Aurex felt a jolt of surprise. The homeless-looking man, who'd been with him on the first day, was here again. Was it just a coincidence? He didn't think so.
Looking back, that old man was the one who had found him in the beginning. At the time, Aurex hadn't given it much thought, but now, it felt too strange to ignore.
Aurex turned to the man who had killed him and asked, "So, how did the fight between the two of you go from your side?"
The man shrugged. "He came up from behind and stabbed me. Didn't even see it coming."
Then Aurex glanced at the homeless-looking old man and said quietly, "Can we talk for a moment, please?"
The man nodded and said, "Of course." They stepped into a quiet room.
Aurex looked him in the eye and asked, "Who are you?"
The old man frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
Aurex pressed on, "I mean, who are you? Or what are you?"
The man's expression hardened. "I should be the one asking you that. I've lived in this town my whole life and never saw a visitor, until now. And you come in and ask me who I am?"
Aurex leaned in and asked, "Then let me ask you this, when we first met, how did you find me? The meeting was happening in the center; you should've been there. Why were you hanging around the edges of town?"
The old man's eyes narrowed. "I don't like being questioned. Who do you think you are?" His tone was sharp, tinged with irritation.
Aurex stayed calm. "Like you said, I'm new here. The first thing I noticed was that someone already knew I'd arrived. So, I think I have the right to ask. Why are you getting so upset?"
The man replied, "I'm not upset, and most of the people here know that I like walking. It just happened that I got there."
Aurex thought, this isn't going anywhere. I should leave and think about what to do with this person later. Right now, I just need to be away from him. He then said, "Then I'm sorry for questioning you."
The old man said, "It's okay."
Aurex then asked, "What is your name, sir? We started off on bad terms, and I'm sorry for that."
The old man replied, "That's okay. My name is Nerrot. What is your name?"
Aurex replied, "Aurex, it's nice meeting you, sir."
Nerrot said, "You look like you are from a respected family. Why don't you have a family name? Are you just Aurex?"
Aurex was shocked to hear that. What does he mean? Doesn't most people have just a name? A family name? Aurex felt like he was forgetting something important, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He just said, "Yes, it's just Aurex."
Nerrot then smiled. "Then it is okay."
"Do you know, or maybe you've figured it out by now, that when we die, we share our grief, anger, and sadness with each other? That is how we manage it we pass it between each other" Nerrot said quietly.
"I have to tell you something. The second time I did follow you and that was because the first time you killed me, I felt nothing. No anger, no desire, no sadness. Nothing was shared between us."
Aurex was surprised. "So, you did follow me?"
Nerrot said, "Yes, because I wanted to confirm that feeling."
Aurex asked, "What feeling are you talking about?"
Nerrot said, "The emptiness. Aurex, you are a very empty and shallow person. I mean no offense when I say that, but it feels like you're a machine. You don't have a personality."
Aurex was taken aback by what he just heard. He simply said, "Okay, goodbye," and left. No personality? No emotions? What then was this anger he felt at that statement, and the sadness that welled up when he thought of his family?