away. The more I spend more time near this soldier, the more irritating it becomes. Why does he keep coming back to me anyway?

“You were lucky to miss this place at its worst moment.”

The guy suddenly sits near the place I am lying and continues his story.

“You didn’t suffer, because you were near dead when you were brought here. You even lacked the strength to moan from pain. But these soldiers here? They didn’t have the luxury you got. They still have the strength to scream when their arms or legs got amputated. Healing magic could only do so much when they were still fighting even when wounded before being brought here. Can you understand that? Of course you can’t, you were too busy dying to even feel pain.”

Lapidoth monologues, as if he doesn’t care if I would answer him or not.

“But, the thing is, you didn’t die. You miraculously survived an operation with a low chance of success, as they mended a wound too grave it would kill a normal man in minutes . You miraculously woke up, just after severals hours post-operation. Was that a normal thing? It certainly wasn’t.”

“So? What’s your point?”

I ask. I don’t want to hear lectures from him, especially after being revived to life, just like what he said.

“...I am saying that you are blessed, kid. You are protected by some sort of...invisible guardian. Like fate itself is keeping you alive, you know that?”

“It sure is nice, being blessed like that. It means I can throw myself at fights without a fear of death. Isn’t that a good thing?”

*SMACK*

Suddenly, I get punched by Lapidoth in the face, who’s still wearing his iron gauntlet. It hurts, it hurts a lot, and leaves me with a bloodied mouth, but I lack the strength to even moan right now. All I can do is to keep the pain in my head, and silently groan from the pain.

“Before you passed out, do you remember anything?”

As I try to say something, Lapidoth takes over, and continues anyway.

“In case you don’t remember, I’ll spell it out for you: Before Origen delivered the killing strike, someone showed up, pushed him out of the way and ordered me to get you to safety as he stayed and fought Origen.”

I can remember glimpses of that happening.

“That someone was Bjarni Lodbrok, your homeroom teacher and the Head of the War Arts.”

Right, I can remember his bulky figure before I passed out. So he saved my ass once again...I should thank him the next time we meet.

“Bjarni Lodbrok...is dead.”