Well, there's not much I can say or do to apologise to all of you who liked reading this and were suddenly left hanging by me. I think 'sorry' is a bit inadequate, honestly. Here's another chapter, though. Let's hope I can keep updating this on a more regular basis than once every half a year now, eh? ^-^' Feel free to message me and tell me how much of a bloody idiot I am. I deserve it!

Also feel free to message me about other questions and queries!


Memories of Ghosts and Glass - Chapter 4

'There is life after death.' Discuss this statement. You should include different, supported viewpoints and your own point of view.

This is one of the questions that I must have answered dozens and dozens of times for Philosophy and Applied Ethics exams. I always remember that particular subject's exams because you were writing so much in such little time that it felt like your hand was on fire. I also remember that particular question at this moment because it felt like it didn't matter whatsoever back then. Now I look back and wonder why I was so naïve.

Really, I don't even know how I'm thinking about all this. I'm dead. I died back there. Perhaps this is what the afterlife is. Not a place to live in comfort and happiness like many would have you believe, but instead a place to sit and think and lament on everything that went wrong. Then you can hope. Hope for a second chance, hope for something better because deep down you know that you were not done justice in that previous life.

As it turns out, there is someone listening, and sometimes…sometimes they may surprise you.

My eyes shoot open but only darkness illuminates my surroundings as I find myself breathing heavily. Without giving so much as a single thought to it I shove the thin sheet covering my body to the side, letting a gentle draft of cool wind drift over my body. My gaze then suddenly drops down to my midriff and lingers there in shock and bewilderment for a while.

Wow, this is really quite awkward. I mean...excluding the huge number of claret stained bandages wrapped around my body I'm not wearing anything other than boxers. I hope they gave me just a little bit of privacy. I mean, they already took off all the other clothes I was wearing. They were clothes I really liked, too. I hope Flora, Keith and Trace didn't throw them away completely. In that case, there's going to be trouble…

Wait, what time is it exactly? And how long have I been unconscious? If I've been like this for more than a day or so then the injuries were worse than I thought. I reckon now would be as good of a time as ever to see if I can walk properly after sustaining those pretty...gratuitous wounds, shall we say.

I carefully roll over onto my front and then place my hands on the ground shoulder-width apart. I take a few deep breaths before pushing myself up and onto my paws, gritting my teeth in order to try and ignore the protest my body was putting up against any sort of movement.

I know I really shouldn't be doing this if I want to avoid making the injuries worse but...I see what people mean when it's unbearable just to lie there and not do anything. Besides, it isn't like anyone can stop me doing what I want.

After getting into a standing position my right hand almost immediately jerks down and clutches my left side. A mild burning sensation envelops the area covered with bandages but it isn't a painful burning...More like a soothing sort of burning. If that's even possible.

I frown slightly as I glance around for any clothes that I could slip on for just a brief moment when I go outside; considering the coolness of the draft a little earlier I think it's going to be a very good wakeup call when I go out. Unfortunately - very unfortunately - nothing in here seems to be worth taking. The far corner of the tent from me is cluttered with empty bottles and vials of some sorts of unidentifiable liquids. Maybe they were full of medicine or painkillers to deal with me. Either way, I'd rather not know what was in them.

Sighing irritably, I reach out with my left arm and part the tent entrance before limping into the outside world. Darkness is the best form of light. For me, at least...I never really did like being at the centre of attention or exposed in daylight; paranoia is something which I've had for a good portion, if not all, of my life. Now it's more prevalent than ever but whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

I glance to both of my sides and a small wave of relief washes over an unknown fear that had embedded itself into me; I'm not in someplace different and I haven't been kidnapped. It's a good start.

Just to be safe I walk to the other tent of the two and, making sure everything I do is as quiet as possible, ease open one of the flaps and peek in through the smallest hole possible. Happily, nothing out-of-the-ordinary is happening; Trace and Flora are lying there, each on different sides of the tent. Flora is still wearing the subtleseed crystal, though. Why hadn't she taken it off? Hm…And why am I still here? I've proooobably outstayed my welcome.

