Ch 10: A Second Truth, Agnes Eremit

20 years in the past, the story of Alastor's awakening begins. As he finds his memories gone in the darkness of Noctivagus, he escapes to meet a young girl. Are you ready to begin A Second Truth?

            Waking to find himself on the floor in a dark room, a young man with short white hair who looked about in his twenties sat up to look around. Though he couldn’t tell in the dark, he was dressed in a belted blue and black vest over a long sleeved black shirt, long black gloves, black pants, and black and white sneakers. Blue arm capes trailed at his sides from the white, cross shaped buckles with bowed bottoms attaching them to his shoulders. Unable to remember much of anything, he felt strangely calm and somewhat empty. Standing up, wobbling a bit as he found his legs were weak like he had not used them in a long time, he proceeded to grope about in the darkness. Stumbling several times until he at last reached a wall, the young man followed the wall until he found what seemed like a staircase. Following the winding staircase upwards, the darkness began to fade as he ascended, replaced by light coming from a cylinder hanging in the center of the large chasm the staircase seemed to wind around. Up he climbed, reaching a strange room full of machines and devices, and proceeding to look around further, he found a doorway leading back into darkness. The only way out, the young man proceeded through the dark halls beyond the door, driven only by the feeling that he must leave this place. On and on he went, finding another, smaller stairway that led up into what seemed the hallway of a great castle, and seeing an open doorway that seemed to lead outside just down the hall, he proceeded to make his way out of this unfamiliar place at last. Stepping out the doorway, he laid eyes upon an unexpected sight.

            Sitting upon the stone steps leading up to the door, a young girl perhaps twelve or thirteen years old with short brown hair and green eyes was looking back over her shoulder at him in surprise. Wearing silver, round rimmed glasses and boyish green and black clothing, it seemed apparent she’d been crying. Seeing her there, something strange stirred within the young man, and he fell to his knees as he clutched his body in pain. Doubt, regret, fear, feelings he’d not felt in the slightest a moment ago coursed through him. His eyes clenched shut as he struggled to push away these feelings, he suddenly opened them as a voice said, “Hey, are you ok?” Kneeling down before him, the girl was looking right back at him in concern, her face very close. The feelings starting to subside, the young man looked away from her and stood as he said, “I think I’m alright now.” Rising as well and taking a step back to look at him again, the girl said, “Who are you? Are you a researcher?” Somewhat confused by her conclusion, the young man said, “No, I don’t believe so. Why do you think that?” Gesturing to the ruins around them, the area shrouded with darkness from the veil of dark clouds that covered the sky, the girl said, “Well, this place is kind of a historical site. There’s not a lot of tourists around here either.” Looking around, the darkness surrounding the entire area gave off a strange yet familiar feeling to the young man, and turning back to the girl, he asked, “Where are we?” Looking at him strangely, the girl said, “The Ruins of Noctivagus.”

            Sitting on the steps with the girl, as the young man explained how he had awoke in a dark room and made his way out right before they had met, the girl looked deep in thought as she said, “I wonder if you could be one of the researchers who never returned after all…” Looking over at him suddenly, she rather enthusiastically asked, “You’re sure you don’t remember anything? Do you at least know your name?” Thinking a bit himself, as it seemed to come to him from out of nowhere, he spoke his name, saying, “Alastor… I believe it’s Alastor…” Looking out into the dark ruins, the girl said, “Alastor huh? I’m Anges. Agnes Eremit.” Watching her gazing out upon the ruins, as Alastor noticed the redness of her eyes, he remembered she’d been crying. Yet just as he was about to ask her why, Agnes suddenly got to her feet and said, “C’mon. I’ll take you back to town. There’s just one thing though…” As Alastor stood as well, Agnes looked at him with a serious expression and said, “You can’t tell anyone I was out here, alright?” Finding this an odd request, Alastor simply said, “Why?” Starting off down the stairs, Agnes said, “Nobody’s supposed to be able to get close to this place. If everyone found out I could do something they couldn’t, they’d become more cautious around me, and eventually be afraid or even jealous of me. That’s the way people are after all…” Once again something stirred within Alastor. Fighting back a surge of strange feelings and pain, he followed after Agnes as she led the way out of the ruins.

