844 Tears
Sweat rolled down the young boy’s face as he tried to control the air within. He was gentle but persistent in pushing the air out of her lung. As for Yurirl, he held her after flipping her to face the ground since water started leaking out.
After a minute that felt like a lifetime, the girl started coughing while gasping for air. The two boys were surprised before sharing a look. Then, Yurirl carried on his back while she coughed before he rushed toward the orphanage.
Lyle was about to do the same, but he remembered she had something with her. He turned around to stare at the book floating atop the water, and a wave from his hand carried the book toward him.
Zonas Mantra was surprised when the two came back shouting for him, and once he saw the girl, he understood what was wrong. She looked pale and weak, so Zonas spared no time to take her in and use a runic card on her.
Layla and another older girl changed her wet clothes, which forced the three to leave. Zonas Mantra sat outside in the courtyard, staring at them, expecting an explanation.
“It was my fault,” said Lyle with shame as he stared at the ground. “We were fighting, and I lost control of my ability, which pushed her into the river. I’ll accept whatever punishment father gives me.”
“If so,” said Zonas but was interrupted by Yurirl stepping forward. Lyle and Zonas were confused since the soaking-wet man suddenly kneeled on the ground.
“I proposed the fight, sir. I deserve the punishment for my selfish desire to win against his ability and prove my strength. It endangered innocents, and I provoked a brother of mine.”
Lyle stared at the stoic teenager with surprise, which Zonas did not try to hide. It was the first time that Yurirl seemed regretful and was even sentimental enough to call Lyle a brother of his.
“He is wrong, father! I was the one who refused to stop the fight because I wanted to win!”
“I admire that each of you wants to take the blame, but this is not a matter I can overlook. You two have endangered innocents with your selfishness and could have killed the daughter of a dear friend of mine.”
“A dear friend…?” muttered the two with confusion before a man came rushing through the front gates. His face was pale, and his short chubby stature staggered toward them.
“Zonas… where is she? Where is Anna?” said the man with red, swollen eyes that threatened to cry again. He didn’t even notice the two kids but only grabbed Zonas with shaky hands.
“Worry not, old Kain. Your daughter is safe and sound, so she is inside being tended to by my daughters. These two are the ones who saved her, but are also the reason she fell into the river.”
Lyle remembers seeing old Kain for the first time in their life, and his horrified expression scared them as he turned toward the two. Then, before the two could say anything, Kain bounced on them to hug them, crying his heart out and thanking them.
Although the two tried to tell him they wanted forgiveness, old Kain still cried uncontrollably until Layla and their older sister came out. Then, Zonas grabbed Kain and said he could see his daughter. The old man rushed inside, crying even louder.
“Anna is the only daughter Kain had from his beloved wife before she pa.s.sed from sickness. Unfortunately, she inherited her mother’s physique, making her quite weak and vulnerable.”
“He thanked us, even though we deserve punishment,” said Lyle with confusion before Zonas turned toward him with a smile and patted his head with his calloused hand.
“Kain understands that accident happened, and even without the two of you being a part of it, Anna might have slipped and fallen. Rather than anger and the desire for revenge, he was grateful that she remained alive. You two made sure of that, so I’ll not punish either of you. However, the girl has to forgive you.”
Yurirl and Lyle nodded before the latter offered a hand. Yurirl stared at the hand before grabbing it with a smile and rising to his feet. Then, the two went inside to meet the girl who would change their lives in good and bad ways.
***
“Anna…” muttered Lyle in his hazy dream before he opened his eyes slowly. The dim lights came as a blur before he regained clarity and saw someone moving around under the moonlight. It was the old researcher. “Where are we?”
“We are safe, and that’s what matters,” said the old researcher as he turned toward Lyle. “You look like you had the worst dreams known to man, kid.”
“It was a happy dream, but those are often the ones that break our hearts,” said Lyle as he tried to sit, but his body didn’t move. “I cannot move, old man….”
“This is the effect of one medicine I gave you,” said the old researcher before hurrying to explain. “Your mind hallucinated too much, and I feared you would never wake up. I gave you a medicine that numbs the soul.”
“Numbs the soul?” asked Lyle with confusion as he stared straight ahead. “Tell me the truth, old man. Am I going to die?”
“The attack did nothing to your body, only damaging your soul in a way I cannot understand. After examining you for hours, it seems that the strike did nothing but release the boundaries to your soul.”
“That sounds bad, ha!”
“It is good and bad because while it makes the body unstable and the soul fragile, you can expand your soul without worry. That man might have done this on purpose or not, but he gave you a golden opportunity to become stronger.”
“For what purpose should I become stronger?” asked Lyle as he closed his eyes. “It seems that everything isn’t worth it anymore. No reasons to fight, and no reason to hate.”
“Humans can fight for different reasons than those,” the old researcher sighed. “There are those who fight to protect and others who fight to forget. But, on the other hand, I knew men who fought for love and died for it just the same.”
“I have nothing of those,” said Lyle as he grabbed his chest. “I was robbed of the things I held dear. My sisters and brothers were killed for the sake of this project of yours, and the one I cared about the most was among them.”
“…it doesn’t matter now. Focus on resting,” said the old researcher as he came close to cover the knight. However, the bedridden man suddenly grabbed his hand while shouting in pain.
“I have nothing!” shouted Lyle as he glared at the researcher. “All because a sc.u.m like you kidnapped my brothers and sisters to use them like animals. All because of men like you!”
The old researcher was silent as he stared at Lyle before he covered him with a blanket. Then, he pulled his arm away, but Lyle had no strength to hold on.
“Your rage might be the only thing that can survive this,” said the old researcher as he stared at Lyle. “However, those tears don’t look out of anger. Get some rest, child.”
It was then that Lyle noticed the tears streaming down his face. It was the first time he had cried since he parted ways with Yurirl. One vowed to take revenge at that moment, while the other sought the impossible.
Yurirl of the Sword, they called him now. From time to time, Lyle heard knights talking about his brother and how he became the strongest swordsman in the world. It made him proud, unlike before, and filled him with sadness.
A talent like Yurirl came once every millennium, if ever. He was intelligent, kind, and terrifyingly powerful. Yet, he spends his life seeking something that cannot be achieved. Anna would be heartbroken if she knew.
“Old man,” called Lyle while gritting his teeth. “Give me that artifact, and activate it for me. I need to call someone.”
The old researcher stared at the artifact that Lyle had in his pocket earlier and nodded after some hesitation. Then, he activated the artifact before giving it to him.
“Yenlo,” said the voice on the other side. “Are you dead yet?”
“Almost,” said Lyle with difficulty. “I… have a request, which our new allies can only achieve. I want to talk to someone now.”
“Who is it?”
“Yurirl… of the Sword.”
“…I’ll contact them and see what I can do,” said Rain before ending the call. It was one of the traits that made him appreciate her. Now, all he had to do was to wait.
“Do you know The Divine Swordsman?” the old researcher asked with surprise. Lyle smiled as he lost his strength and closed his eyes.
“We were rivals once, but fate is a mysterious thing.”
Lyle started to lose consciousness again as if the memories of the past haunted him. Then, finally, he fell into a dream where he met Anna for the first time and how his life became afterward.