In search of memories

[Vexxus]

Vexxus sat and listened as Raphael and Lethe talked; watching as the old man recounted the occurrence.

50 years...? I've been gone a whole 50 years? She looked long at Raphael. Sure enough, it seemed that he was at least 50 years older than then, if not more. As she listened more, she realized that Lethe had been here and met him over 35 years later. Once again, the pain of what she was hit her. Everyone else grew old and died off, eventually. Even those who seemed her age now, were much younger than her in reality.

Her eyes went to Lethe. For a moment he had represented a hope, but now it seemed glazed over. Like there would always be a filmy barrier between her and everyone else; and though it seemed so thin, she could never escape it.

She heard Raphael mention something about magic being a natural talent he had seen only once before. She smiled slightly, knowing that he was referring to her.

Vexxus could easily imagine Lethe as a young teen, sitting in front of his door, so persistent. She couldn't help but smile at this image. Looking at Lethe, she knew this wasn't exactly the information he was seeking, but it was a start.

"Thank you Raphael," She turned to Lethe, "It may not seem like much...but at least you can ask about your real name." She waited, seeing how he was taking this.

[Lethe]

Processing everything he had just learned, he turned his head to look at Vexxus. "No." He told her. It was obvious he was somewhat disappointed. "I can ask about a name." Shaking his head, he looked defeated. "There is no certainty Aeron Stone is my real name. It is something to work with though, I will admit that much. Still... I have no idea where to begin. Wandering around the mountains asking around in random towns seems terribly inefficient."

Looking around the room, he hoped for something, anything, to trigger another memory. Raphael's story had triggered some. Enough to at least verify that he had indeed been the person the old wizard had been talking about. But they were flashes of him studying. Nothing concrete that would help him unlock his past.

Getting up with some reluctance, he shook the old man's hand. "Thank you." He told the man. "This means a lot to me..." Raphael smiled as he shook his head. "No need to worry my boy. I am sorry I can't tell you more. But you know more than you did. That is something isn't it?"

"I suppose. It is not my intention to sound ungrateful. It is just... before today I had a goal. Well, a short term one anyway. Finding you. I had hoped this meeting would tell me where to go next." Waving Lethe's apology aside, Raphael sounded empathetic. "I know. And don't worry. I am not easily insulted." Bidding farewell to his former master, Lethe left the building, putting his hat back on as he stepped outside.

The light drizzle was a perfect match for his mood as he cast his gaze skyward. He wanted to know more about his past, but... pursuing this would lead him further back in time. The memories he needed were more recent. Traveling around the mountain fiefdoms might tell him more of who he was a child. But there was no time...

With a heavy sigh he looked at Vexxus. "Do you know of any good taverns around here?" He asked her. "I need to think. Might as well try and get drunk while doing so." The green orbs flickered nervously as he hesitated a little. "Would... would you care to join me?" Stammering a little, he pushed on. "Your company would be appreciated as would your wits."

[Vexxus]

Vexxus followed Lethe out of the building, noticing the overcast grey sky and light rain falling.

When he asked where a tavern was and invited her to join him, she gave a small smile, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I told you I would go with you..." she said, then led the way to a tavern called the "Golden Goblet". Here, Vexxus knew the bartender, who happened to be an elf.

"Vexx! I haven't seen you in months!" He called to her as they entered. His hair was dark, and his skin was fair. Long, pointy ears stuck up alongside of the black spikes.

"Raye! It has been a long time." She turned to Lethe, "I do favors for the tavern quite often...they'll give me anything on the house." She smiled. "Give my friend whatever he wants, he's had kind of a hard day."

They sat down, and Raye gave Vexxus a goblet of liquid, turning to Lethe for his request.

[Lethe]

Grateful, Lethe followed his friend. He gave her a nod when she told him everything would be on the house. The globes of green light full of mischief. Sitting down, he turned to the elven bartender. "Andaran atish’an." His pronunciation could be better, he knew that, but still. Not many humans even knew enough of the old elven tongue to utter a simple greeting, let alone one as formal and polite as the one he just gave.

"The strongest ale you have would make for a good start friend." Taking of his hat, he rubbed his eyes. His shoulders slumped and his gaze was aimed at the table. With a heavy sigh, he looked up as the elf brought him his ale and nodded. Without a word, he drained his tankard and slammed it back on the table while signaling that another should be brought.

