Arthur slept soundly in the barracks within Fort Lanai. The following days were full with cleaning and exploring the entire Fort. Looking for valuables and important documents, all of which were to be strictly handed to General Thanason.
So, despite not having done any actual fighting.
Arthur slept heavily. For once, completely untouched by Mat's droning snores.
He was dreaming of his family again. That usual dream. Being back in the old flat, amongst the company of his old family.
He still considered them his real family. Not because he had been Reshi before Arthur. But because, apart from little Elsie, he considered none of his family in this new world to be truly his. They were all distant, cold, uncaring.
His old family hadn't been like that. They were warm, and bright, like a gentle hug.
He sat across from Joseph, his twin brother. Joseph was quietly flicking through an old storybook of theirs.
Arthur remembered it well. Remembered his mother once softly telling it to him from memory, stroking his hair as he was lulled to sleep during the 'raids.'
Joseph loved stories. He'd re-read every one, eyes shining as if he hadn't read it a thousand times before. It was a habit of his that had always annoyed me back then.
'The tale of the half prince.'
----------
Arthur's eyes snapped open. Immediately he rolled to the side, falling off his bed into a crouch. Eyes scanning the room.
There was nothing.
Around him Unit 7 lay fast asleep, with Mat's snores frequently beating the silence into submission.
Everything was still, peaceful even.
And yet....it was not. It was a mirage.
Something had woken him up.
It hadn't been a mistake, he was sure of that. His hands groped in the dark, before tightening around the spear tucked under his bed. The cool wooden handle fell comfortably in his grip.
But after another few moments of tense silence, Arthur finally let out a deep sigh.
Perhaps it had just been a trick of his mind. All the fighting had probably made him more jumpy than usual.
Still, he waited for another few moments, not quite ready to accept that it had all just been the result of frayed nerves.
With a defeated sigh, Arthur tucked the spear back under his bed before climbing back into the cover.
"Not bad little rat."
Arthur went still. Frozen, eyes wide. Heart pounding wildly in his chest.
Danger.
He felt it now, as sharp as a knife pressed to his neck. This is what had woken him up.
The feeling of dying...and being able to do nothing about it.
He tried to speak, but his throat refused, growing dry and hoarse, so all he could let out was a sort of grunt.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Arthur turned. Without a shadow of a doubt he knew, if he moved too quickly, he'd die.
Simply die. The end, life over. Plucked like a leaf off a tree.
"W-who are you?" He asked, trying to maintain at least a front of composure.
The man smiled, face and body obscured by his clothing. "Who am I?" The stranger mused, his tone sounding as if he was seriously contemplating the question.
"Syar. You may call me Syar."
Arthur nodded slowly. Nothing he knew from either the novel nor his own memories provided any insight into who he was.
"What do you want from me?"
Syar smiled. Or at least, Arthur thought he must've been smiling under the veil of darkness. He leaned forward, towering over Arthur.
"I want to trade. Trade the most important thing a man can trade. But for that to happen, I need to check if what you're giving is as good as I'm selling. No point trading gold for shit, don't you think?"
"W-what are you trading?"
"Months."
"Months?"
"Didn't I say that already boy?"
Arthur's mind raced. This stranger, whoever he was, didn't seem like he was trying to kill him. So, at the very least it meant he wasn't a rebel.
"I can't disappear for months, I'm assigned to this Fort" he replied, hoping vainly that the excuse would protect him from whoever this madman was.
Inwardly his mind raced for a thousand other opportunities. If he screamed now, he could wake the entire unit. Within moments Syar would have a fully fledged MageKnight Squad on his hands.
Only, something told him that he'd be dead the moment he tried. And worse, so would everyone else.
Syar nodded, rubbing his chin as he considered Arthur's words. "Yes, you are. I suppose it'd be wrong to trade time without consulting your boss."
A grateful smile blossomed on Arthur's face. "Y-yes, thank you for understan-"
"I'll just have to speak to Thana's boy myself."
