Chapter 1
The consciousness floated in what seemed like liminal space, dimly aware of the endlessly colorful but dark void around it.
It stayed like that for what felt like a second wreathed in eternity. Patiently, it waited for nothing in particular.
After a while, which could have been millennia or a minute, something changed and created a stomach-flipping vertigo. The mind felt like it was falling in every direction excruciating pain exploding in its existence jolting it fully awake.
Bright sparks raced past newly opened eyes, while the gloomy atmosphere around broke into shards. A rush of air swooped in and engulfed the consciousness in its first breath of life. The being had to squint because blinding light caught it unaware.
A surprised shriek and a metallic clatter could be heard, as what sounded like a long piece of metal fell to the ground; then, the noise was followed by another rush of air and a dull, wet thud as the back of the newly existing body’s skull hit rock.
The mind started losing its newly acquired full awareness again, but finally felt at peace without knowing, much less understanding why.
Then the light faded slowly back into a black oblivion.
***
When I opened my eyes and groggily looked around, I was tucked comfortably under a thick blanket in a modest wooden bed in a mostly empty room. All I could see from my current vantage point was a beat-up old cabinet and a dusty nightstand to my left. Long, darkbrown curtains covered the view out of a wide glass window, blocking out most of the bright sunrays directed at it.
I felt a little dizzy, so I closed my eyes and tried rolling my head to loosen my tense shoulders and ease my pounding headache, groaning from the pain.
I noticed then, that my head had been wrapped in rough bandages, due to them scuffing annoyingly on the flat pillow beneath me.
After unsuccessfully trying to ease the pounding, I idly gazed out of the non-drape-covered part of the window for a while wondering what to do and where i was, nervousness slowly making itself known in the silent room, when I heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door to my left.
The doorknob twisted and a woman came stepping into the room backwards holding what seemed to be a tray visible past her arms. She carefully closed the door using her elbow. Then she subsequently turned to face me, swishing her dark green shin-length dress in the process rather elegantly. Her hazel eyes widened in surprise when she noticed me attentively watching her.
She brushed some lose salt and pepper hair out of her face to scrutinize me and mouthed what I assumed to be the exclamation ‘oh’ behind the upheld hand she'd used to free her face of bangs, but caught herself immediately and rushed to my bedside with a curious but also guarded expression. It seemed quite obvious that she hadn’t expected me to be awake yet.
At my side she then, without further ado, began checking the cloth wrapped around my head.
Her fingers began roaming over my head, making sure my bandage was tight and well placed. Once she had reached the back of my skull, I felt a sharp sting at the touch of her fingers.
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Wincing, I tried to move away from her grazing hand to stop the pain. It felt like large needles were being rammed in my head, not fingers lightly touching.
“Stop, please, that hurts!”, I yelped, the words springing to my mind unbidden, and she drew away reluctantly, apology but also a fair bit of determination in her eyes.
Meanwhile I had grown immediately silent at the sound of my own voice. I couldn’t remember when I last had heard it. It was young-ish sounding and rough from lack of use and most likely lack of water.
Even more surprising, I didn’t even know where those words had come from, because I didn’t have any recollection of ever learning or using them. They had just sort of come to me in the heat of the moment.
Not noticing my inner turmoil, the woman smiled after a moment and surprisingly she answered me in the same language I had just used, but in a strange and unfamiliar accent, pronouncing the consonants more forcefully: “I apologize but I had to inspect your injury. It hasn’t healed much and will hurt for a while yet, so just give it some time and don’t aggravate it if possible. I know it hurts when I touch it so I’ll be even more careful next time, but there most likely will have to be many more times that I check on that wound”, she replied warmly if resolutely, “You are lucky though, that we got to you as soon as we did, or you most likely wouldn’t have made it. Keep this in mind for it could have been worse. Much worse.”
I looked up with surprise and possibly a bit of concern written on my face at the indication that I could have died: “Found me? Where am I? What happened?”
Beside me, the nice lady sighed: “Your appearance and accident had us all a bit shocked. I’m sorry but I do not know what actually happened to you. All I can tell you for now is that you hit your head quite badly within the borders of our lands and due to a sudden other occurrence prior, our guards had been patrolling the lands more extensively and thoroughly. Thus, they were lucky enough to find you. The exact circumstances that led to your grievous head wound are unknown to me though. We’ll just have to figure it out later once you’ve healed up, alright? Oh my! I almost forgot! Would you mind telling me your name?”
“Sure.” I retort, “My name is…. uhm …I can’t… I can’t remember...”, lost in thought I lowered my head, then raised it quickly to hide my uncertainty after a twinge in the back of my head pulled me back to reality as well as giving me a momentary spark of insight which I greedily absorbed before it disappeared again, “Wait! I think… my name is… Merio! But I’m not completely sure. Let’s just use that name for now! It’s nice to meet you.”
The woman’s smile reappeared, after having dissolved into a worried frown at the mention of my memory loss.
“It’s nice to meet you too! I’m Toya. Toya Merugh. I live here with my husband Erken. You will meet him once you recover a bit more in hopefully a few days’ time. Given your situation we have decided to take you in for now, so please, feel at home with us and don’t hesitate to come to me with any questions or problems you may have.”
I nodded in acceptance and thanks, and Toya then went on to finish double-checking my injuries.
After that she gave me some enhancing and beneficiary herbs to recuperate at a faster pace and subsequently left the room in order to let me rest.
I looked at the herbs I was given but decided against taking them. The smell was strange, way too sweet with a bit of sourness. In my mind alarm bells went off, a long-forgotten feeling making itself known that this plant specimen was not good for me.
Maybe I’m just overreacting, but that feeling coupled with the unfamiliarity of everything and everyone around me just makes me feel a bit paranoid, I guess.
Even though she seemed very nice and caring I couldn’t know for sure that she wasn’t trying to poison me or had any ulterior motives I wasn’t aware of, and I was already starting to feel better with every passing minute.
Not enough for me to be able to move around yet, but still incrementally increasing my capabilities.
With this reasoning I laid the tray with the herbs on it on the nightstand next to me and turned my back to them.
Wearily I heaved a heavy sigh which caused me to cringe as a headache once more punched through my skull with full force, so I resigned myself to slowly scooting down onto my pillow to rest until I felt strong enough to actually do something other than lay around in this bland and boring room and recuperate.