“O-omelette…?”
The old man’s expression went blank for a moment.
“Yeah, I’m starving like hell.”
I stretched my body. Damn it feels numb.
The old man seems pretty doubtful, but he still complied and brought me an omelette along with Annie.
“Here’s the food. What do you mean by saving her?”
The old man asked me with a stern look on his face.
Well, it’s not weird at all. Even I would doubt myself.
“I’m not sure either, but it’s harmless anyway… I think.”
“What are you guys talking about?”
Annie tilted her head in confusion.
I would love to answer her question… if my mouth isn’t full of omelette. I’ve starved before, but not like this. Three days without food? Really? How does that work?
Actually, I’m not even sure if I can save her… but it is worth a shot.
When I transferred my Soul Essence to Ciel, it fused with her. So, what if I transfered my Soul Essence to an empty Soul Core, which held no Soul Essence at all?
Will her Soul Core reject or accept my Soul Essence? Will it fix her Soul Core? Will she be fine? And importantly, can she cultivate it?
I have a theory, and it could true.
“Listen Annie, do you trust me?”
She pondered for a moment, I can see her brows furrowed while rubbing her chin. Then she looked at me in the eyes and said with confidence.
“Yes I do!”
“Why?”
“Because you have fixed grandpa’s hand!”
I nodded a bit.
“And?”
“And…? uhmm…”
“...”
She looked up and her brows creased… she’s thinking too hard .
“Forget what I just asked. Do you know that your Soul Core is crippled?”
“H-hey!”
The old man yelled at me. I guess my question is kind of insensitive, but I need to know.
Hearing my question, she startled and her expression looked solemn.
“Yes… I do. But so what? I can still live my life and find a decent job even though I can’t use magic!”
She lifted both of her hands and clenched it.
That’s very surprising coming from a 9 years old kid. I actually blanked for a moment.
“So, are you happy?”
She stared at me, speechless. Slowly, she shook her head.
I guess not, huh?
“No… people in the village often bullied me every time I visited and they would mock me. I’m… not happy at all.”
She bit her lips and tears began to accumulate in her eyes.
Why is everyone I’ve met so far always cried in one way or another?
I glanced at the old man, trace of sadness can be seen on his face. He covered his mouth with his hand.
“Do you know … that your lifespan isn’t that long?”
“... Y-yes.”
Her nose and cheeks reddened, her body is trembling. She’s holding her tears with all her might, what a strong willed girl.
I can feel my lips smiled a bit. Why? I don’t know, maybe it’s just sympathy or pity.
“Do you wanna fix that?”
I asked her with a mysterious smile. I’m not even sure what’s that supposed to mean.
“Huh? But grandpa said it can’t be fixed… can it?”
“I don’t know, but it’s worth a shot. Wanna try it?”
“There is a chance!?”
She gasped, her mouth formed an O.
“There is.”
“I can be fixed!?”
“Y-yes, if success.”
That’s one way of putting it.
“Yay!!”
I haven’t even tried it yet, and she’s already happy. I can’t go back on my words now.
Black Flame appeared on my right palm and I showed it to her.
“See this? I’m going to engulf your body with this, it will be fine, okay?”
“Huh!?”
Suddenly, she jolted and took a couple steps back.
If I was told something like that out of nowhere, I would react the same way too.
“You trust me right? I won’t harm you in any way.”
“...”
She didn’t say anything and remained quiet. After a while passed she nodded eventually..
“You sure this is going to be fine? How does it work anyway?”
The old man asked me with a solemn look. Oy, you don’t have to look at me like that.
“It’s something that I can’t explain but don’t worry, she won’t be harmed. I give you my words.”
He stared at my eyes for a brief moment and sighed.
“Alright…”
I responded with a slight nod and concentrated on my Black Flame.
Gently, I engulfed her body with the flame. She looks restless, so I reassured her and calmed her down.
I closed my eyes and focusing on finding her Soul Core. Actually I don’t know how to do it, but the moment my flame touched her body, I can feel it. If I truly focused on her soul… I can feel the source of her Soul… it’s in the heart.
I sense… something’s leaking, like a cup full of holes… I see. Her Soul Core is damaged.
Soul Core is like a holy grail, it contains Soul Essence. The bigger the grail, the more it can contains.
However, Annie’s holy grail is full of holes.
No wonder she’s called a cripple, her Soul Core is leaking Soul Essence. No matter how many times she gathers mana or Soul Essence, it will disappear in a blink of an eye.
Now, I need to patch it up.
My flame can cure sickness or heal wounds, even regenerate a missing limb. Why not Soul Core? I can’t stop now, it’s sink or swim.
I pushed my flame inside her body slowly. I can’t be rough here, I don’t know what will happen if I do.
