“What in the...?”
With his memory to guide him, Shin reached the end of his journey without issue. The troubles only started upon his arrival; the very first thing he saw caused him to mistrust his own eyes.
He had traveled to his hometown—at least, he thought he had. The settlement before him wasn’t at all as he remembered it. For one thing, it had a towering wall of sandstone around it, as though it were some great fortress. Shin was starting to wonder whether he’d taken a wrong turn somewhere when a voice suddenly called out to him.
“Big brother? Is that you?”
Shin turned around. At first, he didn’t recognize the young man in front of him, but a closer inspection revealed traces of a person he’d once known. And when he focused on the man’s voice...
“Don’t tell me... Kyle?”
“Shin! It really is you!”
In the desert village Shin was from, everyone was family, and men called each other brothers even when they had no blood ties to speak of. It was a nostalgic tradition—one Shin had almost forgotten about.
“You’ve grown so much,” he said. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Well, it has been about a decade. I still remember when you set out for the city, resolved to make a fortune. We were all so worried when you never came back. Where have you been all this time?”
Shin couldn’t help but scratch his cheek; Kyle was just as honest and straightforward as he remembered. “Well, it’s a long story...” he said. “I made it safely to the capital, but I got mixed up in some shady business and landed in pretty serious debt. Before I knew it, I was working as a gladiator slave.”
“A gladiator? Why something so dangerous?”
“Well, as a slave by debt, I didn’t have a whole lot of options. But it also came down to greed. I just needed one good fight, I thought—then I could purchase my freedom, buy all of you presents, and return home with a fortune to spare. So I picked up a blade and headed straight for the colosseum. Problem was, things never worked out that way. I was pretty confident in my fighting skills, but look where that got me.”
Shin let out a self-deprecating laugh and gestured to his face, scarred and weathered as it was.
“It landed me in some real danger recently...” he continued, “but a good man came to my rescue. Part of why I came back here was to repay him. Truth be told, if his request hadn’t given me the push I needed, I might’ve been too ashamed to show my face.”
“Is that so? Then I guess I owe him my thanks.”
“Oh, and for the record—I don’t have anyone hunting me down, so don’t worry about that. The city was thrown into chaos by these foreigners, who showed up for a Trial and came away the new owners. My debt was written off in the process.”
“For a Trial...? And when you say they became the new owners...”
“I don’t know the ins and outs of it, but the colosseum I belonged to was shut down. It put us gladiators out of work, but we also had our debts paid, so I’m finally a free man again.”
“I see...” Kyle seemed to fall into thought.
“That aside,” Shin went on, immersed in nostalgia, “this place really has changed. We never had a wall the last time I was here.”
“It has. I have many stories to tell you, brother, but let’s head inside first. If we worry the guards, they might turn us into pincushions.”
“Guards? Pincushions...?” Shin looked up and saw several wooden watchtowers he hadn’t noticed before, all containing vigilant young beastfolk with their bows at the ready. “Strict setup you’ve got there. Are we housing buried treasure or something?”
“You jest, but you aren’t far off the mark. The increased security’s nothing short of necessary.”
“Wait, really?”
“We were just as surprised. It all started the other day.”
“The other day?”
“A group of travelers showed up from the Kingdom of Clays to the north. If not for all they did for us, our settlement would have stayed just as dreary as you remember it.”
“Travelers from the Kingdom of Clays, huh? For some strange reason, that seems to ring a bell...”
Shin pondered Kyle’s words as he was led into the settlement. He experienced a moment of tender relief upon seeing that, the enormous wall aside, things were more or less as he remembered them. Everywhere was much cleaner, though, and the people’s expressions were a lot more spirited.
The pair continued on their way, Shin exchanging quick greetings with those who recognized him. Then it occurred to him that there was someone else he had yet to catch up with.
“Is the elder doing well, by the way?”
“Yes, very.”
“That’s good to hear. He was already past his prime when I set out, so I thought that might’ve been my last time seeing him.”
“Truth be told, he might be the healthiest he’s ever been.”
“What?”
Kyle seemed on the verge of explaining when a loud shout cut him short: “My word... Shin?! Is that you, Shin?!”
Shin turned to see the very man they had just been speaking about. The old elder sprinted toward them at such great speed that he kicked up dust in his wake.
Though taken aback by the old man’s vigor, Shin bowed his head. “It is good to see you well, Elder. First, I must apologize. After everyone entrusted their coin to me, I came back with nothing to show for it. I know it is shameful, but—”
“Bah, enough already! We’ve no time for these formalities, Shin—we’re shorthanded everywhere.” The elder grabbed Shin’s arms and started flapping them up and down. “Come, help us tend the fields! Or build new houses! Anything!”
“R-Right...” For a moment, Shin was swept up in the elder’s momentum, but then he came to a sudden realization. “Wait... Construction I can understand, but fieldwork? We’ve never had fields to begin with.”
“We never used to. But take a look—you can see them from here.”
“Excuse me...?” Turning in the direction the elder indicated, Shin saw tall crops in abundance. “You’re right... There’s a field right next to the village. But we’re in the desert. How is this possible?”
“Surprised, eh? We had some guests recently who performed all manner of miracles. That was but one of them.”
Shin stared at the distant field of green. He was already convinced that it was all some elaborate daydream, but then he noticed something else that made the sight even stranger. “Wait, wait, wait. But this can’t be. How are you growing those crops without water?”
The elder chuckled. “Have you truly not noticed, Shin? Look beneath you.”
Only then did Shin perceive the sound of streaming water coming through the gaps in the planks under his feet. He bent down, tentatively opened the wooden cover...and saw a seamless glass canal transporting water clear enough to make him doubt his eyes.