The old man turned to Nicholas and uttered his sympathy. "I'm really sorry for what happened to you, young man. I pray that you can get your memory back, and then you can find your wife."
Nicholas could only nod weakly, unable to say anything at this point.
They were silent as they stood together, facing the hut. One was thinking about the festive wedding, and the other one was trying so hard to exert every single brain cell he had into remembering the important event.
Nicholas only felt a headache. He sighed in frustration.
This invited the old man to look at him with pity. He cleared his throat. "How long ago was the accident?"
Nicholas took a deep breath and let it out slowly. How long had it been? Well... almost six years. This made him feel such deep guilt.
He must have left his wife not long after the wedding. He couldn't imagine how she must be feeling when he left and never returned for years. Where did she go? Maybe she went to try and look for him...
The sun was setting on the west and the village head realized he should head back home soon, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to find his way after dark.
"Well, I am sorry, young man. I have to go home. Don't despair. God will surely bring you back together," said the village head. "Would you like to go into town with me?"
Nicholas shook his head and tried to smile but he could only show a bitter sigh. "No, thank you. I think I will stay here and try to remember more."
"Well... have you got food?" the village head asked him, getting ready to get some fruits from his wagon but Nicholas stopped him.
"I am fine. I have some supplies," he said. He could easily hunt for prey now that he realized he was a lycan. Food was not an issue.
The village head cleared his throat and looked around him worriedly. "Err... this forest is haunted, many people say. So, I would suggest you stay inside and just light a fire to keep the animals away."
"Thank you," Nicholas nodded. "I will do that."
"Tomorrow, if you want to look for me, you can head down to town and ask people the way to the Hauntingen village. I am the village head. Everyone there will know me."
Nicholas furrowed his brows. "So... Hauntingen is a village?"
"Well.. we have a small town that consisted of 10 smaller communities or some people call a village. My village shares the same name as the town and it's located in the center. That's why."
"Oh, I see," Nicholas nodded in understanding. He was initially confused by the old man's explanation. "I will do it tomorrow. Thank you so much for going out of your way to take me here. I really appreciate it."
The village head smiled and patted Nicholas on the shoulder. "Don't mention it."
He then left Nicholas alone and got on his wagon to head back home. After the old man had left, Nicholas stepped closer to the hut and opened the door.
It made a creaking sound when the door slowly swung inside.
Nicholas stood by the doorway and observed his surroundings. Now, he realized why he always had such good vision and he could see in the dark really well. It must be his lycan side.
This time, he could also use that capability to check the insides of the hut. From the doorway, he looked around every side and every corner of the hut. The room was very dusty and filled with cobwebs, indicating that the hut had been abandoned for a very long time by the owner.
He walked in. His hands now touched the hut walls. The wood was already old and damaged from being eaten by termites. For some reason, his chest suddenly felt tight, and his heart ached.
"What's this?" Nicholas was startled when he felt hot water running down his cheeks. He swept the water and looked at it closely. "Tears?"
He furrowed his brows and felt confused. He was crying, but he didn't know why.
Nicholas looked around again and then stepped deeper into the hut. Even though his brain didn't remember anything, there was a part of him that recognized that place.
He felt so familiar with this room he was entering. There was an unexplainable longing filling his heart. The more he entered the hut, the sadder he felt.
The village head's words from a moment ago echoed in his head.
'This is where you two got married about six years ago,'
'At that time, you both looked very much in love.'
His eyes stung and tears just streamed down hard without him noticing. Nicholas wiped the tears again with his sleeves and sat down on a bench. They kept flowing profusely and he rubbed his eyes roughly with his fingers.
"What exactly happened?" He asked while looking at the teardrops on his fingers. "Do you know anything? Nicholas?"
For a few seconds, he stared at his wet fingers. He really didn't understand why he cried, but from those tears, he knew one thing: he must have really loved his wife.
A man couldn't possibly cry for something or someone that they didn't love and had no meaning in his life.
Now Nicholas turned to stare at the empty fireplace and then pictured the figure of a little girl with that gray hair and pink streaks whom he thought had something to do with the person who had helped him.
The little girl was running cheerfully in his mind. He was surprised when the image of the girl turned to look at him with a sad gaze. His chest felt so heavy instantly.
Nicholas pressed his chest, it hurt inside. He closed his eyes, and his tears flowed harder.
"Is that you?" He asked the girl who was in his mind. He looked at her attentively and imagined her looking older.
Nicholas was now convinced that it was really the same girl who had helped him when he was little, and when he grew up, he married her.