Chapter 3: The Velvet Sky

A month had passed since I slowly got used to this new life in Eriva Village. A typical day consisted of waking up at dawn to do combat practice with Lang or Borso, followed by a hearty breakfast at Borso's place. Then, the three of us would spend the whole day in Emerald Forest, about an hour's walk away from the village, until about late afternoon where we report at the Guards' Headquarters to submit our spoils (if any) for the day. The rest of the day was free time.

Ever since I left the Medical Hall, I’ve been staying at Borso's place. Initially I was worried about having no money for living expenses, but this kind hunter not only taught me the ropes of being a hunter, but also prepared a roof over my head for free. I must repay his kindness one day. Lang and Borso - I truly thank God that it was these two that He sent to take care of me.

Aside from my hunter job, there was one thing that became something of a daily routine. Because the Medical Hall was located close to the center of the village, I would often drop by to see if there was anything I could help out. I wanted to help Rafaera, or her colleagues, as gratitude for saving my life. Secondly, learning about herbs and being exposed to different sorts of magic were very enriching experiences for me. The other healers and staff there were already familiar with me, so it was much more accessible than places such as the smithy. And lastly...

After hunting one day...

"Hey Rike... It has come to my and Borso's attention that you would visit Rafaera after each hunt. Why?" 'Lang oh Lang, why are you suddenly so attentive to details when you're usually so nonchalant!!'

"Oh, I was just turning in some herbs and monster materials that she requested time to time." 'Oh God. Please, be convinced by that.' Lang seemed satisfied and didn't say anything more. I let out a very tiny air of relief so that he wouldn’t notice.

"Oh, really." Borso laughed a laugh that wasn't a laugh, and smiled a smile that wasn't a smile. 

"...." 

That day, I didn't dare to deliver the herb request I got.

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It's been nearing 50 days since I first came to Eriva Village. While things have settled down and I've slowly come to view it as a safe haven, I still had a lingering sense of uneasiness.

Lang and Borso were both very hospitable and generous towards me (though sometimes they deserved a beating). The Village Elder and the villagers didn't discriminate against me, although I was an outsider. Even the Hunting Master told me that I had talent in the hunting profession. Life was going great, and I had almost forgotten what the white-robed man said. Yet it still felt like something was missing in my current reality - something I couldn't describe, perhaps because of my memory loss. Though there wasn't anything I could remember to compare this to, I couldn't shake off that nagging uneasiness.

Together with the uneasiness, I also felt like I wanted more space for myself. Like the current lifestyle was too dependent on others, and I wasn't comfortable with that. The villagers all knew one another like one big family, and even if one day they really treated me like one of them, I doubted whether that was something I could get used to. I guess, somehow I was never a 'communal' person; I wanted to go off on my own. 

Maybe, that's what made me want to find out more about Rafaera. From what the Elder mentioned, Rafaera was an adventurer that visited this village 6 months ago and had stayed here since as a Healer. I wanted to hear her story and know her thoughts - which she didn't really speak much of. There was a sense of... kinship, perhaps? I had a little hunch, even hope, that she might be able to relate to the two things I'm feeling.

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At the edge of Emerald Forest was the South Sea. Sometimes I would drop by there to gaze at the ocean while collecting herbs. There was one type called the Violet Seapelt, which grew at the edge of the forest, very near the sea 

Each time I drop by the beach, I would be mesmerized by the unpolluted sight. A crystal blue sea that looked like flowing blue lava, melting into a blanket of white-gold covering of sand: truly a glimpse of heaven's beauty! The softness of the sand had even made me consider spending a night there.

One particular day, I was out collecting herbs as usual. (Lang and Borso would help me if they had spare time or felt like it, but today I was doing it on my own.) 'About half more to go. Gotta be faster.' Glancing at the dark clouds floating over the forest, I quickened my pace. I really, really, really didn't want to be caught in the rain.

Unfortunately, nature was more proficient at its job than me. A heavy rain soon fell, and I was almost drenched. While slogging in the weather and feeling miserable, suddenly… "<<Wind Shield>>". A familiar voice rang nearby, and there was a layer of wind above me that repelled the falling raindrops away away.

