Chapter 5

Hina and I continued walking for two more days until we reached an area filled with cliffs that overlooked the sea. The sky was overcast and it was quite cold. There was nothing in that zone except for small plants and the occasional tiny creature.

"What a place to live here," I said as the cold air pierced right through the coat I was wearing.

"She lives alone here, so not many people usually come around. You can already see her house," Hina pointed toward the depths of the landscape, where a small wooden cabin could be seen.

"I hope she hasn't picked up any of this zone's... qualities," I said, joking around.

"Better not say that in front of her."

We both continued forward until we reached the cabin's door.

"Let me speak first," Hina suggested.

Hina knocked on the door twice with her fist. We heard someone from inside approaching and opening it. An elderly woman of short stature and somewhat neglected appearance emerged—the kind you might compare to a witch from children's tales, though not quite as ugly.

"Oh, Hina, what a pleasant surprise," the grandmother said, a gentle smile evident on her face. She seemed genuinely happy to see her.

"Grandmother, I'm so glad you're well," Hina also showed a sincere smile and hugged her warmly.

"Come in, come in. I want to hear how you've been doing," she invited Hina inside.

"Grandmother, there's someone I want you to meet."

"Eh?" She looked surprised.

Hina stepped aside and there I was.

"Hello, nice to meet you."

"Is this stick figure your boyfriend?" she said while looking at Hina in surprise.

She had only just seen me and was already eyeing me with suspicion. I had the feeling that this was going to be very difficult.

"He's not my boyfriend. We've come to ask you for a favor. I'll tell you the whole story inside."

"For now, you can come in," she told me, though her obvious displeasure toward me was evident.

Hina told me to enter. I sighed and went inside.

The living room was at the entrance with a fireplace in the center. The floor was decorated with carpets, a table with several chairs, and a hammock next to the fireplace. The walls were adorned with many dried plants and a few photographs.

"Sit down. I'll bring you some tea."

"Thank you so much, grandmother."

"Thanks," and the moment I opened my mouth, she looked at me as if she were stabbing me.

The grandmother went into the next room, leaving Hina and me alone.

"Are you sure this is going to go well?" I asked nervously.

"I'll explain your story to her. After that, it will depend on me."

Hina was already helping me a lot, but it was me who had to earn the right for her to recognize me. If I didn't measure up, this would be worthless, which made me even more nervous.

After a few minutes, she returned with a tray holding three cups. She set it on the table and gave one to each of us.

I looked at its contents and there was an orange liquid inside. It seemed I wasn't very familiar with it, as it didn't trigger anything in me. I likely hadn't drunk it much before losing my memories. I took a sip and it wasn't unpleasant, but it didn't really make me feel anything either.

"So, what is this favor you mentioned?"

Hina proceeded to tell her my story. The grandmother didn't change her expression once.

"Well, could you help him?" Hina asked when she finished telling her.

"I refuse," she said flatly.

"Why?" I said, concerned.

"If I've understood correctly, this is nothing but a whim on your part, boy. You have no real reason for being here or needing to stay."

I tried to respond, but ultimately, could I truly say that was my reason? I didn't even know myself why I'd gotten caught up in all of this.

"Can't you answer me?"

"I don't have memories, so I don't even know why I'm here," I said somewhat discouraged.

"Can't you recover them anytime?"

"How do you know that?" I said, surprised. Hina also looked at me with a surprised expression but said nothing.

"Who do you think you're talking to, kid?"

It seemed I wouldn't be able to hide it, so it was better to be honest.

"Yes, I have that option, but if I sacrificed my own existence to be here, I must have had a reason to forget everything. So, while I can avoid it, I think it's best that I stay as I am."

"But if I don't give you my clan's badge, you can't stay anyway."

Those words made me fall silent. There was nothing I could counter with. Did I have to use the key here?

"I'll ask you another way. What does your soul say?"

"Huh?"

"Even though you've lost your memories and your name, you're still you. The two things you've lost are important, but you haven't become a different person. You're still the same. So the answer is within you—your reason, why you came."

I didn't understand what she was telling me. Truthfully, since I woke up, I'd been treating myself as a different person from who I was before losing my memories. But was I really still the same person? I had practically just been born. I tried to remember, tried to look into that thick fog. If she was really right, then there should be the reason why I came. Something came to me—a feeling of... frustration? It seemed I was fed up with something. I wanted to escape, but from what? Then an image came to me. I couldn't see it very clearly, but I think I saw two people holding each other's hands, but I wasn't there. What was this? It brought me a feeling of sadness. It seemed I wanted to flee from that situation with all my might.

"It seems like you just wanted to escape," I said, not entirely sure.

"You only wanted to escape from your problems."

"It seems so."

In that moment, all the energy drained from my body. How was she going to accept me now? I was just running away. If someone told me those were the reasons to sacrifice everything, I would laugh—or rather, I'd be angry. I could only wonder if it was really that suffocating.

"To be honest, that's what I expected," the grandmother said calmly. "But I'm not going to judge you for that. You've accepted it and said it out loud."

I lifted my head, which had been looking down at the table.

"If you pass my test, I'll give you the badge. Then I'll truly judge who you are."