Dont forget. You can't forget. Those memories are all you have. Don't diverge from your destiny.
???: "Be quiet. Get out of my head. Please get out."
In the depths of a condensed forest, a distance away from civilization walked a man with no path. He assumed he had no purpose; he pretended he had no thoughts. Aimlessly wandering in a waltz with no pattern, his jagged movements conveyed to the world that he no longer wished to continue.
But something inside of him still yearned for salvation. That is the form of a man in a pretend state. Deprived of confidence and purpose, he could only try to convince himself that there was nothing left to live for.
???: "Man, why do I have to do this shit so late at night. It's not my fault that Schult didn't do his part earlier. Why must this world be so cruel to me?"
He walked in a frustrated manner towards the forest, commanded by his parents to collect some firewood to stoke the furnace in their home.
"—!"
He picked his head up. He heard a sound in the distance, which was alarming considering the area and the time of day it was.
What was that? Couldn't be a neighbor since we don't have any. Could it have been a bunny or something? Yeah, there's no way something that small would make such a strong noise. Holy shit, is it a bear?! They aren't usually nocturnal, but it could have been awoken by me rambling. Wait... is it a demon? If it is, I'm totally fucked. I won't make it back in time, and even if I did, I'd get my whole family killed. What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?
He appeared to be a child frozen in fear. He truly felt as if he was nearing his final moments.
???: "WHO'S THERE!!!"
His shriek reverberated across the forest, most definitely reaching the ears of the other in the distance. Terrified, he drew the axe he was carrying with him and changed into a battle stance. It was pointless though, this kid was the pinnacle of unathleticism. If there was real danger, he would surely freeze in the key moment and face his end.
"—"
No response was heard. Instead rustling began forming in the bushes, from the sound of it paving a way towards him. Then he saw it. The silhouette of a humanlike being approaching him.
???: "EEEEEK!!!"
He thought he was surely about to die, and let out one final screech before he met his end. But it didn't come. Instead...
???: "Who are you?"
He opened his eyes. There, he saw a human not much older or taller than he was.
???: "Huh? Shouldn't that be my question??? I seriously thought you were out to kill me."
The strange man looked around, clearly puzzled by his environment.
???: "Where am I?"
???: "Welp, you don't seem to be out to kill anyone, so I'll fill you in. The name's Hieman, Hieman Wynak. As for where you're at, they call this place the Koyako Forest. You don't seem to be from here, so if you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"
???: "I-I don't know. But anyway, I'll be on my way now."
Heiman: "Whoa whoa whoa. Seriously? How are you gonna just ask for information and leave without even giving me your name? Learn some proper etiquette."
???: "S-Sorry. How impolite of me. My name... yes, my name is Isaac."
Heiman: "O-Okay I guess. Do you not have a surname?"
Isaac: "I-I don't know."
Man, talking to this guy is a tough task indeed. Is this what they call a dry talker? I thought that was only for romantic partners though.
Heiman: "Anyway, where you off to?"
Isaac: "I-I don't know."
Heiman: "Alright dude, you're kinda pissing me off. I'm not gonna lob your head off if you speak a little more."
Isaac: "That's ironic. Seconds ago it looked like you were about to shit yourself."
Heiman: "Now that's the spirit you ought to have! Although, did you really have to mention that? I'll have you know I've killed monsters far beyond your comprehension. I'm tough, just thought you could be something out to get revenge on me."
Isaac: "Hahahaha! Oh man, you don't even look like you mean it while saying it! Hahaha!"
Heiman: "It's cool that you feel good enough now to laugh, but isn't this a little much? You're gonna make me cry here."
Isaac: "Sorry sorry. Wow, I haven't laughed like that since—"
His smiling face quickly turned back to one of confusion and solemn.
Heiman: "Whoa, you okay there?"
Isaac: "Yeah sorry. I-I don't know what's going on with me right now."
Heiman: "If you want to collect your thoughts, let's do it someplace else. I'm freezing my ass off so I'd prefer if we could go back to my house and have a chat."
Isaac: "I can really go?"
Heiman: "Of course. I consider you a friend now, and all my friends are accepted in my house. Take it as a sign of my affection."
Isaac: "I humbly accept the offer."
As Isaac moves closer to the lights outside of the miniature home, his features become more distinguishable to the eye. He appeared to be of slightly darker pigmentation, with the most intriguing part being his messy hair and his torn clothes. He got closer to Heiman, and with that, so too did the pungent aroma surrounding him.