"Hi Rike. Thanks for the hard work." That voice upped my heart-rate a notch.

"Hi Rafaera. Ummm... thanks a lot!. What brings you here?" Frankly, I found it very hard to look at her face when talking to her. But my mood dampened by the rain instantly lifted at her arrival.

"Just taking a little break from work today. Oh, I didn't expect to bump into you here. Shall I help you with the collecting of herbs?"  

"Oh! Yea, sure. That'll be really great." No reason to refuse, right. The rain could get stronger anytime. And it felt like today's Rafaera was different from the usually quiet her.

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An hour later, with the effort of two people, we finally completed the request of the Healer Master. 

"Thanks a lot. That's about it, shall we start heading back?" It was almost evening time soon, and the trip would take almost an hour even if we rushed. Seeing Rafaera nod, I began navigating the route back.

Unexpectedly, at that moment Rafaera exclaimed: "Hey, did you see the sky!!!" It was the first time I heard her sound so excited. When I turned back to look at her, she was already half-running towards the beach. 'What's with the sky?' I never saw this side of her before, so I followed her to the beach.

By then, the rain had already stopped and the clouds were no longer dark. Now I understood why Rafaera sounded so excited. It was a scene of beauty: the setting sun lavished the entire sky in a layer of velvet, and the clouds were as though audiences that sat around the sun in a musical concert, whereby the stage was the amethyst sea and the star of the show was the marigold sun. That view literally took our breath away. Even the beach looked like a red carpet for us to gape at this heavenly scene. 

I now knew what that missing thing was in my current life in Eriva. It's that desire for freedom and exploration, to see the vastness of creation: the infinite sky, the endless plains, the towering heights, the boundless seas and even more. My soul was convincing me that, in the life before my memory loss, I knew freedom and unrestrain - that feeling of adventure that I ran in my blood - and even now, I must experience it here and then. The wilderness and vastness of creation! Else, life would be bland.

And just as I thought that was an amazing sight already, God had an even greater surprise for me. I was standing a little ways behind Rafaera. Just at that moment, the sea wind blew towards us and with that also blew my mind and took away whatever little breathe I had left. Against the backdrop of the velvet sky and sea and the radiant setting sun, her long, black, partly-permed hair, fluttered in the wind - having life of their own, singing, dancing, and celebrating carefreely – and Rafaera closing her eyes and smiling serenely, taking in all that beauty in creation. That scene was even more stunning than the previous one. 

After a while, I felt my lungs being very uncomfortable for a strange reason. 'Ah, I forgot to breathe.' 

"Isn't that amazing?" Rafaera finally said softly, after moments that seemed like eternity. 

"Do you like nature a lot?" I felt like kicking myself after I said that. Wasn't the answer obvious.

"Mmhmm. I came here just to see this. Yea, it is so impressive and amazing sometimes. Probably all the time actually, if we do actually notice it. When I see that the world is really so big, I can't help but think that it's so cool." 

As a 25-year-old, there were many decisions I had to make in life. But never had I ever needed, or saw the need for, so much courage to make this decision. And I had never lamented my lack of courage until then. But I knew, in the depth of my soul, I would surely regret it if I didn't do what I did next.

"Rafaera, I heard from the Elder that you're going to leave Eriva next month to continue with your travels." I was sure that my voice was quivering.

Rafaera looked me, and nodded. "Yup, I was going to do that. Why?"

I solidified my courage, opened my mouth and moved it, awkwardly. "Would you take me with you? I want to explore this world too...." ‘With you.’ I wanted to add that, but couldn’t muster the courage to say it.

Rafaera didn't reply immediately. She stood with her back facing me and gazed at the sky. It felt like time stood still while I waited. Only my ridiculous heartbeat reminded me that that didn't really happen.

"I'm sorry, I think at this point I would want to travel on my own. I want to go on at my own comfort and pace, and I don't think I want to bring someone along with me, nor do I have the capacity to bring anyone with me either." Rafaera said that with some difficulty as she looked at me, and I felt that I understood more of Rafaera today than the past month combined. 

