Having slowly opened his eyes, Riaz was greeted by the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling. His eyes had yet to focus and his limbs had yet to regain their strength.

'What a strange dream. Wasn't I supposed to find Obrid? Where am I?'

While he took a moment to gather his mind, his eyes quickly adjusted to the warm glow of the sun which illuminated the room.

He tried to piece together the loose pieces of his dream. Naturally, he understood that his dreams may have held clues to his identity; it was vital for him not to let this opportunity pass. Unfortunately, he made little progress and could barely remember anything at all.

"Luvia, huh?" he muttered to himself.

He lay comfortably on a feathered bed. There was no telling how much time passed as he repeated her name multiple times, holding onto a sliver of hope that, somehow, it could help him remember more by doing so.

"Oh my, that Luvia must be quite important to you, being the first thing on your mind after waking up." A gentle voice teased him.

Riaz turned his head to the side, noticing too late that he wasn't alone.

There was a chair situated next to his bed and a brown-haired woman sat on it placidly all the while skillfully utilizing a needle and thread to fix a pair of trousers.

Seeing the surprise on Riaz's face, she smiled with her eyes while also putting aside her utensils.

Riaz felt slightly alarmed, but knew instinctively that he had nothing to fear. Her smile could sooth the spirits, like a motherly promise for all blessings in the world.

"How envious, I wish my husband would think of me first thing in the morning, instead all that log-head ever thinks about is plowing the field."

Riaz felt like he had misheard things. A little flustered, he sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes.

"Don't push yourself, dear. Just rest for now while I go and call over my husband." She got up and walked over to Riaz. She then proceeded to ruffle that ashen-grey hair of his, before stepping outside and leaving Riaz behind with a slightly reddened face.

The moment after she left, Riaz could see three nosy heads poke out from behind the doorframe. He could recognize two of them; they were children he had met earlier. As for the third one...

'Cute.'

The third one was a girl, older than the other two, but definitely not fully developed. Her brown hair was partially braided in the back and well kempt. She was dressed in a simple dress, much like Lissy.

Once the coast was clear, the oldest took the other two rascals and approached Riaz together.

"Did ya get hurt?" The boy stepped forward and tilted his head to the side. At the same time, Lissy lifted her blue skirt and hopped onto the bed, sitting down beside Riaz.

A wry smile formed on Riaz's face. "Sorry for scaring you two, I am fine now."

Riaz lowered his head to greet the oldest.

The oldest smiled coyly and performed a curtsy for a greeting. "How do you do? I'm Leria."

The other two kids quickly chimed in, "I'm Kyle!", "Lissy, hehe."

Lissy pulled on Riaz's arm, prompting him to speak, "Ah... I'm Riaz. Sorry, my mind is a bit distracted."

"It's fine, since you were out for hours. Our mom was so mad when dad brought you in that he probably won't recover from that earful any time soon." Leria giggled.

"Dad said yer a wimp. It's okay though, 'cause I like you." Kyle added.

Riaz felt his head spin. 'What wimp? You damn kid, go take on your dad and tell me how it went.'

Of course, he didn't say it out loud, but still, he felt wronged, since he himself didn't understand why he passed out so suddenly.

"Are you kids mouthing off again? Get down here and help your mother!" Obrid's disgruntled voice rang from downstairs.

The sound of footsteps climbing up the stairs entered the ears of Riaz and the others. The kids' reaction was fast, as they quickly scurried out of the room.

"Good luck." Leria playfully stuck out her tongue before leaving with the others.

Before Riaz could mentally prepare himself, the sturdy figure of a man emerged from the door.

Riaz's heart skipped a beat. This person was easily two heads taller than himself and was built like a solid rock. He had a red crew cut with a small, boxed beard. If he didn't know better, he'd question whether this man was the father of those children or not.

'Wait, is that little pipsqueak going to grow up to be like him? By the gods...'

The sturdy man, Obrid, grabbed the chair beside the bed and pulled it towards himself. He planted his butt onto the seat and leaned forward.