When I reached the source, I fused my flame with her core and the holes are slowly disappearing. It’s slow, but it works.
“Guhh-!”
Hm!? She gritted her teeth, cold sweat began pouring from her forehead. She’s in pain!
“What’s happening!?”
The old man asked me in panic.
“Her Soul Core is damaged, I’m trying to repair it… the pain is the side effect… I think.”
“D-damaged!? H-how in the world…?”
“I’m doing my best here, but it’s still gonna take some time. We need to be patience.”
“...”
The old man is walking around back and forth. Can you stop? it’s annoying. I’m trying to concentrate.
Her core is too fragile and weak, if I’m not careful she would die. If I knew it would end up like this, I would prepare myself better.
Well, I thought she would absorb my Soul Essence automatically like what happened to Ciel, but… it seems I have to do it manually.
30 minutes has passed, only 20 percent of the holes has been patched up. This is gonna take hours.
Gah!
What’s that!? My head hurt!
“W-what is it Len!?”
It seems the old man noticed my expression. What the heck was that?
“No… It’s nothing…”
Gahack!!
Ahh!! I feel a throbbing pain in my head! What is this!? Where did it come from!?
“Ah!!”
Annie, she screamed in pain too!
“Ann! Please hold on! Len, how much longer?”
“I’m not sure, but maybe… 3 or 4 more hours.”
The old man can’t do anything to help. He clenched his hands hard enough for his knuckles turned white.
Dammit, what’s happening!? I can’t lose my focus now!
Suddenly, an image popped out in my mind.
I saw Annie and… the old man? What?
Guhhh!! The pain is getting intense!
“Waah-!!”
Annie cried, she can’t bear the pain any much longer!
Crap, what do I do!? Even I can’t bear the pain!
“Len!”
The old man screamed at me.
“Dammit, I know! I’m doing my best here! Have patience, I’m thinking!”
Another image popped out. Now it’s Annie playing around a village… Duran Village? What the hell is going on!?
Another popped out. She’s being… bullied by other kids in the village. They were throwing rocks at her and Annie is just crying, running away. Don’t tell me…
This… this is her memory?
Wha- how- no…no… no! I don’t want her memory! Stop!
“Gahaa!!”
The pain is getting more unbearable, I didn’t even notice I was screaming.
It’s so painful! Make it stop!!
More images flashed through my mind, make it stop dammit!!
No, stop, please, I don’t want to know. I…
I can’t bear another painful memories… I don’t want to go through another person’s pain…
Ah… tears began flowing through my cheeks. What is this, I don’t even…
Could it be… my Soul Essence is fusing with hers, enabling our minds… our souls to be connected together…?
She… knows what I know and I know what she knows.
I get it now.
I shouldn’t reject her memories… her pain, her happiness, everything what she’s been through… I can only accept. It goes for the same thing with Annie… she must accept it too.
That moment when she’s crying alone in the corner, in the backyard… she’s afraid that she would be a burden to the old man. She wanted to be strong, she wanted to be useful for someone else, she wanted to be praised, she wanted to rely on herself.
She was happy being loved and cared by the old man, and she wanted to repay his kindness but she can’t do anything. She’s powerless, her Soul Core is crippled, she’s powerless, she can’t even kill a rabbit.
And that’s when I showed up. I gave her hope and she believed that hope. She was happy when I said I can save her, she entrusted her life in my hand.
I won’t betray that hope.
I will save her.
I will save you.
And everything is gonna be fine.
Believe in me.
“AANNIEEE!!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
She knows what I’m gonna do next, and I know her response would be like.
“DO YOU BELIEVE IN ME-!!?”
This is the second time I’ve ever yelled like this.
“A-ah…”
“ANSWER ME!!”
“Y-yes!”
I gritted my teeth.
“I DIDN’T HEAR YOU!!”
With eyes full of tears and resolve, she answered me.
“YES I BELIEVE IN YOU!!”
Good! that’s the spirit!!
“THEN I SHALL GRANT YOUR WISH!!”
Our soul has synched. I don’t really understand how it works either, but… I can save her, that’s what matters.
I sent all my Soul Essence into her body and in a flash, her Soul Core has been repaired. No more holes, just a flawless holy grail.
Suddenly, my Black Flame perished and my consciousness slowly fading…
No regrets…
… … … …
… … ...
… …
…
...Where am I?
It’s dark.
I can’t see anything.
Am I… Dead?
‘No. You are pretty healthy actually.’
That voice… it’s you from back then.
‘Yes I am.’
Who… are you?
‘I’m neither a god, demon, nor angel. I am you and you are me.’
What? That’s doesn’t make any sense.
‘It doesn’t matter. I’m here to congratulate you, you’ve done a splendid work.’
What’s that supposed to mean?
‘Len, I’m jealous of you. You are free, while the only thing that I can do is… observing.’