I must admit, at her reply, half my courage vanished and I felt a sinking pit in my stomach. But, I was painfully aware that I'll probably never get another chance like this again; to meet someone like her ever again. I couldn't tell since when I became so interested in this person, who had the same black hair and non-green pupils as me in a world where everyone else were so different. I didn't even know her for that long. Was it.... love? I couldn't be very sure yet, but I didn't doubt that there was some feelings already. I prayed to God for courage, and re-summoned whatever was left there in me, opened my mouth, and forced it to make a sound.

"Umm, then would you let me go with you just to the first destination? I’ll do my best to not be a burden to you. And if when we reach the first destination I'm really a nuisance to you, then I'll travel separately from then on. I know that you have your own pace that is different from everyone else. It's okay, if we take months or even years to reach there at your pace. But I still want to know your pace. And someday, match mine with yours."

After saying that, I immediately began sweating profusely. 'I really hope she wouldn't think I'm just asking the same thing.' I really didn’t want to pressure her, or ask her to make a commitment she wasn’t willing to. I just wanted to understand Rafaera better, and for her to understand me a little more. I was really serious about her being able to go at her own comfort and pace unhindered. I never imagined that someone's pace could be so important to themself, and I really wanted to protect her and her pace. And I thought that this second request was something more appropriate given her own circumstances. So in my heart I prayed to God earnestly, that she would understand where I was coming from.  

“Well…”

Chapter 2: The Encounter

When I first saw her....

'Wah. Totally different from what I imagined.' While most of the villagers had greyish-white or white hair, green eyes and an angular face, Rafaera had black hair, dark brown eyes and should be about 1.6m. Her face was pretty round (not plump) too. In my original imagination, most people who are in this profession in a village should be some elderly (mm, where did that trope come from?), but Rafaera looked to be at most about 18.

"Hi Rike, I'm Rafaera." Her voice sounded melodious, somehow. 'Ahh... She's talking to me.' "Ouh!" Lang nudged me in my ribs, to my embarrassment.

"Haha, you shouldn't be so rough on the patient, Lang."

"It's alright, we are the best of buds right?" Turning to look at me, out of Rafaera's sight, he gave me a huge wink just out of everybody's sight, before sniggering to Borso who was leaning against the wall. He silently sniggered back. I rolled my eyes in my mind at both of them.

"Hi Rafaera, umm, I'm still not feeling very well yet, sorry 'bout that." Well, it sounded pretty lame, but it was true. My head still felt groggy and my eyes were quivering a little, trying to shut the world from me.

"It's alright, how're you feeling today?" She sat on the chair next to the bed where I was sitting on. "Still a little weak, but I can feel myself getting better."

"That's good, do rest up and take the antidote during your mealtimes. Make sure to drink lots of water too. Do you have trouble sleeping? If that's the case, since you've had lunch why don't you take a nap? Look into my eyes..." 'Oh, its not brown, but black....' Together with a short, muttered chant and a pale yellow light, I fell backwards into my pillow.

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When I woke up, the sky was already dark and candles were lit up in the room. 'Can't they just switch on the lights? Wait, what are 'lights'?' At this juncture, I was sure that I lived in a different place before I lost my memory. But, it's really frustrating. The more I thought about that world, the more elusive it got, and the more murky and painful my mind became. It felt as though it was a warning for me to not touch that memory.

After several minutes of ruminating, I realized there was the smell of food wafting in from somewhere. 'What a glutton hahaha.' I chided myself, while at the same time being a little proud about it. Even in such a strange situation, food was always food to me; a constant goodness in my life. Footsteps resounded, and in came Rafaera holding a tray of food. 

"Hello. Are you awake?" She smiled. "I made the <<Sleep>> last just in time for dinner. Did you have a good rest?" Laying the tray on the desk next to the bed, she sat on the same chair.

"Is that..... magic?"

"Yup. You've never seen it before, right?" I shook my head. In my heart, I was already excited. The gamer in me reared its head. Wait, what's a gamer? But, there's something more important I had to ascertain.

"Rafaera, can I ask a question?" "Mmhmm." 

"How is it that don't have the grey hair and green eyes that the other villagers have? You aren't from the region, are you?" 

