In search of memories

[Lethe]

Vexxus's pledge humbled him. He had done nothing to earn such trust. And his quest was a dangerous one. He could not allow anyone else to put their lives in danger because of him. Grasping her hand with his own, he looked deep into her eyes. "Vexxus... I..." Stammering, he wasn't sure what to say.

"You make me feel humble and eternally grateful... But your offer... I... I cannot accept this. I... This is... This is my own doing. I cannot risk the lives of others for this. It will be dangerous. Very dangerous. How could I possibly ask anyone else to take such risks?"

Staring back into the flames, his voice dropped to a whisper. "As for my abilities... They are lost to me for as long as I remain attuned to the Chaos magic... The attunement itself disrupts the use of... 'lesser' magic. And for now I need it. I need this power. Retraining myself in the ways of regular magic will take years." Shaking his head, he looked angry.

"I do not have years! They are out there somewhere. Plotting. Scheming. Preparing. No... regular magic will not defeat them. If it could, the heroes that stopped them would have put a permanent stop to it. Instead, they just barely managed to survive. Leaving these bastards free to escape and try again!"

Looking at Vexxus once more, his eyes were gleaming with confidence. "I will find and destroy them. Even if it costs me everything. This task falls to me and no one else. Asking anyone to join in this folly... I cannot do it. So please. Come tomorrow, take me to this wizard I am looking for. And then forget about me..."

The confidence in his eyes disappeared as his gaze dropped towards the floor. His shoulders sagged and his voice was a whisper, broken and defeated. "I will most certainly forget you... I always do... 'He who forgets'..."

[Vexxus]

The immense sorrow that welled up in Lethe through this cycle of emotions stirred Vexxus, and his speech made her even more ardent in her pledge. Leave him to what could be his demise, when she had something he lacked, that she was able to freely give? Vexxus did not sit back so easily.

At the thought of him forgetting her, something struck her. She didn't quite know what it was...but she didn't want him to forget her.

"What....what if...." She started, eyes cast on the floor in a deep gaze. "I didn't let you forget...?" Looking up, Vexxus searched the man's eyes. He was practically a complete stranger...why did this seem to strike such a chord in her? Why did she feel so indebted to him? She didn't know the answer...but she did know that there was a reason for it.

Even if he couldn't re-learn the basics, she already had them, and would use her own hand to aid in the journey that may be more difficult without it.

"I will make up for what you can't learn or remember. I refuse to forget and let you go on the journey alone. With my help you won't have to learn everything, and so you will have time on your side. I can even assist in getting you from place to place faster. I can-" she stopped. "-I can...probably stop going on about it now, I'm sorry...I don't know what's urging me, but it won't let me simply let you be; as you suggest..." She dropped her eyes to his hand in front of hers, which she had been gripping while she spoke. It was warm and surprisingly gentle, but then again she wasn't quite surprised, with all of the different characteristics she found the man to possess.

[Lethe]

Unable to believe what she was saying, he stared at her. His eyes wide open. He started saying something, but the words got caught in his throat. Why was willing to do so much for him? Why? It made no sense. It would only put her in grave danger. Who would willingly do such a thing? Okay... he was doing it. But he felt responsible. He was the only one that had a shot at this. He had to!

But Vexxus? This was nothing to her. He was nothing to her. He was but little more than a complete and utter stranger to her. Her selflessness humbled him. There would be no way he could ever repay her. But it became obvious he could not sway her to forget about him. Even if he were to run off alone, he had a feeling that she'd still come after him.

Still holding his hand, he pulled her towards him and embraced her. His grip tight, yet also warm and gentle. "Thank you." Was all he whispered as he fought to keep a flood of tears at bay. Words could not express how grateful he felt. Nothing could ever come close to it. Nothing.

