Chapter 3 – Fractured Pathways

Chapter 3 – Fractured Pathways (William)

William gasped. Cold air filled his chest, sending a surge of shivers throughout his body. It was as if had drawn his first breath after breaching the surface of black, ice-cold water. Except he was on a forest floor, with soft grass supporting him. He blinked away his bleary vision, then rolled onto his back.

A veil of white mist encased the forest around him, its wispy tendrils curling around the tree branches. The dense mist even blocked out the sky, though a vibrant aurora glimmered above it. The trees were covered in shimmering, silver bark instead of a natural brown. He glanced around, yet there was no sign of the Totodile nor Charmander from before. 

“This must be a dream,” William said to himself.

He closed and opened his eyes. Nothing changed. Then he tried pinching himself. He felt almost nothing. With few other options, he rose to his feet with little difficulty, brushed himself off and surveyed his surroundings.

A dirt and gravel path led deeper into the forest, and otherworldly crystals and geodes poked out of the ground. Some of them even floated in the air, intertwined with a tendrils of mist and light.

“Is that the only way forward?”

He looked back, but the veil of mist stretched to the ground and was so dense it could be mistaken for a wall. Cautiously he approached the veil, intending to touch it with his club– though he realized that his club wasn’t with him in this dreamscape. Nonetheless, he pressed his hand against the mist. It was indeed as solid– and cold– as glacial ice.

With nowhere else to go he turned and walked along the trail, pondering the events prior. He had woken up somewhere in an autumn woodland, and two mons spoke to him. One of them was assaulted and robbed, and they thought he was involved in a scheme against them.

So they had taken off, and didn’t even notice William had fallen into the cold pond. He could’ve gone anywhere, but he followed them anyway.

“Why?” he wondered aloud.

Maybe he trusted at least one of them? Or maybe it was simply the noble thing to do? It was also possible that he didn’t have a reason– perhaps he didn’t think it all-the-way-through, and merely acted? Try as he might, William couldn’t rationalize it. Unlike now, he could’ve gone literally anywhere. 

In retrospect, he was following his instincts. Just as he was when attacking that relentless hawk; he wasn’t thinking with a plan in mind. But he listened to his intuition, and somehow managed to fight well enough. Besides, what kind of person would he be if he had merely walked away?

“What happened to those two, anyway?”

Whatever happened after he fell remained unclear. The last thing he remembered was handing Jacob’s watch out to him.

“Would they… have left without me, again?”

William shook his head in frustration. Pondering the ‘what-ifs’ was mentally taxing. So he instead turned his attention to the otherworldly environment around him. A hovering rock ahead caught his attention, and moved in to examine it.

The geode had a rupture with several amethyst shards jutting out. William placed his hand upon it, and the dark-purple crystals were smooth and cool to the touch. He then gave the geode a gentle push, and it bobbed in the air for a moment before floating back to its original position.

“How curious…”

He continued to interact with other formations in his path, touching different crystals and geodes of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. Some reacted as plainly as the amethyst did. Others were more dramatic, like the orange crystals that pulsed with light upon his touch. An obsidian agate, which looked like rings of a charred tree stump, warmed as he placed his palm on it, so much so that it glowed red and William had to pull his hand away. And an emerald green crystal shattered violently the moment he tapped it, only to reform itself perfectly a few seconds later.

While he followed the trail and inspected the crystals, shimmering figures on either side of the path also caught his eye. But they were distorted through the mist; some of the figures were blurry, others were jagged or wavy, and some split as if he was seeing double. It was impossible to tell what, or who, he was looking at. The only common element among them was that each was a black silhouette, offering no clear details.

“These crystals and figures… Are these fragments of my own memories?”

William tried to sift through his thoughts, to recollect what happened before he woke and met those two. But all he could conjure was a vast, empty void in his mind. He could still remember his name, logic and reasoning, and of course, instincts for battle. But other than that, there was nothing. 

