MEMELAND

The forest refused to answer.

Kai remained still for several moments, scanning the trees.

Nothing moved.

No footsteps.

No rustling leaves.

No figure emerging from the shadows.

Only silence.

The same unsettling silence that had followed him since he awoke.

Eventually, he exhaled.

Perhaps he had imagined it.

Perhaps exhaustion was beginning to affect him.

Or perhaps not.

Either way, standing around waiting for ghosts to appear wasn't going to help.

Kai adjusted the letter tucked into his waistband and continued walking.

---

The sun had begun descending when he finally saw smoke.

At first he thought it was another campfire.

Then he noticed more.

Thin gray trails rising above the treetops in the distance.

His pace quickened.

Civilization.

People.

Answers.

For the first time since awakening, genuine relief washed over him.

The trees gradually thinned.

The forest opened.

And Kai stopped.

A small village sat within a large clearing.

Wooden houses lined dirt roads.

Fences surrounded patches of farmland.

Several villagers moved about carrying tools and baskets.

Children ran through the streets laughing.

The sight was strangely comforting.

Life.

Actual life.

After the silence of the forest, it almost felt unreal.

Kai took a cautious step forward.

Then another.

Nobody immediately noticed him.

A blacksmith hammered away at glowing metal.

A woman hung laundry.

An old man argued with a chicken.

Everything seemed ordinary.

Until someone pointed.

"Who's that?"

Several heads turned.

Kai immediately became aware of how ridiculous he probably looked.

No shirt.

Torn cape.

Bloodstains from Elrick's corpse still smeared across parts of his pants.

A child gasped.

"Mom, that guy looks homeless."

Kai frowned.

The child's mother immediately smacked him on the head.

"Don't say that."

"But he does."

Another smack.

Kai decided not to comment.

A few villagers watched cautiously.

Not hostile.

Just curious.

Then a cheerful voice broke the tension.

"Well that's a new one."

Kai turned.

A man approached carrying a sack over one shoulder.

He appeared to be in his early twenties.

Messy brown hair.

Friendly eyes.

A relaxed smile.

The kind of person who looked completely at ease no matter the situation.

The man glanced Kai up and down.

"You're definitely not from around here."

Kai opened his mouth.

Then realized he had absolutely no idea how to explain himself.

The stranger seemed to notice.

His smile softened slightly.

"Easy there."

He set down the sack.

"Name's Tchoco Lee."

He extended a hand.

After a moment's hesitation, Kai shook it.

"Kai."

"Just Kai?"

"I think so."

Lee blinked.

"Think so?"

Kai sighed.

"I don't remember."

"Oh."

Lee stared.

"Amnesia?"

"I think."

"You think?"

"I don't remember enough to know if I have amnesia."

Lee rubbed his face.

"That's... honestly impressive."

For the first time all day, Kai almost laughed.

Almost.

Lee looked toward the village.

Then back toward Kai.

"You look exhausted."

Kai didn't argue.

"And hungry."

Kai didn't argue that either.

Lee grinned.

"Come on then."

He picked up the sack.

"My place isn't much, but it beats sleeping in the woods."

---

Lee's house sat near the edge of the village.

Small.

Simple.

Comfortable.

The interior smelled faintly of tea leaves and wood smoke.

Kai sat at a wooden table while Lee busied himself near a stove.

A kettle began heating over the fire.

For several minutes neither spoke.

Kai simply watched.

The ordinary nature of the scene felt oddly reassuring.

Eventually Lee placed two cups on the table.

Steam rose from both.

"There."

Kai carefully took a sip.

The warmth spread through his body immediately.

For a moment he simply enjoyed it.

Then Lee leaned back in his chair.

"Alright."

Kai looked up.

"Let's hear it."

"Hear what?"

"How someone with no memories ended up wandering out of the Forest of Summoning looking like he got into a fight with reality."

Kai paused.

"Forest of Summoning?"

Lee blinked.

"You really don't remember anything."

Kai shook his head.