Realizing what he was doing, he backed off and scrambled to his feet. "I... Sorry... I just... No idea what came over me." He stammered with a murmur. His face was red all over and he refused to look her in the eyes. "Right." Spotting a couch he nodded towards it. "So, I guess I'll be sleeping there then." Grabbing his cloak of the hook, he walked over and sat down, huddling in his ragged cloak as if it was a cozy blanket.

[Vexxus]

As he pulled her in, wrapping his arms around, it almost felt as if it was commonplace. She accepted the embrace almost eagerly, but was somewhat puzzled by it shortly after. As he pulled away and gathered himself, as you would if you had done something you just couldn't muster the courage to apologize for, Vexxus herself was somewhat flustered.

She tucked her ear nervously behind her ear, picked herself up, and tried to avoid eye contact with him. When she noticed he was doing so too, she almost laughed, but held it in, fearing that he would take it wrong. Baffled by all of this, she coughed, and faded out as she spoke, almost mumbling.

"I'll get you a...." she turned, hiding her warm cheeks, and going once again into the bedroom. She was going to let him sleep on her bed, but perhaps that would be an awkward offer after such a display. She grabbed a sheepskin throw, turned back around, and paused to take a breath. Walking slowly and as calmly as possible, trying not to seem casual, she went to the couch, where Lethe was, and couldn't help but smile at his clinging to his tattered cloak.

"This should keep you much warmer. It tends to get chilly in the middle of the night." She threw it out over him, the thick skin gliding down, landing squarely upon the cloak. Turning rather quickly, she went back to the bedroom. Vexxus paused at the doorway, turning and half-smiling. "Sleep well...if you need anything, let me know."

And with that, she went in her room, shut the door, and stared ahead. She didn't usually spend the night in her room. In fact, she usually spent it outside, or on nights, laying on a blanket in front of the fire reading a book. But, she got on the bed, laying down, and staring at the ceiling.

Times like this didn't pass as slowly for her, and Vexxus' mind had plenty of thoughts to entertain her...but that night it was filled with questions and not very many clear answers; especially when it came to the ones she wanted to know most.

[Lethe]

Accepting the skin with a grateful smile he curled up underneath it. He stared at her as she turned around and walked to her bedroom. Her reactions puzzled him, he liked that. It was always a lot of fun to figure out how another person thought, finding what made them tick. The way she smiled at him almost made him blush for some reason. He wasn't certain, but he was starting to get the feeling that, for reasons as of yet unknown, something deep inside her had stirred upon hearing his plight.

He continued staring at the closed door, his mind pondering and thinking about this peculiar woman. In fact, it was hard to even get his mind to focus on anything else. He was unable to put his finger on it, but something had happened. The way she cast that shy glance at the floor. Her promise of making sure he would not forget her. That nervously tucking behind her ear. And of course, that little half-smile as she bid him good night. It was an intriguing puzzle to say the least.

Ruffling a hand through his hair he shook his head and cleared his mind. "Get it together scatterbrains." He muttered softly. "You are just being overwhelmed and humbled by her helpfulness. That is all." With a sigh, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He slept peacefully throughout the night, opening his eyes as the first rays of sunlight touched his face.

Huddling up underneath the blanket, he stared at the door to Vexxus's room. Blinking he thought back about the previous day. He remembered it all with a surprising clarity. Of course, he hadn't used any Chaos magic, so there was no reason he'd forget anything. But even still... He could never recall anything with this much clarity. Not without actively reliving a returned memory.

As his stomach rumbled, he glanced at the kitchen area. From what he had gathered, she did not need food. So it was doubtful there would be any in the house. Still, even if there was... It'd be rude to just start making breakfast without asking her permission first. No, he'd wait until she would wake up. Staring towards the door to her room once more, his stomach growled once more. With a sigh, he hoped Vexxus wasn't one to enjoy sleeping in.

[Vexxus]

What is it about him...? Why am I so adamant about helping him..? But then again, why wouldn't I be...I mean, if I were in his situation I would want someone to....

Vexxus' mind went on discussing with itself, and she lay there the whole night.

When morning came, Vexxus was faced with an odd dilemma.

