Ch 1: Rebirth

Awakening to find a strange masked woman called Masquerade waiting for him, a young man is told his name is Grey. The woman leaves after speaking mysteriously, and Grey encounters a young girl next.

            Renatus Forest. Monday July 16, 520NA. Awakening in a clearing in the middle of an unknown forest to find himself lying upon a small stone altar, a young man with red eyes and short windblown brown hair slowly sat up and looked around. Looking himself over, his eyes passed over the torn black jacket he wore over a white shirt with what looked like blood stains on it, and then his gaze turned to the pendant he wore around his neck, the sunlight glinting off the red gem in it. Staring at it for a moment, unsure why, he at last muttered, “Why do I feel like I’ve forgotten something important?” Suddenly, a woman’s voice called out, “So, you’ve finally awakened.” Turning his gaze in the direction of the voice, he laid eyes upon a woman wearing a brown hooded cloak, her face hidden behind a red and gold mask. Eyeing her warily, the young man said, “Who are you?” With a slight chuckle, the woman said, “Shouldn’t you introduce yourself before demanding someone else’s name?” Taken aback, the young man slowly said, “Yeah, I guess. But…” Raising a hand up and staring down at it, the young man said, “Who am I?” The woman simply replied, “Whether you remember who you once were will be your choice and your choice alone. From here on, the future is yours to shape.” 

Looking at her in confusion, the young man said, “I don’t understand. What’s going on? Who are you?! Who am I?!” Raising a hand and releasing arcane magic, the figure said, “Your name is Grey, and you can call me by the name Masquerade.” As the arcane power formed into a magical gateway behind her, Masquerade added, “The fate of existence was determined long ago, and though it has been delayed, there is only one way for us to finally overturn it. I wonder…” Turning to the magical gateway, Masquerade continued, “Which road will you choose? Will you run away from who you are and live your remaining time in peace and happiness? Or will you use the chance your mother gave you to fulfill our hopes?” Eyes wide, Grey said, “My… mother?!” As Masquerade stepped into the magical gateway and disappeared, Grey jumped to his feet and rushed to the gateway himself, shouting, “Wait, I still don’t understand any of this!” Yet as he drew near, the magical gateway vanished before him.

            Returning to the altar, Grey sat back down on the side of it and stared down at his feet, wondering to himself, “How did I get here? Why don’t I remember anything? My name is Grey? It sounds familiar, but I just can’t remember…” Sitting there struggling to remember something, after a while Grey was suddenly shaken from his thoughts as he heard someone’s voice calling out, “Heeyyyy! You!” Looking up, Grey could see a girl who looked a few years younger than him at the edge of the clearing, waving at him with a big smile on her face. She had long white hair and green eyes, and was wearing a white and silver long sleeved shirt, a white skirt, and white boots fastened with blue straps. She also wore a necklace with a large blue gem in it, but most notable of all were the small white, bat-like wings that poked out of her sleeves from her elbows. As she started to run over to him, Grey stood and thought to himself, “Does she know me?” As she approached, still smiling, the girl said, “What are you doing out here all by yourself?” Glancing around, Grey said, “Well, I don’t really know…” Giggling, the girl said, “That’s kind of strange, but ok. I’m Marcyl! I’m on a class field trip here! Who are you?” Slightly disappointed that she didn’t know him after all, he simply said, “My name’s Grey.” Extending her hand, Marcyl said, “Nice to meet you Grey!” Smiling in spite of himself, Grey shook her hand and said, “Yeah, nice to meet you!”

            Sitting together on the altar, after Grey had explained his situation to Marcyl, she stared up at the sky and said, “Ohhhh, how mysterious…” Heaving a sigh, Grey said, “No kidding. What am I supposed to do?” Turning to look at him with a smile, Marcyl said, “Well this Masquerade person told you that whether you’ll remember or not is up to you, right? Then don’t worry! As long as you want to remember, you will!” Taken aback, Grey stared at her a moment, and then smiling back he said, “I guess so.” Getting off the altar and looking around again, Grey said, “Although, until I remember, I really don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t even know where I am in the first place.” Getting up as well, Marcyl proudly said, “This is the Renatas Forest. It’s a really ancient place, and there’s a lot of legends about it. People used to travel through here a lot before they built a hover train route between the halman capital, Xandaris, and the city of Syriota. Our Academy is far to the north of here.” 

