Chapter 189 - Imagination

I wonder when Minru will return. Adion thought as he looked toward the village. He had woken up just a few minutes ago. After eating and drinking, he wasn’t sure if he would have time for some painting before Minru came back. 

It was still an hour or two before sunrise, but he knew Minru was an early riser like himself.

Whatever. I’m sure it will be fine. 

Adion hadn’t experienced anything worrying over the night. Now, he was a little more at ease about his enemies potentially having eyes in the village. He and Minru would be leaving soon, and it would be difficult to track them through the desert. 

Adion stretched his body and picked out an empty canvas from the luggage. He grabbed a brush and some paint and sat down, looking out over the village.

What should I paint?

Adion didn’t have a lot of memories to draw inspiration from, and he had already finished ten paintings over the last few days. 

Maybe I could just make something up?

Adion looked around for a source of inspiration. After a while, he noticed some birds twittering in the distance.

I wonder why birds would choose this place when they can just fly away and settle down wherever they want. 

Adion started mixing some colors on his palette. He decided he would draw a bird.

Since he could only hear it, he didn’t know what it looked like, however. So he had to use his imagination. 

It’s strange that I know what birds look like even if I don’t have any real memories of seeing one. 

Adion didn’t have a specific bird species in his memories, though. It was just a general idea of what they looked like. 

As Adion put the brush to the canvas, he let his imagination guide him. 

But after only a single stroke, he felt the color wasn’t what he wanted. He started mixing the colors again, and slowly, a silver grey that seemed just right appeared.

Perfect. 

Adion started painting again, and before he knew it, he disappeared from the desert. In front of him was a huge owl, looking powerful and majestic. 

The brush moved steadily over the canvas, and the owl started coming alive. 

Adion had no concept of how much time passed, he just observed the owl in his mind and let the brush move on its own. 

“Aren’t you a little too talented,” Minru’s rough voice made Adion snap out of his trance like state. He immediately felt how his Will, which had been well-rested just a moment ago, now was significantly drained.

“Minru,” Adion looked back to see Minru sitting just behind him, scrutinizing his painting. 

“What kind of beast is that?” Minru asked.

Adion looked back to the painting and somehow, he knew the answer. 

“It’s a Wise Soul Owl,” Adion said.

And his name is Fellion.

“Never heard of it,” Minru said, “But this power…Is it a Soul beast? Have you met it?”

“Yeah. A long time ago,” Adion said in a low voice. He was still a little out of it. 

When did I meet a Soul beast? And it seems like we were pretty close. 

Adion looked up at the sky, trying to sort through his confused mind. He noticed that the sun was already well past the horizon, meaning he had been painting for hours.

“Sorry, I lost track of time,” Adion apologized.

“It’s fine,” Minru said, “Watching you paint is quite soothing. I still don’t understand how you make your paintings convey so much. To be able to tell the power of a beast…and it’s stronger than you are. It should be impossible.”

“I don’t quite understand it either,” Adion said. He just felt that it was the natural way to paint. He couldn’t imagine doing it any other way. But it was a difficult thing to explain. He could only say that he Willed it.

“Whatever,” Minru said, getting on his feet, “Are you ready to leave? I made sure to get water for you too in the village.”

“Oh, thank you. I’m ready to go,” Adion said, starting to set aside his painting materials. 

It didn’t take long before they were off again. Unfortunately, the wind wasn’t as kind as it had been the day before, and the senba moved only slightly faster than Adion’s walking speed. 

Adion couldn’t help but look back to the village, searching for signs of his enemies.

“Did anyone ask you anything about me?” Adion asked Minru.

“Who would dare ask me anything? There was only a Bronze and Iron mage in the whole village,” Minru answered.

That’s good. It seems I was worried for nothing.

As the monotonous landscape slowly passed them by, Adion closed his eyes and tried to recall the scene he had entered when he was painting. 

There is no doubt about it. This isn’t just my imagination. This is a memory.

Adion couldn’t help but break out in a smile. 

Maybe this is the way forward. I shouldn’t paint things I see or from the past few weeks, I should use my imagination. My memories are still in me somewhere, and my imagination has to draw inspiration from them.

If this works, it’s only a matter of time before I remember everything again. 

I wish I could paint something else. 

Adion thought about picking up his painting materials again to give it another shot, but he dismissed the idea. He didn’t want to risk going into that state without a fully rested Will.

But I should still be able to clear out the details of Fellion. 

Adion once again pictured the scene of the great owl in front of him. Looking around, spots of white covered his surroundings, his cloudy memory hiding the details. But with experience, Adion knew the procedure. 

He tried filling in those spots. He let his imagination run wild. When he felt in his gut that he was on the right track, he continued, and when it felt wrong, he tried something else. 

After a few hours, a beautiful glade in the middle of the forest was clear in Adion’s mind. 

“Haah,” Adion opened his eyes. His Will was completely exhausted from the effort. 

Adion looked back to Minru who was steering the senba with dull eyes. 

Looking to the sun, it was an hour or two past noon. 

