Chapter 5

  Morning Walk

  It was early in the morning. Ellyn and Marco were in her room doing the usual checkup. The same tired process of removing her bandages, reviewing her wounds, and replacing it with new ones. It wasn’t a particularly long process, taking about an hour at most, but Ellyn had grown tired of it over the course of almost six months.

  She understood why it was necessary, the damage of the War God’s Magic plagued every centimeter of her body, greatly slowing down the natural healing process and forcing it to take a lot longer than it would otherwise. Today however, despite the tired and uncomfortable process, there was a reason for them to be happier than usual—Ellyn’s bandages would be removed for good today, meaning her health had improved enough to be "discharged" from her bedridden state, so they couldn’t help but feel a bit happy.

  “Hu~...”

  “You look like a ghost. Feels uncomfortable, right?” Marco whispered.

  “Y-yes... It’s going to be weird to no longer have them.”

  “Yeah, I heard that often. Just when you get used to wearing them, you have to take them out. Actually, I know some people who wore extra clothing for a couple of days just so it wouldn’t feel as weird.” He explained.

  “Really? I guess it does make sense...” Ellyn turned around with curiosity, suggesting he continue.

  “I prefer it over those who scratch themselves constantly over those areas. Leaves nasty marks, you know? Even when I tell them, they just don’t know how to deal with the sensation, and end up scratching anyway.”

  Ellyn felt half curious about what kind of behavior do people engage in after recovering. But it would have to wait for later, she simply smiled, “Heh. Are you everyone’s loving grandpa?”

  “I’ll let you know, I’m still young as far as adults go, thank you very much.”

  A soft, teasing smile formed on her lips. Then, she casually replied, “That also sounds like something old people would say.”

  Marco raised an eyebrow, “You really are in a good mood today, aren’t you?”

  As he removed the final bandages, Ellyn freely moved her arms and legs as she felt the air passing through the window caress her skin. In a way, she felt happy. From the constant changing to the uncomfortable sensation of being wrapped around from head to toe, the bandages were a huge annoyance for five months straight. Now that the wounds were fully closed, it was finally over. She can enjoy free movement once more.

  After five long months incapacitated, all of her wounds are healed.

  In a way, she felt happy... However-

  Ellyn had been avoiding it this whole time, but she couldn’t help herself and took a good glance at the exposed skin of her limbs.

  “Gnh...”

  Her arms had a large array of scars varying in sizes that went from the shoulder all the way to the palm. Some of them were small, less than the size of her pinky. Others were considerably larger. Almost as long as an adult’s forearm. A dizzying sensation filled her head. Before she knew it, she was catching her breath again. Yes, she felt happy that the bandages were gone... But at the same time, it was those bandages that allowed her to not see the imprints of a sword that now decorated her body—A violent memento from that terrible day.

  Things just worked better when she did not have to think about her situation and the troubles she caused. Even if she knew it was temporary, ignoring all the baggage from that night and even before was a blessing for her. One that she wished lasted forever.

  Marco picked up from her contorted face, “Sorry, I should have known that you would have a problem with your scars.”

  Ellyn was brought back by the sensation of Marco’s hand carefully landing on her shoulder. She looked at him with anxious eyes as she tried to not look at herself, “No, I-”

  He reassured her, “Hey. Breath, girl. It’s okay.”

  “N-no, it’s just that...”

  “No, no, give me a second. I’ll go get something that could help. Stay in here until I return.”

  Ellyn wanted to reply, but quickly gave up as she hurried to her bed and covered her body with the blanket. At the same time, Marco left the room in search of the item.

  She tried to look for something to distract her with. Her eyes were rapidly drawn to various items and furniture that decorated the room, colored carpets, clothing drawers, books, board games, chairs, and nightstands. After Maya annoyed Marco with an almost permanent migraine, the three of them tried their hardest to make the room not prettier looking, for the sake of their guest—for the time being, at least. Even if it was for her treatment’s duration, she felt grateful for their kindness. It was in efforts like those that Ellyn found solace during those five, long months, kindness that would at least make her remember the sight of this room with happiness, long after she is gone.

