I woke up earlier than usual, as Feyt this time around. It was still dark outside, yet I could tell from the air that it was soon to be morning. Today was my free day, for both bodies. It was meant for us to recover mentally from the whole kidnapping stuff.

That meant no farmwork as Feyt, and more importantly, no schedule for Carine.

I decided the best use of my free time would be to read all the books I could in the family library, which was bigger than most houses in the capital. After all, to survive, I need both body and mind to be in tip-top shape.

Carine was still asleep though, and I couldn’t wake my other body intentionally even when one was already up. So, I guess I had my full focus on Feyt for now.

Father’s training for Feyt would happen in about a few weeks. Knowing how inexperienced Feyt’s body was to the sword techniques, I figured this free day would be a good chance to warm up Feyt’s body for the inevitable, grueling training session with Father.

When I stepped out of my room, I could hear two distinct snoring inside my parent’s room. However, there wasn’t any noise from Fray’s room at all.

Where was she? Why would she go out this early in the morning?

Knowing her, it was probably a morning jog. Kinda wished she would take me with her though… No, wait, what was I thinking? I knew I needed training but was I that desperate? She would probably tease me throughout no matter how well I did.

I decided not to think too deeply about Sis and decided to get ready to grab some water from the nearby spring. Mom and Dad were still asleep after all, wouldn’t hurt to help them out once in a while. With a large clay jug in my hands, I headed out.

…

There were a few people already up, despite how early in the morning it was. Most of them were older ladies, all of them also getting up to gather water for the day.

When they spotted me, they greeted me with a warm smile.

“Morning Feyt!” One of them said. I remembered her face quite well despite not having Carine’s eyes. She was one of Mom’s gossip friends, but she often slipped away whenever Mom invited her to the bar.

She held in her hand a clay jug, it was still empty since nothing was sloshing around when she moved.

“Morning,” I returned her greeting with a smile. “Mom’s still sleeping, if you’re looking for her.”

“And you’re the one bringing in the water this early? What a good boy! Jeez, why can’t my son be more like you?” with one hand still on the jug, the woman began ruffling my hair.

I felt like a puppy. It didn’t feel all that comfortable, being pestered like this, but at least she was doing it not to tease me.

I managed a sheepish smile as the woman lifted her fingers out of my hair. “Well, I just felt helping, is all…”

“You’re such a sweet boy!” Another woman joined in, obviously eavesdropping on us. “Unlike my daughter, I can’t even have her get herself out of bed! And she’s around the same age as you, Feyt! Can you believe it?”

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Yeah, I do. I was a bit of an anomaly in terms of teens around here. Sure, I was still a bit impulsive at times, but with not one, not two, but three lives worth of memories with me, I was a bit more mindful of the people around me.

“Honestly, you’re such a good influence on the boys around here,” another chimed in, also holding a clay jug. “I keep telling my son, ‘Why can’t you be more like Feyt? He’s always helping his mother, always so polite.’ But does he listen? Of course not!”

So, I was the cousin everyone kept getting to compared to around here, huh? I tried not to let the praise get to me. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate it, but I couldn’t help but feel a little awkward about it. I was just doing what I could, like I always did.

“It’s a good thing you’re this responsible too. Your mother should really use you as an example.”

The women nodded in agreement. “Teffa, she always drinks to her heart’s content, huh? Where does she get the money for that, anyway?”

“I heard she gets discounts because she’s childhood friends with Diane.”

“Oh, really?”

They began talking as if I wasn’t there. I took it as a cue for me to finally do my job. I slipped away unnoticed, submerging my clay jug into the spring to fill it to the brim with clear water. I slowly pulled it out of the spring, listening to the women as they continued to gossip about Mom.

It wasn’t the first time I had heard this kind of talk about Mom. To most people in the village, Mom’s a bit of a wreck. She could easily outdrink everyone in the town, and everyone knew that fact.

Everyone liked her, yeah, but they also liked to gossip about her. And boy do they prefer gossiping about her right in front of our house…

Mom wasn’t just a scatterbrain who needed constant babysitting. Sure, she had her flaws, like, a lot of flaws, but she was also gentle and reliable when she needed to be. Having to be the one taking care of her most of the time was a bit annoying though, but I wouldn’t trade her for anyone else..

“Yeah, every time I saw Feyt carrying his mother home from the bar by the shoulder, I just ached to step in and lend a hand, you know?"

Then why didn’t you?

I tried to be discreet as I slowly walked back to my home with the now-filled clay jug. But, the sloshing of the water gave me away.

“Ah, Feyt? Leaving so soon? Come on! Talk with us for a while!”

I strained a smile. “S-Sorry, I need to bring this water home as soon as possible.”

Listening to their gossip every day through the window really made me not want to associate with them. I knew they meant well, I really did. But you know how gossip goes. Even your closest associate might one day tell others your secret if it meant they could keep the conversation going.

One of the women let out a sigh. “Why can’t your mother be as responsible as you? It pains me whenever I see you work only to find her at the bar sleeping on the counter…”

“It’s no wonder you’ve turned out so well,” another woman continued. “Growing up with all that chaos, you’ve had to be the responsible one, haven’t you? Your mother may be a handful, but she’s lucky to have a son like you.”

“Come on, stay with us a little longer. I haven’t got the chance to talk with you in a long time!”

“I-I really shouldn’t—”

“Aaaaaaaaaagghhhh!!” A small distant scream reached my ears.

I turned my head in a panic at the sudden scream in the distance. What was that? I thought. It came from down south, somewhere near the forest where I was kidnapped. How did I hear something from that far away though?

“What is it, Feyt?” One of the women asked me with concern.

“D-Did any of you hear that scream earlier?” I asked them, my eyes still fixated on the direction of the scream.

“Scream?”

The woman sounded like they were shuffling around, turning around and looking at each other.

“Feyt, maybe you pushed yourself too hard?”

“Yeah, we heard nothing.”

“Mm-hmm, you really should get home. You might be sick. Make sure to have your mom— Wait, no, have your dad check up on you.”

Ignoring their comments, my mind was fully focused on that distant scream. Did I really just imagine that? No, it was so vivid, so real. I could remember it clearly, the scream even sounded familiar for some reason.

But, it wasn’t like I was going to go back to that forest to investigate… Judging from the sound, it sounded like a man. So I guessed he was probably just an unlucky merchant who was caught by a monster.

Of course, I didn’t know it at the time, but my guess was technically correct…

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image [https://i.imgur.com/RdC5Gde.png]