Luthiel grabbed Grub's arm and started pulling him down the street before he could protest.
Her grip was firm but not painful this time, her mitten-like hand wrapped around his sleeve with an enthusiasm that didn't match the gravity of what they were supposed to be doing today. Her golden eyes practically glowed as she walked, half-skipping beside him. Grub let himself be dragged for a few steps before speaking.
"Hey."
He looked at her blankly.
"Where exactly are we going?"
Luthiel turned around while still walking backwards. Her golden eyes practically sparkled in the morning sunlight and her braided blond hair bounced lightly with every step.
"Well, first I wanted to take you to Blacksmith Urgor!" Luthiel beamed up at him.
Grub stared at her.
"Wasn't this supposed to be some kind of trip where you interrogate me?"
Luthiel nodded happily. "Yes! But I thought it would be best to do other things as well. To lighten the mood, you know?" She tapped her chin. "People are usually more willing to talk when they're not feeling cornered."
The two continued going through the village streets. Inside, the morning rush had already begun. Shopkeepers had opened their businesses while children ran through the roads. The smell of fresh bread drifted through the air.
As they walked, Luthiel suddenly looked up at him. She thought for a second, her golden eyes drifting upward as if consulting something behind them. Then she turned back to him with a smile.
"While we are walking, won't you tell me about this Wrighty you write about so fondly?"
Grub scowled.
"I didn't write anything fondly. I just noted facts."
Luthiel gave him a look. It was the kind of look that said she didn't believe a single word of that but was choosing to let it slide. Then she nodded and prompted him with a small wave of her hand. Grub walked in silence for a few steps, thinking carefully. How much should he say?
He didn't want to give the full details about the Ridge. It would be a bad idea to tell anyone—Lacerts or Anwansi—about the settlement the survivors had built after the giant grub attack. The place was fragile. The people there were fragile. He had left because he thought staying was a mistake, but that didn't mean he wanted to lead anyone back to them. They were still his people and the closest thing he had to a home. After a while he sighed.
"He's my friend," Grub said quietly. "I bet you probably already read that part. Because you're a creep."
Luthiel smiled but said nothing.
"He, um…" Grub paused. "He saved me from drowning when I first got to this world. I would've died without him. Honestly, I owe him more than I would ever tell him to his face."
He looked down at the road. For a brief moment, Wrighty's face flashed in his mind. That big stupid grin. The way he called him Doc before he had a name.
If he were here right now, he'd be ecstatic hearing this. I'd never hear the end of it.
Luthiel gazed up at him with a warm expression, her golden eyes soft.
"I always forget you're not even from this world," she said. "It's strange, huh?"
Grub said nothing.
"And this Wrighty guy sounds like a real nice person."
Grub nodded slowly. "Yeah. He is. I hope I get to see him again." He paused. "Though I'd never tell that to his face either."
Luthiel slowly smiled before continuing on. They walked for a moment in comfortable silence before Luthiel spoke again.
"What about before, huh? What was this other place like? Before you fell?"
Grub looked down at the dirt road passing beneath his feet. That was something he wanted to know too. In fact, that was exactly what he had been searching for since the moment he woke up falling through a sky that he didn't know.
The answer hit him immediately. Nothing. He knew nothing.
He didn't face her as he replied.
"I… I don't really know, honestly."
The words came slowly.
"It's strange. I have no memory of anything before falling. But the weird part is, I know random stuff. I can speak. I know how to walk. I know what a plant is, or what a river does, or how to build things. Random facts just sitting in my head like somebody put them there." He frowned. "But I don't know where I learned any of it. I can't remember any actual memories. Nothing personal. It's like everything that made me, me, got erased, and I was left with empty knowledge I can't trace back to anywhere."
He was quiet for a moment.
"I don't remember my parents or my friends. I don't know who I am at all. Grub isn't even my real name. It was given to me. Not that long ago, actually." He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. "I don't remember where I came from at all."
The words lingered.
"I was left with facts."
He looked down.
"Just facts."
Luthiel walked beside him in silence. Her golden eyes watched his face without the usual bounce behind them.
Grub finally finished with, "everyone else seemed to try to focus on the present. Wrighty never really questioned it most of the time. He didn't remember anything either and yet he didn't seem to care much. But I can't let it go. I don't know why, maybe its just my curiosity but…I want to know."
"I see," Luthiel said softly. "You don't remember anything, huh, Mister Grub?"
Grub said nothing.
"That's a little sad, huh?"
Grub still said nothing. He just walked. His jaw was tight and his fist clenched inside his pocket.
He really didn't know anything about himself. And he hated it. He hated it more than the bracelet on his wrist or the countdown ticking in his head. He had to get this stupid thing off so he could continue his search for knowledge. So he could find out who he was. Where he came from. Maybe find a way back to wherever that was.
His resolve burned quietly beneath his ribs.
He wouldn't let his journey end here. Not by the Lacerts. Not by the Guardians. Not by anyone. He would not die until knowledge was his. He refused.
Luthiel watched him silently, her golden eyes lingering on the tension in his shoulders. She didn't push further.
After a while, Grub spoke again. His voice was flat, deliberately redirecting.
"Why are we going to a blacksmith shop anyway?"
Luthiel's face brightened.
"Oh yeah! Master Morrigan is the one who suggested getting you a weapon made a while back! She says you may need one soon!" She smiled. "She wanted me to get it ordered earlier so that whenever we started training, you would have one ready."
Grub eyed her suspiciously.
"Why would I need a weapon?"
The lie came easily. Both of them knew it. He absolutely needed a weapon. A weapon would do more than nicely right about now. That old turtle really knew her stuff.
Luthiel simply responded, "Oh, no reason. Just what the Master said is all."
Her golden eyes drifted briefly toward his wrist before looking away. Grub caught the glance. He stared at her for a moment, then sighed.
"Yeah, I suppose getting a weapon would be fine. Seems a bit out of place right now, but whatever."
They kept walking. Luthiel perked up again.
"Hey, you know Morrigan agreed to train you tomorrow, right? I don't think I mentioned that yet."
Grub turned to her. His eyes widened.
"Really? That's perfect!"
He was genuinely excited. He could finally learn about Anima in a practical setting. He understood the principles from Orobas's lessons, but theory without application was only half the picture. Training under someone as powerful as Morrigan—judging by how the Guardians spoke about her, the Master of the Million Fists, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven—could change everything.
Luthiel nodded, watching him with amusement.
"You seem excited."
"Of course I am."
"I can't say I share the feeling." Luthiel let out a small laugh. "Master Morrigan always tries to train me, but I usually run away. Her training is brutal and I hate it." She paused, then added quietly. "Well… most of me does anyway. One part of me loves training."
Grub stared at her. The way she worded that was strange. But with Luthiel, most sentences were weird. So he let it pass.
Luthiel fell silent for a few moments as they walked. She seemed to be having some kind of internal discussion. Her facial expressions shifted several times in quick succession. First a frown, then a scowl, a brief smile flashed and then neutral again, all before she turned back to him.
"What happened at that place you and your Wrighty friend went to?"
Grub thought for a moment, considering how to answer. Then he looked up and saw a small shop ahead of them. A wooden sign hung above the entrance, the letters carved deep and painted dark.
URGOR SMITHING
Grub looked up at it and pointed.
"Seems like we're here."
Luthiel opened her mouth. Then closed it. Then smiled.
"Let's head inside then, shall we?"