'Where am I? Oh, that's right I got hit by a truck' he was sitting up in a corner wrapped in a blanket, everything hurt especially his head which felt as if it was splitting in two. He had just been on his way home from… 'wait, where had he been coming from?' why couldn't he remember, wait were had he been headed, he had known just a moment ago, what was his name? Was he falling apart? Was this what it felt like to die? No, that couldn't be right he clearly felt a blanket wrapped around him, right? Everything was just wrong in every way possible. This had to be a dream, so he just needed to open his eyes, and that would be it.
He tensed up and slowly opened his eyes, the were definitely open but nothing had changed it was completely dark and even the slightest movement was extremely painful.
"Ah young master, your awake! How do you feel, are you ok?"
"It hurts, everything hurts" he groaned as he pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders.
"Just wait a little longer and we will continue the trip back to the estate, your father's physician should be able to help. Can I do anything else for you?"
"Why is it so dark? Can you get a light."
Ther was a long pause before the man answered "Manglong, it's the middle of the day and quite bright out" his voice was somewhat surprised yet cold.
Panick struck, Manglong did nothing, simply waiting for something to happen.
After a while he calmed down and began to pay attention to the things around him thankfully he had not forgotten everything he still knew basic things, such as what the color red looked like, for some reason that one was especially vivid. Manglong slowly began to go through everything he could remember, he could count, he knew many animals along with their appearance, he was pretty sure he knew how to read although that wouldn't be of any help now. The only things he couldn't remember were personal details such as his age, what he looked like, his friends, his family, for the life of him he couldn't remember anything that was actually important.
Manglong gritted his teeth against sudden jolt, what ever he was sitting in had begun to move, it's movement was to ruff for it to be a modern vehicle, along with the creaking of the wheels and the style of the interior it had to either be a carriage or cart of some sort.
The journey was long and hard, stuck in the dark Manglong listened the sounds around him. Outside there were birds and the rustling of trees, he could also hear a few people riding or guiding what he thought might be horses, no one spoke to him it seemed as though no one really thought much of his existence.
"I'm glad he was found before the first young master returned" Manglong listened in on the men outside.
"Yes, just imagine what would have happened if he came back to find that his little brother had been kidnapped by the blood cult four years ago and had not been found."
The journey (as far as he could tell) took about three days, when they arrived a few welcomed the people outside back but he was let alone. A few moments later he was carried inside and left on a bed far to big for him.
The pain he had felt earlier had subsided considerably. After the man who had brought him in had left Manglong got on his knees and began groping around, feeling his surroundings.
It wasn't too long before he found the edge of the oversized mattress, his bare feet made a gentle thud as he slipped off the bed.
'Hu, the bed is a little taller than my wast, bother, that must mean I am very short… or… maybe the it's just tall?' Manglong thought hopefully
Even though he was using the edge of the bed as a guide he only made it three steps before tripping and landing flat on his face.
"Ouch, why, why is this so hard?" he wondered aloud as he sat up and leaned against the bed post, feeling his nose to make sure it wasn't broken.
"Ah, young master what are you doing down there?" the voice of a young woman broke through his self pity "I brought your dinner, here let me help you up."
"Am I short" Manglong asked as she pulled him to his feet and set him on a chair.
"Pfft" she began to giggle as she slid the tray over in front of him"you just came back home and that's what you're worried about? Well no, your height is very average for your age."
"Oh" he mumbled as he fumbled with his chopsticks struggling to eat, and then at a barely audible whisper "and… how old am I?"
"...." the silence was deafening then "twelve, you turned twelve this spring… do you really not remember how old you are?"
"N-no, sorry" Manglong slowly tapped around his plate searching for something more.
"Would you mind if I asked you some questions" she asked while guiding his hand over to some fried bamboo sprouts
"I don't mind" he answered, his voice quiet.
"What is your name?"
"Manglong."
"Your family name?"
"I… I don't know, sorry."
"Beak, your family name is Beak, now… what is the last thing you remember?"
"Red, the color red"
The young woman was slightly taken a back by his answer "what do you mean? What was red?"
"Everything."
"..."
"Do you remember anything before that?"
"No." Manglong had finally finished the food brought "oh, it also cold, really cold" he shivered slightly after thinking about it.
"My name is Lianhua, I was your mother's maid and then your nanny now I am your personal maid" she introduced herself after guiding to and setting him on the bed.
"Call if you need me" she said as she left with the tray of empty dishes.
The next few days were slow and monotonous, Manglong somewhat learned how to walk around his room without getting hurt, but then Lianhua disappeared and a new maid started coming bringing large bowl half full of a biter liquid that she called medicine.
As time passed and he drank this, so-called medicine (because he really wasn't allowed a choice) he began to feel weak and also acquired a hacking cough.
"That an't medicine" Manglong mumbled only to be hissed at and told to drink on his own or have it forced down his throat.