So that man with chestnut hair is called William, hmmm… Although I could not recall anything prior to today, that name gave me a sense of familiarity. At the same time, a tingling feeling rose in my head, as if there was something I was subconsciously trying to recall, but it won’t come to me.

The man called William cut in. While glancing at me, he said, “Yeah old man, I know. It can’t be helped. His memories are a mess. Phill told me that. We don’t really have a spiritualist here and either way, I believe this is for the best.”

Is he… talking about me? I thought as I looked at my hand. Though, I had a faint feeling that I knew what he was talking about, either due to unwillingness to accept the facts, or because of a subconscious desire to leave things as is, I didn't acknowledge it.

"So you haven't changed your decision," The old man had a weird expression as he spoke. Shaking his head, he sighed before continuing, “No, not that, I meant that his muscles. They seem to be way worse than last time, still nothing that couldn't be fixed. Even then, just what the heck did you do to this kid?”

Mr. William’s brows lifted as he said, “He fell from the bed. But that shouldn’t be it, right?“

“No, it shouldn’t…“ the old man muttered as he rubbed his chin. After a pause, he said, “Actually, it could be, given that he hasn't moved much in past few months and that is in his—“

Mr. William gave the old man a look as he cut him off while asking, “Is it serious? Or is something else the matter entirely?”

The old man sighed and shook his head before replying, “No, it’s not. I was just curious and asked. Just increase the dosage of green one to twice a day and it’ll be alright.”

With a sigh, Mr. William relaxed in his chair. Looking at the doctor, he said, “That aside, when will he be able to get up on his two feet?”

“Around a moontide or two, I would say,” the old man replied. “Maybe even faster.”

A moontide, hmmm… or even faster… I will get up as soon as I can! I thought as my eyes glittered with the dream of becoming a traveller.

The old man continued, “From what I have been told, his body, as of now, except for a few wounds, is mostly suffering from weakness and severe muscle-atrophy for the most part. Basically, a condition where his body broke down his muscles for the purpose of not wasting too much energy on something not being used and the thing from before.”

“I see,” Mr. William replied, while rubbing his chin in thought. “So it’s basically the same situation from before.”

“Yeah,” the old man nodded.

After that, silence filled the room as both men stared at me, occasionally giving a glance or two to each other.

After a long silence, Mr. William asked, “And what about his memories? I mean, yeah, Phill told me he might have some issues remembering but… why doesn’t he remember anything at all? And, when will he get back to being how he was?”

The old man looked Mr. William squarely in the eye as he said, “It’s hard to say. I was told that back when he fell, his head was split open. And due to the…” Mr. William gave the old man an intent stare, as he waited for the reply. “Uh… that, his brain, as well as his pool of memories, was probably damaged to some extent. And as you said, we don’t really have the option of bringing a spiritualist here or it’d just gather more attention. Sigh… we can only wait for time I guess. Though, given that you made up your mind, it might not be that bad.”

Mr. William nodded as he said, “You’re right. This is probably the best way.”

The old man continued with a reassuring smile, “Thinking on the situation, it’s a miracle that he survived to see the day. But don’t worry, it’s just a little amnesia, nothing more. It shouldn’t affect him too much, outside of not being able to recall his memories of course. He shouldn’t have any trouble walking or speaking. He will be fine if his treatment goes as planned, at least physically.”

“Yeah. I will make sure of that,” Mr. William replied, his tone resolute. After a few minutes, he asked, “How can he get back his memories?”

The old man shook his head before he said, “I don’t know. It varies from person to person. What I can say is that with time, they may be back. But I suggest you don’t try to force the issue as it can have consequences.”

Mr. William nodded solemnly as he stared at the floor blankly.

“Still, those bastards, don’t they even have compassion for children? How low can someone stoop? It’s supposed to be a common courtesy to leave innocent women and children out of it, isn’t it?” The old man spoke furiously before sighing heavily. He turned to Mr. William and asked, “By the way, have you heard of the talks about the ‘peace’ treaty?”

Mr. William looked up at the old man as he spoke, “I did, though I would say, people of the republic sure got guts forcing the Empire to sign the treaty after plundering our lands.”

“Yeah, those bastards, they ruined everyone’s smiles and are now playing all noble to get into the good graces of people. Especially after the attack from three months ago, the village… it just doesn’t feel the same.” The old man’s tone got gloomier the more he spoke. By the end, his voice became just a little more than a whisper.

Mr. William patted the old man’s shoulder as he said, “Don’t worry, old man. Although we may have hit a new low, that just only means things will get better from here on.”

“How will they?” the old man replied gloomily. “Have you looked at the condition of the village? Not to mention that in case of a war or another invasion, this place will be the first to come to a ruin. Hell, I don’t even know if I will see tomorrow. What did we do to deserve this…”

The back and forth between the old man and Mr. William continued. Mr. William tried to comfort him repeatedly while the old man got more and more agitated as he spoke. Before long, I could not process what they talked about as my eyes got heavy. With a weary consciousness, I closed my eyes and drifted to the land of dreams.