Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Star Wars or any references I may use
I apologize for the last post, something wrong with pasting the document in from my gmail but this should fix the problem. Sorry again and please enjoy
Also any misunderstandings about the story next chapter when Ryu's memory returns, this chapter is meant to leave some plot holes for the time being. I once again apologize for and misunderstandings that may happen
Chapter 4
Forging a new life
Kitchen, Mid-morning
"Wait, say that again."
"Who am I?" The boy repeated.
Cyton raised an eyebrow and leaned back in the chair slightly, "Enough with the jokes kid. Seriously, who are you?"
"I take it you don't believe me?" The boy's gaze once again turned back to the table littered with strange objects.
Cyton's eyes narrowed, "Look at me when you're talking to me."
"I have no interest in talking with a man who is only wearing his undergarments. Go get dressed, I won't move."
Doubt ran through Cyton's mind initially but if the boy was truly going to do something, he would've done it while they all were sleeping, "Not even an inch."
Neri moved closer to the table as her father ran upstairs whiling quickly handing his wife the sword just in case. The boy noticed Neri staring at him intently and met her gaze, there was no fear in her eyes only curiosity, "You don't have to stand you know, it's your house. Have a seat if you want."
Agitha unconsciously moved closely to her daughter as she sat on the side as the stranger. Neri scooted her chair closer to the boy who paid her no heed, which was only more incentive to scoot even closer until only a inch separated the two of their chairs. Agitha was about to say something but Cyton beat her to the punch as he came down the wooden steps.
"Neri, give the kid some space. I don't think he likes you invading his personal bubble. Besides he could be dangerous for all we know." Cyton resumed his place on the opposite side of the table from the kid. His wife settled into the chair next to him, the sword was passed back to him under the table.
The kid raised his head to the elder man, "I understand your concern for the safe for the family -" He raised his hands over the table toward the man, "If you want you can bind my hands if it would make you feel better."
Cyton waved his hand, "That won't be necessary. Explain to me why you ask 'who am I'."
"Isn't it obvious, I don't know who I am."
"Okay just checking, now where did you come from?"
The boy closed his eyes and thought, a minute of silence passed by until the his eyes opened with a grim look, "Don't know."
"Were you travelling with anyone?"
"Don't know."
"Do you know what these things on the table are?"
"No."
"How old are you?"
"Don't know."
Cyton breathed deeply and rubbed his eyes out of irritation, he exhaled slowly trying to calm his mind as he did, "Can you tell us anything about yourself?"
The boy thought for a moment then pointed to the bandages on his head, "My head really hurts."
Neri, Agitha, and even Cyton couldn't help but burst out laughing at the boy's statement. The boy looked at them confused, he had no idea that his statement was that hilarious. As the three them started to quiet down, the trinkets on the table shifted around as the boy resumed trying to identify them.
Cyton wiped a small tear from his and returned his gaze back to the kid who continued looking through his belongings, "I'm sorry but that was pretty funny."
"What about it was funny?"
"Nevermind about that, let us introduce ourselves. I am Cyton Riewel."
The woman placed a hand on her chest, "I am Agitha Riewel."
"And I'm Neri!" The girl shouted as she stood up quickly, knocking her chair back into a shelf. A vase wobbled on the shelf and titled over the side and fell toward the ground. The boy noticed the vase out of the corner of his eye and dived toward the falling object with his arm outstretched.
A second later and the vase would have shattered on the on the ground, instead the base of the vase fell harmlessly in the child's hand. Luckily it wasn't a large vase or he wouldn't have been able get a good grip on it when it landed. Cyton and Agitha were amazed by the kid's reaction time and speed, if the kid was in a fist fight he could certainly hold his own. Neri on the other hand merely smiled at the kid.
"Wow, quick as a wolf. Are you part wolf? Is that why your hair is silver like some wolves hair? Speaking of your hair, why do you have a braid in it?" The boy ignored the girls continuas questions as he stood up and placed the vase back on the shelf.
Neri continued her bombardment of questions which continued to bounce off the boy until one struck him right in the face, "Wait you can't be a girl because I saw your boy parts yesterday when we changed you."
"W-what are you talking about?!" The boy demanded, his arms crossed over his lower section in response.
"What, you don't know about different genders? Let me show you-" Neri started.
The boy covered his eyes and looked away, "Have you no shame?! What do you think you're doing you idiot?!"
"Neri! You should know better than than to show your privates to strangers!" Agitha yelled out as she ran over and grabbed Neri by the wrist.
"I wasn't going to do that! I was merely going to point to your chest and say girls have boobs and boys have muscles. Why would I show him such a thing?!" Neri shouted back while trying to release herself from her mother's grip.
The boy removed his hand from his eyes and turned back toward the girl, "Y-you need to make that clear next time you birdbrain!"
"Who are you calling a bird brain?! Let me at him, let me at him!" Neri fruitlessly tried to break free from her mother's grip, sadly it felt like it was made of iron.
As the fight went on, Cyton merely sighed and rubbed his aging face. He took a quick look outside, it was mostly clear with the exception of a fear clouds but that could change in a couple minutes just like yesterday. He had work to do today on the farm and the sudden arrival of this strange silver haired boy wasn't helping.
The fight continued on until Cyton decided it had gone on long enough, "Will you two knock it off? There are more pressing matters at hand right now then a small squabble between two kids. We need to decided what we are going to do with him now because I need to get to work."
Neri and the boy quieted down but continued to send each other hurtful glances. Agitha led Neri over to the other side of the table and made her sit down next to her father. The boy on the other hand remained standing on the other side of the table.
"So, what should we do?" Cyton asked his family while crossing his hands.
"Throw him out, he's a jerk!" Neri once again stuck her tongue out at the boy who did the same back at her.
Agitha looked at the kid with compassion in her eyes, "We should let him stay here for now. I won't be able to sleep at night if we let a kid who has no memory of himself leave all on his own."
Cyton studied the kid closely, taking in every detail he could about the kid. He was very fast with a stunning reaction time, not to mention he was well built. He could very well be lying about his memory, but considering he found the kid bleeding from the back of his head after a chunk of fence hit, his memory could be at least scattered from the blow. Also like his wife, he couldn't send the boy off on his own in good conscious but the boy could be dangerous. But then again, he is only a child.
"You can stay here for a week. If he hasn't recovered his memory by then, I'll take him to town and leave him with a old friend. If he recovers it before the week's end, the sooner he is out of here."
"Wait honey, that's a bit harsh isn't it?" Agitha asked while putting a hand on her husband shoulder.
"He may be a child, but he has the physique of a warrior." He turned to the boy, "I don't completely trust you, but I will allow you to stay. We will provide you with meals and a place to sleep, but listen to me closely when I say this. . ." Cyton's tone became extremely aggressive, "If I even think you're are going to harm my family, I won't hesitate to kill you."
The boy stood there silently for a moment then nodded. Cyton studied the boy once more before getting up and heading back up the stairs. But before he reached the first step the boy said one last thing before the man left, "You care deeply for your family. Somehow, I can relate to that."
Cyton said nothing as he continued up the stairs, the boy's attention shifted back to the mother and child still on the opposite side of the table. The woman looked the boy over before asking a question that was on her mind, "What should we call you for now?"
The boy thought for a long while, he looked around the room for some inspiration and then over the table until his eyes fell on a small object, a cube. He had looked over the cube before and paid no heed to it, but this time when he focus on gaze on it he swore he could hear a voice in his head say familiar word.
