Sunlight streamed through the window, landing softly on Doug's closed eyes. It was the last day of Spring, only a few days after Doug had arrived. Blossom had excused him from the General Store so he can settle in more easily. He had refused at first, but Blossom had stubbornly insisted to work the store by herself for a few more days.

Things, at first, began awkwardly between him and the townsfolk. Well, at least to him. Many times someone would try to strike a conversation with him to learn more about his personality, or the more dreaded topic; His past. Doug had thought he made it completely clear his past was off-limits to everyone, but that didn't stop them. This stubbornness only made him more sullen and people had at least picked that up. Several others like Illuminata and Kiel had also noticed Doug never smiled, and has made various attempts to catch a glimpse of his softer side.

People like that confused Doug. Going to such extremes for him, what was the point? Were they really just trying to be nice?

…

"Good morning, Granny." Doug groggily said.

"Good morning. This will be your first day working at the General Store, so get ready."

"Okay…" He replied, his eyes still a pale hue. Doug was somewhat sad that his free days were over, but he didn't want to freeload either.

"The first thing I need you to do is deliver a few things. Flour for Forte and Kiel, corn for Illuminata, and some oil for Porcoline." Blossom pulled out a light brown bag, filled with groceries. "After that, I'll teach you how to take stock."

"Okay." Doug secured the bag into his arms, making certain it was snug. "I'm off."

…

"Oh! Thanks for delivering this, Doug." Kiel smiled brightly as he received his order. "Now I can finally bake that cake for Forte."

"Right. Bye." Doug bluntly said.

"H-Hey, wait Doug!" Kiel called out for the rushing dwarf.

"What?"

"After you're done working, why don't you come over my house? Vishnal is coming too."He politely invited.

'You're inviting me over?" Now Doug was even more perplexed. "Why?" His eyes narrowed in deep suspicion.

"Well, you always seem so sad."Kiel , blushing, explained. "And I don't think any of us has ever seen you smile before. I just thought, you know, we could help you loose up a bit."

He really is being nice, isn't he? "…Too busy. Sorry." Doug turned and walked away, leaving Kiel on his doorstep.

"I'll see you there, okay!"

…

"Oh my, its closing time isn't it?" Blossom realized.

"18:00. Guess I'm off then." He hurryingly walked towards the door. "I'm going out for a bit, Granny."

"Heading to a friends' house?"

"…No."

…

"Good evening, Doug!" Vishnal greeted as he walked to Kiel's room, where he sat reading a book on his bed.

"I'm glad you came! Not too busy after all, huh?"

"M-My schedule just happened to clear up. That's all." Doug said as his face turned red. "Well, now what?"

"I wanted to start by asking you a few questions."

"Questions?!" Is that what he's after?

"Yeah. Trivial questions. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I'll share a bit about myself first." Kiel suggested.

"Okay then. Start."

"Let's see… Oh! My dad was a Dragon Knight before he gave that title to Forte. She's been taking care of me ever since, although I take care of all the cooking and cleaning. I like sweets, and so does Forte, but she doesn't like to admit it. Funny, huh? Our favorite is chocolate cake. It's the perfect mix of two already great sweets, chocolate and cake! I read lots of books, so I know lots of stuff. People also tell me I'm quite proficient in magic, healing and attacking. I can use magic staffs and swords when I go into scary caves or dark forests. Right now I'm working on my sword skills, so Bado made me an enchanted sword that can make me a master in four months! Awesome, right?" He openly shared.

"That was… quite a bit." Doug said, astonished at his openness.

"So, um, can I can ask you few questions now? I want to know all about the people in Selphia. Like how old are you? Do you know how to forge? And what clan do you come from?"

"Uh… I'm fifteen and no, no one taught me yet. I've been lightly exposed to it, I guess." He hesitantly answered.

"Oh, I see. I was expecting you were older than me. But you are the only dwarf I've met who doesn't know how to forge."

"You've met others?"

"Yeah. Travelers come in here all the time. I see all kinds of people every day." He explained. "So, anyway, how do you like this town?"

"Oh, its okay I guess." Doug mentally sighed, relieved Kiel didn't notice he hadn't noticed he didn't answer the last question. Him learning Doug was from a Sechs tribe might set off an unfortunate chain of proceedings that could led to the truth. But something like that could happen at random, too. Like some kind of town event.

"Glad to hear that." Vishnal spoke out. "As a butler of the castle, please let me help you however you can."

"Really? Then can you tell me what you know about Ventuswill?"

"Lady Ventuwill? Why?"

"I just want to know."

"Well, she's very kind. I can cause an incident of grand scale in her presence, but she'll never be mad at me!" Vishnal passionately declared. "She cares deeply for the prosperity of Selphia, and I will gladly help her in any way!"

