7.Memory That Never Existed?

A man with a familiar mark on his wrist was playing with baby in his hands, rising the child up and down and playing peek-a-boo. The child's warm and genuine laugh overwhelmed the man joy and passion.

In a house where candles were the only light, the man mentioned a name of a familiar phrase.

And in the darkness, two men had a private conversation, looking at the child with the man who was holding him. One of them handed a burning iron, and both of them then stood up approaching the baby that have been placed comfortably in a cloth on a table.

The child smiled innocently and clueless, laughed like everything was fine but as soon as the hot iron touched his skin, he screamed in pain, crying as he felt the agonizing pain on his skin. The child struggled and begged for the excruciating ache to stop as it throbbed even after the iron was removed from him, leaving a stigma on his arm.

The merciless man who gave the metal to burn the baby's arm rested his arm around the neck of the man who just shed the same tears as the baby in agony, "It will be fine." He says.

Kasel then wakes up from the dream, rolls on his side and jumps backwards instantly in shock as soon as he saw Loo staring at him as he eats his bread. "AHH!!!" He shouts.

"Shh!" Esme hisses at him quiet, afraid that the others might hear them if he's too loud. "Silence, please." she says as she sits down and wipe her bow with cotton. "Having some nightmares? Anyway, I noticed you frowning on our way back here, I thought you were having fun."

"You heard about the training they promote back in Malau, right? " Kasel asks.

"Yes, and i figure it out, they will train the hunters base on their weapon, if you use bows and arrows they will train you how to master it, but you will be ranked based on your performance and if you will not die."

"No, they will train you and put money to defeat you-how dare they-." Kasel madly says."Greed, always being top of it's nature."

"And how do we get out here?, i mean alive?."

"We need to go, we must find a way out and all we can do is wait for the oppurtunity to do it." Kasel added while he stood up and grab a bread.

"And how about the main reason why we got here?." Esme asks again as she finishes her wiping and starts eating.

"You found him already." Loo suddenly interupts that surprises Esme.

"You both stay here and ill go find him." Kasel says while preparing his effects.

"What? wait, you saw him too?." Esme asks once again.

"I need to hurry." Kasel quickly opened the door, and got out.

"Wait, where did you see him Loo?." Esme again asks.

Loo stood up inv the bed and acts like the guy with the battleaxe. "Raaawwr." swings his hand and acts like he caught the arrow.

"What?." Esme again.

Kasel found himself like a dorm which lots of doors. He don't know where to find Montul, and goes out of the place.

He just walks in the corridor and found a way out to the yard.

Then he saw a lot of hunters in diffierent tribes training in the yard with all the heat of the sun, shooting arrows, sword slashing on the dummies it's like a gym of the modern world.

One of the royal hunters bumped into him and asks. "You are the one with the woman whovfight yesterday isn't it?, what are you doing? you won't train? are you confident with yourself already? do you know that this is the training ground and if you stand still like that you will be in trouble, the thirst if these man is a bit cruel."

"Umm.. i just.."

Another hunter interupts and asks the royal hunter that he will take care of him. "I'm sorry. This guy is with me, I train with him." The hunter says. The royal hunter hesitates at first but then walks away after giving the stick, giving him the permission to guard Kasel and Esme just like he asked. As soon as the royal hunter left, he faces to Kasel immediately. "I'm sorry, come with me." He says as he pointed to Kasel.

Kasel follows him, leaving Esme and Loo behind. The hunter warns Kasel and asks to casually look behind them to make sure no one will see them together. In his curiosity, he found themselves in a secret door behind a wall that needs a secret button to press for it to open. Both of them instantly gets inside only to find another wall on the other side, and once again, another wall when it opened by the same process. Kasel wonders how and why there was such passage in an arena but then realizes that the place was huge enough for hidden rooms like this one.

They got inside the secret room but it is too dark to see anything. However, they are aware that there will be people hidden in the shadows to attack anyone who trespasses the place.

"It's me Calis." Calis says and the candles were lighted.

The light then filled the whole room, revealing the faces of the men inside like the meeting had just finished and Kasel was surprised to see the man he's been looking for. He finally found Montul.

"You fight well Kasel but you lack strength." Montul did not even bother greeting and that was his first phrase to Kasel.

"Seriously, how'd you get here?" Kasel says as he make a wondering face. "And what is this place, by the way? A secret dungeon for revolution?" He added.

The people around look at him with anger blaring in their eyes, ready to start another fight.

"Is he with us? We must do something to him before he tells someone about this Union." a random hunter says.

"Union?" Kasel wonders in confusion.

"A revolution-like union, it is. However, we just need to get the city. The only problem is that the guards pass the gate won't let us out without permission." Karl explains.

"Wait, okay, first, what happened to you, old Boy? How did you get here? Secondly, who is this guy? And why is he with you? This man looks like from Boong." Kasel asks continuously, but there is still a lot of questions in his head that are left unanswered.

"We tried to get the truth about this city. We will unravel the truth someday and began a coup' d'état." Karl answers in a very calm tone.

"The truth has been revealed, obviously, or is it just me who saw it?" Kasel says but still wondering.

"No, the truth about that wealthy man in this city, he must be hiding something." Montul answers as well deliberately.

"Ummm... I think it's the city itself is what he was hiding, I mean look at the wall just before the city." Kasel sarcastically says.

"What?" Calis asks as he tilt he's head looking at Kasel.

"The truth about the most ruthless creature." Karl viciously says.

The people around begin to listen carefully to what he about to say. But just when Karl was about to say something, he gets cut off by the crowd in the arena as it suddenly cheers loudly once again.

"I see we don't have a chance to talk about it, we must gather here again before dusk, hurry before the guards will patrol around."

Calis quickly opened the door and blew the candle off. The people then run back to their rooms leaving Kasel and Montul who's having a bit conversation while calmly walking to their rooms.

"Why did you find me?" Montul aasks. "I know you want something."

"I'm searching for the truth, too."

"About the mark?"

"Yeah, that too."

"Your father left that there."

"I dreamt about it again."

"I told you, you can't be dreaming about it. You were still a newborn child that time. An infant." Montul debated but Kasel didn't mind.

"Tell me about the man who gave him that metal iron. The one my father used to stigmatize my arm." Kasel asks seriously as they walk to their cells.

"I didn't know but I think it's your 'vivid' memory that never existed." Montul replies as he was skeptical about the dream Kasel talks about.

Just when Kasel was about rebut, they heard a sound of weapons creaking coming from behind. Then they instantly turn to the corner where their rooms are.

"Damn it." Kasel hisses.

"Prepare for the next fight " Montul says lastly before going in to his room.