People passed in every direction—men carrying tools and baskets, women chatting outside nearby buildings, children running between them as they played.
Elifero looked from face to face.
Nothing.
Not one person was familiar.
His heart slowly sank.
This isn't Oatile.
That much he knew.
He turned, searching for anything that might tell him where he had ended up.
Then he noticed the wooden sign hanging above him.
It was slightly crooked, its faded lettering worn from years of exposure to the weather.
SHANK'S TAVERN
Elifero stared at it.
Then he looked back toward the narrow passageway he'd just walked out of.
"...How did I end up in a passageway beside a tavern?"
He scratched his head.
"This doesn't make any sense."
The harder he tried to remember, the less sense everything made.
He knew Oatile.
He knew that was where he belonged.
But everything between being there and waking up on a pile of crates was...
Blank.
Elifero released a long breath.
Standing around wasn't going to get him home.
"I should ask someone for directions."
Almost as if the world had heard him—
The tavern door swung open.
A man and woman stumbled into the street, leaning heavily against each other as they laughed.
Elifero immediately smelled the alcohol.
The man held a bottle loosely in one hand, its contents sloshing dangerously close to the opening with every careless step.
The woman nearly tripped over her own feet.
She caught herself against him.
Then both started laughing again.
Elifero stared.
Maybe not them.
They didn't exactly look like the best people to ask for directions.
Unfortunately, they were already approaching.
Elifero hesitated.
Just ask.
He stepped forward.
"E-excuse me."
The couple stopped.
"Sorry for bothering you, but—"
"What, kid?"
Elifero flinched.
The man glared down at him.
"What do you want?"
"I just wanted to—"
"You asking for money?"
"What? No."
The man leaned closer.
The smell of alcohol grew stronger.
"Then speak up. Don't you see I'm busy?"
Elifero's mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Busy doing what?
He wisely kept that thought to himself.
"Brian."
The woman spoke.
Her voice was softer, but firm enough to make the man glance toward her.
"That's enough."
Brian rolled his eyes.
The woman gently nudged him aside before turning toward Elifero.
She crouched slightly so that she was closer to his height.
"I'm sorry about him."
Brian muttered something behind her.
She ignored it.
"What do you need, sweetheart?"
Elifero relaxed slightly.
"I..."
He swallowed.
"What village is this?"
The woman blinked.
"Eman Village."
"Eman..."
Elifero repeated the name quietly.
It meant nothing to him.
He quickly followed with another question.
"Do you know Oatile Village?"
"Oatile?"
"Yes."
Hope crept into his voice.
"That's where I'm from. Do you know which way it is?"
The woman's expression changed.
She thought for a moment.
Then slowly shook her head.
"I'm sorry."
Elifero's smile faded.
"I've never heard of it."
"Oh."
He tried not to show his disappointment.
"That's okay."
He forced a small smile.
"Thank you anyway."
The woman smiled apologetically before standing.
"Take care of yourself."
Brian had already begun walking away.
"Are you coming or what?"
"Yes, yes."
She hurried after him.
Elifero watched them disappear into the crowd.
Then tilted his head.
"...How does someone like her end up with someone like that?"
Woof!
Elifero looked down.
The dog stood beside him.
For a moment, they stared at each other.
Elifero nodded solemnly.
"Exactly."
The dog's tail wagged.
Elifero turned and began walking.
He had a name now.
Eman Village.
What he didn't know was how far Eman Village was from Oatile.
Or how he'd gotten here.
Or how he was supposed to get back.
Time passed.
Elifero asked anyone who seemed approachable.
An elderly man carrying vegetables.
A woman sweeping outside her home.
A merchant.
Two men repairing a wooden fence.
Even a group of children.
The answer was always the same.
Never heard of it.
Oatile? No.
Sorry, kid.
With every answer, Elifero's hope diminished.
By the time the sun had begun sinking toward the horizon, streaks of orange and gold stretched across the sky.
Elifero dragged his feet along the road.
"Ahhh!"
He threw his head back.
"How does nobody know my village?"
A few people glanced at him.
Elifero immediately lowered his voice.
"...Seriously."
He shoved his hands into his pockets.
Worry had begun replacing frustration.
"Mom must be looking for me by now."
He imagined her waiting for him to return.
"Uncle Pedro too."
Then he thought of his sisters.
"Bloom and Raim are probably crying like crazy."
A tiny smile touched his face.
"Or blaming each other somehow."
For a moment, simply thinking about them made him feel better.
Then he remembered that he had no idea how to get back.
The smile disappeared.
He looked beside him.
The dog was gone.
Elifero stopped.
"Huh?"
He looked behind himself.
Nothing.
"When did you leave?"
He waited as though the animal might suddenly appear.
It didn't.
Elifero sighed.
"Guess you just wanted food from me."
A weak laugh escaped him.
"Some friend you were."
He continued walking alone.
Then he heard shouting.
Loud voices carried from farther down the road.
At first, Elifero ignored them.
Then came the unmistakable clatter of something hitting the ground.
Followed by cheering.
His curiosity won.
