When I opened my eyes, I started coughing violently.
I looked around, taking in my surroundings.
My clothes were wet.
I approached the river and scooped up some water to drink.
I washed my face, and when I opened my eyes...
...
I saw a black figure standing behind me.
I quickly turned around, but saw nothing.
I stared at the trees around me and continued washing myself.
CRACK!
A stick cracked behind me.
This time, I slowly grabbed a rock and glanced over my shoulder.
A girl appeared from the shadows.
I lowered the rock.
But when she took another step, I gripped it tightly.
The girl shouted,
"Hey! You didn't have to react like I'm a Hollow!"
I stared at the girl for a beat.
Then I dropped the rock, letting out a sigh of relief.
The girl approached me with a warm smile.
"See? It's not that hard."
"What's your name, soaked boy?" she asked with a smug expression on her face.
I stared at my clothes.
Yes, I am soaked.
Then I looked back at her.
"I'm Jean, and you are?" I asked with mild curiosity.
She giggled.
"Kiara. I'm Kiara Voñlae."
"Kiara? Is it? Where are we, anyway?" I asked again as I looked around.
Kiara's eyes widened as if she wasn't expecting that question.
"You don't know?"
I tilted my head before nodding.
"We're at the Riverside, near the Kingdom of Khatar."
"Kingdom of Khatar?"
"What's that?"
"You don't really know?" she asked, sounding worried now.
Before I could react,
she grabbed my wrist and dragged me.
"H-hey! Where are you taking me?"
I stopped resisting and followed her.
"Where are we even going?"
"Hmmm... Secret."
Then she giggled.
Slowly, a small village appeared in front of us.
The people greeted Kiara with smiles.
"Come on, Jean. We're almost there."
Kiara held my wrist tighter and sprinted toward a big house.
I stood behind Kiara as she knocked on the door.
A man in formal clothes stood there and greeted us.
"Lady Kiara, where have you been?"
"Your father is looking for you."
Kiara looked at me, then smiled.
"Loras, I brought someone. He needed help!"
Loras, so that's his name.
Loras glanced my way, assessing me.
"Of course, Lady Kiara. Come inside."
Loras stepped aside, and Kiara dragged me inside.
Leading me to a specific room.
"Father! I met someone at the river!" Kiara shouted after she slammed the door open.
The old man sitting there jolted from his chair.
"Kiara! You scared me."
The old man sighed before looking my way.
I slowly hid myself behind Kiara.
"He seems lost. He doesn't know where he is," Kiara said plainly.
"Is that so? We'll see what we can do."
The old man stood.
Behind me, Loras appeared with a towel on his arm.
"I'll be taking your dear friend, Lady Kiara."
Kiara glanced at Loras.
"Treat him well, and give him new clothes!"
Later, after drying off and getting new clothes, I joined them for dinner.
The three of us sat at a long table, while Loras remained standing in the corner.
I watched them eat, nervous about how I should act.
Then the old man spoke.
"Little one, where are you from?"
"Uh... Mountain of Eve?"
The old man choked on his food.
Loras quickly aided him and served him a glass of water.
I watched their shocked reaction.
Loras then looked at me.
"What is a kid like you doing here?"
I looked away.
"Our village was attacked..."
"My sister and I tried to escape, but... We got separated when the river swept us away."
Kiara then joined the conversation.
"Attacked? By what? Bandits?"
"No, not bandits... Hollows."
The old man sighed and whispered something to Loras.
Ahem!
Loras spoke again, his voice serious.
"The chief of this village says you're free to stay."
"We'll be reporting this incident and sending rescuers to your former village."
"Here, Jean! You're staying here!"
Kiara jumped from her seat.
So yeah, I stayed at this village for days.
Spending most of my time with Kiara, roaming around while she showed me new things I didn't know.
Everyone was kind and welcoming.
Making me feel...
safe.