The two of them could be said to be more than just friends, and George who had a lot of issues with himself found solace in Jacob's unwavering acceptance of him due to their similar conditions.
Melvin's expression softened into a somber demeanor as he nodded, "Everything. As far as I am concerned this is the first time I have ever seen any of you."
Henry interjected from the side, attempting to assure everyone, "You were poisoned, but now the poison is gone. You just need some time and you will start remembering everything."
George's eyes lit up and supported to the side, "Right... Your brain will quickly recover, and you'll gradually start recovering your memories and remember everything."
At first, Melvin was about to shut down their hopeful line of thinking, but then he reasoned maybe it was better for them to gradually deal with the reality of the matter one day at a time, and thus he added shrugging his shoulder, "Yeah maybe..."
A strange silence ensued as the group of four looked at him all with different expressions, and the first thing Melvin asked was something that although seemed unimportant puzzled him, "Why is he called Big Mouse?", he said pointing at the smaller brown-haired boy.
George didn't say anything as his expression was still difficult to discern, but Henry explained, "It's our gang's tradition, you won't be called by your true name until you become worthy of it."
'Gang?' Melvin thought feeling even more confused, but more intrigued now, and so he continued, "And how do you become that?"
Henry gave a wry smile and explained, "You need to be able to provide your food, and have the courage to jump from the Camel's Rock."
Understanding what the first part meant, he figured it must've something to do with their gang activities, and asked, "What is the Camel's Rock?"
Facing the brutal fact of their bigger brother not remembering anything about their shared lives together made all of the boys feel miserable, Henry replied with a weak, "It's a very tall rock close to the port."
Noticing their expression Melvin immediately understood what was going on inside their heads so he stopped asking questions, but in an attempt to both change subjects and also inform, he said to the four, "Listen, someone wants me dead that much is obvious. Who do you think would want that?"
True to his expectations, all of the boys immediately tensed up hearing that and no longer flowed with their negative line of thinking, George then remarked, "It must be the Ghoul..."
He then pushed the other three aside, walked with Melvin to a distance, and said in a hushed voice, "You previously went to him and asked him to give you some of his products to sell. Because he was already familiar with you, he agreed and gave you a medium pouch filled to the brim, but..."
Seeing him hesitating Melvin urged, "But?"
A scared look appeared on George's face as he murmured, "On your way back to the shack, you were chased down by shadow guards, and to avoid going to prison you threw the pouch over to them and all of the pills immediately began spilling out in a busy street, so they had to stop. But..."
Melvin had a shocked expression as he listened to all of this, and the fact that there was another 'But' involved only made him feel even more horrified. This time he didn't even have to urge him and George soon continued, "They had seen your face, and so they had already sketched your own wanted poster."
"What?" Melvin reflexively shouted at him, and he couldn't help but feel stupefied by all of the news, 'All of that? How unlucky was this guy... And all of that misfortune is mine now...'
At the same time, he had a faint inkling that this pill seller might not be the one responsible for his death as that would make it too simple.
Especially after he asked and learned that shadow guards were well-trained guards who didn't wear the uniform but mingled with the populace wearing normal clothes, which increased the chances of him getting caught even more. As for why they chased him, they had noticed him coming from the Ghoul's street, and that was all it took to suspect something was suspicious. The moment the original Jacob saw them approaching, he raced through the streets.
He was also certain of a single thing, 'There was no one in hell I am going to stay in this city.' This conclusion could be said to be the sanest thing he had ever thought about.
He knew that staying in this city was incomparably dangerous, and so making an educated guess from what he learned about this world so far, the existence of another city wasn't that improbable.
Melvin would be foolish to stay in such a place where someone had killed him, he was owed a lot of money from what he imagined was a drug dealer, and even the guards were looking for him.
To make matters even worse, he was pitifully weak and had absolutely no idea about the world or the people who were coming after him.
'I need somewhere safe where I can go kill monsters and try out some runes.' Melvin thought, and so although he had plenty of questions he wanted to ask of the others, he just turned around and said, "I will be going on my own now, I can't be taking you all with me as that would only make me stand out more and I need to hide for a while. I know where the house is, so don't worry."
Then as if remembering something he said, "And yeah, if anyone asks about me say that you haven't seen me from yesterday, okay?"
Seeing them nodding, all with different expressions, he turned around and began walking in the main street, heading north. His direction was none other than the Royal Plaza, he wanted to see the ceremony everyone had been talking about.
