A SIMPLE recollection.
He was a dying soul at eighteen, saved by someone he once called master before he was transported into this place. For seven years, he had one job to do, and that was to shepherd. He was satisfied with shepherding and had been sufficed with rewards such as bread and milk; he never asked for anything grandeur. Until the last day of the year, when he was told he could finally meet his master whom he never had a chance of seeing. Even when he was saved during his dying moment before coming to the manor, he only saw a blurry frame of his master, and so desperation took him to eventually meet him and his sevenfold reap.
His master introduced it as a blessing, but perhaps, because of being too late to open it, he was rewarded by a curse. He had a foil gold blindfold instead, but contrary to being blind, he still could see through it!
What was worse?
He was chased by a beast and had a doppelganger attempting to kill him. He almost got murdered! If not for his special abilities, he would be dead. He even thought the griffin — who suddenly disappeared after taking him to this odd and mysterious place —would eat him. But now, he almost died falling and drowning, only he was not. He had met a woman with strange clothing who appeared before him.
She was claiming that such a ridiculous place filled with towers was the Towers Below.
And he was . . . a child?
Maze coughed the last of the water he swallowed and wiped his lips. "If you call a man living for twenty-five years a child, then that would make things hideous for the world, you see."
The lady only chuckled and moved her offered hand closer to his face. "I never meant you are a child, but a Child who is an existence for someone who awakened."
"What do you mean?"
"It is simple if I ask you this question." The lady smiled and winked, causing Maze to flinch. "You have gained some sort of power that is beyond the human capacity to understand, have you not?"
Maze nodded.
"Then that power is awakened in you, and thus, making you a Child, like me." The woman shrugged her shoulders and looked at him. "So, are you not going to accept my hand?"
He first looked at it but . . .
Maze squinted through the stinging salt in his eyes, trying to make sense of the strange garb the woman wore. He only knew the simple hang of tunics or the heavy silverplate of the city guards and high-ranking officials who sometimes visited the manor. Those men always clanked in polished metal, but this was something entirely new and odd.
The upper garment had an unfastened doublet of dark hide, cropped above the waist with splayed collars and a single iron stud hanging loose at the hem. Underneath, there showed a sleeveless, blackened canvas hood-and-waist covering, which also had twin breast pouches, an iron-toothed front closure, and heavy-buckled straps at the shoulders and sides. Tight-fitting, high-waisted breeches of dark leather — fastened by a long row of iron studs — were tucked into buckled knee-high boots and cinched by a knotted belt of blackened hide; there displayed a circular ring, a sword frog, and various holsters at the hip.
Such clothing appeared to be not from this time. Somehow, it was from a future that was not even what he knew of. It was too . . . refined. He remained in between his deductions, as he was unsure of her standing.
"Mister, I have been lending you a hand and it is turning numb now." The lady knelt and grabbed his hand before pulling him to stand. "I know my fashion is strange and also out of the ordinary," she shook her head as Maze stood in front of her, "but when a lady offers you a hand, you must be quick to accept it; otherwise, that would make you ungentlemanly."
Maze's head rang and his vision dizzied. "Pardon me."
"Oh, do not bother." The lady took his arm and slithered it over her shoulder. "After all, there is always a second time to change one's impression."
They began walking, and Maze now could see the three Towers.
Maze wanted to ask himself whether it was what his master talked about, but ache filled his sorrow even more. He appeared to have no knowledge of the way his master's mind processed. What exactly is this new life for me? It is . . .
Before he could even complete his wonders, he eventually surrendered to keep up his consciousness and fainted.
The lady stared at him with a concerned expression before she tried to maintain Maze's weighty body to remain in a standing position. This man had a calm look and, for the lady, was in resemblance with being a 'flower-face.' Though she did not grasp whatever eyes the man had, for her, they were attributed as sleepy and, perhaps, weary at the same time. After all, she had observed him talking about slumbering when he was initiating a conversation with the griffin that could merely growl.
"You are a soul filled with . . . despair and sadness, are you not?" The lady scrutinized Maze. "Now I am wondering what will turn out of you after a while."
She averted her eyes ahead and noticed a tall, lean figure walking toward their direction.
"A little help here, please. And also, fasten your pace!"
When this new figure closed the gap and was beside her, he took the unconscious Maze before he asked sternly, "What is his reaction, Miss Olivia?"
This tanned man was the same height as Maze, both inches taller than Miss Olivia, wearing the same suit as the lady. His black raven hair had hints of gray, and his eyes were ocean blue, unlike the deep emerald of Miss Olivia.
Miss Olivia sighed, as if burdened, before gazing at Maze's countenance. "He pretty well understands the gist . . . but I wonder how he will cope. After all, we were like him when we went to this place. Let's not be rough to him from now on, SirAzaniel."
"What did you see when you looked at him?" probed Sir Azaniel.
He tried to understand the unconscious man as he carried him with Miss Olivia toward the tower on the far left, located behind the one in the middle. They already passed the central tower and were near their destination.
"When I look at him, even with his blindfold, I can clearly know he has a Sigil. Its origin is unknown to us, since what we only saw through the griffin's eyes was a glimpse of him finally possessing it." Her shoulders were as if carrying the weight of the world. "This poor soul, who thought the griffin was going to devour him . . . We cannot look for clues with regards to his mark, because that seems to be pretty unnecessary. Especially since obtaining such a thing comes with a price." There was doubt in her voice. "That price is for him to unveil on his own."
"That is a fair point, and the rest of us also concluded with that decision while you were gone to meet him." Sir Azaniel nodded and glanced at the lady. "It is only good that it was you who fetched him. Look at how he gave up and just let himself faint in front of you. He would only be overwhelmed had we all gathered to meet him. This will be too much for him."
When they stood in front of the tower that was gigantic and black, hidden in dark fog, Miss Olivia pushed the double-doors of the entrance and opened them.
"Let's let him rest for a while, since it is clear his path is unfinished and notproperly opened, making it more terrible to his spirit."
"What else can we do?"
"It seems like we have got so much to teach this man."