  A minute or two later, Marco returned with a small, round packaging in his hands.

  “This is something Teacher used to do whenever a patient really didn’t want to have any visible marks. It’s not perfect, but it helps.”

  Ellyn’s eyes widened, “Eh? Are you serious? You have something like that?”

  “Yeah, my teacher used it frequently and taught me how to make it so... Feel free to use it. You might get a bit greasy on the skin until it dries up, though. Also, it comes off with water.” He explained.

  “That’s fine!” She said with excitement, “Thank you, Marco.”

  Seeing the raven-haired girl’s eyes illuminated for once felt like an achievement on its own, enough for Marco to smile in response.

  “Now, now. You had something to do today with Rigel, didn’t you. You should go get ready. I’ll be here the whole day if you feel bad or something.”

  Ellyn firmly nodded with her eyes fixated on the cream as she carefully applied it on the skin. A moment later, she sees how the cream blends itself smoothly with her fair skin tone and hides the scar. While not entirely hidden, it’s more than enough.

  “Good grief, you finally look like your age for once. Make sure to still wear the stuff Maya gave you.”

  She nodded once more with a subdued, yet genuine smile on her face

  “I’ll be leaving then.”

  Marco waved at her, “Have fun.”

  She smiled, “... Mn.”

  The girl nodded as she is seen off by Marco. Today was a different day than usual. By his request, she would do something ‘fitting of her age’ by hanging around The Village with Rigel without causing too much trouble. He commented she needed to do exercise after being bedridden for almost six months, but really he just wanted to do something for her now that her treatment was ending. There was also the fact that he would be busy with a patient and later a reunion he didn’t want to disclose to her the details of.

  She understood. It’s not like she would complain to a doctor for doing his job, if anything she was grateful for how much he looked after her. Being able to stretch her legs for an entire day without stopping was the cherry on top.

  Ellyn took a look at her arms and didn’t feel anything majorly uncomfortable. Her arms looked completely normal for the most part, the traces of the medical cream were there but according to Marco, she wouldn’t notice the difference at a simple glance unless she really looked for it. Still, she put on a pair of fingerless, black gloves that went all the way up her arm and into her short sleeves.

  “Hm.”

  While not perfect, as evidence that some of the larger scars still gave away their presence across her fingers, it was still a fantastic feeling. Not being able to plainly see anything related to that event was the best gift she had been given. The rest she could cover it with the clothes Maya had lent her. As she kept walking, Ellyn entertained the thought; “how much does it take to get such a product? Or can you make it yourself?” Given how incredible it was, it should be hard to come by. This cream is too amazing; its mere existence put her in a type of good mood she hadn’t experienced in months.

  It was one of the few indulgences she was okay to take before they reminded her she caused a great deal of trouble and killed people six months ago. In complete honesty, Ellyn was grateful to Marco for sheltering her and curing her wounds for so long, but she wondered why was he hiding her and pretending she didn't notice. Not once he breached the obvious topic and simply treated her like an adopted daughter, on top of it she was hidden whenever someone visited his home to request his services.

  It was rather strange to her. And somewhat worrying.

  At the side of the street, she spotted a familiar face, wearing a dark blue jacket and a scarf. The boy was completely hypnotized by the book he was reading, so much so, he didn’t seem to notice Ellyn standing right in front of him. He was totally immersed in the fictional world he was reading about.

  He seemed to be having fun.

  Ellyn herself was in a good mood and part of her wanted to greet him nicely...

  ...The other part of her, however, was also in a good mood and he still hasn’t noticed her.

  He did not notice Ellyn standing in front of him. Nor did he notice her preparing to flick his forehead. His gaze is fully focused on the book. Then, after accumulating as much tension as she could in her fingers-

  “Agh! HAa?!”

  Ellyn released her flick, the blow lands dead-center in his forehead with enough force to leave a tiny bit of it reddened. The flick seemed to be stronger than expected, for it sent his head backward.

  The raven-haired girl smiled, “Good morning, Rigel.”

  “What was that for?!” He snapped.

