The windows in the tavern painted the wooden tables and floor in red-purple, and the chatter of the customers echoed throughout the hall as they kept talking. The sound of clanking mugs resounded, the scraping of cutlery with plates echoed, and smelly drinks spilt on the tables.
A stinky young cambion stood in a corner of the hall and paid no attention to it; his head dropped. Aegis kept muttering the name,
"Deron, Deron, Deron. Where did I hear that name?"
Aegis closed his eyes and kept remembering every conversation, announcement, and insult, but nothing seemed to hint at the name. He dug deep into his memories, even the ones from his baby years. As a half-fiend, he had the ability to retain memories from long ago. So, it was not hard to remember them.
Various voices and faces flew past as he kept playing each memory, and finally, he found it. An old announcement of the Dragon's fall host surfaced. The elegant host from within it screamed, referring to a defeated fiend, who knelt on the ground. Everyone in the Arena looked at him, each carrying disrespect in their gaze.
"Henceforth, you will be known as disgraced just as Deron, Lynak…" the host screamed a few others' names in his memory. But Aegis's attention was focused on one line.
Disgraced just as Deron. Yes, Deron was a gladiator from a century ago.
Aegis leaned his head onto the stone wall behind him. A fiend from a century ago appeared in his mind, especially when he didn't even see the fiend's face. All he knew was vague descriptions of the gladiator, as he was famous for a while before being defeated by another fiend.
But why him? If a mage actually targeted me, why did he show this disgraced gladiator's memory?
Aegis thought, with a hint of disrespect hidden behind his thought. His mind was bombarded with questions he had no answer for; he just stared into a corner.
Suddenly, a thought appeared in his mind.
Maybe I can know more if I can continue the memory.
His eyes widened with revelation. Only the rest of the memory can answer his unending questions. However, he did not know how to force the memory to show up. Aegis scratched, his hair shifted, and lice fell onto his shoulder as he was confused.
What happened before the dream?
Aegis looked up into a corner. Even though he was present in the tavern physically, he was lost in his memories. He kept replaying each event carefully, but a few things were clouded. Some of the key aspects of his memories were missing, as if someone had erased them in his head.
He closed his eyes and focused all of his attention on the clouded portions. With a low thud, Aegis punched the wall and gritted his teeth as he failed every time he tried to remember the days before.
Why can't I remember everything in my past?
Aegis's face tightened as he ground his teeth. He kept trying; the world around him faded, the laughter, the clanks, the smell of meat. Only the void and the memories remained; patches of those memories were missing, not to mention a whole day was missing, too.
A low hiss escaped Aegis's lips as he threw his head back in defeat.
Something happened yesterday.
Aegis gently punched the wall behind him rhythmically as he kept trying. A slave's will was weak, and their hope was never-ending; they were scared of even little things, and hoped someone would save them. However, when a gambler's stupidity was combined with a slave's hope, it created a will that refused to falter even when it was causing more harm than good.
The missing of a whole day from his memories was not coincidental; the dream was connected to that day somehow. However, Aegis couldn't put his finger on it.
Someone called out to Aegis, disturbing his concentration. And he answered and was about to walk toward them, but halted. As the tavern fell into silence suddenly as if everyone in it drank or ate at the same time. A lone customer walked toward the door across the hall, his footsteps echoed in the silent tavern.
Thud-Thud-Thud.
The footsteps left the tavern as a bell rang, and Aegis's lips curled up.
That's it! The footsteps, they followed me yesterday!
Aegis beamed with satisfaction as he found the way to the memory; he just needed to let the apparition follow him and sleep after escaping it. With a deep sigh and a small smile on his face, he approached the table and did his duties.
…
The tavern was no longer lively; the last customer had just left long before. Once the gold-painted tavern hall was painted in faint cobalt blue, the moonlight seeped into the hall through the windows.
It was midnight, finally, and the tavern had closed; the hall was empty except for a lean, filthy cambion with a purple blotch on his cheek. Aegis was still in the hall. He arranged the chairs on the table carefully, and finally sighed as he was done with the last table.
The night was still young, a perfect time to test his theory. Aegis gently opened the main door and stepped out of the tavern. It was not his first time sneaking in and out. So, he knew at what angle the bell rang.
Carefully, Aegis closed the door behind him and stepped out into the streets. Black and grey buildings rose high into the sky, their jagged tops increasing their height a little bit. Gold accents on the corners shone as the moonlight fell on them.
Aegis started walking down the streets. The lanterns across the road now spewed faint smoke instead of light. Of course, he picked a route that made him still come back to the tavern without turning back. His footsteps echoed as his lean figure passed the buildings.
After a while, Aegis pouted and started whistling to dispel fear in his heart. His arms swung in the air as he kept walking down the street. However, as he started whistling, his cheek began to pain.
Ouch!
His action to dispel fear failed spectacularly. Aegis kept his mouth shut and kept walking; this time, only his footsteps from his torn boots echoed in the street.
With each step, he grew further away from the tavern, and he walked till he couldn't see the very first turning he took. The city of Pitt was a well-organised labyrinth. Aegis was not afraid of losing his way back. He grew up in this city, and he knew every lane of it like a rat knows its holes.
The two crescents looming over his head now slightly moved forward. Aegis walked with sweat in his armpits and forehead; it had been an hour. And patience faded; only a few scraps of it remained.
However, even they waned as he realised he covered five miles of distance while walking. With a heavy sigh, he thought.
I guess I failed.
Aegis dropped his head and moved forward slowly.
But then, he heard it, he heard the sound he was looking for.
Thud-Thud-Thud.
They were slow, just like him. It felt as if they were matching his pace. Without looking back, Aegis turned right. The turning led him into a lane, which arched back to the path he came from.
Hair on Aegis's skin stood up as the air around him turned cold and the shadows turned darker. If he delayed, the footsteps might catch up to him.
He quickened his pace but did not run.
What if they run too?
So, instead of finding an answer to his question, he preferred not to ask the question at all. He kept walking fast, his skin now shone as the sweat completely drenched his clothes.
Aegis was running short of breath as he kept walking for five miles without any break, and finally saw the first turning. His lips curled up, without any delay, his footsteps followed the path, and another set of footsteps echoed behind him.
He finally reached the turning and turned toward the tavern's street.
By now, his clothes were stinking as they had no dry spot left on them, and the sweat on his skin made his already stinky body smell filthy.
But he did not care; he kept walking. If he lived to see tomorrow, he promised to scrub himself like a cattle until the smell disappeared.
Thud-Thud.
The footsteps behind him still followed as he reached the tavern door. He finally opened the door and entered the tavern and closed the door. This time, he locked it with a key in his pocket.
Phew!
Aegis sighed in relief, but he knew it was not over yet.
He had to face the memories and know what happened next.
Just like the last time, he tiptoed toward his cellar and reached the hatch door. He groaned as he opened it.
The ladder descended into the darkness. He didn't know what he would face or what the consequences of his stupidity were going to be. In his gamble to test his theory, he summoned an entity that might be stronger than anything he had seen.
Aegis inhaled deeply and descended into the darkness, and without looking around, he slumped onto his mattress beside the ladder.
And finally, he started counting.
"1,2,3,4..5…6…7….."
The counting finally stopped as his body gave up, his eyes now shut tight, and his tight jaw loosened.
…
… …
However, he woke up, and his vision was blurry. Unable to see anything, he ran his sturdy palm through his hair in confusion and felt a hint of happiness as he could feel Deron's two horns again.