"Wha-"
A firm hand wrapped around Arthur's shoulder. And before he could do anything to stop it, his surroundings shot away from him.
It took a moment for Arthur to reconcile where he was. After Syar released him, he staggered, almost emptying his stomach from the dizziness.
"Boy" Syar called.
"Give me a second" Arthur replied, voice strained as every idea of escape collapsed with that one show of speed.
"Not you."
Frowning, Arthur forced himself upright. He was in an office. Sitting in front of him was General Thanason, who had seemed to be in the middle of inspecting an important document.
Arthur's eyes bulged with shock.
Syar...had gone right to the General?
Thanason's betrayed restrained surprise at seeing Syar. "What do I owe the pleasure L-"
"Syar," Syar cut in.
Thanason paused, then nodded once, shooting Arthur the briefest glance. "What do I owe the pleasure, Syar?"
"Well boy, I need this one. You might have him back in a few hours or a few months, that all depends on him."
"I see. Has he done anything to offend you?"
Syar laughed, rubbing his forehead interestedly. "No, not that I know of anyway. Don't worry boy, that isn't my intention."
Thanason nodded. "We'll be consolidating and inserting ourselves into the rebel networks for the next few months. This fort will transform into an undercover rebel fort. He'll need to visit here to stay atop of changes once a week at least. He needs to fully learn his new identity and familiarise himself with fort duties as a soldier of his station would usually know."
Syar nodded. "Four months."
"One."
"Three."
"Two."
Syar smiled again. "Two it is lad." He turned away from Thanason, dark eyes settling back onto Arthur.
Arthur for his part stared at the two of them agape. They had bartered over his life for the next few months as if they were traders and he was some mildly interesting bauble. But more than that, the way this man spoke.
Calling Thanason boy? Arthur shuddered at the thought of who Syar may be to get away with that. And shuddered even more on why such a man had fixated on him.
"Well boy. Let's see the value of your time."
An iron grip wrapped around Arthur's shoulder again. And with it came a strong sinking feeling moments before he was whirled away.
They reappeared outside of Fort Lanai. In the mountain pass that lead to the Western territories. It was still night, yet it was a bright one. Illuminated by a full moon and its full entourage of stars.
In the clear light of the moon, Arthur was finally able to get a good look at Syar.
From the way the man had spoken, he had expected someone old. Ancient even.
But no. Syar seemed no older than twenty five. He had long wavy dark hair that whipped wildly in the wind, partially hiding a face lined with weariness. His clothes were more rags than anything else. He wore a long black robe, frayed at the edge, with a loose charcoal scarf draped around his neck. And in one hand, he held a spear.
Arthur's breath hitched as he saw it. For a moment he thought it was 'Ascension.' That spear he had once wielded to kill the assassin. But no, the blade was longer. Slightly curved at the end. More designed for slicing rather than thrusting.
And yet the aura of it was no less intimidating to the other relic.
"So you're him huh?" He spoke softly. Syar's voice was soft, almost gentle. Like sand drifting in the wind. A stark contrast to his appearance.
"I am who?" Arthur replied, still wary. He knew it was pointless to be on guard. If Syar wanted to kill him, he could. That much was clear.
"Don't you know who you are?"
Arthur frowned for a moment. "Y-yes I do but..." He caught a faint smirk through the veil of hair. "….you're just messing with me aren't you?"
"Am I?"
Gritting his teeth, he put on a calm smile. "Who are you Syar?"
"Well now, that all depends on you."
"You just expect me to follow you?" Arthur challenged, stopping in his tracks. Watching as Syar kept walking on, unperturbed.
"Yes," he replied simply.
"Why?"
"Why? Well, because maybe if you do, you'll learn something. And if you learn something, perhaps people wouldn't have to go dying for you boy."
Arthur grunted at the words, wincing slightly. "I-I see." Slowly, he began walking, following Syar into the mountains.
"Good" Syar called. "You've taken the first step. Only 10,000 more to go."