Made up memories "Ugh... Where am I..."

Khaslana woke up on somewhere he's not familiar with.

Slowly pushed himself up from the ground, he once again look around to confirm that he doesn't know where is this place.

"What..." His mind is blurry, he didn't really remembered what had happened, just remembered his name - Khaslana.

Something nudge his back, making him jolt in surprise and immediately turn around to see what is it.

It is a blue baby dromas, with a pretty red ribbon tied on it's neck.

"...Hello" Khaslana waved awkwardly to the baby dromas, which was tilting it's head towards Khaslana in curious. "Where are your parents Or guardian maybe"

Of course the baby dromas is unable to answer his question, it lowers it's head and start munching on the red soil underneath Khaslana.

"Oh... Sorry for sitting on your meal..." Khaslana scratched his head and apologised to the baby dromas.

He stood up and continued to look around, noticing that the forest is different with Aedes Elysiae and Okhema, the trees are green and much taller, more like those in the Grove of Epiphany.

"Who are you" The sudden voice jolted Khaslana once again, and this time he lost his balance and falls onto the ground.

"Ouch..." Khaslana let out a small whine. It seems that the owner of the voice also shocked by his fall, Khaslana can hear the footsteps coming near along with a slightly worried voice: "Are you ok"

Khaslana lifted his face and saw a pair of beautiful pinkish-blue eyes. He thinks he knows who is the owner of these pair of beautiful eyes, but he can't recall now.

The mint coloured hair of the person in front of him gave him a familiar and reassuring feeling, although it seems that he is only five or six years old, but Khaslana still feels like he should treat him with more respect.

"...Are you ok" The mint hair boy asked again, while lending out his hand to offer Khaslana help for getting up.

Khaslana accepted the offer and stand up, checking if he had scratched anywhere on himself: "I'm ok, no worries"

The mint hair boy gave a judging glare towards Khaslana, making him feel butterflies in his stomach, and he repeated his question: "Who are you And why are you here I never saw you around before, are you some criminal that come here to hideaway"

Khaslana choked on the last question.

How on Ampherous will a kid of five / six years old could ask someone this question casually face to face Doesn't he worry that he will become the next target of the said criminal

"No, I'm not a criminal. By the way do you think a real criminal will answer your question honestly" Khaslana is confused, and worried about the kid's safety being alone outside.

The mint hair boy stared at Khaslana with a judging face. And he turns to call at the baby dromas: "Come Bluey, we shall go home."

Oh, so he is the owner of the baby dromas...

Khaslana watches the pair slowly heading towards the village, hesitates to follow.

Considering the forest is not so safe to stay for the night, he decided to follow the pair and seek for some place to stay in the village. He was a few steps away from the pair, when he noticed that the boy was being blocked and bullied by the other kids in the village.

"Here comes the Freakaxagoras" "You're not welcomed Freaking nerd"

Khaslana felt furious watching stones and pebbles being thrown onto the mint hair boy, yet he didn't dodge or avoid, he just protecting the baby dromas - which was frightened and unable to move - using his own small body.

"Hey What are you guys doing" Khaslana step up and chase the bullies away, making sure that they had ran far away enough before returning to the pair.

"... Are you ok" Table turned, Khaslana is offering a helping hand to the boy this time. "Why didn't you fight them back"

The boy didn't speak. He just stares at Khaslana's hand and brushed him off rudely: "That's non of your business, stranger."

"Naxy Don't be rude" A soft female voice reproaching from distance, a young lady with the same mint coloured hair as the boy approached them immediately afterwards. "Sorry sir, I apologize to you on behalf of my brother, he is not usually like this."

Khaslana casually waved off the young lady's apologize, knowing that the boy is just in a bad mood.

"Naxy, you should apologise to this gentleman too." The young lady turns towards her little brother, patting his head gently to ask him to apologise.

"... I'm sorry." He muttered softly, didn't even make eye contact with Khaslana.

"Naxy" "It's okay, it's okay, I heard it, and accepted it."

The mint hair boy - so called "Naxy" by his sister - turned to check on the condition of the frightened baby dromas, ignoring the longed stare of the white hair man behind him.

Even though Khaslana wants to talk more to Naxy, he doesn't want to force conversation with him, so he started chatting with his sister instead, realising that this is a remote village far away from Okhema, and they never heard about Aedes Elysiae too. Naxy's sister mentioned that there will be a caravan that's going to Okhema arriving around one month later, he can ask if the caravan can give him a ride to Okhema by then.

"Sir Khaslana, may I ask for your help in favour of letting you to stay at our house" Naxy's sister turned to check if Naxy is listening to them, then she lowers her voice to avoid Naxy's overheard. "Could you accompany Naxy for me while I'm away at work"

"Hmph" He was shocked at the request, for they had met today only, and she's handing over her little brother to his care.

"You see, Naxy is not getting along with the other kids in the village... This is not good for him, although he denied it..." It seems that Naxy's sister is aware of his situation, but she can't help it as she needs to work in the day and Naxy is not the type that will bow down to the others. She's worried that current situation will affect Naxy's growth and personality.

Understands their situation, Khaslana agrees to Naxy's sister's suggestion, easily picking up Bluey the baby dromas that's still unable to move due to the previous shock, receiving side eye with awe from little Naxy, and thus follow them home.

