[The smell of tea wafted, rich and light with a subtle hint of something sweet that you couldn't quite place in your mind; it mingled with the warmth of the morning sun. Making your eyelids flutter open to a room where sunlight filtered through the delicate lace curtains, it's a style you have never seen before, yet it feels so familiar, but where? ]
A thick fog still seemed to cling to your mind, making your head hurt as you asked, "Where...?"
[ The question echoed silently as your eyes scanned the unfamiliar space before you. The pale yellow walls that stretch up into the ceiling painted white and the oddly shaped lamp on the nightstand that makes you feel so familiar. Just as a sense of disorientation began to settle in your panic, a cheerful voice chirped from the doorway, shattering the quiet room. A girl with vibrant, yellow-colored hair bounced into the room with a bright and warm smile. ]
As she smiles at you, as bright and warm as the morning light. She then says, "Oh, you're finally awake! Are you feeling any better?"
"Who are you?" you ask her in a raspy voice, as if you haven't used your voice in a while. As this was a question that was in the back of your head, it left the room in a mode of silence.
"Well, I'm Verosala! Over there to your right is all your stuff; your 6,500 kindlers are safe. I did not touch a single kindler. Currently, you are at the City Lord's house," Verosala explained as she tried to make her voice soft and reassuring.
She then walked towards you with the wooden basin she was carrying, filled with clear water and a clean towel draped over her arm. Her movements were deliberate yet gentle at the same time. ]
After placing down the basin and towel to your left, she continued to say, "I saw that you fell into the middle of the river in our village, just near the edge of the whispering forest. The current was quite strong when I saved you, and you looked so still. I thought you were a goner at that time. But thankfully, other villagers were present there, or else I wouldn't have been able to save you!"
She stares at your condition and says, "The bathroom is just down that hallway to your left." Verosala says, pointing, "You must be incredibly uncomfortable. I'll accompany you there, and then we will head straight to the dining room."
You nod gratefully and flush a bit red at the thought of her noticing your condition. As you were helped on your way down the hall. She playfully pats your head and jokingly remarks, "If I hadn't saved you, we would have had a mysterious murder case in our hands. Now that would have been hard to explain to the higher-ups."
A few minutes later, after feeling much better, you rejoined Verosala. She then leads you into a large, well-lit, and beautiful dining room. "Come, sit over here!" she invites you while gesturing to a seat beside her.
[You glance at the polished wooden table and polished chairs. As you slide into a chair beside her. Directly across from you was a middle-aged man with kind eyes and a neatly trimmed beard sipping his tea. After waiting for a bit, the air then was filled with the faint, yet pleasant aroma of something delicious. In the midst of smelling that aroma, your stomach began to rumble and grumble. Before your stomach could grumble once more, the maids and butler in crisp white coats and towels draped over their left arms placed trays of food onto the table. ]
Verosala giggled and said, "Let us eat first, before we talk. Go ahead and enjoy." She gestured towards the food.
You couldn't help but feel embarrassed. But nonetheless, you started to eat.
After a comfortable meal, you burped in satisfaction. Verosala turns to you with a warm smile on her face. She says, "This is my dad, Lord Vervon." She pauses for a bit and continues, "And we welcome you to our city, Rusrah."
[You now know that the middle-aged man across from you is someone called Lord Vervon. ]
Lord Vervon finishes his meal and replies to you, "Good morning to you," he says in a steady yet kind voice. "How was your sleep? You slept for a whole day."
"It was the best sleep I had in a while," you replied in a confident voice.
"Then may we know your name?" asks Lord Vervon in a satisfied voice.
"My name..." you said to yourself.
Your words tremble on your lips as a voice from your memory echoes from the back of your mind. It felt distant yet undeniably familiar. The world around you blurs in a fleeting moment as if your consciousness is being tugged from outside your body. ]
A soft yet commanding voice from your memories flashes by, saying, "Remember... your name is now Velvet. Forget the rest. Just remember you are Velvet."
[ The memory fades like morning mist, and your vision clears. You're back, sitting still at the polished table. ]
"Velvet..." you whisper to yourself as if unsure if that is your name.
Lord Vervon raises his eyebrow as he says tentatively, "And what brings you to our city, Velvet?"
"I... I came here? As you spoke, another wave of memory overtakes you once more. But this time it was sudden, cold, and sharp like a warning from the fog.
The voice that was soft and commanding from the beginning now sounds urgent and desperate. They say to you in an urgent tone, "Whatever you do, stay far away from the capital. Got it? It is not safe there... for you, or for anyone of the God race."
As the recollection ends, it leaves a lingering sense of dread and confusion. You try to focus on yourself in the present, staring at the Lord, then at Verosala, their faces clouded with concern. You reply after a while, "I... I don't recall anything aside from my name... It's... just Velvet."
Lord Vervon furrows his brows, his eyes narrowing, as if trying to see through you. Verosala suggested, "Dad, how about letting her stay here for now?"
[Lord Vervon pauses, closing his eyes briefly and exhaling. Silence stretches, and though he says nothing, you can feel the weight of his judgment as he stares at you from head to toe. He knows that the city he manages isn't a place that opens its arms to outsiders as easily to townfolk. Yet something about you lingers in his thoughts, perhaps a glimmer of fear and honesty in your voice, or perhaps the way his daughter seems to be drawn towards you. Whatever it is, this will be a good lesson for Verosala to not trust strangers; that's what Lord Vervon thought. ]
Finally, after much thought, Lord Vervon lets out a sigh and replies to his daughter, "Alright, she may stay... but only for a year. Beyond that, she must contribute like everyone else: five hundred kindlers a month if she wishes to remain in our house beyond that."
"Great!" Verosala says in a joyful voice as she beams with joy. "You heard him, Velvet! You get to stay with us!" she says while facing you with a smile.
"Is... that really alright?" you say in a quiet voice, almost as if you were whispering.
Lord Vervon looks at you now with a softened voice, "My daughter seems to trust you very much, and I trust her judgment. So yes, trust me when I say, you have my word."
"Thank you... for letting me stay here," you say as a sense of relief floods through you, as you figured out midway that you have no place to stay in this land you know nothing about.
Before you could react, Verosala stands up and grabs your arm, pulling you to the door, as she happily exclaims, "Come on then! I'll show you around the city!"
As you walk around the city, she begins pointing out places around you.
"That's the general store, which is run by Old Man Harker; don't mind his grumpiness," she points out to the building that says General Store.
"Oh look! That's the weaving hall; it's where my aunt makes the finest and most beautiful cloaks in the whole kingdom," she points at a building where women sit weaving with practiced hands.
As you continue on walking, the more excited she becomes. You listen, but only half absorb the words Verosala said, as your mind is already buzzing with questions. Questions like, who were those voices? Why stay away from the capital? ]
"While that over there is the Town Center, they say that the tree in the middle is the Heart Tree. Legend has it that it watches over all of us to protect us against the gods," she grins proudly with her hands on her hips as she turns towards you.
Gods, why does that sound so familiar? You ponder while staring at the massive tree. As if it's trying to communicate with you. Soon you drifted into another memory.