-Akuji-

This couldn't be happening. This was all a terrible dream and I was going to wake up for the day with a headache and a frown on my face. I'd have to hurry to get ready in the clothes which I hadn't prepared and we'd have to rush to the carriage in order to get to Emir's parents in time. Or I'd be woken up by Emir hitting me with the pillow and taking the covers off me, complaining that I was lazy and slept in.

I would be out of this village, which I had somehow created with my non-existent imagination. There would be no crazy men who 'restores things' or, admittedly pretty, girls with poor social skills.

I wouldn't have minded her being real. Yes, she seemed awkward and could hold herself better in a fight against a bear then she could in a conversation.

The village was pretty too, from what I had seen of it. I just knocked on the first house which I had seen after waking up. Something drew me to knock. It was likely to have been my utter shock and panic making me look for anyone to help. These two seemed like they would be able to help me, one way or another.

But that didn't matter, I was dreaming. There was no reason for them to help me, because I wasn't in danger.

"Akuji," Nairn said. His voice felt like a knife slicing through my thoughts.

I jolted in my seat, automatically looking down to see where the splashes of brown liquid hit my dress, but there weren't any. The white cup was completely dry.

"Yes, sir?" I asked.

I wasn't fond of the excited glint in his eyes. It made me want to hug myself and shrink into the chair.

"Could you tell us what you remember?" he asked, clasping his hands in front of him. He shuffled forward so that he was sitting on the edge of his chair. "I haven't met anyone who's dead before." It seemed that the origin of his daughter's social skills was very clear.

My breath hitched in my throat. If I were dead, how could that be possible? I was breathing just fine. My heart was beating perfectly well too. I was drinking tea. This was all just a joke. I was trapped, or kidnapped, by this crazy pair.

No matter how I tried to explain it, there were always reasons why I would be wrong. I was the one who knocked on their door. I could've ran away whilst I had the chance, I could have found Emir and be home safely. If it weren't for what I remembered.

"We were on our way to Emir's parent's house, as you know. The horses stopped moving so Emir stepped out to see what was wrong. I waited in the carriage for quite a while, but I started to get worried. So, I exited the carriage and looked around. There weren't any horses attached to the carriage. It had been attached to some rocks." I furrowed my eyebrows and rubbed my forehead, it was tricky trying to remember the exact details. "I started to yell for Emir and that's all I can remember."

"Yet, you're bleeding from your front," Neith pointed out. "Seems strange." Her eyes were narrowed at me, specifically the blood stain on my dress.

"That's alright if you can't remember any more," Nairn assured me in a more soothing tone. "I'm sure you can't help it. Though, it might come back to you at some point." He tapped the side of his head. "Human minds are tricky things. You see, they're very good at forgetting certain events if it thinks you're better off without them."

I hummed in acknowledgement. I didn't want to anger this man, I didn't understand half of what he was talking about, and he seemed to be getting a sense of joy from my predicament. He was acting more like he was prescribing me cough medicine for a sore throat, rather than explaining why I might be dead.

"This is all just a dream, right?" I asked with a shake of my head. "This can't be real. I can't be dead. Magic is just an old trade which nobody uses anymore." I was sure I had asked this before, but the words wouldn't escape from my mind.

Nairn frowned. "Old?" he muttered. He was clearly displeased by my wording.

Neith sighed and walked over to me, crouching down in front of me like she had earlier. It made me feel like a child, who needed to be talked to on another level in order for them to understand. "Akuji, we need to know why you're here and if we can get you back to your normal life." She opened her mouth again, but no words came out.

Was that what I wanted? To go home to a person who potentially tried to murder me? I still had my doubts about this being real, but that was a question I had been considering for a while. Not the murder part, of course, that only came to my mind once or twice. It wouldn't be the first time I had considered leaving Emir and Seastown behind. Maybe this was just fate telling me to get on with my new life.

"How are you going to do that, though?" I asked, meeting her hazel eyes. I had to stop myself from getting lost in them. They were the kind of eyes which appeared brown at first, then you notice a speck of green, and then another. Then there's a speck of gold, or blue. The more I looked, the more blue there was. They weren't the same as her father's blue ones. So she must have gotten them from her mother.

"Well, we can try to work out what killed you," she suggested with a sigh and stood up again. "It shouldn't take long for the amnesia to wear off. Well, I'm patient." She rested her hands on her hips, looking as though she was working on a puzzle she couldn't figure out.

"I'm not," Nairn interjected. "I want to know as soon as you find out." He pointed towards the two of us. I didn't know why on earth I would keep any information from him, as far as I knew, I had nothing to hide.

"Okay," I replied. I didn't know what to say to him. I felt threatened by his gaze and gesture. "I don't think I'll get very far though."

"That's fine." Neith turned away. "Do you want me to take the chair, or would you be uncomfortable in a stranger's bed?"

My mouth felt dry at the sudden change of topic and the realisation that I had nowhere else to go. I didn't even know where I was. I knew what village I was in, that I was in a stranger's house. But the reality of just how much I didn't know hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Don't you have a sort of guard? Patrol? Someone who's a part of the government who deals with things like murders?" I stumbled over my words. I wanted to hurry and get help, I wanted to get out of here. Surely there was someone else besides these two who would know something about what happened.

