Vanessa waved at the citizens of Selas with a polite smile as we continued through the square much slower than before. 

"Lady Vanessa! It's Lady Vanessa!" a man in the crowd shouted, followed by another man yelling, "It's her!! She's back!" The group's excitement was getting too loud, and my patience wore thinner by the second. The worse part was if I listened beyond the yelling, I could hear others in the crowd murmuring about me. 

 "Who is that man? Why is Lady Vanessa with him? He looks dangerous!" a woman asked her husband, and he shook his head. 

Judgmental bastards.

After a short while, the crowd became so thick that we stopped moving, and at that point, I lost my temper.

"Get the hell out of the way! If you don't move your ass, I won't stop for you!" I bellowed, and even though some ignored me, most townsfolk stepped aside. With their cooperation, a route to the other side of the market square opened.

It's like we're coming back as war heroes or something. It's awful.

Vanessa held onto me tighter, her body rigid. 

Most of the city comprised of grey stone buildings with red roof tiles, their walls covered with bright green ivy. The scent of fresh bread filled the air, and I couldn't help but wonder if it always smelled so good here. The most impressive thing was a double-tiered moat surrounding the castle's inner wall. Filled with crystal clear water, the first level poured like a fountain down into the depths of the second, which was the functional level.

While approaching the inner wall, I wondered why such a height was necessary. Even if it wasn't as large as the outer wall, it still felt unwarranted. At the end of the road, we waited for the guards to let down the drawbridge. As soon as they saw Vanessa, they eagerly waved us through.

Inside the inner walls, the beauty of the scenery was on a different scale than before. The fortifications hid away pristine, manicured gardens that spanned as far as the eye could see, surrounding a grand castle of light grey stone. Smaller buildings stood near courtyards of lush grass, many with elegant water features. Ivy crawled along every surface, even on the gorgeous, multi-layered fountain in the middle of it all. 

Every once in a while, butterflies fluttered by, landing on blooming flowers. It felt like a fantastical garden out of a story. I was sure that most people would consider this paradise — but not Vanessa. The noble held onto me, unmoved by all this incredible scenery. Her grip only tightened when a pair of wealthy nobles came out to greet us. 

"Time to get off. We've got company." I murmured to her, dismounting the horse before helping her down.

These must be her parents, then.

The first was a handsome man with chin-length black hair parted at the side and dark fringe framing his face. His eyes were brown, but unlike Vanessa's, there was no warmth to them at all. Beneath his right eye, he had a small beauty mark, and his skin was light with little to no wrinkles. I guessed he was likely around 40 years old despite appearing to be in his 30s. 

Beside him stood a beautiful fair-skinned woman with long, wavy blond hair and light blue eyes. Her voluminous golden locks cascaded from a part down the middle, framing her stunning high cheekbones. She looked to be a little older than the man, but she still seemed to be around the same age as he was. 

Together, they're almost the models of beauty. Their appearance must be very important to them.

"Vanessa! Goodness, child, what on earth are you wearing?" the woman spoke first.

"Hello, mother. Hello, father. I had to wear this, or I couldn't ride the horse. I don't think it will damage the Van Doren reputation too much." Vanessa spoke from behind me, her voice drained as if she had said the same thing many times.

I'm not one to judge since I can't remember my family, but aren't greetings supposed to be warmer than this? No one looks like they're happy to be here.

The father, staring at me in silence the whole time, spoke to ask me two simple questions, "And who are you? What business do you have with my daughter?"

When he asked me who I was, I panicked.

"Who I am is none of your concern," I told who I assumed must be Lord Van Doren, "I saved your daughter after finding her in the desert, where bandits had imprisoned her. They planned to hold her hostage until you paid them quite an enormous sum of money." 

"Who you are is of my concern — You are standing next to my only daughter and heir! Now speak! Who are you?" he asked again, his tone stern as his brown eyes narrowed.

At this, I hesitated. What could I say to make him believe I didn't know my own name? My story was already hard to believe, even for me.

