"A late night visits from such a beauty, why would I complain?" Memor walked in with a smirk, "But wouldn't it give other people the wrong idea?"
Sat on the chair, Calypso seemed baffled, until unrestrained laughter resounded from her. She flailed her limbs barely stopping herself from falling to the ground.
"Nice one Mori! But who do you plan on having a good time with on that shabby bed of yours!" Calypso said, having steadied herself." The only thing people will think, is that you kidnap children! HAHAHA!"
Memor stared at his undersized bunk, I can't comeback from that! Whatever I say will somehow bite me in the ass in the future! Memor sighed deeply, shaking his head, he leaned on the table.
"So, my esteemed guest. How may I serve you this evening?"
Calypso's expression turned serious; she hesitated a couple moments before sharing." I want you to join our hunting squad."
"What?!" Memor stood up, a frown showing on his face.
"I said, I want you t- "
"I heard you the first time!"
Silence settled in the dimly lit hut, only the sound of faltering flames against the gentle wind reverberated.
"So?" Calypso broke the silence.
"Why?"
"Because, I want you to learn and ex- "
"Please, don't give me that crap." Memor cutoff.
A deep sigh escaped Calypso lips, "Well, because I want to take Luni hunting with me and he wouldn't go without you."
Since a young age, Calypso has always been a sister figure in Memor's life, even though they were not blood related. He was always a second priority in Calypso's life. After the deaths of her parents on a hunting trip, Calypso was responsible for the wellbeing of her only other family, Luni. She gave up her childhood to support her brother. Working from her teen years rill the age of 20, and becoming one of the youngest Grade 1 Mnemonist in Sal village.
During her years of struggle, Memor was always on the sideline, close, but never close enough to matter.
What did I expect? It was gonna be about Luni in the end! Memor sighed internally.
"It still doesn't make sense. Luni is already a Learner and I'm just a normal human."
Calypso stood up, dusting her jalabiya of creases." You know how he is, stubborn, reckless, and always a pain in the ass."
"And I'm the one wiping his ass!" Memor stared at her, the frown never leaving his face.
Calypso walked towards him, placing both her palms on his shoulders, as if to quell her friend's anger. No, more like coercing him into submission.
"He is not only my brother Mori, he is yours too." Calypso said as she pulled him into a hug." So, could you do this little favor for me?"
So, you want me to give up my safety for Luni's comfort! Haa what did I even expect!
"Alright." Memor replied without reciprocating her hug. His hands, to his sides, his face an emotionless one.
"Thank you, Mori." A pleasant smiled framed Calypso's face as she extricated Memor from her embrace. "And don't forget to have some Bayel flowers before we go."
Calypso left Memor's home. The candlelight shown on Memor's body, radiating a warmth he had not felt in a while, but on Memor's skin, it felt cold and lifeless. A deep sigh resounded. She knows how painful it is to eat Bayel flowers and yet she still insists I join them. A soft chuckle crept past his lips.
After the deaths of her parents, Calypso joined new hunting parties as a porter. Hunting parties usually use wagons or Artifacts to transport their preys back to the village. Newer hunting parties couldn't afford such luxuries, so they rely on employing Learners to act as porters. Calypso was not yet a Learner then, she'd drag wagons for new hunting parties for cheap, eating Bayel flowers everyday just to keep her family afloat.
Shaking his head, Memor slept with a tightness in his chest.
***
49 cycles till Memor becomes a learner.
At the very edge of where the middle-class lived, a barn-like building was located. Its design similar to its surrounding, Pale wooden walls, black bricked roofed slanted to a side. On the outside, a train of wagons lined its flank, a few groups of 4 to 7 people busied around, stocking wagons with crates and satchels. Inside, horse stables lined on both sides, the smell of feces radiated like sewers on rainy day.
In the early hours of the new cycle, Memor approached a group of 6 by one of the wagons, the familiar figure of Calypso bustled around, preparing equipment for their eventual departure. Calypso wore what she always wore. Luni sitting on the wagon, was fitted with a jalabiya of a similar style but black with grey accents. To Memor, it looked like Luni stole a fit from his sister's wardrobe, as his clothe seem to almost drag across the ground. Ignoring the oversized garments, Memor approached the group of hunters. Calypso was the first to notice.
"You made it!" Calypso exclaimed as he arrived.
"I promised, didn't I" Memor replied in an emotionless tone.
Observing his response, Calypso didn't bicker with him, realizing that he has already consumed a Bayel flower.
She led him to the group introducing the new faces, an average size young woman with long black hair and a friendly face, Elena. A yellow skinned, balding middle age man with bright blue eyes, Iro. Haris, a long faced young man much taller than one would expect for his age. And Theano, the leader of this group of hunters, he has a stocky build, his skin marred with scars in contrast to his handsome face. They all wore similar attires to Luni, grey scarfs wrapped around their necks and belts fashioned their waists. The only difference is that they have sabers sheathed on their sides.
