“Tell Wilhelm ‘Hello’ for me, alright?”

“Aye,” I responded to the shopkeeper as I made my way out into the never-ending crowd known as the Eastern Market.

A grand number of large buildings towered over the vicinity, indicating that the wealthiest of merchants resided within one of them. Of course, merchants who couldn’t afford such high-end infrastructure settled for stands. They were small, compact, efficient, and most importantly: cheap. Streets were always busy, filled with the activity of consumers ready to purchase their desired goods.

The Eastern Market was just as the name implied: a grand market in the east district of Lamora. Known to be the largest shopping area in the entire kingdom, many merchants far and wide came with a dream to strike quick gold. All was well on the surface, but the further you got into it, the fiercer the competition. Sure, you could start a business and sell some pretty good items, but if another vendor were to outclass you, then there would be no profit made. As a result, many businesses have been known to shut down in a matter of weeks. The titans of the Eastern Market ruled the area, always ensuring that no business would stand a chance against them. Luckily for me, I had no interest in any of this.

I had just finished picking up a delivery for Mr. Borris and was heading back to his smithy with a basket full of raw ore. Nothing against Mr. Borris, but couldn’t he have made me do something other than be a labor boy? Day in, day out, all day every day, making deliveries that required so much walking all while placing more strain on my lower back. And it didn’t help that this back pain kept worsening due to my constant slumber on that damn library stool! Well whatever. At least it was the last delivery for the day. The faster I finished, the earlier I can get to the bar.

I trekked on through the bustling crowd. I was in a more confined area, where a multitude of colorful stands sold all forms of assortments, ranging from produce, weapons, vanities, and other miscellaneous finds. Merchants shouted all types of compliments or appeals in order to attract buyers.

“My dear lady, how marvelous you would look with this necklace.”

“Oi, you in the vest. You seem like a strong fella. How about usin’ this sword to conquer the world?”

“The freshest carrots you can find in all of the land. Buy two, get one for free.”

“Good sir! You are the most handsome person I’ve ever laid my eyes upon. Why not complete your look with this fine attire?” one merchant shouted my way.

Would you look at that? Somebody actually acknowledged my immaculate demeanor. What a nice man. Maybe I should go see what he has to-

“Snap out of it!” I shouted to myself aloud. I fastened my pace to put myself at a further distance from the vendor. A close call. If I had to count the amount of times I was almost lured into buying something unaffordable, it’d be more than the fingers attached to my hands. Curses, they were probably using speech magic as an enhancement in order to attract suckers such as me. How frustrating.

The best strategy was to channel out the noise and stay focused on leaving the Eastern Market as fast as possible. In fact, using the crowd noise to my advantage was not a bad idea. Speech magic seemed to only work if I was actively listening to an individual’s words. I’ve always wondered to what extent speech magic can go. From what I’ve gathered and analyzed, it was most likely used as a means of persuading rather than controlling. Thank goodness. I wouldn’t want to find myself becoming a pawn for some asshole who’d exploit me in all sorts of manners. Just the thought of it sent shivers down my spine.

Putting that aside, despite my carelessness with the merchants, I’ve navigated through the area many times before. I knew the ins and outs of the Eastern Market and had found a certain path that led straight to Mr. Borris’s shop. I just had to keep at a steady rate and remain focused on my endeavors.

Time passed by and before I realized it, I was almost home free. I was at a familiar spot near the outskirts of the market. This was perfect.

I think I take a left here, and then a right past the gun shop, and then a straight shot into the avenue!

It was near evening and the sun had begun to set. This meant that the late-night bars were beginning to open. The anticipation got me very excited. I took a left and started quickening my pace.

As I made my way through, lights from all directions began to flicker to life, as if shining a path for me. The crowd still hasn’t died down in the slightest, but I was at least able to navigate my way through. I was huffing as my physical stamina began to wane, and the basket of ores felt heavier as fatigue crept in. But I ignored the pain. I was determined. Nothing was going to stop me from getting to my bar! And with that sudden burst of energy, I finally passed the gun shop. I was now on my final stretch. Things were good. All was going well…until it suddenly wasn't.

A hoard blocked the path in front of me. They were all staring at a man, dressed in brazen clothing with a charming grin, standing atop a balcony of a very large building. In fact, it could be said that this was one of the largest buildings in the entire Eastern Market. His arms were stretched wide, as if welcoming the guests, and his tone of voice was way too soothing.

“Come one, come all to my establishment! I, the graaaand Mavis Granduer, have come to announce our latest wears for all of you gooorgeous people. My clothes are the finest fits in all of the land at just the right price. And tonight, I’m feeling quuuuite generous. As a reward for annnnyone whose purchase amounts to over 300 Lemrins, I will personally shake your hand.”

The crowd erupted into applause. I followed suit until I realized that I fell victim to his trap! God damn it! Speech magic had almost ensnared me once again. How I was able to resist this individual was beyond me. Out of all of the merchants so far, he was by far the most charming. In fact, it took all of my power to escape his words, immediately having to focus all of my attention elsewhere to even be able to barely resist him.

