Retrace

Chapter One

Maybe asking "Who am I?" answer my question "Where am I?" Then again, maybe vice-versa. It's not everyday when someone wakes up and doesn't remember himself isn't it?

However, I asked myself again.

I'll call you nobody!

Does the subconscious mind try to answer such questions? Then again, maybe it's just my imagination.

You're at the edge of nowhere!

I'm starting to hate my subconscious.

I examined myself. Even my exact age has slipped from my mind. I don't know why I'm lying on a mountain of hay. My clothes are a bit tattered too. The place looks somewhat like a farm, but me wearing a collared shirt doesn't quite fit the place. Maybe I just happened to pass by then I bumped my head. But, I don't fee anything strange.

I heard the neighing of a horse somewhere nearby.

It's a bit nostalgic. Did this happen before? I remember waking up without knowing where I am. I also had that faintest memory of a horse neighing nearby. Then a dark shadow came to me. And then . . .

And then . . .

Suddenly, my head throbbed for a second. I rubbed my temples. Even that shot of pain seems vaguely familiar. Then I did something after that.

At my sleeve?

I quickly grasped my tattered sleeves. There is a single word written down inside my right hand sleeve. It's like a name: Dyseige.

What the heck? Is that supposed to be my name? But I don't need to rush to conclusions. It did sound more of a last name tough, but still, it sounds weird. It's like the word DIE. Even the three letters of that accursed word are in that name. Now, who would want that for a last name? It's like a taboo right?

Come to think of it, why do I think negatively of that word? It's not like I have a bad memory of that word. Yet somehow, it feels familiar.

I gazed at the sky. It seems a bit heavy. I hope it doesn't rain on me before I know who I am.

"Keishi!"

What a weird name. I wonder who it is.

"Keishi!"

Is it just me or is the voice actually getting nearer?

"Dyseige!"

I sat up. That's the name written on my sleeve. I saw a girl running towards me. Is it possible that the name she said earlier is really mine?

My name?

Keishi Dyseige.

You call that a name?

The girl stopped in front of me. She panted first, not facing me. She's still looking down on the ground when she spoke to me. Did she really come from afar?

"I told you . . . not . . . to go . . . away . . . the last time," she panted. Then she lifted her head. I saw her face. She looks very pale from running, but her cheeks are flushed red. Short black hair, sepia-colored eyes and a very unreadable expression.

I know her.

I blinked. "What are you doing here, Eri?" I asked.

She suddenly grabbed my collar and pulled me near her face. Her eyes glittered with anger and worry. Then she released me. "I thought at least you'd remember not to leave," she said. "Your father and I are worried!"

I stood up and removed all the hay from my clothes. "Sorry, Eri." I patted her head. Though Eri's taller than me by several inches, I could still reach her head. "I just forgot. Maybe if -" I stopped.