Chapter Text
Canalbrine was a calm place. Indeed, Castti enjoyed the ocean air she had awoken to after leaving the boat that had saved her. And yet, leaving it felt freeing. Beneath her feet, the path seemed to welcome her presence. Had she walked on it before, with others? She wished she could remember.
Retrieving the map she had found crumpled at the bottom of her bag, she saw she was heading south, to Hinoeuma. The kind sailor from Canalbrine had told her that there were eight regions of Solistia, Hinoeuma being one of them. The closest town seemed to be Ryu —
She grunted as a horned and shelled arachnid scratched her leg. She pulled out her axe and sliced the monster into two, making sure to keep the beast’s fluids away from her map. She only had one, after all. What a mess.
Kicking the body away, she noted that there was lots of sand, which was an understatement: she was in a desert. It was little wonder the Canalbrians were hesitant about discussing Hinoeuma; it seemed utterly abandoned, and she was sure any cries for help would be lost in the winds.
Not that she needed any, of course. She somehow still remembered how to read the stars and the sun, and she continued on her way to Ryu, stopped occasionally by monsters that only had time to snarl in her face before facing their demise.
Ryu was not as nice.
For one, it was almost deserted (she noted the pun before she could stop herself, a habit she didn’t know how she had picked up). There were a few pathetic stalls and stands run by exhausted-seeming people, and still, there was a lot of sand. Castti wanted nothing more than to rest her feet and lie down in an inn, but after seeing the price for a bed, she deemed another night by a campfire would suffice.
She was about to visit Ryu’s armorer when she heard shouting to her right. A young man dressed in red robes with a long black ponytail stood against a crowd of agitated thugs, his hand resting on his (rather impressive) sword. “I don’t want any trouble,” he said, his voice smooth yet firm, and so very young. He couldn’t be older than twenty five or so. Despite his youth, he seemed oddly confident against the grown men, and he made no move to back away or instigate a fight between them. She only noticed the two trembling villages behind him when they sprinted away before the thugs could reach them. Had he been protecting them?
“Shut up and die!” one brute roared, charging at the man with a spear. He blocked it quickly; she hadn’t even seen him unsheathe his sword. The other men followed suit, shouting and spitting and slicing the air, missing the man completely. She saw the man’s face glisten with sweat, his brow furrowed in concentration. She knew how difficult it was to take on multiple opponents single handedly.
She also was not one for simply standing back and watching.
Within moments, the men were on the ground, some unconscious and others with wide eyes. Castti reached into her pack for a clean cloth to wipe her bloodied axe. The man sheathed his sword and turned to her, his eyes bright and oh-so young.
“Thank you for your assistance, miss…?”
“Castti. Castti Florenz.”
“It is a pleasure to encounter one as skilled as you.” Oh, but his tongue was as formal and smooth as his clothes. “I am Prince Hikari of Ku.”
A prince? In this rundown town? She examined the gold flourishes on his robes, the pure metal his blade carried. She supposed a prince could run around as much as he would like, and he was not at all the unpleasant asshole she had expected royalty to be, although she had no idea where that notion had come from. She yearned for her memories.
“May I ask what business you have in Ryu? This place does not exactly gain many tourists.” He glanced at the innkeeper, an old man who appeared to be the only one relatively happy in his town. The pitiful amount of townspeople seemed either sick or wary of herself and Hikari, sneaking glances at the duo and murmuring amongst themselves.
“I am headed to Sai. I’m…” Castti swallowed, thinking of how to describe meeting her mysterious encounter in Canalbrine. “…visiting a friend.”
“Oh!” Hikari’s eyes brightened even further, if possible. “You’re a traveler, then? Do you mind if I join you on your journey?”
She blinked. “Where are you headed?”
“I am going to Montwise, but it lies in the Eastern Continent, and, well…” He paused, biting his lip. “I am accustomed to traveling with others. Friends, allies. But because of my brother Mugen, I lack any. He has placed a bounty on my head and deemed me a traitor to Ku.” His fists clenched at his sides, one still resting on his sword. He swallowed, forcing himself to relax. “I would greatly appreciate it if you allowed me to join you.”