Now that that problem was out of the way, the next one was right in front of me. Basically, there was zero chance that I was going to get through that crowd. I didn’t have enough brute strength to squeeze my way through, nor was I willing to take the risk of dropping the delivery that I’ve been carrying for so long.

I decided to check my surroundings to find any sort of alternative, and, lucky for me, there was an avenue to my right. It was dark, harrowing, and extremely uncertain. Who knew what was going to happen if I were to take this path? However, that was the only available alternative I had. So now there were two options: wait for the crowd to eventually die down or take the unfamiliar avenue and try to navigate towards Mr. Borris’s smithy.

Despite it being a very important issue that would probably take some time to think about, I made my decision almost instantly. You see, the safer bet would be the former, but my urge to drink was much stronger. With that factor being put into consideration, I went with the latter.

—————

To be quite frank, I was lost. And I mean completely lost. With every twist and turn, I fell deeper into a more complex puzzle. The night sky was getting darker, and my arms were starting to feel like lead. I had to sit down and think for a moment.

I rested against a stone wall as I caught my breath. My heart pounded against my chest and my throat was parched. How long have I been out making this delivery? Probably a few hours by now. Mr. Borris’s shop was way too far from the Eastern Market. Couldn’t he have had a vendor that was closer to his shop? Alright, now’s not the time for complaining. I decided the best course of action was to come up with some sort of plan for my current predicament.

Plan A: retrace my steps. Who knows, maybe that crowd has simmered down, and I was now able to get through. But then came another problem: what exactly was I supposed to retrace? At this point, I couldn’t distinguish my left from my right in this labyrinth. No way was I getting out like that. I had to scratch the idea.

Plan B: call out for help. There’s bound to be someone around here. They certainly wouldn’t leave a damsel in distress to fend for themselves. But, yet again, another issue arises. How reliable was my knight in shining armor? This may be a personal problem, but I wasn’t the firmest believer of people having good intentions. All of the books I’ve read always resulted in some sort of bloodshed or betrayal. I just couldn’t take the risk. I wanted to live another day thank you very much.

Alright, now all that was left was Plan C: keep wandering aimlessly and pray something good happens. The most unpredictable of the three, but the one with the least amount of risk. Thus, that’s what I’m going with.

I stood up and began my journey once again. I kept at it for what seemed like 5 minutes, only for it to turn to 10, then 15. Everything looked the same and there was definitely no light at the end of the tunnel. Jeez, I was going to be in so much trouble. Mr. Borris was very stingy when it came to time. After all, his work required absolute precision. Being a blacksmith, it made sense. How was he supposed to craft something without having the material at his disposal? But I mean, it wasn’t entirely my fault. A lot of things happened that was out of my control.

Just the thought of being scolded got me frustrated. So frustrated, in fact, that I no longer cared about which way I was supposed to go. Left. Right. Then right. Left again. Another left. One more left. Right. Right. Left. Right. Left. Left. Left. Left. Right. Right. LeftRightRightLeftLeftLeftRightLeftRightRight--

[Left…]

…all of a sudden, I instinctively took a left down a road that looked like any other road I’ve encountered before. The difference was: I was so sure I needed to go down this way. I had no idea why, but I knew for a fact…no, that’s ridiculous. I wasn’t sure of anything. I had just taken a left just to take a left. There was no explanation behind it. I didn't know why I was overthinking it.

Just keep running.

And so I kept running, and running, and running, until—

“Whoops.” Suddenly, a foot swept me from underneath.

In a mere instant, gravity had taken over. I felt my body shift forward until my feet no longer had any traction on the floor. I fell face first onto the cobblestone, resulting in many scrapes to take shape all over my body. My palms burned, my knees were peeled, and my ribs felt as if they’ve been bruised upon impact. I couldn’t feel my nose. There was some trouble with my breathing, as if something was clogging my nostrils.

Hold on, was I bleeding? I came to that deduction the moment I noticed red spots upon where I landed, continually increasing in quantity as blood flowed down my face. However, that wasn’t the worst part. Just then, I made a drastic realization.

The basket of ore had completely slipped out of my hand, and all of its contents had scattered. Unfortunate for me, the ore was a more fragile material, making it easier to break. Facing before me was that very ore, shattered into many tiny pieces. My delivery was ruined.

“Oi, you should watch where you’re going there.”

“Ya. As you can see, you’ve made quite a mess of things. How clumsy of you.”

I heard two voices, full of contempt, hover over me. Still in mild pain and shock, I slowly turned my head to face my assailants.

The first individual had rough blond hair, slanted green eyes, and a snide grin. He leaned against the wall with one foot planted behind him.

The second individual was slightly shorter and stockier than his partner. He had fiery red hair, wide blue eyes, and a similar, snide grin. His arms were crossed, holding a blazing torch in his right hand.