Now I feel really guilty about taking up a whole tent by myself even though I was kind of injured…If I remember correctly then Flora actually got drunk in the comic. That is, if my memory is the same as it was back home.

...Back home. I wonder how long it'll take before I realise just how much I miss the old world; my old world. Even now the excitement and shiny, chromed newness of being here is starting to fade and blur. At the same time, though, I know trying to find out why the hell I'm here is going to be a pointless quest; I'm never going to get the opportunity to contact my family or friends again…That in itself probably outweighs any of the good things about being here. Sure, I may be smack bang in the middle of an awesome adventure with three – soon to be four with Natani – people, but...

...Bloody hell, there has to be some way that I can at least contact my family. Maybe not get back but…contact them. Talk to them. Whatever got me here in the first place must have the power to do something along those lines. I-I suppose the first few days haven't helped me to settle down into this world, I mean I shouldn't really even be here right now. If what I heard from Keith before I passed out is true then these injuries are severe even by Basitin standards. It makes me wonder whether things such as fate and destiny actually do exist; living in a completely alternate universe like this means my ideas about things like fate should be changing.

Wait, hang on...what the hell is happening with Sythe and Flora, then? If she was in there with Trace then it-

-and where the bloody hell is Keith? I haven't seen him guarding us like he normally does and that kind of worries me. I shouldn't have been able to make it out here to the tree line without being spotted or heard by him.

Godammit, this is not going the way I wanted it to. Canon stuff can't fail me now. Not yet. I know how to deal with that but this? I have no idea what to do here! I'm not looking forward to meeting Natani and Zen and if current events are anything to go by I wouldn't be surprised if I confronted them in this state...

"Well, what do we have here?"

Woah, who the bloody hell-? I don't say a single word but get myself into a standing stance, albeit in a laboured manner. My eyes flicker to and from almost every area I can see in front of me but I'm not able to make out any sort of figure or silhouette in the only slightly dilute inky blackness. Instinctively, my hand drops to my waist and tries grabbing a dagger. My grasp only captures thin air.

No...No, no, no, no...What on Earth was I thinking when I came out here with no weapons to defend myself? That's a beginner's mistake right there; no means of defence usually ends with your dead body feeding the local wildlife.

"Let's have this conversation face to face." I continue my attempts to locate the stranger, taking a tentative step forward as I do. I know I can't possibly hope to win if he attacks, but I'm never going to be able to run away either.

"Fine."

I hear a silent rustling above me and then a soft thump on the grass behind me. My very first reaction is to turn 180 degrees and face whoever it is but doing this only aggravates my injuries further; I feel a small tearing where my bandages are covering and I notice one of them becoming crimson in colour at a pace that really worries me. I do my best to remain focused on the immediate threat despite the pain.

Mental note for future reference: be more careful when you're pretty much mortally injured!

"I can't let you get in the way."

"What are you talki-" I suddenly cut myself off; a sense of realisation begins creeping in. So here's Sythe...but Flora was with Trace...I checked literally just a minute ago. I'm sure he can't do it himself, can he? Keith will be here in a second...Godammit, I hate being like this! I can't do anything. I'm useless.

"I've been tracking your movements since that Human town." Sythe seems to physically spit out the word 'Human' in a remarkably venomous tone. I guess it's a good thing I'm not one of them anymore. "You don't seem to value Trace very much..." Sythe trails off, causing me to raise my eyebrows in curiosity; a slight sense of fear begins filling me as every second passes. "The question is…Why?"

"It shouldn't be you asking me the questions here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but at the moment you're the one who poses the strongest questions by sneaking around here." I take a step forward, gritting my teeth in an effort not to show any signs of pain to Sythe. In fact, anger is usually a good facade for pain. Hopefully that's how this is coming across. Hopefully..."So forget about everything else. Why are you here?"

"You wouldn't understand it, being a Basitin and-"

"Don't bullshit me!" I cut him off and point an accusative finger at him. Maybe I can use these 'precognitive' abilities to my advantage. I just need to make sure not to call him Sythe, that's all. What a disaster that would be. "You said you've been following us. That narrows it down to two things and I doubt you would be following us to hand over some gifts."

