The music played by the strings quartet is agreeable and fun, someone that you – somehow – know to be your friend fills his plate at the banquet whilst mocking something – given the way he grins –, however you can't quite hear him over the loud music. The cold you right hand once felt due to the freezing air is subtly extinguished by a warm and comforting touch that pulls you away from your friend.

  You look towards the direction you are being pulled only to be met by the view of an unfathomably beautiful woman, that somehow seems to know you quite closely. Suddenly, you are now dancing before the stage where a strings quartet plays.

  Your eyes glue to her delicate and charming face, admiring the absolute perfection of each line and curve; her perfume, subtle yet addictive, brings a familiar sensations of butterflies to your belly and an increasing anxiety to your heart. She takes notice of this:

-        What?

-        What what?

  Typical words of a fool in love escape your mouth with such determination as if they come from a script instead and dismiss your agency... Something begins feeling amiss.

-        You're giving me that funny look again, hehe.

-        Oh!... I-It’s just that you're so beautiful toda-

  Your words are sharply interrupted as – for a fraction of a second – he face appears to be covered in blood and wounds.

-        To-To-Today…

-        Just today? Hmm... So you didn't find me beautiful before? Haha.

  She teases you, giving you a sweet kiss right after but before your heart can skip a beat, disgust fills your mind as a rusty taste of blood fills your mouth. Upon opening your eyes a horrible beast cover in burns is in place of the woman with its mouth full of sharp teeth open and drawing even closer to you, all whilst screams echo from every direction:

-        WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME?! WASN'T I BEAUTIFUL ENOUGH FOR YOU?! WAS THAT IT, ORION?!?!?!

  Desperately wishing to scream but being simply unable – for you are vomiting instead – you wake up abruptly and shaking, feeling a deep hollowness inside. But not hollow for just having puked all your guts out – figuratively speaking – , no... Hollow for no longer having a reason to live.

  With a foul odour climbing up your nose, you try to keep your eyes open for a moment but as soon as your sight meets the bloodied covers you are quick shut them again feeling as if you are about to vomit once again. Fortunately, nothing comes so you get up and stare back at the bed in dread, far too scared to pay much mind to the knot that still resides in your throat. As a reflex of escape, your arms mindlessly begin rolling the covers in a way to hide the blood and then, whilst one holds the disturbing mass of cloth and blood tightly and the other opens the door frenetically, your legs dash hastily – but still with good care not to make much sound –through the hallway.

  You descend the stairs hurriedly and runs past both Thaís and Jorge at the dining hall without responding their “good mornings”, heading directly to the front entrance. As much as the skies are quite cloudy today, the luminosity of the outside cause your eyes to ache rather oddly, however the panic is still  too much and so, ignoring the pain, you head towards the back of the tavern where some of the rubbish was thrown and rid yourself of the bloodied covers.

  After ensuring that everything is inconspicuous and that not a single drop of blood sipped through the covers  and onto your clothes, you ponder for a moment, recovering your breath:

-        “What in the underworld was that?! Did I do something wrong?! That beast... That couldn't possible exist... No, no, no, NO!”

-        “And why blood? I don't have any wounds... Except for the amnesia, I feel well, it doesn't make sense that I would puke blood, it doesn-... A curse!(?)”

-        “No, no, no, no... HOW?! Why?!... Remember! Remember!

-        “Wait... The villagers! If they find out I'm cursed... They'll kick me out, out where there's a beast attacking travellers!”

  Walking in circles, your thoughts escalate exponentially bot in absurdity as well as in confusion. Eventually, drawing yet another deep breath, you try to be more reasonable:

-        “I don't know what this is... It could be either a curse or a disease…”

-        “I don't know what they'll do to me if they find out either...”

-        “... I don't even know if that “Beast” that they talk about is indeed a monster or just a mere wolf or another wild animal... What knocked me down the other night could very well have been just a boar for instance...”

  Memories of the tall silhouette from that night flash before your eyes, weakening your newly found comfort:

-        “No, no... I remember what knocked me down... That couldn't be a boar... It couldn't...”

  One last pause and you decide to go back to the tavern, pondering along  the way:

-        “I shouldn't tell anything to anyone until I learn more about my past and what is going on with me...”

  Walking through the door you, cross paths with Sigmundo, who, for the first time, looks directly at your face:

-        Good morn-

-        Good morning.

  Your reply is short and dispersed as you continue to ponder on what happened mere seconds ago, so dispersed in fact, that your mind is oblivious to how his words subtly stopped once he saw your face.

  Only as the two of you head towards the bar's counter that you notice it and so, in an inconspicuous way – so that the others may not be suspicious – you rub your face trying to feel for any blood that might have splashed from the covers. Sigmundo seems more than glad that the conversation is not being extend and so remains comfortably quiet. Once you reach the bar, Thaís greets warmly:

-        Good morning Orion, good morning Sigmundo!

-        Umm... Is everything ok, Orion? You ran outside with so much hurry...

  Jorge questions.

-        Ah, ye-yes, umm... Sorry, I was just not feeling very well...

  Sitting beside Sigmundo – who struggles to hide his discomfort with your proximity – you add:

-        I had to throw away the blankets, I'm sorry...