“Who am I? And what has befallen me?”

Without any answers, he continued up the trail that seemingly led up toward a mountaintop. Along the way he kept touching the floating crystals, noting how they reacted to him. The grass and soil of the forest gave way to clustered gravel, and the trees became more sparse as he ascended. Through the mist he could see stars above. 

As he climbed, his thoughts turned toward a new question: who might know him? There had to be someone who knows who he is. The two he met mentioned a town. What was it called, Wolfhaven? Maybe someone there would recognize him.

“Of course, I’d have to get there first,” William said, wishing it was to someone else.

He thought of the Totodile and Charmander again, wondering once more what they might be doing now. The thought of waking up alone in the forest crossed his mind again, coaxing a sigh out of him.

William tried to rouse himself through force of will again. Still nothing. His head continued to buzz with all of the thoughts racing across his mind; torn between guessing his past and deciphering what the future has in store for him. The uncertainties weighed on his mind more heavily than the skull on his head.

He reached the point where the trail had no dirt or grass, or any vegetation at all. Nothing but large rocks and boulders stacked on top of each other, too large to budge. The mist continued to linger, but it seemed thinner somehow. The stars that were above were now beside him, burning brightly like extravagant ornaments.

“Are these…?”

He dared to reach out towards a star, yet a paradoxical cold made him recoil before he could touch it. But… if this is a dream, could it really hurt him?

He tried again, slowing himself as his hand got closer to the ice-cold light. Shivers pulsed through his arm, as if warning him not to touch it. Instincts clashed with his ever-growing curiosity, and ultimately, curiosity won as he gently grabbed the star.

Suddenly, the white light in his palm changed into an amber-tinted glow. It’s biting cold gave way to a pleasant warmth. A tingling feeling spread throughout his being as William basked in the heat. After a few seconds he let go of the star, smiling in satisfaction.

Though as he walked away, the star– still glowing amber– moved alongside him, floating over his shoulder, providing a wellspring of warmth.

“Following me, are you?” William asked. “I suppose you wouldn’t be able to offer directions?”

Unsurprisingly, the star remained silent. Though it continued to twinkle in his presence. In fact, it seemed to glow even more brightly.

…Wait. It wasn’t that the star was getting brighter.

William glanced around as the ivory-white mists faded to shades of thundercloud-gray. Everything other than the star was growing darker. Above, the mist parted like curtains, revealing colorful, mesmerizing lights amidst a sea of shadows.

From the center of those lights, a singular, black dot beamed down, like an eye observing William. It seemed to expand, gradually dimming even more light from everything around it.

“…Who are you?”

---

William’s eyes opened slowly this time. The first breath he took was measured and gentle. The air filled him with warmth that spread to every limb of his body, a ground to his consciousness. Around him were wooden walls cast in a soft, lambent glow. He looked around, imagining that the amber-colored star was still with him.

Instead of a star, he saw a lit fireplace and a pair of candles as his light source. Both tinted the room deep orange and cast wavering shadows. He moved his arms and felt that he wasn’t on the ground, but in a soft bed that his body sank into. Beneath his head was a fluffed pillow, though he couldn’t feel its softness with his helmet on. But he could feel the cotton blanket that he was tucked beneath.

He tilted his head left, where he spotted shimmering stars and a waxing gibbous moon through a window. A mild breeze blew outside, swaying the branches of nearby trees.

A spicy aroma reached his nostrils, pulling William’s attention to the right. He noticed a cooking pot placed on a grate above the hearth’s crackling logs.  

As cozy as this room was, it unfortunately did little to relieve the soreness from his hard impact, which he was acutely aware of now. Nor did it distract him from his burning questions, such as where he was now, how he got here, and where the brothers were.

William tried to roll out of bed, but he hissed in pain. His bones ached as if they were shattered glass. He swiftly became aware of the slashes on his arms and sides, and his ankles stung as if needles were burrowed in them.