'That just leaves assassination, mate…' He does seem to understand what I'm implying, thankfully. Well, that's actually kind of a bad thing…

"You're right...to an extent. My motivations are not what you think." Sythe remarked indifferently as he flexed his muscles.

'They're exactly what I think. And I don't like it.'

He pays no particular attention to me. "You know, I'm going to hate doing this…"

Hm? What was this about?

"...but I can't risk there being any witnesses..."

Wait, is he suggesting that-

"That means you're first to die!" Sythe growls the last few words.

'Oh, fuck.'

In the blink of an eye, Sythe lunges at me with a dagger, aiming straight for the neck. Adrenaline pumps through my body and I instinctively manage to parry this to the side, punch him in the gut and sweep his legs from under him, all in the space of a couple of seconds. I kick the dagger away from him so that he has no opportunity to recover again. This is the final movement that I can muster before I collapse to one knee in a sheer torrent of overwhelming pain.

"You-you…" Sythe rolls over onto his back and starts wheezing, trying to get some air back into his lungs. He grimaces and leans on one arm. "…Who are you?" The Keidran's eyes gaze down on me in surprise, confusion and even fear; there's no attempt to hide it. "B-Basitin don't-" He violently coughs a few times but regains his composure. "Basitin don't fight like that." Sythe eventually manages to stand up, albeit a little shakily.

"Who I am…It makes no difference." I swallow what feels like a boulder and pause for a few seconds. I stare down at the grass below me. It's the middle of the night, but the illumination from the moon lights almost everything up in this soft, ethereal glow. Compared to back home, this really is a beautiful place… "Just leave us. For your own sake. "

"Leave?!" Sythe splutters incredulously. He puts out a hand and plants it against a tree, steadying himself. "I still have the upper ha-".

"Move another inch and your back will be my sword's new resting place."

'Well, looks like the next drink's on me, Keith.' Thinking is about the best I can do right now because in my current state speaking isn't easy.

"In fact, I don't even know why I'm giving you the choice; you just tried murdering my friend."

A sudden sense of realisation and the disastrous possibilities of the possible next few events force me to intervene.

"Don't kill him Keith!" I reach out a hand to the other Basitin and stare at him, imploring him to stop. Gratefully, my comment looks to have hit home. Keith gazes at me in bewilderment. He really wasn't expecting me to say that. Which is good.

"What are you talking about? You of all people should know I'm doing the right thing!"

"Just let him go." I let my arm drop limply to my side. My attention briefly lands on Sythe who's shocked into a state of silence and immobility. I'm not sure whether that's from Keith's threats, my mercy or a mixture of both. "You won't regret it."

'But you will regret it if you do kill him because then we're really screwing with canon! And it'll be your fault.'

"But, Soren, I don't-"

"Keith…" I slowly trail off and look up to him once again but this time with a hint of steely determination.

"Alright, alright…" Keith lowers his sword from behind Sythe and sheathes it, stepping back a few paces.

"Go. Before he changes his mind." I say bluntly to the Keidran in front of me. He heeds my advice like it depended on more than just his life and stumbles away, although he swiftly manages to right himself and speed away. A few seconds pass and darkness sweeps over his path. Silence joins me and Keith.

"Come on, Soren, you need some real rest. It's unfair on people who fight you like this; you keep winning." We both laugh quietly at the remark but a shot of pain later and I'm quickly reduced to a grimace.

"Ughh…Don't make me laugh just yet." I smile and then carefully get to my feet with Keith's help, putting an arm over his shoulders.

A short – but, ultimately, much longer than usual – walk later sees us back at our small camp and into my tent. As I slowly lower myself down onto the floor, again with Keith's help, I make a mental note never ever to walk out in the middle of the night when I'm injured again. Ever.

"Soren, you need to stop walking out in the middle of the night when you're-"

"-Injured. Yeah, I know." I sigh to myself and look into the corner. No one's decided to steal my bag, thankfully. It's the only thing I have left to remind me of home – which, as much as I love this universe, I'm still trying to get back to, mind you.

