the past and the present

ch.17 Bittersweet emotions

Ch. 17 Bittersweet emotions

Martial pov
It feels so strange; the last thing I remember was the darkness after getting shot. A black, empty void filled with nothingness, the silence felt so loud. I couldn't hear my thoughts; I wasn't sure if I had any.

I don't know how long I was stuck in that place. It was sudden; a small dot of light suddenly showed itself to me. At first, it was nothing but a little speck of light. But it felt warm—even welcoming—like my mother's embrace.

The light eventually grew; it grew bigger and bigger. It brought me a sense of joy. I felt joy after a long time of nothing but emptiness. Eventually, the light grew bigger than me, and its warm light started to engulf me. Yet I wasn't scared; as the light wrapped itself around my body, I was reminded of the times my mother would hold me in her arms.

I miss her so much. Would she be happy with the things I've done?

I found myself in a strange room after that. I was told that I'd died and had been revived.

And now I'm here, alive, and talking to my brother, who died five years before me. He is also alive and well.

The emotions I felt were confusing, which would be an understatement. There were a lot of mixed emotions as I stared at my brother. A part of me felt overjoyed at this, yet another part of me feels like this is all a dream. A sick game from the gods to punish me for all my crimes.

But still, I can't help but smile. Even though everything that's happening right now might not be true, I want to take in everything that's happening and live in the moment. I want to experience being back with my brother and my family, even if it's all just a dream.

One last time.

Then maybe..... Hopefully, I can pass  on.

My thoughts were interrupted when Del suddenly stopped walking. I looked up at him, only to see the concerned expression on his face.

"Are you okay, martial? You've been weirdly quiet?" He asked.

Ah, I worried him. I shook my head and smiled a little. "I'm fine. Are we there yet?"
I asked.

Del's sweat dropped from his forehead. "Ah, yeah, about that," he struggled to find the words. He scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, so... I-... um..." He stutters as he looks everywhere but his brother.

I clicked my tongue and sighed. "We're lost again, aren't we?" I swear, he is the worst navigator.

"Yeah, oops?." Del shrugged nervously.

I shake my head disappointedly. "Seriously," I grumbled. "I'm surprised you didn't die from getting lost on the battlefield."

Sometimes I wonder how my brother managed to lead the army with his awful sense of direction.

Del simply laughed awkwardly at his brother.

"Come on, let's just... huh?"

My eyes widen and my mouth is agape. I can't believe my eyes. This couldn’t be real, right? But then again, we were raised from the dead. I don’t even know anymore.

Del was confused as to why his brother stopped mid-sentence, wondering what could have caught Martial's attention. Slowly, he followed his brother's gaze.

The moment he did, he felt weak, and the previous cheerful energy fled his body. He stared, his heart pounding in his chest as he did so.

It had been so long.

Tears slowly began to fall from the brother's faces as they stood frozen.

A beautiful woman stood In front of them, appearing to be scolding a red man who seemed embarrassed and was scratching his neck. Suddenly, the man caught sight of them from the side of his eye.

The man stared right back at them in shock; his hand went down from his neck and fell limp at his side. The woman, seeing that he wasn’t paying attention to her anymore, felt a little annoyed, but she soon grew worried when she saw the expression of shock that soon turned to despair on his face.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mahal?..." she called out worriedly, then turned to what he was looking at. Her eyes widened when she saw the brothers. She gasped and covered her mouth as tears fell from her face. Her grip tightened on his shoulder as she started shaking.

She couldn’t believe it. Those were her sons, Del and Martial. They weren’t supposed to be here. They didn't want to see them there.

She felt her husband squeeze her hand. He looked into her eyes tearfully and smiled. "Let's just.... be happy for now, he whispered.

Del couldn’t stop crying; he could hear his brother sobbing next to him, and every fiber of his body was screeching at him to comfort his little brother.

But he couldn't; he couldn’t even comfort himself. He clutched his fist and held his stare, trying to hold himself together and be strong.

The moment the man and the woman smiled through their tears and extended their arms to them, they broke.

"Mama! Papa!"

They broke into tears and ran into their arms. Feeling the warmth of their arms wrap around them after so long. Everything was a blur to them as they cried their souls out in each other's embrace. The mix of happiness, sadness, and longing turns them into one big mess of emotions.

Kati gave a bittersweet smile as he embraced his family. He felt joy at being able to see his children all grown up, but he couldn’t help but wish that it had been at a different place at a different time.

Seeing them there told him that they had died. He didn’t want that; he wanted them to live long lives, but there was nothing he could do about it; after all, death was unpredictable, and so was life.

He pushed aside those feelings, wanting to focus on this moment. A moment of joy and sadness with his family in his arms.

1000+ words, Ill see you next chapter.