What if I go out...and he's not awake? What if he is awake, and I don't go out?

After a few minutes of arguing with herself while standing at the door handle, placing and removing her hand as she did so, she finally resolved to take a peek-just a peek-out into the living area. Holding her breath, the door squeaked open, revealing a very small crack.

[Lethe]

Still fixated on the door to Vexxus's bedroom, the squeaking sound the door made as it opened, though slightly, startled him. Peeking out from underneath his blanket, he tried to spot his hostess. Catching a glimpse, he smiled and called out.

"Good morning Vexxus. Did you sleep well?" The moment he said it, he gave himself a mental face-palm. She had told him she never used the bed. He hadn't forgotten that tidbit of information. Not really. He just had not thought about it. Which was unlike him. He always
used every bit of information he got his hands on.

Was she using some sort of spell? He found that hard to believe. There was no trace of such a spell lingering anywhere. Besides, Vexxus seemed like a trustworthy and dependable person. She did not deserve such suspicions.

Any further thinking about it was interrupted by his stomach, roaring for attention. With a
somewhat embarrassed smile, he looked at her. "Since you told me you do not require food, I suppose the kitchen over there is just for show is it not?"

[Vexxus]

Just as Vexxus peeked out the small crack, Lethe greeted her. She jumped, startled, and half tripped, pushing the door open a bit further. Luckily, she caught herself on the door handle, and hoped he didn't see. For being a stealthy person she was actually quite clumsy at times; but did not want others to think so.

When he mentioned how she slept, Vexxus chuckled and licked her lips. "Oh, I slept horribly. Didn't sleep a wink." She said sarcastically, knowing that he would catch on.

"As for the kitchen, I'm afraid it is for show...But I happen to keep some food in small condensing enchantments in case I need to feed anyone; such as yourself. It's fairly simple...I make them with a range of nutrients found in everyday food, and I can turn them into virtually anything you would like to eat. I can only make about two meals from the small amount I carry, but that's enough for your breakfast." She went into the bedroom briefly, got the bottle storing the powder-like substance, and returned, walking into the kitchen.

"What would you like?" She smiled. "I can't guarantee it'll taste exactly like it...as this was made from a plate of steak, bread, and vegetables, so if it's something that has a lot of other ingredients it may not have all of the flavors there."

[Lethe]

Cocking an eyebrow at her apparent clumsiness, he decided to refrain from commenting on it. She seemed embarrassed enough as it was. Laughing at her little joke he felt he was laughing a bit harder than the joke warranted. Yes, it was nice little jape, but it wasn't that funny. It left him puzzled once again, though he pushed those thoughts away as this was not the time to ponder about them.

She mentioned food and his mouth started to water. Upon her return, he got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen as well. Picking up the bottle, he probed it with his magic, well, what little he could muster besides Chaos magic. Nodding with approval he smiled at her. "Very nice and efficient my dear. Makes one wonder why no one else ever came up with this idea."

Putting the bottle down again, he pondered on what he'd like. "Do you think you could make some bread and fried eggs with this?" He finally asked her. As she did, he sat down at the kitchen table and wolfed down his breakfast. When he was done, he grabbed his cloak and hat and opened the door for her. "Well then, let us find this wizard."

Putting the hat on his head, the green orbs ignited at once and peered at Vexxus. Placing a hand on her shoulder, his voice was a soft whisper. "Thank you for this Vexxus. You have no idea how much this means to me... It is the first big lead I have found in months and... Well... I feared I would be here for weeks trying to find what I am looking for. Thank you." Lightly squeezing her shoulder he let go and nodded. "Well then! Lead the way my friend."

[Vexxus]

Vexxus once again saw the green orbs of light, reminding her of the first encounter with this stranger the night before. It seemed like it had been more than a night, as if she'd known him much longer...but why? She had known him less than a day.