"And why did you let him go? You're an assassin: a trained killer. I'm sure showing mercy wasn't part of the training." Keith sat down opposite me and tilted his head to the side. It was obvious that he wanted an answer and 'I don't know' wouldn't be accepted. A moment or two passes before I can work up an answer. I hate the fact I have to make up crappy lies every single time anyone asks me stuff about my pa-no… Soren's past. Everything about this whole situation is bullshit.

"Being out here in Keidran and Human lands experiencing their lives, their cultures…it opens up your mind."

"What do you mean?"

"This world…" I take a second to look out of a small opening of the tent's entrance. "…It's too big for one species' political agenda. I'm still a person with feelings. I'm not a mindless puppet or a toy for the Basitin hierarchy to play with and take advantage of. Back there, I made a choice not to kill him even though I've been trained and ordered to kill anyone who gets in my way." I pause for a few seconds and take a deep breath. "It feels good to be able to resist that biological disposition to follow orders without hesitation."

"Wait…Anyone who gets in your way? What did you get told to do?"

"I…I can't tell you that. I can only tell you what I told you before which was that I no longer work for them." For goodness sake, stop asking me these awkward questions! "And…hang on, where are my weapons?" I try changing the subject, but evidently I fail at doing it.

"Th-they're just behind me. Why do you want them…?" Keith trails off and gives me a suspicious look. Why he's doing that?

"I wasn't told to kill you if that's what you were wondering. I just feel safer with them, okay?"

"Okay, okay." He turns around and picks the two daggers up then puts them in front of me. I immediately shove them to the side; I don't want Keith to constantly be distracted by them, after all.

"So…anything else you wanted to ask?"

"No, not really." Keith shrugs and takes this as his cue to get up and begin leaving.

"Can I ask you something?" I quickly pose this question to him before he says goodnight and leaves. He stops in the middle of what he's doing, perhaps a little surprised at how out-of-the-blue it was.

"Yeah, I guess." He stays standing but his attention is firmly fixated onto me now.

"You're still going to bring Trace back to our homeland? Because it's clear that he doesn't know he's the Grand Templar."

"This is my only chance of redemption. My only chance to be accepted back into my homeland, but...there's still a long way to go. I need to think about it, Soren. It's late anyway, and like I said: you need rest. We're going to be moving on tomorrow. You're tough. You'll be able to deal with it."

"Thanks. Hopefully that's the case. And where are you going anyway?" I enquire, gesturing lightly towards him. Unless he wants to sleep outside, of course. It's his choice after all. "Trace and Flora are taking up the other one and it's pretty cold out there."

"You sure, Soren?

"Why wouldn't I be? We're friends, right?" I offer him a reassuring smile before adding something else; something important at that. "Just one condition: you stay right. Over. There."

"Opposite side of the tent? You got it." Keith smirks and turns away from the exit. "Who'd want to be near you anyway?"

"You'd be surprised." I reply with an equal measure of sarcasm and shake my head at the immaturity of it all. It's good to see Keith in a more positive mood. The tough part is going to be keeping it that way. For now, I really don't care, though. Everything seem less serious to me now and it felt good. Really good. Bring on the morning…That was all I could think about now.

Turns out time goes by pretty fast when you don't give a damn. Before I even know it we're basically right on top of our destination, and hey, also turns out Basitin didn't get a reputation of being hardy for nothing.

Thank god

"Flora, seriously, stop worrying! If anyone tries to do anything to you then they're going to have bad day, I can assure you that much."

"But we can find somewhere else! I mean…He-he really isn't that badly injured, is he?"

'So the massive bandage around my abdomen isn't badly injured? I dread to think what is if that's the case.' I can only laugh to myself at Flora's obviously desperate remark. Her fear's understandable; it's a Human town after all, and I haven't been away so long that I forgot about the rather…rocky relationship between Keidran and Humans. Hopefully the least that'll happen is that we'll get given a few bemused and odd looks: two Basitin, a Human and a Keidran. What a ragtag group we are.

As we approach the town, my gaze lands squarely onto the admittedly rather elegant structure towering above us and everything around it. It exhumes power from nigh on every inch of its metallic frame, almost daring people to try and question the power of the Templar. My heart sinks at the sight of it. The knowledge I have of all the hurt that it and everything else in this world are inevitably going to bring us plants a heavy burden onto my shoulders. Clairvoyance isn't all it's hyped up to be. I feel so much responsibility to keep these three safe that I know it's going to begin tearing me apart when I find out I can't.

