Before I met Aquilo, I clung to my parents a lot. I don't remember anything from before I was seven years old, and the day they found me was still clear as day in my mind.
That day, I opened my eyes and felt weak as I laid on the ground, dirt coating my body and wounds stinging my arms and legs. It felt as though I had slept for a long time, but exhaustion was taking over me, causing my head to pound so loud I could hear it.
When I opened my eyes, the sunlight blinded me. I heard the wind rustling the tree branches above me and birds chirping in the distance. Inhaling the air around me, I could smell the fresh scent of nature. Something about it felt refreshing as if I hadn't been in an environment like it in a long time.
Before long, I caught the voices of a man and a woman as I sensed their presences in front of me. Scared for my life, I tried to use anything I had within me to stop them in their tracks, but I was unable to draw out anything with enough impact.
"It's okay, don't be afraid," the woman's voice uttered as she edged closer to me.
"Don't approach too quickly, Thea," the man's voice advised.
As soon as my eyes adjusted enough to the light, I opened them and swung an arm at the woman as a last ditch effort, but she stopped my motion instantly by blocking my attack. From the way she let go, it didn't seem as though I was in any immediate danger.
My focus was then on her and the man. The expressions on their faces looked more concerned than anything, and that somehow slightly eased my apprehensions . The woman had long dark red hair in a half up, half down style. Her eyes were a metallic gray color, and she wore golden earrings representing stars. She eyed me with a wave of unease on her face as she continued to move closer and crouch down to my eye level.
"Hi, baby," she said to me in a gentle and soft voice. "Are you okay?"
I hesitated a bit, but I pushed whatever strength I had left to nod my head. My throat felt dry and scratchy, and it even hurt me to swallow my own saliva. The man standing right behind the woman must've noticed this as he promptly took a thermos out from his bag and poured me a cup of water.
"Drink this and gather your strength back," he urged as he held out the cup towards me. He was now crouching beside the woman, so I could see both of them clearly.
The man had dark brown hair, red eyes, and wore a pair of glasses. The look in his eyes was similar to the woman: worried. Looking closely, I noticed that they were wearing some kind of uniform: Their tops were white collared shirts while their jackets were black, and they wore similar matching pants. Buttons and chains were prominent in their attire, and a pair of almost knee-high boots covered their feet.
They also had moon pins with a chain that connected to what I assumed was a pocket watch which caught my eye. I concluded that they must be a part of some organization to be wearing something that looked so official. Although both of them were evidently adults, they still appeared on the younger side to me.
I accepted the cup from the man and took a sip, practically gulping down the water once the first droplet had reached my throat. I was parched beyond imagination. Once I downed it all, I had to catch my breath.
"Her wounds look pretty bad, Victor," the woman, whose name I recalled to be Thea, pointed out. "Should we take her back to HQ?"
"She came out of an Abyss portal, so there's no guarantee they'd keep her safe," Victor replied, looking like he was deep in thought thinking about what to do next.
"She's just a kid. We can't leave her here."
"Don't worry, I agree with you."
My eyes moved back and forth between the two of them as they discussed their next move regarding me. From the way they spoke, it sounded like they were carefully going through every single available option. The HQ they mentioned intrigued me. Why wouldn't that organization keep me safe and did they belong to it also?
"Are you feeling better?" The woman questioned as she took the cup in my hand and handed it back to the man. She had a gentle aura to her which made me feel as though I could trust her. "Can you tell us your name?"
My name. What was my name and how could I not remember? Who was I? I looked down at myself confused and noticed that my hair was red, and I was wearing a torn up white dress. I somehow had no prior knowledge about who I was or what I looked like, but I had a strong feeling that I existed before this moment.
I looked Thea directly in her eyes and frowned as I could not give her a true answer. Her expression turned even more troubled as she looked back at Victor.
Victor was still lost in thought, but soon enough, he took a deep breath and stood up to remove his jacket. That's when I felt the weight of something warm envelope around me. It wasn't cold out, but I felt a little too exposed, so I appreciated the gesture as he draped his coat over my shoulders.
