Year 74

  *Reaching the Tea lake, the large town homes several Docks on one side and farms as far as the eye can see, full of tea plants. Doil’s mouth makes his disguise struggle to hold as he looks at it all. Emma wears a fake slave collar to avoid any trouble before reaching the road.*

  Doil: Woah…

  Rodney: I haven’t been here in a decade.

  Emma: Yet you seemed to remember the path just fine.

  *Rodney laughs nervously as they walk down the road. After walking along for a bit, he leads them to an old house. Bushes have overgrown the back half of the longer structure. Rodney approaches the front gate made of scrap wood.*

  Rodney: Wait here one moment.

  *As Rodney walks up the path, the sound of barking fills the streets.*

  Rodney: Shut up!

  *The barks stop, and an older-sounding voice calls out.*

  Voice: Rodney? I told you to stop yelling at the boys!

  Rodney: Mah! I’ve brought some guests!

  *A frail-looking elderly woman walks forward. Her left eye and hair have lost their color, but she smiles immediately upon seeing her son. She smacks him upside the head as he leans down to hug her.*

  Mother: You’ve brought me a woman and child… You got married?!

  *Rodney laughs.*

  Doil: He’s not my Dad. My Dad is working.

  *Rodney’s mother looks at Doil, impressed.*

  Mother: So he’s already doing better than my Baby boy.

  Rodney: Mah. Just because I’m the youngest doesn’t mean I’m a baby.

  *Rodney’s mother waves for everyone to follow her into the covered area, stitched together with random patches of different fabric. Doil points out to an entire pack of smaller dogs, all of which begin barking crazily upon seeing Emma.*

  Mother: Quiet! Sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into them today. They normally only get this bad around elves.

  *Doil looks at Emma, who quickly covers his mouth with her hand, as they enter the house one by one. Doil tugs on Emma’s wrist. She turns to him and squats down to whisper.*

  Doil: She said elves made them mad.

  Emma: Yes, but she can’t see too well. Remember, most humans don’t like elves.

  Doil: Why?

  Emma: I-I’m not fully certain.

  Rodney: Last I heard, it was because of some rumors that the elves caused the appearance of multiple deadly diseases across the other races. But I also heard the entire race is in a major civil war of sorts.

  *The two follow Rodney through the house. Entering the house, they’re met with the smell of smoke. The entire house is full of boxes, with only a path large enough for one person at a time throughout the building. Rodney leads them through and out the back door, where they find a slightly overgrown yard. A small shed in the corner and a large table sit near the side of the house. Rodney tells the two to sit before heading in to help his mother. Their voices can be heard from a nearby window.*

  Rodney: *Playfully*mm-MOTHER!.

  *Gasp*

  Mother: I told you to knock that off. Go sit outside if you’re going to be a little shit.

  Rodney:*Laughs*

  *Rodney walks outside carrying a tray of cups. He smiles as he hands Emma and Doil a cup of water. Doil looks at Emma, who casts magic on the cup.*

  Rodney: It’s just well water.

  *Rodney’s mother walks outside with a tray of bread.*

  Mother: I’ve never been a fan of tea. Go figure. I live next to the biggest tea capital in the world, and I hate the taste. The smell is nice, though.

  *After eating, Rodney shows the two to a room, half of which isn’t accessible, but the bed is clean. Emma helps Doil get into bed before she sits next to the bed on the ground. Around the middle of the night, Rodney’s Mother lets out a soft chuckle from outside the room. She walks forward and rests against some of the boxes in the room.*

  Mother: You can call me Rose, by the way. I see you also struggle to sleep.

  Emma: I was asked to protect him. I’ll rest when I know he is safe.

  Rose: I know Rodney isn’t the most morally upstanding fellow.

  *Rodney’s snoring can be heard from across the house.*

  Rose: But you’re safe here. He never brings trouble home.

  *Rose’s words seemingly calm Emma as she drifts to sleep.*

  *The sound of water dripping. Emma opens her eyes in a room of water, behind her, rests the ruins of a large vase.*

  Emma: Hello! Where am I?

  *Emma walks over to one of the pieces. The shard is one of many, but alone, it is still larger than a house.*

  Emma: It’s safe to assume the water came from here. *Looks around* ANYONE?!

  *A voice can be heard in a whisper, but the words are too quiet to be understood. Emma looks around, attempting to find the source of the voice.*

  Emma: I HEAR YOU! WHERE ARE YOU?!

  Voice: *Quietly* Goren.

  Emma: No. My name is Emma. I just used that name for a job.

  Voice: Sarah.

