851 C-3, Wind Month 1, Moon 15
Over the next few months, my parents made sure I became well acquainted with what they called the fly room. Even though I’d gotten better at actually cutting through flies, their numbers had never decreased. The stench had only become worse, especially with the new carcasses they’d periodically thrown in.
At a certain point, my father hadn’t even bothered trying to give me instructions. He’d wake me up and immediately throw me into the storehouse. I’d spent more time in there than I’d spent in my own bedroom.
I’d desperately wanted to sleep, but I’d dreaded doing so because it’d make morning come that much quicker. Even if I’d wanted to though, I hadn’t been able to escape the rotten stench and the sound of the flies buzzing. Even in my dreams, it felt like I’d still been in that room.
Hearing even the slightest vibration of their wings had been enough to make me want to throw up. But my harsh training had continued, whether I’d wanted it to or not.
The next time I remembered being remotely happy was one day a few months later. It was one of the rare days when I was able to actually meet up with Soreya. Though I never intended to burden her with my problems, I found myself telling her about everything that I was going through.
She tried to promise me that she’d do something, but I didn’t expect much. In an attempt to cheer me up, she even gave me back my favorite stick, but at that point, I didn’t care too much about it anymore. Just being able to spend time with her was enough to help me endure my treatment at home.
Eventually, an old man visited one day. He said he was a Guardian following rumors of a potential Blade Saint candidate in our small territory.
“May I?” he asked my parents. They enthusiastically nodded, and he held a sword out to me. “Is it okay if we spar for a little bit? Don’t worry about winning or hurting me. I’d like you to come at me with everything you have.”
“If I do well...what happens?”
He gently smiled at me. “You’ll come with me to a place where you’ll be looked after with other kids like you.”
My heart skipped a beat. Could I finally really escape all of this? If I can prove myself, I can get away from this house! I can be free!
I eagerly accepted the sword and held it in both my hands.
“Feel free to come at me whenever you’d like,” he said in a gentle voice, drawing his own sword.
I leaped at him, swinging my sword horizontally at his torso, but he easily blocked it. I began frantically swinging, but he easily blocked these attempts too. A pit grew in my stomach as I saw his eyes, which more than obviously showed that he wasn’t even remotely impressed. No. I need to do better!
His eyes widened as he realized I’d feinted a slash and quickly redirected my attack to an opening. He leaped back to dodge it, but I ran forward to pursue him. Then for the first time during this bout, he swung his sword at me. But somehow, I wasn’t surprised by it; it was as if his blade itself had told me its path, and I easily dodged it.
“Very good!” He smiled happily. “Let’s try picking up the pace a little.”
His attacks became more frequent and faster, but I could read them and react. He’s putting more force into his next attack. If I can narrowly dodge it, then I can get a counterattack onto him, and then...and then what? A certain thought suddenly flashed through my mind. What about Soreya? If I leave...does that mean I’ll never see her again? Could I really choose a life without her? I hesitated with my counterattack and instead sloppily parried his sword, making me lose my balance. He’s going for another attack. I can block it, and then throw a slash at his side, but... Soreya’s face flashed through my head again, and I froze. In the next moment, I felt a gust of air as his blade stopped right before reaching my shoulder.
The Guardian weakly smiled before sheathing his sword.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
I nodded silently.
“Well fought,” he said, ruffling my hair and taking the sword back from me. “Maybe in a few years, you’ll become quite skilled.”
“S-So what does that mean? Are you taking him?” my mother asked.
“You’re taking him, right? He passed, didn’t he?” my father chimed in.
“Well...” He had a difficult expression on. “Though he certainly has potential, he has certain traits that make me think he won’t be a good fit.”
“What do you mean? He kept up with you, didn’t he?”
“To a certain degree, yes, but...he lacks a certain trait that is valuable for candidates. I can’t, in good conscience, take him with me.”
“Whaaat?!” Both my parents stared at him, stunned.
“Thank you again for your time, and best of luck.”
“Hey, you can’t do this to us! Come back!”
The Guardian merely smiled and walked away.
Once his figure was nothing more than a distant memory, I found myself knocked to the ground after receiving a blow from my father.
“You worthless little shit! You blew it! You ruined everything!”
“How could you do this to us?” my mother exclaimed. “This was it! It was our way out!”
“I-I’m sorry, I—” Before I could finish apologizing, my father’s foot flew into my head.
“Sorry doesn’t cut it! We’re ruined! Ruined! And it’s all your fault!”
I whimpered on the ground, not knowing what to do. I just continued trying to apologize, but that only incurred more beatings.
When I couldn’t say anything anymore, my father dragged me back to the fly room and tossed me in.
“Worthless little shit! Die in there for all I care!” he screamed, slamming the doors shut and locking it.
I didn’t even have the strength to beg anymore. I simply lay there, sobbing into the ground. Why did this have to happen? Is living happily too much to ask for? Soreya...I’m sorry you had to have a worthless friend like me. I’m so sorry...
I didn’t know how long I lay there sobbing, feeling as if the world was ending. I had nowhere to go. There was no future for me. I didn’t even know if I’d ever see the light of day again. Am I going to die here? Maybe this was a fitting place for me, surrounded by carcasses of animals that were slowly turning into fertilizer—a fate I was destined to share. At least then, maybe I’ll be useful to someone. But if I could have one wish—if someone worthless like me could be allowed to even wish for anything—I wish I could see Soreya one more time.
Suddenly, I began to hear things that couldn’t be real. In the distance, over the sound of the flies buzzing, I could swear I heard Soreya’s voice. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but it sounded like she was arguing with my parents. But the putrid smell and the deafening buzz of the flies brought me back to my reality. There was no way that anything so hopeful would happen. This was my life. I was stuck here, now and forever.
There was a loud clang outside followed by a thud as something seemed to have dropped onto the ground. In the next moment, the door flung open, and I winced from the bright light that flooded in.
Standing there at the doorway was the figure of someone I was longing to see. But how was she here? Why did she come? So many questions came into my head that I was at a loss for words until I finally managed to squeeze out a few of them.
“Wh-What are you—”
She strode into the storehouse, walking confidently past the decomposing corpses of the livestock, and she grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. Then I felt the warmth of her hands on my shoulders. Her bright green eyes were pointed right into mine.
“This isn’t where we end,” she said resolutely.
Huh? What does that mean?
But she didn’t give me the time to think about it or even ask her. She pulled me outside, not saying another word.