Sure enough, after Lester walked away, Kennedy showed back up. This time, she had an apologetic look on her face.
Hill couldn't help but smile at the sight.
Clearing her throat three times, she knelt down beside him and began to talk.
"I'm assuming I don't have to explain how you ended up in this world, right?"
Hill blinked twice.
"I'm afraid you'll have to."
Kennedy seemed stumped by the answer. She let out an exasperated sigh as she ran a hand through her messy brown hair. "Alright, fine. I'll give you the express-lane explanation. You died to a plague beast, right? Then you were taken to a mysterious arena and were forced to fight another plague beast using some random weapon, right? And then after you defeated said plague beast, you were granted a blessing and were told that you were being transported to another world named Igashia, right? So you ended up passing out and waking up he—"
"Wait," Hill interrupted, raising his hands in surrender. "I... I don't remember defeating that monster. The last thing I remember is... getting stabbed by it. Then I stabbed it too, but... after that I don't really remember anything." He looked up at her with confusion clouding his crimson orbs. "Also, a blessing? What is that?"
Kennedy's impatient expression faltered immediately, replaced by flickering disbelief. "You don't remember? Strange. Everyone remembers their awakening. It's the moment you claim victory and your soul...well, it just awakens." She shook her head as if to clear it. "Look, it's easier to show you. Just summon your runes."
"Summon my what?"
"Your runes," she repeated, frustration creeping into her voice. "The glowing symbols that you should have seen in the arena. They will show up again when you summon them. Close your eyes. I want you to think about those runes, the way they flashed and formed words. Now, hold that thought and focus inward, on yourself. Try to will them to appear while doing so."
Hill did as he was told, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He pictured the swirling motes of light, the sharp angles of the runes forming the words [Prepare yourself.]. He focused on that memory, then tried to turn his attention inward, searching for some kind of corresponding energy within his own being. He thought of himself, of who he was as a person.
He waited.
But nothing happened. There wasn't any warmth, surge of power, glow, or anything really.
He opened his eyes, feeling a sense of failure settling within his gut. "I'm... struggling to summon the... runes."
Kennedy stared at him, her jaw slightly open in surprise. A brief silence stretched between them, which Hill took as an opportunity to try again. He failed once more, letting out an exhausted sigh as he did so.
Finally, Kennedy spoke. "That's... so strange," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "Everyone else was able to summon them on their first try. Even when I did it, it was so easy, like flexing a muscle."
Suddenly, her demeanor shifted. The apologetic look was now completely gone, replaced with a distrustful gaze. She grabbed Hill by the arm and roughly yanked him to his feet, her grip surprisingly strong. The sudden movement made him stumble.
"Stay on your feet," she ordered, her voice carrying a serious edge. "You're coming with me."
Without another word, she began pulling him through the camp. Hill, still trying to find his footing, realized the small clearing he'd woken up in was just a tiny corner of a much larger settlement. Dozens of the strange, bluish-brown tents were scattered under the canopy of the towering, purple-barked trees.
The air was unnervingly still and cool, thick with the smell of damp moss, decay, and smoke. It was if a fire was burning in the distance.
People milled about between the tents. They all wore varying garments, many of which were patched up by that same leafy material. However, some individuals were dressed in fancy garments or even steel armor.
They all looked quite pale as well.
Everyone paused to watch as Kennedy dragged Hill past, their gazes lingering on him with curiosity.
Kennedy marched him directly toward the center of the camp, where a much larger tent stood, distinguished by its size and a crudely drawn symbol of a winged sword on its flap. She pushed the flap aside without ceremony and pulled Hill inside.
The interior was spacious and lit by a single torch. A distinguished, grey-haired man with a neatly trimmed beard and intense brown eyes was kneeling on the floor. Spread before him was a large, rough piece of parchment on which he was meticulously drawing a map with a piece of purple tree bark.
From what Hill could see, the tree bark seemed to act like graphite, sliding from the wood onto the parchment.
How interesting, he thought to himself.
Standing near the mapmaker was a blond man with a lazy posture, wearing a wrinkled button-down shirt, shorts, and sandals. He was idly fiddling with a toothpick in his mouth, his expression bored.
A few feet away, sitting quietly on a folded stack of cloths, was a small girl who couldn't have been more than eight years old. With the same blonde hair and facial structure as the man, she was clearly his daughter.
Kennedy cleared her throat, and the grey-haired man looked up from his map.
"Mr. Krugen," she said, her tone respectful and a bit shaky as well. "Kennedy, Second Company. We found this one unconscious in the forest." She gave Hill's arm a slight shake. "We brought him to camp and determined he's an Earthling. His name is Hill."
She paused. "There's a problem, sir. He claims he doesn't remember his awakening, and he's unable to summon his runes. No one we've found has ever been unable to do so." Kennedy's eyes flicked toward the small, silent girl. "I'm requesting we use Eliana's ability. We need to know if he's telling the truth."