  *Emma feels as a wave of memories floods over her. All memories of her mother return to her, and she tears up.*

  Emma: Momma…

  *Emma drops to her knees, crying tears mixed with every emotion. Sorrow. Joy. Terror. After a few minutes, she calms herself down.*

  Emma: Who is Goren? Wait.

  Voice: Keya.

  *Emma’s memories come back first, her father, then Keya begins to appear in them. The time when Keya ran around the house barking makes her chuckle.*

  Emma: Who else have I forgotten? I have holes in my memories. Whenever new people arrived, the memories became longer.

  *The voice fades, and Emma quickly stands up.*

  Emma: Wait! Don’t go!

  *Emma wakes up, reaching forward. Doil looks at her, confused.*

  Doil: Who is K-uh?

  Emma: *Smiles* My older sister.

  Doil: You have a sister?!

  Emma: *Giggles* Shhhh. Yes.

  *Rodney knocks before slowly opening the door.*

  Rodney: Hey, I heard the voices. *Closes door* When did you want to head out?

  Doil: Emma has a Sister!

  Rodney: *looks at Doil* So do I. *Looks at Emma.* If you want to avoid people, we’ll want to leave before noon, that’s when the boats come in.

  Emma: We can go to Loswor, there is someone I want to see.

  Rodney: That’s not a good idea. Aside from a few nobles, any elves in Loswor are required to be collared. They keep elves near the gates to detect any illusion spells as well.

  Emma: That won’t be an issue.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  *Emma rubs Doils' back.*

  Emma: I happen to know someone in Loswor who would be more than happy to help.

  Rodney: *Shakes head* Whatever, it’s your life, do what you want with it.

  *Rodney waits out front, watching as Doil runs down the path and Emma slowly follows as Rose talks to her.*

  Rose: Just keep him out of trouble for me, will you, dear?

  Emma: *Smiles* I’d rather we all stay out of trouble.

  *The three head off..*

  Rose: Don’t forget to eat lunch!

  Rodney: Yes, Mother.

  *Emma and Doil giggle as Rodney rolls his eyes. As they pass the harbor, Emma watches all the Elves. She looks away in guilt. *

  Male voice: Rodney!

  *A demon with dark grey scales walks over to them. Doil looks at him in amazement.*

  Rodney: Gray, What’s up?

  Gray: I heard you stopped by your mom's place with an elf?

  *Gray notices Emma and Doil.*

  Doil: Can I touch your scales?

  *Gray notices his stuffed dragon. And smiles*

  Gray: Who’s the kid? Is he important or something? What did your mom say about the Elf?

  *Rodney covers Gray’s mouth.*

  Rodney: Shut your mouth.

  *Gray attempts to speak, but his words are muffled. Rodney removes his hand.*

  Rodney: I agreed to help these get to Loswor.

  Gray: *Confused* So who is she? I can’t imagine an elf willingly going there. The last one I brought there, I had to break their legs so they’d stop trying to run.

  *Emma’s eye twitches. She pushes Doil to continue walking.*

  Doil: Awww.

  Rodney: Gray, do me a favor and keep quiet about this. I’ll buy you all the drinks you want when I get back. Okay?

  Gray: *Excited* Deal!

  *Gray runs off happily, and Rodney catches up to lead the two through town.*

  Rodney: Sorry, he’s an old friend. Who happens to take slavery requests from the guild?

  Doil: Stop saying that word! It’s bad!

  Rodney: Sorry. He takes the less desired quests from the board.

  Emma: Hearing them called “Less Desired” Makes me feel a little better.

  Rodney: They’re only in Valoria. Mithrun and Glimmerfell both have enough. Bad People.*Looks at Doil.* Is that okay?*Doil nods*Anyway, so it’s more of a profession out there. But here, each town sets its own laws. In the capital cities, only humans or nobles are allowed to even walk in the cities. Any other race must be collared.

  Doil: Do you think Emma needs a collar?

  Rodney: *Scoffs* For safety purposes, maybe, but no. My mother hates elves because when I was a kid, a group of elves attacked me. There were other races. But no one cared about them. Gray didn’t throw any hits, but I heard him cheering them on. Then the two-faced ass gave me a potion. That he stole from the elves and blamed me for. The leader of their “Little” group was a beastkin by the name Rufus.

  Emma: You sure it wasn’t initiation?

  Rodney: Might as well have been. After healing up with the potion, a bunch of other kids thought I was just really tough, so I became the leader of my own gang.

  Emma: I won’t apologize.

  Rodney: *Laughs* For what? We knew what we agreed to.

  —--------------------------------

  *A few weeks pass. The city walls can be seen in the distance.*

  Doil: *Excited* Woah! It’s so big!

  *The river passes through the center of the city, farm farmland follows the river back toward the lakes. As they reach the front gate, Rodney becomes more and more panicked. As they reach the gates, a guard stops them.*

  Guard: All elves must be collared.

