« Why don’t I make any mistakes? You’re wrong, I don’t make no mistakes. I’ve just learnt how to prevent them from happening at all. And when I do make mistakes… I make sure nobody notice. »

Luckily the sky cleared. It won’t pour on me for my first travel, at least it was a good start. The road itself was crude, but decent enough that carts could use it without too much trouble.

I was still in the middle of the forest, alone, however this time the path was clear and flat. I saw no slope from which I could fall from.

And as my trip looked tranquil so far, I allowed myself some time to try and remember everything I could about myself.

The cavern, the mymu, and then the village. But also this strange light from my gauntlets at that time. It certainly reacted to whatever magic gathered in me when I felt threatened by the mymu, but I still couldn’t understand how it worked.

Gathering the magic… From where did I collect this energy? If my memory isn’t lacking, it felt like the source was… Inside me. But I couldn’t imagine such a pool in my body. It was undoubtedly coming from my inner self, but at the same time it wasn’t quite right.

I tried to relieve the memory, but of course my emotions wouldn’t be shaken by a cold case. It did happen a few hours ago, but it was resolved with the mymu disappearing to nowhere. For me, it was over.

If my emotions couldn’t help me, then I could only rely on my instincts. I played for a bit with my manacles, however they wouldn’t react to any action or movement I applied. Friction, speed, collision, they wouldn’t shine like they did. It just confirmed that it was indeed caused by this unknown energy.

The question now was: How do I gather this energy?

Or rather: How did I gather this energy?

I recalled my anger when I was about to drown, the thoughts that crossed my mind. I wished for its death, I made various brutal threats in my head… And then it was suddenly gone.

Still not quite sure how it’ll goes, I replayed the scene in my head, wishing for… Whatever was inconveniencing me at the moment to disappear.

Of course, it didn’t work at all. Maybe the target of my desire had to be less vague?

I tried again on a nearby tree, just to see if I could make it vanish. And it happened. The manacles shined, from the gauntlet to the chains. However, nothing else happened, the tree was still here.

Funnily enough, the strange metal now never stopped to shine at all. It was like a vial now full of energy, ready to be released.

“Ah! I may not be as bright as you, but-”

But what? Who was I comparing myself to? I had a picture of someone in my head, but I couldn’t tell his feature nor our relation. Or actually, I could remember we were friends. He was the intelligent and brilliant fellow, and I often called out for him when I wished to understand something.

That was how I… We… I couldn’t remember anything more. Not even a face or a name.

Qalendra’s suddenly popped in my head, reminding me of my urgent duty. I knew it was urgent, but how was I supposed to find her and save her if I couldn’t even save myself from a mere mymu?

I needed to learn how to use this power in order to be useful.

The gauntlets shined, but the tree didn’t disappear. What did I miss?

I suddenly had a vicious idea, and I would need some help to confirm my theory. But how can I… I stopped thinking about it because I was putting effort in a meaningless goal.

I mean, how would I be able to lure out those bandits and try out my power on them? Would they even care attacking a lone man in the forest? Well the chance weren’t low, but they weren’t high either.

For now, I pursued my journey, thinking about how I could find Qalendra by asking the people in town. I couldn’t imagine how many stranger I would ask before finally finding a hint about her.

And what should I say about the mymu? Would they even bother if only one remained in the cavern?

“Wait. Didn’t I take care of the last one then?” I thought as I acknowledged being the one who made the mymu disappear.

I pondered on the subject as I began to doubt if it was still a necessity to tell the town hall about a problem that I resolved myself earlier.

“If only someone was here to guide me…”

Not long after my sigh, I felt a sudden hit on my head. It was painful, but not deadly. I looked around, trying to understand what just happened to me, when a second shot struck my torso. I saw a bolt coming from behind the trees ricocheting on my body. It left me speechless, but also relieved that the ammunitions weren’t lethal.

“What the fuck, dude? Just take him down already!”

“You blind or what? The bolt bounced back on its head! It’s a sorcerer I tell you. A dangerous one!”

I heard two man quarrelling not so far from my position. Maybe they noticed my gaze, one of them quickly reloaded his crossbow and shouted at me. His accuracy must have been pretty high, because the third short hit me in the head again. However, it was to no avail. The shot should have pierced my head, yet I was left unscathed. Angry, surprised, but uninjured.

