《The Great Unknown》Prologue I

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The cold air blew, helping the trees rustle themselves to the forgotten music of the cities. To the west, the wonder of the night sky resumed its splendor with grains of light twinkling between moments. The dark shade where these specks of light reside faded towards the east, until the time where the dawn and the night pulled apart; its gray dull color roofing cluster of wooden houses surrounded by verdant trees. Still, the rustles were kept to a subtle rhythm as the cold air hovered.

Further up on the east, the gray dull color of the sky above head glowed to the mist-colored light of the dawn. A sign that the stillness of the surroundings will slowly be broken, and the rhythmic play of the wind and trees be accompanied by multiple sets of disharmonious sounds; disengaging the feeling of solemnity it casts when under the wings of the starry skies. But before the stillness broke, the wind traveled to the edge of the town. Caressing the white-colored curtain to sway as it entered an open window.

Advers awoke from the gentle touch of the cold air creeping on his nape. His deep black eyes opened slightly, directly meeting the dance of the curtain under the cool breeze of the dawn. He shifted himself as he peered beyond the window, gazing over the lightening skies of the east. His forehead was laden with black lines as he felt his heart in dissonance. It made him squint sleepily against the ephemeral skies before he forgot on why was he awake so early in the morning. Then, he heaved a deep sigh before he fell to a nap again, pulling the sheets to his nose as he relished the feeling of cold and warmth on his body. The tiptoeing cold air simply forgotten.

Slowly, the sparkle of the west faded over the horizon; the dawn claiming this part of the sky. The creak of floors, the clanging of metal bolts, and the banging of doors also slowly accompanied the howls of the wind and the whisper of the trees. Men and women, with their different tools, started treading across the town. While mothers, widowed men, single men or women, or simply, the early birds began to liven up their houses with kitchen works. Even before the blue skies overhead is joined by the sun, the town came to life.

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This time, Advers was awoken by the glare of the sun peeking over the opened window with a harsh gleam. The curtains parted away by the wind served no purpose at all in blocking off the light. He squinted his sleepy eyes against the sunlight and pulled the sheets to cover his head. A moment later, he sat up groggily from his bed and inclined his back against the headrest. He sat there for a good few minutes before he stood up and went over the bathroom. Starting his day with toilet matters.

The opened windows of the second floor allowed the soothing sound of rustling leaves and the cool breeze itself to enter Advers room much freely. He had just eaten his breakfast as he sat on the chair beside the only window of the room, enjoying the peacefulness of the town with a book in his hand. The chirps of birds and the movement of men and women as they continue their respective works had subdued a melodic rhythm that was quite nice to listen to. Soft and toned in a hushed manner that one would prefer over the exuberance of a political debate.

In front of him was a table occupied with a sketchbook and various types of pencils. With his phone peeking below the messed up papers at the edge of the table.

A sigh came from his lips as he remembered his fuzzy dreams. Today was like any other morning he had these past few months. Blurred events of something unnatural waking him up from his slumber. Every time he awoke in the dawn, he would always find himself with the gentle breeze touching his nape as if trying to remind him something he should know. Yet, at the same time, waking him to a perturbed situation where he could feel his heart pounding loudly and rapidly; the memories of those dreams slowly forgotten and replaced with sheer discord in his heart. That feeling always left him uneasy throughout his day, that sometimes it caused him to make multiple blunders over his work that almost cost him his position.

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However, he wasn't thoughtful nor was he nervous over the thought of him being dismissed on his work, instead, he felt something within those fraction of feeling a sense of curiosity being lit within him. This realization was what bothered him the most, as he felt something akin to a lost feeling through the time he had those dreams. Though, he wasn't sure if he was just plain curious about what it contained or if he just felt excitement over this forgotten memories.

He closed the book with a sigh as he found himself deviating from the story to thinking about his dreams. He set aside the book at the edge of the table as he rummaged his sea of papers, in search of his pencils and decade-old eraser.

He foraged further as he recollected his thoughts, pointing to himself that today he will just busy himself with his plans. Read, draw, and most importantly, meditate and sleep under the soothing touch of the cold air shielded by the shade of a tree. He didn't plan on trying to piece out a puzzle that hints of nothing but fragmented and undiscernible thoughts as the sole base to work on with. He's interested as much as he wants to know what it was, but not too much invested to tire himself out over the continuous self-lamenting for something he'll never find out anyway.

With all the items he needed on him, a sketchbook tucked under his armpit, pencils with the eraser on a pouch, his phone on his left pocket, and a couple of bills on his other pocket, he walked out of the room then down the stairs. Being new to the town, he knew less of the people around, only having to greet the desk clerk with a nod who helped him with his lodging more than a week ago.

As he strode along the road, the dried leaves that blanketed the roads and soil since time immemorial was a sight that many would find comforting here. The town, by his definition, is the most satisfying human design his eyes had ever beheld.

'Natural Park of the Hermin Town'. The sign read.

This park was actually one of the most popular places in this town and the best he could have ever stumbled upon. Being it more than what the open space city parks offered, the park here is packed with trees and different kinds of vegetation not found in the cities. More than that, the park is pervaded with serenity that is quite unlike that of the urban areas filled with the scratching of tires and honks of vehicles. Something that he has grown accustomed to over the years, and grew tired off as he got older.

Marching his way through the park's gate and across the blooming trees, he walked for about 15 minutes before he found his usual spot under the shade of a young-looking Japanese Maple tree. Located atop a rugged upturned hill. The color of the leaves was deep green and its trunk bulkier.

He settled his things down the greenish grass stemming under and stretched his arms. The flutter of the leaves music to his ears, and the warmth of the sun before noon was reassuring to his body as it peeked through the cluster of leaves to scrutinize his him. The wind, with that warmth, synchronized to try to caress him to sleep.

He sat down in succession as he relished the almost victorious attempt of the wind and sunlight, facing an open space of the shadow-casted land before him. A creek peeking out from afar that was slightly covered by trees and grass immediately entered his vision. Though the view was by no means breathtaking, he was content to have at least the privacy of the place and the peacefulness it had.

Now, Advers started to read his book. His whole day starts alternating between reading, drawing, and napping.

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