A week later. That's how long I'd been adrift in a void outside of time and space, a chaotic realm of dull pain and distant echoes. My last memory was an explosion that tore the night apart, an immense pressure tossing me like a rag doll, and then... a hazy figure with turquoise eyes.
When I regained consciousness, the first sensation was... peace.
How ironic. After being thrown into a pile of bricks by a monster, tortured with a whip by the Chairman, and finally blown up by my own comrades, I figured I deserved to rest in peace. But this wasn't death. Death couldn't possibly be... this comfortable.
I opened my eyes. The ceiling was wooden, intricately carved with patterns of clouds and birds. Not the moldy concrete ceiling of the base. The air carried the faint scent of herbs and the smell of the morning sun. A gentle breeze slipped through the half-open window, making the white silk curtains flutter. I thought: "Where am I?"
I tried to sit up. My whole body ached, but it was the soreness of recovering muscles, not the sharp pain of broken bones. My clothes had been changed into a soft linen outfit. The room I was in was large, tidy, and refined. Everything, from the small tea table to the vase of wildflowers, exuded a strangely relaxing atmosphere. It was completely different from any place I had ever known.
— Creak... —
The soft sound of the door opening startled me, the reflexes of one accustomed to danger kicking in. I quickly grabbed the nearest thing—a pillow. The person walked in. I froze. The pillow in my hand suddenly felt ridiculous.
It was her. The one with the turquoise eyes I saw before I passed out. Her hair was long, chestnut brown, cascading over her shoulders. She wore a simple but elegant dress. She looked at me, and I looked back at her. No one said anything. Her gaze was complex—there was some relief, some curiosity, and a faint, lingering sadness.
The silence stretched on. Back at the base, silence meant an ambush. Here, it... was just silence. I asked her:
"So... Who are you? And... why did you help me?"
She seemed a little startled by my question, as if she had been expecting something different. She bowed her head slightly, her voice soft and pensive.
"Hi... Hello!"
That was it. I, someone who already had trouble talking to strangers, felt awkward. I replied to her:
"Hi... I don't know who you are at all!"
She looked up, and I swear I saw a flicker of disappointment pass over her face. But then she just smiled quietly, a polite, distant smile, and turned to leave. I was completely bewildered. I thought: "So am I a prisoner? Or a guest?"
A moment later, the door opened again. This time, it was a man who looked to be in his 60s. He had neatly combed silver hair, a carefully trimmed full beard, and an air of authority that wasn't oppressive. He wore magnificent robes that I had only seen in historical movies. He approached me, his sharp eyes evaluating me from head to toe. He began to speak:
"Greetings, young man..."
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"I am the king of the HaiJa tribe. It is a pleasure to meet you!"
I blinked. King? The HaiJa tribe? What the hell was going on?
"HaiJa Tribe," an automatic footnote popped into my head, probably information I'd overheard somewhere, "it's just the tribe's name, but this is a large country called the Fight Kingdom."
"You... You speak Luisz?"
He nodded. He replied to me:
"Language is not a barrier here. And I see that you have potential!"
"Potential" again. That word had haunted me ever since I was at Light Remnants. I didn't see any potential in myself other than getting beaten up and bizarrely surviving.
"The person you met earlier was Hana, she is my daughter!"
He continued:
"I first saw you three days ago. You were unconscious, your body practically in pieces. My daughter brought you here. Truthfully, I asked her why, but she wouldn't say. She just said you looked like someone she met when she was young. Though I have no idea who..."
I wondered blankly: "I look like someone she met as a child?" I tried to rack my brain. When I was a kid, I was always at home playing video games by myself. I only had 2-3 online friends, and we weren't even that close. He must be mistaken: "So... where am I? I don't have anything special... Why save me? Maybe I should thank him." I sat up and said:
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Please let me leave, I have nothing to offer..."
I started moving toward the door, thinking: "Right now, I have to find Hachi, HighG and... I have to find my sister, too!"
I had just set foot outside the door when he spoke:
"You may not!"
His voice suddenly became angry and filled with power; it was an undeniable command. I had no choice but to ask:
"Why?"
He reined in his anger and said:
"I see you have talent, so you must stay here! And the Fight Kingdom needs people like you."
I looked him straight in the eye. A king. A strange country. A mysterious girl. And me, a lowly grunt who had just involuntarily deserted. I had no other choice. I thought for a moment, then said:
"Maybe I'll stay..."
He suddenly burst out laughing, clapping his hands and saying:
"Good! Good! Get some rest. Hana will bring you food."