“What a coincidence! I missed some practice target to try my power.” I couldn’t help but yell my thoughts out loud. I was just that happy that such a coincidence was happening to me when I needed it.

“Shit! Run. Ruuun!”

I pointed my hand at the running wannabe-murderers. The gauntlet shined again, the energy flowed inside me and gathered in my arm. Then, it all disappeared like it never existed. Nor the energy, nor the light, nor the men.

I looked at my gauntlet which looked no more different to any other piece of metal. Its brilliance was gone, but I now had a completely different opinion of them. I still had to question why it had to look like manacles, but setting aside the appearance, they were quite useful to me.

It was a benediction to hold such a miraculous power in my grasp. What couldn’t I face with the ability to erase anyone’s presence?

“So that’s how it is.”

Nothing could virtually harm me. Nobody could hopefully escape me. It was indeed a really good advantage, but… Why was I in possession of such power? Was it common? Obviously not, then what made me different?

The questions piled up, but I couldn’t get any answer with this amnesia. All I could hope was that Qalendra could help me regain my memory. I just wanted to see her again…

After regaining my senses, I first wondered if I shouldn’t try and follow the tracks from where those two men came from. With some chance, I may find their hideout, and… And what? Why should I care?

I started following the road to town, but a sudden call resounded in my head. That wasn’t actually a call because it conveyed no words, however I did feel a… Sentiment from it.

Just like that time in the cavern, this unexplainable urge to leave. It wasn’t because I carved for freedom. Something called me.

The call came through the forest, but I could feel it originated from way beyond the region. There was no need for persuasion, my body and my mind desired to respond as quickly as possible.

I recalled the town I needed to reach in order to deliver the information about the mymu, but as I said… I already took care of it. It would be fine, even if they didn’t know about it. Besides, I couldn’t even be certain anyone there could inform me about Qalendra.

But this call would.

With no more restraints, I made my way through the forest. The trip was all of a sudden less pleasant than walking on a dirt road, but I didn’t mind if it would help me in any way for my journey.

Anything to remember. Anything to see her again.

Once again, I travelled on an inhospitable terrain. The fauna itself wasn’t a problem, but I would lie if I said I enjoyed those kind of hikes.

“I wish I could fly…”

But this time, the gauntlet didn’t respond to my desire. I guessed my power just didn’t work that way.

I could use some more experimentations, but… I just didn’t knew what else to test. Besides, I was convinced that my current power was already enough to crush any obstacle that would block my way.

The birds rumbled in the trees, leaving the area in a large flock. That was usually a bad sign. But as I had nowhere to hide, nor any reason to hide, I waited for anything to happen in the surrounding.

I didn’t have to wait for long, as I heard a commotion not so far away, the noise growing louder and louder indicated that something was approaching me. And that thing was… A group of men, carrying equipment for combat.

They were running, but not exactly at me. They actually seemed to run from something. And that thing was hard to describe.

You probably never experienced a tsunami, but you’ve certainly heard about this kind of disaster, right? Now imagine a wave, a gigantic tide rising over the trees that approached you at the speed of a horse. This is what they called a “mymu infestation”.

The villages and towns spotting any sort of hint about an infestation would usually request for a group of specialized mercenaries to purge the place of the presence of mymus. It looked like this group wasn’t equipped for such a situation. Then why were they here in the first place?

“A sorcerer! Quick, join him!”

People kept calling me that. Maybe I did look like those “sorcerers”, but it was hard to confirm because I was still amnesiac.

The group encircled me, but they weren’t pointing their weapon at me. In fact, they were shielding me.

“Sorry for this uncalled problem, sorcerer, but we need you to purge an infestation here.”

“I… Can do that, I guess?” I stayed silent as the situation evolved differently than what I expected.

“We’ll do our best to protect you, so I hope you have a magic trick to take care of the mymus.”

I nodded because I had a solution, but I still hadn’t decided how I should use it in this situation. I mean, I was aware I could make one mymu vanish, but would it work the same when there was that many mymus? Actually, how do people count how many mymus there was in an infestation?

The tide approached at an alarming rate. I was nervous, even though I told myself earlier that I was basically invincible. Bolts couldn't hurt me, but a mymu didn't shoot bolts at you. It captured its prey and digested it inside its liquid body. I wasn’t feeling confident I would survive an acidic attack.