When he thanked her and referred to her as "friend," Vexxus' eyes lit up as she smiled. She was always happy to make new friends, but it seemed there was some promise in this one that was of a rare origin. Perhaps this forgetful man would change the path of fate; or perhaps she would change his? Vexxus didn't know, and wasn't really concerned about it, but it definitely seemed to nag at her. What exactly was to come of this eventful meeting?

Grabbing her cloak and swinging it over her shoulders once again, she led the way out to the streets of Tamasha. He happened to live on the other side of the town, on the outskirts that were closer to the lake.

"Raphael is much older than he looks...in fact, enchantments on his parlor are what gives it the whole appearance. You'll see what I mean when we get there, but then again..." She paused, turning to give a comic mysterious glance over her shoulder, "You may already know that." She smiled warmly, hoping that a little humor about it wasn't going too far. Vexxus was one that liked to be light and positive about things that seem like a burden; so that they didn't seem so heavy.

[Lethe]

There it was again... that strange feeling he got as he noticed her eyes lighting up like a bonfire as she smiled. Still, he shook it off and followed her through the bustling city. Sniffing the air, he smelled the freshly baked bread as they walked past a little stall and his mouth started watering again. He wasn't , not really. It just smelled so damn good.

He almost lost track of Vexxus in the crowd as he turned his attention back towards his guide and hurried to catch up again. As she talked about Raphael, he nodded and grunted to let her know he heard her. When she glanced over shoulder to see how he took her little joke, the green orbs revealed nothing.

Underneath it all though... Times like these made him glad that he wore the silly hat. All Vexxus could see were the glowing green orbs, which revealed nothing. His real eyes however, showed the joke was not much of a success.

He enjoyed poking fun at almost everything. Things often seemed less dire if you could find at least one thing about it to make fun off. But in this case... No, if he had already known all of that, he would not be following this strange woman to find the damn wizard.

When they arrived at last, Lethe stared at the building in awe. He could feel the magic pouring out of the bricks. In fact, it was so overwhelming it almost made him feel like throwing up. The green flames turned to slits as he scanned over the building, taking in every detail. But nothing seemed to trigger any repressed memories.

Walking up to the door, he raised a hand to knock, but stopped. His hand but mere inches away from the door. Trembling, he stared at the ground in front of him. He had to do this. He had to. But... he was afraid of what he might learn.

[Vexxus]

As they came to the building, Vexxus silently motioned to the door, and allowed Lethe to take the lead in knocking and entering. When he paused, looking at the ground, Vexxus placed her hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Go ahead. I'll be here every step of the way." She smiled sympathetically, knowing that this was a big moment for him.

[Lethe]

Turning his head slightly, he cast a glance at Vexxus. The green orbs faded a little, before reigniting. Radiating with confidence he gave her a small nod and proceeded to knock. "Coming, coming." The voice sounded croaked and ancient. Lethe could hear the soft sound of feet scuffling towards the door. "I'm coming..." The voice said once more, followed by some loud wheezing. "I fear I-" A slight pause was followed by a deep intake of breath. "- am not as fast as I... as I used to be."

After what seemed like an eternity, the door finally opened slowly. Appearing on the other side, was a withered, old man. Old wasn't even adequate to describe him, he looked ancient. A walking relic of an age long forgotten. "How can... can I..." In between breaths, the man spotted Vexxus and a smile split apart his long, thick beard. "Vexxusaria! Oh my, how long... how long has it been my dear?"

Pushing Lethe out of the way, he scuffled over to the immortal woman and grasped her hand tightly with his. "It's been... been too long my dear... too long. My god, you... you haven't aged a day have you?" He almost looked like a friendly grandfather hugging his favorite granddaughter. "Come in, come in. Tell me dear. What... what brings you to old Raphael today?"

[Vexxus]

When he took so long to open the door; Vexxus grew more and more puzzled. When she finally saw him, she tried her best to hide her shock. Had it really been that long...?

As he came to greet her, she couldn't help but smile, still seeing the same life and joy in the old man's eyes as he always had. She hugged him back, and helped him through the door.

