Shadow of Memory
by Hussain Al Ibrahim
Part 1: A Kingdom of Glass
Chapter 1: The Purpose Which I Hold To.
I am on a road. Days have passed and I am all alone. I walk along this road, inspecting everything I see. The gravel which I'm standing on, the withered grass along the side, and the dead trees that surround the road, all of the depressing elements of this drab environment. I cannot afford to look back, for I must go forward and achieve the goal set out for me. I never asked for this, but this is a task that I must do. As I near the end of this dead forest I begin to inspect the sunshine emerging from the cloudy atmosphere and the clear skies. The dead trees are nowhere to be seen now. All I see are fields of grass, as green as they can be. The winds are fair and compliment the warm sunlight. Although this sight is beautiful as can be, I must go on, for my purpose is much more important.
The sun yields its position and sets into the horizon. Night sets in and I set up camp. I eat as little as I could and put out the flame. I lie on the ground, half-asleep, always cautious of my surroundings. As I lie there, I hear the sound of glass. Without thinking so much for a second, I get up and look at my surroundings. Nothing is there to be seen. I return to my previous state, but with more caution as I await the next day. As the sun rises, I return to the road which is paved for me. I shall complete my task.
I look into my pocket to find a crystal in the shape of broken glass. An interesting item to behold, as it does not reflect its surroundings. It is enveloped with a sea of darkness, with very unnoticeable mist rising from its edges. I do not know how it came to be nor how it ended up where it currently resided. I shall keep a close eye on this mysterious shard, but for now I shall focus on the journey. Today, the view from the road is significantly more appealing to the eye. The grassy fields shine with the green color being brighter than before. The dirt around me resembling crystals, with each particle of dirt shining like a gem. Although this sight is beautiful to behold, I noticed something odd about this. Each blade of grass reflected an odd image. As I looked into each blade, I saw reflections of different figures walking through this road. Although this is interesting, I must continue my journey, and when I walk back, I shall find out why this is.
I begin to see a town nearby. Days have passed and the time has come for me to replenish my supplies. I approach the town, but as I look around, I see that everything is shining like diamonds. They reflect images of different things, such as a war ravaged town, a town yet to be built, a town being built, and many more. I ask an old man sitting in front of the inn about the reflections, but he denies that the reflections even existed and walks away, calling me insane. I enter the inn and talk to the nearest person. A middle-aged woman, kind and polite, greets me and escorts me to my room. As I reach out for the handle, she asks me if I’m new to this town. I reply with yes and she asks if I might want to know the history of the town. When I decided to listen to it, what I realized was astonishing.
This town originally was a town called Troy, where soldiers would go through the town on conquests for the nation. One day, the soldiers passed through the town, but this time, something different happened. The enemy awaited them in the road out of the town, and they fought in the town itself. The fight was a massacre, and the town was ravaged by war. Neither side won and all the citizens died in the middle of the conflict. The town was then rebuilt as New Troy. This time, no soldiers were allowed in these parts.
I then ask her for her name. It was Vatroya, true to her town. Vatroya asks me for mine, but I couldn't tell her. I apologize and head into my room. As I sit in my I room, I ponder the connection between the reflections and this town, but I shrug it off. I look around my room, and I see more reflections relating to this room, but each reflection has different persons who do different things. Some read some write, some bleed, some fight. I couldn't help but look away from them, merely because it would be taking most of my time, which I cannot afford at the moment.
Although everything looks like pieces of glass, they still feel how they usually do. The wood feels wooden, the rug feels smooth, and the bed feels comfortable. So it's an illusion, nothing more. Perhaps I didn't sleep these last few nights. Perhaps I will wake up tomorrow and the illusion will fade away. Right now, all I could do is sleep and wait.
Chapter 2: The Phantoms I Encountered
As I wake up, it rains pretty harshly outside. I exit the room ready to go, but Vatroya tries to keep me indoors. She said, specifically: “Please rest here, for the rain outside is harsh and unforgiving. Even if you can't afford it, you can at least join me for breakfast. Please consider my offer.” The decision was a hard one, but the hospitality and comfort from Vatroya led me to accept the offer. She led me to her quarters where we ate breakfast and a conversation arose.
It first started as small talk. As we talk the topic led towards the battle of Troy. She says that she skimmed over details of the battle when she told it to me. She told me that she was a child at the time. During the battle, she ran from her home looking for her parents. Soon enough she was picked up by a stranger, who carried her to the outskirts of the city. When she pleaded the stranger to look for her parents, he told her that he cannot return, for the horrors of the battle are too frightening to return to. Suddenly, I see her break down before my very eyes, apologizing for the tears and trying to hide her face beneath her hands. I tell her: “Calm down, for every soul suffers loss and tragedy. For you to overcome it, you must accept the past and move on. Even if the past haunts you, they are just shards of moments past. Look forward to the future, where good things come to those who need them the most.”