A small sigh escapes my lips.

If you're depressed, you're living in the past,
If you're anxious, you're living in the future,
If you're at peace, you're living in the present.

I am living in the future. Anxiety plagues every move I make. Something's gonna need to change soon...

"Hey Trace….you're gonna have to make me look like your slave if you want us to get in without any hitches." Flora crouches down and delves into one of the leather bags we've been carrying along with us, her tail whipping the air every so often.

"W-What! No, I not doing that! I don't want you to be humiliated." Trace is completely frozen in place, his eyes as wide as a deer in headlamps.

"Relax." The tiger Keidran spins around on the spot, offering him a bundle of coiled up rope. "It'll only be for until we get away from this city. I don't mind." She finishes the sentence off with a reassuringly cute smile, edging closer to Trace, arms still outstretched. She's pretty much resigned to the fact that there's no avoiding the humans now.

"If you say so, Flora…" The sole human in our group reluctantly takes the rope from her hands. "I'm really not liking this, though."

"Of course you don't. I wouldn't be here with you if you liked tying people up and enslaving them for a living." Flora giggles, but her expression quickly changes to one of timidity as Trace begins tying rope around her. That definitely hit a nerve even if she isn't going to admit it. Either way it doesn't matter. The quicker we get away from any major areas of Human civilisation the better. They don't really seem like the kind of people who are very, er…multi-cultural, to say the least.

Once we get inside the walls, the other three and I part ways for a couple of hours. We agree on meeting each other again in one of the inevitably raucous taverns they have here in this place. That is, if we don't accidentally bump into each other before that. Thankfully, it turns out that Keidran who are tied up like a dog on a leash get through Human towns pretty damn smoothly. Obviously the occasional perversely-minded person ogles at Flora for a while, but hey, not all is doom and gloom.

My wanderings of the cobblestone streets turn up one surprise that I don't think I would have attributed to anything in this world: the signposting here is frickin' amazing! So good, in fact, that I reach my destination basically immediately after I begin looking. If only London was like this…

Anyway, there's that, and when I do enter the shop of my choice the apothecary in there is actually surprisingly willing to find something that's going to quicken my recovery. He's a decent guy, too; he looks to be in his mid to late 60's, long hair that's probably been greying for a good twenty years or so…the stereotypical wise-man. Beard and glasses included.

The shop itself is rather spacy. Most of the room's been taken up by the myriad of bottles and glass containers on shelves everywhere. The windows are all firmly closed, as is the door. I can't actually see outside from in here. I don't think even a single ray of natural sunlight is being let through. It's a bit weird, but nothing massively freakish. Candlelight does the job pretty nicely. In fact, it gives the place a nice atmosphere.

We make idle conversation while he rummages around on shelves and inside cupboards under his counter. We discuss trivial little things like the upcoming festival here, how business has been over the last few months – not too great, apparently – and other stuff like that. I ask him for his name, but he brushes the question aside. I'd end up just forgetting it, he responds. He tells me he's ecstatic to finally see a new face around here, especially a Basitin. He says the main reason is because everything is just so neutral and stoic around here. Too boring.

"A little change in the pace of things once in a while is nice." The man glances over his shoulder and looks me in the eye for a second before returning to his search. I remain silent. Mostly it's just the sheer curiosity and wonder of all the substances he has at his disposal that keeps my mouth shut. "And you…" He trails off, glaring down at a vial of something in his hands. "…Are most certainly…" His body slowly turns towards me, attention still fixated on the little glass container. "…A change in the pace of things." My large ears perk up at the alteration of the old man's body language and tone of voice. The vial is placed down carefully upon the rugged and worn wooden counter.

Both of us look up at each other at exactly the same time. A soft smile accompanies his gaze, a slight frown of confusion and intrigue accompanying mine.

