"I still remember… These giant stone walls… bustling streets… The pungent smell of booze… And spending time with them… undoubtingly troubling times, yet I fondly remember it. I remember the first time entering these gates… along with the dread behind them."
"Hey, HEY! How long is it gonna take? My ass is getting sleepy already." Eve impatiently asked.
" Just a bit ahead and we'll see the city," Kevin replied.
" Ugh—I'm so sick of seeing nothing but rocks and sand, I'm so bored!" Eve cracked her fingers as she stretched her arms out.
"How 'bout ya stop complaining and keep moving?" Kevin said. The heat got to him.
"Yeah, yeah, square pants, we get it already, right?" Eve glanced behind her.
"Huh?... Y-yeah." V replied.
V halts, gazing at those distant ruined buildings. Dead carcasses, drought. A constant reminder for them. He turned forward, eyeing both of them walking along with their horses. "How did this come to be?" V wondered.
A few days prior,
"C'mon, don't be a party pooper like that, V! No one likes party poopers." Eve pouted. Patting on V's back.
"Can I ask why?" Kevin asked attentively.
"It's just as you said… I'm a stranger, I don't know what's going on with me… and," V's chin trembled.
"I… was going to leave you guys there…" V said.
Silence fell briefly after, V's head slowly hunched, his bangs obstructing his view. His face dripping with sweat, a heavy weight sat on top of his head.
"Is that it?" Eve said.
V's eyes open wide. The weight vanished. He glanced at their faces, Eve's grin, and Kevin's sighs of relief. V grew wary at their reaction.
"Running away was the smartest option, but you did something stupid and fun, haha", Eve sarcastically remarks."UGK–" She jabbed his stomach.
"It's still a fact that we owe you our lives. Don't feel guilt over bad thoughts and emotions… Feel guilty for acting upon them," Kevin said.
"Yep, what he said," Eve added. Placing her hand over his, "How 'bout it?" Eve finally added.
V felt goosebumps on his arms, his chin trembled, and a lump formed in his throat. He glanced at the palms of his hands, squeezing the center with his thumb. The voice of an old friend whispered behind his ear. An image flashes, making his hands tremble,
"I… If you're willing… I'll be in your care," V, with head held up, replied.
"ALRIGHT! Glad to have ya on the team, V," Eve jumped out. Frantically slapping his back.
"That settles it then… " Kevin chuckled as he put out his cigarette. He stood up, cracking his neck and shoulders.
"Get some shut-eye, we're heading out at dawn," Kevin said.
V's eyebrow perks up,
"W-where are we heading to?" V asked. Kevin smirked over his shoulder
"Encford."
***
Eve glanced over her shoulder, watching V's melancholy gaze into the distance. Eve tugs her reins, slowing down.
"Got something in mind?" Eve nonchalantly asked.
"Huh?... Ah–no, it's nothing." V fixed his gaze forward.
"Just spit it out~ What are you a maiden?" Eve chortled.
"I… I'm just thinking what the city might look like… Can't imagine much," V said.
"Hm… Figures since you've been stuck down there for a while now… and it's not every day you see a kid passed out on the sand in a place like that," Eve said.
"I… I might be the cause-," V gets cut short.
"Whatever may be the cause of that crater… The good thing is you lived. Lives are precious, y'know?" Eve said, V awkwardly smiled at her response.
"But y'know… A kid with amnesia in a place like that… Maybe an archangel struck up a deal with you or… the devil himself…" Kevin glanced behind his shoulder.
V's lips slightly shiver; his bangs hid his face, staring down at the shaky palms.
"Yeah, yeah, he's got amnesia, whatever~ He's family now, so we'll figure things out as we go, so turn that frown upside down~" Eve's grin lit up her face. V gave back a smile.
"Hm?... what is this Fameely?" V curiously asked.
Eve's grin vanished. She eyed V with a frown.
"Haha… Y'know what a family is… like you had to have parents, you know?! Don't you remember anything about your mom and dad?" Eve cautiously asked.
"What's that?" V answered with a straight face.
Silence fell for a brief moment between them. V looked at them, worried, glancing back between them. V lightly tugs Eve's cloak.
"Um… I said something weird, didn't I??" V asks, his face creased into a frown.
"Huh?! Oh uh- no, no you're fine… um… I'm sorry…" Eve answered in a low, somber voice.
"I-I don't understand… Did I do something to make you–"
"It's nothing, Kid… nothing you should be worried about," Kevin, without a backward glance, replied.
V stared at Kevin's back, uttering not a single word forward from that.
