True Loss

(Adam the mage’s POV)

I took a piece of cloth I can find and wrap it around my head. I also took several pieces of cloth from another place to replace my bloodied pants and shirt. Taking people’s property, this is a first for me. But I can’t enter a shop now. Businesses may have gotten news about me, and my public image is so bad, no business would let me walk into their premise. Without taking chances, I resorted to stealing. Without appraising my status, “Thief” is currently engraved in it.

I walk around the dark back alleys, outside the prying eyes of other people, quietly. I can sometimes see poor people, shady people, stray pets, with litters strewn across the alley. It is daytime now, but the sunlight rarely reaches this area, which is good for me. I drag my limping feet as fast as I could.

I lost my sense of time, but based on the shadow casted on the floor, it’s around early noon. I ran and ran, avoiding eye contact with any stranger I met, out of fear that they will turn rowdy and call in a crowd.

After I successfully get out of the capital city, I managed to hitch a ride on a trading carriage (towed with two horses) heading to somewhere near my village. Thankfully, I managed to convince him to allow me a ride in return of providing manpower and protecting the carriage, all without revealing my face. My throat gets a bit better, so I can speak a little, but my voice is hoarse. I sit with my stomach on the floor, to let my sore back recuperate. I refuse to sleep the entire journey, for I fear I will get into trouble once I close my eyes.

During the journey, I try to form all types of plan for my family to escape. My memory of my past life is slowly starting to emerge. I can remember the tall skyscrapers and buildings that will put this kingdom’s castle to shame in terms of height and splendor. I can remember the vehicles that run on four wheels and horseless carts called car. Technology, architecture, science, etc, they are all more magnificent and superior to the society here. I try suppress revealing too much of them in my head, as I can still recall the God’s revelation after I used the forbidden spell Resurrection.

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While thinking about all that, the carriage has reached the edge of my village. I told the carriage owner to stop the carriage, and I alighted from the carriage. I gave me thanks to him, and we bid each other farewell. I move as quickly as possible towards the house my parents and sister live. I have left home for two years and four months after being selected as a hero party’s candidate, and I miss my family. Every day spent training with the army and hero’s party seemed like a lie to me.

When I reached the front of my house, it is already late evening, and the sun has almost set. I saw two large bonfires with smoke billowing from the back of my house. My heart race quickly, thinking the worst can happen. I run to the back of the house, which has a large garden. All the people were gathering there watched fixatedly while cursing out at the two stakes burning like a bonfire with many wood stacked at below. They are too concentrated at the bonfire, and didn’t notice my presence.

Two teardrops fell from my eyes. I couldn’t control myself, as I keep getting between blaming myself or to kill this entire goddamned kingdom. I am hidden by the house wall currently. I wept silent tears, thinking of what to do now. If they discover me, I would probably join with my parents soon. Maybe I can try wiping them out with my magic, I don’t care anymore even though they are once my neighbour, because they burned my parents to death. This may be acceptable, but I cannot leave without finding out my sister first.

I slowly crept into my house through the front door. The house looks like it’s broken in, with the slot plank used to lock the door broken inwards. The tables and chairs were scattered, leaves and hay strewn all over the floor. I remember picking those leaves and dried them to be sold to a trader that comes to our village during my youth to supplement the income. My old bookshelf filled with magic tomes, now with most missing and some of them with their pages torn and thrown on the floor, the shelf itself laid broken near the kitchen. The kitchen utensils were misplaced, and the food missing. I can see some traces of blood here and there, may be signs of a struggle. But the most important thing is that my sister is missing.

While feeling distraught at the condition in the house, I heard the sound of a footstep outside of the door. I quickly hide behind the door, and patiently wait for the intruder to enter the house. I must quickly and quietly dispose of them if I want to stay alive. I saw a shadow casted on the floor. If I still am a mage, I could easily dispose of intruders like this with my elemental bullets from my fingertip (with bits of fingernails as the invocation cost), but now when I tried to cast a spell, nothing comes from it.

The shadow steps into the house, and I quickly perform a chokehold on the neck, while dragging the intruder into a dark room. I squeeze my arm hard to wring the life out of this intruder, and my hand close the mouth to prevent it from shouting aloud. I can feel the long hair I remembered brushing against my face, so I slowly take a look the intruder’s face from the side. Yeah, she’s my sister’s friend who lives in the neighbourhood.