I’ll have something to drink and eat, and then I’ll take a nap to recover some Will.

I really shouldn’t exhaust my Will like this in the middle of the desert, but the feeling of regaining my memories is just too addictive. 

Still, I shouldn’t rush it. I need to always be prepared for a fight to break out. I’ll have plenty of time to work on my memory once we reach a town. 

“How long until the next village?” Adion asked as he sat down next to Minru with some food and water.

“In normal circumstances, it shouldn’t take more than a day or two,” Minru answered with a slight frown, “But if we keep going at this pace…Well, I estimate it might take a week until we get there.”

“A week,” Adion muttered to himself. He didn’t mind traveling for a week, but traveling for that long at their current pace, Adion couldn’t help but feel it was too slow. He wanted to get to Kerrick Hold and then return to his family as soon as possible. 

He knew he had enemies in these parts, and he didn’t want them to catch up to him. 

The worst part was that he knew nothing about them, while they knew everything about him.

I hope my family is safe from them, at least. 

“Well, a week might be too pessimistic,” Minru said with a lighter tone, “I’m sure the winds will start picking up in power soon enough.”

That’s right. It probably won’t go like this for an entire week.

Unfortunately, the winds didn’t change for the next three days, and Adion couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

How can this be? Won’t it take me a year to get to Kerrick Hold at this pace? 

If before, Adion had been mostly worried about his enemies, he now mostly just wanted to get out of the desert. 

Even if he had water and shade, it was far too hot for his liking. He couldn’t imagine being stuck traveling like this for weeks on end. 

Is there anything I can do with my Authority?

Adion gave it some thought, but he couldn’t figure out a solution. He might be able to teleport the senba a few times, but he would quickly exhaust his Will and he would only save an hour or two of travel time. 

“You’re too impatient,” Minru lightly reprimanded once again, “This is what it’s like to travel the desert. You can’t always have the winds blow in your favor.”

You can if you’re a wind mage. Adion thought sourly. He had tried manipulating the wind himself in desperation, but it was fruitless.

Once I separate from Minru, I’ll make sure the next senba I travel on is controlled by a wind mage. 

Fortunately, the winds didn’t stay weak for much longer. Later that night, they started blowing in full force, and the senba passed by sand dune after sand dune at an incredibly swift pace. 

Two days later, Adion finally saw the familiar image of a village on the horizon. 

“There we have it,” Minru said with a light smile, “Teru is about double the size of Hetsu, a nice place to take a rest.”

“Good,” Adion said, deciding to leave the senba this time. His legs were screaming for some action. Adion almost considered walking the rest of the way, but he held himself back. 

“Teru is connected to Jimike, so it won’t be much longer before we get to a proper town,” Minru said. 

“That’s good,” Adion said, looking forward to it. “Will you keep traveling northeast after Jimike?”

“I’ll probably head for a village nearby,” Minru said, shaking his head, “You’ll have to find your own way from there.”

“That’s fine,” Adion said. Even if he was very grateful to Minru, and appreciated the fact that he could travel with someone he could trust, Adion still longed for traveling with a wind mage. 

It was only afternoon as the senba came to a halt at the village, and the people close by cast curious glances toward Adion and Minru. But as they sensed Minru’s strength, they all backed off and went on with their business. 

“You coming along?” Minru asked as he jumped off the senba.

“Definitely,” Adion said, feeling a surge of joy at finally walking and using his body again. 

They soon got to the center of the village, and Adion noticed that Teru seemed a lot more prosperous than Hetsu. 

“Will everything unfold as easily here? There might be a Gold mage in charge,” Adion said.

“There is no chance of a Gold mage being present in a village like this. Even a Silver mage would be a surprise,” Minru said, “Even if that were the case, we’re not here to cause trouble. Just offering a travelling mage a room for the night is common hospitality for the Sabamin.”

“I see,” Adion said. 

It will be nice to sleep on a bed again. 

Just as they were about to come up on the house of the village head, Adion turned his head back in confusion.

That girl. Do I know her?

A blonde woman had just passed, and as Adion watched her walk away, he couldn’t help but feel some familiarity. 

It couldn’t be a family member that has come to look for me, could it? They would have recognized me. 

Still, that feeling wouldn’t get away. He didn’t remember anything new, but something in him was stirring as he watched her walk away. 

Screw it, I’ll just go and see. 

“Wait a second, Minru, I need to check something,” Adion said before running off. 

He caught up to the woman and obstructed her path forward. “Excuse me,” Adion said, looking carefully at her face.

“Er, what?” The woman asked hesitantly. 

She doesn’t recognize me.

Adion could tell from her expression that they didn’t know each other. 

I guess I was overthinking things.

“Sorry, I thought you were someone else,” Adion said with an apologetic smile. He didn’t wait for an answer and returned to Minru. 

“What was that about? You know her?” Minru asked.

“No, she just reminded me of someone,” Adion said, “Let’s go see the village head.”

“Alright,” Minru said with a shrug, not digging deeper.

I’ll try to paint her later and see if that can help me understand why I feel like this.