Bhabyl (Chapt 1-3) by M Bae

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SUMMARY: A man without a memory takes on the identity of dragonslayer, and begins a journey to discover his past.

Chapter 1

I woke up without a memory.
I was lying on wet ground, and before my eyes was a net of twigs and leaves, pale light barely leaking through it. Four words came to me slowly: This is a forest. Simple but encouraging thought; my brain was still functioning. I lay there for a while, trying to remember who I was, and how I got here in the forest and why. Blank. Whatever was inscribed on the tablet of my memory had been painted over, it seemed. But I had the distinct feeling it was still there. That was good enough, for now.

I sat up, groaning at the bolt of sharp pain in my back, and wondered where I'd gotten it. Again I remembered nothing. I gave up and waited for my eyes to adjust to the dimness.

I was in a forest, alright. All about me were trees with trunks thicker than three of me put together, and from these pillars multitude of branches intertwined in numberless arches, almost completely blocking the sky from my view. So the light I had just seen could not have come from the stars or the moon; I saw then that it came from the leaves. The leaves were thin sheets of crystal, glowing pale as the veins slowly flickered blue. The ground—which was covered by these leaves—didn't glow, but barely reflected the lights overhead. The resulting scenery was quite ethereal. A forest of blue cellophane. Where the hell was I?

I stood up and searched the ground, but found nothing. I gathered that I'd been out for pretty long, though, because the ground I had laid was visibly thinner with leaves than the ground around it. I'd also shed some blood, since the leaves beneath me appeared ruddy. I wasn't bleeding now, though, but I felt quite thirsty and weak. Soon I'd be hungry too, I knew.

It was probably foolish—and dangerous—to wander around a forest without some kind of guidance, but I had no choice. With some luck I'd find a stream, and possibly something edible. I had half a mind to break some twigs to mark my way, and get a walking stick, but then even the lowest branch was at least a meter above my reach.

As soon as I started walking, though, I realized that I was in a terrible shape. My legs were weak, my back hurt like hell, and my arms felt like wet laundry sacks hanging from my shoulders. I couldn't walk far, but I couldn't sit down and rest. I was afraid that I might never stand up again.

After what must have been a couple miles I took a short break by leaning against a tree. My breath was far too heavy for the amount of walking I'd done. I didn't like it one bit, because I had a feeling I should be able to walk much farther without tiring. My mouth was dry and I felt dizzy. If a hungry bear, no, even a moody cat, saw me now...

There are no animals, I suddenly realized. I hadn't seen or heard the slightest indication of life since my awakening. Nothing but the drooping silence... It sent an eerie chill down my back. If this forest was devoid of life, which seemed more than likely, then my chance of finding water and food was greatly reduced.

I might have given up then and there, had it not been for some foul odour I smelled.