I awoke in a dark place. The air was thick and suffocating. A glimmer of light broke through a hole right at my feet. I stepped toward it, and the next thing I saw was the bright sunlight streaming down. A lush green forest sprawled across the mountains before me, filling the air with a refreshing scent.
It felt like an eternity since I had seen such a beautiful sight. A tear slipped down my cheek as I gazed up at the blue sky above. I was finally free.
"Who are you?" a tiny voice asked from beside me.
Turning to the source of the voice, I found a young lady sitting on the roots of a tree, clutching a bag of money. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were red. A delicate silver tiara adorned her head, sparkling with blue gemstones that glimmered on her forehead. She looked at me with fear.
"Your hair," she continued, "it shines so bright. I've never seen someone with silver hair like yours. Who are you? How did you end up in a tree on a mountaintop like this?"
"My name is," I began to introduce myself, but for some reason, I couldn't continue.
"Your name is?" she prompted, waiting for my answer.
"I'm sorry, I can't remember who I am. I don't even know where I am or what happened to me. My memories are too foggy right now."
In the midst of our conversation, a man wearing a red headband appeared, rushing up the slope toward us with a sharp dagger in hand. His face was slick with sweat, breathless from climbing the hill. Upon seeing the girl sitting helplessly, a grin spread across his face.
"Finally, I found you! Hand over all that money before someone gets hurt!" he barked, pointing the dagger at her.
"No! This money is the only way to free my sister from prison. I will never give it to you, even if it costs my life!"
"You insolent girl! If you refuse to pay your debt to us, you'll face the consequences."
He raised his dagger high, ready to strike her down. Instinctively, my left hand shot out, catching his wrist. He froze, staring at me with a mix of anger and disbelief.
"Who are you, strange man with weird hair? Stay out of my business."
"I won't let you hurt her. Not in my watch."
"If that's the case, you'll suffer the same fate! Take this!"
He swung the dagger at me, but my right fist landed squarely on his face, sending him tumbling toward the edge of the cliff. His dagger flew from his grasp, plummeting into the valley below. He stared at me in shock, unable to comprehend the strength of my blow.
But that didn't mean I had won. For some reason, after striking him, I let out a cry of agony. My right was bleeding. Glancing down, I realized it was gone. My hand was severed.
As I examined the stump, I recalled that it had been lost long before I emerged from the tree behind me.
"This is unforgivable!" the man with the red headband shouted as he got back to his feet. "Mark my words, Kwanita, you won't escape this! I'll call for the others and make you pay your debt. Just wait!"
He fled down the hill, panic driving him away.
I, meanwhile, was left reeling from the pain in my right arm. The wound refused to stop bleeding. Clenching my stump, I tried to stem the flow of blood. Seeing my distress, the girl hurriedly tore a strip from her sleeve and swiftly wrapped it around my arm. The cloth quickly soaked through with my blood.
Gradually, the blood flow slowed, and the pain began to subside.
"Thank you," I said to her.
"I should be the one thanking you. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead right now. How did you lose your hand like this?"
"I don't know. It seems like it's been missing for a long time."
"Do you remember where you came from? Where did you live?"
"Sadly, no. The last thing I recall is feeling as though someone had given me a task to complete. A heavy burden to atone for sins. But I don't know what that task is."
"I see. Until your memories return, why don't you come with me? Think of it as a repayment for saving me. My name is Kwanita Imara."
"Thank you, Kwanita Imara. I would be happy to accept."
Together, we descended the hill toward the expansive valley below. Rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a gentle glow on the ground. The sound of crunching leaves beneath our feet brought a delightful sensation. It felt like ages since I had seen birds soaring above the trees, squirrels leaping from branch to branch, or monkeys swinging in their groups. All of this felt like a long-lost memory.
Before long, we arrived at a rundown town. Some buildings towered high and grand, but most were dilapidated and crumbling. The townsfolk hurried about, lost in their daily routines. Yet, I noticed something strange: several people bore small chips embedded at the nape of their necks. They resembled thin gold coins filled with a yellow liquid. It seemed those with chips belonged to the higher caste.
In the town square, a massive statue loomed, nearly eight meters tall. It depicted a man wielding a great sword, standing resolutely with long hair flowing behind him. His expression was fierce and full of rage. In front of the statue stood a small white monument. Inscribed upon it were the words:
Doomsayer of the God.
A statue erected to honor the sacrifice of a deity who fought valiantly against other gods attempting to invade this peaceful land.
May this statue remind all generations of the hero who defended our realm.
That was the inscription engraved there. It seemed this statue was a tribute to a fallen hero who once protected the people of this town.
"Exactly," Kwanita said, gazing at the statue's face. "This is a tribute to our hero who single-handedly disrupted the invading gods. Legend has it that he battled them in the sky, a clash so immense that it shook both earth and sky. They say the mountain we were just on is a remnant of that battle."
"Have you ever witnessed that event firsthand?" I asked.
"No. That's a story passed down through generations in this town. Honestly, I think it's exaggerated. How could a mere mortal fight gods alone in the sky? There's no substantial evidence to support it. The legend dates back five hundred years."
