I was drenched in rain and covered with mud, if the rain wasn’t so loud the world would’ve heard my heart pounding, I opened my mouth to let some air in, and then I continued crawling through the mud, ever hiding from the gaze of the guards.

After I felt that I was out of their line of sight, I finally stood up. My chest and back ached, while my knees nearly gave away. I let the rain cleanse me and continued to run.

I passed from mansion to mansion, barely able to balance myself on the wet street,

I tried to find Harz’s house, ‘not this one, neither this nor this one too…’ I stopped for a bit to catch my breath and continued to sprint, my left foot twisted and I fell face-first on the polished street.

“Fuck” I muttered.

I clenched my teeth and muffled my pain as I forced my foot straight again.

Entering the island hadn’t been difficult at all, they didn’t have to worry about intruders, the Haze ripped all of their souls apart, leaving only flesh, flesh which could just barely function.

But the Noble Estate, oh now they were well guarded. But they were just so full of themselves that they didn’t bother to even fix the cracks in security.

I groaned, my nose had begun bleeding, and my foot still twitched and ached, I couldn’t stop at this stage. I had to keep moving. I limped on my right foot but didn’t stop.

After what felt like an hour I was in front of the gigantic mansion which housed an even more gigantic personality- Harztone the Great.

I banged on the door, shouting his name, hopefully, none would hear it and suspect me.

How would he react if he saw me? I thought, I honestly didn’t know. However, what I did know was that I could trust Harz, he wouldn’t leave me alone even while facing the entire world. He will do what is right.

‘But what if I am wrong?’ my mind asked, I shushed that thought as the rooms lit up, and the footsteps were in symphony with the rain.

I heard a sigh and then the door opened.

Harz opened the door with a smile, but his body lied, it was hunched and his eyes told that he was tired.

“How may I help you in the dead of night when humans are supposed to be asleep?”

I frowned, “I was expecting a much better welcome Harz, also may I enter?”

Harz gave me a deadpan stare, “Do I know you?”

I chuckled, “You know Harz we can joke once we are inside, it’s cold and wet out here.”

Harz’s expression didn’t change or maybe they got a bit more serious, my head was too overloaded to notice these subtle changes.

“Listen, Man, I ain’t joking here. If you want shelter from the Storm, I can give that you that, but don’t form the wrong expectations.”

My smile faded away, I looked into his eyes, he wasn’t lying. He didn’t know me, he had at once known me, but now he didn’t.

I kept staring into his eyes just to find a sliver of recognition but I found none. My plans all seemed to be falling apart, at least it was raining. I didn’t have to worry about hiding my welled-up eyes.

“I am sorry man. You are right, I am at the wrong house.”

Harz frowned, “Man, I think you need help. Why don’t you stay inside, and go wherever you want tomorrow.”

I smiled, “I am fine. I have a destination in mind, or well I had. But it doesn’t matter. Be it today or be it tomorrow, I will be wandering in the end, so why not get used to it?

Thank You for offering help though.”

I heard something, and as I kept moving I didn’t know where I was going, but I just wanted to be somewhere. I wanted to be with someone I could trust, someone I could call a friend, but it seems now they are all dead.

How did I feel about it?

I felt nothing, or rather I wanted to feel nothing.

I was shivering in the cold, coughing, and wheezing. I wanted my life to be over.

“It isn’t over yet.” She said.

I didn’t stop, her voice felt wrong. I didn’t want to hear her. I cried, what is wrong with me? It was her voice, I was doing all this for her, so why am I repulsed by her very voice?

I was on my knees, I looked around myself to see if someone was there to see me in this pathetic condition. No, there was no one.

I was all alone.

I screamed as hard I could, my voice was drowned in rain.

I punched myself in the face as hard as I could, and I groaned. My mind wasn’t right.

I didn’t know what to feel, I didn’t know what to think. There was some dissonance inside me as if I wasn’t still complete.

“The King is still Alive.” She said.

For some reason I wanted her to stop speaking to me.

“If you are real then show yourself. Come in front of me.” I shouted.

The mist in front of me began to look like her, it wasn’t her perfect replica but rather a silhouette.

She reached out to me, I tried to grasp her hand and felt her. She got closer and whispered, “Avenge Me. Confront the King. Spread the Truth.”

My body pulled itself away from her, and soon she was replaced by the drops of rain.

I was all alone, lying on the ground.

I thought I had it all figured out, I thought I was a man with the drive. But I am such a failure. I am a living failure, disappointing even the dead.

“You are neither a failure nor am I dead.” She said.

“We are one, aren’t we? So, till you are Alive, I am alive too.”

I felt slightly better, I was doing all of this for her in the end, yet her words felt wrong, they felt contradictory.

But maybe it was because of my tired state that I found everything wrong, maybe I was wrong right now.

It felt nice, just lying on the road while you could smell the earth, and not worry about the world.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. It had been a long time since I had had a good sleep.

***

I felt something sticky and slimy on my face and heard, then I felt something very squishy hit my face. My chest and hands were tightened, and I couldn’t move my hands and feet.

What the hell? I thought as I realized I was chained and up for public display and my face was the target.

My eyes were wide open now, as I saw a crowd hitting me with whatever they could get their hands on- rocks, tomatoes, eggs, and some were even throwing their slippers.

I was on a higher platform, I was here for something like public humiliation or flogging.

