The hard ground beneath his feet felt real enough to convince him he was awake. Sounds followed soon after footsteps passing by, quiet voices blending into an indistinct murmur.
Somewhere nearby, water splashed in a steady rhythm. He focused on it, letting the sounds of water calm his racing thoughts
When his eyes finally opened, light greeted him harshly, forcing him to blink a few times before his vision settled.
And there he was…
Standing at the heart of a medieval-looking city was a young-looking man, trembling not from exhaustion but from fear and confusion, his eyes wide open as he carefully observed his surroundings.
He didn't know where he was or how he got there, but he knew that this… this wasn't normal.
"w-wha…"
He took a step backwards, almost tripping and falling
None of it made sense
and worst of all…
He didn't remember anything
It was as if he had gained consciousness for the first time.
There was no sense of before, no lingering thoughts to guide him. His mind was empty, frighteningly so, yet his body moved as though it knew what to do.
He started walking.
At first, each step felt uncertain and awkward, as if he were testing the ground beneath him. Then another followed. And another.
Walking.
And walking.
And walking…
With a blank expression on his face, he kept walking through the city that he was in
Not saying anything, not thinking anything, his mind was blank, a dark black void, his body was moving, but his mind was stuck inside that dark void from before
As he continued walking through the town, he began to notice the people around him. Some wore old, almost medieval clothing, while others dressed in strange, over-the-top outfits—long capes, oversized hats, polished boots that looked far too elaborate for everyday life.
None of it felt right.
Something about it all unsettled him. The clothes, the way people moved, the ease with which they belonged here.
This wasn't normal.
At least, it wasn't normal to him.
Yet no one else seemed to notice anything strange.
People talked, bargained, and laughed just like a usual Monday, but there was nothing usual about this
After a while, he just stopped. He stayed completely still as he was lost in the crowd around him. People passed him by without a glance. No one asked if he was alright. No one even seemed to notice him. It was as if he were a ghost in a world that had forgotten him.
"T-This…t-this isn't right."
trying to remember what he was doing before he opened his eyes
"Think… think… There has to be something."
But no matter how much he tried to remember, he could not. He could only visualise a blank void within his mind
That's when he started panicking
His hands gripped the sides of his head.
The harder he tried, the more panic and fear consumed him, he couldn't understand how he was breathing, observing, standing or even alive.
crouching beside a wall, while looking at the ground, he began thinking about his situation
"T-This is bad, real bad, nothing…seems right, everything seems out of place and strange, I can't even remember how I got here, have I really…?"
A cold thought settled over him, heavy and unshakable. He probably hadn't just wandered into a strange part of his own world. No, this… this felt different. Entirely different. Other worldly different
It wasn't that his mind was empty. He still knew basic things like how to walk, how to speak and how to think. He understood simple concepts, the way the world usually worked… but none of that helped here.
It was as if he was transported into another world
He took a moment trying to figure out what had happened to him, although the answer would be much more complicated than he anticipated
"W-what am I supposed to do now? I'm completely lost and without anything on m-"
At that moment, he thought about checking his pockets. He felt relieved that maybe he would find something that would help him out. First, he frantically searched his left pocket and found nothing but cotton balls. Then, to his surprise, he felt something small and metallic inside his left pocket.
"Eh? What is this?"
He pulled out of his pocket a small metallic compass. Well, it wasn't a regular compass, more like a waypoint compass with a fixed bearing pointing to… nothing…?
" That's weird… this compass seems not to be leading anywhere. Why do I even have this on me? …Ahhh, I don't understand a thing."
With a small sigh, he slipped the compass back into his pocket and started thinking to himself again.
He let his head fall back against the wall, staring up at the bright blue sky.
He could only think to himself, "Taking everything into consideration, I'm really screwed, where do I go from here…"
Just then, from the corner of his eyes, he spotted someone, he couldn't tell their gender or age, but it definitely was a person, behind some crates, watching him, observing him with interest
"Ehhh?"
He stared back at the person behind the crates. He didn't know how to feel about it, strange as it was, it also was comforting to know that at least his existence could be proven, unlike everyone else passing by, the unknown person stayed.
He blinked slowly, trying to make sense of the situation.
The figure stepped forward slightly, small and careful, revealing a little girl no older than thirteen.
"U-umm… m-mister?"
It was obvious that she was scared shitless, nevertheless, she did come out of her way to talk to the weird man crouching at the side of the road, not something a small child should be really doing.
"Are… you talking to me?"
The small girl, fidgeting with her fingers, came closer to the man.
She looked like she tried to speak, but only faint noises came out of her mouth
"..."