Krayt
"Call . . . Call me Krayt."
"Krayt? That's a strange name." Agitha commented.
"It might not be my name but it sounds very familiar." The boy picked up the cube and studied it closely, sadly the voice in his head said nothing more. And he only had a only a week to figure who he was before he would be without a roof over his head. The clock was ticking, and he didn't know where to start.
"What a life." Krayt sighed.
()()()()
Riewel Farm Approximately 4:40 PM
The day moved on with little to no difference for the Riewel family, except the ten year old kid who sat their table examining the belongings from his bag. Cyton had spent most of his time outside tending to the farm and animals that they kept in the barn. The barn held four cows, seven goats, fifthteen chickens, five pigs, and two horses and Cyton made sure to tend to each animal's needs. Cyton had spent all his life on the farm so he skills needed to carefully tend each and every aspect of farm life.
Neri on the other hand spent her time wandering around the house, clutching two dolls tightly wherever she went. Whenever she passed through the kitchen, she would stick her tongue out at Krayt who respond half the time with the same response. Krayt felt like Neri was going out of her way to move through the kitchen and shoot hurtful glances at him but he had more pressing matters at hand.
Agitha was the only one who was trying to help Krayt, she would bring him food when he was hungry or water for when he was thirsty. Other than that, she attempted to help Krayt regain any memory they could but with little success. Krayt was depressed at the fact that they learned nothing today but Agitha took notice at Krayt's look and smiled cheerfully.
She walked over and sat back down across from him maintaining her smile as she did, "Don't worry, you can't rush these kinds of things. I'm sure your memory will return in a matter of time."
Krayt looked into Agitha's eyes once again, that compassion still filled her eyes and showed no hint of leaving, "You're probably right. Thanks for helping me."
"Anything for a cute kid like you." Krayt blushed lightly and turned away quickly hoping she didn't notice the crimson across his face.
Agitha laughed softly, but hidden behind her smile she was worried for the child, "Cyton really means to kick him out in a week with or without his memory returning, doesn't he? Poor kid, I'm no doctor but considering how hard that fence must have it him, he might never regain his memory. Although that might not be such a bad thing, I always wanted to have a son after Neri, but after the accident." Agitha placed her hands on her stomach and sighed, Krayt noticed this and looked up toward the woman.
Agitha quickly noticed Krayt looking her way and smiled once again, "Don't worry, just thinking to myself."
Krayt tilted his head slightly, "I didn't say anything though . . ."
"Nevermind, it was nothing." She quickly responded trying to end the conversation as quickly as she could. Krayt merely shrugged his shoulders and diverted his attention back to the table. Agitha let out a small sigh of relief and then quickly shook her head, "What am I thinking? There could be a mother waiting out there for this boy to come home to him. Although what mother would let their child travel alone? Unless he ran away from his home. Maybe a drunk for a father and no mother to care for him, that could explain the cuts on his hand and waist. But was about the scar on his back? It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen."
Agitha continued staring at the child hoping to figure out this boy, just his cuts and scars alone made him seem curious. And him losing his memory made him seem all the more curious. She was also curious about the braid that hung from the right side of his head, braids were not exactly common in male fashion but few boys and even men sometimes had a braid. His silver hair made him look like some kind of wise man or 'wise kid' in this case, the natural waviness in his hair only added to Agitha's curiosity. Once she was hooked on something, breaking her away from it was close to impossible.
The kitchen door creaked as it opened, Cyton stood in the doorframe in his dusty work cloths. Agitha quickly stood and moved to the kitchen counter to pour her husband a glass of water. Cyton gratefully took the cold water and gulped it all down in one go. Once he finished, his gaze fell on the kid who sat his table. Krayt merely stared on back at Cyton, as if Cyton did not belong in the kitchen.
This look irritated Cyton, "What are you looking at kid?"
"The name is Krayt."
"Oh does that mean you've recovered your memory? In that case, there is the door." Cyton replied with an irritated voice while aiming his thumb at the door.
A frown materialized for Krayt's face, "No I haven't, I need a name for the time being and I chose Krayt. Also, I have been sitting in this room all day, I think I can figure out where the door is."
Cyton merely rolled his eyes and left the glass on the counter before heading upstairs to his room. A few seconds after Cyton disappeared, Neri came into the kitchen still holding the same two dolls she had been holding the entire day, the princess and the knight. As per her routine, Neri stopped beside the table, turned toward Krayt, and stuck her tongue at him before sprinting up the stairs before he could say anything.
"Neri, get back down her and apologize to him!" Agitha called out as Neri disappeared up the stairs. A few seconds passed before Agitha shook her head and let out a sigh, "That child, she isn't usually like this."
"She's a kid, they're still learning out to properly express their emotions." Agitha turned to Krayt with a confused expression, despite his age he acted awfully mature. The question was did he act like that before or was this his new personality on account of memory loss?
Agitha looked outside then back to the kitchen and nodded to herself, "I should probably start dinner now."
Krayt looked up from the table, "Need any help?"
"You can cook?"
"No but I can perform menial tasks like peeling or stirring."
Agitha smiled but waved him off, "You needn't bother yourself, you should just focus on trying to remember who you were."
"Let me help, it's the least I can do for you trying to help me and giving me a place to stay." Krayt insisted.
She giggled lightly, "My my, stubborn one aren't you?"
Krayt only shrugged, "Common courtesy, besides I don't like the feeling of mooching off someone. It just doesn't sit well in my gut."
"Well I guess you can cut the vegetables, we're having beef curry and rice with a side of veggies."
Krayt stood and moved over to the counter, "Never heard of curry, at least I think I haven't. I'm not sure . . ."
Agitha smiled again at Krayt's indecisiveness, while he was still thinking it over Agitha made a quick trip to the living room and quickly returned with a small step stool, "It'll be a bit difficult for you to cut veggies at your current height. You should be fine with this."
Krayt carefully stepped onto the stool and wiggled around a bit to make sure the stool sat firm on the ground. The step stool didn't move an inch, satisfied with the results, Krayt was his hands and cracked his knuckles.
In front of him sat some carrots, a cutting board, and a razor sharp looking knife. Agitha gave him a quick run through on how to properly hold the knife and how to cut the carrots. As soon as Krayt took the knife in his hand, something felt immediately wrong. When he went to cut the carrots, he would often slip and give himself fresh new cuts on his hand. Agitha would immediately stop whatever she was doing and make sure the cuts were cleaned correctly. Then she would clean the knife and have Krayt start over again, but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't steady his hand.
"Maybe you would like to try something else?" Agitha suggested after washing the blood off the knife for the seventh time.
Krayt looked at his uncut hand, he knew something was off on how he was holding the knife. He motioned for the knife one last time and Agitha reluctantly handed the blade to him. Krayt tried holding his fingers in numerous different ways on the handle but every time he felt that something was off and for some reason couldn't identify the problem. Agitha noticed the defeated look on Krayt's face and started to reach for the knife. But as she was about to grab the knife, she quickly pulled her hand back as Krayt quickly reversed the knife in his hand. Krayt then began to cut the carrot with precision and speed. Instead of the pull-cut technique he used before with the knife before, he now used a push-cut technique that he felt extremely more comfortable with.
Agitha was impressed on the speed in which Krayt was cutting, he managed to cut a seven inch carrot into equal small sized slices in a matter of seconds. Once he was done with the first one, he used the blade of knife to shove the sliced carrot to the side. He then grabbed for the next one and started slicing into that one as well. Agitha merely watched as the carrots were systematically sliced up and then moved to an increasing pile of carrot slices.