            Arriving in a small village on the outskirts of the ruins, Agnes and Alastor made their way inside the city gates, Alastor looking around at the shoddy buildings and thinking to himself that this looked like a rather run down place. There were cracks in the walls of many of the structures, the stone streets were old and in need of repair, and whatever plantlife one might find was usually dry or withered. Leading the way through the streets, Agnes said, “Not much to look at, is it? This is Shala Village, out in the middle of the Tal-Shala wastes. The land is poor for farming and weather’s pretty dry, so there’s not much water. There’s really not a lot this place has to offer, and now the townspeople are having a lot of trouble fighting against the movement to turn it into a Sanctuary.” Following close behind her, Alastor wondered what she meant by Sanctuary, but he dismissed it for now, more aware of how they were getting stares from many of the villagers among the streets. He felt confident he knew the reason though, voicing it aloud to make conversation as he said, “It seems an outsider like myself stands out in such a small town.” Quickening her pace, Agnes seemed to be trying to ignore the stares as she simply said, “Guess so.”

            Arriving at a large building in the middle of town, as they stopped outside the doors, Agnes said, “Here’s the town hall. If you go in and tell them your story, maybe they’ll call someone in the Guild and help you find out who you are. Just remember, don’t tell them about me, ok?” With that, Agnes turned and made her way back to the streets, and soon Alastor lost sight of her. Standing there looking at where she’d disappeared from view, he at last turned back to the doors of the town hall. Entering the building, as he stepped into the run down interior, he spotted the front desk with a gray haired old woman sitting at the counter. As he approached, the old woman looked up at him and said, “What’s your business? Governor Godfrey is in a meeting right now. All appointments are cancelled for today.” Staring back at her blankly, Alastor said, “I don’t have an appointment. I was told someone here could help me remember who I am. I believe I need to speak with someone from a ‘Guild’?” Looking at him strangely for a moment, the old woman finally said, “Look, I dunno who sent you here young fella, but I’m just an office lady paid to schedule appointments and file paperwork. I don’t know nothin’ bout your memory problems, and if you wanna call someone from the Guild, you can go do it on your own dime. If you don’t have an appointment, you may as well walk right back out that door.”

            Leaving the town hall, Alastor took to wandering the streets. Unsure where he should go now, as darkness fell he began to grow tired. Taking a seat against a stone wall surrounding a one story house with a thatch roof and peeling paint, Alastor stared up into the darkening sky and thought, “There must be something wrong with me. Ever since I awoke in that darkness, I haven’t felt any unease about not knowing who I am or where I belong. Now that my efforts to learn about myself have fallen through, I should logically feel disappointed, yet if anything I feel… relieved…” Sitting there for a while, a pair of old ladies happened to pass by, and seeing him sitting there, one of them said to the other, “What’s that man doing there? Isn’t that where that child lives?” Looking over at Alastor as well, the other old lady said, “Yes, it used to be she lived there with a foster parent, but now she lives there all by herself and hardly speaks to anyone. Such a strange child, my son’s convinced she’s one of them energists!” Letting out a gasp, the first old lady said, “You’re not serious? I’ve heard enough stories of people with those strange powers, causing all kinds of mischief before the Guild finally took control. They shouldn’t be letting her stay here, this isn’t a Sanctuary yet after all. It’s going to be one soon enough though I suppose, and the town’s problems will only get worse from there. All because of people like that…” Watching them as they walked away, still chattering on, Alastor wondered to himself just who it was who lived in this house. Just as he was wondering this, a familiar voice suddenly called out, “What are you doing here?” Turning his head to see Agnes approach him with grocery bags in hand, a black and green backpack strapped to her back, Alastor said, “I was tired, so I merely stopped to rest.” Looking somewhat displeased, Agnes sighed and walked past him towards the gate set in the wall he had been resting against, and setting down her grocery bags, she opened the gate and said, “Come inside.”