  Ellyn pretended to think about it as she replied, “You were there. So, I felt like playing a bit.”

  “You just wanted to mess with me?”

  Ellyn looked away, “...Maybe.”

  She indeed just wanted to mess with him. There was something that felt right about the idea of messing around with Rigel and his smaller-than-average frame and youthful appearance. Whenever she saw him, there was a need to tease him at least once. It had been like that for the past months. She just found it endearing to her heart to see his reactions, like a cute little brother receiving all sorts of attentions.

  “Haa,” His body slumped, “I can already see I have a whole day ahead of me...”

  “Please take good care of me.” She said softly.

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

  “Hm.” She nodded with a smile.

  Rigel took a deep breath before giving up. He was already used to it, after all. Besides, she was clearly in a good mood, probably because of the reason the two of them were in the first place. So, he’ll indulge her for today.

  “Anyway... Let’s go. I haven’t eaten breakfast and Mom wanted to see you before heading out for work.”

  Ellyn smiled warmly at the boy, a gesture that caught him off guard. For months, he had seen her with a stern or disinterested expression whenever they spoke, only changing when she teased him or saw the little light show of star magic. It was rare when he saw her casually smile like that and it meant she was genuinely excited. She displayed as much by the way she walked alongside him, keeping up a lively pace in ways that betrayed the fact that her mental state was in tatters, or that her body recently was in equal condition. While not jumping of joy at every step, it was clear that her more introverted attitude was experiencing an influx of glee.

  “By the way...” Ellyn asked, “What was that book that you were reading?”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Eh? Oh, it’s a semi-biography called: ‘The Eternal Blue.’ It’s about a group of sailors who spent their lives traveling across the sea. All the places they saw and all the things that happened in them.”

  “Hoo~ you seemed really into it. So much so, you didn’t see me coming.”

  Rigel looked affectionately at his book, “I think they are cool. These sorts of stories always get me fantasizing about doing the same things as them. I mean, who wouldn’t? To travel across the world and see so many places that you’ll never run out of stories to tell. Sounds like a dream, right?”

  Ellyn stopped for a second. The mere thought made her face darken.

  “A dream, huh...”

  Memories started to surge in. Her uncle’s way of life, the training she took, using her “talents” for her uncle’s gain. Their final goal… squandered. Hers was a dream much simpler than that… and even still it was-

  She opted not to speak. Today was a good day. Ruining the mood like that would be the worst.

  Nearing the village proper, two men worked together moving large boxes,

  “Alright. One... two... three! Lift!”

  “HUA-! Agh! Shit, it’s heavy! Are these vegetables or rocks?!”

  Whereas on the other side of the road, two women chatted among themselves.

  “I was told by the fishermen we shouldn’t expect a large catch this year.”

  “That’s worrisome. Are we gonna still have enough after those bastards take away their portion?”

  “Who knows, but my husband is saving to buy something in the city should it go down to the worst.”

  “Guess I could do the same…”

  As Ellyn and Rigel walked across the road, they bore witness to the buzzing activity of the village. People moved boxes with some food toward their respective sellers, materials made their way to craftsmen’s workshops as the sound of tools rang out. All the while conversations filled the air with noise. Ellyn struggled to make the connection between the place she walked on and the quiet and peaceful village that she always saw from Marco’s place, but it did made sense that it would be like that. After all it wasn't a painting.

  Still, her face twisted, “Noisy...”

  Ellyn’s eyes scouted left and right as quickly as she could. The place felt alien. Well, it was, just more than she could have expected. But what bothered her was not unfamiliarity but rather...

  “R-Rigel...” The girl fretted, “Has this place always been this...noisy?”

  Rigel turned around with a confused looked, “Eh? Y-yeah, I guess? Why do you ask?”

  The disparity between the place she saw, what she knew about, and what she ultimately got was too jarring for her to let it pass. Where did that calm and quiet place go and how can she return to it?

  “Of all the villages I’ve been to, this one is so busy that it doesn’t feel like a village at all.”