I felt the chains around me tighten, and saw an old smelly face, he greeted me,

“The Bastard is Awake!! I shall now begin the proceedings.”

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The man faced me again, his face was quite gruff, his posture of those of that of old age, and his voice was quite hoarse. Yet his eyes were quite young, tired but still young.

He grinned and kicked and spit on my face, I didn’t show any reaction, for if I did, it wouldn’t serve me well.

“Do you know me boy?” he asked me.

I was silent.

He bent down, “DO… YOU… KNOW…ME?”

I shook my head.

He grabbed my neck, “ANSWER ME!” He shouted while his saliva hit my face.

My heart raced faster, anger flowed within me, “I don’t know you.” I shouted back at him even louder.

He was enraged and kicked me in the face with his leather boot.

It hurt. It hurt bad, my nose began to bleed again and my teeth felt a bit shaky.

I tried to break myself away from the chains, but it was futile.

“My name is Zachary.” He shouted, it was loud enough to make my ear burst and loud enough that everyone could hear him.

I took some deep breaths and closed my eyes, “Perfect Harmony- Give and take” I muttered.

I was in the same position as I was before, with no change. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me, he had a grin on his face, “Our little peasant is trying to escape, but little does he know that this chain is made from the Volcanic Rock near our King’s House, which negates all Spirit Techniques.”

Also, he kicked me in the face again.

I spat blood beside me.

I looked at Zachary with disdain. Once I get out the old man will beg for death.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, many of you might be wondering why is there a peasant on the platform. Let me tell you why.

Because I put him up there.

If it wasn’t for me, this little peasant would be wandering in our streets among us, god forbid, even touching us.

However, if it weren’t for me, this happening was inevitable.

Just imagine a rabid peasant entering your home, stepping into your beautiful garden, and sucking its prettiness.

If such a parasite tried to enter my home, then they would never do such. For they FEAR me! They fear my NAME.

But you know the worst thing about this, that this Island too is my home.

And yet these cunning creatures have made their home in this place, we believe we are safe from their Greed and Evil for there are walls to keep them outside.

But NO! We aren’t safe from them even at our haven.

For they will hide, they will go through pain, they will go through hell, to take what is OUR!”

The crowd gasped and looked among themselves if there was someone of low birth among them.

They gave me a disgusted look, yet I hardly cared for what the rich assholes thought about me.

But what worried me, was that this Zachary person wasn’t over with his monologue.

He had an alarming smile on his face.

“Then your next question should be How can they be courageous enough to enter my home?

The answer is simple- I ain’t the master of this home.

It is a tremendous honor to serve this Island, yet a terrible horror to see this Island suffer.”

The crowd had gone silent they stepped back from the platform as if my peasant-ness was contagious.

Zachary turned back towards me and studied me closely as if I was an exotic animal.

“Listen, Zach, If you don’t free me, I will slit your throat and you wouldn’t even know you are dead,” I said coldly, to show that I wasn’t afraid. Though the Katana by his waist seemed quite electrified by my words.

Zachary laughed as he kicked in my face for the fourth time.

“This peasant dares to speak back to the Legendary General Zachary, it doesn’t realize that I will execute it, and I will also execute the guards who were supposed the guard this place from the peasants.”

“I don’t think you are the General anymore, and calling yourself Legendary is too on the nose right?” A lady shouted.

My eyes went towards her, well now hopefully I will be saved from this weird bastard.

Zachary scowled as he jumped from the platform to confront the lady.

“Lady, I don’t think you should interfere with my business here,” Zachary said as he took some sips from a glass bottle, which probably had alcohol, explaining why he smelled so bad.

Zachary raised his hands to slap the lady, but they were caught.

I hadn’t seen the slap coming from Zachary, but what was more surprising was the shocked expression of Zachary.

The lady left Zachary with his shocked face among the crowd as she jumped on the platform and began to untie me.

“So, how did a low-born like you sneak past the guards?”

I didn’t answer and took a glance at Zachary, he was now staring at the lady his fists tightly clenched, he could have punched her if he had the chance, but sadly for what it seemed, he would never get the chance.

The lady dragged me from the platform and pushed me into a cart, I squirmed from the drop. My head hurt quite bad and there was a slight ever-growing hum in my head.

The lady sat before me, while a driver whipped the horses to start moving.

“So where are you taking me?” I asked.

The lady didn’t reply, but stared at me, my soul was being ripped piece by piece by her to know what was going on with me (this was all a metaphor, and wasn’t using some sort of Soul Ripping Spirit Technique).

“Madam, can you please tell me, where are you taking me?”

The lady looked at me with contempt, “I don’t think you have the Right to Speak, but out of pure courtesy, I shall answer you, I am taking you to a Detention Center.”

“What is a Detention Center?”

She raised her eyebrows and pressed her temples, “Seriously? You don’t know what that is.”

Shit, I thought. When my Original Memories had returned, my Fake Memories had been destroyed in my brain, so I knew next to nothing about this island.

And this question might put me in danger. Hell, I might even lose my memories again.

I stayed silent and turned my face towards the other side.

The cart came to a halt before I could even look around me. I was shoved on the ground.

I fell face first obliterating my jaw and my entire hurt even worse, basically I was on the verge of shattering.

I looked at the large blue building above me, it had its name written in blood red- Detention Center, what was more disturbing was the constant screams and blood flowing from inside.

My body shuddered as I was pushed inside.