"Where does one go from here..." His voice was a whisper. "I have a possible lead on my childhood... and while I would like to find out... Now is just not the time. I can not afford to dawdle in the mountains. Stumbling around random villages hoping to find something."

Pausing only to take gulps from his ale, it was obvious he had grown frustrated. "I need to know what happened after I left Raphael... Argh! Why is my memory so garbled?" Dropping his head into his arms, he grew silent. Brooding and thinking. "Vexxus?" He asked at long last. "What kind of abilities do you possess?"

[Vexxus]

Vexxus watched and listenedas Lethe mulled over what he would do next; and then he addressed her. She blinked, somewhat surprised at the turn of theme.

"Well...I can shift into many various forms, and my specialty is shadow magic...but I can also perform many regular spells. Over the years I have also learned to read people fairly well; though that's not technically an ability, just something I've picked up by paying more attention."

Taking another drink, she continued on the previous subject. "I know a lot of people...even in the Ularian Ridge...but where do you think you would have gone after training? You may be different and not remember anything, but you're still you...you know more about what you would do than anyone else would. If you had just finished training at Raphaels, where do you think you would go, perhaps to test out your skills?"

[Lethe]

Slamming his fist on the table, Lethe seemed agitated to say the least. "You do not understand! What makes a person Vexxus? Well? It is his experiences! Everything you have experienced is what makes you who you are. Can you not see?" Wild, flaying movements accompanied his outburst. "We are shaped by them! But I no longer have any experiences! Not of that time. I have forgotten. At this point, Aeron Stone is dead Vexxus. Dead!"

Grasping his head in agony he looked at the table. "He is a stranger to me. At this point, I know you better than I know him. I for example, would never have left Raphael by deciding he had nothing more to teach me. At the moment, all I know is that Aeron Stone was an arrogant prick! And that is not going to help me!"

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and looked at Vexxus. "I... I am sorry Vexxus." A look of shame on his face, he looked away. "That... you did not deserve that. You are only trying to help. It is just... I needed more than this. I had raised my hopes too high. You do not deserve me taking out my frustration... Sorry, truly I am."

Calming down, he grabbed his ale and drained the last remaining bit before ordering yet another one. Remaining silent, he thought things over and reached for his ale. Something however, stopped him. His hand was trembling and one look in his eyes showed a new idea was taking shape.

Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at Vexxus, a slight smile on his face. "Perhaps I do know Aeron better than I thought... He wished to learn... Not something specific, but everything. From what Raphael told us, he devoured knowledge like a lion does his prey..." He looked at Vexxus to see if she saw where he was going with this.

"Raphael is not the only source of knowledge within this city. Vexxus, how many mages and libraries do you know of that were here around 20 years ago? If we visit them... Perhaps there I can find something that can shed more light on Aeron Stone's motivations."

[Vexxus]

Vexxus jumped when his fist slammed down on the bar. She drew back, trying to avoid even the possibility of him striking out towards her; but she knew his frustration. She was just trying to help, but perhaps he needed to mull over it himself more than he needed input.

Even after he calmed down, Vexxus did not say anything for fear of upsetting him even more. If she knew people in the least; she knew that letting them simmer for a moment would help more than stirring the pot.

When he addressed her again, she thought for a moment.

"Well...let's see...20 years ago...There are many, many teachers and sources of information, but if he knew of Raphael he would have known of other, less prestigious, but still quite experienced mages. In fact, I was one of them...but I never really taught, and I was always in and out of town, no one really knew where I was going to be the next week, because I never knew myself. Heck, I could have even met you and not known it..." She paused, going through thoughts while swirling the liquid in her cup around in small circles. "I've met so many people...but..." She set her cup down suddenly. Turning to Lethe, her head thingyed to one side, she gave a look of puzzlement.

"I've met you. Not directly, but I've met you, under another mage's care, in the big library on the north side of town. You were a teenager...occupied with a book at the time, but I was speaking to Taldor who had brought you there. I believe he's still in the village...but I couldn't be sure. We can check his house as soon as you wish." Her eyes lit up with the excitement of decoding a broken past; helping him re-discover the person who he was. Even if it was challenging and a bit difficult at times, it was still an adventure.