It was time to learn just how far my powers could go.

The mymus finally reached us… But instead of a frontal attack, they surrounded us. The group instantly reacted and did the same, raising their shield and readying their weapon to cut at everything.

And now… Everyone waited.

The mymus formed a translucent wall, high enough to prevent anybody to accidentally be thrown above them. It just told us how numerous those creatures were. But also how intelligently they behaved.

I thought I shouldn’t wait any longer for this stalemate, and began gathering energy in my arms. I didn’t know if quantity was a factor, but my instinct told me the more the better.

And as my gauntlets began to shine, I saw movement in the mymu’s barricade. It would be hard to perceive the reliefs on a see-through material such as water, yet I could distinctly observe all the variable differences in the flow.

It gathered at one point, in front of me actually, then it manifested itself in a shape separate from the swarm. Anybody would find this situation shocking, because it was rare to see a mymu appearing in your sight in humanoid form.

However, this metamorphosis wasn’t what shocked me most. Because I knew this shape, this portrait, this face.

Mesmerized, I approached the mymu. “I found her…” I thought repeatedly without thinking anymore.

It was her. This mymu took the appearance of Qalendra.

It was nothing but a liquid with her shape, yet… How could I mistake the face of the woman I loved?

She looked so much alike, I could embrace her and be satisfied. But it wasn’t the true Qalendra, only a mymu mimicking her.

“Right… You’re nothing but a simulacrum!”

Out of spite, I slapped the mymu with the back of my gauntlet, making the fake head explode.

“How dare you copy her appearance?!”

In my anger, I kind of forgot I was close to a mymu, a monster that needed proximity to feed itself. I was ready at any moment to use my power, but curiosity held me from committing the act. I needed to know… I badly needed to know how this mymu could know the appearance of Qalendra.

“My apologies, Master.”

It spoke. The voice resounded from everywhere, certainly because the mymus were all around us, but I was no fool. I knew the head of the infestation was in front of me.

“Who are you? And why… Why do you know me?”

I only reacted now. This thing called me “Master”. Why? Was it a trap? It wouldn’t want to wait that long, nor would it speak to me if it only wanted to eat me. Then… What?

“I am Roi. I am here to assist you in your revival, Master.”

“You make no sense. It infuriates me.”

Revival? What revival? This… Confuses me.

“Sorcerer, what’s happening?”

I turned around to look at the group of terrified men. They probably heard our conversation, but that didn’t mean they understood what it implied. Right now, they looked like a defenceless herd of herbivores that was about to be devoured by a larger predator.

I looked back at the mymu. “Why aren’t you attacking us?” I asked. This could have been easier for me if the mymus decided to go on the offensive at the beginning. But it didn’t. In fact, it was like it came looking for me. I knew it sound absurd, but… Who knows?

The mymu had time to reconstruct its missing head, the regeneration took some time but it was like nothing happened.

“I am still not sure why you were siding with them. Should we let them go?”

The crystalline voice may sound pleasant, but knowing it came from the mymu only annoyed me so far.

“And why shouldn’t you let them go?” I retorted. Those men were only trying to save their life. They had the fortune to find me and decided to bet on my prowess, though it sounded a bit unfair from them. However, I didn’t dislike the idea of helping others. It made me feel like a hero or a guardian.

“Those men concord with the description and fulfil some of the conditions you gave us.

They commit murder, thievery, rape, sabotage or threats.

They lower the public order by any means, in this case by bribing the locale supervisor into reducing security of the roads.

They keep captives for ransoming or slavering.”

“LIES!!” Yelled one man from the group. “Don’t listen to this creature, sorcerer! It’s trying to lure you!”

“Well… I’m not sure who to trust here anymore…”

A group of strangers I had no connection with, or a monster that knew both me and the appearance of Qalendra.

I… Only wanted to be sure of one thing.

“Can you guide me to Qalendra?”

I asked the mymu. Any wrong answer would be easily spotted by me.

The mymu bowed to me. “I do not know where Qalendra currently resides, but there is someone who could share this information with you.”

“… Well. Good enough for me.”

I looked back at the group of bandits. “I guess I made my choice.”