Distantly, Castti felt a push in the back of her mind, if that was the right word for it. It felt like a nudge from a memory that she couldn’t recall. Something about traveling together, or being in a group. Had she had friends, allies, people she could trust and laugh with? Something about Hikari’s words were ringing bells that she couldn’t hear, but few others had made those bells ring. Malaya had, and she was the reason she was journeying in the first place. If Hikari could help her regain her memories, perhaps it would be beneficial to travel together. And there was something about his sparkling eyes full of hope despite seeing a brutal, battered world that made her think that she could make a new friend, one untethered from her past.
“The honor would be mine, Prince Hikari,” she said, and as expected, his face lit up. Being a prince, he did not beam widely, but his small, genuine smile gave her the same effect; it felt like being hit by a ray of unadulterated sunshine.
“Thank you, Castti. And please, just Hikari is fine. None of my friends or allies need call me by my title. Respect should be mutual, after all.”
“Well, Hikari, I think this is going to be fun.”
They agreed on heading to Sai first, seeing as Hikari lived in Hinoeuma for his whole life and had never explored anywhere else, thus being an expert in the region. He had been a surprisingly helpful companion. Both seemed inclined to minimal discussion, and both were skilled at fighting monsters. She had offered him the map, but he, very politely, declined, saying that he knew Hinoeuma like the back of his hand. (He did not actually say those words, but in his princely essence, that was the gist.) When they camped in the desert, Castti cooked for them and Hikari often opted to stay up at night to watch for dangers.
During these nights by the crackling campfire, Hikari shared his tale in detail. He talked of his friends, a stubborn girl named Rai Mei and of his childhood ally Ritsu Mishuyo. He talked of his father, who had recently attempted to change his ways, but little of his mother except that he had loved her more than anyone. He talked of his civilian friends as his equals, of their unjust deaths caused by Mugen. Castti expected one faced with all this tragedy would become vengeful, obsessed with revenge, but Hikari seemed rather calm. No, that wasn’t right. He was…somber. Not a man eager to kill the tyrant king of Ku, but a boy who had lost far too much desperate to keep what he had left. In any case, he was somehow still kind, and oh so young. Something fierce burned within her chest when she thought of how alone he must be.
She said something of it once, during one of those nights. He had given her his usual small smile yet shook his head. “You are mistaken; I am not alone, for I am traveling with you. And I have more friends I have yet to reconnect with. If anything, the one alone would be you, although I hope you consider me a friend as well.”
“Of course I do,” she said far too quickly. “But I am not…”
Her mind flashed, and suddenly she was next to a handful of people dressed in the same blue apothecary robes as herself. They were laughing, smiling, nodding at her. She was laughing too. Who were they? Why did they look at her like…ilke she was their friend, despite the atrocities they had supposedly committed?
“Castti?” Hikari was in front of her, staring at her with a bewildered expression. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, thank you. I…I just remembered something. I think.” She had told him a little bit about her case of amnesia. She had been cautious and hesitant at first, but upon seeing his willingness to share anything with her, be it food, water, or his past, she had loosened her lips. Slightly. All he knew was that she woke up on a boat with a bag containing a flower, her name, and a diary without knowing how she had gotten there or any memory of her past life. He did not need to know, at least at the moment, that Eir’s Apothecaries were cruel, or so the townspeople at Canalbrine believed. Surely her past could not be as tragic as Hikari’s, that she knew. Or hoped.
“Was it a good memory?”
She nodded. “Yes. I think I remembered some friends.”
That word seemed to be a soft spot for him, for he smiled brightly in that humble manner of his. “Then that is wonderful news. I am sure you will remember everything soon.”
Sai was much more lively than Ryu, but that meant very little. In comparison to any other town, such as Canalbrine, Sai appeared an impoverished place that attempted to cover up its poverty by shoving it off to the side. Already, it gave Castti a bad feeling. Hikari seemed even more pensive than usual, seeming to remember things or people that weren’t there anymore.
“Help!” She turned, seeing a young woman with dark hair. “Someone, anyone! My friend is wounded. Someone, help him!”
Two Sai residents followed her quickly. She turned back to Hikari. “What’s going on?”
He grimaced. “I am assuming this is about the war.”
