In Ruri’s room.
*Knock, knock, knock*
“Come in.”
I enter the room.
Oh, it seems she was about to sleep since she’s already in her pyjamas. Wow, she actually looks cute. That silver hair and those fox ears coupled with her furry tale and the grey pyjamas. She looks like a baby angel-fox.
I’ll have to talk with Brianca to create more clothes for her. Cute clothes to be specific.
“Ah, big brother Al. I didn’t know you were coming.”
She seems shy. How cute.
“Have you settled in.”
“Um, yes. Everyone has been very kind to me.”
Well, that’s good.
“Tell me more.” I ask as I sit next to her.
“Well, I had lunch with Uriel and the others. They were really fun… but Sabrina was scary.”
That’s probably my fault. I guess she got that part of hers from my personality that is a little bit curious about everything.
“Oh, and I had dinner with lady Alma. She also gave me a lot of sweets and goodies she had. For some reason, she reminds of an old lady that used to give me fruits in my village.”
Poor Gram. I guess she’s no longer a grandmother now.
“That’s good. It seems like everything is well then.”
This girl is quite open and easy to read. I thought she’d be the type to run or hide since she’s in an unfamiliar place but that’s not the case. Totally different from Sara. But I can still tell that the pain is still in her heart. The pain of loss.
“Here. Take my hand. There is something I want to show you.”
She reaches out her hand and grabs mine.
“Hold on and don’t freak out. Teleport.”
We disappear from her room and appear at the top of the castle. We are greeted by cold air. I instantly cover her with my mana to shield her from the cold.
She seems shocked by the experience.
“Every time I feel overwhelmed or just want to unwind, I come here and watch the moonlight.”
The moon’s brilliance radiates across the night and the snow fall made it even sweeter. Her silver eyes glitters with the radiance of the moonlight.
“It’s… beautiful.”
Why is big brother Al showing me this? Did he sense my sadness perhaps?
“It’s okay to be sad and afraid. I’m get sad and afraid all the time.”
“You? Afraid? I heard from sister Uriel that you are the most powerful person in the world. What could make you scared?”
Uriel. Why did you feed the girl with nonsense?
“The future. I don’t know what the future holds or how many people will try to bring me down. I want to create a world where children like you get to live and laugh instead of cry. I’m afraid that many people will try to destroy that dream and they might hurt the people close to me.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“So that’s what you are scared of. How does looking at the moonlight calm you then? I mean it is beautiful but I don’t understand.”
“Because the moonlight reminds me of my journey. It reminds me of all the things I have accomplished in order to get to where I am today. It reminds me of all the pain and sacrifice I’ve endured. All the struggles and heartache I had to go through just to see it one more time. I know it hurts since you won’t be with your parents anymore. But you have to remember your journey. How did you get here, to this moment? What have you overcome?”
***
How did I get here? After the village was attacked, I tried escaping by the forest. I remember the cold I felt in my feet when I trod through the freezing snow. Rustle of iron came from afar, so I hid behind the tree. I don’t know whether it was my heavy breathing or the trail of my footsteps but I was found quite easily. I was then chained up and put on a prison carriage with others of my kind.
The carriage took off as the scene of fire engulfing the village sank into my mind, dead bodies everywhere. On the way, the only thing I could do was cry.
“Don’t cry little one. You will only give them pleasure if you show your pain.”
It was a woman I didn’t know but she was one of my clansmen. She had wounds all over her body. I could tell that she resisted when she was captured. She had a fierce look in her eyes. It was as if she didn’t care.
After a few hours, the sun set. The carriage stopped for the night to camp out while we were still in the prison carriage. My stomach grumbled as I hadn’t eaten the entire day.
“You hungry, little one? Better swallow your saliva because we’re probably not going to eat for the entire journey.”
I ignored her as I drowned in despair. All I wanted at that moment was to die. A few days passed.
“Hey, guards. Can you spare some food for us please? At this rate, we’re not going to make it.” Said the woman.
“Oi, shut up filthy beast. You’re disturbing our meal. We’ve been giving you water all this time so quit squealing.”
“Please, I beg of you.”
The woman begged. It was my first time seeing the woman who had a cold face to begin with beg for something.
“Maybe there is a way you can earn yourself a bit of bread.”
They opened the carriage for her with lustful grins on their faces and let her out. They took her in the forest and disappeared. After a few minutes, she came out of the forest with fresh bruises and her clothes ripped and stained. In her hand, she was holding a piece of bread. I could feel the pain she felt with each step she took.
“Go on then bitch.” Said one of our capturers as he opened the carriage, shoving her in.
“Here, kid. You’re hungry right? Eat up.”
What?! Why is she giving me the bread?
“Why are you giving me this?” I asked with a puzzled look.
Even though she looked at me with the same eyes she had in the beginning of the journey, her gaze was different. It was that of sympathy.
“Because I had a kid once, a long time ago. You just remind me of her.”
“That still doesn’t answer my question. Why would you give me this? Can’t you see I have already given up on my life?” I said as I buried myself under my folded arms.
“You have to live. You have to keep on living. All of us here are old. There is no hope for us. We will probably be sold off or killed for sport. But for you, you have hope to escape here and continue our Silver Fox Bloodline.”
We? What does she mean by we?
And then I realised what she meant. Everyone that was in the carriage seemed determined for something. Their gazes weren’t the gazes of people who had fallen into despair.
“We’re going to fight back. When we do, you run. Run as fast as you can okay. Don’t stop for anything.”
Tears washed down my face. They were willing to sacrifice themselves without a doubt.
The hand shackles of everyone slowly froze up and broke. They then burst out of the carriage and charged against the people who captured us. As per the woman’s order, I ran holding the piece of bread she had given me and not looking back.
They probably died back then. Just for me to escape. I was faced with a heavy rain that night that was freezing cold. I managed to escape successfully but I encountered many other situations where I felt like giving up. But her voice kept on ringing into my ears. Telling me to get up. Telling me to survive no matter what.
***
Tears start falling from her silver eyes.
Oh, she’s crying. Did I say something to upset her?
You probably did, kid. You’re not so good with filtering your words.
I don’t think I said something harsh though?
“Thank you, big brother Al.” she says as she sniffles.
Sigh, thank God, I didn’t upset her in any way.
“You’re welcome, Ruri.”
“Big brother Al. I don’t want to be weak. Please teach me to be strong like you.”
Oh, she wants me to teach her.
“I can have someone be your tutor. Maybe Uriel or Michael.”
“No. I want you to be my teacher.” She says with a determined gaze.
“It’s going to be hard and painful. Sometimes you’ll wish you had never met me. Do you still want me to train you even after knowing that?”
“I don’t care about that. Please big brother Al.”
“Okay. I’ll teach you then.”