It wasn't until noon the next day that Arah saw it.
Far ahead in the distance, past the swaying trees and endless waves of green grass, the faint outline of walls broke the horizon. At first, he thought his eyes were deceiving him, but no, those walls were real. They were massive. Even from so far away, they looked tall and thick.
'That was a town, not a city?'
As the caravan moved slowly forward, the buildings outside the wall began to take shape, rooftops peeking from behind the stone barriers, banners stationed above the massive wall fluttering weakly in the sun. The view was alien to him. He had seen countless cities and towns in his lifetime, but none were as strange as the one before him. This realm had a weird, agricultural design, but it didn't make the buildings any less astounding.
He estimated that at the speed they were going, it would still be another hour before they arrived.
Arah shifted against the wooden wall he'd been resting on. His legs ached from sitting in the same position for too long, and his back had begun to itch from the rough surface, but it was nothing his mind wasn't already used to.
He had spent most of the night trying to see if there was any compromise to his memory, but he'd found none. Other than the weird fact that he didn't remember his old name, nothing else seemed affected.
"Morning, kiddo," came Kren's voice from the other side of the caravan. "Sleep well?"
He didn't answer right away, just blinked slowly, then faked a yawn and gave a small nod.
"I tried to."
Kren smiled, reaching into his bag. "Here, something for the road."
He tossed something at him, and Arah caught it with one hand. It was an apple. This time, not the size of his forearm, just a normal, red, shiny, ordinary apple.
He looked at it for a moment, then took a bite.
'Is it me, or is everything in this realm tastier? Especially the fruits... even the burnt rabbit had tasted good... somewhat.'
He chewed in silence, savoring the sweetness blooming on his tongue. The moment passed slowly, the hour passed quicker than he expected.
Before long, the road straightened, the trees fell behind, and the caravan rolled into a wide dirt path lined with dry stones and tracks from wagons that had come before.
The gates stood ahead, tall and ironbound, flanked by thick wooden pillars carved with symbols he didn't recognize. Guards were posted by the entrance, watching every traveler coming and going. One of them seemed to have noticed them, and he approached the caravan.
"Halt!"
Kren brought Kiki to a steady stop. The guard came closer right after. He was a lean man, bronze-skinned, wearing a chain vest, and holding a spear lazily over one shoulder. He had a nasty scar across his face, and his eyes were sharp.
He looked at Arah first, then at Kren.
"Oi, you're back already, Kren? How was the hunt this time?" the guard asked, grinning. His voice was friendly, but still carried a firmness to it.
"It was alright, I guess. Shame I didn't stay longer. Had a bit of a strange encounter."
The guard nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Arah. "And the boy?"
Kren's friendliness vanished. His face went blank.
"He's an unawakened kid I ran into on the way. He's the reason I'm back early," Kren said.
The guard raised an eyebrow. "The reason you returned early?"
Kren nodded. "I need to see Granny Maze. Those cult bastards might be back."
As soon as Kren said that, the guard's aura spiked for a brief second. He touched his face where the scar was.
"I see... Granny Maze should be in Tear Garden. You'll find her there."
Kren nodded and smiled. "Let's meet after your shift, for a beer."
The guard considered it, then smiled and nodded.
He turned to Arah.
"Welcome to Titianfall, kid. Don't cause any trouble."
Kren clicked his tongue, and Kiki started moving again. As they rolled through the gates, Arah glanced around. Everything was so cheery and loud. There were small tents and wagons lining the streets, and merchants shouting out prices. People seemed to be going about their usual business.
In the distance, he saw children playing with soul beasts. The town atmosphere was busy. From the way people dressed to how the kids played, it was clear this town was a prosperous one.
"What do you think of our little town?" Kren's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Arah turned to look at him. What did he think?
He hesitated for a moment, then replied dryly,
"It's... the first one I've seen."
He wasn't lying. It really was the first of its kind he had ever seen, after all.
Kren gave him a sidelong glance, just let out a short breath, almost a laugh, and leaned back in his seat, adjusting the reins with one hand.
"I understand, but look around you, what do you think about it?"
They passed under the bridge and the street opened before them. He looked at his surroundings again. The noise of the crowd, the chatter, the scents, spices, smoke, beasts, all rushed in.
Some children pointed at the tiger. One of them shouted, "Kiki!" and was promptly pulled back by a concerned mother. The tiger huffed at the attention and kept walking.
"This place is..." he muttered.
Kren glanced over. "Go on."
"...alive."
Kren grinned. "That's... a funny way to put it. Titianfall's been around longer than most cities you'll find. It's a safe zone for people looking to head further south, so it attracts quite the crowd, which is why everyone tries to bring life to this place, since it's built on top of a nest of old beast bones."
