Chapter 2 - Farm Days

After deciding on this endeavor, they started lunch. The food was simple, and the kids ate in silence for a change. After finishing, Alexander proposed to wash the dishes, to which Tom agreed, saying something in the lines of:

"The guest was served and fed and now decided to thank for the food by washing the dishes. I am flattered."

After cleaning the plates, Alexander went outside and offered his help on the harvest.

"Sure thing, if you want to stay here, then you are welcome to help but don't feel pressured; this situation is just until you recover your memories." Answered Tom.

"Sure, I'll start right away." Alexander headed straight to the fields, where the kids were hastily cutting wheat with a scythe. When they saw their guest coming their way, their smiles broadened.

"Hey, mister! Did you come to help?" Asked Terri.

"Yeah, do you need me to do anything?" Answered the man.

"Sure, let me teach you what you need to know!" The kids then proceeded to show Alexander how to reap and sow the land properly, feed cattle, and herd sheep. They seemed like they were having a blast. They were constantly jumping and running around laughing happily.

Their tour went on for the whole day. When night fell, they returned home, just in time to see a man in brown robes loudly shouting towards Tom, who pleaded with a beaten face.

"You better find a way to get the money, or I'll evict you for sure!"

"I will, mister Richard. I am very sorry."

"You better be!" The man angrily turned around to see Alexander holding the hands of Terry and Tinna. "And who is that one with the two rats?!"

"That man is a traveler. I found him knocked out near the cliff. He seems to have lost his memories."

"So you're sheltering another person? That will be an extra fee of eighteen coppers, Mister Tom."

"Please spare me. I can't get that money even if I work to death!"

"Not my problem. Or you get it, or you expel this man. I will give you half a month to collect the money. Bear in mind that I am acting very generously." Richard smiled deviously.

Gritting his teeth, Tom shook his head vigorously.

"Thank you! I'll get the money."

With a cheeky laugh, Richard left, the concerned children ran towards their kneeled father. Who patted their head with a gentle smile.

"Will everything be alright?" Asked Tinna.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine." Said Tom, and from the point of view of Alexander, it sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "We should head inside. It seems like a storm is coming."

They agreed briefly and holed themselves in for the night.

They all went to their beds, but Alexander could not bring himself to sleep. He had a bad feeling about all this. He calmed himself down and told himself that it was just on his head until he finally slept.

Early in the morning, he awoke with water droplets falling on his face and the sounds of a storm outside. He stood up and walked to the living room where Tom played with the kids, running through the house nonstop.

When it happened, fast as a thought, Terry bumped his feet on the edge of the table, which flipped it and went directly towards his head.

Luckily Tinna reacted quickly enough and grabbed the table in mid-air, a millimeter away from her brother's face.

Firstly Tom went running to see if everything was okay then he sighed profoundly saying:

"Terry, you need to be more cautious. You almost got hurt. What if Tinna wasn't fast enough?"

"Sorry, father... thank you, sister."

"It was nothing, brother." Responded Tinna timidly.

At this time, Alexander asked, astonished.

"What just happened? How are you that strong, little Tinna?"

"I am a cultivator mister Felix." Said the girl proudly.

"Cultivator? What is that?" Asked Alexander, flabbergasted.

"You don't know, mister? Cultivators are the strongest people in the entire world. My dream is to become the strongest cultivator the world has ever seen! How do you think the table flew that high when I bumped in it?"

"That sounds nice... Mister Tom, are you a cultivator?"

"Oh no, that is too hard for me. I don't mind being a normal person."

Scratching his chin, Alexander finally asked. "How does one become a cultivator?"

"Did you like it, mister? Let me show you!" Terry chirped. "Sit on the ground crosslegged."

Obediently Alexander sat on the ground and closed his eyes.

"Now imagine the safest place you can ever think in your life. This process is essential. It will be that place that you will remember every time that you cultivate. It is your spiritual world."

Doing what Terry told him, Alexander found himself on a vast hailstorm in front of him, a gigantic iron wall, unimaginably large, thick, and tall. He felt like he was about to freeze on the spot. There was a comparably big gate on the colossal structure, which was tightly shut, around it, titanic chains wrapped themselves, and on the middle of those, an enormous lock bound all in one.

"You should have found yourself in a cozy place. Look outside. There is a snowstorm that is raw power. Cultivating is using the energy of the snow outside to strengthen and change the place."

Which a shacky voice, Alexander said.

"I can see the place, but it is locked, and I am outside... please help me, I am freezing."

"What, how can this be possible? You should be inside!"

"Something is wrong, Terry. Grab a blanket! He is cold as ice!"

Terry panicked and ran towards the bedroom, grabbing a handful of blankets and throwing them on Alexander.

"Try to imagine yourself back at the house."

"I'm trying... so cold." Alexander used all his mental strength to leave the snowing nightmare when he did. Three words appeared on his mind, "Gate of Despair."

"What was that?" Asked Terry out of breath.

"I... don't know, I felt like the place did not welcome me there and refused to let me in."

"Alright, if that's the case, refrain from cultivating. Become stronger is not the only thing that moves oneself." Said Tom.

"You're right. What do you usually do on stormy days?"

"We still need to take care of the animals. Other than that, we'll need to wait for some time to sell our products in the village." Said Tinna.

Alexander proceeded to help with all that he could, still not able to shake away an ominous feeling that lingered since he tried cultivating.