"Yo're Mimor riht?" Iro spoke with his broken language.
"Yes?"
"HAHA, me daughter talk of ya, she say ya goo boy huhh!" Iro jested, putting his arm around Memor's shoulders. He rambled on about his daughter, but the meaning went out the window as to Memor, Iro spoke gibberish.
"Another white bunny joins the fray," A hoarse voice resounded, interrupting Iro's rambling. "Are we a circus or a hunting group? I ask myself, hehe."
They turned to the sound of the voice, on the wagon, a man with long limb tightened the nooses on his bow, it was Haris.
"Leave the kids alone Haris, they are not your responsibility." Theano order domineering tone as he came walking from the barn.
"Yes! Of course, our dearest Leader! We shall obey without a remark!" Haris jested sarcastically.
Theano stared at Haris. Speechless.
Since early, Luni's been acting off. Guess Haris is the reason. On the wagon, Luni sat at its front, looking dejected. Elena was next to him; it seemed like she is trying to cheer him up but to no avail.
Memor ignored the stare down between Theano and Haris. Still in his normal attire, he had to change into a set of hunting gear from Calypso. Memor jumped onto the wagon getting a clear view of the inside, it was quite empty, couple satchels in one corner smelling of jerky, hunting bows littered the floor with one large quiver of arrows set aside near them, in another corner was a leather backpack stuffed with, ropes, daggers, and a set of Jalabiya and scarf of the same color as the group.
Memor changed at the back of the wagon, while Calypso brought the horses. Soon the hunting party plus two teenagers left towards the village exit.
At the edge of the village, crowded pale wood trees covered the surroundings, the wagon, pulled by two horses weaved through a dirt path. The whistling black leaves shed whiffs of musk, silvery beams slipped through the shades, turning more expansive the farther one went. The wagon sailed through the trunks, arriving at a clearing.
It's... beautiful. The moonlight illuminated the view ahead, rocky dunes scattered across the lands, the dunes looked like two spikey rocks falling into each other. It was barren. mournful standalone trees swayed their bare branches, advertising their lose.
At the horizon, a bloody red haze hung inches from the burnt sky, blurry ruins could be deciphered near the horizon's edge, the distant ruins seemed to be smeared with the blood of its people.
"Not much beast roam around the village," Calypso pointed at the nearby dunes." We are heading northwest of the village to hunt some Skrucks."
"What do Skrucks look like?" Luni asked with great curiosity.
"You'll see."
Since the beginning of their journey, not much was said. Luni was drowning in self-pity from Haris's mockery, Iro was busy handling the horses, Haris still sour about the leader's remarks, glaring holes into the meditating Theano's skull, Elena seems to be casting some type of spell on the wagon to keep them safe, while Calypso can't start a conversation with the emotionless Memor.
"So, bunny boy," Haris asked, breaking the silence." What is it like to be on Bayel flowers?"
With an emotionless glance, Memor was about to speak but was cut off by Calypso." Haris! Drop the names, would you!?"
"It's, whatever! Bunny boy doesn't seem to mind"
They both stared at Memor as if waiting for him to pick sides, he shook his head at Calypso making her pout.
Looking back at Haris, he replied." It feels...suffocating. I know what I'm supposed to feel, I can almost see it, but I never get there. What is it like to use Memorable Nerves?"
"Well, it's what you'd expect, you just feel the emotion of the certain memory. Not much to it."
" By the way," Luni chimed in." How does Elena keep us safe from the monsters?"
"It's her Unique Fragment ability," Calypso responded.
"Her what?"
The moment Luni's word ended, Calypso glared at Luni, her face slowly masked with furious gleam.
Whack!
A yelp escaped Luni," What did you hit me for?!"
Calypso was enraged; she stood, staring down at the puny Luni.
"YOU LITTLE BOOGER! WHAT DID I SEND YOU TO THE ACADEMY FOR?! PLAY AROUND AND PULLING PRANKS ALL DAY?!"
Whack! Whack! Whack!
She pummeled him with her bare fist, wail of agony rang out until Theano restrained the out-of-control Calypso, and spoke.
"They do not teach about grade 1 Mnemonist in the academy, Calypso."
"What?" she froze.
"You never went to the academy, did you?"
"No, I was busy with work at those tim-" Realizing her mistake, she let out an awkward cough and sat back down. Just then, Iro called out.
"Whir here people!"
Looking out, the lands were flatter than before, little hills dotted the landscape like the one the wagon was currently on. Little patches trees blanketed the planes in shades of deep blue. Around 200 meters away ripples are seen in the land. Memor looked closer, they weren't ripples in the land, there was a moving pack of beasts. Skrucks.