“Damn, this hurts…” 

But soon the door creaked open, and another mon walked in. It was a bipedal feline with ash-gray fur, a stony expression with half-open eyes, and a remarkably shiny coin upon their forehead: a dark Meowth.

“You’re awake,” he remarked as his expression softened. “How are you feeling?”

“Terrible,” William groaned. “But thank you for asking.”

“Unsurprising,” Meowth answered as he walked in. “Do you remember how you lost consciousness?”

“A Staraptor dropped me. I was battling him along with a Totodile and Charmander…” William’s eyes widened. “Are they–”

“They’re here, yes,” Meowth answered. He walked over to the hearth and began stirring the pot above the fire. “They’re resting in another room. I couldn’t get them to answer much, they passed out from exhaustion shortly after bringing you here.”

So the brothers didn’t leave him after all.

“Where exactly are we?”

“South Wolfhaven Clinic. Not the guild’s clinic, to be clear. This one is closer to where you and the others came into town.” 

Wolfhaven. That’s where Leon and Jacob said they were heading to.

“It’s not often we have emergency visits during my shift,” Meowth went on. “I recommend staying off of the roads at night. Ferals and criminals are more likely to ambush travelers then.”

“No objections from me,” William replied. “How long will I be in treatment?”

“Normally, injuries like yours would take a few days, even with your affinity,” Meowth explained. He stopped stirring and ladled out some liquid from the pot. “However, I’m going to administer some Enigma Elixir. It should have you well again by tomorrow morning.”

“Enigma Elixir?” William echoed. “And what was that about my ‘affinity’?”
“You’re a ground type,” Meowth said as he poured the liquid into a cup. “As far as I know, that’s why hitting the ground didn’t injure you as badly as it could have. Like how fire types aren’t bothered as much by flames and high heat, but I digress. As for the elixir…”

Meowth turned to William and walked over, holding the steaming cup between a pair of mitts. “Don’t worry about the price. Your Charmander friend already paid for the treatment.”

The cost of treatment hadn’t even crossed William’s mind. “I was more curious about what it’s made of.”

“That would be a long explanation involving trade secrets,” Meowth dismissed. “Though I can tell you it involves Enigma berries– hence the name– and it takes at least a month to brew. We finished crafting this one a few hours ago. Now, sit up please.”

William propped himself up, grunting through his aches. The medicine looked like a bright orange broth, with green herbs floating on the surface. The toasty scent cleared his sinuses as the nurse brought the cup to his level.

“This might sting,” Meowth warned.

With Meowth’s help William gulped down a dose of elixir. His mouth sizzled as if a blast seed had burst in his jaw. He coughed after swallowing, tasting a dry, smoky flavor before a cool numbness shivered through his cheeks. The feeling cascaded throughout his body, causing him to twitch as he laid down again. His eyelids weighed heavily.

“I’ll leave some water on the side table,” Meowth said. “In case you get thirsty.” He returned the cup to the hearth. “You should be alright in the morning, though I advise you to take it easy for at least a day. You’ll be free to check out with your friends tomorrow.”

Friends. Those two were William’s friends. It was difficult to think right now, but he took comfort in that idea. He let his head lean to the side and he noticed a small, round object on top of the bedside table. It was that copper pocket watch.

William smiled. Tomorrow he’d return it to Jacob. Then go with him and Leon, wherever they may be heading. Maybe he could find out what happened before he lost his memory. Not the most solid plan, William thought, but it was better than nothing.
The nurse opened the door to leave as William’s eyes closed. “Sleep well.”

---

The next time William awoke, daylight flowed through the window, lighting up the room in place of the now-extinguished fireplace. He felt strangely cool, despite being bundled up in at least two blankets– Meowth must have put a second one over him last night.

He sat up cautiously. When no pain ebbed from his movement, he swung his legs over the edge and stood. Not only was there no soreness, but he had no bruises, either. Only small, fading marks where he was injured.

“Seems that the elixir was no exaggeration,” William noted.

