At dusk, the silent forest awakens from its slumber. With every moment in a forest, new life blooms into a bright shade of green. It's truly a wonderful sight to behold. But as the sky darkened, a distant rumble of thunder signalled an approaching storm with raindrops starting to fall.

The boy's blood has been soaking into the ground and the group now running to the traveller's shack to escape the storm. Most of their eyes are wide with terror, breathing in to replenish their lost oxygen. Lily on the other hand was giggling at the fact that they were to have dinner and sleep on dry mattresses.

With them they brought the 16-year-old human boy; a mere normal person who was also swept up in all the chaos. The kid lays on the furthest bed towards the corner, unconscious, covered in wet clothes that did more bad than good.

"Well then," Miss Amy spoke up, breaking the silence. "At this rate, we'll probably get sick before we reach the end of this forest. That's not good." She explained while using her flame spell to start a fire in the fireplace, to dry the mattress before they touched it.

Robert looked down, "Well... There is no use worrying now, it's not like we can leave him alone here."

Bishop stood up, going to check on the boy, "The boy is not in a great condition, my healing magic can't do more. Anyways, I'll get the kitchen ready."

Lily had been observing the new person since they arrived, she stared at his face in confusion, 'something is wrong about him. "Who is he?'' she asks Robert and the rest.

"I don't know, but he doesn't look like a bandit" Amy sighs, they sit close together looking at the fire and letting it warm their bodies. Grom and Bishop fixed up the kitchen in hopes of cooking some food for everyone to bring their strength.

"Stay away from him, Lily. He nearly hurt you." Angela told Lily, her heart pained to see her little girl hurt, "Please be careful. Robert, keep an eye on her."

"Alright. Honey can you help me with putting him in better clothes to stay warm and to let his head breathe, we need a dry cloth" Robert asks her.

The two stood to the side as they attended to the sleeping boy. As they shifted around the bed, moving the boy in whatever way was most comfortable for him. His body, bearing several harrowing scars which seemed to be caused by sharp blades, lay exposed as they gently shifted him on the bed, seeking to arrange him in the most comfortable position possible. The young boy's frame appeared fragile, with the visible aftermath of injuries crisscrossing his once-unblemished skin.

Lily takes her usual seat on the opposite side of the stranger's bedside. Although she didn't believe her mom she put her face on the bed sheets still staring at him.

Amy watched as Lily gazed at the body, it's not unnatural for kids to be like that, but something doesn't feel right. Once they were all finished and the boy had clean new clothes on everyone finally sat down to have their warm meal. Then with a slight shift in the bed, Lily stood to look back at the boy.

Lily turned to her mom as if there was something wrong but being a good liar, Lily shrugged it off with a giggle, "Sorry, I saw a big bug, so I laughed." She said innocently which earned her another worried look from her mother.

As lunch was being prepared, Lily looked back at the bed, again and a second later, the boy was squirming his arms and started to mumble to himself as he returned to the land of the living.

The boy managed to sit upright, a little winded but looking better.

"Hey, it's a good thing you woke up," Robert said, walking over to check on the youngster. "Can you talk?"

The boy sat there in confusion as he spoke in a foreign tongue.

"Xxx—xx-xxx."

The words weren't from the local region as Miss Amy recognised, nor was it the same as the languages spoken on the mainland. She had a feeling as if it was something she heard before, in a faraway land.

After hearing him talking, Robert, Angela and the other folks are shocked, they don't understand what he is saying but soon realise how pale his skin is. His black hair is dark and unkempt his skin is drenched and drenched with sweat, and the grey uniform he's wearing is not native clothing. The two had a hard time recognising his face, even in this situation, he seemed calm. His face says he's normal... but his body shows he's just the opposite.

He makes a few noises again and his head drops back into the pillow, back into his coma.

"I'll look after him," Amy leans over and tucks him back into bed, "He'll be fine just needs some rest, probably some nourishment. But the question is," she whispers, "Is where is he from?

The young boy began to make some noise again, screaming something in his sleep, he started speaking in his tongue again as he tossed around on the bed.

Lily watched quietly at the end of the boy's bed, her gaze on his eyes behind her bangs. Her eyes don't waver as the two continue to watch him sleep with the lanterns on, in the cold room.

"I bet he's from north of here, or maybe south. I'm not sure, so you should keep an eye on him, Amy. He isn't from here." Robert remarked, peeling his eyes from the scene at the corner.

He was quite curious, but he sat down and looked at the map and tried to figure out where he was from, leaving Lily and Amy there for 3 hours until the moonlight has risen.

