BTW: Ah, so here comes the big part where you're gonna have to work with me. Hang on! It might get confusing if you're one of those "skim readers," who just quickly read the text and barely absorb it. Also, if you were wondering, the villagers' names are made up of nonsensical sounds, I'm not trying to go for any specific language's sound.
"It was forty-one years ago," Rek-tan began, and I leaned in closer in anticipation.
- Flashback (third person)-
A much younger Rek-tan, about 34, was helping to build a house with his older brother, who was 36. Tek-shay, was gently cradling a very young Le-le in her arms and talking with another villager. "That should hold it," Rek-tan said, wiping the sweat off of his face and stepping back to admire their work. A tall, uniform house loomed over them, the newly setting sun silhouetting it against the sky.
"Missing something, dear?" Tek-shay asked, tossing an oak door her husband's way.
Rek-tan laughed heartily, "You're absolutely right," he said as he picked up the door and set it in place. His brother, Malon, suddenly jumped, and yelled for Tek-shay to get inside. "What is it, brother Malon?" Rek-tan said, grabbing his brother's arm in alarm.
"A human," Malon hissed, his brow furrowing, and Tek-shay scrambled inside, the villager she was talking to already hurrying to do the same.
"Brother, we mustn't assume he or she will be the same as people claim," Rek-tan tried to reason, but Malon shook his head, taking his brother's arm as well and pulling him inside.
"Absolutely not, I will not allow you or anyone else in the family to interact with the human. Malon's own wife came running to the door, throwing it open and hustling them inside.
"Come, come! We mustn't let the human know we are here," she whispered frantically.
Rek-tan pursed his lips before tearing away from his brother's grasp and flying out the door, disregarding his brother's shouts after him.
Rek-tan heard barely a sound as he ran through the village before he finally met up with the human, who was dragging themselves across the grass, a trail of blood following them. "Dear Notch, have mercy on this pour soul," the villager whispered as he pulled the man to his feet, but he promptly stumbled and fell, and it was then Rek-tan could see just how injured the man was. Deep bruises, gashes, and multiple broken arrow shafts, it was a wonder he was even alive.
"Mister, come with me, you must be healed."
"Cleric," the man breathed, his voice distant and weak. "Where's the Cleric?"
"I am a Cleric, but we have to get you inside, mister!" Rek-tan said, and began hauling the man towards his house. But the stranger's hand flashed up and gripped the villager's arm like a vice, his eyes clear with intent.
"A Potion of Forgetting - I need one," he said, his voice still weak, but Rek-tan could tell he was serious.
"Why in Notch's name would you want a Potion of Forgetting? And where did you hear that I had one?"
The man began coughing violently, and blood splattered the ground. "No where, that doesn't matter," he said, and Rek-tan's heart jumped as he heard zombies approaching. He began pulling the stranger towards his house more frantically.
"Please, my good sir! I will give you one, just come with me!" The man paused, staring at him with slight disbelief, but soon picked himself up a bit and hobbled as quickly as he could with the villager, the sounds of zombies getting louder from all around them.
"Rek-tan!" It was Malon. "Get inside right -" he froze with terror, seeing his brother hauling the human, the thing everyone had closed their doors and locked their children in their rooms in fear of. Forget the creatures of the night, humans were much, much more dreaded.
"Brother! Help me!" Rek-tan pleaded, but Malon's terrified gaze told him that there would be no help from him.
They just barely got in in time. As Rek-tan lay the man out on the floor, his brother came over and began shouting. "Have you gone mad, brother?" the enraged sibling shouted. "Bringing this vile creature into our house - what are you thinking? Throw it out to die!"
"Notch have mercy on your soul if I should lay my hands on you!" Rek-tan snapped. "This man has done nothing to harm us. Should the actions of the past be repeated with this one, I shall be at fault, but I will not leave this man to the horde of zombies at our door!"
Malon glared at his brother, but turned and stormed off. "Fine," he spat over his shoulder before going to him and his wife's room and slamming the door behind him.
"I-I'm sorry," the man mumbled. "I didn't -"
"Quiet, now," Rek-tan said, going and grabbing some pork chops from the stove. When he handed them to the man, he took them feebly then chowed down. Rek-tan guessed that he hadn't eaten in a long, long time.
"Thank you," the man whispered, the wounds all over his body slowly healing. He pulled out twenty-seven emeralds, "Will this be enough for the potion?"
Rek-tan gently pushed them back, "Never mind emeralds, boy. However, I have a mind to not give you that potion after all."
He sobered up again, and it almost scared Rek-tan. "What do you mean? I need that potion!"