He turned and walked out, looking completely delighted.
I sat there quietly, trying to process everything. A safe kingdom in the middle of the apocalypse? A princess who saved me because I "look like" someone? It sounded like a cheap fairy tale.
But I couldn't sit still. The pain had faded. I needed to know what this place was. And I thought: "Maybe I should go outside and see what this country is like..."
I quickly grabbed a thin robe from the foot of the bed and stepped out of the room. The palace hallway was vast, paved with marble and decorated with intricate tapestries. Guards stood solemnly at every corner, but their weapons weren't guns. They held spears with tips that glowed with a faint blue light.
I walked outside and froze.
The palace sat on a high hill, overlooking a vibrant city. The sky was clear blue, without a single cloud of war-time smoke or dust. The buildings below were constructed in a classical architectural style, interspersed with lush hanging gardens. People bustled about on the cobblestone streets.
It was beautiful here. The air was gentle, fresh.
And... there were no monsters. Not a single roar. Not a single gunshot.
How? In the middle of a collapsing world, how could a place like this exist?
...I understood. Perhaps some kind of magical barrier, or a technology that Light Remnants didn't know about. This was an oasis.
I walked down into the city center. As I passed, many people stared at me. It wasn't a look of fear or hostility, but a strange, curious gaze. As if they knew I didn't belong here. My robe was probably different from the clothes here... I tried to ignore the stares and turned onto a smaller street. After walking a bit, I realized someone was behind me. I quickened my pace, turning into an alley. The person sped up too.
I stopped, spun around, and took a defensive stance.
"Who are you! And why are you following me?"
The shadow gradually took shape. It was Princess Hana. She stopped abruptly, flustered and seemingly unsure what to say. She stammered:
"I..."
Suddenly, a figure in the distance was staring intently at us and shouted:
"Hey! What are you doing to the Princess!"
I turned. A young man, around my age, with messy hair and dressed like a noble, was running toward us. As I looked at him, I had a feeling: "I think I've met this guy before..."
He ran up and suddenly froze. His face went slack with disbelief, and he said to me:
"It can't be! Is that really you!?"
I was stunned, feeling as if I were frozen, and I couldn't say a thing. He continued:
"It's me! Quick!"
The name sounded like it meant he was fast. Suddenly, a long-forgotten memory flooded back.
.......
In a small park. A little boy was sitting alone, playing with some pebbles. I, just a shy kid myself back then, stood watching from a distance.
· "I'm Quick! Want to play with me?"
· "...I... I don't know what to do!"
· "That's okay! Come on, play with me! But just for a bit, I have to go soon!"
And after that day, I never saw him again...
.......
I looked at him and managed to say:
"Are you... the boy from the park, 15 years ago?"
He suddenly leaped into the air, then rushed forward to hug me. He said:
"You're alive! And... How did you even get here?"
I just stood there, stunned. This guy, Quick, was the only childhood friend I'd ever had, and... he was here. But then he let me go, looked at me, then looked at Hana standing awkwardly behind me. He asked me:
"By the way... Since when do you know Princess Hana?"
I answered him:
"I'm not sure... maybe since two weeks ago? I don't remember when I met her..."
Then I turned to face her:
"I've never known you. You saved me, so..."
I didn't know what to say... I started thinking, then I continued:
"Have... Have I met you before?"
Hana bit her lip, looking like she was about to cry. "..." Then she said:
"Yes... You've forgotten."
Quick looked at me, then at the princess, his expression showing he'd realized something. He clapped me on the shoulder and said cheerfully:
"Maybe... I should leave you two some privacy... If you're looking for me, I'm at the forge in the western part of the city! We have a lot to talk about!"
He waved and then dashed off. Now it was just me and this strange princess. I was bewildered. She stepped closer, her face tear-streaked but determined. She suddenly reached out and pulled open the collar of my robe.
"You don't remember this scar at all?"
I flinched and backed away, asking:
"What scar?"
Seeing my reaction, she replied in a slightly teasing tone:
"Back when we were in middle school... You don't remember how we used to talk all the time?"
I thought: "Middle school... me... Back in middle school, I was a certified recluse. I didn't talk to anyone, and no one paid any attention to me. How could I have a "scar" on my neck? But... Why is it there!?"
I answered her:
"You must have the wrong person..."
I tried to pull my robe closed again and said:
"I don't know you."
She just stood there, holding my hand, still waiting for me to admit something.
I started to think: "Maybe I should try... try to remember..."
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*Luisz, it's kinda like Korean ... but it's not Korean.*