Scott felt like he was falling.
Falling deep into the unfathomable abyss.
He was hit with waves of confusion, yet he also felt… comfort—comfort originating from the anger born and bred in that very moment.
What he had witnessed was a memory. A memory that he could only assume came from ten thousand years ago. However, this raised the question:
"Was I truly a person born in an era thousands of years past?"
And, even if that was so, he was even more confused at why… those people seemed to be opposing the Gods, and defying "Their" will. A far cry from the faith and belief people seem to hold in "Them" today.
"They must've been the real traitors. That's the only conclusion I can come to…" Scott mumbled, "But why… why, when I say that, does my heart ache so dearly? As if those words go against the desires of my soul?"
He didn't know it, but Scott was losing himself in the depths of his mind, on the verge of falling into deep insanity completely.
However, an individual's embrace rescued him. An embrace that was firm like iron and beastlike, yet the person who hugged him was anything but that. It shattered the horrible, current state of his mind with ease, and she whispered a few words in his ear:
"…Save yourself from this abyss."
"Someone like you shouldn't die in vain. Someone who has been graced by a God…"
"You are the key to a "fountain of knowledge", and, I have something you want as well."
"If you find yourself lost and yielded at any time, find the Lost Statue at the Yer River," She murmured, her voice as graceful yet soft as a fickle gust of wind, "It may take quite a while, but don't worry, I'll be waiting for you."
"Because, I hold in my hands, a "shard" containing one of your "dearest memories."
"And, a "clue", leading towards your journey that may flip the entire lands upside down."
***
Scott's eyes fluttered again. His finger twitched, and he unconsciously let out a sigh, as his head rocked left and right, as if he was trying to scratch an itch on the back of his head on the great branch behind him.
Not long after, Scott awoke from the Trial of Enigmata with a sudden yawn, as Michael watched him. The second he awakened from the trial, he felt renewed and cleansed of his abnormalities. His body was completely different than before, but, his mind was a bit different too.
He felt… a somewhat strange sense of curiosity towards everything, and even stared at Michael himself with a sense of intrigue behind his eyes.
"…Did you… did you forget who I am?" Michael asked, taken aback by the odd staring.
"…No… no… I… ugh…" Scott stood up and clutched his head. For some reason, he was also very much disorientated.
"I feel… different..." Scott told him, "Smarter… I guess. And… I think… I remember a few more things about myself now."
"Really? Like what?"
"Like… my age," Scott muttered, as he walked around, "I'm 19 years old right now. And, I can also recall some of the combat training I learnt… before I lost my memories. Was I a knight or something?"
Michael stared at him oddly. "You seem a bit confused or overwhelmed or something... I think you might wanna take a rest, or…?"
Though, he soon noticed Scott's peculiar concentration on something. His eyes were directed at the pool of blood that was slowly being absorbed into the great branch. For some reason, instead of just being blood-red, his blood now seemed to have taken on a far darker shade.
"Is it because of the demon blood in me?" Scott said, approaching the small pool of blood and inspecting it, "It's darker… and, bubbling…"
"…Huh?" Michael stood back as Scott scooped up the blood to take a closer look at it, and now it seemed he was enamoured by what was his blood.
His blood soon seemed to be hardening into some type of substance. It bubbled more fiercely than before, and Scott uttered to Michael:
"What was it that you said before? About the abilities of Hisbiril's Mark?"
"Uh… well, at the stage of mastery that you are at right now, Hisbiril's Mark can allow you to perform alchemy at the most basic level without any tools, and also transmutation…! Holy shit!"
Scott revealed what had condensed in his palm. A lonesome, crimson flame. Though it wasn't the Vanquisher's Fleshflame, it was very similar to it.
"…I can't believe it myself… my blood has somehow become a subject of transmutation for crimson flames," Scott said, "It seems, the Trial of Enigmata has unlocked a layer of my potential!"