She looks at me, her eyes red and tears dripping from them. She nods, unable to speak calmly. I tell her that there is no need for words and that she should have a minute to compose herself after facing her phantoms. She left to wipe her face and calm down and came back with a smile on her face. I tell her: “The saddest of people hide their sadness through smiles, for it is the only way they can live with their phantoms. If you take a moment to face your phantoms once more, you will be happier than ever before.” She thanks me multiple times and I leave her quarters and bid her farewell.
I go back to my room to observe the shard in my pocket. The shard previously alienated me with it's non-reflective surface, and now I believe that it is the cause for the reflections around me. Now I begin to understand that the reflections around me are of memories. They are memories of certain significant events throughout history. Although there might be some minor memories such as what happened in this very room, I can't help but notice that the major events have a larger reflection than minor ones.
As night sets in, Vatroya knocks on my door. She then asks me if I would like to stay in her quarters for the night as thanks. I thank her and head there. I try to sleep, but visions of the event still linger in my mind as though I was there. I look to Vatroya, on the bed opposite me, and I see her wide awake with a frightful look on her face. “Is it still bothering you?” I say, she nods with a tear falling on her cheek. An idea came to my head, a story might calm her down and replace the phantoms with angels.
“Do you want to hear a story, Vatroya?” She looks at me, eyes red with sorrow as I proceed to tell it. “Once in a while, there stood a city of glass. Its beauty, captivating. All other cities marveled how beautiful it can be and envied it. Its residents, however, didn't see how glorious it was. Soon, the city almost fell out of its grace because of its lack of influence. However, a little boy loved his city and had faith in it. Soon, the faith spread and made the city more glorious than it once was. A city of glass once fragile became a city of diamonds, indestructible.” The sorrow in Vatroya turned into joy as she wept no longer and forgot her sor
rows. I wish her good night and rest knowing that at least she will sleep well.
Chapter 3: The People I Protect
As morning approached I prepared my gear for the journey. I tried not to wake Vatroya, she needs her sleep. I head back to my room and grab the last few items and when I exit I find her standing there. She asks me not to leave, but I tell her I must, for my purpose is more important. She tilts her head down in disappointment, but I lift her head up and tell her that I will be back. She gives me her pin to remember her and the town by. I nod and leave the inn. As I look back one last time, I see Vatroya waving lightly with a small tear going down her cheek. Then I face the road and never look back.
As I leave, I find a man being threatened by a gang. I would never forgive myself if I just walk by and leave this man to be hurt by them. I sneak up near the area and listen in. “So you are a stranger to this town. You and that other man that stays in the inn. Well, we don't take kindly to strangers. Especially ones with weapons. We'll make sure that you won't threaten our town, permanently.” I approach them. “You touch this man, and I will show you a fate worse than what you plan for him.” I tell them, bringing their attention unto me. As I look at them, I feel the shard in my hand. Once they try and rush me, I break it in half. My surroundings suddenly changed in the most abnormal way.
The area around me blackens and the ground is now a floor of glass, black as the shard. Surrounding me are many floating shards, each with their own reflection. I assume each one contains a different event. I spot an event relating to the gang and grab the shard. I instinctively break it in half and the domain I was in shifts. Before my very eyes, I see the gang being threatened by soldiers. The soldiers seem to be telling them that they will stay here for as long as they want. The gang tries to drive them away to avoid conflict, and suddenly it hit me. This happened before the battle. I put together the event shard, returning to the domain. I reach into my pocket and put the pieces of the shards together. The pieces fuse and the shard returns with no marks or cracks on the surface.
As the area goes back to the way it was, I see the gang rushing to me. I tell them: “I know about the soldiers, this man brings you no harm nor will he attract any violence towards this town.” They all stop and look at me with confusion. One steps in and says: “How the hell would you know about them? We've never seen your face here before.” I tell them: “I know everything about everywhere and everyone. Right now, this man is far from being a threat to your town.” As I tell them this, the surface of my eye begins to break away into shards floating away revealing black glass eyes. They back away with fear, thinking I am a demon of sorts and then break into a sprint. Once they leave and I am calm, the shards form again on my eye and its normal appearance shows once again. The man, frightened, thanks me. I tell him not to fear, for I am just a regular man with many tricks. He sighs, laughing a bit after. He then says: “You gave us quite the scare. I am relieved to see that you are not a demon or a shadow. My name is Zephyr, nice to meet you.” “Sorry Zephyr, but I have to get going. It was nice meeting you as well.” “May I join you? I have no home and would like to go anywhere I might be able to thrive in.” I nod and leave the town with my new companion, Zephyr.
Chapter 4: The Horrors I Faced
Zephyr and I head out on the road with fields of grass on both sides. I look at them once more, and I only see the shine that I saw once before. It's as though they are shards of what once was. With my newly acquired knowledge, I decide to learn more about Zephyr, but I dare not delve into his past without his permission. Instead of using the shard, I can learn about him through small talk. I start up a conversation with him. Soon I learn a bit more about him. It turns out that he was a soldier.
