Golden Dawn

|Chapter 2 ~ A Proposal|

I froze as I tried to find the source of the voice, scanning the surrounding facility with an urgency that caused my heart to race. 

Out of a dark corner walked an old man with a face - withered by age. Lines cracked across his skin and long white hair hung down his back, probably left un brushed for a very long time. He wore a white mantel that hung just above his black boots and on his shoulder sat the strange creature I saw earlier.

I started to slowly back away from them. The sight of an actual person in front of me made me oddly terrified - the exact opposite I always imagined a reunion with another human would be like. I didn't know what they were capable of, especially the very odd creature that held my gaze with its own bright alien ones.

The old man noticed my subtle retreat and smiled warmly. His light blue eyes sparkled and I suddenly got the suspicion he must have been quiet handsome in his younger years.

"I must admit I did not expect Hermes to bring a companion along." The man chuckled. His voice was deep and made my ears ring with its vibrance. I was too stunned to move, my heart thundering against my ribcage. The stranger coughed and continued awkwardly when I did not reply. "This is Hermes my... ah... partner." He stuttered and patted the creature on its tiny head. I eyed the man suspiciously, words finally finding their way into my mouth.

"Partner?  You sure must be lonely if you have an animal as your accomplice. Heck I didn't even know they still existed!" I snapped. The old man shook his head, smiling. He seemed unfazed by my hostile tone.

"What's your name?" He rasped, causing me to catch my breath.

It was a question I never heard before.

It was the first time someone asked for my name and the mere concept of it left me momentarily too stunned to answer.

In my age, no one cared about each other. Moral themes such as love and friendship were just seen as useless byproducts that could make a person weak in their professions. Everything was so rushed and dangerous that human companionship ceased to truly exist. People lived their own dreadfully ambitious lives and didn't even enjoy it. There was so little joy in living such a driven life. It was after all impossible if the only world we had, was scorched and without any signs of beauty left for us to fondle over.

"I... don't have one." I finally said when my voice worked again and stared at him with slightly  more interest. The stranger was much more interesting than rubbish and plastic packages. Each feature was purely human. Weak, fragile, but so utterly captivating.

"That cannot be. Everyone must have a name, child." The stranger then said, his voice kind but eyes sad. "Names have power you know."

He walked to the long wooden table and took out a crumbled paper from his back pocket. I recognized it as the same paper the creature had carried moments earlier. I made out the faint outlines of a person inked on the paper.

It was a photograph of a woman.

"My name is Albert." I kept my eyes on the man as he turned his back towards me, studying the photograph. His eyes were hazy, like he was captured in some kind of reminiscence that brought back both pleasant as well as sorrowful memories.

"So what do you want to be called?" He asked, voice soft and eyes still trained on the piece of paper. I decided against asking him who the person was and gulped down the bile in my throat.

I never thought of naming myself. My parents certainly never got the chance to since they were both dead. The only thing I was able to recall, was the slight resonance of their voices. The only inheritance I had and probably ever will.