Lily's mother, Angela, gets some dry blankets from the wagon and begins putting her daughter to sleep on the cot next to them.

As usual, it was a quiet night in the country, with crickets echoing with delight.

"Get away from the window, Lily!" her father ordered. "It's dangerous!"

In an instant, Lily's eyes opened and looked at the dark room. She sighs again, when will the time when the moon is close to the Earth? She rolls around to face the wall, "Um...Can you tell me more about this place?" She smiled and faced the far wall that was a few meters away from the bed.

Robert picks up a bed and sits down next to her. "Well, it's a pretty nice country in the Far East. Zhongning has a different landscape, yet close to the mainland; however, this place only has these long paths across the long and dusty regions" he sighs.

"There are thousands upon thousands of farms and people scattered throughout the countryside. There are even floating islands throughout our journey through those lands too...". There are even times of legends say that fairies lived in this wilderness forever."

"Has mom said when can we live in a town?" Lily's little voice asked, her eyes shone with excitement and determination. "I can finally do something! Like being a real adventurer!"

"An adventurer, huh..." Miss Amy walked up, sitting on the chair beside the wall with dry blankets alongside her mother. "Did you want to be an adventurer since last year, Lily?" She smiles and replies.

Lily jumped on her bed and snuggled up deep under the sheets, "Mhmm, yeah!"

"No, you will not!" Angela protested, looking at Amy with fierce eyes. "The last this I want is for my daughter to play herself into this glory and adventure nonsense... it will be the death of her."

"Hmm..." Her husband's heart hurt a little, "Every place has its dangers, darling..." He looked back to Lily, "There's so much to learn and so little time."

His voice sounded so sweet as he laughed at Lily's pouting,

"It's a dangerous job, little Lily. Full of secrets and wonders, filled with magical objects that can make dreams a reality, but the trade-off is a lifetime full of adventure." he started to laugh but stopped, then his voice lowered to a whisper, "On the other hand, we have that's good but at the same time, things are not always like that. There are dangers lurking and monsters surrounding the area, hidden inside or under the trees."

He spoke soft and delicate and held his wife's hand, "I know my baby girl would be someone great."

"Yes, I want to see what the world outside has to offer me," Lily murmurs happily.

Miss Amy stands on the side watching the family happily with a smile. But Angela looks at Robert with a frustrated expression towards him who sits still without saying anything while holding onto Lilly's hands tightly.

"But..." Robert continued, "Don't be reckless, no matter what you do or how tough you are. I know if we stay together we will make it and give up our dreams. Adventurers become strong as they meet strong people as well."

Lily went silent, her thoughts drifting as she heard the silence and darkness around her. Robert shifted and stood on his feet, and turned to face the corner of the boy, as the family finally slept together under the blanket, even with a storm outside their window.

They wouldn't have cared, because there were plenty of blankets on the floor to protect them from the cold and pillows scattered in the room. The firewood they managed to collect kept them warm and the candles always lit them up in the middle.

***

That night they watched the boy toss and turn before falling asleep themselves. All noises stopped and no more the light could reach them in the darkness of the night. The light snuffed out as the boy was dragged into another realm, he was not in the presence of reality but instead was in his mind with every image of his memories floating him around.

The scenes started blurring in a haze-like paint brush smudged across blank paper or clay ground. A dark hue filled the sky, black and blue clouds and fiery embers flew everywhere while sharp blades of silver and gold danced in flashes of magic and flames.

While he was engulfed in a shadow, a sharp flash of red stabbed his heart and a heavy strike to the back of his head knocked him off of his feet.

A blood-curdling cry deafened him and sent him slamming to the ground with the weight of the pain his heart was feeling with the pressure of the very sound.

Through the pain, he could see a woman clutching her chest in pain and another man running to her in desperation but a moment was too short before the woman fell to the ground in an agonising heap.

He can see a terrifying demon standing nearby, tall and ferocious; the abyss greets the onlooker of his true form of a heartless monster, one you only could think of in the depths of hell.

The night wind was blowing, the fog formed the moon disappeared and the misty thickened. The world around him was covered by pure black.

'If you insist on bringing ruin and despair upon us. Then I will banish you to the furthest distance and never come back!'

Words were spoken to him that felt strange yet familiar; unknown to the extent of his consciousness. He couldn't say who spoke.

A deep and twisted voice sounded, one that felt as if he had known it from far long ago and beyond before the blackness consumed the being completely.

Bang!

A deafening sound which is yet terrifying and familiar filled his head, causing him to curl up in a ball in agony. Yet still, it echoes repeatedly in his ears until they sound like his breathing which grows faster and faster with every second, more and more. More and more.

