*Mia POV*
“How did you two know about Reid?” My sister said to the two strangers who seem to know about Evan, the person who became my brother. Her voice was cold and demanding.
But I do understand her, She’s the time to act rather than sit in any situation. And, well, she losses her mind when Evan is involved.
The odd duo looked at each other before facing Luna again. “Who’s Reid?” said the girl with the large witch hat.
“Eh?” Her question caught my sister off-guard when the tall guy quickly followed.
“Is the Reid you're talking about, the guy who was swinging from roof to roof?”
“Yes!” My sister responded impatiently.
Both of them suddenly looked at us with excitement, as if they just found some unopened treasure. The girl quickly asked us excitedly, “You know Shishou!?”
“Huh? um, yes, Of course, I know him, he's my bodyguard!”
No, sister, He ‘was’ your bodyguard. He’s our brother now.
I decided not to say my thoughts out loud otherwise Luna would get sad. But it didn’t matter because Mom showed no mercy, “He's your brother now, Luna.”
As I thought, Luna started looking gloomy and depressed. It must hurt to love a person who suddenly became your brother.
Wait. Would it really be called love now? or Sisterly love?
“You’re Shishou’s Sister!” the girl blurted out excitedly as if she met her idol.
Luna was looking down on the ground, still depressed about the ‘sister’ part but she still responded, albeit with no energy. “Yea… I guess I am.”
The unknown girl suddenly walked forward and grabbed Luna’s hands before she said excitedly as if there were stars in her eyes, “Please tell me more about Shishou!”
“W-What? Why!?" The girl's sudden movement surprised Luna but it seems like she got her energy back.
While this was happening, The tall skinny guy was staring at our father as if he knew him. The unknown girl and Luna looked like they were going to talk more but the skinny guy interrupted the. “Wait.” He said as he tilted his head curiously, “… Aren’t you King Helputt. Of the Silver Daemons tribe?”
Dad looked at him for a moment, “Do you know who I am, boy?” Dad was hurt and looked weak but even with all that, it really feels like you’re listening to a great king even if he's no longer one.
The skinny guy suddenly got scared as he stuttered his words, “P-Please forgive me, your Highness! I didn’t r-realize it was you!”
The girl holding Luna’s hand looked shocked, but it was Mother who started talking next, “I think I remember you now, you would travel to our kingdom and sell us potions every few months.” The skinny guy immediately nodded, but it was suspicious, I’ve been working with Luna since I was very young so I know most of the things on the inside, but I still don’t know him.
“Sorry, Only one of our personal handled all alchemical matters but he is no longer with us.” Mom immediately apologized which made everyone surprised.
It’s no wonder we didn’t know these two, since alchemy has always been a really tough subject, which is why there aren't many people willing to do it. Therefore, all matters related to alchemy are with alchemists.
“N-No need to apologize for your majesty!” The skinny guy quickly said. “I’m still a trainee, my sensei here knows much more alchemy than me.” He pointed towards the girl who had let go of Luna’s hands. She bowed slightly as if she was trying to introduce herself, but her oversized hat almost completely hid her.
“Sorry for the late introduction Your highnesses. I am the grand alchemist known as Lucy, and he is my Trainee, Oswald.”
Lucy and Oswald. So, was what Lark said before about Lucy going after my brother true?
Dad had one shoulder around our mother as support so he raised his off-hand slightly as if telling the odd pair to stop.
“I must correct you, Me and my wife are no longer King and Queen.” Both Lucy and Oswald got their mouths open with shock. “Our tribe was simply destroyed. I do not have the confidence to call myself a King anymore and my wife follows suit.” Mom nodded sadly.
“T-That’s horrible,” Oswald said as he long towards the ground.
They both looked terribly sorry but Lucy seemed like she was trying to raise the courage to ask something. “Umm, Was Shishou not able to help?”
It was an odd and specific question, even Luna noticed how odd it was- wait no she’s probably suspicious of it because it involves our brother.
“Before I answer, what is the meaning of Shishou that you seem to call Reid.” Dad quickly asked, at the very least, I can rely on my mother and father to protect Evan.
Oswald started explaining, “Yes, those are ancient words from a very respectable… And hard language to master. It means teacher or someone more knowledgeable than you.”