Once the last carrot was done, Krayt placed the knife down next to the cutting board. He turned to see Agitha's face filled with astonishment, he merely smiled and said, "Maybe I was training to become a chef?"
Agitha noticed the cheerful looked on the kid's face and soon her smile reflected his, "I think this is the first time I've seen you smile."
Krayt hopped off the step stool and moved back to the table, "Really? To be fair, when you lose your memory, you don't really have time to be smiling."
"There is always time for a smile, even when times are dark a single smile can brighten anyone's day."
Krayt picked up the cube and studied it for a second, seeing if anymore secrets might be revealed to him. Again, whatever the cube was it did not seem like it was in the mood to develuge. Krayt groaned silently and started to feel like his memories were never going to come back. He rotated back toward Agitha, a smile was showing as it usually did. Krayt couldn't help but mimic her smile with his own, "Depends on the person really I guess. Was there anything else you needed me to do?"
Agitha whipped back around to the pot on the stove, "You could set the table, plates are in the cupboard, cups are under the counter."
The process of setting the table only took a couple minutes, first Krayt carefully placed all the objects on the table into his bag and set it aside. He then placed a spoon, glass, and napkin sat on the table in front of each chair. Krayt then helped Agitha by taking the food filled plates to the table, soon the aroma from the kitchen drifted to all corners of the house beckoning Neri and Cyton to the source of the smell. Cyton and Agitha took one side of the table while Neri and Krayt sat opposite them. Neri didn't even bother to acknowledge Krayt's presence, although this did not bother him.
The family of three began to dig into their dinner, Krayt merely watched to figure out how to properly eat his food. Apparently, they all would take a spoonful of rice and then scoop up the liquid substance. Krayt looked down at his plate, half of it was filled with rice and the other was filled with a strange liquid. Bits of meat and carrots could be seen sitting in the liquid, and the liquid itself was thick but thicker than paste.
Krayt couldn't hold back the question any longer, "What is this liquid stuff?"
Agitha smiled, "You've never had curry before?"
"I don't know, I might have." Krayt scooped up some rice and dipped his spoon in the curry. He brought the spoon closer to his mouth, the curry had a pleasant smell. The spoon slid into Krayt's and slid out a second later without the food. His face lit up, he took one more look at his food before he started shoveling the food into his mouth.
Agitha smiled, "I'm guessing you like it?"
"Yo et I do, tis shtuf is amashing!" Crumbs of food flew out Krayt's mouth as he spoke.
Neri turned to Krayt with a scowl on her face, "You know it's impolite to talk with your mouth full."
Krayt swallowed before he stuck his tongue out at Neri, her response mimic Krayt's. Agitha laughed quietly to herself, "It's like we're one big family, doesn't it?"
"He's not my son."
Krayt's vision shifted to the man, he could see a scowl on the man's face as he thoroughly chewed his food, "What's your problem old man?"
"Excuse me? You will address me as sir or Mr. Riewel. Understand?"
"Fine, then you can tell why you have a stick up your ass."
Agitha dropped her spoon, Cyton's mouth lay gaping open, and Neri merely stared in amusement. Krayt could see the anger fill the man's face, rage was emanating off the man in waves. Cyton's hands then clenched into fists and started to shake from pressure, his nails bit into his palms causing a couple small streams of blood to flow from his hands.
"You know nothing of what we've been through. Nothing!" Cyton pushed his chair back and made for the stairs, before he disappeared from sight he turned toward Krayt once more, "You will be gone by tomorrow afternoon!"
"Wait, you can't jus-" Agitha called after Cyton as he disappeared up the stairs.
"It's okay Mrs. Riewel. I was out of line, I shouldn't have said what I did."
"It's not entirely your fault. Cyton doesn't really like travelers."
Krayt leaned back in his chair, "But why?"
Agitha was about to say something but stopped, she looked at Neri in the eyes," Neri, please go up stairs and get ready for bed."
Neri took a look at her mother, shifted her gaze to Krayt, then back to her mother. She nodded before getting up and running up stairs to her room. Agitha stood up as soon as Neri was gone and moved toward the bookshelf behind him, she took a rather dusty book off the shelf and started flipping through it. She stopped on a page and her face filled with sadness, she pulled out a photo and handed it to Krayt.
The photo had a younger Cyton and Agitha with what looked like a three year Neri being held in the man's arms. Upon closer inspection, Krayt saw that Agitha had a round shape to her belly and quickly looked back to Agitha.
"You were pregnant after you had Neri?"
Agitha had sat down in the chair that Neri once occupied, "Yes . . . although Neri was too young to remember."
Krayt could feel where the conversation and didn't like it at all. But pressed on, "What happened to the child . . . if you don't me asking."
Agitha shook her head, "No it's okay, you need to hear this to understand my husband. It happened four years ago, I was tending the garden when I saw my husband walking up to the house with a young traveller. I would have to say that the traveller was in his mid-twenties. At that time my husband loved travellers, he would sometimes invite caravans to come stay the night on our property. He loved the stories each traveller brought with them."
Krayt shifted in his chair slightly, "What about the mid-twenties guy?"
"Well, my husband invited him to stay the night so that he could rest up. What we didn't know is that man was actually a thief. It was late at night and I heard some sounds coming from downstairs. I thought Neri had wandered down stairs for a snack, I went downstairs to find the man shoving our possessions into a large sack. I was about to yell out to Cyton when I felt something pierce my stomach. The man must have acted out of instinct or something like that because the look on his face seemed like he regretted what he did instantly. He caught me as I fell to the ground, all he said was 'I'm sorry' before he bolted out the door. Luckily Cyton must have woken up when I closed the door because he came bounding down the stairs shortly after the man left. He quickly hooked the carriage we have in barn and woke up Neri before he took both of us to the nearby town."
Agitha looked back at the picture in Krayt's hand, "That picture was taken a week before the incident."
Krayt could feel his gut sink slowly, his head hung low and his eyes were shut tight, "I'm . . . I'm sorry for prying. Please forgive me."
Agitha placed a hand on Krayt's head and rubbed back and forth comforting the child, "You needn't worry. Cyton and I tried having another kid a couple times but . . . for some reason we just never could."
"But why does it seem that he has it out for me?" Krayt asked with a hint of sadness still in him.
"It doesn't bother me, but the reason might be that that person who stabbed me looked like a older version of you."
That struck home for Krayt, he felt regret, sorrow, and depression swell up inside him. He slumped into his chair and merely stared at the floor, "Maybe I should just leave now if I cause him that much pain just from looking at me."
"Don't be like that, you're a good kid. I'll try talking to him tonight to see I could convince him for you to stay here longer."
Krayt was already shaking his head before she finished, "I've already overstayed my welcome."
"But where will you go if you have no memory?" She quickly protested.
"You mentioned something about a nearby town, I guess I'll go there."
Agitha was about to protest again but stopped when she knew the kid was determined, "If that's is what you want, then okay."
"Thank you, I don't want to cause you anymore trouble than I already have."
The two of them sat in silence for a while before Agitha stood up and smiled, "While you're here, take a warm bath. It will help relax those muscles that have been sitting in one spot for the whole day."
Krayt looked up into Agitha eyes, she truly was a kind hearted person at her very core. He couldn't help but also smile, "I'll take you up on that offer."
()()()()
Several Minutes Later . . .