"My father's part of the government," Neith said quickly, interrupting her father, who had his mouth open to speak. "Staying here to figure it out is your best option." She stared into my eyes, her words defeating any objection I could possibly have.

I didn't believe her, but I couldn't argue either.

"I'd like to stay here," I whispered. I slipped off my shoes, which I should've done earlier, and pulled my knees to my chest. My nylon stockings were dirty and rubbed against my bare arms, but the familiar material gave me some comfort.

"Sounds wonderful to me," Neith said with a sigh of relief, probably happy that she'll still be sleeping in her own bed. "Dad, go back to bed."

"But-" Nairn was interrupted by Neith pulling him to his feet and walking him to the door. "We'll be talking 'bout this in exactly four hours!" He waved to me as he was pulled out of the door. "My tea though."

"Yes, now go to sleep. Goodnight," Neith said, returning to the living room with a green blanket. "I'd appreciate it if you'd clean up, or change." Her eyes kept flickering from my face to my chest and back again.

"Uh, yes." I hesitantly put my legs down and stood up, feeling about as steady on my feet as a five-month-old. "I don't have any other clothes." I felt bad for coming up with a small excuse, but I wasn't sure if either of us would be comfortable if I were to lend any of hers.

"If you leave them outside of the washroom, I'll have them cleaned before you get out." Her expression remained neutral, was this a common occurrence for her? She didn't seem fazed at all.

"Okay." I followed her to the washroom. It was small, about half the size of the one I had at home. There was a small mirror hanging on one wall, and a medium tub, which Nairn couldn't possibly be comfortable sitting in. There were a few bars of soap on a shelf, along with a smaller bucket for pouring. "Thank you." I turned and found Neith had already disappeared.

Despite the small size of the bath, it was one of the most pleasant bathing experiences I'd ever had. It might have something to do with the wonderful fragrances which emitted from the soaps. The bath was somehow filled with warm water, a magic which I didn't understand. We would usually have to boil the water if we wanted a warm bath, but the seemingly clean water was pleasantly warm.

I nearly fell asleep a few times with how welcoming it was. Though, each time I shook my head and moved onto thinking of something else. It wasn't difficult to think of things which were likely to keep me awake.

I thought of Emir and the road which the carriage had stopped on. I thought of how I could've possibly missed the carriage being attached to a rock. I tried to think of whether or not I felt the pain of the stab, something I didn't feel at the moment.

I had avoided looking down at my chest since I entered the bath, but I had nothing to fear, as there was just smooth, pale skin. There were still blemishes and scars from before the accident. But there was no stab wound.

That was how I was addressing it, 'The accident' sounds like I'd dropped a jar on the floor and glass made a few cuts. I was stabbed, or something, in the chest and my life had ended.

But I was magically still alive. Something stopped me from dying, or brought me back to life. A possibility which I couldn't even imagine. I didn't believe in real magic, so something like this was far beyond my comprehension. My parents didn't like magic either, always sneering at the magicians who I had seen on the street.

"Akuji? Are you alright?" Neith's voice called through the door, making me jump. "You've been in there a while."

"I'm fine," I whispered and shook my head. "I'm fine," I repeated a little louder.

"If you say so. Your clothes are by the door." I didn't hear her walk away, but rather I felt her presence moving away from the door.

I hurried to get out of the bath and changed. Miraculously, there were no bloodstains remaining on the dress. Granted, there was a red heart in the middle, where the stain used to be. After some examination, it seemed to be covering the hole which was caused by the weapon.

I took a deep breath and exited the bathroom. The house was still and I felt like an intruder. I felt like I had suddenly forgotten what way to get back to the living room. The hallways were bare, save for the occasional patterned curtain.

The stairs were creaky, even if I tried to be as silent as I could. At the bottom, Dalila was staring at me. Her stare made my breath stick in my throat, as though she'd pounce as soon as my feet hit the bottom of the stairs.

Neith was curled up on the armchair with a book in her hands. On her nose sat a thin pair of glasses, which made her look much older then she did earlier. I couldn't determine how old she actually was, not by the way she acted, the way she looked, or the way she spoke.

"You can sit down, you know?" she said without looking up from her book. "I understand that you'd be a bit jumpy and apprehensive, but it would be better if you could at least try to relax."

"I can't," I said without thinking. "Everything's just been too quick and too crazy and too unbelievable." I realised that I still hadn't sat down, so I moved the settee, tucking my legs under my chin again. "How can you be so calm about finding a dead person?" I hovered over the word 'dead', as though it would hurt me physically if I heard the word one more time.

"For one, you're not technically dead." She closed the book and put it on the table in front of her. "Secondly, this kind of thing isn't unusual. Well, it is unusual. It's just not the most unbelievable thing that's happened around here."

"What is the most unbelievable thing?" I asked out of curiosity.

"You wouldn't believe me." A smirk twitched at the edge of her lips.