Knowledgeable?
Mom and dad looked at each other unconvinced but father still answer their original question.
“In the battle that ended with our ruin, Reid gave it his all, I was convinced that I would fall there but it was Reid who convinced us to retreat. Of course, we all didn’t come out unscathed. I took a blow aimed at my daughter, and Reid lost his memory. Yet, he never stopped, and still grows with his never-ending talent.”
While brother lost his memories and doesn’t remember us, he’s more carefree now, it might be because he has forgotten his knightly etiquettes but I prefer him like this more since he’s more open.
Lucy was pondering about something when Oswald suddenly started talking.
“But, there’s no way he lost his memory?” Oswald threw a bombshell that no one of us was ready for.
They didn’t even wait for us to ask when Lucy suddenly started talking, “I agree. If he lost all his memory. He would’ve forgotten most, if not all, alchemical recipes as well. But the reason we found out about him, was because of all his knowledge about alchemical procedures and new potions we’ve never seen before.”
The whole atmosphere got really heavy, we all knew what Lucy and Oswald's claim meant, both Luna and I were worried, Luna’s face was losing color and mom looked short on breath even though she did her best to look calm.
There’s… There’s no way is there? There’s no way he’s an imposter, is he?
Dad was the only one with the courage high enough to ask, “Could… Could you elaborate and share your side of the story? How did you meet Reid?”
Lucy happily nodded, “Of course! But in return, please tell us all about Shishou as well! The streets are also getting restless with soldiers so we should talk inside.”
Dad nodded hesitantly. None of us wanted to know the answer, none of us were brave enough for it. The only thing we could do was pray.
Please, God, please don’t break my new family too.
*Evan POV*
I had escaped the palace guards long ago and finally made my way back to my original shack where the guide was. Obviously, I talked to him for a bit and tried to extract as much info I could about this kingdom as I could, but as always, Jeff was being a pain in the ass only answering specifically to what I asked without even hinting at anything else.
The things that seemed important, which I got out of Jeff were. One, the Kingdom is named the Balathien Kingdom, and two, it’s a relatively new kingdom compared to many other Human Kingdoms, and by new I mean they completely erected it up around 3-4 years ago. So quite new.
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Anyway, I didn’t waste my time with him anymore since I have many more important tasks that I need to finish first. Which are three things, get more NPCs, make an actual house, and mine to get stronger.
Getting NPCs would help me later on, and if I get the nurse soon, then she’ll be able to treat Helputt’s wounds soon too. Which was why, after talking to Jeff, I immediately worked on making new houses for the NPCs
I was actually done making their houses right now.
Hell Yea!
I thought as I stared at my new masterpiece of a house.
Jeff came out of his room and walked up to me before he awed in the splendor of my masterpiece.
“I must say, this is a very… Normal building?” Jeff said as he tried to find the right words to say.
And he’s not wrong, I just built three new square box houses similar to what I made on the first night and joined them together. These beautiful babies possess the luxuries component that all NPCs would kill each other for.
That’s right, I’m talking about a luxurious oak-made chair and table! Wooden floor and walls for those OG’s who like to live in the woods! Even the rooms are wide enough that no more than 5 people can fit inside at one time, a fantastic idea for parties as no one uninvited can even come inside even if they wanted to!
I put my hand on my chin, “Yea no matter how I look at it, it’s just four different interrogation rooms joined together.”
“Well, it’s good enough for us since we don’t actually need sleep.”
Alright, I’m going to ignore his remarks and focus on something more important.
“Well, I really hope that the nurse can come quick and also heal the King's injury.” I was still thinking about stuff when the Guide interrupted my thoughts.
“I wanted to ask this before but what are you going to do now?” He asked almost nonchalantly as if it didn’t involve him.
“What do you mean?” I asked as I looked at him beside me.
“Your aim now is to somehow go back to your own world right?” He then smiled as if he didn’t just drop a bombshell at me.
“How in the hell do you know that? I didn’t tell anyone about that, and don’t you dare tell anyone either.”
He bowed slightly, “I am your guide, Of course, I know your plans?”