Michael grinned and clapped his hands.
"Then, this means that we can go on an adventure! With the two of us combined, even the Bandit Kings won't be able to match us!"
Scott nodded, extinguishing the flame. "We're certainly gonna go on an adventure. If you wanna come with me, I think you're gonna have to guide me to someplace called the Yer River, wherever it is."
"Oh, the Yer River? That place is pretty far, south-east from here. But, why would you wanna go there? It's pretty dangerous around that part of the region…"
"Well, let's not get into the details just yet…" Scott said, "But, besides that, do you have any spare clothes around here? I don't think the wolf pelts are gonna cut it anymore."
***
A few hours later, the pair found themselves outside the Great Vines Cathedral, surrounded by the statues of saints, in their new apparel.
Since there was nothing inside the cathedral but robes, Michael improvised by sewing together new clothes with a sewing needle he strangely had on him. Scott found the clothes suited the pair of them quite nicely, and they both looked quite like rag-tag warriors or, if you wanted to poke fun, wannabe knights.
"We're gonna have to walk the way to Yer River since we're both without money, so let's just hope we don't run into too many bandits on the way."
Scott nodded, and they went forth, walking through the garden of statues. Then finally, after a minute's walk, they ended up on "Swan Street", where they admired the darkened scenery of Hanus Sols.
Apart from the castle itself, Hanus Sols was also a very renowned city. One that was known mainly for its grandiose architecture and statues, its history and most of all, for its symbolism as a Shrine of Aria. Thankfully, it was almost midnight by then, so they weren't immediately faced with other people shuffling around the streets.
However, they discovered something strange as they walked down the street…
"Woah… this place is something else…" Scott spoke, "Every building is as intricately designed as the statues we saw earlier… and, not to mention, the artistry around here is outstanding…"
"Artistry…? You've certainly recovered some of your memories, alright…" Michael replied, "But, I agree with you. This place is really…"
Scott glanced at him. "By the way, how come you can see, even with the bandages covering your eyes? Why do you even do that anyway?"
"Well, I can't. I rely on my other heightened senses. And, I do it mainly as a sign of respect to Father Morn, who, as you probably already know, doesn't have eyes."
Scott shook his head.
"I see... but, even with your other senses being heightened, isn't it still almost impossible for you to even know where I'm standing right now?"
"Haha. Yeah, I mean, even with exceptional senses, it would be hard to navigate, so I also got the help of Father Morn to gain "Beast's Sight", which allows me to sense the mystic elements of the world, among other things, like that of a Mystic Beast."
"Mystic Beast?"
"Y'know, like a Rock Orc or an Elemental Spirit. Animals that can utilize the natural elements of the world, which we can't—"
Michael was interrupted by a newspaper flying into his face, carried by the wind.
"Ack! Ugh…" Michael groaned, "A flying newspaper? Really?"
"What does it say on it?" Scott asked.
"…Well… something about some monster nest being discovered… forget it, it isn't that relevant to us," Michael said, tossing the newspaper away, but barely catching something scrambling away from the two of them and into a nearby alley. Something small, but strangely…
"Hold on…"
"What?" Scott replied as Michael quickly ran off.
Scott followed him into the dim alley, but, they only saw a small black kitty playing in garbage, instead of whatever Michael thought he noticed.
"What was that about?" Scott asked, tapping him on the shoulder.
"I don't know. I thought I noticed something…" Michael said.
At that moment, a cheeky feline voice could be heard:
"Hehehe, you mean, me?"
And then, a fleet-footed human figure quickly wall-hopped and blitzed their way out of the alley with atrocious levels of speed, leaving the two of them behind in the dust. And, where the small kitty was, a note was left behind.
"…You two seem promising. Meet me at Sherbet Road at 5 o'clock tomorrow. We're gonna track down all the guys that owe me my money, one by one, and by the end of it, maybe…" Michael trailed off.
"Holy crap."