Forgotten

He had turned around when he heard footsteps behind him. He remembered seeing something—then shouting to Luo, "Luo, run! Don't look back!"

But what happened after that… or what he saw… he couldn't remember.

Yuel sat on his bed, deep in thought.

What had happened?

Maybe it was better not to ask questions.

Maybe he shouldn't think about it too much. After all, he was safe at home now, and there was no need to dwell on it.

Why dwell at all? He had forgotten it. Thinking wouldn't help him remember. A detail… wouldn't suddenly appear.

With that, Yuel went downstairs. He glanced up—there was only one window up there, and smoke usually drifted out through it. During the day, beams of sunlight would stream down through it, creating a beautiful display. But now, no light shone through the window or the smoke hole. It wasn't midday. Judging by when he'd woken up, it had to be morning.

He looked around. His house was always messy, but…

"Have I ever made a hammer before?"

...

"I guess I have, because it's right there in front of me."

"Actually, wait, these weapons too—"

"W-wait, what was I saying?"

"..."

"Damn it, I forgot what I was saying. Ugh, maybe I really shouldn't think too much."

"Thinking... never ends well, does it?"

Yuel headed to the cliff he visited every morning, the place that made him feel better.

After a ten-minute walk, he arrived. The view was just as dazzling as every other day.

"If I screamed from here, which Titans would come to kill me, I wonder?"

Normally he would think about it, but today, he wasn't in the mood to think. He was just sticking to his routine.

"If I don't want to think about what Titan might show up, maybe I should just scream and find out."

He smiled at the thought and let himself get lost in the scenery. The day was going like any other.

"Maybe I should make tea, huh?"

...

Wait, what was that voice? He was sure it was his own, but… he hadn't spoken aloud.

"Who are you?"

...

Maybe he was starting to lose it. But still… tea didn't sound so bad. He could find a way to make some. Thinking too hard about that voice didn't make sense anyway. It was probably nothing. Maybe he had hit his head or something. No point in thinking about it.

With those thoughts, Yuel returned home and waited for Luo. Eventually, Luo arrived. Yuel hugged him and played with him for several minutes.

Luo was like an escape from everything—being with him was so much better than thinking.

After a while, staying at home no longer felt as comforting as it usually did. Normally, he liked it, but not today. Today, the house felt less cozy. So he left early to go fishing.

He climbed onto Luo's back and they set off together. Along the way, he saw many flowers and plants—all ones he had seen before, but seeing them this often was unexpected. Fishing actually felt fun for the first time.

Eventually, he reached his favorite fishing spot and spent several minutes catching fish. It was a lucky day; every cast brought a catch. Normally, even three fish would be a lot, but today he caught eight—two of them quite large.

It would be hard to carry all of them, so he gave three small ones and one large one to Luo right away. That was what he usually did when he caught more than he could carry, though even Luo seemed surprised by how many fish there were. Still, he ate them.

Luo was finally beginning to heal. The skin around his skull was starting to regrow over his ears!

So, lots of fish were good for him... Yuel would need to improve his fishing skills.

After fishing, it was time for the second meal.

He took his flask and filled it with ink, then set off for the next meal.

As he walked, a loud sound echoed, and the entire Inksworn Depths lit up. Pools of ink, trees, dim flowers, and bugs too weak to be considered part of any tier became visible.

Yuel rode Luo toward the massive field where he could eat the second meal. He could only eat the fruits there during the day—otherwise, the Watcher would come and kill him.

He had never been caught by the Watcher before...

Why did he feel like something was wrong?

Whatever. He'd never been caught before, and today wouldn't be any different.

He glanced out over the vast fields. The Undergarden didn't always look this beautiful, but when it did... it was truly breathtaking.

The crystals on the ceiling sparkled, creating a visual feast. He could stare at it for hours.

The only problem was knowing that when the lights faded, it would no longer be beautiful. So he had to move quickly.

Yuel ran toward a tree and picked a fruit. It resembled a bunch of grapes fused into a single fruit.

He took a big bite, chewed, then emptied the rest into his hand and stored them in his pocket. He'd find a remote place to dispose of the fruit later—leaving it here would surely alert the Watcher.