"I… c-come with me," she whispered, holding out a tiny hand. "I… I'll show you a… s-safe place… where lost kids go…"
Barely managing to whisper a sentence
Huh? Lost kids? She probably means an orphanage, so this little girl is… an orphan?
"I… umm…"
Holding her tiny hand out to him, bravely enough, she signalled for him to follow her.
He slowly pushed himself up from the wall with his hands and stood up, overshadowing the little girl.
For a moment, neither of them said a word. His gaze lingered on her outstretched hand.
"Do you want me to follow you?"
The small girl quickly nodded her head and shook her hand signalling for the man to hold it
With no place to go and without knowing anyone, this seemed like an ideal opportunity
As the man took the little girl's hand, they started walking through the crowd that had once ignored the man
Walking through the street, more and more he could admire the beautiful architecture of the buildings surrounding him, he was mesmerised by the beauty of it all, tall houses, small shops, even the bizarre people
Suddenly, they came to a stop in front of a… bakery? The man, confused, asked the little girl
"A…bakery? Why did you bring me here?"
The girl pulled some unfamiliar coins out of her small pocket while pointing to them
"B-Bread"
"Oh…"
The girl obviously wants to by some bread
Opening the front door of the bakery, a small bell sound could be heard signalling the guests' arrival
"Coming, coming", a woman's voice could be heard from the storage room behind the counter
"Aww, if it isn't little Lilou, did Sir Bernard send you here to bring him the br…"
"uwah!"
Tripping and falling onto the small rope connected to the bell ringing the door, the man now laid on the floor
"Oh, are you alright, little boy?"
Rushing over to the Man on the floor the woman had a worrying look on her face
"Uhh… thanks for your concern, ma'am, but I'm fine"
He got up, but his knee was bleeding
"I'm sorry little boy, I didn't think anyone would fall from the Bell's rope, does it hurt?"
"D-dont worry about it ma'am, it doesn't hurt that mu-"
The baker woman suddenly touched the man's wound and started chanting words
"Ehh?"
And within a moment, a bright blue light surrounded the wounded knee, causing the wound to be healed
The man was puzzled
"H-How did…?"
Looking up at the person who had just healed his knee, a woman in her mid-30s with purple hair and a horn poking out of the sides of her head
" everything is alright now, you must be feeling much better"
W-was that… just now… was that really…
"You should be careful. I used healing magic on your wound, but mine's not really that strong, so the wound might reopen"
"I…Uhh… yes, ma'am"
…Magic
Getting back on his feet, the little girl had a shocked expression on her face
"H-Hurt?"
"...It's fine"
The baker woman, now back at her desk, gave the man a bag full of bread
"So are you one of Lilou's friends?"
The small girl beside the man, whose name was apparently Lilou, nodded her head confirming the baker woman's claim
"...you could say that…"
"You seem like a nice boy, although… I haven't seen you around here before" said the baker woman "tell me boy, what is your name?"
"My… name…?"
The man looked at the baker with a questionable glance
"I d-don…"
"It's alright, you don't have to answer, most people don't know who they are, not until they are as old as I am at least…", washing her hands and drying them into her apron
"...right…"
Lilou tagged onto the man's sleeve, signalling him that they have to leave
"Ahh, it seems little Lilou wants to go, before you depart, here," she handed the man a piece of bread
"...I don't have any money to rep-"
"Don't worry about it, I bet that we'll be seeing each other in the future, so this is my welcoming gift"
"...Uhh…"
Lilou looked puzzled, but she kept tagging onto the man's sleeve as she dragged him outside the store
The smell of freshly made bread and fresh air
"So your name is Lilou?"
Lilou nodded her head whilst pointing to the man
"W-what is…y-your name?"
The man didn't know what to answer the girl, same as the baker, he did not have an answer
"You want to know my name?"
Lilou nodded in affirmation
"...i don't… have a name…"
Lilou looked confused, puzzled but also a little skeptical by the man's statement, but kept dragging the man along with her.
***
After a few minutes of walking… There it was. A cosy-looking building, it didn't look like an orphanage, more like a small store.
Lilou walks up to the door
*Knock* *knock*
Waiting excitedly with a happy expression for someone to answer, she stands beside the man, who looks nervous
"W-wait a minute, I don't even know how to introduce myself…"
Lilou glanced at the man and only spoke one word
"F-Frent"
"...You mean 'friend', right?"
It was clear that Lilou couldn't pronounce the word perfectly, but he didn't give it much thought
"Frent…Huh…?"