“War?”
“Sai has been at war for many years, on and off. I have lost many friends and allies to it. My father conquered Sai years ago, and its people have suffered under Ku’s neglectful hand. U used to control it until the Empire of U fell. The latest war, I have heard, is a fight between Sai’s rebellion and Timberain’s army.” He bent his head, perhaps with regret. “I am sure Mugen enjoys Sai’s violence. The end seems out of reach.”
“I see.” She supposed that was why the residents seemed so unhappy. And impoverished, with most or all of its money going to its neverending wars. “Where might I find the woman who was shouting earlier?”
“I assume she went to the hospital. I know where that is.”
As they walked, Castti spoke. “Have you been here before?”
“A few times. I doubt there is anyone left who knows me.”
They stopped at a hovel at the northwest of town and entered one of the white tents. A grizzled man with long brown hair and beard towered over the soldiers lying on the mats. A sole apothecary skittered about, trying to tend to the large amount of men. No one healer could possibly cure an entire army in a short amount of time, especially those severely wounded. The man glared. “How long’re you slouches plannin’ on lazing around?” he scowled. “You know the rules: You don’t work, you don’t eat.”
The soldier on the ground groaned in pain in response. The apothecary tentatively approached the man, who must be their general. “Master Edmund, please, I’ve only just staunched his wounds—”
“Spare me the sob story, bonemender. A man’s gotta be strong if he wants to make it in this world. Gotta be a provider, y’get me?” He leered in her face, causing her to shrink back. “You don’t work, you don’t eat. No excuses.”
Castti had enough. “Excuse me, but if I may intrude?”
“Haven’t seen you around here before. You got a problem with me, speak up.”
She did not back down from his glare. “Injuries need time to heal. He cannot work in this condition. He requires rest now. Exertion will cause his wounds to reopen, putting his very life at risk.”
The wounded soldier below them twisted to face them. “Boss…I…I can’t…”
Master Edmund scoffed. “Tch. Worthless. This is a waste of my time! Listen up, all of you! You got backbone, you come with me!”
He moved towards the exit flap, pushing Castti aside. “Outta my way. Don’t bother me unless you can hold a sword.”
Behind her, Hikari gripped his, but Castti shook her head at him as Master Edmund and a few of his men left. Violence would only make this worse, and Sai clearly had seen more than enough of it to last lifetimes.
“Thank you,” the apothecary said, halting Castti’s thoughts. “For before. Miss…?”
“Castti. I’m a traveling apothecary. May I offer my assistance?”
“It would be most welcome. There’s more hurts here than I can tend alone.” That much was obvious from the woman’s eyebags and sweat, indicating that she had been working for far too long.
“Hikari, you can help too,” Castti said. “This will go by much faster if all three of us work together.”
“But I do not know—”
“I will help you.” She placed some herbs in his hand, closing his fingers around them. “From what I have seen in our travels and battles, you have healing hands. You would make a great healer, if I grant you the knowledge.”
He bent his head, and she wondered what exactly that gesture was supposed to mean. “Thank you, Castti. I would be honored to learn.”
It took a while, but all of the soldiers had been tended to. Mostly the two apothecaries, but Hikari had helped wrap some wounds. With a little more practice, he would make a wonderful medic with the precision of a warrior but the kindness of a healer.
“We’ve done what we can,” the apothecary said.
“It’s still too early to rest on our laurels. We’ll need to burn the candle at both ends tonight.”
“Aye,” the woman nodded, and then stared intently at Castti. “Hold on. I was too busy to give you a good look earlier, but…we’ve met before, haven’t we?”
Castti, in turn, stared at the woman. Nothing about her looked familiar. “You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t recall. I’ve…lost my memories.”
“I see.”
The woman seemed like someone who would know something about her, so Castti pressed on. “I’ve been retracing my past, trying to discover who I am.”
She was right, for the woman said, “In that case, it’s my turn to help you. Ask me anything. I’ll be glad to answer.”
“Thank you. My first question is one I should have asked before, but…what is your name?”
The woman laughed. “I’m Mao.”
Mao…Something about her name…
A flash, and Castti was in the past again.