He felt almost normal, save for waves of cool numbness and a somewhat dry mouth. So he reached for the cup of water on the bedside table. As he drank, his eyes were drawn to the copper pocket watch laying on the table. He then noticed his bone club leaning against the wall next to it.

After hydrating himself, he grabbed the watch and club in his left and right hands, respectively. Holding the club in particular brought a strange sense of comfort, as if he had regained a lost part of himself. He inspected the bone, tracing his eyes across up the base and to its bludgeoning end, and the hook-like curve.

He flipped it over and, on the other side of the bludgeon, spotted a set of geometric shapes. A circle, within a triangle, within a square, all contained within yet another circle, engraved– or at least scratched– into the bone.

“Is this a clue, perhaps?” he wondered aloud.

Though he reminded himself that speculation wouldn’t get him anywhere. So he left the room, finding his way to the clinic’s lobby in short order. There he found a few patients waiting in chairs, as well as an Audino sitting at the front desk.

“Hello, dear!” she greeted William. “Meowth told me of what happened last night. How are you this morning?”

“Much better,” William answered. “Thank you.”

“And, are you ready to check out? You’re welcome to stay and rest for another day, if need be.”

William shook his head. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Alright dear.” She gestured toward another hallway, opposite of where William came from. “Your friends are in that wing, room seven. You’re welcome to check on them.”

He nodded and made his way over, counting the numbers beside the doors as he walked down the corridor. Vacant rooms passed by until he arrived at the one labeled as “7”, which was closed. So he tucked his club beneath his arm, reached for the door handle, and–

“We can’t leave him here!” 

He heard the Charmander’s voice from behind the door, making him pause.

“Naw, it’s not like that, Jacob,” the Totodile spoke next. “Please, try to understand.”

William’s stomach tensed-up. He pressed his ear up to the door.

“If he can’t remember anything,” Jacob said, “that means he can’t find his way home, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know, Jacob. Maybe he has family here in Wolfhaven. We found him close to town, remember?”

“He said he didn’t know what Wolfhaven is!”

“Then… Well, I’m sure he’ll be fine anyway. You saw how he handled himself last night.”

“Why are you being like that?” Jacob sounded exasperated, “why can’t you just let him come along?”

Leon sighed heavily. “Listen,” he spoke slowly. “I get it. That Cubone went through a lot of trouble to help us out. I appreciate what he did, I really do. But you know what happens when we trust strange mons. Like that one time when Tyler took us on a ‘treasure hunt,’” he spat, as if reciting a bad memory. “Besides, we planned on just the two of us joining the guild. I’d feel more comfortable if it stayed that way.”

“…You don’t trust him?”

“Well…”

William’s heart sank in the silence. He fought hard, risked his life on a whim to help these two retrieve a sentimental trinket, and this is how they repaid him? He frowned and his head drooped.

“That’s not fair!” Jacob exclaimed. “I used to be a stranger to you guys and you took me in anyway!”

“That’s different,” Leon replied, sounding like he was close to burning out. “You were just a kid at the time. We both were. And like I said, that Cubone can take care of himself, even if he’s alone.”

“You’re wrong! If we didn’t help him last night he would’ve…!”

“If we weren’t there last night he wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place!” 

An eerie silence followed Leon’s outburst. Shortly afterward he spoke again.

“…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I just want this to be over with so we can get to the guild. That’s what we came here for, Jacob. For ourselves, not for someone we don’t know. Besides, he might not even want to join like we do. Have you thought about that?”

“Well, have you thought of asking me first?” William whispered to himself. But he shook his head. Staying with the two brothers wouldn’t work so long as one of them didn’t want him around. Whatever his next step would be, he’d have to take it alone, even if he wished that it were not so.

He clenched his hands into fists, and became aware again of what he held in his left hand: Jacob’s copper pocket watch. The soft ticking beneath its metallic shell graced his ears.

It was time to start thinking about other options…