Maybe with the help of Lilou and man could improvise a name for himself
He was too focused on his introduction that he didn't notice the door quietly sliding open, revealing an old man in his mid-50s
"I'm sorry, we haven't opened ye-...oh?"
His eyes dropped to the small figure beside the man
"Lilou, who's this young man you brought with you?"
Lilou excitedly exclaimed
"Frent! Frent!"
"Frent…? Tell me, young man, who are you?"
"I-i… umm"
Not knowing how to respond, his brain came to the only logical solution
"Well, sir…"
Giving a sharp look towards Lilou, he responded
"My name is fren-"
Actually thinking about it more clearly a name like "frent" didn't sound appealing to him, so the man improvised a name
"My name is…Ren, and I don't know who I am. I don't even know if someone is looking for me. I… don't really know what I'm supposed to do now. Lilou found me and brought me here so I'm just following her now…"
The caretaker took a moment to think to himself as he examined "Ren"
"Come inside stranger, I'll treat you to some coffee, and we can talk about this"
Ren. Ren? That's my name? Ren…
Ren, relieved that he was able to introduce himself to someone, took a step inside whilst Lilou tagged along right behind him.
***
*Sip*
Sitting at the table, both Ren and the caretaker began talking
"So tell me, Ren, do you know where we are?"
"N-no, sir, I have no clue"
"Please, call me Bernard"
Taking a sip of his coffee, Bernard continued talking
"The city we are in is called Palem. This is my shop, a coffee shop if you will, I'm also the owner of the building next to this one, that building houses a couple of orphans, so I'm taking the role of their caretaker until they find a suitable home"
Ren thinks to himself that the man right in front of him is quite noble
"It's not often that I come across lost people these days, especially someone at the age that you are, how old are ya? Sixteen? Seventeen? You look pretty young."
Ren did not know the answer either. Was he really that young?
"Your case is… quite rare honestly, I personally never met someone with memory loss before…" Ren was taken aback by Bernard's statement
"Tell me, Ren, do you remember your family? Any friends, lovers, anyone related to you?"
"...Uhm… Mr. Bernard, I have no idea… the last thing I can remember is waking up in this city."
Honestly, that was not quite true, deep within his mind he could visual some sort of void, although mentioning it to Bernard not be of any use
"I see," said Bernard, "Could you please tell me what happens when you try to remember?"
Ren hesitated. He didn't know how to explain it. The sensation wasn't pain, not exactly.
"It feels… empty, it feels as if I try any harder, my head will start hurting…"
Setting his cup down, Bernard took a serious look
"Look, kid, I seriously don't know how to help you here. I've never seen this phenomenon before, especially someone at your age. The best I can do is recommend a healer near the town hall"
Healer? What's this again? Dismissing Bernard's comment about a "Healer", Ren didn't feel comforted by his answer
"...So what am I supposed to do now? Do I just give up? I have nowhere else to go… I don't even know if someone is looking for me."
Bernard took a minute to think to himself and confidently answered Ren
"I have a proposal, kid"
Bernard declared while muttering something under his breath
"You can rest here in my guest room, you can eat, sleep, stay here as long as you want. In exchange, you'll help me with my work. How does that sound?"
Smirking greedily, Bernard declared his offer to Ren
Ren let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding, "heh…heh…Heh" He was… relieved, for the first time since waking up in this world, he could finally…rest.
Bernard picked up his coffee cup and started sipping on it
"So that's a yes, I presume"
Before Ren could respond, he felt something tugging on his sleeve.
"---!"
Lilou had climbed onto the chair beside him and was now stretching as far as she could, trying to peek into Ren's coffee cup.
"Oh… you wanna try it?"
Pushing the cup closer to Lilou, Ren watched as the little mischievous girl stuck her finger inside the cup full of hot coffee
"Ow–!" "Ow–!"
"T-Too hot–!" She declared while putting down her now red finger
She regrettably took a seat beside Ren
Bernard shook his head "You see? Proof that some people are born with all their memories intact, and still make terrible decisions."
Ren chuckled awkwardly as Lilou started pouting
They were all too distracted to notice that someone had entered the building
*Slam*
Ren quickly turned his head towards the front door to see a girl around his age standing there looking at him
"You… didn't tell me that we'd have visitors today, Bernard…" said the girl whilst slowly taking off her coat and putting it onto a rack
Ren couldn't help but notice the terrifying aura that emanated from the girl, and also… her very short hair, her black hair which barely reached her ears, uneven at the ends as if she herself cut her own hair with basic scissors, red sharp eyes and a slim but narrow body type
Lilou's eyes lit up with excitement as she rushed to hug the girl
"Shizuuuu–!"