She was walking towards Sai’s hospital. The people she had remembered before, fellow Eir’s Apothecaries, were helping wounded soldiers outside of the hovel. She heard Mao’s voice asking who they were.
She was surprised when her own voice answered. “Eir’s Apothecaries. We’re here to help.” To her side was Malaya, and a warmth filled her chest.
“Eir’s Apothecaries?” Mao said.
“Chief!” one of her apothecaries called. He was a man with thick black hair tied back, and he was the tallest one there. She expected one of the other apothecaries to reply.
“I’ve done what I’ve could,” Malaya said. “The rest is up to you, Chief Castti.”
What?
WHAT?
She had led the Apothecaries? But then, with their bad reputation in Canalbrine…what had happened? This memory must have been before whatever the tragedy was. Perhaps she was only the chief in Sai, but not by Canalbrine? Or perhaps she was the evil leader after all, and she would remember painful memory after painful memory, but then, why did she still know how to heal? Perhaps it wasn’t her, but as the leader, the chief, shouldn’t she be responsible for any of her apothecary’s actions?
Once more, Hikari was in front of her, calling out her name. She blinked, and brushed him off. “I’m back, I’m here.”
He looked relieved. Mao gave her a worried glance. Castti looked around, realizing they were outside of the hovel, and Mao explained. “You started walking outside, like you were in a trance.”
“Mao…when did I last come here?”
“It was four years ago, if I recall. Not long after the fighting began. You arrived as the head of your apothecaries to offer aid to our wounded.”
How was it possible that Eir’s Apothecaries were monsters in Canalbrine’s eyes but saviors in Sai’s?
“Mender!” A townsperson ran up to them. “There are more wounded on the front lines!”
“Take me to them,” Castti said before Mao could respond. “I’ll see to their hurts.”
“Wait! There’s no need to risk your life for us,” Mao said. “You’re here to reclaim your lost memory, right?”
“I am, but healing those in need is my mission and my creed. You leave the front lines to me and see to things here.”
“But—”
“Have no fear,” Hikari said. “We will be fine.”
The apothecary gave them one last worried glance before nodding. They followed the man out to the front lines, out of Sai and close to—
“Sandflow Pass,” Hikari said. “Be careful.”
He did not elaborate, only adding to her worries.
They reached the campsite, where Master Edmund was laughing among his less enthused men. She didn’t have time for this. “I heard there were injured. Where are they?”
“Hah! None here. Not on our side, anyway.”
“Was there some mistake? A messenger came speaking of wounded.”
“Yeah, there’re wounded. Enemies. I’d planned to really show them what for today, so we set up a little ambush when, what d’ya know! Huge patch of quicksand appears right as they were marching over. The fools all got swallowed up by the sands! Gulp! Ha! Serves ‘em right. I could get used to this: victory without even drawing my sword.” The longer he laughed, the tighter Hikari’s grip became on his hilt. Master Edmund appeared to be a master of wasting time. She moved past him.
“Woah there! Leaving so soon?” he called.
“Of course. There are people in need of my aid, and so to their aid I go.”
He didn’t try to stop her from leaving, but Hikari glanced behind him. “He’s following us.”
“Let him. He’ll have to face a wrathful apothecary and a skilled warrior prince.”
“ This ,” said Hikari as they ran. “Is Sandflow Pass. There are many pits of quicksand, and many poisonous monsters. The men from Timberain must have not known that. They could be anywhere here, buried in sand.”
“Hello!” she called. “Is anyone there? Please shout if you can hear me!”
For a moment, there was nothing but the wind. Then, she heard someone grunting. Before she could move, she heard the loud footsteps of a certain grizzled man. “Found you! You move fast, girl!”
“And you are slow, old man,” Hikari muttered.
“Quiet!” She closed her eyes, listening to the wind again. And again, she heard the grunt of pain. “That way!”
She ran with Hikari, ignoring Master Edmund’s “Hey!”
There were bodies.
Two soldiers were sitting somewhat upright, but their two companions were either unconscious or dead. By the stench of it, at least one of them had died.
“Please…help me!” one of the two conscious ones said. “I can’t move!”
“It will be all right! Don’t move!”