Looking at her with an impressed smile, Grey said, “You sure know your stuff!” Sticking her tongue out with a giggle, Marcyl said, “It’s only because the Headmistress was giving a lecture about all that before I wandered off.” With a sudden gasp, Marcyl said, “Oh no, that’s right! I’ve been gone way too long! Ohh, I’m gonna be in so much trouble!” As she started to rush off, Marcyl stopped and looked back at him expectantly as she said, “You coming Grey?” Blinking in surprise, Grey said, “Huh?” Rushing back over to him, Marcyl showed a pouting expression as she said, “What do you mean ‘huh’?! I can’t just leave you all alone out here! Come back to the Academy with me, I’m sure the Headmistress could help you find out where you came from!”

            As Grey was considering Marcyl’s suggestion, another voice suddenly shouted at them, “Marcyl Gibwyn! What were you thinking?!” Making her way into the clearing, an elven woman with silver eyes, long pointed ears, and long blonde hair glared at Marcyl through the lenses of her thick, black rimmed glasses sternly as she approached. She wore a long black coat with silver buttons over her white shirt and black tie, black pants, and black and silver heeled shoes. Hanging her head, Marcyl whimpered, “Sorry Headmistress…” Standing before Marcyl with arms crossed, the Headmistress said, “You’d better be! Honestly, and after I specifically impressed upon all of you not to wander off! Do you realize what you could have come across in such a place?!” Glancing at Grey, her first acknowledgement that he was even there, the Headmistress added, “On that note, just who is this? He’s certainly not one of our students…” 

Before Grey could say anything, Marcyl looked up with a sparkle in her eyes and said, “Oh right! Headmistress, I found this boy just sitting out here on an altar all alone! He doesn’t remember anything but his name, and I was thinking maybe we could help him!” Looking around, the Headmistress started to say, “Altar? What altar? I don’t…” Trailing off as she laid eyes on the altar, the Headmistress quickly walked over to it and kneeled down to examine it. Adjusting her glasses excitedly, the Headmistress exclaimed, “Fascinating! What could something like this be doing out here?” Running a hand across the ancient markings upon it, she continued, “I must have these translated as soon as possible!” Watching the Headmistress take out a notepad and copy down the symbols upon the altar, Grey said to Marcyl, “Wow, she’s really into this…” Nodding merrily, Marcyl replied, “Yep! That’s our Elizabeth for you! A true Ruin Master!” Rising and putting away her notepad, Elizabeth turned and faced them as she said, “Please don’t give him any strange ideas Marcyl. I am just a humble scholar.” Approaching Grey and extending her hand, she added, “Elizabeth Wormwood, Headmistress of Lorem Academy.”

            Having agreed to take Grey back to Lorem Academy, Elizabeth led the way back to where the rest of her students awaited them. Glancing back at Grey, Elizabeth said, “You’re not injured are you? The state of your clothes makes you look like you’ve been mauled by a brushbear…” Looking at the various tears and rips in his clothes, the blood stains on his white shirt which he himself had been wondering about earlier, Grey replied, “I dunno what happened to my clothes, but I feel fine.” Looking Grey over as she walked beside him, Marcyl said, “Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t notice earlier! Say Grey, want me to give you a checkup?” Looking over at her in surprise, Grey blushed and said, “W-what?” Suppressing her laughter as they continued on, Elizabeth said, “Don’t get the wrong idea Grey. Marcyl is a water magic healer, one of the most promising healers to ever attend our academy in fact. She’s slightly scatterbrained and tends to get herself into all sorts of trouble, but she’s an honest and outgoing person with a pure heart.” 

