A Dead Man's Secrets

Chapter One

A man with reddish-brown hair that reached down below his shoulder blades, pale skin, and dark eyes that seemed to glow a poisonous purple, but his most noticeable feature was the large amount of warped skin peeking out from the collar of his long sleeve shirt and stretching across his face looked out the window of the blue bus he was riding, watching the scenery zip past with a dull look on his face. He watched the city melt away to reveal grassy fields with clumps of trees every now and then. Slowly, the trees became more prominent, the scenery changing from grassy farmland to thick forest. The leaves on the trees were starting to grow back with the first day of spring. He felt himself being lulled to sleep by the passing shades of green, his unnatural eyes drifting shut and his head tilting to lean on the window he was looking through.

He was startled awake when the road suddenly shifted from paved to gravel. Looking out the window, he saw fewer trees, but they were still there. He realised that this was Stardew Valley, and they were nearring Pelican Town's bus stop. The bus stopped, and he grabbed his backpack and duffle bag, thanking the bus driver on his way off the bus.

Once he was off the bus, he noticed a woman with orange-red hair tied into a low ponytail. She was wearing a pale green shirt, long brown pants, brown boots, and a vest meant to protect her from the last of winter's chill.

"Hello, you must be the new farmer! I'm Robin, the local carpenter, it's nice to meet you!" The woman-now known as Robin-said cheerfully, offering her hand for a handshake. The man shook her hand uncomfortably, not enjoying the physical contact. He introduced himself as Cicero, and Followed Robin towards the farm, as she told him that the mayor was tidying up the cabin his grandpa used to live in.

Cicero was happy to return after such a long time away, but that was quickly replaced with mild horror when he saw the state of his grandpa's old farm. There were trees and boulders where crops are supposed to be, weeds had taken over the remaining areas, and there was debris from tree branches falling over the winter. Robin noticed the change in his facial expression and had a short laugh.

"Don't worry. It's a bit overgrown, but there's some good soil underneath." Robin reassured, giving Cicero a hardy pat on the back, making him flinch slightly. She then led him towards the cabin, and before either of them could speak, a large man with short white hair and a moustache, wearing a bright green shirt, a pair of brown overalls, brown boots, and a dark brown cap emerged from the cabin with a grin.

"Ah, Cicero! You may not remember, but we met when you were little. As energetic as you were, I wouldn't be surprised if our little town gets turned on its head!" The man laughed, earning a simple hum of disagreement from Cicero. He walked down the steps awkwardly, as he realised that the man in front of him and the boy he met 34 years earlier, were completely different people. His eyes softened, as he wondered what could have possibly happened to cause such a drastic change in personality.

After a bit of talking-though, Cicero didn't talk nearly as much as Robin and Lewis-Mayor Lewis and Robin left him to unpack, telling him to introduce himself to the townspeople the next day, so he walked into his new home and saw how covered in dust everything was. He let out an annoyed huff and got to work cleaning.

He set his bags on the bed and started cleaning, using a towel he got wet in the sink as a makeshift duster. After an hour, he managed to clean almost everything, but it was getting late, so he decided to just change into pyjamas and go to bed. The next morning, Cicero got up at 6:00 am sharp and unpacked his clothes, putting them in his grandpa's old dresser. He then opened his duffle bag, removing a large item wrapped in cloth. The item in question was a jet black claymore with intricate carvings in the shape of dragons on the flat sides, a large hilt with glowing purple gems in the centre of both sides, and an aura of darkness wafting off of it.