He tells me about his life as a soldier: “Being a soldier is not very special. I am required by law to join the ranks for a certain period of time. When I was recruited, all of it just consisted of just training. All of it was just routine. Get up, get ready, head out, follow orders, get back, rest, repeat. I didn't mind it. Soon, we were ready to be sent out to battle. I was nervous, but anxious as well. We reached Troy and got ready for more orders. We were supposed to protect the town. We didn't know what was coming. Most soldiers abused their power and beat civilians and forced them into their houses instead of just protecting them. I was among few who helped civilians with everything they needed. They turned to us for help, which was overwhelming for me. One day, one of our scouts spot an army headed for Troy. We go into battle formations. When they got here, it was a massacre. People were shot left and right. Civilians weren't evacuated. They had to get away by themselves. I tried to help as many as I can. Then I heard my next order. Leave the civilians, they're not important. I immediately refused that order and left with the surviving civilians I was able to find throughout Troy. Years later, I come back here, trying to see the result of what I happened. Now people are afraid of anything alien.”
I tell him: “You did what you did. The people you rescued must have been grateful. They were able to live their lives and carry on their wills and ideals. Although some people of New Troy are ignorant of you, not all live in fear. Be happy that you were able to save the last remnants of Troy, and that many families still linger because of you.” Although his tale was sad, he did not flinch nor frown. He was like stone. The true qualities of a soldier. I assume the backlash hardened him.
I look around at the reflections on the grass blades. I see people burning alive, soldiers covered in blood, the ground tainted in gunpowder, blood, and guts. I see eyeballs being stepped on by the fleeing soldiers. It must have been a very gruesome defeat for both sides. Everyone lost during that battle and now fear of conflict swarms all over New Troy. Although the matter does trouble me, I must continue to pursue my goal and maybe it can quell the fear among the people of New Troy.
Night sets in and I tell Zephyr to rest. As I sit up as look out, the reflections multiply all around me. This time not only pertaining to the battle, but to other horrors as well. I saw slaves being tortured and killed out here, since no one would look out here. I saw women being beat into submission by their abusive husbands to continue the road. Finally, a reflection of the battle catches my interest. I see a man carry a little girl while the town is burning. The girl, while crying, screams for her parents, but the man, gripped with fear, tells her that there isn't anyone left to save in Troy. He keeps apologizing and tells her that he cannot go back. Soon I recognize these voices, although both younger than presently. They belonged to Zephyr and Vatroya.
Chapter 5: The Suffering I Ended
The road, soon enough, was rid of the reflections of terror and despair and showed travelers once again. Soon, Zephyr and I reached a parting of ways where one led to a close nearby camp. Zephyr looks exhausted and we are running out of supplies, so the timing is perfect. We go to the camp and are welcomed by what looks like to be the owner of this camp. He introduces himself as the owner but oddly doesn't mention his name. Although it did seem kind of odd, I didn't care. Zephyr looked like he was suspicious of him. Even though I believe Zephyr's instincts, I convince him to stay for a night, but still be on guard.
He offered us meat, vegetables, and drinks. I ate some vegetables since I could use the nutrients. Zephyr did as well, although I feel that he did it out of suspicion. Finally, both of us drank water and only water. For once on my journey, I was actually full. We then rested in one of three tents, one of which is our host's own tent. Night sets in and Zephyr's instincts kicked in. He convinced me to take a look at what's in the third tent since Zephyr always noticed that our host always did stare at it nervously. We arrived at the tent and I decided to enter first. When I entered, I was disgusted. Utterly Disgusted.
The tent contained two chained slaves: a man, and a woman. Both with stripped flesh all over. Opposite of them I can see a table with many berries and poisons on top, thankfully we only drank water and not his wine. Finally, there were dead bodies in the corner, rotting. It seems that Zephyr was righ
t about our host. As for the slaves, I can't release them, for they can't move at all because of their injuries. I cannot support them. There was only one option, which I dreaded. I had to put them out of their misery. I ended their suffering quick and painlessly.
We headed over to our “host”. Once we arrived, I put aside my rule of privacy and used the shard. Apparently, he has been doing this for years. He has been feeding off carcasses. His trickery extends years ago. It had to end. When I put the shards back together, I was enraged. Zephyr is outside as I instructed since I don't want him to see what I become. My eyes blackened once again and I felt a rush of energy through me. I can hear him scream in agony as his mind is tortured. Soon, Zephyr walks in and stops me. I calm down and see what I have done. His head is in shards, broken like glass. I don't know what happened or how it happened, it just happened. I vow to control my rage whenever I face situations such as this. It won't be easy, but Zephyr will be there to help me if I need it. We head out on the road and agree to never speak of this again.
Chapter 6: The Guardians I Look Up To
Days pass after what happened. Zephyr and I still talk, but less than before. Zephyr is getting worried about my current state. He even offered to stay up at night to scout the area in case of attacks, but I refused. He is my responsibility. One night, Zephyr wouldn't take no for an answer and told me: “Listen, you look extremely tired. I'm worried about you. Get some sleep, your state at the moment might endanger your health.” I'm too tired to stay up all the night, and so, for once, I comply.
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