"We'll take her to the infirmary and think about what to do on the way there," Victor finally uttered, adjusting the jacket on me so it wouldn't slip. "I'll call into HQ and let them know we're taking a little detour to investigate something related."
Thea nodded then turned to me once again. She held out her hands for me to take, and I placed my bruised palms into hers. From there, she helped me get onto my feet before informing me of their plans.
"Okay, sweetheart," she began, watching me closely to make sure I was regaining my balance. "My name is Thea and this is my husband, Victor. We're both out on a mission right now, but we'll make sure you're safe. Would you mind coming with us?"
From the moment she took my hands, I was already set on going with them. If I stayed here, I would be alone with nothing to eat and no shelter to rest in. With no previous memories, I figured it would be best to trust them since they appeared kind enough to even gently approach me, offer me water, and give me a sense of security even if it could be short-lived.
I let out a hum to let her know that I would go along with them. As we began walking, my legs felt weak, and I almost tumbled over before Thea caught me. Before I could plant my two feet back onto the ground, Victor picked me up to carry me.
"I know you just met us, but we don't want you to struggle. Will you allow me to carry you?" He asked me sincerely.
I knew from that first step that there was no way I'd be able to walk for an extended period of time without losing my footing, so I gave in. I then heard Thea make a sound as if she had discovered something, and I felt a slight tug behind my dress collar.
"Hey honey, look at this," she stated, bringing her husband's attention to whatever was behind me. "L, C, E."
Victor then took a peek over my shoulder to look at what I assumed was the tag on my clothing. "Could that be her name?"
"Most likely, but some letters are missing."
They began moving forward as I felt exhaustion gradually setting over me. My eyelids were slowly shutting themselves even as I tried to stay awake. Victor softly pushed my head down onto his shoulder and continued conversing with Thea.
"L, C, E. Lacie?" He suggested, hoping to get a response from me if that were to be my actual name. I simply had no recollection of anything and rested my head as I grew more and more tired.
"Lacie," Thea repeated in a tone as if she was smiling. "I like that name."
I started to lose track of their conversation as I drifted off. These two people were kind to me, so I simply had to trust them. Wherever they were taking me to would be much better than staying alone in this forest. Lacie. That name doesn't sound too bad.
That day, I opened my eyes and felt weak as I laid on the ground, dirt coating my body and wounds stinging my arms and legs. It felt as though I had slept for a long time, but exhaustion was taking over me, causing my head to pound so loud I could hear it.
When I opened my eyes, the sunlight blinded me. I heard the wind rustling the tree branches above me and birds chirping in the distance. Inhaling the air around me, I could smell the fresh scent of nature. Something about it felt refreshing as if I hadn't been in an environment like it in a long time.
Before long, I caught the voices of a man and a woman as I sensed their presences in front of me. Scared for my life, I tried to use anything I had within me to stop them in their tracks, but I was unable to draw out anything with enough impact.
"It's okay, don't be afraid," the woman's voice uttered as she edged closer to me.
"Don't approach too quickly, Thea," the man's voice advised.
As soon as my eyes adjusted enough to the light, I opened them and swung an arm at the woman as a last ditch effort, but she stopped my motion instantly by blocking my attack. From the way she let go, it didn't seem as though I was in any immediate danger.
My focus was then on her and the man. The expressions on their faces looked more concerned than anything, and that somehow slightly eased my apprehensions . The woman had long dark red hair in a half up, half down style. Her eyes were a metallic gray color, and she wore golden earrings representing stars. She eyed me with a wave of unease on her face as she continued to move closer and crouch down to my eye level.
"Hi, baby," she said to me in a gentle and soft voice. "Are you okay?"
I hesitated a bit, but I pushed whatever strength I had left to nod my head. My throat felt dry and scratchy, and it even hurt me to swallow my own saliva. The man standing right behind the woman must've noticed this as he promptly took a thermos out from his bag and poured me a cup of water.
"Drink this and gather your strength back," he urged as he held out the cup towards me. He was now crouching beside the woman, so I could see both of them clearly.
The man had dark brown hair, red eyes, and wore a pair of glasses. The look in his eyes was similar to the woman: worried. Looking closely, I noticed that they were wearing some kind of uniform: Their tops were white collared shirts while their jackets were black, and they wore similar matching pants. Buttons and chains were prominent in their attire, and a pair of almost knee-high boots covered their feet.