"Oh. R-Really?" That's exactly the opposite of what the Sechs told me. "Has she ever left Selphia for a day or two, rather recently?"

"Um, no. I don't even recall her ever leaving actually."

…

Doug slumped on his bed, wary of the day's events.

What do you mean Ventuswill never left? That can't be true…

His mind boggled with confusing thoughts, perplexed at what Vishnal had said that day.

"What the hell's going on here? They can't both be right…"

….

Days past. Soon, an entire season had gone. Doug adapted to life at Selpia, but still not opening up completely to others. During that time, he tried his best to get any information in Ventuswill. The task itself was simple, but doing it without garnering too much attention was the hard part. Doug would often use being new to the town as cover, but some still found it suspicious that he didn't have what seemed like basic knowledge for a resident of Norad. Some especially astute tourists, for example, and Forte found this strange but more than often did they just blow it off as paranoia.

The Sechs soldier sent to check on him, of which seemed to have Sechs soldier as his actual name, was most times unhappy with Doug's meager info. Even when Doug had discovered major things, the soldier would activate the Fos Ring for maybe ten minutes at the very least, and drew delight watching him wreath in pain. Several times, the next day after he had visited, Doug had to pull his shirt collar higher to hide the blood and burns. Hiding the pain was even harder.

Of course, that didn't mean he didn't slightly enjoy himself with the residents of Selphia. Like on his birthday, which was the only bit about himself he shared with Blossom. She grew to like Doug like a grandson.

…

"Doug, today's your birthday isn't it?" Blossom brought at the store, early in the morning.

"Oh, um, yeah. I guess it is." Doug hesitantly answered. He hoped Blossom wasn't planning to do some party for him, as this was the first birthday he would spend without his family. Last years' party was still clear in his mind, and it made him sad since it was now an irretrievable memory.

"Well then, why don't you take the off today?"

"But I still have to organize the new shipment, and-"

"Come now Doug, it's your birthday! Go out and enjoy yourself. I can handle the new shipment by myself."

Doug heard her stubborn tone, and he knew he had lost this argument. "All right already, I'll take the day off okay?"

…

He strolled slowly down the streets, unsure of what to do. It was only eight when Blossom had forced him out, meaning everyone was still inside.

"Sheesh, what am I going to do?" Doug kicked aside a few pebbles, and soon spotted Kiel in his doorstep.

"Forte, remember it's at 19:00 in the restaurant."

"Yes I know. Now close the door, you're letting a chill in!"

"O-Oh, sorry!" Kiel quickly clicked the door shut.

"What's at 19:00?" Doug asked.

"Huh-Ahh! D-Doug!" Kiel shouted, surprised at his sudden appearance. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough to know there's something at the restaurant at 19:00. Are you guys planning something?" Doug eyed Kiel suspiciously.

"W-Well, um, y-you see…"

"What is it?"

"It's just…"

"Kiel! I've been looking for you!" Nancy took Kiel by the arm, surprising them both. "Jones needs you right away."

"Okay!" Kiel said with a look of relieve. "See you later Doug!"

"Right…" He looked warily on as Nancy dragged Kiel to her shop. Doug was almost certain they were planning a party for him. Now he just has to decide whether to go with it or reprimand them for this attempt. "Ah, whatever. They can do what they want , I guess. Not that I'll like it…"

…

"Alright, Doug, here you are! Tempera Bowl, fresh from the pot." Porcoline presented him with the bowl of steaming rice topped with fried tempera. "It smells so nice… I wonder if it's properly cooked… I should taste it a little…"

Doug saw that sinister gleam in Porco's eye and quickly took the bowl away. "Hey, I'm not paying for this if you eat it!"

"Oh, so sorry Doug." Margerate pulled Porco to the side by his ear, intent on a good scolding. "Porco, how many time have I told you not to eat the customer's food? Especially right in front of them!"

"But it looked so good…"

"No!" Margarate glanced at Doug, seeing the same detached look he has every day. Sometimes she just wishes she could help him with whatever's bothering him, but she knew Doug would never let her. "Please, enjoy your meal."

"H-Hey…" Doug nearly whispered.

"Huh? What?"

"Why… Why are you and everyone else so nice to me?"

"What?" She stood perplexed at this sudden question, while also noticing Porco had retreated to the kitchen.

"You've only known me a few weeks… You know nothing of my past, but you still treat me so nicely… How can you possibly give a complete stranger such kindness?!" Doug cracked, raising his voice. Realizing his outburst, he lowered his voice again to a near whisper. "Why… When I'll just cause you trouble…"

Gotcha. "Why you ask? It's actually pretty simple, really. It's because…"

…

Leaning on the tower railroad, Doug slowly accessed what Margaret's answer was.