  Emma: I’m here to visit my cousin.

  Guard: *Scoffs* *Irritated* Really? Then what’s her name?

  Emma: HIS. My name is Elwin. Elwin Silverwind.

  Guard: *Rolls eyes* Fine, you’re good to go.

  *As they pass the gates, Emma drops the illusion spell, Doil puts up his hood, and Emma looks at the elves. Kept in cages like canaries in a mineshaft. Their only purpose now is to serve as a magic detector. *

  *The three enter the city.*

  Rodney: So, where is this? “Cousin”?

  Emma: I got us inside. You’re the human. Go ask a guard or something. I’ll just wait with Doil until then.

  *Emma looks down at Doil, and he squeezes his stuffed animal and smiles. Being sure to stay looking down.*

  Rodney: *Sigh* I’ll be back.

  *Rodney heads off to find a guard. Doil spots a stall selling fruit and runs off. As his hood falls, Emma creates an illusion spell over his face. She quickly runs over to catch up to him.*

  Emma: Remember, Doil, we have to stay where Rodney can find us later.

  *The stall owner laughs a bit; he’s a heavier-set man.*

  Man: We’re just off the road, I’m sure he’ll sure you from here.

  Emma: Well, how much for some of the apples?

  Man: One gold each.

  *Emma's eye twitches as she pulls out two coins. The man hands her one nice apple and another, heavily bruised. As the two head back to their spot, Emma drops the spell and Doil sits down to eat, and Rodney returns.*

  Rodney: The guards don’t patrol that side of town, so they don’t know who lives where. But, he said it’s going to be towards the western tower.

  *Rodney points to an obelisk. Emma looks down at Doil.*

  Emma: Ready to go?

  Male: Stop!

  *Emma turns to a guard running toward them, an elf attached to a leash struggles to keep up.*

  Guard: You there, elf. What’s this about a spell being cast?

  Rodney: I apologize, sir.

  *Rodney leans in and whispers in the man's ear. The guard eyes Emma, then sneers.

  Guard: Where are you?

  Rodney: The boy doesn’t like to stand still.

  *The guard scoffs and smiles, and Rodney steps back.*

  Guard: Don’t let it happen again. And maybe just keep those papers on hand to avoid this issue again.

  *The guard heads off, and Rodney smiles proudly before turning toward the other two.*

  Emma: What did you say?

  Rodney: The correct response is. “Thank you, Rodney, for getting rid of the guard.”

  *Emma crosses her arms, unamused.*

  Rodney: *shakes head* I told him he is a protected child.

  *Emma looks confused as they start walking.*

  Rodney: It means you’re protecting a noble's child. Hiding their identity from the public.

  *Reaching the elven district, the roads are noticeably cleaner, but also empty and avoided by the humans. Some human children play near the entrance to the district, daring each other to step inside. They watch the three enter and watch in silence.*

  Doil: Why is entering this place bad?

  Emma: It’s not, but humans don’t like elves, so they treat us like monsters. Remember?

  *Each house has a sign just out front, or as a hanging sign, with the family name of who lives inside. Each house is a thin two-story house. The houses look as if they are built as one long building. *

  Emma: They even have them alphabetized. I guess that makes things a little easier.

  *Reaching Elwin’s home, Emma steps toward the door when she hears a female voice inside. After a moment, the door bursts open, and a younger female elf with purple eyes looks at Emma and sneers.*

  Elf: What do you want?

  Elwin: Who are you talking to?! I told you, you’re not leaving this house.

  *Elwin walks up behind the girl and freezes.*

  Emma: Wanna have a race?

  *Elwin turns to see Emma and smiles.*

  Elwin: Emma!!

  *Elwin runs and hugs his cousin. He invites them all in, and they enter the house. They sit in the living room, the young female elf with blue eyes and red hair sits next to Elwin with her arms crossed.*

  Elwin: So, Emma. What happened? I haven’t heard from anyone outside the city in almost a decade now.

  Emma: I was hoping you could help fill in some of the blanks. I was given something called brainot potion. It locked away my memories. I got back some. But I can’t remember much beyond Lily and family.

  Elwin: So you remember Holly?

  Emma: *Shakes head* I mean, I don’t think I ever met her before, either, though. But have you heard of that potion before?

  *Elwin looks away in thought.*

  Holly: Dad, you told me that everyone but Grandma and Grandpa were dead.

  Elwin: I thought they were.*Looks to Emma.* Wendy will be home soon. She is at the apothecary at the moment.

  Rodney: Wait. Not Wendy’s Wonders?

  Elwin: Yeah, why?

