Philip had just returned to his farm, cutting across rows of tall corn. The sun was high now, so he wore his old straw hat.
It should have been a peaceful walk home, but something bright hit his eyes, so bright it nearly blinded him. It wasn't the sun. It was something else, hidden within the fields.
Frowning, Philip shielded his face and pushed through the stalks until he found the source of the blinding light.
"Huh?"
———
Nicole gave Wilhelm and Thomas space to be alone together, leaving them in the lush forests. Thomas still needed to blow off steam, and Wilhelm would keep him safe in the wild.
Thomas suddenly halted his footsteps.
"Tommy?" Wilhelm asked curiously, before following Thomas's gaze.
Thomas looked like he'd seen a ghost. A wolf was standing ahead of him, a beautiful white wolf, locking eyes with Thomas in a silent stare.
"Oh shit. We should back up." Wilhelm tugged at Thomas's shirt, but Thomas wouldn't budge.
Instead, Thomas lifted his axe with a furious face, ready for a fight. The wolf's fur glowed like fresh snow, an odd sight for summer.
Suddenly, the bushes behind the wolf rustled.
Startled, the wolf darted away in light, silent steps, vanishing into the underbrush.
"Whoa…" Wilhelm breathed. But Thomas didn't relax. He stepped forward, advancing on the bushes with his axe held high.
"Tommy! Even the wolf ran off! It's probably dangerous!" Wilhelm grimaced in anxiety.
Thomas ignored him, pushing closer, shoulders tense.
Pink fur. No… pink hair. It was a man.
"Huh?"
"What the hell?" Wilhelm whispered.
A man crouched in the bushes, clothes ragged, glaring at them. His hair was unmistakably pink.
"Why is your hair pink?" Wilhelm blurted out.
The man said nothing, he just stared back, tense and ready to run.
"You lost? From Xelz, I'm guessing?" Wilhelm tried again.
"Speak up!" Thomas barked, lifting his axe higher.
"Whoa, Tommy, relax. He's just a dude. Probably a lost hunter."
"I'm not from wherever you just said," the stranger answered, his voice sharp and refined.
"New Angeles, then?" Wilhelm guessed again.
"I don't know where that is, either."
Wilhelm scratched his head, "Then where did you come from?"
"He puts the axe down, and I'll tell you." The stranger jerked his chin towards Thomas.
"Not happening," Thomas growled. "Not until you talk."
"And why is your hair pink?" Wilhelm asked again.
The man sighed. "This might be disrespectful, but allow me to speak on equal grounds." He reached behind himself and drew a sword.
"WHOA WHOA HEY HEY HEY!" Wilhelm stumbled back and drew his bow in panic.
"It's for self-defense, please understand." The man held up the blade. Sunlight caught the edge, it gleamed so bright it scattered into colors, dazzling them both.
Wilhelm's jaw dropped. "Is that…?"
The entire sword was made of pure diamond.
Thomas's eyes narrowed. "Where did you come from?"
"I… I don't know." The man's shoulders fell. His glare melted into confusion.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Thomas tried again aggressively.
"I don't... remember." His voice quivered, face filled with uncertainty.
Thomas almost felt pity. The man seemed and sounded genuinely lost.
"Tommy…" Wilhelm hissed, leaning in close. "That sword could be traded for like, like… so much good shit."
Thomas shot him a look. "You're not saying—"
"Obviously I'm not saying kill him, but maybe, like… negotiate? We trade it off, split the profit, give him half." Wilhelm kept his voice low enough for the stranger to not hear.
Thomas turned back immediately with his voice raised. "That sword, is it for trade?"
"What?" The man blinked. "Absolutely not."
"Didn't work," Thomas muttered.
Wilhelm narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, great negotiation, man."
"Let's just go." Thomas lowered his axe. "We're leaving."
"Wait!" the man called out. "I don't know where I am... I don't know who I am... I haven't eaten in days... Please…"
"You really don't know anything?" Thomas tried yet again.
But he still shook his head. "No home... no friends... nothing."
Even Thomas had to admit, that story paired with an excellent performance was hard to hate. "Where'd you get that sword?"
"I don't know."
"Why's your hair pink?" It was Wilhelm who asked this question.
"I don't know."
"Oh." Wilhelm looked disappointed. "That's underwhelming."
"You got a name at least?" Thomas asked.
"… I think I'm... I'm called Alexander."