They both looked down on me with scorn. They had swords at their waist and were wearing leather guard uniforms. Upon seeing this, I became puzzled. Why were they here? Out of all places, what were these guards doing in such a desolate area?

“Hey, what’s your name?” the first guard asked.

“Huh?” I responded as I was gradually getting back onto my feet.

“Oi, you stupid or somethin’? What’s your name?” the second guard persisted.

Why the hostility? Still in utter confusion, I answered, “…Galvin.”

“Galvin…”

“…Uh…I--?”

“Got worms in your ears? You’re Galvin what?” The first guard continued to press on.

“I…I don’t quite understand…”

“My god,” the second guard sighed, throwing his arms up in exasperation. “Your last name! What is it?”

“My last name?” This was the first time hearing such a question. I was aware that I wasn’t able to remember my real name, but it never occurred to me that a last name was attributed to it. Thinking about it now, I suddenly felt nervous. “I…umm…I…”

“Get a load of em. Fumbling over his words,” the first guard snickered. “You hit your head too hard? This should be an easy question.” He proceeded to move away from the wall and closer towards me, an air of belligerence slowly emerging. “You’re Galvin…”

The first guard was much more muscular than I. A single punch from him could probably render me unconscious. I wanted to refuse, but I ultimately gave into his intimidation. “I…I don’t have a last name…” I timidly replied, inadvertently setting my gaze down towards the floor.

The two guards were taken aback. They stared at one another wide eyed before redirecting their scornful gaze back at me.

“Wait wait wait, you bein’ serious? You got no parents? You just fuckin’ appeared out of thin air? You hearin’ this shit?”

“Man’s got to be fuckin’ retarded. Come on. You at least gotta know what guild you’re a part of, eh?”

“Definitely ain’t a warrior,” the first guard asserted confidently.

“You’re right about that,” the other agreed. “He probably belongs to some pissant one like the farmer’s guild.”

“Oi, you even know what guild you’re a part of?”

Why were they interrogating me so much? I didn’t do anything wrong here.

“Well, um, you see, I don’t necessarily remember much because I have…a-amnesia.”

“Amnesia you say?!” the second guard exclaimed in amusement. “Boy, you are retarded! You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

They proceeded to burst into laughter, the first guard raising his head back high while the second guard held onto his stomach.

I was starting to feel slightly ticked off. I felt a boiling sensation begin to take form.

“Haha…well that don’t matter,” the first guard said, finally catching his breath. “We can find out what guild you belong to if you cast your strongest spell.”

“Ya, we warriors got the affinity to cast earth magic at will,” the second guard proudly asserted. “Whatever bullshit magic you can come up with, we can identify.”

My previous fear was slowly dissipating, becoming replaced by an ever-growing rage. Why must they continue to persist on every incapability of mine? What gives them the right to ask me all of these questions? “…I also don’t have any affinity,” I replied through gritted teeth.

“WHAAAAT?” The two guards busted into wild laughter once again.

“You can’t remember your last name, what guild you’re a part of, or how to channel affinity?!”

“What has this country gone to?! Who decided to let you into our kingdom? Oh, the warrior guild name will be tarnished!” They continued to laugh. And laugh. And laugh some more.

Right there and then, I finally lost my patience. Not only did they cause me to drop my delivery, but they were also so keen on discriminating me. On top of that, nothing had gone the way I had planned. That stupid crowd, getting lost in this labyrinth, being late on making my delivery. Everything. I had enough. It didn’t matter if I couldn’t compare physically with these two guards. A single swing was all I needed to satisfy me. One swing. What would come after would be no concern. They were going to get what they deser-

“What are you two doing?!” Before I could take a swing at them, a third guard approached. He appeared older than the other two and had an aura of higher authority. He looked upon them in disgust.

“Ah, sir! We were just patrolling the avenue. We came upon this fella here and were just trying to help.”

“Yes sir, indeed!”

Sir? What was this? Those two were…backing down?

Their previous arrogance was no longer there. They were acting like an obedient kennel to their master.

“…Cut the bullshit. You two were off causing trouble for someone again,” the older guard affirmed, furrowing his eyebrows in silent contempt. “How dare you mock the warrior pride? We protect and serve the citizens of Lamora.”

“Aye sir. We were just trying to have a little fun—”

The blond guard was unable to finish his sentence as a boot planted right into his abdominal. He fell right onto his knees, hugging his stomach with a pained expression on his face. The older guard’s gaze shifted onto the other guard, causing him to yelp in panic.

“Go pick him up. Continue your patrol until your shift is over. Then report back to me. I have a few things I wanna straighten out with you two,” the older guard said threateningly.

“A-A-Aye!” The second guard didn’t hesitate to do what he was told. He went to pick up his buddy, wrapping the fallen guard’s arm over his shoulder. They hurriedly made their way past where I stood, not even bothering to give me a final glance. Down into the dark avenue, they disappeared into the shadows.