"Uh-huh. I'm from somewhere really far away." I really wanted to ask where, but even if she did answer, I wouldn't know where it was. 

"Are you from that world?"

"Sorry, I didn't catch you. What?" This sentence, she said in a barely audible whisper. 
I had a hunch that she didn't want to talk about it either. At least, not with this person whom she barely even knew for 2 days. 

"Umm no, it's okay. That's all!" 

"Alright, I won't disturb your meal anymore then. Good night!" And with that, she got up and walked towards the door. 

"Umm, Rafaera!" I called out abruptly, ahead of my own thoughts. Holding the doorknob, she turned to look at me, tilting her head to one side. "Thanks, for taking care of me, and saving my life!" To my thanks, she replied with a silent beam that meant: "You're welcome".

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The next week or so, I got to learn more about the village and the lifestyle of the villagers. Apparently, this quiet village of about 500 was called Eriva, one of the few small villages near the mountain range of Sovan. Because it was located at such a secluded location, there were rarely any outside visitors at all. Most small villages the size of Eriva were self-sufficient - they hunted in the Emerald Forest nearby for meat, though they also reared livestock such as horses, cows and chicken. They also engaged in agriculture, growing vegetables that varied across the seasons.

Aside from producing food, there were also several occupations that a villager could choose: craftsmen (blacksmiths, carpenters, jewellery makers, architects), labourers (farmers, construction crew), healthcare (healers, herbalists) and lastly, the combat profession who protect the village in the case of monsters or bandits. However, in times of peace, they were converted into food hunters instead. Lang and Borso were in this group and that's how they found me in the first place.

After I recovered enough, Lang and Borso came to talk to me about my future plans. 

"So, have you decided?" Lang chewed on a piece of dried meat as he chatted.

"C'mon, Rike. Join us! We'll teach you how to fight too!" quipped Borso. He really took a liking to the kid. Rike felt like the little brother that he never had.

"Well I.... Hey, let me get back to you guys tomorrow, alright?" 

"Sure, we'll make our move first then!" Grinning widely, both the hunters got up and left. 'These two are unexpectedly convincing. Especially Borso. He'll definitely be a good businessman. Or a conman.' 

That night, I spent a long time considering my options and possibilities.....

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"Rafaera, could you help me check and see if I have the aptitude to learn condition magic?" 

Once I recovered enough to walk around the village, the first place I visited was the magic shop. It seemed like the Elder had announced my "arrival" to the whole village - thus I wasn't bombarded by questions, just the occasional look of disdain. But there were many more of sympathy instead. The store clerk explained to me the magic system of this world. Essentially, there are two main type of magic: elemental magic (fire, water, wind, lightning etc) and non-elemental magic. The categories of non-elemental magic split further down into several more branches such as restorative magic, condition magic etc. Everyone has some aptitude towards some kind of magic, but it requires another who is talented and proficient in magic from that branch to test for it. Apparently, in Eriva, many of the villagers constantly use magic in their work and household chores.

"Mm? Sure. Give me your hand." 'Oh.' I didn't expect that. Then she took my hand in hers, palm facing upwards and used her other hand to write some yellow runes on my palm. "This is the sigil for <<Sleep>>. If you see that it lands on your palm and stay there, it means you have the aptitude to learn condition magic. If the sigil just floats, then not."

With bated breath I stared into that glowing yellow light. Sadly, the sigil floated for 5 seconds with no signs of landing. 

My first exposure to learning magic was scarred.

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"Glad to have you with us Rike! Hunting will be much more fun from now on!" 

I decided to take up Lang and Borso's offer. It was on a whim - I don't even know how long I'll stay here in Eriva. But surely some combat skills would be useful in the long run. I would also want to find a job that let me explore beyond this village and I've heard from Lang that some of the senior hunters would accompany the shopkeepers to trade with the nearby villagers time to time. 

"Sure. I don't have any experience though." 'Would I be able to do this?' I was rather uncertain, but I could only do my best. It wasn't right to depend on the kindness of the villagers forever, either way.