“Hurry! Before it gets back!”
“Before what comes back?” Hikari asked as she approached the soldier. Both of the conscious men seemed terrified of something. Were they attacked? Clearly not by Master Edmund or his men, the former standing right behind her. He was rather obvious, whether it was his heavy panting or his clumsy footfalls.
Whatever the case, the soldiers were likely to freeze to death before anything. “You there!” she shouted at Master Edmund. “Yes, you,” she said again when he had the gall to look offended at her pointing. “Bring me kindling, anything that can make a fire! Water too, while you’re at it! The same goes for you,” she said, turning to Hikari.
Hikari nodded, quickly dashing away, but Master Edmund scoffed. “Don’t spout nonsense. I’m not helpin’ them. They’re enemies. I ain’t giving them a drop of—”
“Stop blustering and fetch. NOW.” She stared him down, and, as expected of a man with all bark and no bite, he flinched and stepped back.
“D-Damn your eyes!” She took pride in how his voice shook. “Fine! Kindling and water, right?”
With another glare from her, he was off and running. She rolled up her sleeves and crouched in the sand. “It will be all right,” she said softly, and began.
It turned out that Hikari, the expert of Hinoeuma, knew where to find the best kindling. Master Edmund’s pile looked rather pathetic next to his sturdy sticks, but at least the grizzled man had brought a substantial amount of water, all while grumbling the whole time.
(“Who even is this kid with you?” he asked as she was working.
“It is a long story, but I assure you, it would be easier for all of us if you would keep your mouth shut and let her work,” Hikari said, and either his glare was just as strong as Castti’s or Master Edmund was softening towards them because the general actually listened and refused to speak until she finished.)
After she laid the last soldier down, she turned to Master Edmund. “Thank you. These people owe their lives to you.”
He said nothing for a moment longer, staring at the men. “I was like them, once.” To her surprise, or maybe not, Hikari rolled his eyes from behind him and opted to sit away from them. “I was a soldier for the other side, living fat off my daily wages. One day, a bunch of outsiders tried to move into our kingdom. Lots of kids.” He looked down, and coughed awkwardly. “Well, we went in and sent ‘em packing. King’s orders. Didn’t think much of it at first. Just followed orders. But eventually, I started thinkin’: Is what I got worth hurting innocents? Do I want to protect my coin that bad? Long story short, I got real pissed off about it all, so I switched sides.”
Well, he really had done a 180.
“Y’know what, bonemender? You’re all right. Takes a lotta guts to stick your neck into someone else’s fight just to help folk. Watchin’ you work, well, it makes me feel like an idiot for fightin’ in the first place.”
“I’m a simple healer. Nothing more.”
They smiled at each other. A soldier groaned behind them as he stirred. “I…I’m alive?”
“That you are,” she said. “The others, too.”
“My name’s Griff. I command these soldiers. We were marching to battle when a terrible monster attacked. The ground turned to quicksand, and we were pulled under.”
“A monster?”
Master Edmund crossed his arms. “That sounds like a sand lion.”
“What’s that?”
This time, Hikari answered. “A monster that lives out here. If provoked, it becomes incredibly violent and destructive for a long time until it calms down.”
Commander Griff tried to sit up, alarmed. “But many of my soldiers are still back at our encampment! I must warn them!”
“Hold on now,” Master Edmund said. “You’re too injured. I’ll go.”
“As will I,” Castti said.
“I shall as well,” Hikari added.
“Commander Griff,” she said. “You’re still too hurt to walk. Rest and recover your strength.”
The man stared at them for a moment, and then collapsed back onto the mat. “Thank you.”
“C’mon bonemender,” Master Edmund groaned, already starting to walk. “Time to go to someone else’s aid.”
Before she could join him, Hikari spoke up. “What happened to your arm? There’s some sort of black bruising on it.”
She glanced down. Her sleeve and glove had parted just enough for the ugly, black spot of unknown source to show. “This isn’t a bruise, but the vestiges of some sort of malignant swelling. I know that much, but I can’t remember how or when I got it in the first place.”
“I see. Do you think it’s related to your memory loss?”