Rek-tan pondered the man in front of him. Slender, looking around twenty-seven, and would be able-bodied, but worn out and deprived by lack of nutrition. Clothes tattered with dirt and blood stains, he was obviously worse for wear. "What in the name of Notch almighty did you run into that you want to forget so bad?"
He seemed to think about that for a second. "I ran into a woman, and I fell in love," he said quietly. "But I made a mistake."
"My child, we all make mistakes," Rek-tan said, gently laying a hand on the human's shoulder, but the stranger just shook his head.
"This one… I'll never live it down unless I forget it." He looked up, tears in his eyes. "Please," he begged. "I don't want to live with it anymore!"
Rek-tan placed his other hand on the other shoulder, firmly holding onto the man. "What is your name, child?"
"Steve," he said, looking down. "My name is Steve, and I fucked up!" He balled his fists, pressing them into his knees. "I… I messed everything up, and I can never forgive myself for it!"
"Child, just let it out," the villager said calmly.
"I lost her," Steve whispered, tears silently falling from his eyes.
"Who? Your lover?"
"No, my daughter."
"Your daughter?" Rek-tan repeated, stunned. He then pulled up Steve's shirt enough to see his stomach. "Ah," he whispered. "You're a Spawn, that's how."
Steve looked at him, confused, with tears still streaming down his face. Rek-tan shook his head.
"Never mind. Steve, you must forgive yourself. The Potion of Forgetting will erase all knowledge except for what the Creator has given you, not just a certain event, or chain of even -"
"I don't care! I don't want to remember any of it!" Steve shouted, his hands going up to his face. "
"Boy, listen to me!" Rek-tan said sternly. "I will give you the potion," he started, and Steve's eyes flew up to look at him. "But only if you can endure four moon cycles without it."
The human stared at him, almost incomprehensibly. "You promise?" he asked.
Rek-tan nodded. "I promise. I am a villager, after all. I must honour my agreements."
Steve nodded, "Fine. Four months, then I can forget everything…"
"But, you have to at least try to see the things I will show you," Rek-tan added, and Steve nodded weakly then passed out.
For the next month and a half, Rek-tan was teaching Steve about less common knowledge that he wasn't aware of. He's a Spawn, so that makes things a little bit easier, Rek-tan thought as he explained Spawns and Children to the human.
"Spawns are, well, spawned into this world by the Creator, or, in this specific case, Notch. A Child, or Children, are born into this world. Spawns have basic knowledge whilst Children must be taught. You are a Spawn, which is why you knew what you did when you first woke up."
"But, what's our purpose?" Steve asked, looking down at his diamond sword. "Why did Notch create us?"
"Boy," which was what Rek-tan referred to Steve as, "that is not a question for me. You should ask him yourself." Steve nodded, and continued examining his sword.
Later, Rek-tan began teaching Steve about inner peace. For a while, it seemed like he was getting better, and more accepting of himself.
By the time it came down to the final week, Rek-tan had even seen Steve crack a smile, and exchanged jokes with the children, who had grown accustomed to the human.
Then, one day, Rek-tan had gone out to help his wife, and when he came back to the house, Steve was gone, but his instincts told him all he needed to know. He ran out of the house, shouting Steve's name when a strong hand clamped onto his shoulder.
"Brother Rek-tan," came the villager's voice. It was Malon. "He's gone."
Rek-tan balled his fists, then whipped around and smacked Malon so hard he staggered backwards. "How dare you! I had one more week - how dare you give him the potion!"
Malon glared at his younger brother with a look that could have curdled milk ten times over. "How dare you lay a hand on me! Besides, he practically begged for the potion!" Malon sneered. "I was doing the man a favour!"
"What in the name of Notch are you talking about?" Rek-tan couldn't believe that Steve was so unhappy he would beg for relief.
"I mean, he came up to me as soon as you left, and dropped to his knees and begged! Like a pathetic mutt begging for food!" his brother spat, and Rek-tan nearly smacked him again. But he only fell to the ground, on his hands and knees, punching the gravelly ground, tears of frustration and failure flowing silently off his face.
Meanwhile, Steve was running. Tears fell behind him, but he focused on one thing; it was all going to be over soon. I'm sorry, Rek-tan. I really, really am. But I can't take it. He stopped in the midst of a huge birch forest, the sun about to set. He placed a bed down and uncorked the potion, staring at the cloudy, clear liquid before emptying the bottle in one gulp and lying down on the bed. As his eyelids drooped, the potion began taking effect, and one last tear fell down his cheek, he thought one last thing as darkness consumed his body and mind: Most of all, I'm sorry, Alex.
(Whoops, I forgot to mention it would be a long chapter...sorry! -Liz)