This new pce was much more colorful.

  The boy was greeted by a vast, open grassnd, spotted with a healthy helping of swaying trees and flowing streams. A moderate wind battered him and everything else. Not strong enough to force him to move, but the sensation was very present.

  There was much to see from his spot on the grass. A herd of gazelle stood in the distance, staring at everything. Everything but him, it seemed. Less distant, a rge group of rabbits. Though they were closer and more plentiful, they were harder to notice.

  A beetle nded atop the boy’s head. The boy was very still, he made for a good pce to rest. The boy took note of the way the way it felt, as the tiny creature rested upon his hair.

  Minutes were spent, standing perfectly still, until the little bug flew away.

  The boy tilted his neck and followed it with his gaze. It flew off to his left, and quickly disappeared into the distance.

  There seemed to be a great many things in the distance. All around him, no matter where he might turn, he’d be able to see vague, tiny blobs along the horizon. Barely visible in front of the slowly darkening blue sky, where the sun had already begun to disappear behind him.

  Closer than all of that, though, was a town, on the other end of a small stone and brick bridge over a rge, flowing river.

  The town on the other end was a collection of mostly brick buildings, all with sloped, sturdy roofs. The dirt paths between the buildings seemed to be paved through foot traffic, and there were a number of humans along the path, walking from building to building.

  Most of the humans were covered in softness, like the boy and the man from before, but a handful of them were covered in something hard and sturdy-looking. The heavy chains and thick brown something underneath looked like it would be difficult to move in.

  They carried Long sticks with pointed metal ends, and metallic boards in their other hand. They walked slowly. They didn’t seem to be going towards any buildings. They just looked at things, and sometimes spoke to one another.

  They looked at him. Some of them did. Just a couple, of these hardness-wearing humans, that just so happened to be at the edge of town nearest to the bridge, which was a distance away from where the boy was standing perfectly still.

  He was too far away to see their expressions, but he was reasonably confident in his assertion that they were looking at him. Trying to address him?

  Should he go to them, then? They’d been standing for a long time, it was clear that they had no intention of coming to him. But it seemed that they were addressing him, so he should respond. That was how it worked, he was certain.

  He’d go to them. The man and the humans moved themselves with their legs. Perhaps he could do the same?

  He stepped. And he fell. But he moved. That was proof enough that it worked. He just had to imitate them better.

  He tripped a great many times as he walked the short distance towards the bridge. But every time, he made a different failure. His mimicry of the humans improved with every fall.

  He’d fall in the future, too. For now, though, he made it within shouting distance of the heavily-cd humans.

  “C-CITIZEN...?” One of them shouted at him, raising his pointed stick, while the boy was still a short way away from the bridge. “S-STAY WHERE YOU ARE.”

  The boy stood still again, as he was told. “is that me?” The boy asked, with a head tilt.

  “…WHAT?” The human shouted again, while the fingers of the one standing next to him twitched against the wooden handle of his spear.

  “is that me?”

  “SPEAK UP!”

  The boy tilted his neck upward. “is that me?”

  “. . ."

  The humans leaned towards each other and said things the boy couldn’t hear.

  In the end, the guard who hadn’t shouted curled his lip with displeasure, as the one that shouted turned addressed the boy again. “COME CLOSER. SLOWLY. AND KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM.”

  The boy extended his arms outward, his palms facing the two humans. He walked forward towards them and the bridge, as he was told.

  The guards flinched as the boy stepped onto the bridge. It was hard beneath his shoes. The ground was hard as well, but the stone-brick bridge was especially so.

  All stimution was good. He shouldn’t have biases, he knows… But if he had to choose between experiencing softness or hardness, he’d choose softness.

  Pfft.

  “That’s close enough!” The man raised his spear once again, and the boy stopped. “Citizen! Are you well?” His voice was hostile, yet frightened, and even a little sad.

  “i am unsure what you mean.”

  “Are you well, boy? Or are you afflicted?!”

  “i do not think i am-“

  “Why even bother- Look at him!” The other man spoke. His voice was heavy and almost hissing, and he scowled. “Look at his eyes! The way he speaks, did ya see the way he WALKED!? He’s not a man, but a BANDIT, we best cut him down before he turns!”

  “No- NO!” Sweat was visible on the head of the first man. “Don’t be rash! He’s speaking! He’s remaining still! If he were afflicted he’d surely have attacked by now!”

  “Oh, then this is just the early stages of the affliction! Sying him now will be a MERCY, man. A MERCY.”

  “No! No man knows how it starts, you can’t possibly decide that! L-Look, the boy is well, he must be!”

  “IF YOU BELIEVED THAT, YOUD’VE LET HIM IN ALREADY.” The other man spat. “Look at his clothes! He’s not from here, or from anywhere around here! And he’s not carrying anything, he’s not even armed!” The other man readied his weapon. “He’s been abandoned, man! Lost in the wilds alone for gods know how long, it’s only a matter of time before-“

  “N-NO!” The first man practically squealed. “I WILL HAVE NO PART IN THIS! I-IN FACT, I FORBID IT!”

  The other scowled harder, and was about to bite back, ‘til the first man spoke again.

  “The boy, he can speak, and he stands safely! He is NOT afflicted! And it is the order of the prince that all non-afflicted individuals are to be WELCOMED into the border towns with open arms! I-I’ll fight to uphold his order!” Shakily, he raised his spear in defense.

  “…” The other man breathed for a moment, and his scowl fell away some, revealing a look of grief. “… And you’re willing to risk the lives of everyone in town over it?”

  “Yes!” The man decred, his cheeks slightly red. “I-I am!”

  “…Hmph.” The other man huffed. “Swear to me, then, that you’d give your life before you let a drop of innocent blood be spilled.”

  “I-I do! I swear it! I- We took an oath, didn’t we?”

  The other man nodded. “Fine, then.” The other man stood down and resumed his previous position. “He may pass.”

  The first man let out a deep sigh of relief.

  The boy had been silent through all of that. Much of that conversation was lost on him. He’d like to understand more, but it seemed that the man was not done questioning.

  “Uh, boy!” He shouted at him. “Come! You may cross!”

  The boy nodded, and obeyed.

  “You don’t seem wounded or unclean…” The man got a closer look. “But I shall lead you to the church anyways. Their eyes are keener than mine.”

  “ok.”

  The man turned to his companion, “I’ll return in a moment.”

  “Mmn. I’ll be here.” The other man gazed out at the open field ahead.