Along the way, his mind was abuzz with activity as he contemplated this situation he found himself in, and even the joy he had been feeling just a while ago had long evaporated in the face of those seemingly insurmountable problems.
The main road was still very empty, other than the occasional people who weren't wearing red coming and going, who seemed uninterested in the ceremony.
Fortunately, the city was planned in a rather straightforward manner, and all he needed to do was continue walking on the same main path and he would eventually reach the royal plaza.
However, he knew that if he ventured into the other right or left intersections he encountered along the way, he would be lost as the streets there were very complicated, and the city wasn't exactly small.
As Melvin continued along the path, he noticed a subtle transformation in the architecture of the surrounding houses. They began to rise taller and more refined, their structures displaying a sense of meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail. Each building stood proudly, adorned with intricate carvings and ornate decorations.
What caught Melvin's eye the most were the red banners hung from the rooftops of every house, fluttering gently in the breeze. The vibrant scarlet color stood out against the backdrop of the bustling streets, adding a touch of elegance and festivity to the atmosphere.
As he walked further, Melvin also noticed scarlet figurines of birds perched atop windowsills and door frames. These delicate fabric figures added a whimsical charm to the surroundings, their bright hues contrasting beautifully with the stone and wood of the buildings.
Taking all of that in, he pondered, 'The red color and birds, that seem to be the theme of this festival.'
The beauty of the otherwordly buildings inspired a deep sense of excitement within him, 'I am actually in a different world!', He thought with a tone still dripping with disbelief, but more so anticipation making him temporarily put aside all of his current worries.
As he continued his journey deep within the center, he noticed how people were increasing in volume, and all of them were wearing red without exceptions.
After a while, the number of people increased in size so much so that their walking speed became pitifully slow as they walked along the main wide road.
As Melvin navigated through the crowd, his discomfort grew with each step. Despite the fragrant smells emanating from the showered individuals around him, the sheer mass of bodies pressed in on him, causing him to stumble occasionally.
Thankfully, the people were courteous, and no one seemed to mind the accidental bumps, but some would hatefully glare at him without saying anything else.
After what felt like an eternity, the main road widened into a vast plaza, dominated by a towering, dome-shaped building in the center. The grandeur of the architecture left Melvin in awe as he looked around. Surrounding the plaza were impressive structures on all sides, adding to the sense of majesty.
In the center of the plaza, in front of the tallest dome-shaped building tens of thousands of people had gathered, creating a sea of humanity. At the forefront stood a wooden platform, adorned with a magnificent empty throne and several chairs.
Melvin understood that important figures must be occupying those seats, he could see how vibrant their clothing was, but more so how their demeanor oozed with authority and commanded respect.
Surprisingly, out of the all red-clothed individuals, there were two who were donning simple white robes, which stood out as a stark contrast to everyone present.
Fortunately, the wide plaza offered enough space for everyone so he wasn't suffocated by the crown anymore.
When he reached the smooth brick-paved path of the plaza, he turned to the right and stood in front of the first rows of buildings as he gazed at whatever was happening from a distance.
To his side stood an impressively tall silver statue, portraying a commanding figure of a man. With a long sword clasped firmly in one hand and an imposing shield held aloft in the other, the statue exuded an aura of strength and valor.
Before it, the clamor of two groups of people engaged in heated dispute reached his ears, their fervent arguments punctuated by glares of unhidden hostility.
One group had three middle-aged men, and the other had two young women and an older man.
One of the younger women yelled to the other group, "I don't care how much he contributed to the founding of the country, he was a ruthless warmonger, he raped and pillaged and our great country shouldn't celebrate his existence."
The middle-aged man's veins bulged as he shouted in disbelief, "Are you insane? Without his work and sacrifice, we would still be surrounded by the other races, just fighting for scraps and barely surviving."
"Other races?" Melvin pondered, his expression growing solemn. "Yikes, their interracial relations are so bad that war happened? I just hope I'm on the winning side."
The young woman continued, "Hold your horses, you're just exaggerating his achievements now. Although he was powerful he was still just a general."
One of the other middle-aged men scoffed, "Just a general? Do you know how much work it takes for you to be even considered for such a position?"
Melvin always loved to watch quarrels from a distance, and so he was having a ton of fun as he watched both parties yelling at each other, and close to him a bunch of other people were watching the commotion as well.
Some of them were enjoying the show like him, but others seemed to be too invested, their eyes furious as they rooted for different sides.
However, a deep and authoritative voice soon echoed through all of the plaza making all of the loud murmurs that culminated in a deafening sound come to a halt.