            Following Agnes to the front door of the house, Alastor took her grocery bags as she held them out and said, “Hold these.” Reaching into her pocket, Agnes took out a key and opened the front door, and then taking the bags back from him, she made her way inside and turned on the lights. Stepping inside as well, Alastor took a look around. It was a very small house made up of one large room, a small bedroom, a bathroom, and a closet. The main room was furnished with a small wooden table with two wooden chairs, an old looking television set, and a number of large wooden shelves filled with books, pots and pans, and other miscellaneous items. A makeshift kitchen made up of a stove, a sink, a cupboard, and a small refrigerator was situated in one of the room’s corners, and Agnes hurried over to it to put away her groceries. Watching her put away everything in the bags, and then take off her backpack to withdraw stacks of canned food, Alastor said, “That seems like quite a bit of food for only one person.” Picking up on the fact that he knew she lived there alone, Agnes continued putting away the canned food as she said, “Heard about me already huh? I guess it’s not surprising. Anyways, these were on sale, and they keep for a while.” Glancing back at him as he continued to linger by the door, she added, “You said you were tired right? You can sit down if you want.” Walking over to the table and taking a seat in one of the chairs, Alastor sat there quietly and watched her.

            Finished putting everything away, Agnes threw her empty backpack over by the door and took a seat at the table as well as she said, “Jeez, I didn’t expect to find you sitting in front of my house. What happened at the town hall?” Alastor simply replied, “They said I require an appointment.” Leaning back in her chair, Agnes said, “You just gave up because of that? Don’t be such a pushover! You want to hurry up and get your memory back so you can go home, right?” Turning his gaze downward to stare at the tabletop blankly, Alastor said, “I suppose that would be normal wouldn’t it? Yet when I was turned away, I felt more relieved than I had since I first awoke. It’s like something is telling me…” A trail of images flashing in his mind briefly, a woman sick in bed, two crying children, a house where all seemed dull and gray, Alastor said, “That there isn’t a home for me to return to…” Feeling a bit of sympathy for him as he sat there staring off into space, Agnes finally let out an exasperated sigh and said, “So where are you going to stay then? You nearly collapsed the first time I met you. I don’t want you to be out on the streets, especially if you’re gonna draw attention by sitting around outside my house.” Looking up at her, Alastor replied, “Unfortunately, I don’t have anywhere I can think of, so I’ll likely be on the streets regardless. If it troubles you, I don’t have to stay out in front of your house.” Leaning against the table and resting her head in her hands, Agnes muttered, “I guess I have no choice…”

            After informing Alastor that he could stay the night, Agnes cooked dinner. Quietly eating his food while Agnes watched the television, Alastor was impressed by her cooking. Still watching her television show, Agnes glanced at him and said, “Tomorrow I’ll go with you to town hall. There has to be something they can do, and since you were in Noctivagus I’m pretty sure you have to be some kind of soldier or researcher.” Remembering what Agnes said earlier and what the ladies outside her house had been discussing, Alastor set down his silverware and said, “You said no one can get near those ruins but you. Why is that?” Continuing to watch her television program, Agnes said, “Dunno.” Unsure why he was so curious about her, Alastor continued to press the subject, saying, “Could it be that you have some special ability? I heard some people in town talking about people called energists.” Sighing, Agnes picked up the remote off the table and turned off the television. Picking up her own plates and silverware, she said, “You can at least clean up after yourself right? I’m tired from work, so I’ll set up a place for you to sleep out here and then I’m going to bed.” Staring after her as she took her plates to the sink, Alastor said, “Your actions make it obvious you’re trying to avoid the question. Are you worried about what you mentioned before? That if someone finds out they’ll be afraid of you?” Dumping her plates in the sink with a clatter, Agnes stood there with her back to him as she said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re getting annoying, could you just leave me alone already?” Once again Alastor felt something stirring within him, memories and images he did not recognize, and as a certain memory played through his mind, a young boy being shunned and teased by other children, he asked, “Were you crying earlier because someone treated you unfairly just for being different?”

