A Hero With/Out Time

Chapter 21: My night out. (Part 4)

It was a more recent memory this time. Lara still had red hair but her appearance was almost the same as the one she had now. Jane as well was taller and they walked together. The two perfectly comfortable with the other. There was no one else around them as they made their way through a park. It was relaxing even for me seeing it through another's eyes. Then as if from nowhere the sky began to darken. Thick clouds rolled across the sunny sky stifling the warmth as a sudden wind kicked all around us.

"What's going on?" Lara asked me. While her voice was concerned there was an excitement as well.

I however frowned, "I don't like this."

"Should we head back home?"

"Yeah," I took her by the hand and began to quicken the pace. The wind picked up and a vibrant energy filled the world around us. "Lara hold on to me! No matter what don't let go."

"O-okay," she nodded and tightened her grip.

A smash of light fell form the skies. The runes of a magic circuit span around us. I became more desperate as if knowing something bad would happen, trying to shield Lara from the expanding light. It was no use. As the energy reached its pinnacle the earth shook and in a flash the world returned to normal. There was one difference however. Lara was gone and the space I held was now empty.

"Lara!" I screamed and turned to look for her. She was nowhere in sight as if she never had been. "Lara!" I screamed again becoming agitated and ran to the surface of the nearby lake. She wasn't there, she wasn't anywhere. A crushing sensation filled my chest.

*

I woke up covered in sweat. The midday sun shone through the windows and the noise of the streets seeped into the room. The sound calmed me as I breathed heavily. That last memory had been as vivid as when I took the memory drug. While I couldn't tell what Jane had been thinking, I felt his emotions running wild as if they were my own. That was the moment when Lara was summoned to this world I was sure. She was ripped right out of his arms. It was no wonder why Lara asked about him when she first arrived.

I got up and washed myself using the nearby basin. The cold water brought me back to life. At least now I was no longer tired. My thoughts continued to go back to those memories. Was it a message or something more than that? I shook it off and marched myself downstairs.

"Hey Earnest," I called out to the swordsman as soon as I reached the kitchen. He was leisurely sipping at a drink.

"Good day Rain," he smiled. "Are you busy tonight? I heard this city has a very nice pleasure district. Ardent and I were planning to have a look. Care to join us?"

"No thanks," I replied bluntly. I felt like if I did that I'd get the ire of Taylor. "Are you busy now though? I need some exercise."

"Exercise you say?" his smile became fierce. "I'm sure I can keep you company." He drained his glass and stood up, sword already in hand. "Shall we?"

"With pleasure."

For a good hour I trained with Earnest. It had been awhile and as usual his harsh methods had me bruised and battered. My thoughts directed entirely at him and the stress of the pass few days vanished. Eventually I couldn't continue and he cheerfully left as I tended to my wounds. My next agenda was shopping as I tried to keep my thoughts away from Jane.

I wondered through the market and bought some unique ingredients I had never used before. The idea of cooking with them made me excited. While the others may not like it as much, it was fun experimenting with new things. Finding ways to combine them and create something entirely different was one of the joys of cooking. A female merchant with long feathers for hair waved me over cheerily.