The two of them could be said to be more than just friends, and George who had a lot of issues with himself found solace in Jacob's unwavering acceptance of him due to their similar conditions.
Melvin's expression softened into a somber demeanor as he nodded, "Everything. As far as I am concerned this is the first time I have ever seen any of you."
Henry interjected from the side, attempting to assure everyone, "You were poisoned, but now the poison is gone. You just need some time and you will start remembering everything."
George's eyes lit up and supported to the side, "Right... Your brain will quickly recover, and you'll gradually start recovering your memories and remember everything."
At first, Melvin was about to shut down their hopeful line of thinking, but then he reasoned maybe it was better for them to gradually deal with the reality of the matter one day at a time, and thus he added shrugging his shoulder, "Yeah maybe..."
A strange silence ensued as the group of four looked at him all with different expressions, and the first thing Melvin asked was something that although seemed unimportant puzzled him, "Why is he called Big Mouse?", he said pointing at the smaller brown-haired boy.
George didn't say anything as his expression was still difficult to discern, but Henry explained, "It's our gang's tradition, you won't be called by your true name until you become worthy of it."
'Gang?' Melvin thought feeling even more confused, but more intrigued now, and so he continued, "And how do you become that?"
Henry gave a wry smile and explained, "You need to be able to provide your food, and have the courage to jump from the Camel's Rock."
Understanding what the first part meant, he figured it must've something to do with their gang activities, and asked, "What is the Camel's Rock?"
Facing the brutal fact of their bigger brother not remembering anything about their shared lives together made all of the boys feel miserable, Henry replied with a weak, "It's a very tall rock close to the port."
Noticing their expression Melvin immediately understood what was going on inside their heads so he stopped asking questions, but in an attempt to both change subjects and also inform, he said to the four, "Listen, someone wants me dead that much is obvious. Who do you think would want that?"
True to his expectations, all of the boys immediately tensed up hearing that and no longer flowed with their negative line of thinking, George then remarked, "It must be the Ghoul..."
He then pushed the other three aside, walked with Melvin to a distance, and said in a hushed voice, "You previously went to him and asked him to give you some of his products to sell. Because he was already familiar with you, he agreed and gave you a medium pouch filled to the brim, but..."
Seeing him hesitating Melvin urged, "But?"
A scared look appeared on George's face as he murmured, "On your way back to the shack, you were chased down by shadow guards, and to avoid going to prison you threw the pouch over to them and all of the pills immediately began spilling out in a busy street, so they had to stop. But..."
Melvin had a shocked expression as he listened to all of this, and the fact that there was another 'But' involved only made him feel even more horrified. This time he didn't even have to urge him and George soon continued, "They had seen your face, and so they had already sketched your own wanted poster."
"What?" Melvin reflexively shouted at him, and he couldn't help but feel stupefied by all of the news, 'All of that? How unlucky was this guy... And all of that misfortune is mine now...'
At the same time, he had a faint inkling that this pill seller might not be the one responsible for his death as that would make it too simple.
Especially after he asked and learned that shadow guards were well-trained guards who didn't wear the uniform but mingled with the populace wearing normal clothes, which increased the chances of him getting caught even more. As for why they chased him, they had noticed him coming from the Ghoul's street, and that was all it took to suspect something was suspicious. The moment the original Jacob saw them approaching, he raced through the streets.
He was also certain of a single thing, 'There was no one in hell I am going to stay in this city.' This conclusion could be said to be the sanest thing he had ever thought about.
He knew that staying in this city was incomparably dangerous, and so making an educated guess from what he learned about this world so far, the existence of another city wasn't that improbable.
Melvin would be foolish to stay in such a place where someone had killed him, he was owed a lot of money from what he imagined was a drug dealer, and even the guards were looking for him.
To make matters even worse, he was pitifully weak and had absolutely no idea about the world or the people who were coming after him.
'I need somewhere safe where I can go kill monsters and try out some runes.' Melvin thought, and so although he had plenty of questions he wanted to ask of the others, he just turned around and said, "I will be going on my own now, I can't be taking you all with me as that would only make me stand out more and I need to hide for a while. I know where the house is, so don't worry."
Then as if remembering something he said, "And yeah, if anyone asks about me say that you haven't seen me from yesterday, okay?"
Seeing them nodding, all with different expressions, he turned around and began walking in the main street, heading north. His direction was none other than the Royal Plaza, he wanted to see the ceremony everyone had been talking about.