Is that how it works? But it makes things easier for me, wait if you know what I want all the time, then why the hell are you so cryptic when I'm asking questions?
“Alright, I’ll believe you for now. Then tell me how I can achieve my goal?”
He shrugged his shoulder. “I don’t know.”
You little bitch.
“Ugh, this is a pain. Let’s see…” I thought hard about what my move will be from here on out. “I guess I’ll just roll with this world for now and see where it leads me… Wait a sec won't the guild library have something about world travel?”
“It may… or it may not?”
Damn it, Jeff! You're not Helpful at All!
I sighed, “Well, it’s worth a shot.”
… And my only lead right now.
For now, let’s work on a different house where my ‘family’ and I will stay at. It’ll be just a bit away from the NPC's houses so that I can still talk to them easily, I’ll even make extra rooms in our house so that a few important NPCs can live with us, like the nurse who can heal any injury for a price.
My stamina is also pretty damn low so I shouldn’t waste my time and hurry.
*Building in progress*
Alright, Now that’s a fine work of art!
I have experience with different building designs because I’ve actually built different and intricate designs in Terraria. Which is why I made a mansion for us.
I proudly looked at the giant wooden mansion I made. Three Triangle shaped roofs, all in equal size except the one in the middle which was taller than the other two. Three floors with no windows, and, while I like Microsoft, I don’t have the sand necessary to make and install windows.
Other than that, it's spacious enough for any floor to easily hold a family of five. Heck, it can easily accommodate 2 people in each room on the second floor which has 10 rooms!
I built little interior decoration since I don’t have the time, I also made the first floor the utility floor, all the workshops, kitchen, guest room, bathrooms, e.t.c will be here, sadly for now It’s empty with a lone workbench table in the middle. The second floor will be where all the living rooms will be. There is a hallway in the middle with 6 doors on each side. 2 bathrooms and 10 living rooms. The bathroom and the living rooms are empty for the time being but I’ll work on them later. At the moment, I could barely make 4 beds with the cobwebs I’ve collected from the mine and placed them in four separate rooms.
Lastly, the last floor, will be the storage floor. Completely empty like the other floors but it’s going to fill up so fast I can already tell.
If you're asking "how did he get this much wood?" then the answer to that is the Eye of Cthulhu. That guy ravaged a whole forest and my inventory kept taking in all the wood from the ravaged trees. In total, I had 3 stacks of 999 Wood. Of course, I would go a little crazy with almost unlimited wood.
“That is amazing. Master Evan.” I was admiring my work, so I didn’t notice when Jeff came up to me.
“Please call me Evan it's weird when you call me a master.”
“Very well, Evan.”
I stared at the mansion for a few more moments before I asked Jeff, “Do you know when the others will arrive?”
He shook his head, “I don't know the precise timing, but It's almost night time so they would appear tomorrow during the daytime.”
I nodded, The next thing I have to do is to build interior decoration and furniture, but before that, how much stamina do I have left?
Stamina: 2%
Welp, I guess it's time for some R&R first.
“Alright then Jeff, see you in the morning.”
Jeff bowed a bit before he returned to his NPC house and I walked up to one of the rooms that had a bed. I plopped down on the soft silken bed and almost sank inside. It was a blissful feeling.
I suddenly received a notification.
“Spawn Point Set!”
I have to remember to finish all the decorations and furniture after I wake up. I also have to open the Goodie bags I got from the Eye of Cthulhu and see what’s inside.
I closed my eyes and everything went black.
*Helputt POV*
I was the king of the silver daemons tribe until that fateful day. The eradication of the Silver daemons tribe. But I'm happy that we have not been completely eradicated. I almost lost my life too, but that's in the past.
What worries me now is why was Reid telling everyone he has amnesia. We’ve already concluded that he’s lying. This means either something terrible happened to him after we, Nezha and I left him with Luna… Or He's a complete imposter. Both situations terrify me.
We were in the house next to the Adventurer's guild, this was also the place where Luna was locked in so she wouldn’t run after Reid when he went to save us. It was nighttime, so the room was dark.
Nezha helped my weak body slowly lay down on the bed. I could only groan in silence as my body reminded me that of how old I am now, Back in my heyday I alone could become a one-man army, look at me now. One stab wound and I look like I’ll die any second, I hate this weakness and my ability to do nothing. I want to run to Reid right now and demand answers.