[Lethe]

He stared at her in silence for several moments. Grabbing his ale, he guzzled the drink down in a single gulp. Reaching for his hat, he got up and placed it on his head. The green orbs ignited with a renewed purpose. "What are we dawdling for then my dear? Let us get going!" The enthusiasm was obvious, as was the slight change in the way he walked. No longer a man defeated.

He remained silent however as they walked through town. Without a doubt, he was doing his best to temper his expectations. Following his friend through the tiny streets, the finally arrived at Taldor's house. Or well, what was left of it. Obviously, no one had been here in years. Still, when he grabbed the door handle, a memory surged back.

Shaking it off, he entered the house. Looking around, he touched the large dinner table as he walked in. Skimming over the books scattered around he opened a door to a smaller room and looked at the bed. A single, burnt out candle was sitting on the cupboard next to it.

Almost anything he saw triggered a memory. Nothing substantial, but still. Lethe saw the life he had lived in this house unfold in his mind. Spotting the back wall of Taldor's study he froze and nearly blacked out. He could not say why, but he walked over and placed a hand on the stone.

Running his fingers along it, the wall tugged at the farthest reaches of his mind. There was something about this that bothered him, but it was just out of his reach. And every time he got close to grasping what it was, it darted away again...

[Vexxus]

They entered Taldor's without a word. Vexxus watched as Lethe cringed once in a while, and she could tell that memories were striking him. Once he walked to the wall, he began feeling it, as if searching for something.

Without saying anything, Vexx phased into the shadow realm. Dark tendrils consumed her body, pulling it into the parallel existence. The world glowed with shades of black, grey, blue, and even purples. Faint purple glowed over any vaguely magical items, and a bright purple lit anything purely magical.

The wall was curious; as there were only a few odd lines that were purple, and most of it glowed blue, as though it itself was a living structure, like a plant.

Ancient magic...he was able to create living matter with a minute spell; thus creating this wall, even though it isn't a plant...it is living, and reacts to its' surroundings... She walked to the wall, only then speaking to Lethe.

"It's alive." She said simply; also placing a hand on the wall, and looking at Lethe. Currently, she highly resembled a ghost, because she was visible from his world, but still on a different plane.

Vexxus knew what the wall was...but she had never seen a structure like it herself, and didn't really know what to do with it...she did know, however, that something had to be behind it.

[Lethe]

Not taking his eyes off the wall, Lethe nodded. "There is something behind it... I... remember." Biting his lip, he searched the magic for a weakness. Finding none, he hesitated. After a little while he sighed and shrugged. "Guess it will have to be brute force then..." A vile, green flame erupted from the hand touching the wall.

Sparks of green energy sizzled across his body and his cloak billowed as a horrid, noxious green cloud of mist rolled off him. The emerald spheres of his eyes turned to pained slits. The flame devoured all the magic within the wall, and the wall itself, in a matter of seconds. Biting through it like an acid.

Balling his hand into a fist, a huff of green smoke rose from it as the fire died out with a loud sizzling noise. The energy ceased sparking and the fog dissipated at a gradual pace. His arm trembled and he grabbed it with his other hand to steady himself, his knees quaking.

He stood still for several moments, recounting what had happened and turned to Vexxus. His eyes big and questioning as he gazed upon her. Looking at her, he started smiling. He remembered her and could find no gaps within his memories of his short time with her. Quickly racing through his mind, he tried to find where the gap had occurred but was unable to spot it.

Well... He mused to himself. Let us just hope whatever I forgot was not important Stepping through the gaping hole in the wall, he looked around. There were thousands of books here. But that was not what caught his attention. No, it was a single chair with restraints held in place within a magic circle. He walked over and touched the chair.

-The foul, green and dim light of magic candles. The iron restraints clasped so tight it hurt. People looking at him. A sad look in his teachers face as he loomed over the scared youth. Whispering. Unable to hear the words. A bolt of repugnant and nefarious green energy hitting him. Pain searing so badly it made him retch and lose his focus. The sinister voice saying something about him not being dead yet. Something about the one they needed. Such tremendous pain. Tears in the teachers eyes. Darkness.-

With a loud, agonizing scream, Lethe collapsed on the floor as everything around him went dark.