So he explained.

Waking up.

The voices.

The corpse.

The letter.

Everything.

Lee listened without interrupting.

By the time Kai finished, the tea had grown noticeably colder.

The smile had vanished from Lee's face.

Instead, he looked thoughtful.

"Interesting."

Kai raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting?"

"You know what a Drifter is?"

"No."

Lee sighed.

"Of course you don't."

He leaned back.

"Alright then. Short version."

Kai listened.

"People occasionally appear in our world."

"Appear?"

"Just like that."

Lee snapped his fingers.

"One moment they don't exist here."

Snap.

"The next moment they do."

Kai frowned.

"You're serious."

"Unfortunately."

Lee took a sip of tea.

"We call them Drifters."

The word felt familiar.

Not because Kai remembered it.

Because somehow it fit.

"Where do they come from?"

"No idea."

Lee shrugged.

"Different worlds, apparently."

Kai stared.

"Different worlds."

"Yep."

"You're saying people randomly get pulled from other realities."

"Pretty much."

Kai waited.

Lee remained completely serious.

"...and everyone just accepts that?"

"No."

Lee laughed.

"People freaked out the first few hundred times."

Kai blinked.

"Few hundred?"

"Drifters have been showing up for centuries."

The room suddenly felt much larger.

Much stranger.

"You've met others?"

"Tons."

Kai stared.

Lee casually took another sip.

"Some became heroes."

"Others?"

"Bandits."

"That's comforting."

"It gets worse."

Lee grinned.

"One guy tried becoming a king."

Kai raised an eyebrow.

"What happened?"

"He actually succeeded."

Kai wasn't sure whether to laugh or be concerned.

"So people aren't afraid of Drifters?"

"Oh, some are."

Lee shrugged.

"But most learned something important."

"What?"

"Every Drifter is different."

The smile faded slightly.

"Some change history."

"Some save lives."

"Some ruin them."

A brief silence settled between them.

Then Lee smiled again.

"But one thing's always true."

Kai waited.

"They never arrive by accident."

The words lingered.

For some reason, they unsettled him more than anything else.

Never by accident.

Why was he here?

Who brought him?

For what purpose?

He still had no answers.

---

The conversation continued for another hour.

Mostly questions.

Mostly confusion.

Then Kai remembered something.

"The letter."

Lee looked up.

"What letter?"

Kai reached into his waistband.

The sealed parchment remained intact.

He handed it across the table.

Lee accepted it casually.

Then his expression changed.

The color drained from his face.

"What?"

Lee slowly turned the envelope over.

His eyes widened.

"No way."

"What is it?"

Kai immediately recognized the name.

King Akshay of Yggdrasil.

"You know him?"

Lee laughed once.

A humorless laugh.

"Know him?"

He shook his head.

"Let's just say we've crossed paths."

Kai frowned.

Lee's attention returned to the letter.

Then his expression darkened.

"Where exactly did you find this?"

"The corpse."

Lee's eyes narrowed.

"The messenger?"

Kai nodded.

"He was carrying it."

A long silence followed.

Then Lee quietly asked:

"Did he have a name?"

Kai remembered the identification card.

"Elrick."

The room fell silent.

Lee lowered his gaze.

For the first time since meeting him, he looked genuinely troubled.

"He was supposed to arrive at Yggdrasil days ago."

Kai felt a knot form in his stomach.

"He never made it."

"No."

Lee slowly shook his head.

"No he didn't."

He looked toward the window.

Toward the darkening forest beyond.

"How was the body?"

Kai hesitated.

Then answered honestly.

"Claw marks."

Lee listened.

"Parts of him were eaten."

The smile disappeared completely.

"His organs were missing."

Silence.

A very long silence.

Then Lee muttered:

"That's not a wolf."

The words were barely above a whisper.

Yet something about them made the room feel colder.

Outside, the sun continued sinking toward the horizon.

And for the first time since entering the village, Kai had the distinct feeling that something was wrong.