Obrid sat so close to him that Riaz could see the sweat which had formed on the former's flat eyebrows. It seemed that Obrid had been working hard until just moments ago.

For a while there was deep silence; nobody spoke a word and Riaz felt a layer of cold sweat form on his back. Obrid was quietly sizing him up. His gaze was fierce and dug into him with profound scrutiny. Riaz felt somewhat intimidated, but didn't avoid his gaze when their eyes met.

"Kid, you sure are a piece of work. I had to carry you all the way here, because you suddenly went for a nap like that, scaring my children." Obrid's voice carried a deep mellow tone.

'What?' Riaz felt awkward. He didn't know what to say, so he tried to think about the most appropriate response in his situation.

"How could I have known you'd cave under the tiniest bit of pressure." Obrid clicked his tongue.

Riaz felt wronged. After all, how could this man fault him when it was he who pulled some weird trick to oppress him. Still, he knew that now wasn't the time to give in to his anger.

"That... I am grateful that you took care of me while I was out cold." Riaz slowly rolled his words under gritted teeth.

"At least you know some manners, kid. Now tell me, what were you up to with my children? You better not hide anything." Obrid's gaze quickly turned cold and Riaz belatedly noticed a sickle in the man's hand.

Riaz gulped subconsciously, but luckily a person entered, breaking up the tension.

"Now now, love, do not scare that boy so. You heard it yourself from the children, that they were just having fun by the river. No matter how you look at this cute apple, he doesn't seem like a bad person." The wife walked in with a cup of warm honey water and placed it on the nightstand next to Riaz.

Riaz accepted the cup and said a quick "Thank you." while organizing his thoughts. Taking all things into consideration, the best way to start off with was to explain his initial purpose.

"I was sent by the old man Misaf to find you and ask for lodging." Riaz took a sip of the warm honey water and felt the warmth spread through his body, dispelling much of his discomfort. He searched his clothes for the letter, that he was entrusted with, and held it out towards Obrid.

"That old coot sent you? I have never seen your face around the village before." Obrid snatched the letter. A tinge of disbelief flashed on his face as he leaned back against the chair and started reading. His brows furrowed and the wife took a glance over his shoulders to see what was written.

Riaz felt regret for not having read the letter himself before passing it. He quickly mustered his courage to speak up once more.

"I am not from the village and, due to circumstances, I have no place to go. I somehow ended up at this village while looking for temporary shelter. Luckily, the village head welcomed me warmly, then sent me here to earn my keep. If it's not too much to ask, I hope I can stay here. If you grant me this kindness, I will promise to work hard." Riaz sincerely gazed into Obrid's eyes.

For a moment, that felt like eternity, the both of them stared at each other until the man finally conceded with a sigh.

The oppressive feeling, that hung over Riaz, immediately dispersed and Obrid's stern expression warmed up.

"You are looking for Obrid and you have found him. If what you say is true, then it figures that the old coot would send you to me. However, let me tell you now, kid, we are not part of their village and never were. We are mere outsiders to them. In a sense, we have struck an accord with the people of Lefra Village." Obrid stood up and the wood creaked underneath his feet.

His wife Celia showed relief on her face and laid her hand on her husband's arm as he passed her by. He, in turn, only huffed helplessly.

"Wash up and come downstairs. Supper is ready. We will all eat together, afterwards I will take you out to the fields and show you what to do starting tomorrow." Obrid said firmly as he left the room in great strides.

"Come, dear. I will show you where you can freshen up a little." With that being said, the woman also left the room, leading the way.

Riaz got off the bed and, after putting down his drink, followed after her.

The dinner at the table started off without a hitch, with Riaz sitting among the family.

During the meal, everyone introduced themselves properly and Riaz explained his circumstances to the whole family.

Under the impression that the youth was sincere, even Obrid, who was skeptical of strangers, finally softened up and actively took part in conversations.

From what Riaz could gather, Obrid and his wife Celia came to Lefra Village over a decade ago. At that time, his wife was pregnant with their first child, Leria. Now that he had a better look at her, he saw that her braided brown hair was the only one which was similar to her mother's. The other kids had red hair, just like the father's.

