It's been around an hour since the nameless boy and Farah decided to work together. Farah explained what she wanted him to do and got some paperwork for the deal to legally happen.
Just as Farah put the contract infront of the nameless boy, a gigantic problem was found.
"Uh... What should I put here?"
He pointed at the blank space where he should put his name. Everything else was already filled, just this one thing stumped him.
Farah took a look at the paper before thinking, what should she do? She's always been pretty adaptable so she devised an idea near instantly.
"How about I just give you a name?" She suggested.
The boy looked at her, his mind trying to figure out what she was saying. Even an amnesiac knew that his name was special, it's something his parents gave to him, even if he didn't remember it.
Though, after some thought, he decided, what's the point of a name he didn't even remember? He'll figure it out later, because no matter what, he'll find out the truth.
Soon, a nod came from the boy. Accepting Farah's idea.
Farah couldn't help but smile, this was perfect. It's just too bad she didn't have the conviction of that warden, she'd be able to work him to the bone if she did... Well, she can still try.
"Alright then—" she said, pulling the contract a bit closer and tapping the empty space with a claw. "I'll choose something fitting."
The boy swallowed, watching her carefully. Naming someone was intimate. Heavy. Strange. Yet Farah's expression wasn't mocking nor careless, it was almost like someone looking after him.
Her golden eyes wandered over him, weighing countless invisible factors in the space of a heartbeat.
"You…" she murmured, her tail curling lightly behind her, "need a name that suits your Conviction. Something grounded. Something steady."
He blinked. He didn't know what kind of name that would be, but he trusted her judgment more than his own nonexistent memories.
Farah leaned back, one hand on her hip, tapping her claws rhythmically against her thigh as she thought. Then, suddenly, she snapped her fingers.
"I got it." He straightened instinctively.
"Your new name," she declared, "will be William Hoard."
The boy— No, William tilted his head slightly. "Hoard…?"
Farah nodded before answering. "It's fitting. Your Conviction revolves around truth, so your instinct is to gather it, hold onto it, protect it. You 'hoard' truths, even if you don't realize it yet."
William's lips parted slightly. The explanation… made sense in a strange, compelling way. The name felt solid. Weighty. Like a foundation where there had been none.
"Why William though?" He asked.
The lynx coughed before looking away. "That... Isn't important. It was just the first thing to come to mind. Anyways—" Farah slid the contract back to him and offered a pen.
"Go on," she said. "Write it. Make it official."
He took the pen carefully. The moment it touched the paper, something inside him shifted—a ripple he felt in his chest, then down his arm, then radiating through his entire being.
The ink formed letters, each stroke steady, sure, far firmer than his trembling hand should've allowed:
William Hoard
The moment the last letter was written…
His Conviction Mark pulsed. A warm glow flickered beneath his skin, brief but unmistakable.
Farah's eyes widened slightly at that.
"So it resonates with the name… Good."
William leaned back, exhaling softly. He didn't know why, but the moment he finished writing, it felt real. Like he existed a little more solidly than before.
Farah signed her portion with a flourish, then stamped it with a seal embossed with a golden skull.
"Welcome to my Association, William," she said, offering her hand again, this time formally.
He hesitated only a second before shaking it, their deal was sealed.
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Twenty minutes later in Farah's office, Farah was shuffling through a stack of papers, muttering curses under her breath, her tail flicking irritably. William sat across from her, watching as she fought enemies far deadlier than any Conviction-bearer: bureaucracy and forms.
"These damn things reproduce—" she grumbled, pulling out yet another document. "I swear they multiply when I'm not looking."
William stifled a laugh.
Farah's ear twitched.
"Don't laugh. They're sentient. I'm convinced."
But then she finally found the page she needed and slapped it onto the desk with the victorious energy of someone slaying a dragon.
"There. That's your AC-B ID application. Fill out everything except the photo." She paused. "Actually… with that memory loss, can you even fill this out?"
William took the page, scanning it. Name… He wrote William Hoard confidently. Age… He stared. "Um…"
Farah blinked, then groaned. "Right, you're an amnesiac..."
"Do I look twenty? Twenty-five? Thirty?" William wondered aloud.
"I'd say for a Hybrid... You look around 18 to 25."
He nodded. "Twenty, then."
Farah shrugged. "Close enough."
As William continued filling what little he could, Farah leaned her cheek into her hand, studying him silently.
"You really don't remember anything," she murmured, her gaze softening in a way she rarely allowed. "Not your age, not your name, not your belief… Yet you picked yourself up when you woke up."
William looked up at her. "I didn't have a choice."
"Sure you did," Farah countered lightly. "Lots of people break under less. You didn't. That says something."
William was then stumped once more... Farah looked to see what had stumped William, just to see him staring at a single question.
Race.
Farah looked at William, there was no way he didn't know this one...
"Human..?"
And just like that, she sighed. Well, this was to be expected, he didn't even know about convictions, why would he know about races?
"No, there are three races in this world."
The amnesiac blinked as he heard that... "What?"
"Well, there are also hybrids, though that only adds a few more— You know what, just put hybrid there, you'll learn about them eventually."
William was just... Dumbfounded. He followed her words but was still left confused with questions.
Farah would then take the paper as soon as he finished, she smiled before looking at him.
"Alright, I'll fill up everything else. You should head back over to the room you woke up from because..."
Just as she was about to end her sentence, an explosion could be heard from afar. The lynx grit her teeth before putting the application away.
"Go hide!" She yelled out, her claws bursting out from her hands before she rushed over to where the explosion happened.
Meanwhile, the boy she left was absolutely just still confused and barely able to understand anything she said.
Just as he came to his senses however, the window would shatter and he'd feel a painful sting on his back.
"Ack—" William moved back and looked at where the strike came, there stood a dark-skinned woman, holding a whip, and wearing something you'd expect a dominatrix to wear.
She was standing on the table, all the paperwork scattering around her as a red aura surrounded her.
"Oh~ Are you a new employee~? Que suerte~" The unknown woman cracked her whip against the floor once more.