"Takumi...!" That's when he felt a second presence with him in the deep silence but it did not do him any good. It only amplified his fear as the intense pain grew worse.

When he heard those words, he suddenly dropped away into nothingness; he was alone, alone in the dark.

"Takumi...!"

That's when he felt a second presence with him in the deep silence but it did not do him any good. It only amplified his fear as the intense pain grew worse.

When he heard those words, he suddenly dropped away into nothingness; he was alone, alone in the dark.

The boy felt his consciousness returning once more and he looked at the other people lying around him, with his mind racing a mile a minute.

He wondered how it was possible to see such a gruesome and dark dream, but something was missing in that vision. Maybe it was just a nightmare. What are those scenes anyway, are they even real? If so, could that creature exist?

The group woke up right away, it was already dawn and there they felt like it was still almost afternoon. Robert checked on the boy, he was sweating so much but his body was still cold as ice and pale.

Lily was excited to wake up early, Angela brought breakfast in a hurry, Bishop and Grom cleaned up the rooms, Amy was checking on the wagons and horses, while Lily had been watching the boy for hours. Robert watched Lily stare at the boy, he sighed and called her to eat breakfast.

Angela had been preparing for the journey ahead of them, she is usually the one who cleans and tidies the wagons while Bishop and Grom put all the supplies away. Amy checks on the horses and their wagons for the journey ahead, she always double-checks the wagon and bag for any cracks or holes and makes sure they are loaded up properly. Lily has been helping Robert pack the remaining supplies and food for their journey.

****

After everything was done, the group packed up and got ready to leave. Bishop and Grom mounted the wagon and Amy sat in front, Robert took a seat with Angela and Lily, he was at the wheel of the wagon, steering them forward towards their destination.

The boy was in the back sitting next to Lily and Amy. Lily sat quietly and looked at the boy with curious eyes, Amy watched over her and the boy as they travelled onward.

Robert drove the wagon for miles, Bishop and Grom talked about random stuff and Angela moved inside the wagon to play with her daughter.

"What's your name?" Amy asked the boy curiously as she sat beside Lily who was busy playing with the colour stone marbles.

The boy looks at Amy, his eyes showing confusion.

"--X--XX--XXXX"

He replied in his language, trying to explain his name but Amy didn't understand him, he tried to say it clearly but Amy still didn't understand him.

Though she is familiar with the language of Zhongning, both the dialects and pronunciations are different from the languages spoken on the mainland. Amy tried to repeat what the boy said, but the boy shook his head as Amy repeated incorrectly.

Amy's face became more frustrated, "I can't understand him. He doesn't speak a language I'm familiar with." She frowned, thinking about how they were going to communicate.

The boy was also disappointed in Amy's answer, he understood her tone and emotions; he could tell Amy was frustrated. She understood it from her tone, the words weren't any foreign or unusual, but rather he could decipher it. But Amy would never have expected it as an actual language because, with her, it was the first time she had met someone who spoke like him.

Grom who heard the situation looked at the boy and started the discussion, "From the fact that his skin was very white, and that he is in clothes different from the region and his unusual behaviour when he awoke; it can't be something so simple. This could mean something else." Grom told her while keeping his voice down to avoid others listening.

"Which region did you come from?" Grom asks the boy, he tilts his head with confusion written all over it, but he gestures towards Amy and himself and mimics riding a horse while trying to explain the land of Zhongning. He then pointed at himself and shook his head, indicating that he didn't live there.

"If he were from here, would we see his people come looking for him? If that's the case, then... How did you get here? Through the forest?" He stated.

The boy was still confused, he had no idea where he was or how he ended up here. His thoughts were muddled, his memories were fuzzy, and his surroundings were unfamiliar to him.

"I don't know if we will find out," Amy says, shaking her head. "If you can't even speak, there is no way we can figure out what's going on."

Lily listened quietly to the conversation, she looked at the boy and wondered what was happening.

"We could use sign language. We should teach him." Lily was the first to speak up, surprising the three adults. "We don't have to use words to communicate, right?"

"You are quite smart, young lady," Grom commented.

"How about I teach you and the boy the basic words? We could also teach him the language of the mainland," Amy suggested. "This way we can learn and communicate with each other, and maybe help the boy understand our language."

"That's a great idea, Amy," Grom added, smiling at her.

"I'd love to learn," Lily chirped excitedly, "It sounds fun."

Amy chuckled softly, she was happy to see Lily so interested in learning.