Krayt stepped into the large tub and immediately clutched his cuts. He still didn't know where or how he got his wounds but they still stung when they came in contact with water. Krayt slowly lowered him into the water so that his cuts would become accustomed to the water and not cause him unnecessary pain. He carefully laid back in the tub and surveyed the bathroom, it was large to say the least. The toilet and sink were in a different part of the bathroom, the bathing area had its own door. Other than the bathtub itself, a couple stools littered the floor by the tub. A shower nozzle sat clipped to a wall, a handle to turn on the nozzle was a few inches below it.
Krayt sank further into the tub until the water was just below his nose. He splashed some water on his face and sighed, bubbles came floating to the surface as he did. The sound of crickets chirping could be heard from the nearby closed window, Krayt looked out the window to see a perfect half-moon shining through. Minutes past by as Krayt sat there in the tub, he took in the few sounds around him which put him at ease. After sometime of sitting quietly, Krayt stepped out of the tub and sat on one of the nearby stools. He reached for the shower handle and turned the water on a warm temperature. The water flowed through his hair, a small trickle of water dripped from the end of his braid. After scrubbing himself down with a sponge, he shook his head in attempt to get as much water off while he wrapped a towel around his waist which dropped to his shins.
As Krayt reached for the door to leave, it suddenly opened to reveal a undressed Neri. The door was then immediately slammed shut followed by a rather angry voice, "What are you doing in the bath you idiot?!"
"Taking a bath of course you birdbrain!" Krayt quickly shot back. "Next time you see the light on maybe you should knock to see if someone is in here!"
Neri was also quick to shoot back, "I thought my mom was in here alright! Who takes baths without the owners permission?!"
"Your mom gave me permission actually! Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"
Neri's voice became more steady, "W-well . . . I was going to take one after dinner but . . ."
"Ah." Krayt's voice had also returned to its normal tone. A silenced loomed between the two of them, it was silent enough that Krayt could hear Neri breathing on the other side of the glass door. He couldn't see her clearly but her silhouette could be clearly seen. It was then Krayt realized just how bigger he was compared to her, she wasn't exactly skinny but she wasn't average for her age though. The door opened slightly and Neri's head popped in, her eyes were scanning him over with quick darting movements.
"I know this is sudden but could you . . ." Neri looked away as she quieted.
"You want me to wash your back?" Krayt asked questioningly.
Neri's head shot back to him, "How did you know?!"
Krayt was about to say something but stopped when nothing came out, "Wait, how did I know? I swear I heard her mutter it or something. Was it just my imagination or what?" Neri looked at Krayt with a pouted face awaiting his answer, "I don't know, lucky guess?"
Neri's face looked away but maintained the pouted look, "So . . . will you do it?"
Krayt rolled his eyes and sighed, "Sure, got nothing else to do anyway."
Neri remained on the other side of the door before responding, "Turn around for a second will you?"
Krayt understood well enough and spun on his heel to face the opposite wall, the bathroom door quickly opened and closed. The light footsteps of Neri could clearly be heard as she moved across the wet ground. She sat on the same stool Krayt did and turned on the water, Krayt continued to stand there as the water flowed around his feet and down the drain.
A few minutes later the water stopped, "You can turn around now."
Again, Krayt spun on his heel to see Neri's back. Her hair had been parted down the middle and two wet clumps of hair sat on each shoulder. A sponge sat on a stool directly behind her, Krayt grabbed the sponge and sat down.
He pressed the sponge against her back and Neri let out a yelp, "What's wrong? I wasn't pushing that hard."
"Tell me when you're going to do that!" She shouted.
Krayt threw his arms up in frustration, "I thought I was here to wash your back, I didn't think I had to ask to do a job you gave me already."
Neri turned her head toward him, "Girls are sensitive, suddenly touching them can freak them out."
Krayt sighed again, "I don't understand this girl. To be fair this is the second time I've talked to her." He looked at the girl in front of him, her hands were holding her arms and she was slightly leaning forward. It just hit him just how uncomfortable she was, he could feel it somehow.
Krayt smiled lightly, "Do I have permission to wash your back?"
The tension in her shoulders loosened and she nodded her head slightly, "Y-yeah, just be gentle."
Once again, Krayt applied the sponge to Neri's back. She jumped slightly but remained still afterwards, Krayt then started scrubbing up and down her back. An awkward silence hung between the two of them, the only sound came from the scrubbing. As Krayt scrubbed her back, he noticed that his pulse felt elevated. He confirmed this as he placed two fingers on his neck.
It finally dawned on Krayt why his pulse was higher than normal, "I'm a boy . . . she's a girl. Boys are attracted to girls . . . am I attracted to her?"
Krayt looked over Neri's back, her skin looked extremely smooth and he suddenly had the urge to touch her skin with the palm of his hand. Her back was a couple of inches away when he jerked his arm back and shook his head quickly, "What in the name of all that is good am I doing?! I have no memories whatsoever and I'm getting excited at the thought of touching a girl's back? Get your head out of the clouds Krayt!"
Neri noticed Krayt had stopped scrubbing her back and was now grumbling to himself, she turned her head to see what he was doing. His hands were clutching the side of his and his eyes were clamped shut, "Is something wrong?"
Krayt jumped a little when the girl spoke to him, he rubbed his face to buy him precious little time to form a response, "I thought I was on the verge of remembering something, but I guess not."
"Oh, sorry for interrupting." Neri brought her head once again as Krayt resumed scrubbing her back.
"Not your fault, I gave up a couple seconds before you brought me back to reality." Krayt thought quickly in order to prevent the conversation from going stagnant, "So, what were those two dolls you were carrying around all day?"
"You mean the knight and princess? They're my favorite. My mom used to read me a story about a princess who gets kidnapped by a dragon. Then the heroic knight comes to the rescue, defeating the dragon one on one. Then the knight and princess get married the next day." Krayt smiled as the girl recounted her favorite story, he could feel her relax and become more open.
"What's your favorite story?"
Krayt thought for a second and laughed, "The one where I get my memory back."
Neri laughed slightly as well, "Oh yeah, forgot about that."
After the two of them shared a laugh, Krayt left the bathing room and got changed into his black shirt and out-of-place tan colored pants that he arrived in. They had been cleaned and neatly folded and left in a thatched basket near the door.
After he changed, he was about to open the door to the hallway when the bathing area door creaked opened. Krayt looked back to see Neri poking her head out, "I just wanted to say thanks for washing my back. Just in case you leave before I wake up tomorrow."
"Your welcome, I might visit if given the chance."
Neri's eyes slightly widened and a small smile broke across her face, "Really?!"
Krayt smirked, "Well don't you seem happy?"
She took a second to process that information before she slammed the door and yelled, "You idiot!"
Seconds later he could hear the splash of Neri jumping into the bathtub. Krayt quickly dressed and then opened the door to the hallway to find Agitha smiling on the other side of the door. She quickly brought a finger to her lips to usher silence, then she urged Krayt to follow her. He shut the door as he left and followed Agitha to the living room where a pillow and blanket sat on the couch.
Agitha turned back to Krayt with her same smiling face, "I'm glad you made up with Neri. She doesn't have any friends out here, so she didn't really know how to interact with someone her own age."
"She looks a bit younger then me." He commented.
"Oh by two or three years. Really big difference." She responded sarcastically. Her eyes narrowed slightly, focusing on Krayt himself, "You didn't do anything weird with our daughter did you?"
Krayt took offense to this, "Of course not! What am I? A animal?"
Agitha giggled, "Of course you didn't, I just wanted to see your reaction."
