The Journey's Beginning

It was not a good time to travel to Lion’s Arch. In the middle of the trip, a ferocious rain started to fall, making what he thought to be a peaceful trip a complete mess. However, it seemed this fact bothered him little. He just sat on his bed while everyone outside was shouting, while everything was shaking up and down. Only the sight of a man standing before him caught his attention, breaking the trance he was in.

"You don’t seem really happy, do you?” Said the man ironically.

"I’m not in the mood, Sky” replied the Norn, with certain resentment in his voice towards the old man.

"You were talking with her again, were you? Everyone would think you are crazy if you told them your strange… power”

"You know it’s nothing really useful. I don't know much about it, nor how to control it” lamented the young Norn. He was feeling a bit dizzy, with sight lost, looking to the ceiling, as if waiting for something or someone to come through.

"Aye, aye. Stop flirting for a bit just now, I have a new assignment for you.”

"It’s not like the last one brought me much good. You can see, I help them to slay Zhaitan and I end up getting jailed.”

"Leave that aside. This time around, you are not going to help Tyria; you are going to help me and my Lord” asseverated the old man, suddenly serious.

"Should I? It’s not going to be easy to convince me” said the Norn, with no interest in the human’s offer, while trying to sit down again and concentrate to bring himself back to his trance and abstraction from everything, so he could stop blaming the world that turned his back on him.

"Actually, it’s going to be really easy”

"That’s a bit cocky, Sky”

"We are going to The Mists. Do you want to know where she is? What’s he working on and for? Do you want to meet her? This job will help you on your pursue, No Name” as the man finished, the Norn stood up and brought himself closer to Sky.

"To The Mists. Where exactly?”

"Heart of the Mists. Though, this time the assignment won’t be as easy.” He seemed to ponder on something. “First test –“ someone started to scream “we are sinking!” while the chaos caused by the storm was going on. “– How deep is your desire to live? Survive.” Sky started clapping while getting out of the room, locking the door behind him as it was before he arrived.

"Did you really locked me in again?”

"Come on, kiddo! Show me what you got”

What I got? I’m so going to kill you someday, Sky. The young Norn just sat down in the border of his bed again, patiently, getting into his strange trance state. Suddenly a man, resembling a guard, unlocked the door, freeing him. “Thank you, now let’s get out of here as I promised to you.”

The man who freed him, horrified and almost crying asked a simple question. “How can you talk to my mind? You won’t use me and torture me, right?”

"Save your nonsense until we get out of here. Let’s go!” He shouted, while running out of the basement, the water starting to fill the lower levels of the ship as it started to sink.

On their way to the ship’s deck, the Norn could not help but think about the man's reaction. He was terrified. I don’t control this… power, but I would never think I could do this much wrong to him. Every time I look at him I can feel fear in his eyes. “Don’t… I didn’t mean you to feel that way. I want to bring no harm to you, I’m not lying, I promise you.” The man seemed to have calmed down, relieved by the Norn’s apparent honesty. Though, the situation was not ideal to relax, as they were in the sea, covered by a dense mist, in the central point of a furious storm.

"Everyone is running around, what are we going to do? Should we jump to the sea?” The man looked alarmed at the Norn, though he was sitting, as if he was in a trance again. “Hey, what are you doing? We are going to die, to die!” The man approached the edge of the ship, considering whether to really jump or not.

"There is no other way…” said the man, as he started to move deciding to jump. Unexpectedly, the Norn held him by his arm, stopping him from jumping to what would be a certain death.

"There is another way. Trust me on this, stay here.”

"Are you crazy? We will die here anyway!” Said the man while forcefully trying to get free his arm, still held by the Norn.

"Help is on the way.” Said the Norn patiently, knowing the man would not believe him.

"How can you…”

"Did you forget my “rarity”?” The Norn started to whisper to the man’s own mind.

"No, stop… I… I trust you.”

"Again, I mean no harm to you, but you were a bit too excited to think clearly.” Said the Norn, getting the pistol the man had hanging on his belt and firing some gun shots to the sky, trying to alert their position to anyone near them. Next time I meet Sky these gunshots will be dedicated to him.

The man's face distorted in horror of their current situation, looking at the ground as if he was ashamed of something. The Norn just stood up, looking firmly in one direction, waiting for something to come, to discern something inside the fog. Certainly, the fact nothing was happening started to get on the man’s nerves.