Arah blinked. "That's... supposed to be a metaphor?"
Kren shook his head. "Not even a little. Why do you think it's called Titianfall Town?"
They turned into a narrow side street, leaving behind the noise of the marketplace. This part of the town was quieter. The buildings here were older, cracked with age, some held together with thick vines.
Arah narrowed his eyes. He had felt it, something, when they went through the gates.
There was something different about the air here compared to the forest.
He couldn't say what it was, just that it felt denser with soul energy, and something else less pure.
The caravan slowed near an alley, and Kren brought it to a full stop.
"We're here," he said.
Arah looked around and tilted his head.
"This is... Tear Garden?"
Kren nodded. "One of the oldest parts of the town. Don't let the name fool you. It's not as poetic as it sounds..."
He jumped down, landing with a soft thud, and then gestured for Arah to follow.
They walked toward a crooked stone arch at the end of the alley. Flowers hung from above, vines crawling lazily over the arch, and something soft drifted down from the canopy.
Black petals.
Arah caught one in his palm. It shimmered faintly, then melted into nothing.
Kren didn't slow down, unbothered by the petals. He walked through the arch like he'd done it a hundred times, boots clinking softly against the worn stone.
As they passed through, Arah felt it.
A shift.
The shadows bent differently. The light grew colder.
He could feel a weird presence all around him...
He looked around.
They stood in a small courtyard filled with strange plants. Some glowed, others swayed without wind. A gentle river stream curled through the middle, the water black and silver. At the far end, there was a small wooden hut. Smoke curled from the chimney, smelling faintly of dried herbs.
A figure was sitting in front of it, hunched over, picking flowers. She didn't look up as they approached.
Kren cleared his throat.
"Granny. It's me."
The old woman didn't move.
Then, slowly, she turned her head. Her eyes were tenebrously black, her skin thin and cracked. Her lips peeled back into a thin smile.
"Kren," she said, her voice like wind through dried leaves. "Back so soon?"
He nodded. "Had an encounter in the woods. Thought you might want to take a look."
She looked past him, directly at Arah.
Arah felt a chill crawl down his spine.
She pointed at him and her smile widened.
"Come closer, child."
Arah didn't move. The source of that uncomfortable feeling he had was this old lady. He could feel it. That despite the appearance, she was far stronger than the likes of Kren.
Her eyes squinted slightly.
"Oh my... you are quite sensitive, child. Tell me, can you feel it?"
'Feel what? The bloodlust?' He could feel it, but he was sure she was talking about the stench of death that hung on her, Just how many people has she killed for her to have such an aura?
So he could only tighten his grasp on the spear, and that seemed to have answered her question.
"How strange... I am actively suppressing it, you should not be able to feel it." She tilted her head ever so slightly.
Then she looked at Kren and let out a raspy dry chuckle.
"The last time you brought a child through that arch, parchment, you asked me how to change its wrappings and keep it from crying at night," she said.
Kren scratched the back of his neck. "That... was a long time ago."
She smiled at that. "Indeed it was. That one grew up to be quite the man... stubborn boy, like you."
Her gaze returned to Arah. The smile on her lips remained, but the warmth never reached her eyes.
"And this one?" she asked. "You bringing him here for what purpose?"
Kren's face turned serious.
"I need him to use the Truth Stone."
Granny Maze's smile faded. Her hands paused mid-motion, fingers still clutching the stem of a flower. She turned her head toward him slowly, expression unreadable.
"You want to use that?" she asked, voice low. "On him?"
Kren nodded.
She stared at him in silence for a moment. Then, she leaned back and let out a dry, almost disappointed breath.
"Kren... that stone is a one-time relic and it took me pulling a lot of strings to get it from an old friend. I can't waste it on some child you dragged in—"
"He might be related to the Sun Cult," Kren said.
The words dropped like stones into a pond. The courtyard suddenly went silent, and the black river suddenly stopped flowing for a second.
Her eyes narrowed into slits.
"You're sure?"
"Yes," Kren said, voice steady. "When I found him, he said he woke up in the Sun God's temple... And his name is Arah Kianthu."
Granny Maze shifted, her expression tightening.
"The Cult of the Sun God hasn't been heard from in over a decade. If they've returned..."
She trailed off, then suddenly turned to Arah with renewed intensity.
She sighed and got up and went into her tent, and later she came out with a stone with runes on it. She walked toward him and handed him the stone.
"Here, hold this, child..."
Arah knew he would be questioned when he reached the village. He had made sure to organize a story in his mind. Now, with the Truth Stone... if the function of the stone was as it was called, he had to be careful with what he said.
He accepted it.
Kren gave a small nod to her and then turned to look at him.
"I hope you don't mind me doing this, it's just for safety precautions."
He only nodded in response.