Angelic Restart (D&D/Danmachi)

[Stimpak Medic]

Prologue: Fear Not The Night

The first thing I recognized upon awakening was my longing. Long before I recognized who I was, where I was, what I was, or when I was, I felt the deep pain in my heart, my very existence reached for something it could never find. I knew I could never find it, yet I didn't know what I was longing for, nor where it was, nor how to find it.

I lay on the grass looking up at a starry sky, my mind spinning like a wagon wheel stuck in a deep bog pulled by a very determined horse. It was as if all my memories were shattered, faded, and unable to be gathered. Each time I had tried to grab them, they broke like finely spun glass within my fingers.

Each time I tried to remember what, or who I was, I could only be greeted by a sharp pain, as if my mind were telling me not to find those memories. Still, with some force and pressure, I remembered my name.

Tormir.

It was all that I could remember. I had no last name to speak of, but somehow it just made sense, as if a last name was not something I had ever possessed.

I slowly rose from the grass. I had now sat up and saw the scene around me. To my right was a shattered sword of light steel, likely a bastard sword. Its blade was shattered into many shards that lay scattered and dug into the ground. The hilt was the only intact part of it, and even that was barely recognizable. It glinted with a whitish light, as if it had retained a weak ember of its power.

I looked to my left, and not too far away was a small brook that came down from a small forest a good fifty or so meters away. The stars reflected clearly in the small stream; its bubbling could be heard over the soft breeze that filled the summer night's air.

I let out a breath and looked down at myself.

Wearing naught but a gray cloth shirt, a set of gray pants, black boots, a leather belt with a large pouch, and a sheathed smallsowrd, I found myself rather worse for wear. There were several bruises and injuries on my chest and several scars on my arms, and chest, and I could also feel the stinging of a rather freshly healing wound on my right ribcage. Six burns could be seen slowly mending themselves on my legs and neck.

It seemed that I was in some conflict, and more so before I found myself in this field.

Who was I, and how did I get here?

In fact, I had been ignoring something strange up until now, which were the many large white feathers that littered the field around me.

I instinctively brought my hand to my back, and I could feel a phantom feeling as if something were meant to be there, but I knew not what. This brought only more confusion and longing, as if the phantom feeling were connected to the longing I felt deep within.

Tears welled in my topaz blue eyes and trickled down my moon-pale face onto my shirt and disappeared into a fold in the fabric.

I rose to my feet and brushed the grass and dirt off of me.

Under the bright moon, I could see quite clearly, as if I were under a bright midday sky.

I could see, far in the distance, a great tower looming over a huge walled-off city.

Like a flash of lightning, a memory returned to me. It was of a colossal white tower that pierced the clouds, and I could see beings with massive white wings and golden hair. Some had silver hair, and skin of white moon, or the golden sun. They danced, sparred, or flew through the sky. One could even see a golden dragon perched upon a large window in the tower.

I took a step back in shock, only for the memory to dissipate, leaving me to come to a conclusion I knew not of.

The yearning in my heart had dulled after the memory, and I could find my breath better now. Breathing in and out, I took my first step forward. It was a step towards the city, for if I were to get answers, I would have to find other beings, other creatures.

A lock of my golden hair fell over my right eye, and I brushed it away with my hand.

Something about me felt slow, lesser, or perhaps inferior to how I should feel, but the feeling soon passed in favor of curiosity at the city and its denizens. I picked up my pace and began jogging towards the city in the distance, and after several minutes at a near sprint, I found myself at a dirt road that was surrounded by fields of wheat, plants, and farms.

Occasionally, a small cart or a carriage would pass by quickly, paying me no mind. I suppose that everyone had their reasons to be up at such a time. Though the thought of insincere and violent beings did give me a bad taste in my mouth, and it invoked a desire to stop such beings in my heart.

After a few more minutes of walking, a cart, led by a man riding a horse with two other horses that he led, stopped beside me.