Why… why won’t you tell me who you are?
‘Because it’s not important. Maybe… this will be our last chat.”
Can you be anymore vague? Stop talking riddles, it’s annoying.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
‘Haha! Maybe if we are able to talk again, I will tell you. Until then, stay safe.’
Wait a--
Suddenly, a bright light entered my eyes.
…Where am I?
I see a familiar ceiling.
This… is my bedroom in the old man’s house.
That dream… is pretty freaky. Just who the hell is that boy?
Hmm, someone is sleeping on my arm. My hands feel numb.
It’s Annie.
Her face looks worried about something for some reason.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at me absent mindedly. Her eyes looked red.
“Len!!”
She suddenly screamed and jumped at me. Tears are raining down through her cheeks.
Ow! Stop! I can’t breathe!
“Waah~!!”
And she cried. I really don’t get this girl, I’m the one who supposed to cry here.
“O-okay, calm down, take a deep breath, and let go, you are going to suffocate me.”
I said while gasping for air.
Goddamn, she’s strong. Was she always like this? Probably because my Soul Essence has fused with hers.
I heard someone, it’s the old man walking toward me.
“Oh? You’ve awoken? What a pleasant surprise.”
“Yo old man, how long was I asleep?”
“One full day, I think. Ah, you must be hungry, wait a minute, I will bring some food here.”
He said while walking away with a big grin on his face.
Then I looked at Annie, how is she?
“So, how do you feel?”
“Huh!? I-I-I I’m fine!”
Why is her face looked a bit red?
“What’s wrong? You sick?”
“N-no at all!”
“Why is your face red?”
“Wha-!? I’m not!”
“O-okay, calm down…”
“...”
“...”
I’m not good at talking to kids, am I?
“S-so… about yesterday…”
“W-w-what about yesterday!?”
Why is she so worked up all of a sudden?
“What happened after I fainted?”
“That’s…”
Her expression turned serious.
“My Soul Core was repaired by you, thank you.”
She bowed her head at me. Is that something people do to express their gratitude around here?
“Lift your head, it’s okay, really.”
“Yes...”
“...”
“...”
Not again, please…
I don’t know why, but I’m getting cold sweat.
“You know… I got a glimpse…”
“Hm?”
“I got a glimpse of your memory…”
“Ah…”
I kinda figures…
“I… saw what happened to you, the wolf and that woman… Ciel, right?”
“Yeah…”
“I wanted to tell you… that I’m sorry for what happened to them and for you…”
“It’s alright, it’s no one’s fault.”
“No!”
Whoa, she suddenly yelled.
“...Uh?”
“You… You always… You…”
Tears began flowing through her cheeks… again.
“I’m... what?”
“All this time… You have been blaming yourself! You blame yourself for what happened to them! You always thought it was all your fault while it’s not!”
“I… I’m not--”
“Ren, you saved his life! That’s all that matters! He chose to follow you, be with there with you, may in joy or sadness!”
“...”
“Don’t blame it all on yourself! Ciel… you saved her from despair, she was happy to be with you! She… they believed in you! I believed in you! Every moment that they spent with you, was one of the happiest moment in their life! Even until their deaths, I’m sure they regret nothing…They will never blame you for what you’ve done to them! So please… don’t blame yourself on everything…”
She cried while leaning on my chest.
My heart… it hurts. Every time I remember the past, I would feel a choking sensation.
I’ve always blamed it all on myself, I know it was me. It will always be me.
…
However… this girl in front of me...
She understands what I’ve been through, she saw it, she feels it, she knows it all.
Just a bit, I want to believe her. I want her words to be the truth.
Maybe… just maybe… she is my salvation.
This girl in front of me… I don’t want to see her tears anymore.
“Alright, I won’t.”
“...eh?”
She stopped crying and looked at me dumbfounded.
Gently, I caressed her head.
“I won’t blame myself anymore, but you have to promise me something.”
“Ah!? Yes! Alright, tell me, I will promise anything!”
I can’t help but to laugh out loud hearing her answer.
“Promise me… to never cry again, okay?”
I don’t even know what I’m doing. It just feels… right.
“Yes! I promise! So please stop blaming yourself, okay?”
She looked at me with pleading eyes. Well, no harm done.
“Yep, I won’t!”
“Yay!”
She hugged me. It’s too tight…
“Ah!”
Suddenly, she took a couple steps back and her face looks red again. Is she really okay?
“You sure you are okay? Your face look really red.”
“I-I’m fine! Sheesh!”
She yelled and walked away. What’s just happened?
“You idiot…”
Hey! I heard that!
After Annie walked outside the room, suddenly the old man came in.
“Here, the food’s ready!”
“You think I didn’t know? You’ve heard everything.”