Suddenly, a ship full of Lion’s Arch guards appeared within the fog, screaming they found the drowning ship and many survivors scattered around swimming in the turbulent sea. The man turned to the Norn, with a surprised face.

"How did you know?” His horrified face again gone, now replaced by incredulity upon the appearance of the Lion’s Arch patrol.

"I know they send patrols on stormy days like this, in case some casualty happens. Let's say I was able to speak with one of them.”

"How did they find us?”

"When I got into one man’s mind he told me they saw a castaway, so I guessed they were not too far, I just needed to make some noise”.

Some of the guards got into the sinking ship, guiding the man to safety, but slowly approaching the Norn. “What happens with him?” Asked the man, while they unsheathed their weapons, menacing the Norn with them.

"Do not move an inch. Hands up or else we will kill you. You are not going to escape” said one of the guards approaching the Norn. “What’s your name?”

"I don’t have one” said the Norn while rising his hands. One of the requesters drew his sword closer to the Norn’s throat. “But… you can call me Patrick”. The guards grabbed Patrick by the arms, carrying him to the newly arrived ship.

While he was being transferred to the ship’s prison cell, he passed next to the man that opened the door, back at the almost sunk ship. He didn’t say a word, but gestured with his hand, pointing to his forehead. Patrick felt confused at first, but talked to the man’s mind. “Did you want this? What’s the matter?” Asked Patrick to the man. “My name is Ross. I will get you out of jail when we get to Lion’s Arch. You were freed from your prison cell thanks to a little accident when the ship’s sinking started. Nothing else, I’ll talk to you later.” Patrick was surprised by the sudden kindness the always-frightened man showed him and, although he had no reason to trust him, he had no other choice if he wanted to continue his mission.

Patrick was put in jail again, along with two other prisoners that seemed to be starving. Oh, hell. I hope they don’t like to torture prisoners, because those two do not seem very healthy at all. A big Charr approached the room, standing before the bars of the prison cell.

"Hello Patrick. You already know why you are here” said the Charr.

"To be fair? I should not be here” replied Patrick to the officer.

"That’s what every delinquent says, look at them!” This time the Charr raised his voice, almost shouting at him.

"Yes, I can see you have probably tortured them. I don’t know how it is possible you can get away with this” calmly answered Patrick to the Charr’s claim. He then sat down, closed his eyes and got into his trance posture again.

"Hey! What are you doing?” Inquired the Charr. Upon seeing he had no response, he called other guards. “Let’s teach this rebel a lesson.” He opened the door and they got inside. The other two prisoners backed to the cell walls, but Patrick did not move at all.

"I don’t think you are going to do anything” said Patrick, with a firm voice.

"You idiot, they will beat every bone of your body!” Said one of the scared prisoners. However, as he voiced his fear towards them, the two guards that joined the Charr, fell down, terrified and trembling on the ground.

"What the hell?” The Charr looked at the scene and he felt a powerful presence. Patrick got up, approached the Charr and looked right into his eyes.

"You should have more dignity.” This said, he went to where the two prisoners were and helped them regain composure. They felt a bit better, but instantly warned him that the Charr was pointing at him with his gun. “I dare you. Do it. It seems it’s you who doesn’t know what I did. Do you think you can harm me with that?” The Charr grimaced, kept the gun and turned, leaving the room and carrying both guards that had not recovered yet.

"You will pay for this, Patrick.”

"Whatever. You guys want me jailed because a No Name like me did all the dirty job on the fight against Zhaitan. You cannot accept someone who has been rejected by society, who has been rejected by life. Even worse than that, you are trying to make it worse and, though I’m not an intelligent Norn, I know how to protect myself from a corrupt system like yours.”

"Stop talking nonsense!” Screamed the Charr, rising the gun again towards Patrick. “Do not say one more word or else you will regret it.”

The Norn did not move, sat down, closed his eyes and started to meditate again, as if nothing was happening. I don’t want to go further. It’ll be useless to argue against a corrupt officer.

"That’s right. You know where your place is. I’ll make sure you do not get out of here, ever” the Charr muttered to himself. “We will see”, thought Patrick.

"How is he doing, Sky?”

"He’s fine so far. If he can’t get out of that mess, he is not worthy of our mission, my Lord” answered Sky with an unfamiliar serious voice.

"He’s of my kind after all. I trust him, he’ll do fine” said the being Sky called Lord, with an ominous voice.