04: CLOSED CURTAINS IV

Nelanian found it difficult to open his eyes. The sun shone brightly in the morning, and the birds outside the shanty couldn't stop singing. He finally succumbed to their annoying alarms and decided to get up. Over the last three days, his headaches had gotten worse, and his hand had gotten even worse. The twitching became more frequent and intense. Everything appeared to be going wrong for him at that point.

When he went outside, he noticed that the weather was calmer than it had been on previous days. The trees had not been ripped out of their roots, and the sunrise was visible on the horizon, unlike the last days that were filled with violent storms. He noticed that the market had already been renovated and that most of the stalls were up and running as he glanced downwards towards the village. Nelanian beat off the dust on his trousers and began his descent towards the settlement, releasing the last of his yawns.

The villagers he passed through were as friendly as usual. They didn't let him walk by without welcoming him. He returned the courtesy by greeting everyone and anyone he met on his way. On the exterior, Nelanian appeared to be energetic and happy, but on the inside, he was in pain. The headaches were awful, but he seemed to be able to ignore them. When he arrived at the Old Man's homestead, he was greeted by Sam. " Are you up for another round of sword combat, Nelly?" little Sam asked. Nelanian hated it when he had to disappoint the kid. He sincerely wanted to play with him, but his body was in such bad shape that he couldn't even lift a wooden sword and swing it. He patted Sam on the head and told him the terrible news "I'm sorry, kid. I'm afraid I won't be able to practice with you today. Perhaps another time?"

Sam's brow furrowed. "ok. Perhaps another time,” he murmured as he walked to the back of the home. For a while, Nelanian stood outside the home. He quickly became incapacitated by the headache and sought a location to relax his body. There was a stone lying on the ground to his side. It wasn't the best option, and it didn't appear to be very comfy, but it was the only one he'd seen. He almost passed out as he lowered his body to sit on the stone. He couldn't see anything for a little moment. Everything went black, and he had no choice except to rely on his sense of touch to find the stone. His body swayed from side to side even while he sat on the stone. He couldn't manage to keep himself in check as if he'd forgotten how to balance his own mass. When the old man eventually left his residence, he discovered Nelanian fighting to keep his body on The Rock. "Hey there, kid! What's the matter with you? Are you all right? "The old guy inquired, cautiously approaching Nelanian. "I'm perfectly fine. It's only a mild nuisance,” Nelanian said, trying to downplay the situation. "To be honest, you don't appear to be in good health. Are you able to stand?” the elderly gentleman inquired. When he reached for Nelanian, he was startled out of his wits by the rapid, violent involuntary twitching of his prosthetic arm. He took a step back. Nelanian sensed his anxiety and reassured him. "It's not a big deal, old man."  He explained, "It's simply my prosthetic arm acting up." He faltered as he returned to his feet, almost smashing his head on the ground. He was fortunate that, despite his advanced age, the old man still had quick reflexes. The old man instantly stretched out and grabbed him, preventing him from colliding with the ground. "It's all right, kid. Let's get you settled in. “It appears that you require assistance,” the Old Man said as he walked Nelanian into his home. 

He sat him in one of the chairs as he rummaged through his cupboard, upsetting multiple beakers and bottles. He chose one and removed the stopper before pouring the green elixir into a mug. "Here, take this. The old man handed the mug to Nelanian and stated, "It will help with the headache." Nelanian took a brief drink of the brew before almost spitting it out.

Nelanian, appalled by the flavor of the drink, stated, "It tastes like something died in this cup and you made tea out of it."

"Well, it's meant to help you. The old man explained, "It wasn't designed to test like strawberries." "All of it should be consumed."  He went on to say, "It will help."While flushing down the liquid in one go, Nelanian sacked his stomach in and closed off his nostrils with his fingers.

Concerned, the old guy stared at him. "You don't appear to be in good shape, youngster. You've been growing worse and worse since you arrived. You should get assistance."  The Old Man stated, "I don't want another person to die in my house."

The cup was placed on the table in front of Nelanian. “I'm afraid the assistance I require is not available here. Even if I wanted to go, there's no way I could do it safely without being noticed,” Nelanian responded. 

"So you just want to sit around all day waiting to die?” the old man inquired.

"So you just want to sit around all day waiting to die?” the old man inquired. "So, how do you think I should proceed?”

"You may just relax and wait for the watchers to summon you. Maybe your next assignment will take you outside of the Kingdom, and then you can go find the individual you were talking about. Maybe he can help with your brain tumor,” 

“ And when will the next mission be?”

“ The watchers operate according to their schedule. despite the fact that I had worked for them for more than 30 years and had no idea when my next deployment would be. I  guess you'll just have to wait for them to summon you,”

“ Why can't I just teleport?. That's what I did the last time,”

“ Have you ever seen an alchemist who can teleport?”

For a brief while, Nelanian was deafeningly quiet. even he realized that he was making no sense.

“ The watchers have the ability to teleport people, and they're also the ones that gave you the potion. All you get from them are two vials, one for teleporting you to the location and the other for teleporting you out of the destination. “You can't have more than two,” 

For a while, they sat in silence. The old man then got back into his room and soon after, her wife walked out. She joyfully greeted Nelanian. She went on her way after a few pleasantries, carrying baskets of fruits and vegetables on her back. She was going to run the market's kiosk, which they owned. After she had left, the old guy turned to Nelanian and asked, "So, have you thought about it yet?" "What are you talking about?” Nelanian inquired. "You were talking about your memories the last time we met. I gave you an easy solution: tell him to restore your memory the next time you meet with the death list. Are you going to do it?”   the elderly gentleman inquired.

