Golden eyes snapped open.
Ophieus gasped as he jerked upright before taking deep breaths, from the cold damp air. For a moment he just focused on his blinking and chest heaving, trying to calm himself down. First thing he noted to his relief, the pain was gone and was not only a vague memory. Second, he was on his back, staring upwards at a thin swirling fog high up in the sky.
Not the fog…
Ophieus pushed himself up onto his hand and then to his knee from the ground with a groan. Then full standing, he took a deep breath of the cool air and began looking around. Everything looked clearer now, and not masked by the fog, leading him to notice he was in a graveyard.
All around Ophieus were silver tombstones halfway up to his body, their surfaces oddly shining even with the little light around.
"Oh?" Ophieus tilted his head at the sight of a sword buried down into the silver stone. It was an odd thing but it looked pretty amazing as Ophieus eyes shifted down to see grass between the graves. Then a cracked cobblestone path interweaving around the various graves and towards the fog at the edge.
Ophieus slightly frowned as he felt a strange sensation, a sense of unease at the sight of the fog. It was different from the one he woke up from but the sight of it still made his skin crawl. Just the memory of being trapped, bounded, and almost submerged was terrible. He clenched his teeth and raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
But his eyes slightly widened at the fingerless dark gloves on his hands. Ophieus furrowed his brows, golden eyes shifting from the gloves to his arms, and down to his entire body. He was wearing a white jacket with the high collar brushing his jaw and gold cross-like symbols stitched along the seams. Underneath was a black high-necked shirt that clung to his skin and black trousers with sharp gold lines tracing down the sides into a pair of boots.
"Where is my armor?" Ophieus flexed his fingers as he muttered under his breath. "Was that thick gray fog back then just a dream… or a memory?"
Ophieus gently caressed his chin as fell in thought as his gaze continued to move around. He didn't think the thick gray fog was a dream, it felt too more painful than terrifying to be one. But more than that, could his mind really create such a thing? A world that would want to lock him away forever and make him struggle to escape?
It was all so strange and confusing, but Ophieus stopped this line of thought as a light caught his eye in the grass. A black sword lay beside him, its blade gleaming with symbols and golden markings.
Curiosity winning out over caution, he reached for it and grasped it.
Ophieus smiled as he felt the grip was familiar as if the sword had belonged to him forever. Raising the blade up, he caught his reflection in the steel and saw a tan sharp face with soft black waves of hair falling around his cheeks.
In addition to his golden eyes with diamond-shaped pupils that seemed to slightly glow. He studied himself for a moment before nodding his head and glancing up.
"Assuming my memory was right… this place is Luminous," Ophieus muttered as he chose to believe the dream was just a memory. "Where exactly am I-" A stabbing pain shot through his skull, sharp enough to force him down to one knee.
Ophieus held his head from the pain and then memories spilled forth in fleeting and chaotic images.
…
After a couple seconds, his vision sharpened around a figure that emerged from the depths of his mind. A man with long flowing black hair and glittering silver-gray eyes that were shining similar to his own. Surrounding them were burning buildings but it was blurry and twisted by the flames and ash.
The man appeared unfazed as he slowly turned his head and gave a half-smile to Ophieus.
"Tell me Ophieus… Fantasy or Truth?" His voice echoed out, feeling both strange and familiar to Ophieus.
"..."
"Which one would you rather live in? An immersive fantasy or reality?... What would be your choice if given the option?" The man asked again with a chuckle, his silver-gray eyes now staring deeply.
The silence stretched for a couple more seconds before Ophieus felt his lips moving. But he couldn't hear anything as an explosion rang out as the man's chuckle turned into full blown laughter.
"That's it, huh?"
"…"
"Hmm? My answer? A good fantasy wouldn't be so bad." The man smiled knowingly.
…
Ophieus found himself still kneeling with the black sword forgotten at his side as he rubbed his forehead. He panted a bit while sweat rolled down on his brow. "That's… that wasn't my memory… right?"
He frowned as tried to focus more and jog up some memories. But the more he tried, the more his mind slipped away and displayed fragmented images. He recalls a blurry silver-black building, a deep underground tunnel, countless black robed figures moving in silence. And a woman with white, lying in a coffin with a peaceful look and crimson lines on her neck. Then that burning land with the man standing at the center and speaking to him.
Ophieus shakes his head, rubbing his head to push away the discomfort. "Just as I thought… Something is wrong."
Ophieus could feel it, there were too many strange things going on with him right now. Whether it be the thick gray fog, the pain, and the strange memories. All of these seem to be deeply related to him but he had no memories of what or why it was. He recalled his clothing was different before, and then a thought appeared in his mind.
Could my memories be fragmented? Ophieus thought, which felt oddly strange and made him instantly reject it. But the more he thinks about it, there was merit to this being the case from their being blanks.
In addition to how he went from wearing armor to wearing a jacket, shirt and trouser.
"But then if this is true…How did I lose them?" Ophieus whispers as his hands slightly tremble. Not out of fear or anger but instead from a strange thrill rising up inside him. His heart sped up, as his excitement grew stronger with each beat.
I must be insane to be excited about this, Ophieus thought, shaking his head with a crooked smile. But I can't help it. There are so many questions, each with problems that makes me want to know how and why! No… It gives me a need to know.
Ophieus stood up, brushing the dirt off his clothing and then began wandering around the quiet graveyard. Each graveyard was silver with cracks and chips on it with some weeds curling around it at the bottom.
But what stood out to Ophieus was the lack of names inscribed on the tomb. It was just a blank sliver plate that was untouched and somehow still clean. He gently ran his fingers over the plate, feeling the smooth and cold surface.
"Empty graves? Or did no one care enough to remember them?" Ophieus muttered, as the mystery just seemed to pile up more and more. He moved from this grave and began searching for more clues but after five minutes of searching.
He found nothing.
With a frown, Ophieus turned back to where he had woken up. The fog thinned ahead, and he could see the faint outlines of a narrow path leading out of the graveyard into a forest.
Ophieus eyed the path before smiling and then headed toward the path. He stepped on the cobble stone path and walked towards the fog but as body touched the fog, he flinched.
A wave of disgust swept over Ophieus and made him grimace as every instinct screamed at him to leave. But before he could, a voice echoed inside of his mind.
Remember… Always remember…
Never forget… Never stop chasing…
Your mission… Your goal… The reason you continue to persevere…
The pain faded with the voice but the words left him rattled. He took a shaky breath, as he moved from the fog but then a thought appeared in his mind.
Why does that voice sound so familiar? What was I supposed to remember? And am I wrong? My memories aren't gone but suppressed? Ophieus golden eyes shone with curiosity and a bit of joy.
Ophieus didn't know how or why the fog jogged some of his memories, but he didn't care as it was his first lead. Two times now his memory had come to him, which meant they weren't lost forever and could be recovered. With a grin, he stretched out a hand to breach the fog, half-expecting another memory to hit him.
But to Ophieus disappointment, there were no memories, no pain, or any reaction from his body and mind.
"I suppose it would be odd if it was that easy." The disappointment quickly turned into intrigue as Ophieus eyes gleamed with fascination. He stepped forward, letting the fog swallow him whole and making the world shift.