            Taking a plate out of the sink, Agnes turned and hurled at Alastor as she shouted, “SHUT UP!” As he ducked the plate, it sailed over Alastor’s head and struck the wall, shattering with a loud crash. Looking up to see Agnes standing there breathing heavily, tears in her eyes, Alastor quietly said, “I apologize, I should have realized such questions would upset you.” Glaring at him through her tears, Agnes shouted, “My parents were both energists! When the war ended and energists started getting shipped off to Sanctuaries, they put me up for adoption because they couldn’t afford to feed me anymore! I grew up here with an old man who did nothing but sit around and drink, and then when I was eleven he died and left me to live all by myself! Weird things always happen around me, so time and again the townspeople report me as an energist, but in the end they never pick anything up on the scanners! Just because they don’t want to understand me, I’m the village freak!”

            Dropping to her knees, Agnes started to sob, and Alastor rose from his chair and started to walk over to her. As he approached though, she shouted, “Just stay away! I hate everyone, this whole world is a mistake! People shouldn’t be different, all it does is cause problems! Why can’t everyone just be the same and understand each other without all this bullshit?!” At these words, the feelings and pain returned to Alastor once more, doubt, regret, and fear all consuming him and threatening to choke him to death. Collapsing onto the floor, he clutched his body as it burned with agony, unable to hear Agnes’ concerned voice as memories filled his mind. A voice called out, “People fear what they do not understand. It’s a vicious cycle, but even if they don’t want to understand right now, someday we’ll make them understand!” It was a familiar voice, a voice of someone Alastor felt he could trust unconditionally. It rang out again, saying, “We’re going to take the fate of the world into our hands and change it no matter what the cost, right?” No longer able to bear the pain, Alastor blacked out.

            Awaking the next morning to find himself in Agnes’ bedroom, a small room with two beds and a nightstand, Alastor sat up and clutched his head. He had remembered some of his past now, how he had lost his parents at an early age, how he and his brother Alexander had grown up on the streets, and how they had set out together on a quest to change the world. Yet something was wrong. Even though they had finally opened the door, Alastor could not remember what had laid beyond it. Everything after the seal was broken was nothing but a white blur in his mind. Not to mention Noctivagus, one of mankind’s greatest cities, now laid in ruins, and energists seemed to be facing worse persecution than ever before. Sitting there wondering what could have happened, Alastor muttered, “Where are you Alexander?”

            Noticing Agnes in the sunlight shining in from the window above the nightstand, passed out in one of the wooden chairs she’d brought in from the main room, Alastor simply sat there and stared at her as he wondered what he should do now. Eventually, Agnes opened her eyes, and seeing him sitting there staring at her, she glowered at him and said, “What are you staring at?” Smiling faintly, Alastor said, “Good morning to you too.” Rubbing her eyes for a moment, Agnes muttered, “I spend half the night watching you act like you were gonna die, and now you say it’s a ‘good’ morning? I have to work today you know…” Holding up a hand before him and flexing it, Alastor said, “My apologies. I feel fine now though, and I’ve remembered quite a bit about myself as well.” Surprised, Agnes leaned forward and looked at him expectantly as she said, “Really? So where are you from? What were you doing back in those ruins?” Clenching his hand into a fist, Alastor said, “There’s still a large hole in my memory, and I think I’ll have to find my brother Alexander to fill it in.”

Author's Note

The beginning of Alastor's story, which is split into two sections throughout this volume.