3. A Splitting Memory

The atmosphere is loud as he walks into the bar. His presence doesn't change the mood of the place, and no one even looks at him. The location seems to be the place for all the roughest of crowds.

As Adriene walks in, he notices a man in knee-high black boots and a green overcoat with some stains on it. This face is Garth, my so-called second and best friend, but my mind seemed fuzzy on all the facts. Seeing Adriene, Garth waves him over.

Unable to come to a reasonable excuse why he shouldn't see this so-called friend, Adriene walks over. He has to weave between tables and waitresses serving drinks, but can make to the corner. Walking up to Garth gives him a strange feeling that he can't put his finger on, and decides to let Garth do the talking for now.

"Adriene, what took you so long to get here?" Garth asked as Adriene sat at the booth.

"Little of this and that," Adriene says in a non-committal tone.

"You know what these people are like, not good to keep them waiting," Garth said, looking around. Keep who waiting?

"Are they here?" Adriene asks Garth, as he also begins looking around then stops, thinking better of the action.

"Yes, they will be here soon. You have the package, right?" Garth asked with small beads of sweat forming on his brow, and he began to fidget. What fucking package?

Something tells Adriene to reach in his coat and to feel for a package in his inner pocket. The package feels like some leather pouch with a leather string wrapped around two circles. Whatever is in the bag is a small, round, and hard object.

"Stop moving," Adriene tells Garth. " I have it." Garth visibly settles down.

"You know these people are going to make us rich," Garth said with a greedy smile.

"What do they want with this thing that's gonna make us rich?" Adriene asked, now starting to feel conflicted and understanding what that feeling meant earlier.

"What does it matter. You and I both know that Hysteria Stones can hold the soul of a Witch or Wizard. I would prefer not to know what the Dark Chruch wants with them," Garth said quietly, and he looked at the door again. Hold a soul? This business can't be the type of thing I'm involved in. Does this have a soul in it already?

"Their here," Garth hisses, and Adriene's looks at the door.

Three figures in dark, dusty robes enter the bar. They don't look around; instead, they move straight towards our table. The atmosphere in the bar changes as the three moved toward us. People pull their chairs in, and the waitresses wait for them to pass. Even hardened criminals know their place here and do not challenge the figures.

As they get closer to the table in the far corner, Adriene gets a cold feeling. The sounds of chains are coming from inside the dark figures robes. None of the three showed and gender, and they hid their face in the hoods of the robes. As they approached the table, Garth got up and motioned for Adriene to move over as they sat down, the sounds of chains rubbing rattles as they settle.

"Let me see the Hysteria Stone," a surprisingly normal voice asked. Adriene had assumed a deep or rasping voice to be accompanied by these robes and chains. Not to mention the evil aura that scared these criminals.

Adriene hesitated only for a second, then nodded and reached for the pouch. What am I doing? Why do I feel like I'm in control, but I'm not? As Adriene pulls out the leather pouch and unties it, time starts to slow. His finger slide in the bag, and time completely stops. Adriene's fingers are now touching the stone.

All sounds are gone. Everything, even I am frozen at this time, stop. Then it hits me like a dump truck filled with quantum information. My head feels like it was ripped open. Memories pour into my mind are tearing my consciousness apart, and I can barely stay conscious.

The King and why he was here poured into his mind. I have been sent by his majesty to lure out the ones that started the rebellion. The Dark Church, Evil Mages that desire to rule The Four Point Island and kill The King. I took the body and hijacked the soul of a criminal on death row to expose these traitors. The Hysteria Stone in the pouch contained my soul's primary consciousness, and contact was meant to happen now to give no chance for them to get away. I am Diamond Dust, Soul Knight of His Majesty. None shall escape my King's judgment.

Did I get another person's memories back and loose my third-person view? My head is going to explode soon if this keeps on happening. Am I just some back seat driver that gets to play after the cool movie scenes? I do have to admit, I was getting worried I would be some street thug for hire. Being a hero should be better, right?