Krayt raised an eyebrow, "Oookay . . . I'm going to go to bed now."
As he moved toward the bed, he was suddenly pulled into a tight hug, his head landing on her breasts, "If I had a son, I would want him to be exactly like you."
"You mean with no memories?" He joked.
Agitha knocked Krayt on the head and smiled, "You know what I mean, you sure you don't want me to talk to Cyton about you staying here?"
"No thanks, but I would like you to let me go. It's a little embarrassing to have my head pressed up against your cleavage."
Agitha let him go and poked him in the forehead, "You naughty boy."
Krayt shook his head and sighed, "Goodnight Miss Agitha."
"And a goodnight to you, Mister Krayt."
The couch was soft and comfortable, Krayt lazily sunk into the couch. His eyelids started feeling heavier than they did a couple moments ago. They continued to slowly close until he could see only the darkness caused by his eyelids.
()()()()
Ryu's Dreams
Fields of grass surrounded Krayt, spanning on for what seemed like an eternity until it disappeared in the horizon. The only thing that wasn't grass was the barren dirt road that stretched from horizon to horizon. It seemed to be mid-day, it was only a guess due to the absence of the fiery orb in the sky. Krayt looked either which way, seeing only nothing. Deciding standing in one spot wasn't going to do anything, Krayt set off down the dirt road. There were no sounds, not even the sound of his footsteps on the ground or the sound of his steady breathing.
Krayt continued on for what felt like hours, never faltering from the path he walked. Roads were meant to be followed, and he was going to see where this road he was taking would lead.
Finally, Krayt stopped something in the distance. A average sized tree sat off to the side of the road. Its leaves were swaying in the non-existent wind, the grass around it swaying along with the leaves. As Krayt approached, a lone figure could be seen leaning against the tree. Krayt quickened his pace to the tree and stopped when the figure took notice. They were taller than him wore heavy black robes with a hood hiding their head. Whoever it was, they stood in the middle of the path blocking Krayt from proceeding any further.
"You're late." The robed figure said as Krayt grinded to a halt.
The figure's voice was distorted, it sounded like the voice belong to a demonic being. Krayt took a step back out of fear, "Wh-who are you?"
"Who am I? The question is who are you?"
"Me? I-I'm Krayt."
The figured scoffed, "Krayt? You are not worthy of such a name. Slugworm is your new name."
"Slugworm?!" Krayt spat back, "And what's your name?! I think it's asswipe!"
"Tck tck tck, no need for profanity little one. But you call me Terentatek, for I will be your undoing Jedi scum." The figure started walking forward, closing the distance between him and Krayt.
Krayt feared this man and turned to run but only found the dirt road he once walked had been replaced with the vast grass field that surrounded him on his left and right. Krayt whipped back around to find the man stopped a couple yards in front of him, "Go ahead and step off the path. Your mind will be consumed if you do. Or don't and make it more fun for me. I have been dormant in your mind for what has seemed like an eternity, the only reason why I stand before you now is because you have forgotten yourself, you are weak and that has allowed me this time with you. And with it I shall break you."
Tears started streaming out of Krayt's eyes, "Why? Why?! Why are you doing this?!"
"Why? Because it's time for me to be the master." The figure reached out toward Krayt. Krayt took a small step but, hardly able to stand as he was quaking with fear.
Krayt crouched and covered his head with his arms, "Stay away!"
"Don't worry, this only going to hurt a lot."
"You will not touch him!"
A bright green light erupted in between the figures causing the robed figure to stagger back and Krayt to flinched even more. Once the light was gone, Krayt looked up to see what was in front of him. A figure in green and brown clothing with a cowl over his head stood a couple feet in front of him. He looked to be the same size as the robed one, but this one had a normal voice of one that belong to an actual human being. Krayt slowly stood up and moved to the side, the new arrivals arms were muscular and bare except for a single marking on the person's right forearm. A fairy.
"W-why do you have a fairy on your arm?" Krayt asked despite the current situation.
The new figure laughed, "I'm surprised you know what this is. Here I thought your whole memory had been lost. But there still hope for you."
"What do you mean? Do you know who I am? Tell me, I must know." Krayt pleaded.
"All in good time."
"Enough!" Terentatek snarled.
"Oh right, you're still here." The green figure retorted.
"Yes I am! Question is, how are YOU here?!" Terentatek seemed extremely angry at being interrupted.
"I'm a result of his new powers, and I will protect him with my life." The new arrival took up a combat stance and readied himself.
Terentatek laughed, "You are not nearly as strong as me. What hope do have at protecting him?"
"I have enough to keep you distracted while he runs."
"The only way past is through me, what hope do you have?"
A green circle appeared around the man in green as he stomped on the ground. A path a dirt to Krayt's left appeared as the grassed was torn to shreds as the earth moved, "Take that path around and don't stop until you wake up, got it?"
"I don't understand! Jedi, green circles, Terentatek? What the hell is going on?!"
"As I said, all in good time. Now go while I distract him." The figure mading a shooing motion with his hand.
"Who are you?!"
". . . Just call me Shield."
"Shield?"
"Yeah, now just start running you dumbass!" Shield yelled before he charged Terentatek. Krayt didn't look at the fight as he made his way around the newly made path. The new one connected with the main one at the tree that Terentatek had rested against. He looked back to see Shield lying on the ground unmoving, Terentatek was clutching his stomach but still walking. Krayt started sprinting down the path as Terentatek started toward him.
"This isn't the end you know! I will return and I will be the master!" Krayt heard Terentatek scream as he started down the path.
"And I will be here with you too." Shield's voice echoed through his head as he ran. Leaving the tree and Terentatek behind. A light showed in the distance and Krayt raced for it not stopping till he reached. So many questions swam through his mind, but all he cared for right now was getting out of this nightmare. And the exit was right in front of him.
()()()()
Riewel Household, 6:47 AM
Krayt shot up breathing hard, the dark room around him came into focus slowly. Patches of sunlight started to show over the horizon. Krayt swung his legs off the couch and rubbed his face. His thoughts swam around the dream he had woken from. Terentatek, Shield, Jedi, glowing green circles? None of his dream made any sense to him, was it his mind trying to remind him of his past life?
A clink from a glass cup brought him back to the present, a glass of water sat on the low table in front of him. Neri stood beside the table with a worried look on her face, "Are you okay? Were you having a bad dream?"
Krayt rubbed his face once more before answering, "I don't know what it was. It felt so real but I know it was a dream . . . but still . . ."
"Sounds like you had a crazy dream, drink some water your mouth is probably dry."
Indeed his mouth was dry, he took the glass of water and started taking small sips to calm his nerves. Neri sat next to him and placed a hand on his forehead, "Hmm, no temperature. Your sweating must have been because of the nightmare."
She wiped her hand off on the couch before standing up and disappearing into the kitchen. Krayt continued taking small sips until he realised that his hands were shaking. He gripped the cups with both hands in attempt to steady the cup while he finished it off. Krayt placed the cup on the nearby table and attempted to stand up. His legs wobbled at first and he placed placed his hand on the couch arm rest to steady himself. Neri walked back into the room to find Krayt hobbling toward her while placing his weight on anything he could balance himself on.
She laughed, "This reminds me of my dad when it was his last birthday."
Krayt paid no attention to her as he braced himself on a wall next to her, he sneered at her slightly then continued onto the kitchen. As he made his way to a chair, he stumbled but before he could start the descent a soft hand was placed on his chest while a arm was wrapped around a neck.
Neri stood next to him with a smile, supporting him, "It never hurts to ask for help."