After finishing the fruit, Yuel rolled down the grassy hill. The grass was rough, but rolling was fun. The day was going great, and Yuel was happy. No regrets, no bad thoughts.

It felt like he was living safely in his own home, not in the wilds of the Undergarden.

After leaving the meadow, he petted Luo and climbed onto him. Together, they headed home.

On the way back, they stumbled upon the corpse of a Dhune—a giant bug with dozens of legs and a long tail. That tail... wouldn't it make a fine spear?

Yes, he would turn it into a spear. A beautiful, bony spear.

With his dagger—his masterpiece crafted from a Tier 3 Dhune—he cut the tail off the dead bug. He planned to make a long spear with the strength of a Tier 2 Dhune.

He took the tail with him and returned home. Once there, he stored the bone in a corner and took a deep breath.

Just in time. As he caught his breath, darkness suddenly fell, and the lower grounds were once again shrouded in shadow, as they were every day.

This time, he hadn't dropped any seeds—because he was going to make tea. Whatever that weird thing from the morning had been, it didn't matter. The only way to make tea here was to use seeds. There were no other ingredients—just seeds and… ink. Yes, no water. There was no water here.

He took his flask, made from crystals, and filled it with ink on the way home. He placed it on a large rock inside his house and opened the lid.

Then he dropped the seeds in.

Next, he had to heat it. That's how tea worked, right? He had never made it before, only heard about it. But today, the idea popped into his head. Why not?

From what he heard, tea was a relaxing drink.

Luo was still at home, resting in his corner. Yuel didn't like disturbing him, but he couldn't start a fire on his own.

After a few minutes, he finished preparing the tea. He picked up the flask and tried to drink...

"It's unbelievably hot!"

"Ahh! My tongue is burning!"

"Who even likes tea?! This is awful! What part of this is relaxing???"

He didn't like the tea. He stepped outside and poured it out. His tongue was burnt. Drinking ink would probably be better right now. If he could find a cold spring, that would be ideal.

So he left Luo at home and went alone to the lake. While he was there, he might as well take a bath.

That hot tea had wrecked his tongue, and he didn't want the heat to spread through his body. Unlike tea, a bath would actually relax him—even if it was in an ink lake possibly inhabited by leviathans. As long as he stayed at the edge and remained alert, he could bathe safely.

Also, the water was cold, but he was used to cold baths.

When he reached the lake, he started running and jumped in.

"Cold lake... definitely more relaxing than tea."

Yuel felt refreshed and sat there, enjoying the calm atmosphere...

Only after a few minutes did he realize his mistake. He had forgotten to take off his clothes.

Thankfully, he was alone. If anyone had seen him, he would have died of embarrassment. But there was no one else here, so this would remain his secret forever.

Just as Yuel was about to remove his soaked robe, he noticed something—on the left side of his body, stretching from his collarbone to his left ear... was that a tattoo?

He immediately took off the rest of his clothes, leaving only the simple black leather pants he wore underneath.

A long line and spirals ran from his collarbone to his ear. The spirals looped around his ear several times, forming meaningful shapes. And on top of the markings, right over his left collarbone, four letters were written: "whi-is-pe-er" — Whisper.

They taught Runic language to kids in school, and Yuel had lived like a normal child until he was eight. Well, maybe not totally normal, but he still learned Runic.

In Runic, this word had many meanings. Sometimes, it referred to the paralyzing, terrifying, false voices your mind created as you descended into madness. Other times, it meant divine whispers that led people to the right path.

Which one would it be for him, he wasn't sure...

But if he had received a Bloodscript, that meant he had experienced a strong enough emotional surge to awaken it. And those surges usually came from intense collapses or traumas like losing a family member.

Had he ever experienced such trauma?

He couldn't remember. But as far as he knew, he didn't have this yesterday. So either it happened today, or last night, or...

He shouldn't think about it...

Wouldn't it be better to just live a simple, safe life in his simple little home?

Maybe...

Maybe he should try activating his power.

He reached his right hand over his back and tried to touch it. He felt a different texture.

The moment he touched it, something rippled inside him.

...

Suddenly, he found himself alone in an endless void of black.

In front of him stood someone else.

Another Yuel.