Thomas returned his axe to the leather strap on his back. "Put your sword away and you can come with us."
Alexander hesitated, then sheathed the sword in an elegant leather scabbard by his waist. "Thank you."
"This is unsettling," Wilhelm muttered. There were only three known towns: Xelz City, New Angeles, and Saisei. If he wasn't from any of them, where had he come from?
"Keep three swords' worth of distance from us," Thomas demanded sternly.
Alexander nodded.
"We'll call you Alex," Wilhelm said with a faint grin.
———
Time flew and it's already evening.
"I know you said you're hungry, but can you wait about an hour? My mom's making dinner." Wilhelm said to Alexander over his shoulder.
They were back in Saisei, strolling casually with Alexander trailing behind.
"That's fine," Alexander said quietly. He kept three meters behind as Thomas and Wilhelm walked abreast.
"Should we report this to Ijichi?" Wilhelm whispered to Thomas.
"After dinner."
"But where's he staying for now?" He shrugged.
Thomas glanced at Alexander over his shoulder, then looked away quickly. He knew a place that had just become painfully empty.
"He'll stay with me."
"What?!" Wilhelm hissed, keeping his voice low. "Did you see that sword? He might be dangerous."
Thomas shook his head in disagreement, "I'm not gonna lose a fight to him. Look at the guy!"
"Dude, what are you talking about? He's built like a statue and you're 5'6"! And what if he stabs you in your sleep? Hm?"
Alexander's voice drifted up from behind. "I assure you, I mean no harm."
"You heard us?!" Wilhelm whipped his head back dramatically.
"What?"
"Never mind." Thomas sighed. "Come on, you're staying with me."
———
"Put your sword down too," Thomas said as he stepped inside.
"No, it's fine," Alexander replied, standing awkwardly in the doorway.
"Seriously, just get in here."
Alexander stepped inside. The house was simple but warm. Shelves stacked with books, an extinguished fireplace and a few scattered relics from Thomas's grandparents and parents too. Alexander's eyes caught on an empty bed. Thomas's gaze was fixed on it too.
"Put the sword down." Thomas suggested again.
"I'd rather not," Alexander said softly, voice lacking hostility, hand still on the hilt.
"You don't know who you are. You don't know where you came from. So the fuck do you remember?" Thomas sank onto the bed, staring at the floorboards instead of Alexander when he asked.
Alexander stared at the fireplace for a second. "I woke up in the forest, and was immediately greeted by several predators wishing to make me their lunch... It was an exhausting chase but eventually, I did escape them, and found a... uh... snow white wolf, it was beautiful but... it ran from me. I followed it until I found you."
"Hmph." Thomas crossed his arms, inspecting Alexander from head to toe. "You don't look dangerous."
"I'm not." Alexander shook his head subtly.
"You just really like that sword, then?"
He didn't answer that question.
"You know where you are now?" Thomas explained with his head tilted and the forehead furrowed, "This is Saisei, one of the Three Lands Around the Lake. After dinner we'll hand you over to our town leader, Ijichi. He'll figure out what to do with you."
"May I sit?"
"Sure."
Alexander sat on a wooden chair in the corner. "Please don't hand me over. I don't want to waste your town leader's time. I can hunt. I'm good at it. Let me work for you. I'll earn my food and shelter." Alexander proposed with apparent sincerity in both his voice and his eyes.
Thomas shrugged. "That's not my call. I'm only eighteen. We're most likely gonna let the grown-ups decide."
He stood and pulled a battered book off the shelf.
"That's The Theory of Forces," Alexander commented, pointing at the book Thomas was holding, tilting his head.
Thomas paused. "Yeah... How do you know that? You can't even read the title, the cover's fucked."
Alexander looked confused. "I... I don't know..."
Thomas frowned, shook it off then carried the book to his room.
Just before closing the door, he called back, "Stay put. Dinner's soon. Hold on a bit longer."
"Alright."
Thomas shut the door behind him. He set the book on his desk, then noticed the small circular metal plate lying on his bed, the one his grandmother had left him.
"Damn it…" he muttered, picking it up.
He pressed it to his ear. And...
Nothing. No whisper, no clue.
"Tsk."
Then he saw it, tiny words etched into the metal.
He read them aloud. "Your... second... drawer... Tommy..."
Frowning, Thomas crossed to his old dresser and yanked open the second drawer. "What the fuck is this…?" he breathed.