With the help of Neri, Krayt managed to make it to the dining room chair without any more incidents. Neri went to work in the kitchen, cutting a loaf of bread into smaller pieces then buttering them up. She poured some orange liquid into a glass before placing the bread and liquid in front of him. Krayt picked the glass and looked at the orange liquid questioningly.
Neri laughed again, "You've never had orange juice before?"
Krayt lightly knocked on his forehead and rolled his eyes. Neri looked down at her hands, embarrassed, "It feels like I'm the one with memory loss."
Krayt chuckled slightly just before he took a sip of the 'orange juice'. He found the taste tangy but also quite delicious. The glass in his hand was soon replaced with a piece of buttered bread. The bread must have been only a couple days old due to its crispness which added to its flavor.
Krayt finished off the first slice and reached for a second, "What are you doing up this early?"
"I got hungry. I came down and heard what sounded like crying. It was you." Neri took a sip orange juice and leaned back in her chair. Krayt noticed that his shaking had all but disappeared, he slowly clenched his hand into a fist then slowly released. He looked across the table to see Neri peering at him over her glass, her deep blue eyes shimmered slightly in the light of the dawn.
Neri smiled slightly behind her glass before setting it on the table, "Why don't you tell me about your nightmare?"
Krayt took another sip after finishing his third slice of bread, "You sure, I didn't understand anything from it."
Neri placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her intertwined fingers, "I like stories."
When Neri rested her chin on her fingers, a short image flashed in front of his eyes. A blond girl with dark green eyes and a pink dress laying on the grass. Her hands and chin were in the same position as Neri's. It felt like he was having a migraine, he gripped his forehead as the pain increased. Neri only watched as Krayt bent over in his chair. Eventually the pain subsided and Krayt sat upright in his chair again rubbing his forehead.
"What happened?" Neri asked once Krayt was upright once again.
"I-I don't know. A memory maybe?"
"A painful memory?"
"Physically yes. I saw a blonde girl, about my age with a pink dress and eyes like mine but no irises." He finish off the juice and placed the cool glass to his head.
"A sister perhaps? Maybe a friend or maybe . . ." Neri smiled mischievously, "A girlfriend."
Krayt's face turned red, "Shut it birdbrain, I'm not in the mood this morning."
Neri's smile shifted back into a casual one, "Okay then grumpy pants, now tell me about your nightmare."
Krayt finished the final piece of bread and brushed the crumbs off his face. He leaned forward and breathed deeply, "You sure? I didn't understand from it."
Neri's smile widened, "You already said that silly."
"Oh, well pay close attention. I'm only going to say this once." Neri leaned forward with her eyes transfixed on Krayt. Recounting the story in full wasn't hard for him, the dream had felt so real but at the same time it was too ridiculous to seem real. Telling the story took awhile, giving the sun time to rise over the horizon and hang high in the sky. By the time Krayt had finished, Agitha had come down stairs and started preparing breakfast while listening to his story. When he finally finished, a plate of juicy bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast sat in front of along side another glass of orange juice. After the story was finished, Neri and Agitha sat in their chairs in their chairs contemplating the story.
"I don't understand any of it myself. Except maybe . . . the one you called Shield, you sure you saw glowing green circles?"
Krayt nodded, "Pretty clearly, hard to mistake them for something else."
Agitha crossed her arms and closed her eyes, "Whoever Shield was, I'm pretty sure he could use magic."
Krayt tilted his head, "Magic?"
"Wow, just how hard did that fence hit you?" Agitha replied amazed, "Magic is apart of most everyone's daily life. Even though we can't use magic ourselves, we still live with it everyday."
Agitha pointed to the refrigerator, "We bought it awhile ago, it runs off of magical energy. We have to replace the powersource every now and then but we still use it. Same with the lightbulbs but we just replace them with new ones. A lot of things are powered with magic to say the least."
Krayt had trouble digesting this new information, "Huh? And what did you mean when you said 'even though we can't use magic ourselves'?"
Neri spoke first, "Well everyone can use magical items, but not everyone can use magic themselves. These people are called mages, they can use magic directly and use it in unimaginable ways. Even I know that."
"You forgot to mention not everyone uses it for good." Cyton came down the stairs in his work clothes. He paid no attention to Krayt as he sat at the table and started quickly digging through his meal.
The talk around the table dropped to a dead silence, the only sound was the loud chewing coming from Cyton's mouth. Krayt looked at his hand, "I wonder if I can use magic. It seems interesting to say the least . . . oh, I forgot to tell you guys something. On Shields forearm, there wa-"
Cyton pushed his plate away and stood up, "You're still getting kicked out at noon, that means you have two hours."
He grabbed a straw hat near the door and left the house leaving the three of them behind. Once again the dead silence hung around the table, Agitha looked over to Krayt and could tell he felt a mixture of anger and annoyance.
"You were saying something Krayt?" Agitha said in effort to restart the conversation.
Krayt stood up and grabbed his bag, "Nevermind, doesn't matter anyway."
He left the two of them in the kitchen as he moved to the living room and laid down on the couch. Neri looked at her mother, "Can't you convince dad to let him stay longer?"
"No. Krayt doesn't want to impose on us anymore. He feels like he's an annoyance in our lives."
"Did he actually say that?"
"Not the second part but he's pretty easy to read."
Neri looked confused, "Krayt isn't a book . . . is he?"
Agitha laughed to herself before turning to her daughter, "Lets go get change. Your helping me with the garden today. We need to see what wasn't destroyed by the rainstorm."
"But mo-"
"Don't start missy, you said you wanted to act older, well there is a downside it too. Now go up stairs and put on those clothes I placed on your bed."
Neri had a pouting face as she got up from her chair and ran up the stairs to her room. Agitha looked back into the living room and could see the small table was now littered with Krayt's possessions, "Don't worry Krayt, I'm sure your memory will return eventually. I can only hope it doesn't change who you are."
Krayt sat lazily on the couch thinking of what to do next, the farthest his planning got him was to head to the town Cyton mentioned and hopefully find help there. He sprawled out over the couch and sunk his head into a pillow, "Might as well get a little more shut-eye. Here's hoping I don't run into Terannatik or whatever his name was."
He didn't.
()()()()
Riewel Farm, 11:47AM
Cyton looked at up the suns position, "Almost time for that kid to leave. Wonder if he'll be alright. I would let him stay but . . . how he used that knife. Even if was only cutting vegetables, using a knife like that takes a lot of skill. I must think of my family first. Surprised they didn't see me on the stairs when he was chopping those carrots to hell."
His gaze swept over the farm, Agitha had dismissed Neri and allowed her to go play under the tree with her dolls. Agitha remained by the garden, fixing whatever damage she could that was caused by the storm two days ago. She looked over to her husband and they met eyes, Cyton could tell at this distance she wanted to ask something of him. His assumption was correct as Agitha strided over to him.
"I was thinking, maybe we should give Krayt some Jewels, he didn't have any on him. Five thousand should last him awhile if he spends it well enough, he might be able to set himself up with something."
Cyton grinned at his wife, "Have I ever told you I love how you care about others."
"Are you sure you won't let him stay? He is only a kid."
Cyton had honestly thought reconsidering to let the kid stay longer but his concern for his family was far more important, but Cyton wasn't sure if he was truly doing this for his family or if he was doing it out of anger because Krayt looked a bit like the man who stabbed his wife.
"If he would apologize then maybe. But from what I heard, he seems pretty set on leaving."
