I felt my body hit the ground. The man had pulled me back and tossed me to the side to keep me from going into the water. My head spun as I tried to collect myself. Once I could see straight, I looked up at the man who had pulled me up. He was a dark and monotone man, almost blended in perfectly with the background. He had long-ish black hair tied in a short and messy ponytail and wore a black suit with a white undershirt and a gray tie. His skin was pale white, almost seeming sickly if he didn't carry himself like a healthy man, but the most striking thing about him was his eyes. They shone a purple that looked so bright against the monochrome backing of this entire place. He bent down and looked at the water, his eyes narrowing as he watched the last of the broomstick be sucked beneath the water with a hiss of bubbles.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Just didn't want you getting hurt." The man said as he stood back up and offered me a hand. "I was sent here to find anyone who arrived outside the walls. Seems you're the only one."
"What the hell was that?" I said as my voice rasped to life once more. I took his hand and steadied myself as I stood back up. "Something was in the water. It devoured the broom. Was it going to eat me?"
The man took a moment to ponder my question, placing a hand on his chin as he stroked a non-existent stubble before finally settling on an answer. "Nothing was in the water. Now, let's get going." He said as he turned around and stepped out of the rubble of the building.
I took a moment to look back at the water and the now-disappeared broomstick. "Nothing was in the water," replayed several times in my mind. Surely that must have been a lie; otherwise, there would be a soggy broomstick and hammer in here instead of my dumbass with a concussion.
As I thought more and more, the man stuck his head back in the building. "I said, let's get going." He sounded less than patient this time. I quickly got moving after that warning and found myself following behind him along a dusty path. The man was taller than I realized, and he carried himself as if a string was constantly pulling at his spine. He was always on edge and alert to his surroundings.
"So...Where am I?" I questioned. My question hung in the air once again as he thought up an answer.
"That's not for me to say. I'll take you to where you can learn about this place." The man finally said.
"Okay...But why exactly do I not have my memories-" I was suddenly cut off as I was in the middle of my next question.
"That is not for me to say. Please, no more questions." He interrupted. His voice was calm but stern, and as he said it, he turned to glance back at me. His eyes did not show anger or annoyance, but almost like something arriving at pity. He stared at me a moment too long, and for a moment, I almost expected him to say something to me, but right as I thought it, he turned his head back to face forward.
Strange. All of this was Strange. This Man. This Place. The whatever-it-was in the water. I wanted to go home, but I didn't really know what home was. I felt something boil inside me, akin to anger mixed with loneliness. I felt a space begin to grow outwards from within my chest, like my stomach dropped and the world fell away with it. My footsteps pounded in my head as a muffled, constant tone. I could see nothing in this space but myself. Yet, I didn't know who I was, so even that remained foreign.
My thoughts were ripped back to reality as I suddenly hit the back of the Man before me.
"We're here." He said. And indeed we were. Before me was a massive oak gate, it looks like it was made for giants. The wood looked worn and was just as dark and gloomy as its surroundings. The entire door was so large, I didn't think any human could push it open without the help of some mechanism, but the man reached out and pushed the door open like it was nothing. The whole thing began to squeal on its ancient hinges as I watched in a bit of disbelief as the sight before me came into view.
The interior of this place was massive. We were in some sort of courtyard with several other buildings surrounding us. This place almost looked like some sort of town or ancient city but I didn't see anyone around. When I looked further up the side of the mountain, I could see the whole place just kept going up and up until it seemed to reach another massive wall like the one that surrounded here. The only thing I could see over the top of it was a massive bell tower. Whatever that was, it seemed important.
"What is this place...?" I said to the man, a little hesitant as I wasn't certain if I was allowed to ask questions yet. As he finished pushing the door back in place to shut behind us, he brushed his gloved hands together and stood beside me.
"Home. At least for me. Your answer is up to you." He said before he continued to walk. His dress shoes clacked on the cobblestones as he kept walking.
"Do you always answer questions that vaguely?" I said under my breath before I followed behind him again. As we walked, I took a look around. We were moving down what appeared to be the main road and were headed in the general direction of that belltower. It seemed to be the center of this city.
As I looked around, something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. It was a flash of some color against the dreary background, though it wasn't much, I saw the faint glimpse of red.
I looked and immediately saw her. A woman was lying on the cobblestone floor; she looked as though she had passed out and had just fallen there, but I saw no signs of movement. She might even be dead. I split away from the man and jogged over towards her. She had long red hair that was in a total mess, probably from whatever fall she was in, and she wore some sort of dirndl. I crouched down and gently pressed my finger to her neck and felt a pulse.
"What in the hell-" I was suddenly interrupted.
"I would be careful. You are the only one awake so far. The rest will wake up soon." The man said as he walked up behind me, looking down at the woman and me. "We really need to get going before it's too late."
Questions were starting to flood my mind. I hadn't really thought to question why I was following this man. I suppose the curiosity just got the better of me, and I had to know why I suddenly woke up here, why I had no memories. I looked back at the woman's face. Would she wake up with the same questions as me, without memories? Would she have someone to guide her like I did? So far, I had only seen the three of us and no other living soul, although the man spoke as if there were other people here.
"I'm not going anywhere until I get some questions answered," I said as I looked back up at the man. I felt a rush of blood run hot as my fist clenched. Judging from how strong he seemed to be earlier, I definitely couldn't fight him and win, but he wanted me to go somewhere, and I wasn't just going to follow along anymore.
"As I said," He sighed, "All of your questions will be answered when we get to-"
"I know that's what you said, but I know what I said too. I can't go anywhere with an eased mind while I don't know what the hell is going on. So either you tell me right now, or I am just going to leave this place-"
"You can not leave." The man sighed and put a hand to the bridge of his nose and muttered something to himself. "This is Numenius Academy, a college for a few select students requiring... extra guidance. The exact details will be given in the opening speech made by your Principal, but you and that girl are new students. That is all I am at liberty to say." He crouched down to be at eye level with me. "Now, may we please continue?"
I had to think for a moment after that. An Academy? That wasn't exactly what I was expecting when I saw a massive black castle. This place was strange, if that was not already apparent.
"So, you brought me here, apparently against my own will, to go to school?" I said with total confusion in my voice.
"You were brought here, with the full knowledge of your family and friends, to be given a proper education. Nothing more, nothing less." He said before standing back up and dusting off his coat. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something strange. It appeared to be some piece of diamond metal on a string. He let it swing back and forth for a moment before sighing. "Now come on, we are already running late."
He started to walk again, and this time he didn't wait to see if I would follow.
I looked back down at the red-headed girl. She seemed to be unconscious with no obvious injuries or anything. I sighed and took off my jacket before folding it and placing it under her head. The cold hit me like a freight train. "Damn- You definitely owe me one when you wake up."
I rubbed my hands together to make some amount of warmth before standing up and jogging after the man.