Sight-Infused

The memory of what happened five years ago lived vividly in my mind. I could remember the sights as if it happened yesterday. The bright stars in the sky, the smell of the surrounding pine trees, the freezing winter cold, and the brown bear that I had accidentally woken up, all still fresh in my mind as if I just experienced it yesterday. The dark brown eyes of the angry bear felt all too bright, scary enough to freeze ten-year-old me. I still remember its dark brown fur, its snow-covered claw, and its massive, heavy body as it slowly but steadily approached me.

It huffed angrily, clearly pissed that I woke it up from its winter slumber. I still remember my little body shaking like crazy, thinking that I would definitely die. I would lose my limbs at best, and at worst I would abandon my Dad, leaving him alone just like what mom did when she gave birth to me. He lost his beloved wife because of me, and he will now lose me, because of my own mistakes. I regretted going against his warnings, but it was too late.

And all of this happened two days before the peak of the winter celebrations. Tears rolled down my cheeks, scared of what would happen next. Would dying... hurt?

I was scared.

The bear roared and lifted its left paw. I closed my eyes, then I heard the sound of rapid footsteps closing in. Dashing above the snow, the rapid footsteps got closer, their sound getting louder. For a split second, everything fell silent. It felt as if the world suddenly stopped, frozen in time. A silent, barely audible screech of metal followed. I got curious and opened my eyes. There I was, lying down above the thick snow, I saw the streak of a thin, sharp blade. Glowing like a meteor shower, the blade stabbed into the bear’s paw, slicing it clean off.

The bear screamed and fell back, blood dripping from its cut-off paw. A figure stopped in front of me, kicking snow to the side. She nearly slipped, her yellow ponytail swung as her body planted itself into the snow. She immediately regained her composure, however, and pointed the sharp blade forward, aiming its point straight at the bear.

“This is your last chance to retreat!”

Despite yelling, her voice felt soft and young. I could only see her back, but I somehow could feel her sharp glare. The bear roared but didn’t retreat. Instead, it charged toward the figure, fully intent on taking its revenge. Branches crack as the bear stomped on them, pushing the snow backward as it moved its large body forward.

“Watch out-”

I yelled, thinking this person might get hurt, because of me.

Yet she didn’t back down. She answered the bear’s challenge. Gripping the sword, which looked large compared to her, she dashed toward the bear with a war cry of her own. The bear brought its right paw forward. The sword glowed a brilliant shade of silver, piercing through both the bear’s paw and stabbing deep into its chest. The bear let out a loud death roar, before falling motionless onto its back, blood all over its chest. The person let out a relieved breath, before turning back and running toward me.

“Hey, are you alright?”

She asked. I realized that she looked like someone my age. She wore a beautiful white dress, matching the color of the snow below, that thanks to my idiocy, was now stained with bright red blood.

“Thank... you...”

I tried to muster the words, but the shock from what had just happened prevented me from pushing out my words. It was a pathetic display, on top of my already pathetic self. Tears streamed down my cheeks.

“Don’t cry. It’s alright.”

She took me into her embrace and lightly caressed my hair.

“My Dad always did this to me when I felt sad, so cheer up okay?”

I had no reply to that. I tried to stop crying, but I couldn’t. Eventually, her parents come running for her.

“Dad, I think he’s hurt!”

She yelled. Her Dad, a fine young man with a green tuxedo, rushed to the scene. She got off me and let her Dad examine me. Without saying much, the man picked me up and carried me on his back. The ride was bumpy as he tracked across the cold winter forest, carrying me back to town-

“Ranold? You’re spacing out again.”

“Oh? Huh?”

“Don’t ‘huh’ me. Come on, let’s eat.”

The same yellow-haired girl had grown into a fine young woman, although seeing this fine young woman sitting beside me while ferociously chomping down two chicken thighs does look a bit weird.

“Yeah... You should really slow down, though.”

“I can’t. Marnus’ cooking is as good as ever. Besides, we wouldn’t be tasting his wonderful feats after this, so let us indulge ourselves a bit.”

She said while taking a huge bite out of the tasty-looking chicken. I gave her a wry smile and redirected my attention toward the food laid out in front of me. I couldn’t help but feel I don’t deserve-

“Come on, enough of that ‘I’m a commoner, I don’t deserve this look’. Just eat!”

“Alright, alright.”

I took the fried chicken off the plate and took a bite.

“Delicious, right?”

She giggled.

“Mister Marnus never disappoints.”

“Couldn’t agree more.”

I took another bite, and while chewing, my mind thought about how it would be a while before I tasted something this delicious again.

“I would definitely miss this town.”

I said slightly dejected. She looked at me and stared for a few seconds.

“I think you have the wrong idea.”

“Huh?”

I tore my sight from the chicken below me to her, meeting her bright, beautiful yellow eyes. She wore a beautiful green dress with flower ornaments on it. I had visited her several times during her special days like birthdays or during winter celebrations and saw her wear a similar, equally beautiful dress several times before. I would no longer be seeing that dress or any of her luxurious garments for that matter, though.

“My goodness, you sure are gloomy. The dormitory is like an hour from here, and it’s not like we are forced to live there until the end of our high-school years. We can come back here on the weekends if we want.”

“I know nothing about this!”

“Read the guidebook, dammit.”

She chuckled before returning to her food.

Give me back my feelings, dammit...

Regardless, seeing her happy made me happy too. The large, double door that led into this fancy dining room opened, and from it came two people.

“Mom, Dad!”

“Hello. Sorry for arriving late.”

“Hello, Princess Aliya.”