Agitha smiled, "I'll go tell him that, perhaps he really does want to stay."
Just as Agitha started back for the house, Cyton grabbed her wrist tightly, "What's wrong?"
Cyton's gaze swept over the stomach high grass which sat on the opposite side of his farming field. He could see the grass swaying slightly, what worried him is that there was no wind at all this day. He caught a small flash of grey on the edge of the grass and his eyes widened in horror.
"NERI RUN!"
()()()()
Riewel House, 11:51 AM
Krayt awoke to a woman's scream followed closely by blood piercing howl. He quickly slipped on his black shirt he taken off and ran to the nearest window. From what he saw, Neri was backed against the tree with the dolls at her feet. Approaching her slowly were four hairy beasts walking on four legs, their fangs dripping with saliva. He couldn't see Cyton or Agitha from the window he was looking from but that mattered very little right now. Krayt sprinted through the kitchen and grabbed the razor sharp knife as he past the counter.
The door on the porch nearly cracked as Krayt bust out onto the porch. Agitha was hiding behind Cyton who held his sword outstretched at four more of the beasts. He quickly looked back to Neri, the three beast were less than ten feet from her. Krayt sprinted toward Neri, he wasn't about to let her become some monster's meal.
Krayt leapt at the beast closest to Neri, he landed on the creature's back but managed to drive the knife through its skull. The remaining three were surprised and two backed off while the third lunged at Krayt. He saw this coming and quickly removed the knife from the first one's skull before he roll off the back and plunged the knife upwards. The second strike also struck home, the knife sailed through the bottom of the monster's mouth, then through the roof of the mouth and out the top carrying some grey matter on the blade.
Although what Krayt hadn't accounted for was the creature's weight, as the dead creature continued soaring the knife was ripped from Krayt's hand before he could yank it out. The corpse landed between the two remaining creatures. Even though Krayt was now weaponless, he placed the himself between Neri and the approaching creatures. The monsters let out a low growl and bared their teeth, saliva dripped from their teeth to the dusty ground. Krayt slowly stepped back as the the shaggy grey moved toward toward him.
Neri ran up and tightly grabbed onto Krayt's shirt,"Kr-Krayt, I'm scared."
"Just stay behind me. If you try to run, they will charge after you."
"What do we do?"
Krayt looked to Cyton and Agitha, one of the four creatures were dead with another limping around. The knife was still lodged in the second beast's skull which was a couple yards behind the two approaching ones. He could try and jump over them but that would leave him vulnerable and leave Neri totally defenseless. He continued backing up until he lost his footing and landed on something soft.
The first dead beast currently was being crushed by Krayt's back. Neri had been pushed back by Krayt's fall and knocked her head against the tree, the result was Neri slumped on the ground. Growling brought his attention back forward, one of the beasts was currently circling around toward Neri. The last one slowly stalked forward toward the ten year old boy, once it was a couple feet away it crouched down ready to pounce.
Krayt threw his arms in front of his face, "Shield . . . please help me."
A bright green light blinded Krayt forcing him to close his eyes as he felt something crawling over his arms. He then felt something latch onto his right arm and started jerking it around. Krayt started screaming as he realized the monster was biting into his arm and trying to make him bleed. The jerking motion continued for a couple seconds until he realized that even though something was biting his arm and jerking around, there wasn't any pain.
After the light faded, Krayt opened his eyes. The beast was indeed clamping down on his right arm, but the reason why he wasn't feeling any pain was because solid rock now encased both arms, yet they felt no heavier. Not understanding what was happening but making use of the current situation, Krayt brought back his free arm before unleashing a powerful jab to the monster's jaw. Krayt could hear something snap as his stone punch smashed into the jawline of the creature. The grip on his arm loosened but still remained, though another quick jab to the creature's skull solved that problem. It whimpered as Krayt quickly stood, the jaw was definitely broken and the creature backed away slowly.
Krayt remembered the other wolf and turned to see the wolf only a foot from Neri. A scream erupted from Krayt as he lept at the beast. Krayt linked his fingers together to form a heavier mass as he brought his linked hands down onto the skull of his enemy with all the force he could muster. The result was the creature's skull caving in under the pressure, destroying the brain as skull fragments penetrated the brain before being smashed by the force of the hit. The shaggy grey beast slumped onto the ground as blood leaked from the nostrils and mouth.
Flesh was torn from Krayt's back as the injured beast slashed him with its still usable and very sharp claws. Fresh blood streamed down Krayt's back as he brought one of his stone arms around across the creature's face, catching it off guard and sending it crashing to the ground. Not wasting anytime, Krayt pinned the dazed creature by sitting on its back and wrapped his arms around the neck of the creature. Then Krayt began to pull. He pulled and pulled on the creature's neck causing the monster to bend its back in a awkward fashion.
Then came the sicking cracking, it started first where Krayt was sitting then it started moving up the spine. Each crack gave a defining jerk adding to the creature's intensifying whimpering. Krayt kept pulling backwards until one last crack rang out, the beast didn't struggle anymore, its head merely fell to the side as Krayt continued pulling. Seeing the creature was no longer struggling, Krayt released his grip and rolled off the beast onto his stomach breathing heavily.
But it wasn't over.
Krayt looked over toward Cyton as he let out a scream of pain, Cyton had dropped the sword and now was clutching his wrist where the last remaining wolf managed to get a bite in. After quickly standing, Krayt once again leapt at the remaining monster.
Three things swam through Krayt's mind as he leapt. One: Why did he leap at the monster when it was fifty meters away? Two: Why did a green circle similar to Shield's erupt under his feet when he leapt? Three: How did he manage to cave in the skull of the last beast with his 'bare' hands when he was fifty meters just a couple seconds ago?
Krayt looked back to his jumping point, a angled stone pillar stood sticking a couple meters out of the ground. Cyton and Agitha stood wide eyed at this spectacle, seeing a ten year old kid with no memory of himself (although that had nothing to do with it) leap fifty meters and smash the skull in of a wolf. Their eyes returned to normal when they remembered Neri, they quickly ran past Krayt who quickly followed suit.
Cyton grabbed Neri's shoulders and gently shook her, "Neri, Neri! Please wake up!"
Krayt stepped up, "She should be fine, I managed to-"
Krayt wasn't able to finish his sentence, he eyed the dead carcesses around him. Blood seeping from multiple wounds, crushed skulls, bits of grey matter caused his stomach to lurch. He managed to get a couple feet away before he lost his breakfast, the vomit burned his throat as it came up. Krayt fell to his hands and knees and continued spewing as Neri woke up.
Neri looked over to Krayt and a worried look crossed her face, "I think Krayt is sick. He should stay here so he can recover."
Krayt wiped his mouth after the bit of breakfast had finished coming up. Then the pain started again, with the absence of adrenaline, the pain from the claw marks on his back seeped back into his mind. He managed to crawl away from his spewage before collapsing on the ground from the pain. Seconds later he felt himself being lifted from under each arm. He was brought back inside the house and was placed face down on the table after it was cleared. Soon after he cried out in pain as cool rags were placed on the gashes. A pair of strong arms held him down as he tried to throw off the rags, the pain only intensified as more rags were added. Eventually Krayt slipped into blissful unconsciousness.
()()()()
Riewel House, 7:47 PM
Pain.
Pain was the first thing Krayt felt when he started to awake. Not the teeth clenching pain as before, more like the pain you get after having a rock smash into your back. . . about three hundred times.
"Ugh . . . I feel like crap."
