Twisted-Wonderland: Our Precious Treasure (Part 2)

(136) WA: My Soul, Your Beats!

"Senior Draconia."

Malleus looked up from the diplomatic report he was reading to the boy who stood under the arc or his private reading corner. As a prince, he has the privilege to have his own private spot that not even Sebek and Silver are allowed to step in, with exception of Lilia and his grandmother. The boy underneath the arc was also not permitted to enter, though Malleus could make this a special one-time exception.

"Little Star." He stood up, motioning him to come closer. With no fear, no thought at all perhaps, Argentum walked closer, craning up his neck to see Malleus who was way taller than him. "Have you prepared for your leave?"

"Yeah," Argentum answered with a nod. "We talked to the headmaster. He said that we might make a pitstop in a town for an afternoon nap before traveling all night. That way we might arrive at the Kingdom of Rose early morning."

"Ah. Wonderful. Which reminds me." Malleus motioned him to follow through the narrow hall between the bookshelf toward the cupboard at the end. On the wall hung a giant world map of Twisted-Wonderland, each eight continents were in a different color. The cupboard itself has many rolled-up scrolls, some were old, some were new. Malleus opened the glass door and picked up one.

"I know a good place just at the edge of the Valley of Thorn border," he said as he unrolled the scroll on the table, presenting the map of his nation. He pointed at one spot at the very edge near the sea and the tip of his fingers glowed. "A quite provincial harbor town from my last visit." He dragged his finger and watched Argentum's eye widened in awe as the map glowed, forming a path toward the castle at the center of the map. "This map will lead you there. There's no way you can get lost." He rolled the map again and gave it to Argentum.

"Thank you, Senior Draconia," the boy said with a nod, fiddling it the ripped edge of the paper. "And... Um..."

"You have questions?"

He nodded, pulling the map behind his back and scratching his cheek with one finger. "I...I kinda asked this before but..." he looked up to Malleus again, "have we... Have we met before?"

Ah, yes. The question.

"Senior Vanrouge kinda hinted this. And..." He reached to his chest, fingers curled around the fabric. "That first meeting back then...I had this weird feeling."

"What sort of feeling?"

"I don't know. I...I know I'm not afraid but...my heart just keeps having this...lingering feeling..." He shook his head. "It's weird."

"It's not as strange as you think, Little Star," Malleus answered. He put a hand on Argentum's back as he guided him back to his private desk. "A heart and memories are connected; it holds them together. For every connection you made, for every wonderful or traumatic event you experience, memory is placed in your heart, leaving a mark. You can't erase that mark. While memories can be concealed, forgotten, or taken by force, they can never truly fade. The heart will recognize things the mind may not, a sort of 'déjà vu' feeling."

"So, you're saying that...even if I have amnesia, my heart somehow recognized it?"

Malleus nodded as he sat down on his chair. "Have you felt something similar other than our supposed first meeting?"

"I..." Argentum scratched behind his head. "I think so..."

"But, if this can lessen your worry," he chuckled when Jonah scooted closer, eye twinkling in anticipation. "Yes. We have met once."

"Wha-really?"

Malleus chuckled again. His hand reached out to ruffle Jonah's head, imagining he was smaller, smiling without burden or scars on his arm and eye. "You were such an endearing child, Little Star."