The two children from the riverbank were also present at the table, squabbling now and then, for which their mother would scold them. Their names were Kyle and Lissy respectively. To sum it up, Lissy was the youngest in the bunch with 7 years, her brother Kyle being 9 years and Leria, the oldest, being 15 years old.

All of them coming together like this made for their entire family. They had no other relatives outside of the village.

'Come to think of it, how old am I?' Riaz couldn't help but wonder.

With the end of the meal, Obrid didn't waste time and, grabbing Riaz by the arm, pulled him out of the house. Only outside did he release him, urging him to pick up some of the tools they required for work.

By inquiring earlier, he found out that he was passed out for almost half a day straight.

Thinking that maybe it wasn't the best idea to work right after having been out cold for so long, he considered raising a complaint, but remembering Obrid's attitude and Misaf's advice, he swallowed those words before they left his mouth.

And so, under the glaring sun of early summer, Riaz was shown the ropes of farming and taught about most of his responsibilities for the upcoming days. Obrid showed him what he could before bedtime, then showed the rest of it on the next day.

In the coming days, Riaz received first hand experience of what it was like to live on a simple farm.

He would help out Obrid on his farm and would be allowed to live with them in return. Seeing that Riaz wasn't slacking off, Obrid grew appreciative of him and even started setting aside some coppers for him. He anticipated that, if Riaz decided to leave, he'd be troubled without any funds.

Riaz gradually grew closer to the family and he believed himself content with his life. Yet there were times when he felt this subtle feeling of unease, urging him not to succumb to the comfort. It was pulling at him to leave, but he couldn't. He wasn't ready yet.

Obrid knew not of laziness, much like the God he was named after. He was diligent, focused and unrelenting in his pursuit of labor. Whenever he'd catch Riaz slipping up and thinking pointless thoughts, he'd just dump another workload on him. It was his coarse way of looking out for him.

Obrid's wife Celia was much more doting in comparison and even the kids were happy to have another person to play with.

Speaking of the kids, Riaz got along pretty well with the three children of the family. The young Leria, in particular, had taken a shine to him from the beginning and that would often reflect in their daily interactions. That lass would always sneak glances at him and bring him lemonade during hot days out in the field.

It was clear that Leria's spring had arrived during summer. Riaz was not blind to her budding feelings, but he chose not to pay them any mind. He knew he was being cold, but if he had to blame it on something, it'd be the familiar face of a woman that would always surface in his mind.

After living with the family for a while, Riaz also learned a few additional things about Obrid, such as that he used to be a mercenary with a renowned merchant group known as the Sucrose Consortium.

His warrior days came to an end when he met the love of his life and decided to settle down. Obrid explained that he was named after the God of Labor. He would often laugh at the turn that his life had taken. He himself said that, perhaps, starting a family and settling down as a farmer was what he was fated to do all along.

Whenever Riaz had time to spare, usually after the work in the morning, he would take a trip towards the village and visit Misaf's place.

The old man had a private assortment of books and scrolls. The selection definitely paled compared to that of a town, but he was happy with whatever he could get his hands on to learn about the world.

As he flipped through the books and read through the papers, he chanced upon not only information of the outside world, but also a book with interesting stories. He enjoyed spending his time reading.

However, it must be said that he would not visit the village simply to read, but also to go around the village and talk with the people. It was something Misaf suggested to him, hoping it could bring new clues to light concerning Riaz's identity. At first, Riaz would be disappointed that his search for clues bore no fruits, but, as time went on, he started caring less.

Talking with the people, he learned the most from traders who traveled through the village. However, there was a limit to what he could learn without experiencing it for himself.

Most importantly, after combining some of the knowledge, he came to know that the year was 970AC (After Calamity). Lefra Village was a small village, south-west of the royal capital and one of the very few smaller autonomies within the Kingdom of Veluria, a kingdom found on the Ardor Continent.

The forest that he woke up in was named Mirad Forest and many locals would venture into it, as it was one of the safest forests on the continent; it was a perfect place to gather and hunt in. Still, he was perfectly comfortable working on the farm rather than returning to the forest in search of clues.

