The first thing Aaron noticed as his bare feet stepped onto the beach was the odd coolness that radiated from the ground.
It was unusual for a place so close to the sea to be at such a temperature even during the latter months of fall.
However, as if to add to the mystery, both teens could tell that the light from the sun still existed, but to their bodies, it was as if it were midnight, with a lack of warmth causing their moods to become slightly gloomy.
"Can you see anything you remember from my mind?"
He glanced over at Eleanor, who was staring blankly out into the silent sea, the unmoving currents and unbroken surface tension a sight to behold.
"No…"
Shaken out of her trance by Aaron's words, she began to move around the beach after removing her shoes as well, careful not to fill them with even more sand than what they had taken in within the Phi Dunes the day prior.
I still haven't even started cleaning those boots yet…
Groaning at the thought of his future duties, he followed Eleanor's lead and looked for anything of value along the coastline.
Both children continued their efforts for well over half an hour, enough time to go from one end of the beach to the other twice.
Yet, even after comparing their findings, nothing more than a brightly colored shell or a fish corpse frozen before the decomposition stage caught their eyes.
"Hmph… I thought there would be something linking that thing to here, but it's all junk!"
Aaron threw up his arms while sighing hard, annoyed with the turn of events that had transpired.
"While I don't share your enthusiasm for digging into the being that killed me, I do agree that it is quite frustrating to do all this traveling to find nothing."
Kicking the sand with her feet, she grumbled and sat down against a piece of driftwood that was on the verge of collapsing into dust from age.
Taking a deep breath, Aaron turned towards the sea, devoid of aspirations and just looking for a way to burn away time.
Nevertheless, it was only as his gaze flickered along the coastline, towards the towering cliffs, and along the sharp rocks that jutted out of the cove, that he noticed something submerged beneath the waves.
A cavern sat with about ninety-nine percent of its maw beneath the sea, only a crack filled with air remaining amongst its dangerous entrance, crowded with knife-like stones that could pierce his flesh with the ease of a terror.
"Eleanor… Look over there."
He directed her towards the cave entrance, her eyes widening as she too noticed its appearance.
"Do you think it's important?"
She stood up fast, not bothered about her backside, covered partially in sand and broken pieces of driftwood.
There was no response from Aaron; however, his eyes locked onto the gap with a frightening accuracy that could bore holes through steel.
"Aaron?"
With a concerned murmur, the girl placed her hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise.
"Oh uh…"
He looked down towards the ground while squinting hard, his expression clearly strained.
While he had long experienced the headaches, this was nothing like what he had felt before; the level of agony that pierced him was indescribable.
Knives ripping at his scalp, bullets tearing their way through his pupils, and even punches to the temples—such was only a fraction of comparable experiences he could feel.
Each nerve in his body felt as if it were rejecting him simultaneously, trying to run away from its own host like scared children from a loud noise.
But as the time he stared at the blank ground grew longer, the pain began to fade, his heart rate began to slow, and his erratic breathing ceased.
In his mind, he could feel Penelope soothing his panicked thoughts and relaxing his muscles with practiced efficiency.
On his back, the egg that sapped his lifespan buzzed with an unusually warm feeling that slowed the pumping of mana through his core and reduced the strain on his heart.
With his thoughts a mess, he couldn't comprehend why the previously parasitic egg had aided him, and rightfully so.
There were far more important implications that he needed to address before even considering such an act of kindness.
"S-something related to my memories…"
Before he could even ponder anything, Penelope manifested herself at his hip and began to speak internally.
『Once more, that vixen is useful. Remember, Aaron, her story about the last time she saw you.』
A memory instantly burst into the forefront of the turquoise-eyed boy's mind: that day when he had been reintroduced to his childhood friend.
She said that we had been treasure hunting when we found a cave… I had refused to dive into the water, but she went anyway… She found nothing, and we went home, where she saw me last…
He pursed his lips as he compared the sight and feeling before him with the story that Akari had described, his trust wavering ever-so-slightly.
She found nothing, yet the cavern is certainly linked to my memories…? And why would she include such a boring detail about going into the cave, finding nothing, and then coming out when she was pressed for time with one of the most powerful Marshals interrogating her?
With those unanswered questions, he couldn't help but second-guess everything she had said to him before, each expression she had made, the warmth behind her memories.
No… She wouldn't lie. Not without good reason.
They had faced life and death together at least once before and tried to kill each other in an arena in front of thousands; there was nothing more certain in Aaron's heart than that she was a trustworthy person.
"Eleanor, we should return to the main level of the island now. There isn't anything left to see."
He looked over at the puzzled gray-eyed girl who didn't seem convinced.
"Shouldn't we examine the cave? I can produce a weak water-breathing spell up to five meters in depth."
Aaron's frown deepened, his words coming out in a breathless sigh.
"I think something far more dangerous than you or I can deal with is inside that cave. It would be better to come back in the future… Although…"
He didn't have to finish his sentence; the meaning of that although clear enough to both of them.
If they were to come back, it would be a solo mission.
The lifespan of the blond-haired child was already in its final stages, his estimated time based on Penelope's guesses only being that of another month or so.
"Alright. Let's head back then."
Not allowing her own grief to take over, she took the lead on the way up the long cliffs, never letting the terminally ill boy ponder too long.
…
There was no doubting the scene before them.
Both had seen that image painted within Aaron's strange mindscape, albeit in a far nicer condition than what sat before them.
Unlike the odd mental painting that had been sealed away within his skull, the real image of the Grimstall estate was giving the impression of a haunted house more than an abandoned building.
They had only walked another kilometer or so before stumbling into the micro-village that he had called home, the signs labeling the community as the Ergo Valley Farmers.
Wheat fields existed nearly everywhere except the property before them, the haunted-looking house half collapsed with a massive tree lodged in the middle.
"I'd assume it didn't always look like this?"
She glanced over at the boy who was frowning yet looking as if he was holding back laughter.
"Maybe I knocked that tree down trying to climb it… Eh…"
He paused, causing Eleanor to instantly tense.
"Was it me who did it!?"
Looking horrified at his own hand, the blond boy looked at the girl whose anxiousness had turned into annoyance, and her frown had yet to be turned upside down.
"Focus, Grimstall."
Her scolding forced him to be silent, his expression turning stern and his eyes repositioning themselves on the surroundings.
"We lived in a poor fishing village, all considered. There were docks a little that way."
He pointed to the West, where the girl could tell there was a far more gradual descent than the harsh cliffs that faced the Sea of Curses to the East.
"There were three main farming families, two wealthy couples who retired here from Sea Fallen, and then a dozen or so fishermen families."
The memories came to him as he moved house to house, reading name after name of residents whom he had all grown up beside.
Regardless of the ability to remember that he had just displayed, even as he gazed at his own ruined front door, nothing came to mind.
"I don't think that I should go in there… It feels… Rather dangerous…"
Eleanor didn't argue with his words this time, agreeing with him after what had happened at the cave.
It was likely that too much exposure to his past might injure him far more than any terror could, and his house was a prime example of where not to go.
"Alright then."
She smiled and turned back to face him.
"Then, if I have your permission, Mr. Grimstall, may I enter your abode?"