Krayt then felt something soft tighten around his left hand, in response he tightened his grip as well just because it was soft and it was the only comfort he had right now. He managed to slowly open his eyes to those same deep blues eyes he had seen before.
He let out a long sigh, "How you doing Neri?"
"I'm fine. You?"
"Ugh . . . I feel like crap." He repeated.
Neri laughed light heartedly, "You and your lame jokes."
"I'm not joking, I really do feel like crap." Krayt responded.
She poked him lightly in the forehead, "You know what I mean."
Silence hung between them as they sat there in silence, crickets chirped outside in the tall grass, the sounds of domestic animals rung out from the barn, and wind lightly gently blew dust off the ground.
"Glad your alright." Krayt said after a couple minutes of silence.
"All thanks to you."
Krayt did the best he could to shrug his shoulders without hurting his back, "Guess so. Which reminds me, why was their rock surrounding my arms before? It was solid rock but my arms felt no heavier, not to mention I could still freely move my arms as if the rock was my skin."
"That's because you're a mage."
Krayt shifted his head to the opposite side of the table to see Cyton and Agitha with cheerful faces, "Good to have you finally notice us kid."
"How long have you two been there?"
"Uh . . . I feel like crap should give a good idea." Cyton responded.
Krayt released his grip on Neri's hand and planted his hands underneath him. With assistance from everyone, he managed to sit upright on the table. Agitha fetched him a glass of water which he was mighty grateful for since his throat still burned from the vomit.
He took a few small sips before returning to the conversation, "What do you mean by mage?"
Cyton thought for a second before responding, "I guess mage isn't the appropriate title, you're actually a magic user. Mages are generally magic users who belong to a guild."
Agitha took over for her husband, "Earlier we were talking about how a lot of things in this home are powered by magic? Well you have the ability to tap into that magic directly. If I had to say what element, it's pretty much certain that it's earth magic."
Krayt shook his head confused, "What are you talking about?"
"Remember we talk about people who can use magic?" Krayt nodded, "Well you must be one of those people. Your power must have either awakened in a time of stress or you had it before and you involuntarily called it for help."
Cyton shook his head, "Either way kiddo, you certainly are full of mysteries."
Krayt smiled slightly before a small frown dawned on his face, "I'm guessing you still want me gone?"
Cyton leaned back in his chair, Neri and Agitha watch him pleading with their eyes to let him stay, "Well the situation has changed quite a bit."
"Oh? How so?"
"Well . . ." Cyton continued, "You seem you have some severe injuries there. I had a doctor come by while you were unconscious, he said you'll be fine with enough rest. Not only did you get injured while fighting the wolves, you risked your life multiple times in protecting our daughter. Not to mention you saved Agitha's and my life." Krayt let him continue, "So as I see it, we are indebted to you. To pay off this debt, you may remain here as long as you like."
Everyone else's eyes went wide, Krayt's mouth hung open , "Say that one more time."
"You can stay as long as you want."
Krayt didn't know what to say, he was given the opportunity to live here. Possibly for the rest of his life is he was understanding Cyton correctly. The chance to live his new life in comfort with friends and possibly a family.
"You know, saying that sounds like you want to adopt me from my view."
Cyton's face became serious but still maintained a small smile, "So what if I want too. You may not be our biological son but you would still be family."
Neri and Agitha sat there in shock, it seemed not only did Cyton seem to forgive Krayt but was considering him apart of the family after only know him less than two days. This was honestly the last thing they thought Cyton would do.
Krayt couldn't help but chuckle, "Why the big change? First you want to kick me out, next you want me to be your adopted son?"
Cyton lost his smile, "Why did you save our daughter?"
Krayt was caught off guard by this question but quickly answer, "I wasn't about to let her get eaten!"
"Why?"
"Because . . ." Krayt paused for a moment, he didn't actually think why he ran out there, "I don't know, it just happened."
"Why?"
"I don't know!" Krayt yelled.
"Because you're a good person at heart."
Krayt was again taken back by this response, "W-what do you mean?"
"I don't know how you were before but I can tell from you now if you were to chose between vast infinite wealth or to save a human life, you would choose the latter of the two."
Krayt said nothing, thinking to himself he realized that he probably would. But was it a result of this new found life without his memory or could it be a fragment from his past life.
"I would be proud to call you my son, a warrior with a heart of gold."
Krayt looked up, "Warrior?"
Cyton smiled once again, "Anyone who could handle a cutting knife with that amount of skill and deadly precision, trained as a warrior at one point."
"How do you know?"
"Use to serve in the army myself. And I know with skill like yours, you don't ever forget. It's embedded not only in your brain but it's like second nature to all of your body. You move before you have time to think, am I right?"
Krayt recalled the moments of the fight, and Cyton was indeed right. It felt like his body was doing all the work for him, he merely went along for the ride. He looked at his hands before clenching them into fists, "Just what was I? Terentatek called me Jedi scum, just what is a Jedi?! Why did I fight like a trained warrior? Who the hell am I?"
Everyone watched as Krayt gripped his forehead and groaned, they all felt pity for the kid. He was trying hard to remember who he was but there was the fact that he might never remember who he was. And what would he do if he did, what is his real self was a horrible person, what if he remembers something which he wish he didn't?
Krayt breathed deeply before removing his hands from his head, "I'll stay here. But I can make no promise if I remember who I am that I will be the same or willing to stay."
"Understood. Shall we call you Krayt or shall we give you a new name?" Cyton asked as a wide grin broke across his face.
"I like Krayt."
"Done." Cyton extended a hand toward Krayt, "Welcome to the family . . . son."
Krayt took the hand and shook, "Glad to be here . . . dad." An awkward silence hung in the air for a minute, "I think I'm just going to keep calling you Cyton. It's a little weird."
Cyton agreed, "Yeah it really is. I'll stick with kid for now."
The whole family couldn't help but laugh at this situation, Neri tugged at Krayt's pants. He looked over to see Neri nervously fidgeting with her fingers, "I-is it okay if . . ."
"What, you can ask me." Krayt responded reassuringly.
"Well, since you're part of the family and older than me . . . instead of Krayt can I call you . . . Big Brother?"
Krayt felt something flutter in his stomach, Neri just looked so adorable to him right now, "Sure, I'd like that very much."
Neri leapt up and wrapped her arms around her new Big Brother, "Yay, I finally have a brother!"
Krayt yelled out in pain as Neri wrapped her arms around him. She quickly pulled back with an apologetic face, "Sorry, I'm so sorry. I forgot you had stitches."
"Stitches?!" Krayt exclaimed. He gently reached around and lightly a thin cord weaving in and out of his flesh.
"Take them out! I don't like string making a blanket out of my skin!"
Cyton, Agitha, Neri and Krayt had started a new life together, and they were happy with it. But unknown to Krayt was that there was a storm brewing, not in the physical world, but in his mind where Terentatek laid in wait for Krayt's return.
Finally I'm done! Huzzah. I would like to say the reason why it took me so long to write this chapter is simply because I lacked motivation for a time. But all the future possibilities I kept thinking about made me go into overdrive in the last few days which made me get this chapter done. Anyone, thank to those who are still reading this aspiring writer's work.
Side notes:
I do know the proper way to spell Ryu is with two U's but I decided one U for own personal flare.
Ryu shall be know as Krayt until the end of next chapter
Google Terentatek if you guys don't know what it is, interesting creature
Join me next time on
Chapter 5
The Day it came Clanking Back
Stay classy and May the Force be with you, Rogue Pizza out