"Well, it's really more of why he's here," she said, motioning to Lethe as well as gesturing for him to follow. "But I should have come to visit you more often. How long has it been, anyway? You know I have a hard time keeping track of time..." Vexxus smiled sheepishly.

She really wasn't good at keeping track of time; as each day seemed to pass faster than the last. Raphael had helped Vexxus quite a few times when she had worn herself out in the shadow realm; and she owed him quite a bit. To ask him for another favor almost seemed too much now...but knowledge in the form of words or books didn't really require much effort to give. Silently, she hoped that that was all Lethe wanted from him.

[Lethe]

Letting Vexxus help him into a chair near the fireplace he was lost in thought. "I would say about... about 50 years give or take." Running through his memories once more he nodded. "Yes, yes, that sounds about right." With a sigh, his shoulders slumped. "You really ought to visit more often dear... I hardly see anyone now a days. Too old and tired I am to visit anyone."

Shaking his head at the thought of his own mortality his mind wandered back to Lethe. Looking up, he noticed the young man had followed the two of them inside and recalled Vexxus saying that stranger needed something. "In any case... You need... need my help? What is it, that I can do for you boy? Who are you if I might ask?"

The fiery orbs dimmed a little before flaring up. "Actually sir,-" Lethe started as he removed his hat and revealed his face. "- I was hoping you could tell me." A loud caw and the ruffling of feathers could be heard as a large raven dove down. "Stone!" It cawed, sounding rather enthusiastic. "Stone! Stone!" Raphael looked closely at Lethe while he himself observed the raven.

"Quoth?" He asked sounding quite surprised. "You are Quoth right?" The raven cawed even louder at the sound of it's name. "Quoth! Quoth!" Perching on Lethe's shoulder, it looked at him with an expectant look. "Corn!" With a smile, Lethe scratched the birds head. "Sorry little one, not today."

Turning his gaze back towards the old mage, Lethe shrugged. "Aeron? Aeron Stone?" Examining Lethe's face with care, the old mage nodded. "Yes... yes. You are little Aeron Stone aren't you?" Shrugging sheepishly, Lethe smiled. "I have no idea sir. That is why I came here." He sat down on a nearby chair and told the old man his story.

With a nod, Raphael sighed. "Yes... yes... I see. Well, I am afraid there is little I can tell you. You came to me about... what was it now... 15 or so years ago? Maybe even 20... You looked to be about 15 years old and asked... no begged me to teach you. I told you to bugger off."

Slapping his knee, the old man laughed. "You refused and sat down in front of my door. You stayed there for almost a month. Hardly moving even an inch. I saw you had potential... But I was done with students. Or so I thought. Your persistence and perseverance moved me. So, during a rather nasty snow storm, I invited you inside.

You told me your name was Aeron Stone. Based on that and the slight accent you had, I deduced you came from the Ularian ridge. Most likely bastard born as Stone is a common name for bastard for many of the small baronies that can be found there. Unfamiliar as I am with the subtle differences though, I was unable to distinguish the exact region you likely came from. Your accent wasn't very pronounced which didn't help either. Nor did you ever tell me.

It is my guess you were the bastard of some minor noble. Since you could already read, write and understood complex math. You also were well mannered and knew a lot about etiquette. You lived with me and Quoth for years, studying the magical arts. A natural talent I had only seen once before. Eventually, you decided you had learned all you could and moved on. Other than humility, there was indeed little more I could teach you.

You left, and that was the last I saw of you. Not once did you talk to me about your past so... I'm afraid it all remains speculation on my part. You were an eager and hardworking student and I did not wish to pry."

Listening with great interest, Lethe sighed, the disappointment was obvious. "It is not your fault sir. I am certain I had my reasons... But right now I wish I had told you more." Looking at his feet, his mood became sour. Aeron Stone... He mused. The name sounded odd. Somehow Lethe felt more natural and fitting as a name. Still it was something.