The TRIBE Chronicles : Forgotten Memories (Completed)

01.1 - Three Girls and Their Man-Servant (Part 1)

It was a rainy day with storm and thunders outside when a wanderer walked unbothered by the heavy rain. Straw hat and coat sheltered him from the rain. But they might not mean of preventing him from getting wet as straw coat was only enough to cover his outfit till his knee. So the rain was splattered on his hakama, making it wet.

Behind him, a horse was followed, pulled by the rein that the wanderer held. On the top of the horse, there was a bulge with straw sheet covering. The sheet was definitely meant for keeping something under it from getting wet. The passed-by people had almost mistaken it by thinking that the wanderer was bringing merchandise on his horse. But by the foot that sticking out on each side of the horse, they soon realized that it was a person who was actually lying downward on the horse.

Finally, he stopped in front of a closed twin gate. The gate was made from solid wood with no handles on them. The wanderer raised his right hand and touched the tip of his straw hat, lifting it as he lifted his gaze to the gate. From the gap that made on his straw coat, we could see a katana sword on his belt. His clothes seemed to be neat. Even though it was dirty from his long journey. Not for long, the solid gate door swung open slowly outward.

To see it opened, he only lowered his head and hand. He took the halter of the horse and pulled the horse to enter the gate with him. The gate door went close behind the man.

Inside, there was a Japanese-style mansion with wide garden. The place was quiet but peaceful. The man walked across the garden patio to the balcony of the house.

On the balcony, there was a boy, a servant, waiting with an umbrella on his hand. When he saw the man approaching, he opened the umbrella and walked down from the higher platform then stretched the umbrella out to shade the straw sheet on the horse' back.

"Thank you," the man said, "And your Mistress?"

The boy only blinked.

The man only scoffed then leaded the horse to the dry part near the balcony where he tied the halter on a log.

"You have finally come."

A woman voice was heard from inside the house, making the man turning his gaze.

There was a woman with pale skin approaching with a servant girl behind her. Something within her could tell that she was no ordinary person. Some sort of mystical aura came out from her and she looked somewhat ancient. She stopped on the edge of the balcony.

"I have foreseen your arrival for long. But I never expect that you will come so soon."

The man didn't reply and only turned himself to his horse. "So you know the reason I'm here."

"Yes."

A short and plain reply came. The man turned his gaze back to the woman. Her gaze seemed to be fixed to the horse, or rather to the bulge on the horse's back. The man understood and turned back to his horse. While untying the straw sheet, he explained, "She has been unconscious for months. It seemed that her trauma has put her onto a catatonic state. I've tried but I cannot pull her out from her realm."

"I see," the woman calmly replied. "It seems that she has locked herself deeply inside." A calm smile came to her face. "For an untrained being like her, she can really use her power for protection very well." She then looked at the man. "I will force her out. You can bring her inside."

"But how about her trauma?"

The question stopped the woman from coming back in. She turned her head back to the man. "I can lock her memories." She went silent for a moment. But something on her face told that it could bring something bad. "But then, she won't remember everything from her past. Her memories will be locked completely."