The sound of people walking and yelling downstairs was something common for Clark, but on days like this, he always got double annoyed.

“Seriously, what's up with these people? As if it wasn't enough with the nobles looking down on us, now a bunch of mercenaries shows up wanting a last-minute room?”

The guy complains while walking alongside Alina.

“Chill Clark, it's like this every year, you know.”

The girl says with a tired smile.

“Yeah, but this year, we have a lot to worry about.

They stop in front of the room, Alina agrees with Clark, but before opening the door, she turns to him.

“Still, no use getting all worked up; let's start by checking on him.”

The pair opens the door slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Upon opening the door, they find the guy sitting on the bed, near the window, observing the jade crystal on his black staff.

The guy turns his face to the group, his expression clearly showing confusion. He spends a few seconds looking at the duo; after that, he puts his left hand on his head and closes his eyes for a moment.

“Uh... I…”

He starts speaking with a soft voice that seemed to follow along with the wind.

“Where am I? And... What's my name?”

Alina and Clark look at each other and smile, closing the door and walking into the room.

“I'm Alina, and this is Clark; we found you in a cave.”

The guy raises an eyebrow, puzzled by what the girl says, and looks back at the crystal.

“This feels familiar... but I can't remember anything.”

Clark looks at the desk where a water jug and a glass had been placed.

“Let's take it slow; what do you remember?”

Alina asks while Clark walks to the desk, pours water into the glass, and goes to the guy.

He accepts the water with a nod and looks at his reflection in the water. He observes for a few seconds and drinks the water.

“I remember a village... then a castle, and…”

He pauses for a second, lowering his head and closing his eyes; finally, he sighs.

“ Nothing, I can't even remember my name.”

“Zefiro, at least that's what Secilia said.”

Olyver says, appearing at the door with a sack and a bow; the three are startled by the sudden appearance.

Zefiro looks at the guy and murmurs his own name; he looks away to the jade, which glows faintly.

“But tell me, how did you do that? Destroying that creature was insane; it would take the power of a 4th Circle knight to face it or a 6th Circle mage to make it vanish like that.”

Olyver says, entering the room and closing the door again.

“Creature? I don't…”

Zefiro stops talking in the middle of the sentence, having a glimpse of Secilia, making his eyes widen.

“What was it?”

Alina asks, lowering her head a bit to face the guy.

“Secilia... is the girl with black hair? I... remember hearing a whisper, I saw her, and then I woke up here.”

Olyver walks to the desk and leans against it, observing the staff.

“ Secilia will be busy until noon; the duke is going to perform the festival's opening ceremony. I heard him tell Rosaria that he would allow her to bring Secilia here, but it seems he's not very happy about this escapade. It looks like her father will accompany Secilia as well.”

Olyver finishes the sentence, looking at Alina with a mocking expression on his face. Alina shows clear concern; after all, her father is the city guard captain.

“ This time, Secilia got into real trouble. It surprises me that the Duke allowed her to come here.”

Clark questions and then looks at Zefiro.

“ Since we have the whole day free, what do you think about exploring the city?”

Alina agrees with Clark.

“Maybe Al knows something about Zefiro; after all, who else knows the story of Riou like "The Librarian"?”

Alina makes air quotes, and everyone laughs, but Zefiro furrows his brow and turns his head to the side, not understanding.

In an instant, a flash passes through his mind, a group of 4 people laughing around a bar table: A woman with white hair and a blue dress with a silver crown, a soldier in a kimono with metal shoulder pads, a woman with brown hair and a yellow dress, and a man with red hair in a green tunic and a black cape. The flash disappears, and he looks back at the people, still confused.

"Who were they...?"

“It's nothing, what do we think about going now?”

Clark smiles, not realizing the confusion of the guy, putting his hand on Zefiro's shoulder, who nods, using the staff for support, and stands up.

“I think it's better to change these clothes first; they're pretty beaten up.”

Observes Alina, although they were traveler's clothes, they seemed pretty worn out.

"Take these, I left some hunter clothes ready."

Olyver says, putting his bag on the floor and taking out a set of clothes, placing it on the bed.

"When you're done, go down the stairs to the left of the hallway."

