"That's why I'll call you Sune."
That snapped me out of my trance of guilt.
"What…what do you mean?"
He smiled reassuringly.
"There is no one else to carry that name now. Even if it is your last name. It will simply drift out of memory for each person you meet. They will call you Elias, and then they will ask you: 'Hey, what was your last name again?'"
"To me, that is not my family name living on. Keeping it as my 'last' name? When it is the only name that truly matters? I won't accept that. I don't believe anyone should."
His logic was making sense. But I had never heard of anyone going by their last name for such a reason.
Then again, few else have reason to.
"The shedding process started from the moment the humans arrived at your village, Sune. It is well underway now. You are the last of that name left. If I were you, I would not allow it to scatter in the wind."
"For your brothers, for the rest of your family, I would shed any other false name. Any other false identity, than the one of my family. I would keep their legacy in tow, for the rest of my days. Their memory… it would become all of who I am right now."
I pondered his words deeply. They echoed louder than the birds.
"But of course, if you would truly rather be Elias. I will call you Elias."
I stayed silent for a while, but my mind was made.
"No. Sune is alright."
The middle-size grinned at me, almost fatherly.
The big one in front of us gave me a look of approval.
A blip of light amidst the darkness.
A fleeting belief that I had done right by them, under all the guilt.
The idea that I was honouring them now.
Sune. My new first name. The only name that matters.
It was the least I could do for them.
"...What are your names?"
The middle-size answered first.
Finally taking his arm from my shoulder, but not removing his gaze from me.
"Caruthers."
Clearly, a last name. Now it is his only one.
Then the big one followed up.
"Mine's Tongstil!"
Another last name.
We waited for the lanky one's response, but he was too far ahead to hear us.
"OI!" The fat one shouted after him.
He glanced over his shoulder.
"WHAT, TONGI?""HE ASKS WHAT'S YA NAME?!"
"EDWARDS!"
Edwards? With an S? Another last name.
They had all decided to change theirs.
That must mean… They've all lost their families too.
"Alright… I'll remember them."
They all gave murmurs of acknowledgement.
As we advanced still through the forest. I was still wondering where.
"So, where are we going?"
A moment passed. And then Caruthers spoke again.
"Long story." He wore a hint of pride on his face.
I paused to think of what that could mean. I couldn't guess.
"I have nowhere else to be." I replied. Reminding him that pretty much any conversation would be an improvement over wondering in silence.
He chuckled.
"Okay. I'll tell you. I'll start where it's relevant to you."
"Sure." I replied. Getting ready to listen.
"Well… just know that we didn't find you by accident. We've been searching for survivors from all the human sieges in the area."
"How many have you found?" I inquired.
"Ah, too many to count off the top of my head."
Seriously? That many?
And yet, I was the only survivor of mine.
I grabbed the grief bubbling back up to the surface and shoved it down further.
"Impressive. But why?""We need as many hands as we can get, in our refuge camp."
A what? A refuge camp?
"A refuge camp? So that's where we're going? How haven't the humans found you yet if they're so focused on this area? If there are so many Gimen hiding there?"
Caruthers and the others snickered. As if my question wasn't a valid, logical question to ask.
These guys didn't think about that?I
I'm not going to a refuge camp just to get spotted from the sky and recaptured immediately.
I'd rather have died last night.
Then Caruthers turned back to me.
"Well, it's a little harder to find than that." His prideful smile still apparent.
"A little? Try impossible!" Tongsil chimed in.
"Impossible? How's that?" I asked. Caruthers sighed, seemingly tired of laughing. "You'll see lad."
Dissatisfied, I started weighing up options in my head.
Do I just sneak off? Or do I check it out first?
That 'Pandora' girl saw my brothers through a wall!
There's no chance a human can't find wherever they're hiding!
I carefully considered running away to die in the forest.
I didn't even know if they would bother to stop me. But just at that thought…
"You'll see right now, actually." Caruthers corrected himself.
"We're here already!"I looked around, extremely confused.
We had reached an end to the forest. In front of me an enormous green field, entirely empty and seemingly untouched. To the left, the sea. We were standing on a cliffside. Waves crashed against the cragged stone wall and shot up towards us. The sun pierced the sky as the seagulls quacked in the distance. It was all so open compared to the forest I had stayed trapped in for days.
But my focus was not that. My focus was on the fact that there was no refuge camp, no survivors in sight.
"Uh… what do you mean? There's nothing here." I said flatly.
Is the place invisible or something?
Everyone else burst into laughter again. I was a little sick of being teased like this.
It's not as if I'm blind… there's nothing here! It's a fact! What am I missing here?
"Follow along, Sune." Tongsil replied.
"We'll show you just how much is here."
They then kept walking. And I reluctantly followed.
To my surprise, they were not leading me further into the field.
Instead, we were following the edge of the cliffside.
The waves rumbled so heavily against them I thought I might tumble over. "
A storm seems to be brewing!" Caruthers yelled out, so we could hear him over the noise.
"We need to get inside quickly!"
From there everyone started running further along the edge of the cliff.
The storm grew stronger. The wind began to howl and whistle as it blasted my hair and muddy clothes. Small chunks of debris and twigs were flying in my face from god knows where. I started moving faster.
Before long I had caught up to Caruthers in front, passing the other two. And we kept jogging under his lead. Until he made a random stop. And turned to me.
"Listen closely!" He commanded over the wind. "You see that ledge down there? You need to climb down the cliffside and stand on it!"
He pointed towards the cliff wall, directly below where we were standing. On it, a small ledge leading nowhere.
"But ther—""DON'T QUESTION ME… JUST MOVE!" he bellowed in my face.
Before I could ask myself why his demeanour changed so suddenly…I found myself crouching down, trying to get a foothold on the cliffside.
The wind gusting as if it could truly send me flying into my demise below. Now fully hanging on the wall, I descended my climb. Inching my way closer to the ledge. The other three watching as I did it. When I felt as though I was close enough, I leapt from my foothold onto the ledge. But with nearly too much force.
As I tumbled over and nearly rolled back off the ledge into the sea. I let out a small yelp and backed away from the edge on my behind.
The other three laughed yet again. And then started following me.
As the wind only grew stronger…
As the current only moved in with more force…
We were all now standing on this ledge. Nowhere else to go. At least that's what I thought.
"Tongstil! Edwards! Open it up now!"I moved out of the way as they marched up to the cliff wall.
They then stood there for a second. Seemingly readying themselves…giving each other a firm nod. Then they begun pushing heavily on the stone, with all their strength.
What the hell?
They continued pushing, with no result.
Until suddenly… A crack appeared in the area they were pushing. Only on one side. As if they were heaving a door open.
And then I realised that they were.
The two Gimen continued pushing into what looked like solid stone. Until it was fully open. A doorway, leading to a cave.
A lit torch even hanging on the wall.
"Sune. We welcome you to Hengeist."