After dinner Khaslana helped with the dishes, while Naxy is putting up another mattress reluctantly in his room - for Khaslana - under his sister's instruction. He had heard from his sister that this man will share his room for the next month until the caravan to Okhema arrives, thought he didn't like this idea but he still obeys his sister's words.

"Do not cross this borderline." Naxy showed Khaslana a fine line he drew on the floor. "Don't disturb me."

Khaslana is awed at the content of the room - the area that belongs to Naxy, precisely - which was filled with books and mechanics, along with some dromas plushies on the bed.

Well this is cute...

Naxy noticed his sight had fallen on the dromas plushies, he hurry to his bed and covered all the plushies with his blanket, blocking them from Khaslana's vision.

Argh, this is even cuter...

Khaslana felt his heart had been shot by Mnestia, it is really hard not to think that Naxy's action is very cute, but he also sensed familiar in Naxy's behaviour and actions.

He still couldn't remember much, but his instinct is urging him to go Okhema.

...and to be as close as possible to Naxy.

He can't resist the urge to talk to Naxy, although Naxy doesn't really respond to him much, his still want to stay close to him.

He tried his best to get along with Naxy, following him everywhere, try to read his books - which are actually quite hard for a kid of five or six years old - and offered help when Naxy is doing his inventions.

Naxy's hostility towards Khaslana gradually decreased over time, thanks to Khaslana's effort and his constant yapping all these days, one week later Naxy had already allowing Khaslana to help him on the experiment of the mechanics he made.

Naxy's sister was impressed with the progress Khaslana made, she mentioned that Naxy didn't allowed anyone to intervene his work as he felt that the others are unable to help him due to the knowledge gap between him and the others. Khaslana felt honoured to be the first person that was allowed to intervene Naxy's work - or further, Naxy's life.

Eventually Naxy started to talk more with Khaslana, though most of the topics are on the mechanics and studies, but Khaslana still able to catch-up with his mind fastly to give him appropriate feedbacks and opinions. They're spending more and more time together, even Bluey had felt sorrow as most of the time they're just talking to eachother and ignoring the poor baby dromas.

And then, that day came.

Khaslana woke up as usual, but feeling a bit dizzy. He thought he had dreamt of something important, but he couldn't recall. After dazing for a while, Khaslana finally get himself out of the bed and head to brush.

He looked at the mirror and something glitched in his vision.

He saw a masked figure staring back at him in the mirror.

At that moment, he remembers everything.

Professor Anaxa... Wait... I remembered that... Professor's hometown...

He rushed out from the bathroom towards the dining hall.

But it was too late.

The black tide has struck this village.

Naxy... Anaxa's sister had gone out to work, and Khaslana can only see Anaxa's back when he reaches the dining hall - he had gone out to look for his dearest sister.

No... No... No... The black tide shouldn't strike here now...

Khaslana panicked.

He quickly runs to catch-up with Anaxa, grabs him by waist to carry him up, ignoring his resistance and rush to exit the village.

"Let go of me Khaslana" Anaxa struggles to get off from Khaslana's confinement. "Elder sister is still in the village I need to save her"

He can hear his crying tone, but he cannot let him go now, the black tide was struck from the direction of the forest, and the training farm that Anaxa's sister works is just at the border of the forest, there's no way she can survive from the black tide...

"I'm sorry..." For the black tide is actually coming after me...

Khaslana tried his best to bring Anaxa as far as possible from the village - from the black tide - he ran until he is exhausted, he ran until he is no longer able to move his feet, and he kneel down in the middle of the road, hands still clench tightly onto his dearest professor, although he's still a child now.

Anaxa had lost his voice temporarily due to the crying and shouting. Deep inside he knew he was unable to do anything, but he just couldn't let go. So he gave Khaslana a hard bite on the shoulder, although he didn't managed to leave deep scar, but he definitely wounded Khaslana.

"I'm... sorry..." Khaslana didn't push him away. Instead, he hugs him tighter. He knew Anaxa probably will hate him for not letting him to go save his sister, but he couldn't stand loosing Anaxa, at this age, where he haven't started his great achievement... Where he haven't meet 'him' yet.

Sensing the great grief in the person hugging himself, Anaxa released his jaws slowly. He stood still for a while, and decided to hug the man back.

"I'm sorry..." Anaxa muttering softly to Khaslana. "...I know... you just... don't want me to die..."

Khaslana tightens the hug. He couldn't hold back his tears anymore: "I'm really... sorry..."

Anaxa didn't speak. He buried his face in his neck, crying in silence.

They spent some time grieving for the village. After that Anaxa managed to track a wild dromas - using the skill he learnt from his sister - and tame the dromas to give them a ride to the Grove of Epiphany.

Once Anaxa had settled down in the Grove, Khaslana left immediately, didn't even waved goodbye to his dearest friend...his dearest professor...

Anaxa can't understand why Khaslana had to runaway so fast, but he had much more things to do now, so he just carried on with his life in the Grove. Starting the Nousporist school in the Grove, continued with his inventions and experiments.

He didn't receive any news from Khaslana after they've separated, nor any news about Khaslana, it's as if he doesn't exist at all.

But Anaxagoras will always remember.

He will always remember that there once was a man, tried hard to become friends with him, and saved him from the black tide.

His only childhood friend, Khaslana.