The blazing sun didn't stop them. Eve swayed with each note she hummed, her shoulders bouncing as lightly as her steps. Soon, the sun set, making the sky turn a dark purple hue, but they finally arrived.
"We're here," Kevin said.
"Finally! Can't wait for grub," Eve said, her mouth slightly open; a thin line of drool slipping past her lips.
A strong gust of wind blows away V's bangs. His gaze widened; his mouth parted in awe.
"Welcome… to the city of Encford"
Giant and tall stone walls that sparkled brightly under the moonlight. The walls emitted a light, soft blue glow that sparkled like aquamarine. A structure that almost seems too impossible to exist in a time like this.
The walls wrapped around the city in a circular pattern with 4 big bewitching towers curving inwards the city, watching over the city and the outskirts. A tall iron gate stood firmly in front of them.
V's ear twitched. Glancing to his right, squinting his eyes towards the distance.
"Can't make out anything, if only I could-" V thought.
The edges of his vision stretched unnaturally, shadows warping at the corners. A flicker of color slid across his sight, sharp enough to make his gaze snap forward. The distance, once smothered in dark, thinned; a pale gleam crawled over it, cold and silver, as if the moonlight forced its way in where it didn't belong. He stared afar—
"Let's get inside already, I'm starving… V? Earth to V!" Eve said. V felt a crisp slap on his back.
"Ow! Huh?" V replied, glancing back at Eve. His eyes snapped to where he was looking. That flicker of color vanished. A chilling sensation on his nape, cold and untouchable. But he shrugs, turning back
The ground rumbles as the gates open, a cold sensation on V's face, blasting his bangs behind. He placed his hand over her brows as the light scroched his eyeballs. The shadow from it softened his vision..
Lanterns blazed over the streets, their reds and ambers pooling across cobblestones until the stars overhead faded into nothing. The air carried layers of sound—laughter breaking sharp and high, sandals scraping stone, vendors shouting prices over the press of bodies.
V's first step onto the pavement sent a shimmer of light across their vision; faces flickered past like fragments of color, eyes catching glints of lanternfire, robes sweeping too close. Cotton draped over every figure, dyed in saffron, indigo, and pale ash, sleeves brushing shoulders as the crowd surged around them.
A sudden breath of cool wind wound through the street, slipping beneath V's collar, lifting damp hair from their neck. It didn't belong to the heat outside the walls—it carried the ease of shade in high summer, startling in its comfort.
A few people in branded uniforms took over their reins, taking their horses to the stationed stable to the right of the City entrance, but the colors in front of him bore interest in the young boy, glued to them.
Worn-out dark wooden taverns mixed in with red and gray brittle brick 2-story apartments, adorned in lush vegetation. V's eyes locked onto the warm light that emitted from the windows. Turning his head side to side, closing his eyes as he listens to the sounds dancing in the air. A tingling sensation hits his eardrums, people mumbling in the distance aided with their steps on the cobblestone pathways, laughter aided with thumping on hardwood and clangs of silverware.
Flaring his nostrils burned him, as if the air was mixed of cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, and ginger, urging him to snuffle. His eyes naturally fell onto something red in crates. A man behind shouted, "Fresh meat! Fresh meat! We have cow meat, lamb, chicken, anything you need!". He felt a deep grumble, pushing his hand against his stomach. A yell from behind made him jerk his head around.
"ALRIGHT! Where the grub at?!" Eve bellowed, chest heaving, each breath sharp and ragged. A thin line of drool slipped down her chin as her tongue darted across her lips. She threw a hand above her brow, squinting into the distance, her head jerking side to side like a hawk on the hunt.
The horses shrieked and pawed the ground, their reins snapping taut. V's gaze slid past Eve, catching Kevin wrestling with the guards, his voice cracking as he barked orders that no one seemed to hear.
V bit his lip, his shoulders shaking first. A muffled snort slipped free, then another, until laughter ripped out of him, doubling him over, tears blurring his sight.
Standing beside a local pub. Kevin exhaled, shoulders heavy, and tilted his neck until it cracked — not sharp, just the slow ache of someone already worn down.
"Alright, listen up. The adults got some work to do; in the meantime, you two will book a place for us to stay. We'll meet back in an hou-" Kevin gets cut short.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it! Go do your make-believe adult work." Eve blurted out, too fast to sound innocent, and her grin slanted wide—equal parts promise and threat, like a kid about to set off fireworks indoors.
"LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE, DAMN IT!" Kevin shouts. Letting out another audible exhale right after. Kevin's gaze slid to the smiling V. With a shuffle and a poke, he nudged V toward the spot he wanted, then slung an arm across his shoulders. V's grin wilted as his shoulders slumped under the weight.