“… Dear?” I think Nezha tried calling to me but I was too deep in thought.
I looked over to Luna and Mia who were sleeping in the same bed on the other corner of this dark yet spacious room. They were both sleeping, facing away from us so we couldn’t see their faces. I have to say, I’m surprised by Luna’s actions. Usually, she’s the first one to flare out, but she’s been quiet before and even after our talk with Lucy.
I started remembering all of Lucy’s words,
“Yea, he's the most amazing teacher I've ever seen! I knew only how to make 8 different potions. But he said he knew how to make over 50! Other than that, He has more control than a Grandmaster's control over his magic and elements! He could put Fire Magic on a Wooden Sword and fight with it for a few minutes! and He could even Imbue the tips of his arrows with dual magic! Not even I can do that yet! That's also why I wanted him to teach me.”
“Dear?” Nezha called out to me which brought me back to reality.
“Huh? Yes?” I replied quickly.
She looked over to Luna and Mia before lowering her voice and talking to me, “Are you thinking about Reid again?”
I couldn’t say anything, at first, I wanted to know everything I could from Lucy and Oswald, the more I found out, the more it felt like he wasn’t our Reid. It was hard but I had to stop talking about it. Both Luna and Mia were not looking good and we’re not in a situation where I can afford to get anyone else hurt. So, both Nezha and I told each other to not talk about him until he comes back.
“You know, your silence only admits that.” Nezha tried talking quietly but the room was already eerily quiet, his whisperings could be heard loud and clear.
I sighed, “I’m just worried.”
“About what? You know nothing will happen to him?”
I pondered for a moment. “You said that Reid had left Luna here and went off into the forest to distract their pursuers, right?”
She nodded, “That’s right.”
“And after he returned, he had amnesia.” Nezha looked down as she figured out what I was trying to say. “Whatever Reid wants to hide, it happened in there while there were pursuers following him. So, they either did something horrible to him in the forest or Reid came into contact with something so horrifying that it’s making him tell everyone that he has amnesia in order to either save us or him. And lastly…” I stopped talking, the last option is the worst-case scenario that makes even me terrified.
“Or he's an imposter. Disguised as Reid.” I tried not to say it but Nezha said it, anyway. As soon as Nezha said that, I heard something move from where Luna and Mia were sleeping, turns out either one or both of them are not sleeping.
Nezha shook her head, “Okay you're thinking too much why would an imposter kill his own people and also deal a critical blow in their plans by rescuing the Elven kingdom and also reuniting us with Luna and Mia?”
“But-” I wanted to refute her, but she interrupted me.
“Listen, you’re tired and hurt, which is why you’re not thinking straight. He's probably trying to save us from something by feigning ignorance. Now would you please rest and stop thinking about all the bad things our children might have done?” Nezha almost sounded angry.
“But it doesn’t make sense!” I almost raised my voice, but I calmed myself down and started whispering again, “Even if he’s hiding something from us with amnesia as his alibi, it doesn't explain how he can just show grandmaster ranked magic control and know alchemical recipes.”
Nezha now looked at me angrily which frustrated me even more. While she looked angry, her voice was still calm and quiet, “Whoever he is. He was, and still is, our old Reid.”
I tried to sound calm but anyone could tell that I was discouraged, “How can you be so sure?”
It was as if she was waiting for me to say this that she suddenly smiled, “I guess you haven’t been paying attention. His eyes had the same glint as his father and no imposter can duplicate that.”
My mind finally ticked, and it all made sense.
How could I have been so stupid?
Us Silver Daemons are very special. Our mana shine's out from our eyes and nobody can duplicate that. It’s because, besides us, no one can tell the difference between the mana shining out of different Silver Daemons. If Nezha says that his eyes still shine the same way as his father, then of course he’s our old Reid.
I sighed in relief and almost started chuckling, “Heh, yea. His smug face is exactly the same as Sord's when he was young. And while he still has to explain himself, at the very least he’s still our son.”
I finally stopped overthinking and exhaustion fell on me as I quickly went to sleep.