"Why you ask? It's pretty simple, really. It's because… we can clearly see what kind of person you are. The amount of time you know someone doesn't define how you should treat people. It's that person's heart that should decide that. And if I can't see that person's heart, I just try to pry it open by getting to know them. Of course, actions and reactions don't tell you the entirety of what that person is. Only the person themselves can tell you that."

"But I haven't told you anything yet, so how can you be so sure of what kind of person I am?" Still perplexed, he asked.

"Because I can see your heart clearly, from the moment I saw you. I'm sure everyone else can too. And even if you do end up hurting someone, we'll just forgive you. That's just how the people of Selphia are."

"They can see my heart? Impossible, I've been as distant as I possibly can, yet…" Doug stared off into the afternoon sky. It was 14:00, still five hours away from his supposed surprise party. Wondering what else to do, something peaked his curiosity in the corner of his eye. All of the customers in the restaurant were suddenly vacating the building, and he saw Maragrate apologetically bowing for the incontinence.

"This is turning into quite an eventful birthday, huh Arya?" He spoke softly to his sister, whom he recalled had always made such a big fuss over birthdays, especially his.

"Hey, brother, what should we do today?" Arya excitedly asked his brother.

Doug turned away from the chopped word, seeing his sister's bright red hair shine in the sunlight. "Well, we could go to the river. Where those red flowers are."

"Oh yeah! Those were so pretty last year. But they always wither away so quickly… You're lucky they're in season during your birthday, Brother"

"Oh really? Well, we can go after I'm done, okay?"

"The blood crimson blossom only blooms during my birthday, huh? How fitting…" From where Doug could see, the last of the customers had left the restaurant. Deciding not to pay it any heed, at least for now, he descended the Observatory. "Maybe I can find some of those."

As he walked towards the town gate, Doug noticed the streets were empty except for the usual tourists. Perhaps everyone was at the restaurant or something.

…

18:40, in the evening, Doug lie on the bank of the river that guided him towards Selphia. He looked intently into the purple sky, the Sun falling in the horizon. The sound of the river caressed his mind, soothing him from today's annoyances.

Doug had indeed found the crimson blossoms his sister Arya had loved, but nearly all were wilted or dead. Only one was well and alive. Seeing the one survivor, he retreated from the site. It was all too reminiscent for him, of what happened just one season ago.

"One alone survives the carnage of hate. Arya, tell me, what'll happen to that sole survivor? He's lost everything, his only reason for living to avenge the one that caused the carnage. But what's to happen after?"

I know you can't give me any answers, Arya, and you probably wouldn't agree with what I'm doing. After all, you always hated the Sechs. But I have to do this. So, for now, I'll put you and mom and dad in the back of my mind for now. I'll see that your killer gets punished, and then, I'll see you. With the crimson blossoms you loved.

"Hey, Doug!" A voice called, interrupting his thoughts. It ran closer, and Doug saw it was Kiel. "I finally found you!"

"What do you want?"

"You should come to the restaurant, right now!"

"Why?"

"Just, please, come!" Kiel swiftly seized Doug by the arm, pulling him towards Selphia.

"H-Hey! That hurts! Let go, I'll walk!" He released his grip, and allowed Doug to walk behind him.

So this is really gonna be a surprise party for me? Well, it's not gonna be much of a surprise.

…

19:00, Kiel held the door at the restaurant. He had rushed Doug to come, barely making the time space. "Come inside, Doug."

On the other side of the door, Doug found it completely dark but Kiel urged him in yet. Stepping inside, he readied himself for a few people to come out and screamed 'Happy Birthday' at him. And, well, that's exactly what happened.

"Happy Birthday, Doug!" The lights flashed on, revealing everyone inside, much to his surprise.

"E-Everyone's here?!" This caught him of guard; He was only expecting Blossom and a few others. But the whole town?!

"Of course everyone's here." Blossom said. "They wanted to make sure your first birthday here was perfect."

"So I came up with the idea of a surprise party! You were surprised, weren't you?" Kiel obliviously said.

"O-Oh, yeah, I sure was." Doug stood dumbfounded by it all, unsure of what to make of this.

"Come on, you should see your cake before Porco eats it all!" Kiel, aided by Vishnal, pulled him to the table where the most people were buzzing around. Doug saw a white cake with blue frosting was laid there, and he saw his name sprawled on the top.

"Wow, that's an awesome cake." He sincerely remarked. "It's really for me?"

"Of course it is. Now let's sing and then eat cake, everyone!" All at once, everyone begin sing Happy Birthday to him in different intervals, making him to laugh a bit. Doug liked this joyful atmosphere. Even more, he liked being surrounded by people that cared for him once more. He soon entered a self induced euphoria for the rest of the night, loosening up somewhat. They spent the remaining dark hours partying, talking, and just playing around.

It was all so fun. But there was one thing that prevented him from fully enjoying himself… A constant reminder that would never go away…

The Fos Ring locked on his neck.