"Do us both a favour and keep an eye on… that." Kevin shoots out his thumb behind him. V slid past his thumb to see Eve stifled a laugh under her breath, mumbling as if she was about to cast a spell to turn herself into a spidermonkey. V's attention revarts back to Kevin, his eyebrow slightly risen."But why?" V asked.
"That idiot goes at her own pace… so you must never take your eyes off of her"
Both of them turned their heads back at her, twitching, scratching her arms with a jittery grin plastered across her face. Her eyes darted everywhere but never landed. V tilted his head to Kevin, his smile fading into something softer, almost pity."You… had a lot to handle, huh?" V thought.
"Don't gimme that look, it hurts." "Don't gimme that look, it hurts." A tear slid down his cheek, but his smile refused to budge—like his face hadn't gotten the memo.
Eve stood with her hand on her hip. V stood next to her, both watching Kevin waving his hand behind as he left. V breathed out. He turns his head to his side, "I guess we should first look for a place to stay. What do you thin-"
His eyes jerked left and right—sliding down only to lock eyes with a frog."Ribbit." The sound echoed like judgment, like a debt collector. V froze, his shoulders stiff, and his knees shivered like in winter. His eyes stretched like rubber, trembling as sweat prickled down his face. He snapped his head left and right, clenching his teeth and his voice breaking in his head."She's already gone!!"
V dashed deeper into the city. His vision, shaky. His breath huffed and puffed as he snapped his head right to left, up and down. Coming to an abrupt stop, grabbing on to his knee caps for support as he gasps for air in his lungs, gazing ahead, the packed crowd of cloaks ran a shiver down his spine, his fingers quivered.
Stretching his back, he stepped away from the crowd, turning his gaze aside. A cluster of people bickered among themselves, their voices faltering at his approach. His hands fluttered as he reached toward one of them.
"Um… S-sorry to bother, but have you seen a girl this tall, with, uh, a haircut like that?"
His finger betrayed him, landing on the wrong poster. "Oh! Uh—sorry, I-I meant this one."
The group exchanged glances, murmuring under their breath until one nudged another. Without a word, they turned away, robes swaying as they drifted from him.
V froze, hand half-raised before catching it back to his chest. His brows lifted, fingers fidgeting together as he stared after them. What was that about?
A while passed. Patrons drifted from the pubs, their laughter fading into the night as they headed home.
V sprawled on the cold cobblestone, one arm lifted, fluttering an imaginary white flag. A brittle giggle leaked from his throat, breaking halfway into a crack. His hand trembled as he waved the flag once more, slower this time.
"Sorry, Mr. Kevin… I give up."
He slouched, his gaze swam over the cold cobblestones. A sharp sting cracked across his back, shoving him forward.
"Ow!" he yelped, clutching for the spot, though lifting his arm any higher threatened to tear the muscle from its socket. He twisted, his eyes damp and tear-blurred.
She stood behind him, lips curled in a smirk that mocked his misery.
"Aw⁓, you gon cry?" Eve drawled.
"E-Eve! What're you thinking?! You can't just vanish like that, Kevin told us not to-" His lips shut as Eve's finger pressed on his lips. His vision dwelt between her fingers and her sharp gaze. His own vision tremors, a restless thumping in his heart that burned in his chest.
"If ya keep worrying about stuff like that, you'll start baldin' Y'know⁓ " Eve's lips slightly curve upwards. Her finger lingered on his lips a bit longer than needed. The pressure on V's lips faded.
"C'mon, let's play a game!" Eve bumps V's shoulder with hers as she strides past him, nudging him backwards. Eve glances over her shoulder at V. Her smirk hid behind her shoulder, but V caught it. "E-Eve?..." V gulped; his voice cracked in front of her.
A jolt slammed into his chest, snapping his head down. Eve's palm pressed against his chest, refusing to budge. Then shoved. "Tag—you're it!". Eve sprang back, laughing as she vanished into the swell of the crowd. V sat frozen on the concrete, palms braced against the cold ground, knees locked, eyes widened and fixed on the retreating shape of Eve's back. His jaw slackened, breath caught, words strangled on the tip of his tongue.
"H-huh?!—wait!" V snapped to his feet, dashing towards the crowd. His breath came in sharp ticks, each inhale and exhale like the hands of a clock. His teeth clenched, chest tightened around his beating heart like a drawn bowstring as he came closer to the crowd. He pressed forward. Fine, bring it on! His thoughts roared.