Walking out of the bath, freshly cleaned and refreshed, I slip on casual clothes. My hair is now past the length of my shoulders. The mirror in my room next to the window reflects my image. Silently, I take in my features. For being a child, it isn't weird how I feel being in this body. I haven't thought about it a lot recently, if ever. My past lives have nothing to do with myself now. Even the scars I still carry shouldn't affect me now.
What happened when I killed those bandits? It's not the first time I felt like that. My mind becomes empty, and my heart hollow. The presence of Sato Haruki, I can never forget that person. The person I once was. A chill down my spine as the thought hits.
"I am Caleb Aris now. Nothing wrong with living this life. I have a place here; I have people who depend on and care about me; I need to be Caleb Aris for as long as this life proceeds." God, I sound like a lunatic; the possibility of being one isn't off the table.
Growing exhaustion spreads through my body. The marks of my wounds are still healing, eventually adding to the scars that a child should not have—a comfortable bed to welcome me with the closing of my eyes. I drift off to sleep. However, a fleeting thought of something I must be forgetting drags me by a chain. An empty sleep encompasses me. I want to open my eyes, but the moment I do, I am staring into an abyss, a void, a space filled with nothing but myself. I try breathing, but I can't hear it—a slow panic riffles through my system.
"Tick-tock, don't worry about the time here." A voice, sudden, calm, mischievous. I try to speak; my mouth moves, but no words come out. The negative space hides this entity—a feeling I know too well that they don't want me to see them.
"Don't struggle, just listen. You have so much to do, but don't worry; everything will go as fate tells you." Sprouting nonsense, I force myself to wake, moving my body to knock myself to the morning light. It never arrives; my body doesn't want to move, like under a spell.
"Dear Caleb, let this be words you shall live by. Grow stronger. Stronger than everyone. Strong enough to crush all those who oppose you. Don't ever stop growing stronger; if you do, you'll find life's such miseries. I know this might be your first time hearing my voice, but I assure you, it won't be the last." What was he saying? I haven't heard his voice before; why does he want me to be stronger? Questions to a problem that I won't know.
"Now, Wake Up."
I gasp. My body was stiff and sore; whatever held me still held tight—the cracking of my bones ached shortly after. I get up from my bed and look in the mirror. Wondering what I experienced while I slept. The night sky slowly burned by the morning sun, yet there was still about an hour till it had fully risen.
Leaving my room, I looked for anyone still awake. A notion sprouted from the empty loneliness I felt in that dream. I don't know if it was a dream, but it made me anxious to be alone. Each lingering word the person spoke echoed within my skull.
"My Lord?" The familiar voice of Eckhart appeared behind. Turning his direction, he stood wearing his casual clothes. For a proud knight and highly praised, he certainly looked just a regular person.
"Oh, Eckhart. Sorry, did I wake you?"
"Not at all; I was just chopping some wood for the coming winter. What has you up at this hour?" Eckhart seemed more polite than usual. Even in a standard space like this, the tone of his voice would still stab like daggers. But now, he appeared more responsive to me—an observation to take note of.
"That's right, it is getting close to that."
"I heard you almost died protecting Celia." Eckhart spoke lightly, a clear sign he was holding back from yelling or expressing an aggressive tone.
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Life in a new Kingdom
الخيال (فانتازيا)The world turns on its own. Ever turning, life continues on its own. That is what many would like to think. This story follows Caleb Aris, a young son of a notable noble. His journey starts at the young age of 9, looking out the window and watching...