Alina says while pulling her two friends towards the door.

After being alone in the room, Zephyr looks at the clothes and releases his staff. He moves to pick up the clothes when he realizes that he left the staff without support. He turns impulsively to grab the staff, but it stands upright.

"All right, so my name is Zephyr, and I killed a strange creature with this?"

Zephyr looks at the clothes and changes while thinking about what he remembers.

"I can remember a village near a forest... A castle with high white walls and a red flag with a symbol of... a black crown with crystals?"

He thinks, finishing dressing in simple hunter attire: a white shirt, a green leather jacket, green pants, and brown leather boots.

"I remember a snake necklace... but I don't see it on the clothes. Did I lose it at some point?"

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He sighs, walking toward the door, grabbing the staff, and heading outside.

The main hall of the tavern is crowded as soon Zephyr reaches the last step. In the room, various mercenaries had been drinking since early morning, some just gathered with maps and scrolls on the tables, and two girls passed through the tables taking orders and delivering them.

"You came ! Come get something to eat before you go.”

Zephyr turns to the side when he hears Clark's voice and opens a slight smile, walking to the counter where a simple breakfast was on the table.

"When you're done, Alina will take you to meet the librarian."

Clark says while pouring a glass of water for Zephyr, Alina appears sitting on a stool next to the guy.

"Why are there so many people here so early?"

The guy asks before starting to eat.

"It's a festival, Kromblade. Starts tomorrow, and people start drinking a day early."

The girl explains.

"But as it is a festival with a tournament, several mercenaries gather here to gain rewards and even renown with the nobles and because this is the 500th festival a large tournament has been scheduled, the reward is quite large, even if you just qualify for the keys, the duke will explain more in the presentation.”

Clark explains, drinking from a wooden mug.

"Tournament and recognition... it seems people like money."

Zephyr says, finishing his meal and looking around.

"And the maps? Is there any lost treasure?"

Alina opens a smile upon hearing Zephyr's question.

"Somewhat like this, I'll explain it better at the librarian."

The girl gets up first, and Zephyr shortly after that. They both say goodbye to Clark with a wave and head outside.

Just like inside the tavern, the streets are also crowded. Merchants with small wooden stalls and groups of mercenaries with paper cards in their hands about 10 meters from the duo. Zephyr stares at them for a moment before Alina notices.

"It's not polite to stare at people. What caught your attention?"

She asks, looking in the same direction the guy was looking.

“ Any creatures around? And what's a Nothic?”

Alina squinting her eyes and stares at the guy when she hears his question.

“You can read that from this distance?”

Zephyr looks at the girl, nodding in agreement; even he seemed surprised by it.

“What else can I do?”

Alina shakes her head negatively and points in a direction for Zephyr, then continues walking.

After a bit, the duo arrives at a building on one of the side streets of the city, a place with perfectly fitted stones with a staircase leading to a double door.

“ Is this the library? Looks more like a temple…”

Zephyr observes, furrowing his brow and tilting his head. Alina laughs.

“ What's up?”

Alina shakes her head and goes up the steps.

“When the city was founded, it wasn't too big. This used to be the first temple, but then the orphanage sector was created, the temple was moved there, so this building has been used as a library since then.”

Alina continues explaining as Zephyr follows her.

“You know a lot about local history.”

The guy watches as they enter the library, a place with 3 floors filled with books.

“ She likes to read, and new books are expensive.”

Says an old man with white beard wearing a blue shirt and brown vest.

“Pleasure, my name is Alastair Falk. Are you a mercenary?”

Alastair extends his hand to Zephyr with a friendly smile on his face. Zephyr responds by shaking the man's hand.

“My name's Zephyr, I'm not a mercenary, and you must be the librarian?”

Alastair looks at Alina with a critical look. The girl looks away and remembers something, she takes a letter from her pocket and hands it to Alastair.

“The Duke asked me to give you this when I came.”

The librarian takes the letter and opens it, spending a few seconds reading it before closing.

“ Follow me.”

The man turns, heading to the right side of the library, the duo looks at each other and follows him.

