1: A new beginning

A hooded figure slowly made its way through the dark streets of Akala. It was 3 minutes past midnight and all the citizens had gone to bed. The only sounds made in the night was the bumps of his heavy boots and the whistling sound of his cape. A sudden burst of wind pushed the hood back and revealed a scarred face. An outside observer might say the visitor was well in his mid-thirties, but in reality, he had barely lived through 23 summers.
In this late hour, the city was of course completely unaware of his purposeful march through it's empty streets - only an occasional rat noticed this heavy-set, cloaked man make his way past deserted squares, dark alleys and endless lines of empty windows, staring at him like dark mindless eyes from all directions.
Not that he seemed to notice neither rats nor windows - and even the rain didn't seem to make any impression on him at all.

The determination was set in his eyes and grew stronger with each step he took. His journey had been long and he was tired. Finally, he seemed to reach his destination. His steps came to a halt outside an old inn, situated in the other end of town than the one he came from. Despite the rest of the town being closed and asleep, the pub was open. The man entered through the door into the inn. It was very small and not one's first choice of stay if you had money to pay for more.
In the middle of the room were several small, round tables - all empty except for one in the furthest corner away from the man. The only light came from a few small windows and a couple of candles. At the wall, nearest to the man was the bar. He walked over to the desk at threw a couple of coins. The innkeeper looked up at him expectantly. ''A room'' he uttered under his breath, the voice tired and deep. The innkeeper nodded and led him up a weary staircase.
All alone in his room, he finally started to feel safe. His long journey had at least temporarily come to a halt, and he was much closer to the people and places that had haunted his thoughts for so long... the events that had shaped his very existence throughout his entire life.
"Bad things happen to bad people", he told himself. And much to his surprise he heard the words that had for so many months and years been locked inside his head actually spoken out loud. "Bad things happen to bad people!" he repeated in a loud and firm voice, confirming his purpose before his head reached the simple but soft pillow at the first floor of "Odds and Ends".