“But of course, I won’t let my child alone in a room with a boy.”
Why is he looks so proud?
“Sigh. Old man, give me your hand.”
“What for?”
“Just give me your hand.”
“Fine, here.”
I grabbed his hand transfered my Soul Essence to him.
Unlike Annie, this time the Soul Essence got absorbed automatically. I guess she really is a special case.
“Feel much better now, doesn’t it? It strengthen your body and mind permanently.”
I’m not sure about the latter.
“B-but why…?”
“This is my parting gift.”
“Parting gift? You are leaving? Why not go together?”
“You guys are going for hiding, while I’m not. I’m going to The Capital. Maybe… just maybe… I could find a clue about myself or anything relevant you know? It’s just a wishful thinking, but it’s worth a shot right?”
“...I understand. I advise you to become an Adventurer, it will give you lots of benefits. You will have many access to many places and free informations, however, becoming one isn’t easy either. Oh, and one more thing, I almost forgot.”
“What, you’ve found another books about martial arts?”
“Even better! Come!”
“Hold on, I need to eat first.”
“...”
-15 minutes later.-
“This is my parting gift to you!”
He showed me a sword.
A double-edged heavy sword.
Seriously? No, I’m sure I’m able to lift it… it’s just, I’m not going anywhere while carrying that. It’s embarrassing.
“Old man, what’s this?”
“This is a masterpiece that I’ve created long, long ago. It’s made out of Black Diamond and Dragon’s Scale. It took me years to create this devil.”
“Yeah, this is great and all but uh… I can’t carry this thing everywhere and anywhere I go, it’s inconvenient.”
“Of course. Here, catch.”
He threw me a ring. It’s just a plain white ring.
“I don’t get it.”
“That is a storage ring, it has medium capacity, probably you can fit in a two story building in there.”
This ring can do that? Wait… I’ve read something like this before… what’s it called again?
Hm, I believe it’s called intersp--
“Now, fuse it with your Soul Essence and it’s yours.”
“... You sure? This seems like a national treasure to me.”
“That’s because it is a national treasure. But I can make more of it, I just need the right material! Haha!”
“I understand. Thank you old man.”
I engulfed the ring with my flame and it changed color. It has become a black ring.
I grabbed the heavy sword and put it in the ring. I can recall the sword whenever I want to, this is pretty convenient.
“Is this ring rare?”
“Yes… and no. You see, only people above rank A++ possessed this storage ring. So it’s not very easy to found but not impossible to acquire it.”
“So… how many people above rank A++?”
“Probably a couple hundred millions… I think.”
“Huh!? Isn’t that… a lot?”
“It’s hard to explain… but maybe… one day you will understand.”
“Yeah… thanks for the gifts old man.”
He told me to not mind it, he’s really a good guy.
-Three days later-
The old man teaches me a bit on how to use a heavy sword. Swinging it around isn’t a problem, but what I need is technique and skills.
He told me that people who has mastered their Souls can enhance their weapons with Soul Essence to increase its power and durability. It could make a sword tenfold or a hundredfold sharper and harder than before.
When I asked him why he didn’t tell me this in the first place, he answered with ‘It’s pretty common.’. Goddammit…
The old man made me a robe and a leather armour for exploring exclusive for my body size. It’s light and very comfortable to wear. This guy is already old, but he’s still good at his job.
Now, the time has come. The old man said it’s possible that his wanted poster has already been spread out around The Capital, so it’s best to leave as soon as possible.
“Len, can’t you come with us?”
Annie seems reluctant to part with me. I can see tears began to accumulate in her eyes.
“You remember our promise right?”
“Y-yes!”
“Then wipe your tears and be strong Annie, this isn’t a goodbye. We will meet again, I’m sure of it. So, until then, be well, okay?”
I said while caressing her head.
I can see her trying to hold back her tears. At least there’s improvement.
Honestly, I really don’t like saying stupid cliché words, but… somehow it seems fitting… right?
She shakes her head up and down reluctantly while biting her lips.
The old man and Annie are sitting on a carriage drawn by horses. They tried to teach me to ride a horse once, but I can’t. So I must walk through the road alone.
Well, I prefered walking anyway.
“So… this is it, huh?”
“Yep, take care old man.”
“You too, boy. Let us meet again someday.”
The old man waved at me and the horses are starting to pull the carriage away.
“Len~! Take care~!”
“Yeah~! I will~!”
She cried anyway…
I watched them slowly disappearing into the horizon. What a bunch of amazing guys aren’t they?
I looked up in the sky, the sun is shining brightly right at this moment. There are no clouds, the sky is blue and sunny as can be. Unconsciously I muttered.
“It’s gonna be a damn long journey, isn’t it?”
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If you found any grammar mistakes, please do tell. I'm a human after all.