[Vexxus]

From Lethe burst a magical green explosion of sorts, which even came across as green and purple from the shadow realm.

Green...? I've never seen magic show up like this... were the thoughts that went through her head as she shielded her face from the cloud, simply out of reflex; as magic doesn't actually send out debris in and of itself.

Returning his somewhat wide-eyed gaze with a dazed one of her own, she did not quite know what was running through his mind, but she uneasily smiled back when he did so. Turning to the now open wall; she saw a library of sorts; with a chair in the middle, fixed with restraints. Just as she was taking it all in and wondering what the room was, Lethe collapsed.

Vexxus dropped to her knees in attempt to catch at least his head to prevent it from hitting the floor; but she wasn't quick enough. He was completely unconscious. Whether it was from his blacking out, or from hitting his head, she did not know; but she rearranged him so that he was at laying flat on his back, and used her cloak as a resting place for his head.

This will have to suffice for now...If he's not awake in a few minutes, I'll have to find someone...but for the time being... She stood, giving Lethe one last look, then turning her attention back to the room. There were alchemic markings on the floor in several places, but they looked like they were long unused, worn, and perhaps even some form of ancient alchemy used before the previous occupant. Some of the markings looked similar to ones she'd seen before, but not since she was very young.

Picking up one of the books, she found that she couldn't translate all of it, but there were a few phrases she could make out, as it was similar to another language she was familiar with. By what she could decode, combined with the pictures, she concluded; it was in fact, the very same thing Lethe had mentioned...Chaos magic.

[Lethe]

Opening his eyes, Lethe groaned as he put a hand on his head. He sat up and looked around. Seeing Vexxus, he gave her a wan smile. "It seems I hit the ground. I apologize if I gave you a scare." His head throbbed but he ignored as he pushed himself up and grabbed the chair. "This chair... I have been bound in it once... They did something. Something painful. When I remembered, it was like I was reliving that moment. It felt so real..."

His gaze dropped down to the magic circle and he examined it for a bit. "Whatever they did... Taldor was the one doing it. There were others. But it was him that bound me. He was the one casting the spell. But that look in his eyes..." Stroking his chin with his hand, Lethe closed his eyes as he started thinking.

"The sinister sounding one... He's important in all this." Muttering to himself, he tried to piece together the fragments of his shattered past. "I think they took me with them. Because I survived. That was important to them. But... No wait." Concentrating on the memories, he gasped.

"They checked to see if my body would withstand Chaos magic. The sinister one! He must be the one that taught me. Oh come on you scatterbrain, think! Remember!" Frustrated, he kicked the chair, causing it to topple over. Squatting down, he rested his head in his hands as he tried to remember.

[Vexxus]

Vexxus looked up from the book, watching as Lethe got up, went to the chair, and shoved it over. As he bent down and put his head in his hands, she lowered the book, moving towards him.

"Would it help to see some of the things you were taught..?" She extended the book towards him, bending down while she did so.

[Lethe]

Lethe took the book and flipped through the pages in silence. It was nothing he did not already know. His knowledge regarding magic was intact after all. Tossing the book aside, it crashed into a bookcase and a small, leather bound journal fell down. Looking at it with a curious look, he moved over to pick it up.

Looking at the pages his eyes went wide. "Taldors journal!" He said with a gasp. Skimming through the contents, he stopped and reread a single passage. After he was done he read it once more. Turning towards Vexxus, it was obvious he was smiling. Something in those pages seemed to have lifted his spirits.

Tossing the journal towards Vexxus, he directed her attention to the last paragraph. "Taldor describes an intricate cavern system not far from Tamasha. According to him, that is where I was to be brought. I do not suppose you happen to know where it is do you?" He seemed confident again. Even if Vexxus didn't know, it was a clue.

[Vexxus]

Vexxus caught the journal, and began looking through it. "Caverns...I recall hearing about some, but I've never been to them, strangely enough. Well, what are we waiting for?" She looked up, eyes sparkling, ready for adventure.

"We should probably plan on being gone for a while...so I'd want to pack up some clothes and such from my house...and you probably need to bring food. Better to be prepared, in case the caverns lead us somewhere else."

Vexxus looked around, wondering if there was any more information about him here. Perhaps he would recognize things better than she would, though. "Are you sure there's nothing else here you want to look through, just in case?"