[suib0m]

Glimpses of the Past
Part 1: Memories of Rumors and Stories

Suibom sat at the base of the Towerbridge spire, resting on one of the rolling hills that sprawled outwards from the jutting rock formation. The cool spring early morning air occasionally brushed his face and the tips of his ears, causing a slight flush to his pale Matis skin. He hardly noticed the chill that surrounded him though, or the fading stars above him or the changing colors of the sky as the new day began. His hands were working nimbly with the jeweler's tools and materials as he worked to perfect his craft, but his mind was growing increasingly distracted with the fog of memory as he thought about the strange events that had enveloped his life over the last handful of years.

Sui had left his sister, Valeriana, and his refugee camp home all those years ago to come to the mainland and carve out a life in Yrkanis as a productive member of a prominent guild, preparing for the world changing events that were heavily rumored to come. The kitin were reported to have become very active in the world again. There were many stories of the growing conflicts between the religions of Atys and their devout followers. In the refugee camps, as new blood was trained up and prepared for life on the mainland, it was told that the tenuous peace agreements between the political structures of the different races were quickly degrading.

War was descending. Guilds were scrambling to control outposts to best support their alliances and beliefs. The goo was spreading and infecting the world. Jena was returning to us and Ma-Duk loomed, hidden in the jungle and amassing Kami armies. The presence of the Dragon felt palpable in the air. The day of judgment was near.

At least, those were the stories that Sui came to the mainland with. The reality that met him when he arrived, however, was quite different.

Sui's mind fogged again and he looked around, not sure where he was. In his hands was another degraded necklace he just finished crafting. He was usually frustrated when his time honed skills were met with failures, but he was grudgingly used to it when pushing his skills to the edge of his abilities. Right now, though, the failure was caused by distraction. He was remembering something, what was it?

At some point in the past, since arriving on the mainland, he made -- in hindsight -- some very bad decisions. He can't remember what happened exactly, but it left his mind like a sieve. He is usually lucid these days, but every so often his thoughts will just randomly wisp away. His memories are much worse; like trying to hold onto water. They come to him when they want and all he can do is pay attention to the daydreams and try to recover the holes in his past. This usually leaves him unresponsive to outside stimulus with a vacant stare on his face. He transforms into a deaf, dumb, and mute living statue. Sometimes this happens in the middle of interacting with other homins. Obviously his social life has been destroyed by this affliction, and his chances of being a prominent member of a strong guild destroyed.

Guilds... Sui's memory stream opens up again and mental visions of his arrival on the mainland continue; his hands still work the jeweling tools and materials. Soon after arriving in the Matis capital, Yrkanis, Sui sought out others who were willing to continue to train him in the skills he began to learn in the refugee camps. While honing his skills and abilities he started to investigate guilds, trying to find one he could apply his skills for and take pride in being a part of. He soon found what he was looking for and joined the ranks of the Dragonblades. It was an excellent time for him. Sui was learning many skills quickly and the guild was very active in preparations for the purported future events.

But time marched on and signs of war never manifested more than rumors. Jena was no closer than she had ever been and Ma-Duk still only communicated through it's devout spiritual guides. But the threat of war still persisted through the rumors and statements from political leaders. It hung over every homin like a suffocating wet blanket. The sense of anxiety was thick in the air. Guilds continued their bloody clashes in attempts to control the outposts and territorial battles in the Prime Roots were common.

Then he started hearing rumors from new arrivals to the mainland that the refugee camps had been raided by kitin. The camps had been utterly destroyed and very few homins had been able to escape. The kitin had razed the land with their devastating efficiency. Waves of homin bodies were left strewn across the land in their wake. No one had information about his sister, Val.

A small snap quietly shattered the peaceful morning air. Sui shook himself out of his reverie and looked down at his work. The seed and amber he used to craft the necklaces had shattered into small fragments and the jeweling hammer had snapped in two. A bead of sweat trickled down Sui's brow.

To be continued...