"Don't worry, we'll teach you everything! Just make sure you can keep up with our speed~!" 'These idiots. If they were living on Earth, they could definitely complete a 100m dash in less than 8 seconds!'

The result of today's effort: nothing, but very sore legs.

Chapter 1: That Unknown Start

"Uhh... where... is this?"

A splitting headache welcomed me into consciousness. I laid down there, clutching my forehead in pain as sweat continuously rolled down my face. Luckily, a short while later, the throbbing pain subsided. Only then did I notice the blue sky above, and instinctively used my hands to shield myself from the blinding sun. Once some strength returned to my body, I sat up and took in the surroundings. I was in the middle of a wide clearing in the middle of a lush emerald-green forest. No wonder the sun was that bright! Thankfully, though the trees were really tall, they didn't grow very densely and it was easy to see as far as a hundred meter away.

"Why am I here...?" I couldn't help but mutter out loud. Not knowing what to do, I slowly stood up from the pile of grass that I was initially lying on, and started to wander aimlessly around the forest. 

"This forest... is beautiful. It's not like I haven't been to a forest before, but even the air smells different here. It's... clean. And the animals are so abundant." In just the past 10 minutes or so, I've already caught sight of several rabbits of many colours - ground brown, fluffy white and even spotted ones - running around without a care in the world. "Wait, before...? When was before?"  

Just as I felt like I missed something important, in front appeared a trail that cut through the trees. It seemed to stretch on for many hundres of metres ahead. 'Doesn't look like it was created by animals... means there are people nearby?' A little absentmindedly, I started to follow it, wherever it may lead.

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"Hey Borso, whatcha doing after work?" A man wearing a set of leather armor, holding a spear even taller than himself said to the other walking slowly beside him.

"Mm? Well... probably get a cup of something at The Tavern... and that should be it. Why?" The man called Borso, wearing a similar set of gear, replied nonchalantly while scanning his environment. 

"Wanna head over to Tracia's place? Heard she's celebrating her twelfth birthday today. Her parents invited me to go cuz we're neighbors, but... you know." 

"Lang, I knowwww?" Borso couldn't help but grin widely at his friend. Obviously, he was aware of the reason. 'Friends, you just gotta make fun of them at each opportunity.'

"Oh come on.... oi oi oi. What's that boy doing??" 

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'Wonder if this is edible?' The trail led me past a cluster of orange-leaved trees, and on each of them a large number of fruits could be seen hanging irresistibly on their branches. At that moment, a loud growl came out from my stomach. 

"Well, why not?" Thankfully these trees were only 3-4 metres in height, and in less than a minute I was happily kidnapping the fruits from their parents. Upon closer inspection, the fruit resembled the snow pears I used to eat, just orange instead of yellow. 'Used to? When was that?' Ah, who cares for now.

I prayed, (dear God, thank for meeting my needs and wants each day. I love you, and I love Your food!) and began munching heartily - it was really sweet and tasty, with a floral scent to it that made me want to eat even more. However, after ravaging the 5th one down my throat, I suddenly felt like a blanket of snooze fell over me and.... 

Thud!

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For the second time that day (or was it still the same day?), I was greeted to consciousness by a terrible headache, but this time also with a stinging pain in my stomach. I felt like puking, but had no energy to even get up to do that.

"Oh, you're awake? Hold on, let me call Lang. HEY! LANG! HE'S AWAKE!" Footsteps sounded, and soon the man named Lang was looking over me. Greyish-white hair, with bright green eyes and a lanky built of about 1.8 metres.

"Hey kid, how're you feeling?"

'Kid? How old is this guy for calling me a kid? I'm 25; he looks at most 20.' But I kept those thoughts to myself. "What happened to me?" I didn't expect my question to come out so hoarsely. It sounded like I was on my deathbed.

With a wry grin, Lang answered, "Almost died on an overdose of those Chibirus! You ate 5 of them like it was nothing, and you expected to feel alright?"

When I gave him a look that said I didn't understand what he meant, Lang exasperatedly said: "Kid, this thing is used to make poisons. Do you know what sort of poison? Even tigers would die in seconds, if the poison was concentrated enough! Luckily we made you puke them all out, well hopefully all. Else who knows what would have happened?"