“It’s very likely, yes. From my examinations, the origins of this blackened scarring are…abnormal. It wasn’t caused by injury or illness, if I’m correct. It must have been caused by some sort of unique and potent pharmaceutical, such as poison.” The word tasted like acid on her tongue, yet something about it rang familiar in her head.
“Is that something you would have handled in your work, Castti?”
The word resounded in her head again and again. There was something she was missing.
She cleared her throat. “An upstanding apothecary is unlikely to ever use something so dangerous.” But she wasn’t, was she? “I worry about what I may have gotten up to in my past.”
“You needn’t fret, Castti. I trust that you are and always were a good person.”
He looked so earnest that it hurt. His bright eyes shone with the naivety of a child who didn’t yet know that parents could lie and adults were just as imperfect as they were in their youth. But that was unfair, wasn’t it? Perhaps he knew more than anyone that parents, family, brothers could hurt and kill and maim for their own sakes, but he acted as if there was something better out there that she was missing. Maybe he wasn’t being too idealistic; she was just too negative.
“Thank you, Hikari,” she said, and she meant every word from the depths of her heart.
The old campsite was abandoned, which meant that the Timberain soldiers had already either fled or been attacked. Seeing how destroyed everything was, the latter was more likely. Dread coiled in the pit of Castti’s stomach.
“Damn,” Master Edmund said. “Were we too late?”
“There’s no one here,” Hikari said.
“I can only pray that they weren’t caught when the ground gave way,” she said.
Suddenly, a pained voice called for help. They ran towards the fallen soldier, who lay in a puddle of blood pooling near his head. She swallowed; he was most likely going to die.
The ground began to shake, and just as she called out for caution, Master Edmund and the soldier began to sink into the ground, spinning and yelling. Hikari stepped forward to try to grab his hand, but stumbled back when the ground began to collapse underneath him as well. Within moments, both men were gone.
She stared at the hole where they had just been in shock. Then, she looked in front of her at the sand lion’s den’s entrance. “This cave looks deep. They must have ended up there.”
“Castti…” She was well aware of the unlikelihood of their survival without Hikari’s commentary.
“Let’s go.”
He bent his head and followed her in, silently, their footfalls padded by the ever-shifting sands.
By the grace of Dohter, or whichever god was smiling at them that day, they found Master Edmund hunched on the ground next to the soldier. He seemed injured, but alive, but there was nothing remotely lively about the bloodied man next to him. “Are you all right?” she asked.
“Somehow. This guy is too.” Castti made a note to herself to remember to pray specifically to Dohter and thank her for her kindness.
The ground began to quake again. Out of instinct or balance, she grabbed onto Master Edmund’s arm. He seemed surprised, but didn’t mention it. Hikari bent his legs until he was in a defensive, stable stance. The shaking subsided, but Master Edmund grit his teeth towards the back of the cave. “The sand lion’s back there.”
“We need to pull these people out quickly. At this rate, we’ll all be buried alive.”
Hikari’s hand moved to the hilt of his sword. “It will be more efficient if we go for the sand lion itself first to end the dangers.”
At Castti’s nod, Master Edmund stood. She could see from his disoriented blinking that he had stood up too quickly. “Do you have a death wish? Let me call for backup first!”
“There’s no time. Please get all of the fallen soldiers to safety.”
“But you’ll —”
“Here’s a fun fact, Master Edmund: apothecaries are trained in combat medicine. I can handle myself, as can Hikari.”
“You’ve got some guts, bonemender,” the general said begrudgingly. “Fine. Just…don’t die.”
As it turned out, sand lions looked nothing like lions. The creature was a pincered arachnid with horns and a stinger. Its teeth, when bared, were threatening, but it was overall not difficult to beat some sense into. With Hikari’s unerring blade and her own poison-coated axe, the monster stood no chance.
“I hope it learned its lesson,” she said as she watched it flee into the sands.
“The ground seems stable,” Hikari said. “It won’t come out again for a while.” He stared at her.
“What is it? Is there blood on my face?”
“No, I…” The prince ducked his head. She really didn’t know what that gesture symbolized anymore. “I am simply still in awe of your skill. You’re one of the strongest fighters I’ve ever met.”