  Worried that they might dislike or suspect your actions, your words gradually grow muted towards the end of your sentence, yet, Thaís responds in an understanding tone:

-        It's ok, they had their days numbered anyway, haha. Later on I'll leave some new ones in your room, ok?

  You just nod in response. She then places to plates full of food and two cups before you and Sigmundo offering:

-        Coffee?

  As Thaís serves the warming drink Sigmundo and you immediately begin eating. Jorge then places a hand over Sigmundo's shoulder reassuring him in a rather inspiring manner:

-        Now, eat well. Not only this meal was made by the best cook in the world...

  He looks at Thaís in the same way an artist would look at his muse.

-        … But to grow big and strong you need to eat a lot too, so that if we all die during the hunt, you and Orion will be the village's last line of defence, hahaha!

  Completely forgetting what happened in the last ten minutes, watching Jorge's  playful personality brings you a wave of good mood. Indeed, if they did not look so different, one could easily mistake Jorge as the older brother and Sigmundo as the younger one due to their interactions, so much so, that you cannot help but to laugh, what quickly causes Sigmundo to sink – even more – between his shoulders, embarrassed. However, soon a sudden sensation of hunger strikes you and so, your stomach roars loudly, making you the target of the laughs now.

  Even after a moment of silence takes hold of the air, Jorge continues having a funny expression on his face, going as far as to even trade looks with Thaís, almost as if he is begging her to let him tell a secret. Finally, in a tone of whom can no longer hold their excitement, he hints:

-        Então, umm... You two know how it has been a while since you're stuck here in the village without having nothing fun to do, right?

  You nod whilst Sigmundo continues to sink between his shoulders wishing that everyone would simply disappear. So, still struggling to not make it seem as if he is about to reveal something big, Jorge proceed:

-        Well, it's not one hundred percent certain but, umm... A little bird told me that the Lord Édouard has been considering calling you two to help us hunt the Beast... And that, maybe, today he's going to teach you two how to shoot.

-        … But it's just a rumour, nothing more, ehe.

  As funny as Jorge's expression of excitement is, you cannot help but shift your attention to Sigmundo, more precisely, how pale his face has turned. Also noticing it Jorge tries to cheer the boy up:

-        Ó! You're even camouflaged already, the Beast won't know what hit it. Hahahaha!

  However, Sigmundo continues to stare blankly at the empty space before him, with his skin beginning to become as white as snow and his body as static as ice. Thaís places her hands on her hips and stares at Jorge sharply, causing him to protest:

-        O quê? The kid is just, just... Excited! Yes! He can't wait to go hunting.

  But she continues darting him the same look, resulting in one last protest:

-        Hmm... Well... At least he's not having a panic attack, right?

-        Amor!

  Thaís contests, point at Sigmundo with her eyes and then – as if she had lost all hopes that her husband would stop jesting – adds:

-        You know... I need some more firewood for today's dinner.

-        A, yes yes, before lunch I'll go grab it.

  He responds as if it were something for later, oblivious of the true meaning behind Thaís' words. Therefore, she shoots him that look women shoot their husbands when their presences are no longer welcomed.

-        Oh... You mean now?

-        Yes, right now.

-        Uh, ok... I-I'm going then.

  He gives in, however not without first worsening the situation further – even if it is not his intention, you suppose –:

-        I'm going now... Oh, but don't worry Sigmundo, the Beast might have killed a bunch of people already but relax, you can count on me that you're going to be fine.

  Then patting Sigmundo's back reassuringly, as in a way to comfort him but his choice of words result in the exact opposite: Sigmundo's face defies the laws of biology and human anatomy by becoming even paler; his hands clutch the cutlery so tightly that if they were not made of metal he would already have crushed them and, his face, begins carrying the same expression as the one of someone who has learnt the precise date of their death.

  Thaís then raises her hands to the side of her shoulders whilst keeping her elbows close to her body expressing both surprise and frustration.

-        Wood for the oven, got it...

  Jorge responds whilst an expression of sadness take hold of his face, noticing the situation and then leaving as fast as possible.

  With an almost maternal expression of concern on her face, Thaís holds Sigmundo's hands and looks deep in his eyes trying to calm him:

-        Sigmundo, it's ok to be afraid, nobody is going to judge you. And, if you don't think you would be willing to hunt, we can always talk with Lord Édouard once he arrives.

  From the moment her hands touched Sigmundo's, to the end of her words, all the colour that Sigmundo's face had lost now return in an – almost – inhumanly red shade, that grows more and more vivid by the second.

-        I-I need to think...

  He responds in a voice as quiet as a fox’s steps, leaving the counter and then heading towards one of the tables under the windows. He sits down, placing his elbows over the table and then resting his head on the palms of his hands, fixing his stare sturdily at the table's surface very much as if he had seen a ghost, a spectre or something so beyond the notions of reality that his mind is now broken into an impossible number of miniscule pieces.

  Thaís looks at you with the same expression of confusion that you look at her with, and so, without the use of words, you agree on giving Sigmundo some space whilst waiting for Lord to arrive.