  Rodney: I loved that place as a kid. I went just because my mom would approve.*Smiles*

  Elwin: So you were probably one of the kids who made her start carrying sweets and tea.

  *The sound of the door opening is responded to with Holly jumping up from her seat and running to the door. She hugs the female elf with blue eyes, her hair resembles autumn leaves, going from different shades of brown.*

  Wendy: Elwin, dear. I got to thinking on my own.

  *Wendy looks stunned as she notices everyone.*

  Wendy: Oh, so we do have guests. I thought Holly was inviting animals into the house again. Nice to meet you all.

  Elwin: This is my cousin Emma.

  Wendy: *gasps* Wait! Didn’t you say she was a seer?

  *Elwin shushes Wendy. Emma, Doil, and Rodney all look at each other in confusion.*

  Elwin: She lost most of her memories due to a potion.

  Wendy: *Covers mouth* Please tell me it wasn’t a brainrot potion.

  Emma: Why?

  Wendy: That potion doesn’t make you just forget. It “Removes” them. It’s an extremely illegal potion that hasn’t been around since Holly was barely able to crawl. Since then, any mindwipe potions have been banned outside a royal alchemist's lab for studying. Only a noble can get their hands on any of it.

  Rodney: What’s stopping people from just making it illegally?

  Wendy: You look familiar.*Squints*

  Elwin: Love, focus.

  Wendy: *Opens eyes wide* Oh yes. The potion requires an ingredient that is both deadly to handle and deadly to acquire. A chimera’s poison sack.

  *Everyone gasps*

  Wendy: Don’t worry, the poison is neutralized when turned into the potion, but it just removes the majority, if not all, of someone's memories.

  Emma: But, I just recently remembered Elwin.

  Wendy: *Confused* Then it can’t be a brainrot potion. Describe the taste, the look. What do you remember?

  Emma: Mostly the golden glow it gave. It was the last clear memory I had until recently.

  Rodney: If you remembered drinking the potion, then why listen to Ar?

  *Emma glares at Rodney, he stops talking and sits back quietly*

  Wendy: If she was given that potion and then immediately tortured, it would be easy to brainwash her.

  Emma: *Angry* I’m not brainwashed.

  Wendy: Okay. Okay. Give me a moment.

  *Wendy heads into the other room. The sound of glasses rattling is heard from the living room. She returns with a blue vial.*

  Wendy: Drink this. It will clear your mind. Even if you aren’t brainwashed. I’d recommend it for the memories.

  *Emma rolls her eyes and drinks the potion. She feels as her Obsession with Argon fades away. She looks at Doil, and a tear forms. She turns to the others and sniffs.*

  Emma: See. *Sniff* Not brainwashed.

  Emma thinking: It’s not Arthur’s fault. His father just wanted someone to keep his son safe.

  Elwin: Do you have a place to stay?

  Emma: No. I mostly came here in hopes you could help me remember some things. Like, first off. What’s a seer?

  *Elwin and Wendy begin telling the three everything they know about Sylvndor and Emma.*

  Wendy: If I had to guess, these seer powers of yours are protecting your memories.

  Emma: Okay, so how can I trigger more memories?

  *Wendy runs into the other room again. Emma looks at Elwin.*

  Emma: She really likes potions.

  Elwin: That’s because she lost her brother to poison.

  *Wendy walks back in and hands her a cup with a brown mud-like substance.*

  Emma: I’m so sorry.

  Wendy: It was my fault. I was new to collecting herbs and making potions, and I thought I used magic berries. However, I used Rosary berries instead. He died within seconds.

  Elwin: *Irritated* Stop it.

  Wendy: It’s going to taste disgusting, but memorial slime has never been known for pleasantries. Luckily, I’ve found a way to cover the smell, but the taste of a corpse isn’t something I can help.

  *Everyone but Emma and Wendy gag.*

  Doil: What’s a memorial slime?

  Holly: *Turns to Doil* Mom says she finds them in cemeteries.

  Elwin: I had to require her to bottle it before returning home.

  *Emma quickly drinks it, and her eyes flutter before she loses consciousness.*

  Wendy: The Brainrot potion seems to affect the spirit's level as well. So it’s possible Lily can’t remember things as well.

  Elwin: But she seems to have recovered physically.

  Wendy: The potion can’t remove muscle memory. You always said she was a fighter. So it’s not hard for her to believe.

  Doil: Is Emma going to be okay?

  Wendy: Yes, of course.

  Rodney: I’m gonna go find a bar if that's alright.

  *As Rodney goes to stand, Doil clings to him. Elwin smiles and stands as well.*

  Elwin: You’ve returned with someone I thought was dead. I’d be honored if you’d stay for a drink.