And so, working by the dawn and dusk, spending the days playing around and reading, the days went by peacefully. However, the same couldn't be said for the nights.

Frequently, his dreams were interrupted by strange visions of struggles, people and places. What he saw was unknown yet familiar. He spoke to no one about it and chose to ignore the issue.

Ignorance was not easily maintained; he realized it when the strange dreams came to him more often as time went on.

And so two months had passed since Riaz began his life with Obrid's family.

The summer was in full swing and, one day, Riaz decided to help the villagers with the preparations for the festival.

It was quite hot that day and so, while on his way, Riaz stopped by the river to cool off. He had worked a lot, as usual, and really liked soaking his feet in the water.

'The festival is soon. I wonder how lively it is going to be.' Riaz fantasized about people gathering and celebrating. He imagined merry dancing and boisterous songs.

To Riaz this would be the first time experiencing such an event, considering he still couldn't remember his past; he was quite excited about it.

He leaned back while sitting in the shade and looked up at the clear sky. He thought back to his life so far and realized that he had grown quite comfortable with life as it was.

His hand rubbed against the cloth of his pocket, where he felt the shape of his two first possessions. He still carried the pieces of jewelry with him wherever he went, strangely reluctant to store them anywhere else than on his person. It was this strange sense of attachment that would often throw his mind into turmoil.

'I wonder, do I really have to remember my past?' he asked himself.

This question occupied his mind a lot lately. To him, there was no reason why he couldn't form a new identity. He could live a brand new life and be a brand new person, so why didn't he? He yearned for the nights when he'd be able to sleep peacefully, dreaming of the future.

He looked to the side and thought, 'That's not a good sign.'

He was preparing to leave when he saw the carcass of a bird. His stomach turned a little. With the festival around the corner, he couldn't understand why he'd sometimes get this strange sense of discomfort.

He grabbed the basket that he had brought along with him. It was filled with produce that he had helped cultivate.

During the festival, it was tradition that every family would provide some of their harvest as an offering to the Goddess. It is seen as a small token of gratitude and worship and to Riaz it held a special meaning. It was important to receive the Goddess' favor, but to him, the offering was also meant as a sort of greeting in hopes of being accepted.

Riaz took a short cut by climbing a slope and reached the road, his mind once again wandering off towards the festival.

'There will be a dance, I'm sure there will be plenty of boys looking to invite our Leria.' Riaz smiled to himself.

"Clear the road!"

'What am I going to do if she were to ask me though? Maybe...'

*Nheeegghhh*

A sudden neigh brought him back to reality, briefly frightening him to the point of stiffness.

He had no time to react before the shadow of a prodigious stallion hung over him. The horse raised its front legs with a temper while the rider on its back firmly reined in the animal.

Rias stumbled backwards and landed on his butt.

"Easy now, Moonshine!" The rider calmed his horse.

The horse firmly planted its hooves into the dirt of the road, then slowly stamped its feet while the rider scrutinized the youth before him.

Immediately, his eyes locked onto a small silver item that, at some point, had slipped out of the youth's pockets, likely during his fall.

"Do you have a death wish, boy? What imbecile doesn't notice a horse's approach?" asked the rider.

Riaz, after calming down, quickly stowed away the ring and raised his head to look up at the person that was admonishing him.

It was a man on horseback, a sword prominently hanging from his waist. The man had a rugged appearance with dishevelled black hair that was loosely bound into a ponytail and a masculine jawline covered by beard stubbles.

Riaz could tell that this man was a warrior and wore an exquisite leather cuirass that left his scar-riddled arms bare.

Patting himself down, Riaz stood up and straightened himself. "That was a close one... ah, my offerings."

Riaz scanned around him and breathed a sigh of relief when he found that his basket and the contents were fine.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to get in the way." Riaz apologized.

"Hmpf, you villagers really are carefree, to the point of being blissfully unaware of your surroundings." The man mouthed bitterly and dismounted the horse.

Next, he extended his hand, saying, "That silver you put away just now, show it to me."