Elifero followed the noise.
Several older boys had gathered in a loose circle.
Coins glittered on the ground between them.
Some crouched around whatever game they were playing while others watched, shouting whenever something happened.
Elifero slowed.
Are they gambling?
Before he could get a better look, one of the boys stormed away from the group.
"How is it that I always lose?!"
He kicked the dirt.
A cloud of dust rose around his foot.
The other boys laughed.
"Keep crying!"
"Come back when you've got more money!"
The boy spun around.
"Shut up!"
Then his eyes landed on Elifero.
Elifero stopped.
The boy stared.
Elifero stared back.
"Hey."
Elifero looked behind himself.
Nobody.
"You."
The boy pointed directly at him.
"Come here."
Elifero hesitated.
Why?
Still, he approached.
The moment he was close enough, the boy grabbed him by both shoulders.
Elifero stiffened.
The boy leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Lend me some money."
Elifero blinked.
"What?"
"Money."
The boy glanced toward the gambling group.
"I'll pay you back when I win."
Elifero stared at him.
"I don't have any."
Silence.
The boy's grip loosened.
His hopeful expression disappeared.
"...Useless."
He released Elifero and turned away.
Elifero frowned.
"What did I do?"
The boy ignored him.
Elifero was about to leave when something about the boy caught his attention.
He stared at his face.
There was something...
Familiar.
Elifero narrowed his eyes.
An image surfaced.
Three younger boys.
Wooden signs.
Someone standing on a chair.
CHANGE THE LAW!
The memory was faint.
Blurry.
But it was there.
"Wait."
The boy glanced back.
Elifero approached cautiously.
"Sorry to ask this, but..."
He studied him.
"Have we met before?"
The boy scoffed.
"I'm known by plenty of people."
He folded his arms.
"What's your point?"
Elifero searched his memory again.
The image became slightly clearer.
"I think I've seen you."
"So?"
"You were with some kids around my age."
The boy's expression changed.
"They were..."
Elifero tried to remember.
"Protesting."
The boy's amusement disappeared.
Elifero noticed immediately.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure it was you."
"So what?"
His answer came sharper this time.
Elifero hesitated.
"I don't really know."
The boy stared at him.
"My memories are..."
Elifero touched the side of his head.
"They're strange. I don't remember everything clearly. I woke up here and—"
"Not here."
Elifero stopped.
The boy glanced around.
His earlier frustration had vanished.
"Come with me."
"Why?"
"If you want to talk about that, we should do it somewhere else."
He began walking.
Elifero remained where he was.
The boy looked back.
"Well?"
Elifero hesitated.
Following random strangers into alleys probably wasn't the smartest thing he could do.
Then again, he'd already spent most of the day asking random strangers for help.
"...Fine."
He followed.
They stopped inside a narrow alley, far enough from the gambling group that their voices had faded into the background.
The boy turned.
"What's your name?"
Elifero blinked.
"My name?"
"Yeah."
The boy looked impatient.
"And don't waste time."
Elifero straightened.
He placed one hand against his chest.
"Elifero T. Plaish."
The boy stared.
Elifero gave a polite nod.
"It's a pleasure."
Silence.
One second.
Two.
Then—
"PFFT—!"
The boy burst out laughing.
Elifero's expression dropped.
"What?"
The boy bent forward, clutching his stomach.
"Why are you laughing?!"
That only made it worse.
"Elifero T. Plaish," the boy repeated between breaths.
"That's my name!"
"I know!"
Tears formed in the boy's eyes.
"Then what's funny about it?"
The boy slowly regained control of himself.
He wiped one eye.
"...I like you."
Elifero frowned.
"You have a strange way of showing it."
The boy grinned and extended his hand.
"Jon Jr Donathan."
Elifero looked at the hand.
"But you can call me Jr."
Elifero reached forward.
Their hands met.
"Nice to meet you, Jr."
For the briefest moment—
A chill travelled along Elifero's skin.
His smile weakened.
Something had changed.
Jon was still smiling.
But his eyes weren't.
They had become sharper.
Observant.
Measuring.
As though the boy standing in front of him had suddenly become something worth studying.
Elifero noticed.
What's with that look?
Then—
Dooong.
A bell rang somewhere in the distance.
Low.
Heavy.
Its sound rolled over the rooftops.
Jon's eyes immediately shifted toward it.
His expression changed for only a second.
Elifero followed his gaze.
"What is—"
Jon turned away.
"Come on."
Elifero looked back at him.
"Where?"
Jon had already started walking.
"If you're lost..."
He glanced over his shoulder.
"...sticking with me might keep you alive."
Elifero stopped.
Keep me alive?
He looked toward the distant rooftops.
Then toward Jon.
"What does that mean?"
Jon didn't answer.
He kept walking.
Elifero remained behind for a moment, debating whether following this strange boy was an incredibly bad idea.
Probably.
But Jon was the first person he'd met who seemed to recognize that something about his situation wasn't normal.
Elifero sighed.
"Wait for me!"
He hurried after him.
And together, they disappeared deeper into Eman Village.