Looking over at Marcyl again, who waved at him with a smile, Grey smiled back and said, “It’s not hard to tell she’s a good person, though I didn’t know she could use magic. That’s pretty cool!” As Marcyl simply giggled, looking pleased by the praise she was getting, Elizabeth glanced back at Grey again and thought to herself, “There’s more to this boy than meets the eye. I can tell he has some magical talent, but I can also sense an aura of EDE around him. Still, I can tell he’s quite a kindhearted boy. Despite the discrimination they receive from purebloods, most half-breeds are wary of other half-breeds that are not of their own race, but he seems to get along with Marcyl just fine regardless of her obvious appearance as a half-dragon. Even so, I should be careful. The fact that he is not a danger himself does not mean being around him won’t be dangerous either. Those bloodstains did not simply appear from thin air…” 

As they continued to make their way through the forest, after a while Marcyl said, “Headmistress, are we there yet?” With a sigh, Elizabeth responded, “Yes, yes, it’s just ahead. I sent everyone back to the hover buses. We’ll be leaving now that I’ve finally managed to find you. You’re going to have extra punishment homework for this Marcyl.” Pausing in her stride, Marcyl exclaimed, “Awww! But I just was just following some pretty butterflies!” Looking back with a stern glare, Elizabeth remarked, “If you’re dissatisfied, I can always give you double extra punishment homework…” Hanging her head, Marcyl simply sighed to herself as she continued onward. Trying to shift the subject and satisfy his curiosity at the same time, Grey said, “What kind of school is Lorem Academy anyways?” Seeing as they were already almost to their destination, Elizabeth simply replied, “I’ll explain once we reach the hover buses. You’ll probably have a good idea once you meet the rest of Marcyl’s classmates anyways.”

            As the three stepped from out of the edge of the forest into the open plain beyond, Grey saw the two gray hover buses parked a short way away and the students gathered around them. All clearly of around Marcyl’s age, the variety of races among them was astounding. Watching him stare, Elizabeth said, “As you can see, the doors of our academy are open to any and all who wish to learn more about the special gifts they were born with, regardless of race or pedigree. We have something of a strict screening process for certain things, and our facilities are located in a rather reclusive location, so it’s not surprising we’re still not very well known. As long as you don’t mind our diversity and refrain from causing problems, you’re quite welcome to stay among us for as long as you like.” 

Turning to the Headmistress, Grey said, “I don’t have a problem with any of that, but I don’t know if I have any talent for magic or such.” Smiling slyly, Elizabeth said, “We of course offer general education, as well as classes for energists. We’ll set you up for whatever suits your needs.” Suddenly throwing her arms around Grey to give him a bear hug, Marcyl exclaimed, “Yahoo! Grey’s coming home with us!” Watching them, looking almost as embarrassed as Grey did, Elizabeth said, “Please Marcyl, he’s not a stray cat.” Suddenly pulling Grey towards the group of students waiting at the hover buses, Marcyl said, “Let’s go! I’ll introduce you to everyone!” Dragging his feet, Grey said, “Uh, Elizabeth? A little help here?” Clutching her head, as Elizabeth followed, she muttered, “She’s not even listening to a word I say…”

            After everyone was onboard the hover buses, the bus drivers started the vehicles and began to guide them on their way back to Lorem Academy. While the students gossiped about Grey’s arrival, Elizabeth sat in the front row bus seat with Marcyl’s class teacher, a halman man with short black hair, brown eyes, and a black mustache. He wore a blue and white cloak, a blue and white vest, blue pants, white gloves, and pointy blue shoes. Staring out the window, Elizabeth quietly said, “A word Cortez?” Glancing back and forth a moment, Cortez murmured, “Sonus Murum.” The sounds around them seemed to fade out, and Cortez said, “There, we should be able to talk without being overheard.” Nodding, Elizabeth said, “Thank you. As you might have guessed, it’s about the boy Marcyl found sitting alone in the forest.” Giving her his full attention, Cortez said, “Yes, I was more than a little surprised. There’s something about him as well…” Smiling slyly, Elizabeth said, “Yes, not only does he seem to be quite gifted, but he has a good heart as well. I couldn’t turn him away, though I’m concerned something dangerous could come of it.” 