"Well, I haven't given it any thought yet,”

"Then you are wasting both of our time then, you're no use to me with a blank mind. You're supposed to be my successor, but you've been a letdown so far,”

 “there's no need to be that harsh,”

“Yes, there is. Either you make a decision right now or you don't. You won't be able to stay on this island forever,” Nelanian remained mute, as if embarrassed and ashamed, but also terrified.

“I'm not sure I have the courage to confront my history.  I thought about the two girls' story you told me about. If I knew I was the one who did it, I don't think I'd be able to live with myself. In fact, I'm not sure how you manage to live with such a memory,”

The elderly gentleman drew nearer to him. “ Kid, I've already told you this. I'll tell it one more. You can't undo what you've done; all you can do now is try to deal with the repercussions. You're not fit for this role if you don't have the strength to perform it,”

"So, what is the point of playing the part of the necessary evil if all we do is kill people at random?”

The elderly gentleman rose to his feet, fighting to get to his feet. Nelanian could hear the clicking sound his knees made when they almost buckled.

“ The necessary evil serves as a counterbalance. There is Good and Evil, just as there is black and white, light and darkness. We don't do what you do for the sake of self-preservation; we do it to keep the balance. Most people utilize the Manna Fields to create positive energy, while others use it to create negative energy. There are abnormalities within those two groupings. It is our responsibility to correct any inconsistencies and maintain the balance between the two sides. The nature of the anomalies is something we can't predict. One could be a vicious tyrant who murders his subjects and violates their human rights. Or it could be a  homeless man on the street with no family or name, that can also be an abnormality. Anomalies aren't something we pick. The watchers are in charge of finding irregularities and providing us with names. All we have to do now is eliminate them completely,”

Nelanian was deafeningly quiet once more. The excruciating migraines appeared to be subsiding. "You'd better be back to your old self the next time you come back here. Your memories are restored, and your mind unharmed. Otherwise, I won't be able to entertain you,” the elderly gentleman explained.

Nelanian was able to stand up. He approached the elderly gentleman and spoke to him directly.

"Okay, old man, I'll have my memories back the next time I return here. Perhaps then I'll be able to earn your respect,” Nelanian responded. "The old guy said, "Perhaps..."

“ Well, I've got to get to the market,” he said, " I don't want to irritate my wife, the last time I was late, I went to bed hungry. I will see you later, Zegrath Void,”  the old man added.

Nelanian shook his hand firmly.

He then walked out of the home and down the path that led back to the shack where he was living. He ran his fingers through his hair as he walked away from the home. Something didn't seem quite right. He felt tingling in his shoulders as if a caterpillar were crawling up his neck. It was a really unpleasant sensation for him, and he couldn't stand it any longer. He rapidly retreated his arm to see if his instincts were correct. The truth underlying the feeling was not at all what he had guessed. He could see a dark bundle of hair coiled around his fingers and palms as he peered down. He shook the strands out of his hair and ran his hands through it again. Another strand of hair had fallen out. That's when he realized the tumor's threat was genuine. He had reached his final stages.

/................................................................................................................................

The smell of rust and sewer water was strong. Judy's lack of light perception worried her as she slowly awoke. She couldn't tell if the room she was in was freezing cold or scorching hot because she had completely lost feeling in her face. Her face was stale. It took a long for her senses to return, but they did.  she could feel light material wrapped across her eyes, hefty metallic restraints on her ankles and wrists, and a rope around her abdomen she felt tightened and constraining her lungs. She began to breathe deeply soon after, but the odor of Decay made her wish she hadn't. She tried to move her body, but it was too painful, so she decided to remain still. Behind her, there was a faint sound of running water.

"A voice from in front of her said, "I think she's awake, give her the second dose." She worried instantly, oblivious to her own safety. In an attempt to create a stir, she wiggled her body about the chair she was strapped into. So she started shouting out loudly, but she was startled that her voice was so low and unnoticed, as if she had gone deafeningly silent. In a Maniacal rhythm, a set of footsteps began to work their way towards her. The sound of shoe heels pounding on the concrete floor came to a halt directly near her. Despite her inability to see, she sensed the presence of a figure near her.

She was startled to feel a frigid hand on her shoulder. The delicate touch quickly escalated into a forceful grip, pinning her to the chair. She became aware of the danger and began to fight back. Her voice was still undetectable as she tried yelling again.

Her voice was still undetectable as she tried yelling again. "Shut up!" yelled the voice, irritated by her outburst. Her fingers trembled from an adrenaline surge, and her erratic breathing displaced her abdomen, tightening the tension produced by the rope around her abdomen and making it increasingly unpleasant. A cold and uneasy sensation pierced the flesh of her neck seemingly out of nowhere. It was a jarring experience.

It was a sensation then drove the ache deeper into her neck. The acute agony faded immediately, and an overwhelming cold sensation spread through her neck, down her wrists, and all the way to her feet. She quickly realized the sensation was identical to something she had had several times previously. It was a needle placed into her neck, there was no mistaking it. She noticed that and started to fight back a little too late. Her bloodstream had already been injected with the drug, and the needle had been removed. She felt her head heavy again as the cool sensation faded, and he couldn't hold it up any longer. Her trend of kicking her legs and flaunting her arms swiftly faded. She began to revert to her previous state of unconsciousness. "What time will he arrive? I've had enough of looking after this woman "From just in front of her, a voice echoed. That was the last thing she had before being knocked out for the second time.