History of a Mystery
Note: There's a lot going on in this chapter. I've noticed that there are a lot of details revealed in DGM but some of them are a bit confusing so I have adapted to fit my story's needs. I'm getting closer to the good part of the story so please bear with me.
-The Awakening-
The sun was shining through the windows in the small bedroom where a young man lay in his bed. Steady streaming water ran in a stream just beyond the outer wall of the house. Splashing woke the man up and he slowly rose from bed before making his way to the main room.
"You're awake," an older man gave a smirk, "Would you like some breakfast?"
"No, I'm fine. I'm not hungry. Thanks, though," the younger man replied, "Are there any clean cloths around? I have a headache and my head is splitting."
"There are a few in the linen cupboard. Help yourself."
The young man made his way to the opposite corner of the room. He opened the small door and reached for a batch of small towels before returning to the sink to soak them in water from the pump.
"Neah, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Mana. It's just a headache." Neah sat at the table and pressed the towel to his head.
"If you're sure. I'm going into town to get some food. I should be back this afternoon."
"Okay. I won't wander too far."
Mana gave a quick nod before leaving the house. The small, two room cottage was quiet without a companion but the two brothers lived peacefully in it.
Neah sat with his head pressed in the cloth. The migrane slowly dissipated and he tossed the wet rag over the handle of the water pump. He wandered outside into the cool breeze of Fall. The leaves were falling from the few trees that dotted the landscape. The creek running behind the house was crystal clear and cold. He grabbed a small pale from the house and began moving water into the house to wash up. The process took several hours but eventually he felt refreshed. After drying off and putting on some clean clothes, Neah moved outside once more to begin chores. There wasn't much; a bit of maintenance on the house, two chickens to feed, eggs to collect, but he kept busy.
After a few hours Neah could see a group of men in black outfits making their way down the lane towards the house. At the front he could see a young man with bright red hair. Neah couldn't help but notice that there were naught but males in the group and that all had white rose crosses on their coats. He'd heard of this group before. Mana had called them 'exorcists' and explained that they traveled the world in search of a mysterious substance called Innocence. He'd never really listened, though. Somewhere deep inside him something told him that this Innocence stuff was a threat. He wondered why anyone would want to go looking for it.
The red haired boy, who Neah judged to be no older than himself, finally stopped a few feet away, "Are you the owner of this home?"
"One of them," Neah replied, "My brother and I live here together. Why are you here? Did something happen to him?"
"No. We are here because we are looking for a fragment of Innocence. We believe there may be one here in town. Have you ever noticed any strange happenings?"
Neah shook his head slowly, "No, but ever since we came here I have been ill. I'm plagued by near constant head pains centered on my forehead."
The three men behind the red haired boy murmured amongst themselves. One of them tapped him on the shoulder. He listened to what the group had to say before turning back to Neah, "You may be the host for this Innocence we're looking for. Have you ever been in contact with any unusual objects lately?"
"No. I haven't ever been to town."
"Well we plan on being here until we figure out what's going on. If anything happens please come find us."
"Okay. I'll let you know, um," Neah stumbled when he realized he didn't know the stranger's name.
"Cross," the boy said, "Marian Cross."
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