Hi everyone! Hope y'all enjoy this chapter, its one of those that some may or may not like explanation wise. I'll try to get another chapter up before Christmas Eve or on Christmas eve.
I blinked wincing at how bright the light seemed. I moved and froze at the pain that shot up my neck. I was so stiff. I'm not quite sure why, though I do remember the injection Tar-Mairon gave me and falling into oblivion.
With an experimental twitch, I curled my fingers in a bit and then stretched them out wincing at the jolts moving my stiff joints caused. Surely I wasn't asleep for long enough to lock up like this. I breathed in deeply steeling myself and forced my other hand to mimic the actions of the first. I closed my eyes tightly and jerked my arms out of their position. It felt so weird, but not as painful as it had been at first. I think I just needed to get my blood circulating again. Maybe I had been laying down in a weird position.
"Hi" I whispered to my baby wolf who was laying down near my feet. He opened his eyes and my voice and stuck his tongue out excitedly. "Have you been sleeping here this entire time?" I smiled as he stood up and shook his fur out becoming a small little fur puff. There were torches lit along the wall, but the door was shut and I couldn't tell if there was a lot of light out there or if maybe Tar-Mairon was sleeping too. If he even slept.
I leaned up on my elbows and tried to ignore the pain lighting down my neck and spine as I turned my head from side to side slowly. I tried to smile, but I think it was more of a grimace as wolf puff jumped excitedly on my legs. I leaned up stretching more alleviating more of my unnatural stiffness and tossed off the blankets letting them fall on top of my puff ball. He growled and pawed at the blankets from underneath them shaking rapidly. I giggled watching him struggle and growl with the blanket before getting out from under them and charging at me. I caught him when he leapt up and started licking at my face.
"Ew, stop" I laughed trying to set him down on the bed. He didn't want to be let go of, but I pulled my arms behind my back and then slid off the bed. I landed more painful than I thought I would as the final jolts of pain went up through my ankles and knees. My stomach let out a loud rumble and I leaned over feeling nauseously hungry. I can't believe I didn't feel tis hunger lying down. I rubbed my forehead with my hand a my stomach made another discontent noise. I padded quietly towards the door with a quick glance back at puff as he let out a sad noise of protest.
"I'll be right back" I whispered even though I knew he couldn't understand me and quickly opened and slipped out the door shutting it gently behind me. I didn't want puff to get us into anymore unsavory situations. Tar-Mairon was sitting at a desk and writing rapidly. I hesitated for a moment and then walked over to stand behind his chair peering at what he was writing. Was it a chemical formula? 6 KNO3 + C12H4O → 3 K2CO3 + 4 CO4 + 2 H2O + 7 N2. I gasped reading the formulations all down. Was that gunpowder? I took advanced chemistry and I remember formula balancing. That wasn't correct.
"Do you understand the mistakes in this Haldamire?" Tar-Mairon asked pinning me down with his gaze. Was this a test of some kind? Should I fail it or pass it? He held up the paper and at my nod ordered me to show him. I took the quill from his hand and stared at it baffled. I guess it makes sense that they wouldn't have pens or pencils here. I leaned over the paper conscious of Tar-Mairon's burning gaze on me. I glared at the quill hoping it wouldn't break and wrote the correct numbers under the formula before setting the quill in Tar-Mairon's hand and steeping back. He glanced over the paper before smiling at me. There was something really frightening and how charming and peaceful Tar-Mairon looked when he was smiling at you.
"Can Airawende do this as well?" He asked inclining his head towards the desk.
"Uh, maybe, I'm not sure, but she took chemistry as well at some point. I think" I stammered out trying to think about school classes.
"What other classes did you take?" He urged still smiling.
"Oh, we took english and of course history.." I said trailing off at Tar-Mairon shaking his head.
"Science classes, dear, what sciences do you understand." He corrected my frightened tirade.
"I wouldn't say that I understand them too well because it is really more foundational." I tried to explain. "Uh, we took chemistry, physics, biology, and I think Airawende took astronomy" I finished.
"Who taught you these things?" He asked leaning towards me slightly.
"Well, I, uh might've forgotten some of their names, but it was just teachers. Normal teachers" I squeaked out.
"Indeed, we have spoken about you and Airawende having education before, but I did not realize such subjects are common knowledge. What is the name of the place you are from?" I he asked conversationally. I could tell he was more interested than he was letting on.
"I don't know how to say it in this language" I responded hoping he wouldn't be smiled beginning again at me.
"I think, Haldamire, where you are from may not exist in this language." He said with an odd light shining through his eyes. I looked back at him in surprise trying not to shrink back at the light in his eyes. Fire burning and dancing in them.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked quietly.
"You and Airawende have stubborn minds that refuse to believe what is right in front of you" Tar-Mairon began and held out a hand. I looked at it and then back at him. "Take it Haldamire, this won't hurt"
Except it did hurt. Quite a bit. I yelped in surprise as something took hold of my mind and darkness was everywhere. It was like I was floating across the universe in darkness. I screamed, but I couldn't feel anything. Maybe I didn't scream. There was no sensation here, I was just a spectator. I shivered hearing the beginning of some kind of music, but it went out of what human ears could hear and I just stars spin into being with light all around.
It was like time didn't exist and I saw everything at once and nothing all at the same time. I gasped, coming back to the present and let go of Tar-Mairon's hand with a jolt and fell back. I stared up at him from where I was sitting. He wasn't looking at me, but was looking into nothing.
"Tar-Mairon" I whispered scared "Tar-Mairon" I whispered louder and he suddenly glanced down at me the flames in his eyes brighter than they ever had been before.
"What an intriguing world" He said emotionlessly burning his stare into mine. What world? Did he see what I saw?
"I knew you did not come from Arda marred, but I did not imagine the technology conjured up by your people." Tar-Mairon said thoughtfully the fire in his eyes dimming "I think perhaps, not to be conjured here. The rule of a standing world is desired not a burned one and the firstborn would surely destroy the world with this"
"The firstborn?" I asked totally baffled by Tar-Mairon's musings. What was he talking about. "Did you see what I saw?"
"No Haldamire, I showed you the beginning of this world while I took your knowledge. Do you understand now?" He asked studying me. I frowned thoughtfully.
"Not really" I said truthfully. He blinked looking long-suffering for less then a second.
"Listen to me very carefully Haldamire. You saw, and briefly heard, the creation of the universe and this world. You did not come from this world" He explained with a tone of patronization. I cocked my head staring at him trying to process the words.
I didn't expect to have to face this so bluntly. I mean, I knew deep down that I wasn't in the same place that I grew up. I didn't imagine how painful it would sound in actual words. I wanted to keep denying it. Refuse what accepting that knowledge would mean.
"I can take it away from you" Tar-Mairon said standing up and offering me a hand. I took and let him pull me up.
"Take what away from me?" I asked swallowing painfully and blinking away the moisture gathering in my eyes.
"Your pain, your knowledge" Tar-Mairon said without releasing my hand.
"How could you do that?" I asked looking up at him hopefully.
"Without the memories of your world you need not feel pain. I would leave your memories of here, naturally, and other memories not critical in knowledge, but critical in shaping" He explained.
"No..o" I whispered trying to extract my hand.
"Don't make such a quick decision Haldamire, think about it" He said releasing my hand. My stomach rumbled angrily again at that moment causing Tar-Mairon to quirk his eyebrows in what seemed like amusement. He inclined his head towards the table and I followed his gaze finding food set on it. I looked at him a moment frightened he would take my memories anyway and then bolted to the food.