The silence in the room was barely broken by the faint hum of the wind slipping through the window. The ceiling was rustic, made of light wood, and the sheets crinkled with every movement. Nihil slowly sat up on the bed, bringing a hand to his head, sweat still clinging to his forehead.
"Where… am I? Sorry if that sounds weird, but… I have no idea where I am."
The man, looking slightly confused, walked over and sat on a wooden chair in front of the bed.
"You really don't know? Are you… from the Hero School?"
"Hero School?" Nihil repeated, frowning. "No… I have no idea what that is. Can you… help me?"
The man looked at him, his eyes showing a mix of surprise and concern.
"Well… we're in Vandora, a small town in the region of Vork Kenzo."
"Vandora1? Region of… Vork what?"
"Vork Kenzo?" the man repeated, now clearly confused. "What kind of world are you from? Did you hit your head that hard?"
"Yeah… I think so…" Nihil muttered, eyes drifting to the floor.
"Wow… that sounds serious. You really don't remember anything?"
"Just… my name. Nihil Shiro."
The man sighed, trying to process what he was hearing.
"Alright, alright. Don't worry. Maybe you just need some rest. I'll go talk to the village chief and explain your situation. This house was just vacated, so you can stay here for now. The nurse left some food for you. We'll come back tomorrow morning to ask you a few questions, okay?"
Nihil nodded. The man stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.
"Get some rest, my friend. Tomorrow is a new day."
"Goodbye…"
The door closed. Silence returned.
Nihil looked around. The room was simple but cozy. The smell of wood and warm soup still lingered in the air.
"Where the hell am I…? Why don't I remember anything?"
He grabbed his head with both hands, frustrated.
"Hero School? What the hell is that? And why the only thing I remember is my name…? Ahg!"
His stomach growled, pulling him back to reality.
"Well… that I can understand."
He walked to the table, where a plate of warm food waited. He began to eat quickly, when a sudden thud echoed from the back of the house.
He froze.
"What was that?"
Carefully, he stood up. His body still ached like he'd been hit by a train. Step by step, he made his way to the back door and opened it.
A girl was lying on the ground.
"What the—?!"
He moved without thinking. With effort, he lifted her up, his muscles screaming in protest, and brought her to the bed.
"Shit, shit…!"
The girl had short blonde hair, pale skin covered in bruises, and her clothes were torn. The most alarming thing was a deep, bleeding wound in her abdomen.
"Please don't die…!"
He ran to grab cloths, pressed on the wound, rushed to the kitchen for water, cleaned it as best he could. The blood wouldn't stop.
And then, the girl opened her eyes.
"Get away from me!" she yelled, her eyes wide with terror.
Nihil jumped back.
"I'm just trying to help!"
"Help…? You probably already called them, bastard!"
"What? What the hell are you talking about?! I don't even know where I am!"
She tried to get up but collapsed again. Nihil rushed over and pressed on the wound again.
"Easy! I'm not going to hurt you, okay? You'll be alright…"
The girl stared at him, exhausted and confused.
"Do you know who I am?"
"I have no idea. I don't even know who I am. Well, kind of…" he said with a sarcastic laugh.
She hesitated. Then slowly, she raised her left hand and touched her own wound. A green light emerged from her palm. Bit by bit, the bleeding stopped. The flesh began to close.
Nihil stared in shock.
"What… are you doing?"
He backed away slightly, stunned.
"What the hell is this place…?"
The girl was still breathing heavily, but the bleeding had stopped. They looked at each other—lost, wary… but for the first time, on the same page:
Neither of them fully understood what was going on.
END OF CHAPTER 6.