  “I- I don’t know. I’ve been here all my life, growing up used to stuff like this. For it to be quiet would just be weird to me.”

  Rigel seemed unsure of how to properly phrase it. Nevertheless, he still tried his best.

  “I see... Still. It’s a little too noisy for me…” Ellyn said, her body seemingly deflating in resignation.

  “That’s mostly this side, though. Everyone has to earn money for their families, so they picked this place for convenience and to not bother others.”

  “It’s nice that they thought of their neighbors when they made that decision…”

  “That’s our village for ya. Since we are only... uh, a thousand, I think? The adults have that ‘everyone should look out for everyone’ mindset. They work either here or trade with the city of Finglas and that’s how we’ve managed to survive.”

  She couldn’t help but find it intriguing. This was a relatively small community that was very far apart from the rest of the country, Vigram. So, it was astonishing that they were sustaining themselves with that many limited avenues. The street was mostly composed of workshops and their respective artisans. Earlier, she saw people moving boxes with vegetables to greengrocers. It wasn’t that surprising to imagine all of them to some extents were maintaining families of their own. It was heartwarming to think about.

  “By the way...” She asked again, “What’s this village’s name?”

  Rigel seemed to stop his train of thought altogether, as if Ellyn had spoken in a different language.

  “Eh? What do you mean?”

  “Well, you all call it ‘village’ but I don’t think you all ever mentioned a proper name.” She said.

  He didn’t get it. Tilting his head, he asked: “Is that a thing you enjoy?”

  “A bit, yeah. From the places I’ve been in the past, they all had an interesting name to them”

  She smiled at him, waiting optimistically for his reply.

  “Uh...” He looked around, “‘The Village’?”

  And her smile was gone.

  “... Huh?”

  Rigel stopped thinking. At a loss for words on how to explain why it was that way.

  “Yeah, everyone calls it ‘The Village’ to not bother themselves with a fancy name.” He explained, looking as uncomfortable as he was confused.

  Ellyn’s face went from confusion to intense disappointment at Rigel’s explanation. She always found names and titles to be rather romantic. Something she acquired from the places she has been and expected… ‘The Village’ to have an interesting name. Yet another thing of the beautiful place she saw atop the hill that just existed in her mind.

  “AH! Ellyn! Ellyn over heeeere!”

  The two of them straightened their backs in reaction to the voice behind them. It was a voice full of overwhelming energy. After all these five months, Ellyn still hasn’t gotten used to dealing with her at all.

  Rigel on his part just hoped his mother wouldn’t do... anything weird.

  “I’m over here! Ellyyyyn-” Maya yelled from the top of her lungs.

  “Stop it already!” Rigel barked, “We are less than five meters away!”

  “Ah Rigel, you are here too.” Maya nonchalantly replied.

  “You didn’t notice me?!”

  Maya’s gaze was fully focused on Ellyn, full of energy and eagerly waiting for her response. She was standing next to a blacksmith’s workshop while its owner was sweeping its entrance. Ellyn herself already felt uncomfortable at the intense, cheerful glare that her amethyst eyes gave. She knew Maya meant no harm, but she never seemed too aware of how overwhelming she could be to her.

  Ellyn smiled, “Uh... G-good morning, Maya.”

  “Hum! Good morning, Ellyn!!”

  Maya seemed more than satisfied with her clumsy reply. The woman’s excitement was reaching unnatural levels as her breath grew heavier and heavier. Ever since Maya’s first encounter with Ellyn, she became the main target of whatever repressed doll play the woman never experienced. Despite her condition, Ellyn seemed the perfect way for Maya to get a cute girl in all sorts of clothing she wanted under the pretense of giving them away, she could get her dressed up in almost anything like playing with a doll. The same applied largely to getting to do her hair or cutting it to keep it in shape.

  Naturally, she was careful with Ellyn, and she really did want to help out of empathy for her... But she also was like the daughter she never had. Or the little sister she never got to play with.

  “I see you’ve been released after so long!”

  Ellyn lowered her tone of voice before replying: “Y-yes. It feels good to stretch the legs after being most of the time sitting or lying down.”

