The Villagers' Rebellion (3)

"So, what's your name?" The young girl asked.

"It's Tain Aried Polarias…or just Tain for short. How about you?"

"It's Lily!" She responded energetically.

An hour had already passed after Lily departed from Andre's house. Currently, Tain is still sitting in Lily's bed, and introducing himself officially to her. Her presence alone gave off extreme extroverted vibe that made Tain feel a bit overwhelmed and uncomfortable. But still, she saved him so he couldn't just dismiss her without exchanging a few words.

"So, you're a noble, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"That must be awesome! Being the son of a noble must be fun, considering just how much wealth you have…But how did you end up in a near-death experience?"

"Please don't ask me that…it's…not something I wish to remember."

Tain desperately wanted to seal the memory of when he hugged his brother's decapitated head. Although he acted fine, and happy while conversing with Lily earlier—he was in fact barely holding himself from going insane with sorrow.

He knew that just for a moment—if he ever decided to let his guard down—tears of melancholy would stream down his face uncontrollably. Thus, he suppressed his emotions not just for his sake, but also for Elena's.

Just for once, he wanted to no longer be a burden for Elena—considering just how much she had sacrificed for his safety, as well as just how little he contributed during the time he, Elena and Dilet attempted to escape the estate unscathed. Tain recognized what kind of failure he truly was. He simply wishes to be useful for once to those whom he cherished.

"Well, if it's a sensitive topic, I won't bother then."

…

Elsewhere,

"Who exactly is the village elder?" Elena questioned Andre.

Located in the living room of Andre's humble abode—Elena is intrigued with her current whereabouts, and the important people she may need to pay attention to in the near future. In an attempt to satiate her curiosity, she had decided to ask Andre the questions that have been dwelling within her mind as he is the only friendly native she knows other than his wife, daughter and Lily.

"The village elder is the one who leads the villagers. He's the person with the most authority around here, and the ruler of the village." Andre answered.

"I see. And what is the current age of the village elder? As well as the time he started reigning this town."

"Somewhere around 70 to 78 if I remember. He has been in rule for a tad bit over 30 years."

"To be able to keep his position for such a long period of time…I assume he possesses many strong supporters and charismatic skills. Still, there's something I have been most curious about."

Elena stared straight into Andre's eyes as she opened her lips.

"What is his name?"

"His name is…well…hold on…"

Andre looked through all of the precious memories he had made along the years—searching for the one that is able to provide Elena with the correct answer.

Yet no matter how far he took a trip down his memory lanes—the name of the village elder never popped into his mind. It is almost as if his name was…erased.

"...Is something wrong?" Elena asked as she saw Andre looking a bit terrified and baffled.

"N-No, everything is alright. The name of the village elder is…I'm sorry, Elena. But I don't remember."

"You don't…remember? He's undoubtedly the one who stands at the top of the hierarchy system in the village yet his name…you are unable to recall it?"

"Yes…Even I don't understand. I'm not the one to easily forget even the tiniest of details…but his name…as ridiculous as this sounds, it feels like it has been wiped from my mind."

"I suppose I will ask your wife when she comes back from shopping… On a side note, what about her name?"

"Well, her name is…her name is…what the…"

Andre was petrified as he could not only recall the village elder's name, but also his beloved wife's name. The woman whom he had spent most of his life with. The woman he had proposed to, and had a beautiful child together with. His lovely wife…what is her name?

"Am I…going crazy?" He mumbled beneath his breath.

"Andre?" Elena called to him—catching a panicked look he had scrawled on his face for just a few seconds.

"Elena…I think I'm gradually losing my memories. I…don't remember her name either. The woman whom I had wed…The woman I had sworn to stay with for the rest of my life…The mother of my daughter. Why…why can't I remember!?"

Andre began hyperventilating. Beads of sweat trickled down his neck—a distressed expression etched onto his face as he gripped his head tightly—giving all he had to offer as he forced himself to bring back the memories he had forgotten.

To his dismay however, his endeavors were deemed to be futile as those moments have seemingly dissipated from his brain long ago.

A long, exasperated sigh escaped Andre's throat as he felt infuriated, but also anxious for the exact reason he is unable to figure out the two most important people he knew about.

"...Let's put their names aside for now. Why don't you tell me the list of names you still remember?" Elena proposed.

Andre smiled slightly and nodded—feeling a bit happy at Elena's consideration. Soon, he started listing the names he knew—which was unexpectedly small.

"So, there's Jacob, the person you fought earlier. Alice, my daughter. Lily, the village elder's adopted daughter and the one who healed you…Those are all."

Andre was in disbelief. He—renowned for his great memory and sense of humor—does not know the names of more than half the entire village despite how long he had spent his time living here.

'This…doesn't make sense…'

Again and again, he forced himself to dig deeper into this mind—to reawaken memories that may have been lost throughout his entire lifetime. Suddenly, an unfamiliar memory resurfaced within his head.

'When was this…?' Andre pondered.

For as long as he has lived—not once has he ever had a picnic together with his beloved wife—outside of the village's perimeters.

In this particular memory of his—the both of them looked much younger and his wife's hair were much lengthier than currently—even though she had never cut her hair before…at least as far as he is aware of.

Andre felt unfamiliar with this new piece of information, yet nostalgic at the same time. He is unsure whether to believe this uncertain memory of his to be a real event, or simply a fake memory his mind conjured out of desperation.

Before he could dig further for the truth however—a loud knock interrupted his concentration.

"Andre! The village elder is waiting for you now!" The voice shouted from the other side.

Andre let out a sigh before turning his attention to Elena.

"Let's go now…"

"Certainly." She replied while nodding her head.

…

"L-l-let go o-off m-me!" Lily screamed in fear.

Presently, Lily is inside of one of the villagers' houses—surrounded by 12 men. Her hands and legs are tied up in a rope but she still struggles with all of her might to escape this horrible circumstance.

The eyes of her kidnappers held barely any emotions—as if they had long died. They were also eerily quiet—as if being in a vegetative state. She had already cried out for help multiple times but no one came in the end.

'Please…someone…anyone…save me.'

…