The voice was cold and indifferent; commanding. A familiar chill came over Oscar, the kind of chill he would occasionally feel when he released a [Cast] that went too cold, even for himself. Then, he turned his head, staring at the pale, slender fingers that held his wrist and prevented the blade from plunging into the shaking boy beneath him.
Then, he followed the pale skin till he saw face.
A woman, an older woman. Her face shared some resemblances with the boy underneath Oscar. A calm expression with yellow eyes that felt as if they were not there, or rather, they pierced through Oscar's soul. Her hair was long, one side growing black, the other growing white.
Earrings adorned with precious jewels dangled from her earlobes.
Royalty. So this boy underneath me…
"I apologize," Oscar retracted.
"No, it is my hot headed brother that I assume caused this altercation, and I will apologize on his behalf. This Alize von Meino fanatic did not realize that she would be having a visitor today.
"And why does it matter to you, Learco?!" her calmness slowly dissipated, as the clear irritation in her voice shined through.
"Isalda, I-I thought she was in danger!" Learco quickly responded.
"She wasn't. And if she was, Alize would easily hold her own. Now, you've caused this young man trouble, and I need you to apologize."
An uncomfortable silence filled the air. Learco's lips slowly parted.
"I'm sorry."
Oscar quickly replied, "It's fine."
"You must be Oscar, right? You might not know this, but among the wealthy people of this country, you've managed to become quite well known," Isalda informed him.
Learco's eyes fell upon Oscar again. His eyebrows raised.
"You're Oscar?!" he suddenly realized. The descriptions did fit. White hair, blue eyes, a handsome face, cold. Yes, it made a lot of sense.
Isalda rolled her eyes, before continuing to speak.
"My name is Isalda van Mahaut, and this is my little brother, Learco van Mahaut. He's likely around your age. I apologize for the inconvenience. We were just visiting Alize."
Isalda van Mahaut dressed comfortably, in only a black blouse. Her sandals were dark brown and laced up to her calf.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. If that's it, then I'll be off."
"Right."
Just like that, they parted ways…
.
Keon sat by a river of cold water, sharpening his blade with a rock. Besides him, sat Arlene. She held a makeshift fishing rod, holding tight.
"You shouldn't be crass about it. Stay calm. Once you feel the bite, reel it in. It's simple," Keon spoke very lackadaisically, as his main focus was sharpening his blade. He didn't pay much attention to Arlene.
"Oh yeah? And how do you know that? You know just as much as me about life," Arlene asked.
"I haven't forgotten everything. I remember tidbits of things, sometimes even greater frameworks. For example, fishing and swordsmanship. These things come to me like breathing."
The two of them had been living in the forest for a few days, navigating it slowly. Keon wanted to see if he could at least regain a bit of his memories before he fully left. But so far, nothing came back to him. Every so often, he felt an intense burning sensation at his head, one that caused him to become dizzy, lose his balance, and tear up. He knew this to be attributed to the horizontal scar on his forehead, but he didn't know where it had came from.
How would I have even survived a strike like this, anyways? Keon thought for a moment, as he stared at his reflection in the blade. Then, he looked at the fast flowing water.
"I caught something!" Arlene exclaimed. She pulled back, a large grey fish flying into the air.
.
Keon spun the fish over a lit fire.
"Say, Arlene. That healing cast of yours."
"What about it?"
"It's proficient. Incredibly. Well, to be honest, I can only judge it off the basis of those tidbits in my memory. But, based on that, you're pretty good. You heal deep wounds with the wave of a hand. That's why your skin is so unharmed. So, was it you?"
"Was it me that did what?"
Keon ran his fingers through his hair, revealing his scarred forehead. Arlene's expression wavered just slightly; there was a bit of sadness in her face.
"Are you the one who healed it?" he asked.
"No… it wasn't me."
The two of them fell silent. Keon split the fish in half, and Arlene spent time meticulously removing the bones out of her fish. After biting into the fish, she finally felt comfortable enough to speak.
"I wasn't always able to heal like this. My mother was an amazing healer, along with my father. That's why I was captured, and experimented on. But, I had no proficiency myself. So they poked and prodded, with needles and scalpels. Until I finally gained this proficiency. I had enough. So I escaped! From that horrible facility, from all of it."
Keon remained quiet.
"Then I ended up in this forest. Then I found you. So, that's it."
"How were you willing to trust me so quickly?"
"… That's because at that point, I really wasn't afraid to die. Though, I'm glad that it was you that I found. Or rather, it was you who found me."
"…
"Your food will get cold. Don't pay attention to me, and eat," Keon finally spoke, before chewing on his food. There was a soft smile on his face.
After a few minutes of quiet chewing and consumption, an idea resurfaced in Arlene's head.
"Oh, one more thing. I found this book. I don't really know how to read all that well, but I was wondering if maybe this could help you remember a few things," she said, reaching into the pocket of her shirt and pulling out a book that appeared worn. Though, it still had letters that were coherent to Keon.