  “That’s right! How about we head over to my home to start this day with a wonderful breakfast?” Maya crossed her arms as she happily nodded in agreement to her own words.

  “Eeh...” Ellyn’s nervous smile saw a flash of terror the instant she heard that.

  Rigel stepped in with the biggest frown he had shown yet, standing in front of his mother while forcefully sticking his head high.

  “Mom... You really should stop it already. It’s really creepy how you approach Ellyn with your antics and all of tha-”

  Maya blinked a few times with a blank face before looking down to find her son staring at her.

  “Oh. Rigel, you were there. I’m sorry, honey. You were so tiny that I didn’t notice you were trying to block my way to cute girls of this world.”

  “Alright.” He cracked his knuckles, “That does it.”

  Ellyn couldn’t help but muffle her laughter at Maya’s comment. It was true, she also found it amusing how Rigel’s short stature equaled his patience. It only made her want to tease him more for it. Rigel on his part tried to do his best to ignore the raven-haired girl’s giggle. Thankfully, Maya’s antics were stopped when the blacksmith put her hands on Maya’s head and tightened the grip with noticeable strength. In an instant, her face went from playfulness to absolute pain.

  “Agh! AH!” Maya screamed, “Stop it! Sherry! Stoooop!”

  “Stop bothering the kids, Maya. You are too old to be messing around like that.”

  “You are never too old for cute girls- AAAAGH!”

  Shorter than Maya by a head, short hair of the same color, and dark brown eyes, wearing a leather apron and boots signature of her profession as a blacksmith. The older-looking lady handled Maya like she was completely used to her—And completely tired too.

  “I’m sorry about that, girl. My idiot sister would probably never know how to act appropriately to her age. Name’s Sherry, nice to meet you.”

  Sherry politely greeted with seriousness more reminiscent of Rigel than anyone else. Her voice was deeper than Maya’s but gentle and professional. It certainly made her look reliable.

  “N-no, It’s fine! I’ve been getting used to Maya’s... way of being?” Ellyn explained.

  After hearing that, Sherry’s concern only deepened further.

  “I don’t think that’s something you should get used to...”

  “Thanks, aunt.” The boy turned to his mother, “I wished someone was as normal as you.”

  “Rigel?! Ouch! Sister! It hurts!” Maya’s pleads were in vain to the experienced sister, who knew how to handle her sibling.

  “I don’t care. You were being a weirdo again. Can you believe she is the older one, girl?”

  “Absolutely unacceptable.” Rigel nodded; arms crossed.

  Ellyn felt lost, unsure of what to even do in a situation like this. So, her only response was to awkwardly laugh and nod, hoping it’ll get her through that.

  “A-Hahaha... Yeah...”

  Maya freed herself from her sister’s grasp. Teary-eyed, she held her head while giving her sister a “You’re so mean!” look that is plastered all over her face. Sherry returned the stare with her own disappointed expression, part of her was ashamed that she had to partake in her sister’s antics in front of others. While she loved her very much and would always look after her, she still thought it was unbelievable for her older sister to act like this.

  “Uguu... Everyone’s being mean to me so early in the morning. My son wants to abandon me and my younger sister disrespects me. At least I still have you, right, Ellyn?”

  Maya looked at Ellyn with her brilliant amethyst eyes, pleading for help. Ellyn was her only beacon of hope left in this cruel world of meanies. Only she could deliver solace within her embrace.

  “Uh, Well-”

  In a moment, Rigel and Sherry pulled Ellyn away to their side.

  “Not a chance.”

  “Don’t indulge her, girl.”

  “Eh?”

  In an instant, the two of them pulled Ellyn towards them, leaving Maya completely alone on the other side. Ellyn was about to object to this when-

  “Tch! These yaldsons...” Maya clicked her tongue and cursed between her lips.

  Ellyn gasped, “A trick?”

  “My feelings are genuine. But I have been discovered, don’t worry Ellyn, I will save you from these evil yaldsons.” She said with an overly cool voice.

  “Who are you calling a what?!” Sherry snapped.

  “Eek!”