They walk to a part at the back of the library where there's a metal gate. He takes a key from his pocket and opens it, making it creak slightly as it rolls to the side, opening the way for the two.

“Wow, never been in the inner section.”

Alina remarks, heading into the area with Zephyr.

“Only people with the Duke's permission can enter this area. In the letter, he said I should show you special information about the foundation of Riou.”

Zephyr furrows his brow and looks at the man who, after entering, heads toward a shelf.

“Why the foundation?”

The guy asks, approaching the man.

“The hero is a legend from before the foundation of Riou.”

The man begins to speak, placing a large brown-covered book on the table, with some illustrations visible.

”During the corruptor war, the last king of the north, along with the royal family of Aldena, led the war. They faced difficulties on various fronts, and one day, the hero appeared. All we know is that he used a spear and moved through the skies like a celestial.”

The man shows images representing the combat, flipping the page to one with the statue in the city center.

“And then the story was lost. People don't exactly know why, but one day, he and the army of corruptors disappeared as if they had never existed. All that remained was his first appearance and the victory of the realms over the sorcerer who brought the corruptors. That was more than five hundred years ago... Of course, there's one more special record about him, in the book of the dukes, but I don't have access to it. All I know is that it was a request from the Hero.”

Zephyr furrows his brow and tilts his head again, making Alina chuckle lightly.

“A request from the hero?”

The librarian points to a page showing a faceless drawing of the hero.

“He asked for his image to be erased, forgotten by everyone. He also asked never to forget the common people who died in the war and what caused it, the sorcerer and the corruptors.”

“So, he killed the Sorcerer, which made the corruptors disappear, and then he asked to be forgotten? And what is a corruptor?”

Alastair smiles, walks back to the shelf, and returns with a black bestiary, opening it where a green marker was.

“Corruptors are creatures from a different plane, they're neither demons nor aberrations, is something different. They change everything they touch, making them go mad and attack everyone they love. If you want to know more, it's better to ask a mage studying this, but I recommend reading a bit more about the city's history; maybe something will catch your attention.”

In the book, Zephyr can see images of some aberrations from that time, grotesque beings with masses of green pus forming all over.

Alina observes their conversation in silence, noticing Zephyr's curious expression.

“Can you leave us alone for a moment, Alastair?”

Alina asks, and the man smiles, walking to the door.

“At least now you used my name. Don't forget to lock the door when you leave. Alina should be able to guide you in your research now.”

After the man leaves, Alina looks at the book next to Zephyr.

“Did it jog any memories for you?”

Zephyr nods, running his hand over an image of a corruptor in the book.

“I remember these things; they attacked everything that moved…”

He pauses for a moment, flipping through the book, flashes of the war passing through his mind like a burnt photo.

“And what about the sorcerer? Do you remember anything?”

Zephyr leans on his right elbow, rubbing the side of his eyes with his fingers.

While much of it seems like a blurry or empty haze, he sees a small sharp flash: the top of a mountain, the wind passing through his torn clothes as he feels his body weaken and hears his own voice say "This is my limit... But there's still one last job to do..." The memory blurs again and disappears.

“Maybe if we find something else?”

Alina asks, seeing Zephyr silent for a while, but he denies it, closing the book.

“I don't think this will help much more. I remembered one thing... the mountain top. Also, we know the Hero disappeared before the city was founded, so nothing here should help. But maybe…”

“The Hero's Rest, where the annual ceremony happens. Something there might help you remember.”

Alina continues Zephyr's sentence.

“So I need to go to the top…”

Alina walks a little thoughtful

“But what about the Nalfir Academy? Alastair said the mages study the corruptors, they must know something about the war, maybe more than the historical records.”

Zephyr hears Alina's words and lifts his head to look at her.

“That name, it reminds me of something…”

Alina smiles, seeing the boy looking puzzled.

“ You have a staff; maybe you were a mage before becoming a legendary Hero. But if you plan to go there... You need money and recommendations.”

Zephyr laughs at her words.

”Shall we go back? Clark said the Duke would open the festival at dusk, so let's see if he and Olyver have any more ideas.”

Zephyr closes the book with a smile on his face and turns towards the exit, the girl smiling as she sees the boy seemingly starting to wake up.