Along the way, his mind was abuzz with activity as he contemplated this situation he found himself in, and even the joy he had been feeling just a while ago had long evaporated in the face of those seemingly insurmountable problems.
The main road was still very empty, other than the occasional people who weren't wearing red coming and going, who seemed uninterested in the ceremony.
Fortunately, the city was planned in a rather straightforward manner, and all he needed to do was continue walking on the same main path and he would eventually reach the royal plaza.
However, he knew that if he ventured into the other right or left intersections he encountered along the way, he would be lost as the streets there were very complicated, and the city wasn't exactly small.
As Melvin continued along the path, he noticed a subtle transformation in the architecture of the surrounding houses. They began to rise taller and more refined, their structures displaying a sense of meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail. Each building stood proudly, adorned with intricate carvings and ornate decorations.
What caught Melvin's eye the most were the red banners hung from the rooftops of every house, fluttering gently in the breeze. The vibrant scarlet color stood out against the backdrop of the bustling streets, adding a touch of elegance and festivity to the atmosphere.
As he walked further, Melvin also noticed scarlet figurines of birds perched atop windowsills and door frames. These delicate fabric figures added a whimsical charm to the surroundings, their bright hues contrasting beautifully with the stone and wood of the buildings.
Taking all of that in, he pondered, 'The red color and birds, that seem to be the theme of this festival.'
The beauty of the otherwordly buildings inspired a deep sense of excitement within him, 'I am actually in a different world!', He thought with a tone still dripping with disbelief, but more so anticipation making him temporarily put aside all of his current worries.
As he continued his journey deep within the center, he noticed how people were increasing in volume, and all of them were wearing red without exceptions.
After a while, the number of people increased in size so much so that their walking speed became pitifully slow as they walked along the main wide road.
As Melvin navigated through the crowd, his discomfort grew with each step. Despite the fragrant smells emanating from the showered individuals around him, the sheer mass of bodies pressed in on him, causing him to stumble occasionally.
Thankfully, the people were courteous, and no one seemed to mind the accidental bumps, but some would hatefully glare at him without saying anything else.
After what felt like an eternity, the main road widened into a vast plaza, dominated by a towering, dome-shaped building in the center. The grandeur of the architecture left Melvin in awe as he looked around. Surrounding the plaza were impressive structures on all sides, adding to the sense of majesty.
In the center of the plaza, in front of the tallest dome-shaped building tens of thousands of people had gathered, creating a sea of humanity. At the forefront stood a wooden platform, adorned with a magnificent empty throne and several chairs.
Melvin understood that important figures must be occupying those seats, he could see how vibrant their clothing was, but more so how their demeanor oozed with authority and commanded respect.
Surprisingly, out of the all red-clothed individuals, there were two who were donning simple white robes, which stood out as a stark contrast to everyone present.
Fortunately, the wide plaza offered enough space for everyone so he wasn't suffocated by the crown anymore.
When he reached the smooth brick-paved path of the plaza, he turned to the right and stood in front of the first rows of buildings as he gazed at whatever was happening from a distance.
To his side stood an impressively tall silver statue, portraying a commanding figure of a man. With a long sword clasped firmly in one hand and an imposing shield held aloft in the other, the statue exuded an aura of strength and valor.
Before it, the clamor of two groups of people engaged in heated dispute reached his ears, their fervent arguments punctuated by glares of unhidden hostility.
One group had three middle-aged men, and the other had two young women and an older man.
One of the younger women yelled to the other group, "I don't care how much he contributed to the founding of the country, he was a ruthless warmonger, he raped and pillaged and our great country shouldn't celebrate his existence."
The middle-aged man's veins bulged as he shouted in disbelief, "Are you insane? Without his work and sacrifice, we would still be surrounded by the other races, just fighting for scraps and barely surviving."
"Other races?" Melvin pondered, his expression growing solemn. "Yikes, their interracial relations are so bad that war happened? I just hope I'm on the winning side."
The young woman continued, "Hold your horses, you're just exaggerating his achievements now. Although he was powerful he was still just a general."
One of the other middle-aged men scoffed, "Just a general? Do you know how much work it takes for you to be even considered for such a position?"
Melvin always loved to watch quarrels from a distance, and so he was having a ton of fun as he watched both parties yelling at each other, and close to him a bunch of other people were watching the commotion as well.
Some of them were enjoying the show like him, but others seemed to be too invested, their eyes furious as they rooted for different sides.
However, a deep and authoritative voice soon echoed through all of the plaza making all of the loud murmurs that culminated in a deafening sound come to a halt.