Heiman: "Oh wow dude. Let's get you in the bath fast."
Isaac: "Do I smell? Well, I guess I don't remember showering in a while. That's embarrassing."
Heiman: "No need. It's a saying that a man with a bad odor is a man who has put in the hardest effort. Although usually, they do shower afterward. But don't feel ashamed, after the bath you'll be as good as new."
Isaac: "Thanks Heiman. By the way, why were you out here in the first place so late at night?
Heiman: "Oh shit! I almost forgot. Give me a real quick hand with the firewood over there. A transaction of sorts for the hospitality I'll provide."
Carrying the firewood, both Isaac and Heiman inched closer to the entrance of the house. It was a small cottage, with beam lights surrounding it which seemed to be powered by a concept different than electricity. The snowy terrain surrounding them provided an ominous feeling to the area, but the simplistic beauty of the building in front of them was a stark contrast to it.
Heiman: "Here it is! This beauty here is the Wynak household. You're welcome inside but be cautious of standing out too much, or you might end up scaring my parents."
Isaac: "That's quite rude you know. I'll have you know I'm a more dignified soul than I appear to be at the moment. But even so, I guess I'll be on my best behavior."
With that, Heiman swung open the door, and in doing so quickly changed his attitude to that which he had when he had first left the house.
Heiman: "Mom. Dad. I'm back. You know, it's good to see how worried y'all were considering I was gone for a while! Could've died you know!"
???: "Now now sweetie. We were worried, we just decided to finish this game before we went out looking for you."
There sat a family of 5, a mom, a dad, a young lady, a young boy, and an infant. Adding Heiman to it would total 6. All of them had their backs turned away from the two newcomers, seeming to be focused on a board game Isaac did not recognize.
Heiman: "Are you guys serious? I would've thought y'all would notice this leech hanging off the side of me right now. He's a total danger, you know!"
The father seemed to sigh at the kid's remark, reluctantly compromising to the attention Heiman was seeking.
???: "Alright, alright. Let me see what yo-"
"—!"
The father quickly got up in total shock, knocking over the game which appeared to be nearing its end. The father's build was one of a trained warrior, having a muscular body with scars scattered across his skin. In his hand was a hatchet, one which was easily sharp enough to tear through even the toughest of bodies. The room grew tense; all eyes wary of what would happen next.
Isaac: "W-Wait a second. I know I seem a little suspicious at the moment, but I can expla-"
???: "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!! GET OUT NOW OR I WON'T HESITATE TO LOB YOUR HEAD OFF!"
Seriously? What's this family's obsession with lobbing heads off?
Heiman: "Alright, that's enough joking around from me. Anyways, go ahead and calm down guys. Let us start with introductions."
??? and Isaac: "HUH??!!"
The hatchet fell to the floor, and the anger in the room shifted to one.
Isaac: "Was that really worth it?"
Heiman: "Not really, but at least I got a kick out of it."
???: "You know, I really could've killed this kid just for your little joke. Next time you pull a stunt like this, I'll give you a real ass-kickin."
Heiman: "I only did it since you all sent me on that terrifying journey so late at night. What kind of responsible parents would abandon their child like that??"
???: "Sweetie, you only had to walk a couple of meters."
Heiman: "A couple of meters? Yet somehow you guys couldn't hear my shrieks in the distance? If this guy was a bear or a devil, I'd be dead right now."
???: "Speaking of, who is this 'guy'? It's about time you properly introduce us."
Heiman: "Great timing. Anyways, family, meet my dear friend, Isaac. Isaac, meet my dear family. This here is my pops, Hagen, and this here is my mom, Eleanor. This here is my little bro Axel, and over there is my little sis, Elise. Finally, the pride and joys of the family: my baby brother Klein, and the best of them all, the one and only Heiman. That is all."
Eleanor: "Well then Isaac. Let's start with the obvious first question: where are you from?"
She, as well as everyone else in the room, was expecting a response to the question, yet one never came. What was Isaac doing there in the first place?
Heiman: "Seems something caught his tongue, so I'll speak for him. This here's a kid with absolutely no clue what he's doing. If I hadn't found him out there, he sure as hell would've frozen to death. So... I have a proposition for everyone here."
Endo: "And whats that?"
Heiman: "Isaac has pronounced himself as the new member of the Wynak family. His title is... wait for it... OUR NEW HOUSE SLAVE!"
"—!"