Becoming impatient, Lord Van Doren spoke louder, "I demand you to tell me who you are right now! Do not forget, I am Lord James Van Doren, and it is only by my command that you have not yet been seized and beheaded on suspicion of kidnapping!"

"His name… It's Noct! His name is Noct, father. Please don't harm him; he saved me from the bandits threatening to kill me! He's just a very private man, father, please!" Vanessa begged, stepping forward to grasp her father's hand.

Noct… It suits me well enough.

"Noct? Noct is your name?" Lord Van Doren repeated, "A strange name, but if that's what people call you, then we shall do the same, Master Noct." 

A slight glance toward Vanessa showed she was taking a silent breath of relief. Her father wasn't bluffing.

"Yes, my lord, that is my name. Excuse me for not saying it myself, but we in the Lacuna clan have a habit of keeping secrets." I answered, unsure if that was the clan I actually came from. It seemed as good as any of the nine clans to fabricate a background story.

I chose the Lacuna clan because they inhabit the desert, and I had woken up smack dab in the center of it. Lacunites kept everything to themselves, which helped me out in that regard as well. The downside was that many people would think I was some religious fanatic. Because of my memory loss, I didn't even know if I was a zealot or not.

Even if the Lacuna isn't the most trustworthy of the nine clans, saying I'm a Lacunite will do for now.

Long ago, it was said that there were 12 different clans spread across the entirety of Esoterra. In reality, there were only eight. Four of them disappeared along with the fabled death of the Old Gods. The Essea, the Sylvana, the Caelia, and the Minera clans all vanished 2,000 years ago. Many doubted the four missing clans ever existed, that they were nothing but myth.

With that in mind, telling Lord Van Doren that I was from the Lacuna clan was my best bet, albeit a risky one. I didn't know if his past relations with the desert people were positive or negative.

The lord raised an eyebrow at this. It was unusual for a Lacunite to travel outside of the desert. "You're from the Lacuna clan, you say? You're a rarity in these parts. Many of my subjects will think you're here to curse us all with Amenti's terrible wrath, but no bother. My wife, Lady Victoria, and I will welcome you as our esteemed guest. You saved our daughter; we at least owe you that much."

As Lord Van Doren spoke, I sensed he was something like a spider trying to lure me into his web. If I weren't so wary of him, I would say he was almost charming — when you were on his good side. Regardless, something he said caught me off guard, and it hadn't been the false sense of welcome. It had been a name.

Amenti. That name… I know it. It's the name of the God of Death — the Lacuna clan's patron god.

It was unnatural how close I felt to that name, and even though every clan had a patron god, it was just my luck for the Lacuna's deity to be this one. I felt closer than anyone would want to be to the God of Death. As I remembered this, a horrible, splitting headache came over me. I recognized it as the same I suffered the day I woke with one difference — this one was far more intense than before.

Damnit!

As the searing pain began, Vanessa's concerned gaze settled on me. My hands rose to cradle my head, and I groaned, wincing as I tried to fight it back.

"Noct?! Are you okay?!" she asked, worried as she placed a delicate hand on my shoulder. The other two nobles looked on without a word.

"Y-yeah. Give me a minute. It'll pass…" I answered, struggling to form my words. How could I when I felt like my head was splitting in two?

"Father, can we get him to a room? He told me he didn't want to stay with us, but look at him — he needs to rest!" 

Had I not been in a haze of pain, I would have rejected her proposal. But now, because I couldn't even focus on what she was saying, I couldn't object.

"Of course, my dear. We owe a debt to this man, after all." her father nodded, calling up a couple of servants to escort me to my room in the castle. Vanessa was about to follow, but I watched as Lady Van Doren stopped her. The gorgeous blonde spoke stern words to her daughter — ones that I couldn't quite make out. 

The one time I want her to come with me, her mother stops her. Damn.

It turned out not to matter much because when I made it to the room, I collapsed on the bed. The searing torture felt endless, growing stronger with every throb. I closed my eyes, trying to think of something other than the waves of pain assailing my body. At once, I fell asleep or lost consciousness. I wasn't sure which.

The darkness took me, and I fell deep into a shadowy realm, barraged endlessly by nightmares.