When the scroll first appeared, Alexander went on alert, his eyes darting left and right, even though his body wouldn't be able to do much if he found danger.
When seconds passed and no trouble presented itself, his eyes and mind settled on the scroll before him.
Reading the words on the scroll, Alexander's brows furrowed as he understood them, and he couldn't help but grow a little anxious.
Given his interactions with Barth, Alexander could already map out some truths, but he didn't want to believe any of this.
"System," he called, looking for some sort of response but there was none. Nothing changed, even after he called out two more times.
"Isn't that its name?" Alexander wondered, glancing back at the scroll.
"What is Throft?"
Alexander's head was full of questions but added to the fact that he couldn't even move, he also had no trustworthy source for answers.
With the way things were going, it seemed he would have to get his information from Barth and he didn't like that, as doing so could expose him.
"But what's the point of secrecy if I'm not even on Earth?"
Unable to get a response from the floating scroll, Alexander could only stay put, watching it until the door opened once more and Barth returned, carrying a long, smudged mirror in his hand.
"Hope I didn't take long," the old man chuckled, quickly crossing the distance between them with his long legs.
Focusing on Barth, Alexander's eyes shifted quickly to the mirror in his hand. He gave off no reaction as he stared at his reflection.
Though his expression remained plain, inwardly Alexander was relieved to see that, though he was badly malnourished and looked to be made of just bones, it was still his face in the mirror.
Underneath the sunken cheeks and lean jaw, he could identify himself, his bright blue eyes being particularly comforting.
"Has my hair always been like this?"
At the moment, Alexander found everything to be somewhat all right except for the hair on his head, which was a clean, healthy white despite the state of his body.
"Yeah, should it be a different colour?" Barth asked, glancing into the mirror and then back at Alexander.
"Yeah, it's supposed to be blonde," Alexander revealed, studying the old man's reactions for any signs of deceit. But Barth showed no indication of lying. Instead, he looked at Alexander intensely.
"Is that all?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your only problem is your hair?"
"Yes. Is there a problem…" Alexander asked, but then his eyes brightened as he figured out what might be the issue.
"The others complained that this wasn't how they were supposed to look, right?"
"Yes. It was hard for them to come to terms with their new appearances."
Barth wanted to say more, but Alexander's attention had turned to the space in front of him, so he stayed silent and continued observing.
While he loved Garve or Alexander, or whatever personality the boy before him carried this time, Barth was also curious about whatever story would unfold now.
"Do you see it?" Alexander called Barth's attention to the space in front of him.
"See what?" the old man asked, following his gaze.
The scroll had remained present and floating, even after Barth walked in. While Alexander had been cautious about alerting the old man to what was happening before getting more information, the man's lack of comment on the scroll increased his need for answers.
"There is a brown transparent scroll floating in front of me. Can't you see it?"
Glancing back at Alexander with doubt, Barth narrowed his eyes at the space the boy was indicating. He even set the mirror aside and walked to the very spot.
"You mean here?"
"Yes," Alexander drawled, unbothered by the quizzical look Barth was giving him. In his vision, the old man was standing right in the middle of the scroll.
"This never happened to any of the other personalities?" Alexander asked.
"No."
Alexander's forehead scrunched as he fell into thought for a few seconds before speaking again.
"What is Throft?"
"It's the name of the world we are in. How do you know that?"
"At the moment, there's a large transparent scroll in front of me. Its writing mentions Throft…"
Not hiding anything, Alexander explained the contents of the scroll to Barth. In the end, the man shook his head.
"I've never heard of anything like that. Neither have I heard of a place called Earth," Barth said, but just as he finished his words, his head snapped toward Alexander, the speed of the movement making Alexander fear for the old man's life.
"Wait, you have memories of the person you think you are?"
"Yes. Didn't the others?"
"No. That was another big mystery with them. They firmly claimed different names and occupations, but when you asked anything further, they turned up blank.
For some reason, though, this situation never seemed to bother them. They just took it in stride."
"I see," Alexander said, and against his desire, laid back down on the bed, letting out a deep breath.
"What's the matter?" Barth noticed his exasperation and moved closer.
"I'm tired. Very tired," Alexander said grimly, further exposed to how weak he currently was.
Barth burned with curiosity about the memories in Alexander's head, especially the world he claimed to be from, but he recognized that the boy had reached his limit.
"It's okay. Take a nap. Ma is making her soup, and it'll totally fix your spirits."