They also had moon pins with a chain that connected to what I assumed was a pocket watch which caught my eye. I concluded that they must be a part of some organization to be wearing something that looked so official. Although both of them were evidently adults, they still appeared on the younger side to me.
I accepted the cup from the man and took a sip, practically gulping down the water once the first droplet had reached my throat. I was parched beyond imagination. Once I downed it all, I had to catch my breath.
"Her wounds look pretty bad, Victor," the woman, whose name I recalled to be Thea, pointed out. "Should we take her back to HQ?"
"She came out of an Abyss portal, so there's no guarantee they'd keep her safe," Victor replied, looking like he was deep in thought thinking about what to do next.
"She's just a kid. We can't leave her here."
"Don't worry, I agree with you."
My eyes moved back and forth between the two of them as they discussed their next move regarding me. From the way they spoke, it sounded like they were carefully going through every single available option. The HQ they mentioned intrigued me. Why wouldn't that organization keep me safe and did they belong to it also?
"Are you feeling better?" The woman questioned as she took the cup in my hand and handed it back to the man. She had a gentle aura to her which made me feel as though I could trust her. "Can you tell us your name?"
My name. What was my name and how could I not remember? Who was I? I looked down at myself confused and noticed that my hair was red, and I was wearing a torn up white dress. I somehow had no prior knowledge about who I was or what I looked like, but I had a strong feeling that I existed before this moment.
I looked Thea directly in her eyes and frowned as I could not give her a true answer. Her expression turned even more troubled as she looked back at Victor.
Victor was still lost in thought, but soon enough, he took a deep breath and stood up to remove his jacket. That's when I felt the weight of something warm envelope around me. It wasn't cold out, but I felt a little too exposed, so I appreciated the gesture as he draped his coat over my shoulders.
"We'll take her to the infirmary and think about what to do on the way there," Victor finally uttered, adjusting the jacket on me so it wouldn't slip. "I'll call into HQ and let them know we're taking a little detour to investigate something related."
Thea nodded then turned to me once again. She held out her hands for me to take, and I placed my bruised palms into hers. From there, she helped me get onto my feet before informing me of their plans.
"Okay, sweetheart," she began, watching me closely to make sure I was regaining my balance. "My name is Thea and this is my husband, Victor. We're both out on a mission right now, but we'll make sure you're safe. Would you mind coming with us?"
From the moment she took my hands, I was already set on going with them. If I stayed here, I would be alone with nothing to eat and no shelter to rest in. With no previous memories, I figured it would be best to trust them since they appeared kind enough to even gently approach me, offer me water, and give me a sense of security even if it could be short-lived.
I let out a hum to let her know that I would go along with them. As we began walking, my legs felt weak, and I almost tumbled over before Thea caught me. Before I could plant my two feet back onto the ground, Victor picked me up to carry me.
"I know you just met us, but we don't want you to struggle. Will you allow me to carry you?" He asked me sincerely.
I knew from that first step that there was no way I'd be able to walk for an extended period of time without losing my footing, so I gave in. I then heard Thea make a sound as if she had discovered something, and I felt a slight tug behind my dress collar.
"Hey honey, look at this," she stated, bringing her husband's attention to whatever was behind me. "L, C, E."
Victor then took a peek over my shoulder to look at what I assumed was the tag on my clothing. "Could that be her name?"
"Most likely, but some letters are missing."
They began moving forward as I felt exhaustion gradually setting over me. My eyelids were slowly shutting themselves even as I tried to stay awake. Victor softly pushed my head down onto his shoulder and continued conversing with Thea.
"L, C, E. Lacie?" He suggested, hoping to get a response from me if that were to be my actual name. I simply had no recollection of anything and rested my head as I grew more and more tired.
"Lacie," Thea repeated in a tone as if she was smiling. "I like that name."
I started to lose track of their conversation as I drifted off. These two people were kind to me, so I simply had to trust them. Wherever they were taking me to would be much better than staying alone in this forest. Lacie. That name doesn't sound too bad.