"Try me. I've been dead, revived, attacked, whatever and I think I could handle something else."

"Flesh-eating warlocks?" she questioned, her smile widening. "That was a sight to see."

"Flesh-eating?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I had heard her correctly. That was something you only heard about in fairy tales, very disgusting fairy tales.

"Yeah," she said with a shrug. "It was a bit more mundane than you would've thought. They used cutlery and everything."

"Did you...partake in the food?" I couldn't help but ask. Once again, my curiosity was getting the better of me and I wanted to hide within the chair.

"I'm not a cannibal, Akuji." Neith stood up and grabbed the blanket she had previously, handing it to me. "Do you want the candles blown out? Anything else before I try and get a few more hours of sleep?"

I hesitated, took the blanket, and shook my head. "No, thank you."

She left the room quickly, with a small "Goodnight."

"Night," I mumbled under my breath.

That was sudden, but it was the middle of the night. I should be grateful that she stayed up and waited for me to finish my bath. I should be grateful that she opened the door, I hope.

I didn't get any more sleep that night. I wrapped the blanket around myself and lay on the settee, but I couldn't remain comfortable. Each time sleep tried to creep in, so did flashes of memories. The navy sky, scattered with grey clouds, mocked me as I lay with a numb chest. I kept jerking awake and putting my hand to my chest, making sure that there wasn't any blood on my fingers when I pulled back.

The morning was a welcome sight. The light peered in through the windows and cast an orange glow on the floor.

I sat up and folded the blanket, leaving it on the arm chair. I entertained myself by looking around.

There were some tanks lining the wall by the fire. Upon further inspection, they held snakes and lizards. I hadn't seen animals like this up close. They were tricky to see, as they often hid within their homes. It was a game which kept me busy, looking for the reptiles.

They also had some fish in a tank. I used to have one, so seeing the small fish filled me with nostalgia. It was a tradition for children in Seastown to have fish as pets, after catching them by themselves.

"Oh, you're actually here," Nairn said from behind me.

His voice made me jump and squeak. "Y-yes," I answered. I jumped back from the tans and held my hands behind my back. "Good morning."

"Good morning," he replied. He looked vastly different when he had more sleep. His blue hair was fluffy and styled. His night clothes were replaced by trousers and a robe, not too different to his night clothes, but far brighter and neater. "Can I get you anything?" He went into the kitchen before I could reply.

I followed him and stood in the doorway, probably looking very creepy. "I don't want to be a bother," I answered.

"You're not a bother," he denied with a wave of his hand. "A regular breakfast it is I suppose. Don't really know what else to do." He moved to the stove and lit the fire. "Neith shouldn't be awake for another hour or so, depending on when she went to bed."

"It was dark, around three?" I estimated.

"So she'll be up at around eight," he said with a hum. "That girl is a creature of habit. Even her body has its own clock."

"Doesn't everyones?" I asked with furrowed brows. I'd heard of a body clock being muttered a few times by doctors through the years.

"Yes, but none of them are as good as Neith's. One would even think she's a doll or a machine." He paused for a moment and pointed his wooden spoon at me. "Don't get any ideas there, she's not a doll or a machine." His tone had changed vastly. His previously good mood turned to one of edge and threatening.

I stepped backwards a few times and raised my hands. "I wasn't, it's just peculiar."

Nairn hummed disbelievingly and returned to a pan that he had placed on the stove, putting several powders and oats in. "A lot of people in the village believe that she's a machine that I had created years ago, and upgrade whenever she has a birthday. Nobody here respects or understands magic, yet they come to me anyway." He shook his head. "They think that you can animate everything. Bring one fish back to life and you can bring back people."

"But, you can bring back people," I noted and stepped forward again. I wasn't sure fi that was the right thing to say, but I was proof of that, wasn't I? Then again, Neith said that I wasn't quite dead yet.

"I can't, whoever did that can." He pointed towards my chest. "Or whoever found you and brought you here. Which is precisely why I'm interested. Do I need to explain everything?" he started to talk to himself, as he poured the mixture into white bowls. "Yes, I suppose I do. Well, whoever did that to you must be extremely powerful. Therefore, I do not know if they're going to be a threat to the village or myself. I would prefer them not to be a threat of course, but I'd also highly doubt it. Fruit?"

This man was truly mad. I hadn't even realised that he'd asked me a question until he went silent. I nodded with a "yes please."

Nairn handed a bowl of porridge to me. "Please eat in the living room. I've got to hurry to work, so I'll be taking mine."

A noise of appreciation and agreement left my throat. "Hope work goes well," I spoke quickly and then hurried back into the living room. I didn't leave until I heard the front door to the house shut. The porridge was alright, nothing too special, but the fruit which decorated it gave a sweetness which I often lacked at home.

I didn't know what I could do other than wash up, which only took me a few minutes. I wandered around the living room, once again looking at the tanks which held fish and reptiles. The words 'Bring one fish back to life and you can bring back people' floated in my mind as I stared at the swimming creatures. They didn't look unusual or altered, but what signs would there be that I could recognise?