Crimson Eyes

Chapter 19

The air was cold and heavy, it was very unpleasant. Cale Henituse, the bright and energetic swordsman genius of the Henituse Territory was staring blankly at the coffin Infront of him. His blank face showed no reaction. He examined the smiling painting of his beautiful mother. He tried to memorize each detail since they don't have any other paintings of her, except the one painting of her when she was 18.

"Cale, do you wanna play magic?" A excited red haired girl broke Cale's silent thoughts and pulled his sleeves. He shoot the girl a annoyed look telling her to get lost and stared back at the coffin.

"Cale, do you wanna play with us?" It was Eric this time with a green haired girl behind him holding the hem of his coat. Cale blinked for a moment, he had never seen the girl before.

"Oh by the way, she's Amiru from the Western Continent."

Cale nodded and turned back his attention to the painting.

Eric left with the green haired girl.

It was just another sunny day when her mother Jour Thames went to Harris Village to teach the people agriculture. She would go there once or twice a week with Cale and plant different vegetables and fruits but yesterday, Jour left without her son.

Cale insisted on coming feeling something wasn't right, he begged his father, Deruth. But the Count just smiled at him and asked if he wanted to have some tea at the garden.

The anxious child went to the garden waiting for his mother's return, but hours have passed and no carriage returned.

"Cale, are you sure you want to go?" Deruth asked as he finally decided to go to Harris Village. His wife never returned this late before. The red haired Cale nodded eagerly and lifted it arm to ba carried on the carriage.

"Don't worry, everything's gonna be alright," his father assured him and planted a kiss on Cale's forehead. Cale clutched the white rose he's holding in his tiny hands.

"M-my lord-" the horse halted into a stop and the worried Deruth got out of the carriage. Cale heard a shout and curses, he covered his ears. Mommy said it's bad to curse. Just then, a cry broke out.

The curious Cale poke his head out, it was raining lightly. "Jour please wake up!" The red haired heard his mother's name. He jumped out of the carriage falling on the mud on his knees, the thorns of the white rose struct on the child's hand.

"Ouch, I need mommy to kiss this!" He said ignoring the rain and approached the pack of people gathered in one place.

He saw his father's back and ran to his direction. "Daddy! Where's mommy? W-why are you crying..." The child couldn't understand anything.

On the muddy ground, his mother was bloody and clothes were torn. She was barely covered.

Cale stared at the situation, no one was answering him, no one can explain. His eyes shook trying to swallow the sight and understand.

A tear fell down his brown eyes and the now bloodied white rose fell into the wet ground.

"Mommy...?" Cale faked a smile.

Cale placed a white rose on his mother's coffin like what everyone else did. They whispered, wondering how the only child on the Count didn't shed a tear, how heartless he was and how unlucky Jour for having him as a child.

Cale heard it all but choose to ignore it, expecting his father, the only family he have left to defend him. But the Count didn't. It just stared at Cale with sorrowful eyes.

Deruth can't face Cale, his fiery red hair and pale skin reminded him of Jour's appearance. How could he face someone who looks like the dead person he love the most?

"Cale, you're the only one your father have now. You need to be strong and behave." A man couched Infront of Cale while holding his hand. It was the King. Cale just nodded in understanding.

The king sigh, how could a 8 year old understand what he meant?

"Do you have anything else to say?" Cale blankly asked in a mature tone. The king was taken a back, he had never heard the child speak that way, he shook his head.

"I'll get going then," he gave a impeccable bow and left. The king heaved another sigh.

Cale ran to the garden feeling the emptiness occupy his heart. He's the only one his father can lean on to, he needs to be strong. He needs to behave. He need to...

Cale saw the white roses his mother loved. I like them because it resembles loyalty and youth. It reminds me of you, my dear Cale. Cale frowned. He grabbed the stem of the roses and the stinging pain of the thorns made him tear up silently.

He couldn't feel any emotion.

You need to be strong.

The rain started to pour hard and the calming petrichor lingered Cale's nose. He touched the white roses gently with the til of his fingers showering it with his blood and rain. The stinging pain made Cale wince.

Is this what it means to be strong? Cale looked up in the dark sky, his flowing silent tears mixed with the heavy rain drops.