"What's in there? Looks like it's got a mind of its own." I stare at the odd, almost other-worldly, substance before me. I wouldn't call it a liquid. It doesn't sit still like a normal liquid such as water would if it was in a vial. Two different colours, red and blue, swish and dance and twirl around one another, occasionally mixing to form a beautiful, deep purple before separating into the two basic colour once again. It's as if they're playing some sort of game with one another. Something like tag.

"There's nothing to be worried about. There's nothing 'living' in this vial. At least, not living in the sense of what you might be thinking." Before he explains further, the old apothecary takes off his glasses and cleans the lenses a little by rubbing them with his robes. "In here is a substance composed of two innately magical essences known as Aflerias. The two cannot exist without each other. In Keidran tongue it means 'harmony'."

"Why is it named after a Keidran word?"

"Because it is they who discovered the two plants that provide this essence. If memory serves me correctly in my old age, then the plant was found in Lyn'Knoll some-"

"Lyn'Knoll?" I swear my heart almost skips a beat as that word is spoken. I thought it was only Lady Nora who knew about it outside of the place itself...How the hell does he know about it? Maybe I shouldn't bother pressing him on the matter; it might end up giving me even more problems than I already have.

"Yes, Lyn'Knoll. A very peaceful place. Not the name I would have given to the village, but so be it." He shrugs nonchalantly as if passing the name off to be just another random little settlement. Maybe…maybe he doesn't know the truth about it after all. "Anyway, the properties of it are very potent, so it should work rather quickly. Then you should be up and about it no time. I'd even wager that you'll be feeling better than ever before!"

"So…how much do you want for it?"

"Want? As in money? Don't be silly, young one! It's true that this is the perhaps one of the rarest magical substances out there – in fact I've only ever seen two of these potions before – but I couldn't possibly charge you for it!"

"What do you mean? Surely that would make it stupidly expensive?" I cock my head to the side and give him a bemused glare. "Business hasn't been good, you said it yourself! I feel like I'm robbing you if you let me take this for free."

"You have a great heart and even greater intentions. That only makes me even more confident that I'm passing this on to the right person."

In one slow, graceful motion the man pushes the vial towards me and reaches out over the counter, placing a hand softly on my shoulder. A feeling of relaxation and calm immediately rushes through my veins as his eyes lock with mine.

"Trust in an old man when I say this: you may not understand why you are here or what you are doing in this world or even why you should care, but there is one thing you should know. Everything comes full circle. You may not realise it but there are people here who will come to trust you, love you, hate you and even idolise you; that Basitin friend of yours. Keith, I think it is…Yes, Keith. You are the only thing he has to remind himself of his home. You were childhood friends. Him, Nickolai Alaric and you. Now that you are here, well...you've lit a spark that even he didn't think he had anymore: hope. This is only one example of what you've already accomplished here."

"Wait, I-I don't…I don't understand. How do you know all this? And where the hell does this…stuff-"

"Aflerias!"

"-Aflerias come into it?"

"I…I cannot tell you anymore." His words were now shorter and sharper than before. More insistent and worrisome. "Time will show you everything you wish to know, but first it wants to take you on a journey. Now go. I fear I have already kept you here too long." He sweeps up the bottle of Alferias with one hand and gently takes my wrist with his other, pushing it into my grasp. I instinctively wrap my fingers tightly around it. "Go!" He ushers me out and nods in the direction of the door. "Your friends need you. You will find them behind the inn on the east side of town."

Even before he finishes the sentence I'm well on my way to being outside. I'm never going to find any answers if I just continue to question things. With half of me already outside, he grants me farewell.

"May the strength and will of the Gods be with you Soren! Until next time."

The heavy wooden door slams shut behind me. I stand motionless for a second before turning back around.

"Hey, wait a second I…" The sheer madness of what I see next snatches the words away from my mouth. Or rather, it's what I don't see that catches me off guard. The apothecary is just completely gone. It's disappeared. Vanished. Poof. Just like that. I take a look around me at the other people walking on by. None of them seem to have noticed anything whatsoever. Nothing.

Great. Now I'm stuck here with the knowledge that someone else knows all about my life as a Basitin as well as some mystical potion that I don't know the effects of.

And I have a feeling life isn't going to be taking its foot off the accelerator any time soon…