The girl embraced Lilou's welcoming gesture whilst staring at Ren
"Oh, perfect timing it is, this is Shizuka, her circumstances are quite similar to yours, actually"
Bernard briefly explained to Ren that around two weeks ago, Lilou had found Shizuka wandering throughout the city, confused and alone, so she had brought her here
Shizuka returned the hug with one arm, the other hanging loosely at her side, her eyes never leaving Ren's face.
"This is Ren", Bernard exclaimed "Lilou found him and brought him here a little while ago. He'll be living with us from now on. I'll make sure that he assists you with your duties"
Shizuka finally stopped staring at Ren and replied
"Ren…? That's…weird. Could it be that your name is perhaps…Rentaro?"
Staring at Lilou Ren realised that "Ren" was also probably not a real name as he himself created it on the spot, to find out that a name like "Rentaro" actually existed was just lucky
"I guess my name could be Rentaro… but my memory is kinda foggy, so I can't really remember" lying out of his ass to justify his name, he tried not to make eye contact with the girl
Bernard clapped his hands together. "Names can come later. For now, what matters is that you're safe here."
At least that was true, he really did feel safe
Lilou suddenly popped up beside Ren, grabbing his sleeve.
"Lilou, Shizuka, you should show Rentaro where he'll be staying for the time being"
"Yes!" Lilou tugged harder this time, nearly pulling him out of his chair. "C'mon, Ren!"
Ren stood, casting one last glance at Shizuka. She had already turned away, uninterested, as if the conversation had ended the moment it stopped being useful.
***
The room Lilou led him to was small, tucked above the café. A bed, a desk, a narrow window that let in pale afternoon light. Besides his room were presumably Lilou's and Shizuka's rooms, although he did not get a chance to confirm that
Inspecting the room, he didn't find anything out of the ordinary, nothing too modern, not that tech-y, but stuff he could recognise. But what really piqued his interest was the oversized mirror right in front of him
A mirror… for the first time after being [Reborn], he could see himself for the first time. Taking a step forward, he tried to examine himself closely
A boy, sixteen… no, maybe seventeen years old.His short, messy brown hair, his slim figure as if he hadn't eaten in a while, his unusually blank expression, his sharp eyes, it all looked weird to him, like his body didn't belong to him. Behind him were Shizuka and Lilou, also staring into the mirror
He had also noticed what he was wearing, a plain green shirt and some black pants. Maybe that's why everyone was avoiding him - he stood out too much, so people didn't want any contact. Yet again, Lilou did approach him.
Only one thought passed his mind at that moment…
"So this is me…Rentaro…"
He touched his face lightly, half expecting it to feel unfamiliar beneath his fingers.
He still couldn't remember. No memories. No emotions tied to the reflection staring back at him.
"Are you okay, Ren?" Lilou asked, and she noticed him looking at himself in the mirror
Rentaro lowered his hand. "...I think so."
She frowned, then stepped closer, squinting at his reflection. "You look… normal."
He confirmed the fact that Lilou wasn't weirded out by his appearance, we was comforted by the answer
"That's reassuring," he muttered
Lilou smiled at that comment
"Don't break anything!" Lilou said cheerfully, before sprinting back downstairs.
Just as Lilou left, Shizuka started walking away
She turned to leave, hand resting briefly on the doorframe.
But before leaving, she stood there, still, turning her head to face Rentaro she nervously told him
"At some point," Shizuka said, almost as an afterthought, "you and I need to talk."
Her eyes met his in the mirror.
"i..."
It was as if she couldn't find the right words
She stood there, thinking about her next words carefully
No further words were spoken
The door closed
Rentaro remained standing there, staring at his reflection, while the room felt just a little smaller than before.
He sat at the edge of the bed, thinking about everything that had happened so far, pulling out the device from his pocket that had kept a secret from the people inside the cafe
"Starting tomorrow, I'll have to take on the duties of the cafe, that's what Bernard told me, but what am I seriously supposed to do right now? Can I really try to live a normal life?"
Looking at the current circumstances…
"...That's the only thing I can do right now."
Falling and lying on his back, he began thinking to himself
"The people I've met so far aren't that bad. I could honestly see myself living with them. Bernard and Lilou were really nice to me, but…"
Thinking back to what Shizuka said to him before leaving
"Just what was she trying to tell me just now?"
He didn't dislike their company, quite the opposite, actually
Before he fell asleep, he began thinking about himself in the mirror. Shizuka and Lilou were with him, so he tried to compose himself at that moment, but now, alone with his thoughts, that feeling grew stronger
A twisting sensation deep in his chest
His own reflection…
He…
Was utterly disgusted.