“Don’t make me blush just yet. We still have soldiers to save.” Still. She gave him a light touch on the arm in thanks. “Hikari…do you think the war will ever be over?”
He frowned. “War has always followed Sai. I have never seen it at peace. But then again, I have never heard of the sand lion being defeated before. Perhaps you may be able to negotiate with the warring sides.”
“Me? Why not the prince of Ku?”
“You managed to convince Master Edmund to help you. I believe you have a much better way with words than I do. Your presence is calming, and your stare unflinching. If there is a chance to stop this war, it would be you.”
She gave him a small smile. “Who’s the one better at wielding words again?”
When they returned to the hospital, they found a stable Commander Griff standing outside. “I owe my life to your mercy and your valor. I won’t soon forget it.”
“I just did what any healer would have done,” she replied.
He frowned. “You…are one of Eir’s Apothecaries?”
“…Yes.” She braced herself.
“I heard they were a gang of scoundrels who murdered the sick under their care. It seems those rumors were greatly exaggerated. You saved the lives of me and my soldiers. On behalf of all of us here, I thank you. And you,” he turned to Hikari. “I hear you were a great help as well.”
“Think nothing of it,” the warrior prince said.
“I hear you’ve replaced your memories,” Commander Griff told Castti. “A rumor reached my ears not long ago that may interest you. It concerned Eir’s Apothecaries.”
“What was it about?”
“Apparently, one village your group visited saw its residents collapse and die in rapid succession. Those who fled and survived reported seeing purple rain pouring out of a strange cloud above the village.”
Purple rain…Something clawed at the back of her mind, desperate to reveal itself. A blinding pain, her skull shrinking in on itself, and then…
It was raining, and she was in a beggared, abandoned town. But, as Commander Griff had mentioned, the rain was purple. How could that be possible? Very little in the world was naturally purple, excluding plants, particularly…poisonous ones.
She blinked, and she was standing with fellow Eir’s Apothecaries, including Malaya. They were near the same impoverished town, perhaps on a mountain overlooking it, and a robed man stood before them stoking a purple fire whose smoke clouded the sky. His hood covering the back of his head, he faced outwards towards the town. “Dead…They’re all dead…Dead, dead, dead, dead,” he repeated, louder and faster and Castti felt something in her heart freeze.
“Rain!” He suddenly shouted. “Storm! Keep on pouring!”
She found herself stepping forwards, the rain — most definitely acidic or poisonous — stinging her skin. “Do you understand what you’re doing?!”
“Of course, Chief,” the man said calmly, and she knew then and there that he was a part of Eir’s Apothecaries, that he was a part, if not the root, of the horrendous reputation they had earned. “I’m following our precepts to their logical end.” He turned, and she gasped; he wore a plague doctor’s mask, making his face appear as though it was protruding outwards like a beak of death. “‘Extending a hand to all in need’. Isn’t that right?” His shoulders shook with laughter, his chuckles turning more maniacal by the second. “This rain brings salvation!”
What bullshit.
Another blink, and she was back in Sai with a worried Hikari and a confused and slightly fearful Commander Griff staring at her. “From the look on her face,” the soldier said. “It seems you’ve remembered something.” He coughed into his fist awkwardly. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll, uh, take my leave now. Goodbye, apothecary.”
After watching Commander Griff leave, Hikari turned to Castti. “What did you remember?”
“Commander Griff was right. There was horrendous purple rain in a town, and a man who caused it…I can’t remember much, but I know there was an awful tragedy there. I need to remember.”
“And you will.” Hikari placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I am certain that, with time, all will reveal itself.”
“Thank you, Hikari, truly.” She gave as much of a smile as she could. “But, not to change the subject so abruptly, where are we headed next?”
“I need to head to Montwise in the Eastern Continent, but I am aware that will take time. Why not stay in the West and explore all that we can before crossing the seas? Besides, I, admittedly, have never been outside of Hinoeuma.”
“Seeing as I cannot recall the rest of the West, I think this is a great idea. Traveling to get stronger and to take a small break from our rather large issues, right?”
“I hear the north has excellent fruits and delicacies,” he offered, and her smile grew.
“It sounds like we have a plan, then.”
She could not fathom traveling alone.