He was a man in old cloth of green and brown clothes, and his skin was pale and taut, as if his age had done him no favors. On his head was a round straw hat tied with a white band. His eyes were of a dark emerald that he kept squinting at me with.

"It's a bit late at night for walking, young man. It seems that you're heading to Orario, and I am as well. Feel free to hop on my cart and take a rest. It's farther than it looks," He said, giving me a toothy smile.

He seemed a man of good character. I felt that in his very words and being, so I accepted his offer.

"Thank you, old man. Do you have a name that you could share with me?" I said, walking to the end of the stopped cart, which was several meters long and had small wooden benches on the side.

"My name is Frank Edel. I'm a deliveryman for small Familias in and out of Orario. You've just caught me on my way back from work. One of these days, I'll retire and look after my son and daughter a bit more. He's a good boy and a level two adventurer, but he gets into trouble sometimes, and my daughter never takes her head out of her books. After she got sick a few months ago, she couldn't do much," he said, thinking back to his son, whom he had to look after at times.

"I wish you the best of luck with your son and your retirement, Mr. Edel," I respond. After all, Frank is a working man who does his job and helps out travelers like me. There's no reason not to wish him well.

"Thank you, young man. I haven't got your name, if you don't mind sharing it with me," he asks, and I find myself sharing it with him.

"I'm Tormir, and right now I don't really know where I'm heading. I just know that I'm heading to the big city down the road." I reply, and the man nods, pulling the reins.

"Very well, I'll show you a nice Inn when we get there. Well, if you aren't part of a familia, that is." He finished, and the cart began moving.

"Familia? No, I don't think I am. I'm kind of on my own right now." I respond, giving it some thought. Whatever a familia was, it was probably something like a clan or a guild.

"I expected that. There's no way you'd be walking alone out here without a horse if you were in a familia." The old man said, giving a soft chuckle at his correct guess.

So, with little more said, I sat and looked out at the passing farms and houses the closer we got to the city.

Some time passed before we got to a large portcullis that was open and lit by several dozen torches on the inside and outside with a small contingent of guards.

The guards stopped the carriage and gave me and the driver a once-over.

"Who's your passenger?" One of the guards asked, and Frank responded simply.

"He's my nephew. I was taking him out for work with me," Frank lied, taking out his delivery identification, and I couldn't help but feel a ball in my throat. This man was going out of his way to help me, and I didn't have anything else I could do for him.

"Very well, you can pass," the guard said, not even sparing me or him a second thought.

As we entered the city, we were greeted by a long and wide road with large buildings of stone, wood, and stucco. Men, women, and various other beings walked about under the light of the moon and torches, and the sounds of conversations could be heard from the open windows of homes.

After we had passed the checkpoint, I felt something within me at the memory of what the man said earlier.

His daughter was sick and had been for months. Perhaps I could help him and her in return for the help. I wasn't sure how or why I knew this, but I felt that I might be able to cure her sickness, or at least treat its symptoms.

I had a warmth that had grown within me that I knew could be used to heal minor wounds, dispel minor curses, and treat illnesses.

For the man who had gone out of his way to help me, it was my duty to at least try.

"Mr. Edel, I'm somewhat of a healer. Perhaps I could give some care to your daughter in exchange for the help you have given me. I don't have any gold on me, so this is all that I can offer at the moment." I offered, and he seemed to like the idea.

"You seem like a trustworthy young man. I'll let you stay the night at my home with us, and in the morning, you can give it a try. I know healing and potions cost a lot these days, so I would be grateful for any help." He finished.

"Pay it no heed. You've already done much for me. I'll have to accept your hospitality. Thank you." I responded, giving a thankful response.

And so, after parking his cart in the small stable behind his home, which was a small townhouse, he entered with me, after which he showed me to a guest room.

"You have a wonderful home," I said as I took off my boots.

"This was passed down from my father's father. He used to be a great adventurer." He said, before giving me a smile.

"Feel free to sleep in. The night was quite long, and you look weary," He finished, before walking away.

And thus, I found myself in the city of Orario, with few memories other than who I was.