It was late at night. Three children shared a space that could hardly be called a restroom, yet it was used as one. The place was small, with worn walls and a wood floor, the air carrying the faint smell of dry straw and old wood. The makeshift beds, made of straw and clean rags, were far from luxurious, but for those who worked all day in such a harsh and dangerous world, that little corner was still a safe and surprisingly comfortable.
There wasn't much space between the straw beds. In a way, you could say the children slept in piles, crowded on top of one another. But that didn't matter. Jenny for example was tired. Her body was dusty, somewhat dirty. Bathing wasn't common around here. No one seemed to care much about it.
"They must think," Twig thought, "that taking a bath makes you sick. But it doesn't." He knew the opposite. Bathing and staying clean is what prevents diseases, not causes it.
Jenny was very tired and soon fell asleep. Aron was also tired, but he couldn't sleep yet. Twig, lying on his back, looked at the ceiling while listening to the cicadas outside. Sleep wouldn't come.
Thinking about the system, in this strange and hostile world, he understood that it was indeed hard— for someone who came from somewhere else— to sleep peacefully on the first night.
"Hey, Twig. Jenny told me you guys were talking about my dream of becoming a knight."
"It's not cool to bring that up with my sister, okay?"
"Ah, Aron, my bad… True. I told her I shouldn't have said anything— but she already knew, so I didn't really say anything. She just knew. I just agreed."
"Ah, and she also mentioned some magical warrior named Xena… What's that about? Who is Xena? Now I'm curious."
"Xena?" he scratched his head, a little awkward. "I guess I must have mentioned something about her to her. Want to hear about it?"
He let out a light sigh before continuing:
"But look, it's a long story. And to tell you now, at this hour… wouldn't you want to sleep?"
"True, I'm really tired… I don't think I'll want to hear anything right now."
"But I'm curious. Jenny spoke about this Xena as if she were amazing. I've never seen her like that, eyes shining, fearless, not as shy as she usually is."
"That's good to hear, Aron. I like knowing that somehow I could help her lose a bit of her shyness. She seemed sad when I told her the stories."
"Yeah… it must be nice if she got happy because of it, right?"
"Thanks for helping her. My mother would be very pleased to know you did that for her, Twig."
Twig and Aron continued for a while. It didn't even seem like they were tired, but eventually…
"I'm really tired, Twig. I'm going to sleep. See you tomorrow. And don't sleep too much or Dad will scold you."
"Good night, Aron. Thanks, my friend. Sweet dreams. And don't wet the bed."
"Wow. Aron and Jenny… it's so good that they exist in this world, that I'm not alone." From my memories, from the fragments I can still recall, their mother was also very kind. I think, if it weren't for her, they wouldn't be like this. Not that Saul is horrible, a monster, but hardly any father like him would have two such wonderful children. Aron is a good kid, he takes care of me, protects me. Jenny is charitable and very kind.
From the few memories I have, I can't really remember if this body ever had a mother. They said she was a prostitute and left me here in the care of Aron and Jenny's mother. Her name… I can't remember. Their mother's name. And I feel a strange fear just thinking about saying it out loud, or asking. Maybe it would offend them… or maybe I'd end up breaking something I don't even know if I can fix.
I can remember that she treated me well while she was alive. It's been a while… from what I can recall, about three years have passed since she died, when I was eight, or somewhere around that age. But I remember she cared for me, didn't let me go hungry, never hit me, and even taught me important things. It's a shame I don't remember her name. Actually, I don't even really remember her face. Maybe, with all the information added to me, that detail was there, but I simply couldn't absorb it.
How many other things have I failed to absorb from this body's memory? Could there be something important, some memory or gesture, that if I fail to say or do, they might notice? That they might discover I'm not the real Twig of this world?
To the sounds of Aron's snores and Jenny's light breathing, Twig turned back to the ceiling, restless, thinking about everything and more. Everything went through his thoughts, but nothing solidified, nothing made sense. He thought about the system, about the madness of the world, and yet he couldn't sleep, no matter how tired he was. He reflected, returned to the same thoughts, turned to one side, restless, unable to focus or fall asleep. There was so much information in his head to process… but in the end, exhaustion won, and he finally fell asleep.
In another room of the same inn, a little earlier, Saul was restless, reflecting on the day he had spent tormenting poor Twig.
"That boy… something's wrong with him. He woke up late, didn't do the chores… as always, but today… today he seemed different. Could he be sick?" he murmured to himself, his voice full of frustration. "I can't take care of him if he gets sick. I don't have time, I don't have the strength… I already have two kids to raise, without a wife, life is already hard. And him… he's not even my son! If he can't work, what use is he? But… I can't just abandon him. What would Lacy say if she knew I left her sister's child to fend for himself?"
Saul felt the weight of the secret he carried, a mixture of harshness and fear, guilt and need for control. Like Twig, he kept something hidden. A different secret, certainly, but still one that weighed on his conscience.
In a third room of the same inn, his mind was boiling with rage. The guest who had confronted Saul was completely furious.
"That cursed innkeeper… who does he think he is?" he growled through clenched teeth, fists tight. "Speaking to me like that… laws? Here there's only the law of my blade."
He felt the hatred pulse. "He was lucky we weren't alone outside. I can't leave witnesses. One day… one day, if that cursed man has the misfortune to cross my path, he will regret it. He will pay."