"You must have seen wrongly, I have no silver in my possession." Riaz feigned ignorance while slowly distancing himself from the other.

"Is that so? Then are you saying nothing will fall out of your pocket if I string you up and give you a good shake?" The man sneered, then his aura changed completely.

'This isn't good!'

Immediately, Riaz sensed danger and didn't hesitate to throw his basked at the man. At the same time, he turned around and ran.

'I have to get to the village, it's my only chance.' The gears in his head spun wildly.

"In a hurry to leave?" A hand landed on his shoulder, grabbing him firmly. The grip caused him pain from the way the fingers dug into his flesh.

*Tss!*

Riaz drew a hidden dagger and sliced behind him in an upward motion. The swordsman anticipated it and easily avoided the slash with a smug expression.

"Hoh, you sure have guts, little twerp."

The swordsman rammed his fist into Riaz's abdomen and the latter sunk to his knees, struggling for breath.

Having retrieved the silver ring from Riaz's pockets, the man inspected the item and shot Riaz a glance.

"Kid, what is your name?" he asked.

"Wh-why," he wheezed, "should I tell you?" Riaz defiantly sat back up, staring daggers at his assailant. "I have nothing to... say to you, bandit."

The swordsman laughed. "Bandit you say? Then you, who essentially waylaid me on the lonely road, are who exactly?"

Riaz felt like the was being ridiculed by this person and struggled onto his feet, taking a clumsy stance with the dagger in hand.

"Return that item to me. It's not yours to take." His knees trembled.

"Oh, you want me to give this back?" The swordsman raised the ring up. "And if I don't want to, what are you going to do about it?"

The grip around Riaz's dagger tightened. His palms were sweaty and his senses were tingling, screaming at him not to defy this person.

'I have no chance of winning, so why... why am I going this far?' Riaz gritted his teeth.

Unlike him, his opponent was fully composed with an expression that clearly dismissed Riaz as a threat. There was no telling what he was thinking.

Riaz could vaguely remember this feeling of being overwhelmed; it was just like in his dreams.

While he was still thinking of what to do, the man stopped playing with the ring and calmly sighed.

"Well, whatever. I am not so free that I'd waste my time playing with a weakling. Here, take it." The man tossed the silver ring back to Riaz.

Riaz barely caught it with bewilderment. 'Why is he returning it?'

"What's with that look on your face? I have no interest in your measly possessions." The swordsman turned around and got back on his horse.

Firmly petting his horse, he commented, "I laud your bravery, but only the strong can afford to pay death's tax."

"I'll be staying in this village for a few nights." He said.

The swordsman rode his horse and brought it to a halt next to Riaz.

He then looked down at Riaz and raised his voice, "How about it, do you wish to learn the sword from me?"

"I refuse." Riaz didn't even think about it.

"How brazen of you to refuse, when many would yearn for such an opportunity. Why not give it some thought?"

"If I learned from you, then I would have to leave with you, am I wrong?"

The swordsman nodded. "You got the right of it. Once I'd have concluded my business here, the two of us would set off. You'd gain experience out in the world and hone your sword through ceaseless adversity. It's the true way of learning the sword."

"Then my answer remains. I do not wish to leave. I have a place to call home and people who are important to me." Riaz took a deep breath.

He then looked down at his feet and continued, "Fighting... fighting doesn't suit me."

The swordsman, displeased by the rejection, spurred on the horse and took off, leaving only a few parting words behind.

"Have it your way, you stubborn boy. However, you'd best remember that only the strong can choose their path."

Riaz watched as the swordsman rode off towards the village and he breathed out in relief.

Once the horse was out of sight, he went to pick up his basket, only to find that it was broken and the contents mushed up.

"Great." said Riaz.

He stood next to the basket and thought back to how messed up the earlier encounter was.

"GHAAAGHHH!!!" Riaz furiously kicked the basket, not giving a damn that all sorts of juices and pieces would get onto him.

'What is wrong with me?' he asked himself, feeling distressed.

In the end, he sat down next to the trees and hugged his knees.