A Sin roamed the Earth

  A heart of Fire, A body Of Ice

  He listened, whether Dragon or Mice

  For he was my Warmth, the Cold’s Hearth.

  …

  Confusion replaced any other thought. His oldest memories seemed to be from just a few hours ago – waking up in a clearing of the forest as the sun cast the sky with warm colors.

  He had wandered for hours before meeting eyes with one of those… things.

  The rest was history; it chased him, called its buddies for a midnight snack as he ran for his dear life. Whoever dropped him there should really explain themselves.

  ‘Now, I should…’

  His mind went blank again as his eyes widened.

  ‘Wait…’

  He stood up, limped to the river, and looked down. What greeted him was the reflection of a white haired boy, whose long hair was tied into a ponytail befitting of a samurai... whatever that was. A pair of bright, crimson eyes, possessing a rose’s shade, stared back at him in disbelief. The face was that of a young boy, appearing to be 18 at most.

  It took him a bit to realize that he was staring at his own reflection, and a bit more to realize he didn’t remember anything about himself. His memories were as blank as a canvas.

  The panic he thought he was rid of came back in full swing. Losing one’s memories was a very disorienting experience. What happened? Did he hit his head somewhere?

  In a desperate attempt, he looked around, delusionally hoping that someone would magically appear and offer him guidance, answer his thoughts. Heck, even some company would be appreciated.

  There was no one but him in the middle of nowhere, the silence of the night almost deafening, as if holding its breath, the only source of sound coming from the river.

  Actually, the former statement might not be true.

  As if to oppose that thought, his solace came in the form of moonlight, the forest and thin snow basking in its gentle silver glow, the moon’s beauty no longer obstructed by the dark clouds.

  The scenery was straight out of a fairy tale.

  On one side, a poor soul sat against a tree, his clothes slightly tattered, some of it missing, revealing his now blue-ish leg. His body wasn’t in a better state.

  He felt cold and hot at the same time, his left leg rigid, perhaps a broken bone from the fall. His stomach gurgled loudly, his eyelids felt heavy.

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  On the other side, a deceitfully peaceful forest, the sounds of the occasional rustle of the trees composing nature’s melody. The moon was its maestro, surveying all with its indifferent gaze.

  Despite all of that, only one word entered his mind at the sight of this other side, where a lonely celestial body hung, looking down on him.

  A word unfitting of the current situation, but the boy couldn’t even understand his own mind and thoughts, a stranger to himself. It was a word found at the picture of a man gazing upon his loved one, found in the sight of a soldier bowing to his king, present in the fervent faith of a priest holding the dying candle, present and intertwined with the existence of the moon, a word that charmed the women and appeased the men’s hearts;

  Beautiful.

  Peacefulness and serenity seeped into his bones, his crimson eyes shining brighter and brighter as he looked in awe at the moon. It seemed so close, so big, that if he had the strength to reach out, he would undoubtedly touch it.

  If he gazed down, he would see his leg slowly healing, the blue receding to the white of his skin, the fissure in the bone slowly filling itself and the veins realigning correctly.

  As his leg fully healed, this mystical power focused on the multiple bruises around his hands and knees, making quick work of them. A surge of warmness filled up his body, emitting a slight warm aura.. like a bonfire would.

  But of course, why would the boy look down when the sky offered him such a sight? As if in a trance, the youth barely noticed the soothing and balmy feeling it procured… but who could blame him? The moon appeared so incredibly close…

  Without the pain restraining him anymore, he slowly raised his arm, and...

  A sudden rustle way closer this time came from behind and startled the young man and broke the picturesque scene.

  He stayed motionless, his ears perked up at the slightest sound. For what seemed like an eternity, he was on the lookout, ready to take another swim, hypothermia be damned.

  He held his breath for a solid minute without even realizing, exhaling only when he felt a slight pressure in his chest.

  Fortunately, nothing came out of the woods, which allowed him to relax a little- but not entirely.

  He looked back up, the moon as far and as indifferent as it had been a few minutes ago.

  Finally noticing the warm feeling in his body, he looked with shock at his leg, now fully back to normal, bruises gone, as if they never existed. He inspected his hands carefully, but found no explanation.

  ‘I’m going crazy…’

  What happened? He could’ve sworn his leg was in a mess, but once he stood up, he felt no pain whatsoever. He looked around confused, before bringing his gaze up, staring at the now-hidden moon.

  Did the… moon do this? Well it certainly didn't seem like a normal occurrence, as far as his mind interpreted it.

  ‘Magic moon?’

  He surprisingly didn’t question it further, for he had no confidence in what was supposed to be normal or not. Deciding to accept anything he will encounter as normal until he finds a solid reference point; A questionable choice and certainly unique way of perceiving things, as far as one was concerned. The youth would be more than happy to be corrected if it meant encountering someone.. But of course, he was left to his own means.

  The young man took his slightly less wet coat - It was still cold… No hopes of warming himself using this - and set off, following the river’s flow, heading to…

  Before he could panic again from the lack of direction, he shook his head. ‘One step at a time...’

  The coat, tucked under his arm, along with his lone boot, made him appear more and more like a vagabond.

  He chuckled dryly at his own situation and continued walking, looking for answers and perhaps food if he was lucky enough.

  Mostly food.