12. Lost Soul

Minato jolted awake covered in sweat. He was panting hard and his heart wouldn't stop pounding in his chest. Quickly scanning his surrounding, Minato was somewhat relieved to see that he wasn't in that dark empty room anymore, though he still had no idea where he was.

"What happened? How did I get here?" He asked no one in particular, running his hands through his hair as he sat up.

The last thing he could member was pain, excruciating pain.

The door opened gently and a guy walked in. He had long brown hair that was let down to rest on his shoulders. The droplets of water on his bare chest and shoulder indicted that he had just showered. His chiseled jaw and stubble beard gave him a mature, manly look.

When he saw Minato, his expression softened and he smiled at him.

"Minato kun, you're finally awake!" His voice sounded relieved and also happy as he said hat. He grabbed a stool that was by the door and sat next to him. "Tell me, how do you feel? We did everything we could to neutralize the poison from the dagger but since we couldn't perform a medical appraisal, it's hard to tell if it worked completely."

As Minato listened to the man's voice, he started to remember bits and pieces of what happened to him. Images began flooding his mind like a flashback or a scene from a movie.

'That's right, I was in the desert forest. There was this worm…and a mysterious man saved me.'

He looked at the man next to him again. "I…jichi San?" He asked, unsure if he was the right person. The voice sounded familiar but his face was much calmer than Minato was expecting.

"What? You don't remember me? Do you even remember what happened to you?"

"I…I don't know. I can remember you saying me from a giant worm, then…" He shut his eyes tight trying to organize the various images that were spiraling in his mind.

"Hey, you don't need to strain yourself." He touched Minato's hand gently. "I mean you were able to remember me. I'm sure it's all going to come back to you in a matter of time."

"It feels like there was a fire in my mind, and now it's all clogged with smoke." Minato hated the way he was feeling, not remembering what happened, or how he got to where he was.

"Relax. Do you remember anything before the worm?"

Minato looked up, panic showing in his bright green eyes. He had been so bothered about what happened that he didn't even try to remember anything else.

"What the hell is going on? I feel like I should know what to say but…it's not coming out." He burried his head in his hands in frustration. "What's happening to me?"

"Hey, hey, look at me." Ijichi held his shoulders to keep him in place. "We don't have a professional doctor but my grandma is very skilled in medicine, in fact she's the one that has been treating you while you were unconscious.

She went out with some other women to gather more herbs but once she's back, I will bring her right here to check on you. Okay?"

"O-okay. But what if–"

"Just calm down. I'm going to take good care of you, you're going to be fine."

Minato didn't know why but he believed him. His calm composure managed to get him to calm down as well and he laid back down. "Maybe I just need to rest for a while."

"Okay. Do you need anything? Food or water?"

"Water is fine, thank you."

"Just a minute."

He wasn't gone for more than a minute and Minato was surprised to see him back so fast. "Here you go." He handed him a cup of water.

"Thank you. Hey, earlier you said your grandma took care of me while I was unconscious, and before that you said I was finally awake. How long was I out?"

"Twelve days."

"What?!"

"I was really worried at first because you were so pale, but after the first few days your color started to come back so I was relieved."

"Twelve days." Minato couldn't believe it. So much could and would have happened in that time. "How did I get here?"

"I carried you. Since you remember the giant worm, do you remember any of your conversations?"

"Not at all." He regretfully shook his head. "Although I can't shake the feeling that it was something very important."

"It was, and I bet it'll come back to you soon. But until then, you're free to stay here. In fact, I want you to stay here. You can become a part of the family, and who knows, maybe hearing something here might help refresh your memory."

"Thank you, Ijichi San."

★★★

'It's been twelve whole days and my search for Minato has proved to be nothing but a wasted effort. He was new to this world just like the rest of us, so there's no way he could have gone that far on his own. Or at least, that was what I thought.'

"Miyano Sama?"

"What is it?" Miyano looked up at Mia, a member of his party as she ran up to him.

"I was able to gather some information about the robbery that has been taking place around town. Apparently there was a witness to the last one."

"And where can we find this witness?"

"That part is still unclear. They said she's a young woman who only comes into town for supplies. No one knows where she comes from but they are certain that she's an outsider."

"Okay. Get Itsuki and try to see if you can get a facial description of the witness."

"Of course sir."

"There's somewhere I need to go, let us all meet back at the inn by sundown."

"Understood."

After she left, Miyano headed in the opposite direction. He had heard of a fortune teller that could find anyone you were looking for. Back in his normal world he would have never believed in anything like that, but with the twelve days he had spent in Engrassia, he realized that authoritative was possible.

The place was difficult to locate and when he finally did, he was a bit disappointed to see that it was just a stand by the road. Deciding to cast his doubts aside, Miyano approached the elderly woman at the table.

"Um excuse me?"

"Hero Sama, what brings an important man like you to my little stand?"

The woman wasn't looking at him, and it gave Miyano the impression that she might be blind. "There's someone I need to find."

"Oh? Is this someone close to your heart?"

"I guess so, he and–"

"Hero Sama, I can only find this person if you have a special bond with them. What I do is different from others. I am more concerned about matters that surround the heart. For example, if this person you wish to find is your soulmate, I will find them in no time. The more affection you feel for this person, the easier it will be for me to find them."

"Okay."

He couldn't call Minato his soulmate, that would be weird. But it was true that he cared deeply for him, more than he did with other people. If she needed his love to find Minato, that wouldn't be a problem because he had surplus to give. But he didn't know about Minato.

He knew that he respected him and cared for him to some extent, but he didn't know how much.

"Hero Sama, there is something troubling you. Come closer, let me read your palm."

He did as she said and the woman held on to his right hand. For a brief second it almost looked like her brown eyes were glowing, but it was back to normal before he had the chance to confirm it.

"Hmm, I see you are worrying for this person. You hide a secret from him because you fear he will hate you when he finds out."

Miyano's eyes widened and he quickly retracted his hand from her hold.

With a sly smile, she added. "Do not fret hero Sama, all consultations are extremely private." She paused for a while, then with a more sober expression, she said, "Your chi is restricted and if left unattended to, your yin and yang will lose balance. If that happens, you might not be able to remain the same hero Sama that you are."

"Blocked? Why?"

"Well that is a question only you can answer. But keep in mind, a foggy field cannot offer any good scenery."

Miyano wasn't sure what she meant by that but he decided to cast it aside. "What about the person I'm trying to find?"

"May I see your hand again?" She held his hand and shut her eyes, moving her head around like she was trying to hear something. When she finally opened her eyes, there was an odd expression on her face. "Hmm…" she said, looking directly at Miyano.

"What is it?"

"This person you are trying to find, who is he?"

The question came as a surprise because he never actually thought she would want to know. "W-why? I-Is something wrong?"

"With him? Oh yes, very wrong."

"What?!"

"The presence I sensed could not be that of a human."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"As disappointing as this may sound to you, I cannot find out his location. But this is what I do know; the one you seek is in a place beyond life and death."

"What is– I really don't get it."

"He is neither dead nor alive. His body is here in our world, but his soul has wandered to another."

"Well can't you like, call him back or something?"

"I'm afraid not. This is solely up to him and the ones around him. Depending on how strong he is, he might be able to find his way back, or his soul might be lost forever."