"... Thanks." In gratitude, I weakly looked up at this man who saved me. It would be bad if I died. 

Lang's expression softened. "Well, with your black hair and light brown eyes, and the fact that you didn't know about Chibirus, that means you're not from here, or the neighbouring villages. What's your name .... purpose.... ?"

I couldn't hear the rest of Lang's question. At those 2 words, it felt like a large tome of information came surging into my mind but in pieces, like a broken movie record:

A man in a white robe (white like snow, shining radiantly) and a red cloak (dull red, like the colour of dried blood) draped over one of his shoulders was speaking to me: "...ke... Find... question... one... sent... answer them. .... pieces... script .... Tahao ...risha. Collect .... return." 

Next, I saw myself, kneeling before that man, whose face I could not see but felt overwhelmingly familiar. I was screaming wordlessly, madly at him with words that I could not hear, tears of unacceptance rolling down my cheeks. The man, however, squatted down before me and smiled kindly, wiping the tears from my eyes with his robe.

"Ri.. man... impossible... God... sible."  With that, he gently touched my chest and a dazzling golden light emerged from it. Then, he gave me a hug that lasted like an eternity. At this, the me that was looking at myself couldn't help but tear as well, comforted. 

"W-well, why don't you get some rest first and we'll talk again?" Lang didn't expect that a simple question about name and purpose would actually cause tears in a 16-year-old. "Just call for me for anything!" His voice had an unnatural high pitch to it, and soon he bolted out of the room.  

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"So your name is Rike?" "Yes."

This time, the Village Elder came with Lang. After 2 days of sleeping and resting, I recovered enough to make conversations. "You really could not remember anything besides your name?" 

Inside, I was getting impatient. This was the 4th time the Elder asked the same question. "Yes. I woke up finding myself in the Emerald Forest and was saved by Lang and Borso from Chibiru poisoning." 

For the last 2 days, Lang and Borso would visit me during mealtimes, and besides asking about my origin, also chat about the village and its surrounding. As of now, aside from the several random moments where I unknowingly let slip something that I just couldn't recall no matter what, I didn't know anything. But one thing I was very certain was that I was 25 years old. Yet this body looked and felt like a 16-year-olds'. No wonder Lang would call me kid. 

"I see. Hmph. In that case, you can stay here as long as you like. It's been sometime since we had outsiders anyway. Lang, Borso, since you guys found him, he's your responsibility. Let Rafaera check him daily." My gut feeling tells me that this stern-looking Elder was actually a softie in the inside.

"Mm!" "Okay! I'll go call her now." Borso mentioned this person name Rafaera to me before. She was a village Healer who provided the antidote to the Chibiru poison, and who told Lang and Borso to beat the Chibirus out of me and convinced the Elder to let me recuperate in the village medical hall. She's definitely a kind person and I really wanted to express my gratitude. 

A few minutes later, Rafaera walked into the room. 

Preface

We all live in the world which God created by His Word, and are also connected physically through this same world: Earth. It is through the Earth He created that we first knew about our Heavenly Father too. However, in some sense each of us also create our own world where our consciousness reside in, for we cannot fully fathom the vastness of the Earth we live in. And it is through our relationships, friendships and kinship that we let people enter into our private 'worlds'. 

For me, that private world is largely created through my writing, be it poems, songs or novels. And I think that its in writing that I best express my indescribable feelings and unformed thoughts. But, even though I am the creator of my own private world, I realize that it is ultimately God who knows me best, and so knows my world the best. He knows which corner of my world needs a makeover, which parts are missing, which ocean to stabilize, which sky to expand, and which people to put inside. Over the years of living with Him, and as I write this story, He has continually helped me and guided me in creating this world.

[That World. Which Only God Knows] reflects my heart to let God guide me to explore even more of the vastness of His creation, the Earth that I live in, as well as the depth of His creation, His child (me) as well as those of the people around me. This novel is written with a lot of my personal experience, encounters and excitement. 

I hope that as you journey with me into my world, you will also come to be more aware of your private world, and let our Only God into it more and more.