Author note: I do not own Rune Factory 4, nor do I own Dylas.

I wanted to write something awesome for this fandom, and I ended up with this drabblish oneshot thing around Dylas, taking place a while after he arrives in Selphia. This is my first fanfic for this fandom, so...no flames, please?

Warning: Possible spoilers for Rune Factory 4, Dylas-centric

Constructive Criticism would be great, and I hope that you read, review and enjoy! Thanks!

Free

Footsteps pounded against the ground as he continued to run. Closing his eyes to shield them from the harsh moonlight above, he inhaled deeply, the scent of saltwater tickling his nostrils. Opening his dark eyes, he felt the cold air rush past him as the constant movement of his feet continued.

It was so dark in the forest, so dark. One could get so lost and trapped, if they were not careful.

Despite that, though...Dylas felt like he was free.

He couldn't get his finger on why he felt so free, though, as he continued to run. Perhaps it was the horse-like instincts in him, that he long ago enjoyed running so much, even in the nighttime. He could never truly remember about his past, and as far as he knew he didn't mind it all too much. No past to think about meant no need to worry about any possible mistakes made in the past, at least. Of course, if any mistakes of the past came back to stab him in the back, he knew that he would feel regret and guilt about that-who wouldn't after all?

He finally halted after a moment, realizing that he was standing at the entrance to the Water Ruins. Pausing, he contemplated as of whether to head inside. It had been so long since he was in there-weeks, at least, if not months. He hadn't been in there since Frey found him and brought him to live in the town of Selphia.

Still, was it so much better to be in a town (not that he minded, of course, but it was overwhelming for him at first to be taken in by Porcoline, who didn't even know him at the time) when there was another place that could be called home, too?

Alright, perhaps the Water Ruins wasn't exactly the perfect place to be called 'home,' but as far as Dylas knew, it had been his home before he came to Selphia. Who knows, maybe going in there again would help him remember something about himself. That was always possible.

Of course, he had no memory of living in there, especially in his horse form-an image of the animal he used to be barely appeared in his head when he tried to think of it. He couldn't remember much about it-and now that he was thinking about his definitely unknown past, he really didn't have any idea as of who he was beforehand-and that made him a bit frustrated.

Then again, having a new life probably came with a price. If there was one thing Dylas remembered learning from his past, it was that everything came with a price, and nothing was free. He didn't know if anyone taught it to him, or if it was a concept that he thought of himself, but it was something he knew from the past for sure.

Unfortunately, that was the only thing he really knew. That was also frustrating.

Just because he had no memory didn't mean he was free from his past-especially if he didn't know about it. Did that mean he was trapped? Was he not free, then?

If going to the Water Runs would help him restore his memory, would he even be able to handle those memories of long ago? What if they were scary, jarring in some way? Would he be able to handle it?

Shaking his head, he turned away from the Water Ruins and started to run away.

That was then, this is now. He could not focus on his past right now-only on being as good as a waiter he could be at the restaurant, to make a living for himself in Selphia. He did not have time to be chained by a past that he didn't know about-he only had time to learn about all the opportunities he could take.

That, Dylas decided, was some sort of freedom-even if it was only temporary. He figured he should not take it for granted, because it could be taken away from him, just like his memories.