Startled, you look up to see a young man dressed in long robes holding a wooden staff and a sturdy young woman in shiny chain mail and armor about 30 yards away in a clearing. However, they are not the ones who yelled at you. In fact, they are the ones being yelled at. Further away, along a dirt trail, is a grumpy-looking rather stout but grimy man with a farming implement over his shoulder. As you pause in confusion, wondering if you stumbled into a renaissance fair or a movie shoot, the farmer shifts his glare to you.
"All of ye, get out of here else I'll have the watch on ye! Them woods is cursed, they is!" the farmer yells at you, assuming you are associated with the others.
"Good sir, you needn't worry," the young man responds quickly, trying to give the farmer an easy smile. "We have been dispatched by the provincial lord to investigate these parts and ensure that any curses be dispelled so as not to affect the villagers." The woman, on the other hand, just looked bored, and stands there with her hand on the pommel of her sword. The farmer snorts derisively, but stalks away, leaving just you and the two oddly-dressed strangers alone in the clearing. You have no idea what is going on, but you are so relieved to see someone, anyone, that you decide all you need is directions home, and if you have to get it from these weirdos, so be it.
"Um, excuse me..." you call out timidly. The woman turns her bored gaze to you, but the man's eyes light up when he sees you.
"Ah, a less superstitious local!" you hear him murmur to himself happily. "I see you've been about the woods, my good lady," the man addresses you in oddly formal speech. "Can you tell us if you've seen anything unusual hearabouts?"
"Uh...not really...I'm just...kind of lost?" you stammer out.
"Oh...you aren't from the village?" the man's face falls as he responds.
"I don't think so...I've been wandering around a while," you shake your head. "Can you tell me how to get out of the park?"
"'De-perk'?" the man says frowning and looking to the woman, who shrugs disinterestedly. "I have not heard of the village of 'De-perk' before, you are currently in the province ruled by Lord Inces." Your blank stare prompts him to explain further. "You are in the land of Garios."
"I...have no idea where that is," you knit your eyebrows and wonder if you really have gone insane. Now even the woman is staring at you. The man seems to ponder over your response, then comes to a decision, giving you a smile.
"Well, you seem to be in need of assistance. I am Yoru, and this is Brea," he says, indicating himself and the woman respectively. "We are heading to the village for the evening. Why don't you join us for now?" You are not sure what else to do, so you gratefully take Yoru up on his offer. As the three of you head for the village, you find out from Yoru that he and Brea have been sent to explore the ruins surrounding the village, the ones which the farmer said were cursed. Idly, you wonder if he means the same ruins which you came from, but do not mention it. Brea does not say two words to you the entire time, but Yoru seems kind enough, offering to pay for your food and lodging at the inn while they figure out where you are from. Yoru seems quite interested in you, asking for any and all information, ostensibly in an attempt to help you get home. However, you find some of his questions disquieting, and so, instead of telling him everything about your odd encounters the past few days, you find yourself answering with a lot of "I don't know"s or "I don't remember"s. In the end, your story has been shortened to an escapade where you went for a walk in the woods, perhaps suffered some sort of episode which affected your memory, became disoriented, and simply trudged around for two days. You're not sure if Yoru believes you, but he doesn't kick you out, which is a relief since you haven't slept in a bed in a while. Although you are ignoring the obvious fact that the village is like something out of the Middle Ages, without even indoor plumbing, you are determined to put it aside for the moment in favor of a good night's sleep.
You also fail to notice that you have been inadvertently scratching your chest every so often throughout the evening, forgetting the sapphire's presence. When you all finally retire to your rooms, you finally remember your rather uncomfortable problem. Sighing, you unbutton your shirt to take it off for the night, and reluctantly look down. Your breath catches as you realize...