Blinking in surprise, Cortez said, “Dangerous?” Taking out the notepad on which she had scrawled the symbols upon the altar, Elizabeth said, “You saw all the blood he was covered in. He apparently found himself lying on an altar of some sort, his memory completely gone. A strange woman told him his name, along with something about shaping the future. I don’t pretend to know what it all means, but I have a hunch as to what may have happened to him. I won’t know anything until I have these translated though.” Taking the notepad and looking at the symbols she’d copied down, Cortez said, “Interesting, an altar in the middle of Renatus Forest? You don’t think this is related to the legend of the Phoenix? The one who supposedly served Origin himself? The word renatus itself means ‘reborn’ if I’m not mistaken.” Looking back out the window, Elizabeth replied, “As I said, it’s only a hunch for now.”

            Sitting next to Marcyl in the back of the hover bus, Grey was being grilled by one of her classmates in the seat in front of them, whom he had met briefly when Marcyl was introducing him to the students. Her name was Erika Faelen, but she was known by the nickname Pyro. She was a half-dog sprite girl with short, dark red hair and dog ears who wore a red and black checkered hat, a red and black checkered scarf around her neck, a red t-shirt, red gloves, black pants with a red and black checkered patch sown into the bottom of the right pant leg, and a pair of white and black sneakers. Her different colored eyes, one red and one yellow, were fixed upon Grey as she said, “So you really don’t remember, like, anything?!” With a sigh, Grey said, “Yeah, I said that already…” Then the boy who was sitting next Pyro said, “Let him be.” Grey also remembered him from when Marcyl had been introducing him to everyone, a sturdy looking demonfolk boy with blue eyes, long black hair, and black horns on his head. His name was Tor Zephyr, although his friends call him Tory. From what Grey had been told, he was what one might call a man of few words. He wore a purple sports jacket with black sleeves, baggy white shorts, and black and white tennis shoes with purple laces. He also wore a set of purple headphones on his head, which he used to listen to music from his walkman no doubt. 

Turning to Tory with a sour look, Pyro said, “I’m just doing my job as head of the newspaper club! Everyone’s gonna be curious about him, so isn’t it better we get the real story before people start coming up with crazy rumors?” Looking out the window at the plains across which the hover bus carried them, Grey said, “I can’t tell you what I don’t know. If only that stupid Masquerade character had been more helpful…” Trying to cheer him up, Marcyl said, “Well, she at least gave you your name. The academy is a great place! We’ll have loads of fun together! You might not want to leave even if you do get your memories back!” Grey’s eyes went wide as he remembered the words Masquerade had said to him. “Will you run away from who you are and live your remaining time in peace and happiness?” Feeling as though Marcyl might have gone too far, Pyro said, “Marcyl, that’s a bit much. He might be hoping he has family out there who miss him or something.” Realizing this, Marcyl fumbled for words as she said, “Oh, I… I mean…! I didn’t think of that, I’m sorry…” Turning to look at her with a weak smile, Grey said, “Don’t worry about it. For some reason, I get the feeling you might be right.”

Reviews

[Arrinae]

I'm looking forward to getting to know these characters more. Though I'm annoyed that Grey has gotten yet another case of amnesia. I hope he remembers soon. Gods help him should him and Marcyl start havign a relationship and Amy tracks him down. I don't want to see Amy pissed, regardless if it were Grey's fault or not.

[KeithKVH]

XD I wish to reply in some way, but everything I come up with hits a spoiler.

[Arrinae]

I know how you feel. I'm the same way with my own book. as it is because I wrote out scenes as short stories before hand, theres really not that much that isn't already known about the characters or what happened. There are still some major reveals to be made as well as actually leading them through the events that lead to the End of the Templar's Crusade. Theres so many twists I want to share, but I don't dare out of fear of saying too much and ruining what little excitment is left in the story for those who've read all the short stories.