  Ellyn could no longer tell what was happening. She thought Maya making her try on pieces of clothing and board games were a lot to deal with. But now that she is surrounded by the whole family, she felt absolutely exhausted. And the day hasn’t even begun yet!

  Then, her stomach growled.

  “Ah!”

  Ellyn’s cheeks flush bright red as her stomach loudly grumbles for all four of them to hear. It was only normal since she still has not eaten breakfast yet. Even so, she still wanted to hide her face in embarrassment.

  “Right. I forgot we were going to eat breakfast.” Rigel said.

  “Looks like we got too carried away when you both had things to do. Alright, kids, you can go.” Sherry scratched her head with an apologetic look to her eyes.

  With a light pat in the back, both Ellyn and Rigel were pushed away into the street. Maya tried to jump in, but was soon detained by her sister’s firm grip—A grip that was trained by years of moving heavy objects and preventing idiot older sisters from causing trouble.

  “I’m gonna go too! You guys are going to Lukas’, right?! I wanna go too!”

  Sherry pulled her sister with even more strength than before, getting fed up with her nonsense.

  “Maya... Let the kids have their date, for gods’ sake.” She sighed.

  The two of them were stunned that they both said “Huh?” in unison. What did she just say?

  “Noo! My son is too young to be going away with a woman. Much less she is this cute too! I will go on a date with her and-”

  What did she just say?

  “N-no, it’s not a-” She said in an increasingly panicky voice.

  “It’s not a date!” Rigel snapped, “I was asked to do this!”

  “Ah, I see.” Maya grinned from ear to ear, “She was the one that did the first step. She is bigger than you, after all.”

  “Hm, hm. Do you like them tall, Rigel?” Suddenly, Sherry was next to her sister with a smile on her face.

  Both sisters were nodding in agreement. Now that Maya was under control, the only target left for their antics was her son. Rigel on his side was got redder by the second. If Ellyn’s head wasn’t already overwhelmed by the duo now, this would be the tipping point. Instead, it was overflowing. The idea of interpreting their day as a date was the last thing on her head when she went out. But now, it was the only thing in her head, and she couldn’t help but see why it would look that way to outsiders.

  “We- We aren’t going on a da-” Ellyn pleaded.

  Sherry winked at her, “Hey, have more confidence. Everyone likes when a girl is confident in herself.”

  Sherry pumped out her chest outwards with both hands on her hips. Maya nodded and mimicked her gesture with a smug expression on her face. While filled with good intentions in their message, Sherry and Maya both shared rather large breasts that became apparent when puffing out their chest. It only made Ellyn more self-aware of her current situation and her own well-endowed body, and it only furthered her embarrassment.

  Unable to take it anymore, Rigel took Ellyn’s hand and sprinted away from the scene. Ellyn let out a gasp in surprise before being dragged along.

  Red as a tomato, he yelled: “We’re leaving!”

  “Ah! R-Rigel!” Ellyn cried out.

  Rigel did not respond, however. After taking her hand he had realized what he was doing to leave behind his mother and aunt. He couldn’t respond, his face was burning hot-red and the sweat from his forehead was ice-cold. To stop would have meant to acknowledge what her mother and aunt said. That cannot be. That shall never be. He cannot give her mother the slightest of gaps. It would be a complete admission of defeat—He doesn't even feel that way towards the raven-haired girl.

  Back at Sherry’s workshop, the two sisters saw them run away with their faces deep red. Maya felt satisfaction at seeing the scene unfold, likewise, her little sister was also feeling pretty good about the outcome.

  “We might have messed around with them too much.” Maya confessed.

  “Would you have done otherwise?” Her sister asked.

  Maya chuckled, “No, it’s way too fun to get reactions out of them.”

  “Well, I can see why you are so into messing around with them.”

  Maya turned around with a mischievous grin on her face. Looking at her sister with her glowing amethyst eyes as if expecting something.

  “Hehe~ what if we follow them, my dear sis-”

  “No. Leave ‘em alone.” She scolded her with a chop on her head.

  “Booo~ You always gotta cut the fun short...”