The woman did an elegant bow in front of her, pulling up her black skirt. Aliya got off the seat and replied with a similar bow, although seeing both of her hands still holding the remains of the long-gone chicken looked funny.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Chicken. I assure you, your sacrifices made this world a better place, somehow.

Aliya’s mom giggled seeing her little princess mimicking the bow.

“Hello there, Ranold. I hope you’re enjoying the meal.”

She turned to greet me, bowing her head slightly. I got off the chair and slightly bowed my head in reply.

“Thank you so much for the meal. It’s really delicious.”

She smiled, like a caring mom that I never had. If only my own mom was still alive...

The thought hurt my heart slightly, but I should be grateful I have this second family. A lot of others out there have no parents at all, so I was still lucky to be accepted here. I was also lucky Aliya didn’t catch my thoughts this time.

“Glad to know. How is your Dad?”

“He’s doing fine, thank you.”

“Good to hear.”

The lady and her husband beside her walked across the table, sitting down across from us. A lady wearing a black and white uniform walked up to them, carrying two plates with deliciously cooked chicken.

“Welcome back, Sir and Madam. This is your dinner.”

She set down the two plates on top of them.

“Thank you. Don’t forget to eat yourself, Kayli. Wouldn’t want to hurt your stomach, would you?”

“Thank you for your concern, Madam. Please don’t worry, I will immediately eat after Lina finishes her meal.”

“Also, Kayli.”

“Yes, Sir?”

Kayli, the maid, lowered her head and listened to Aliya’s father who was about to speak.

“I just remembered, but can you call my assistant? I would like to finish the taxes before next week, if possible.”

“Alright-”

“But After you finish eating, okay?”

Aliya’s mother cut her off.

“Yes, Madam. May you excuse me.”

Kayli put her hand on her chest and bowed, before leaving the room through a different door in the back. After she left, Aliya’s parents returned their attention to us.

“So, how are your preparations going?”

Sir Arton asked while picking up his spoon and fork. He cut a piece off the chicken and put it on his rice, before bringing them up to his mouth. He ate the chicken with such elegance befitting a head from a noble family, but her daughter...

“We’re ready.”

Let’s just say they’re two sides of a different coin.

“Ranold dear, you will be in the car with Aliya tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Make sure you wake up earlier, then. Wouldn’t want Aliya barging in and dragging you out, would you?”

“Of course not.”

It felt pathetic to say, but Aliya was way stronger than me. If she wanted to, she could barge in and drag me out without much of an effort.

“I already prepared all my stuff as well, so I could depart immediately.”

I continued, and the two of them smiled warmly. It felt as if we were a blood-related family.

“Alright then.”

We ate dinner while talking about high school... Well, it was mostly Aliya talking about what her dream high school experience was like and me agreeing with her. At this point, all I wanted was to be by her side, to repay her and her family for all the kindness they showed to me. It got late, and I soon bid farewell to the Moonuvert family. They kindly asked their driver to drive me back home.

Unlike the large, extravagant mansion they owned, me and my Dad lived in a small but comfortable wooden house at the edge of town. Dad never liked big houses anyway.

’Big houses are a challenge to clean.”

He would say. He kept the tiny place tidy, though, making it feel larger than it actually was.

“Thank you for the ride.”

“Have a good night.”

I bid farewell as the driver took off, returning to the mansion. The house’s lights were on, meaning Dad was home and still awake. I put in the key to the old black fence that served as the gate to this small dwelling and got in. I passed through our small front lawn, a single lamp lighting up the way. I eventually arrived at my own door front. The doors were open and Dad’s shoes sat behind the doorway.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome home, Son.”

Dad replied from the living room, leaning against the brown wall with a newspaper in his hand. Despite already having the phone, and the ability to find free news online, he still chose the good old newspaper.

‘It had a different feeling’

He would usually say.

“How did the dinner go?”

He asked as he folded up his newspaper and tidily returned it to the stack beside him.

“It went well. Here, they insist I bring some for you.”

I put down the packaging on the table in front of him. Dad normally rejects this kind of gift, but the Moonuvert family insisted on giving them. So, instead of giving them to me when I left the mansion, the driver was tasked with handing them before I got off. The usual joke went ‘accept it or I won’t let you go.’

“Tell them I’m grateful. They’re always so kind, it makes me feel bad.”

“Same...”

“Oh well, nothing we can do about it, I guess. Honestly, it would be one thing if they did that to you, but to me?”

“I’m not comfortable with this either.”

“Well, I guess that means you are my son.”

Guess rejecting gifts flows in the family DNA, huh?

I often found myself thinking about it as well. It would be one thing if you received gifts every once in a while and gave some back, but the most we could give Aliya and her family was some small, cheap accessories or fresh vegetables. It felt unfair to keep receiving them.

Dad then got up and headed for the front door.

“I heated up the water for you. You can go straight to bed after showering.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

I waved to him and headed for the toilet at the rear of the house to enjoy my late shower. Our house couldn’t afford to keep the heater running all the time, so we only use it when someone comes home late. I was still grateful we have them in the first place, though.

I heard the dormitory had them on twenty-four-seven. I wonder how different that place would be compared to my home. My high school life was about to begin. My feelings of excitement, fear, and sadness all mixed into one large pot. I understood the fact that as a human, I would always move forward. That meant change. Leaving some things behind, while embracing new things. This old house, my Dad, Aliya’s parents, I would leave them behind, for a while at least. I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness thinking about it, but at the same time, the excitement of the new things got me excited.

Especially since high school was often described as the best years of someone’s life. Would this be a time that I look back to with a smile on my face? Would these years really be my best years?

I couldn’t sleep that night thinking about it.