"Indeed. It does sound suspicious."
"As I observe, your face bears a slight resemblance to that statue."
"Really?"
"Yes, if only your hair were longer, it would be strikingly similar. Let's continue our journey."
We continued walking toward a dilapidated house on the town's outskirts. Throughout our trek, many eyes lingered on us, especially the men, their gazes fixated on Kwanita like hungry wolves. Whether she realized it or not, the lewd stares of those men were relentless.
I watched them closely, ready to intervene if anything untoward occurred. About fifteen minutes later, we arrived safely at her home. The bleeding from my arm had ceased entirely.
Upon entering, there was little to admire; it was a simple hut with a dirt floor, wooden chairs, a small bed for two, and a hearth in the center, still warm from the fire. The roof was made of dry straw but seemed sturdy enough to withstand the rain. The walls were constructed from solid wood, with holes here and there.
"I'm sorry if this place is uncomfortable; it's all I have," Kwanita said, bowing her head.
"Don't worry; I'm the one who should be grateful for your hospitality. Do you live alone?"
"No, I live with my sister. But as I mentioned earlier, she's currently in prison. This money is my only hope of freeing her."
"What happened to land your sister in prison?"
Kwanita took a deep breath. She sat down on a chair and began to explain, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. They say she was accused of stealing something valuable from the workplace. Her employer reported her to the authorities, and she was thrown into prison. Until I can pay the ransom for the item she supposedly stole,s he'll remain incarcerated for a long time."
"And why was that man in the red headband chasing you up the mountain?"
"That's because I owe them money. We've been living in poverty, and one day, we found ourselves completely destitute—unable even to afford food. So, I decided to borrow money from Lennin and his gang, the man who was chasing me. That turned out to be the worst decision of my life. Before I knew it, they were demanding payment, and every day I was late, they would double the amount. With each passing day, my sister and I sank deeper into the clutches of that loan shark, and my debt kept mounting."
"As if that wasn't bad enough, my sister was accused of stealing valuable jewelry from her employer, as I mentioned earlier. Can you imagine? We can't even afford to eat, and now we have to replace stolen goods that are worth a fortune."
I felt a surge of sympathy for this girl. She was so young, yet life had battered her mercilessly. I spoke, "And how did you manage to get the money you have now?"
Kwanita wiped a tear that had fallen, then said, "Learning from past mistakes, I decided to borrow money from a legitimate bank. But unfortunately, after I got the money, Lennin ambushed me. He forced me to pay the debt I owed him. When he saw that I was carrying a large sum of money, he refused to let me go. I told him it was meant to free my sister, but he wouldn't listen."
"Finally, having no other choice, I kicked his groin and ran as far away from him as possible. But he chased me all the way home with a sharp dagger. I was scared to death. Frantic, I decided to flee the city and go to the top of the mountain. When I got there I didn't know what to do. My strength was exhausted and I had nowhere to escape to. I wept bitterly lamenting how unlucky my fate was. Not long afterward somehow you suddenly came out of the tree.
"So that's how it was."
I let her words sink in. The tragedy of her story struck me hard. I felt at a loss for words. If only there were something I could do to lessen her suffering, I would do it without hesitation.
She then asked, "Do you really not remember anything at all?"
"Unfortunately, no. I wish I could tell you something about myself, even if it's just my name, but all my memories are lost."
"It's okay; don't force yourself," she said with a small smile, one that seemed forced yet still radiated warmth. "I'm sorry for unloading all this sorrow onto you. Look at me—I'm a terrible host. I haven't even offered you a drink. Please wait a moment."
She rushed to the kitchen to heat some water. After fifteen minutes of bustling around, she emerged with steaming cups of coffee and some light snacks. It would have been rude not to partake in what she had prepared with such care, so I sipped the coffee and nibbled on the small pastries.
As I ate, Kwanita grabbed a bag from the shelf and said, "I'll be heading to the town hall soon to pick up my sister. You can wait for me here."
"Are you seriously going to leave a stranger like me in your home? We just met a couple of hours ago. Don't you have even a hint of suspicion?"
Kwanita smiled softly, a truly sweet smile, and said, "Don't worry. For some reason, my intuition tells me you're not a bad person. Please take care of my home while I'm gone."
She slipped on her shoes, packed the bag of money, and before stepping out the door, turned to me with hopeful yet sorrowful eyes.
"Hey, I have a selfish request."
"Sure, what is it?"
"If I don't come back, could you look after my sister? Until I return, I beg you to protect her."
"Why do you say that?"
"Please, promise me you will take care of her. She's the only family I have in this world, and she means everything to me. I'm begging you."
I swallowed hard, feeling the urge to refuse, yet Kwanita's eyes, full of resignation, compelled me to respond, "Of course. I will take care of her."
"Thank you. I'm counting on you. Goodbye."
And just like that, Kwanita, the sweet girl I had stumbled upon in the mountains, walked out of her home and into the harsh, unforgiving world. A sense of déjà vu washed over me, as if I had lived this moment before, a long time ago.