F I R S T A R C : B E G I N! [ Opening: Wonderful World by FUNKIST ]
Special OST: Moon (on the side)
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Chapter 2: A Boy Named Sole!
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My eyes flutter open as a chill settles into my bones. I want to stand but my limbs do not respond to my desperate attempts. My vision blurs, the sheer whiteness of the surrounding area is glowing like sunlight reflecting off of a crystal's surface. My teeth clatter together, my tongue limp at the bottom of my mouth and my face and body numb from the bitter cold circulating around me.
"How did I get here...?"
A snowflake lands on my lash and I blink it away, my mind sending me cruel thoughts. No one is coming to save me. The pain in my right arm is proof, the wound, gushing scarlet rivers into the snow. I long for warmth and safety but no one is coming for me.
I have nobody.
The pain of that realization hurts worse than any wound and any beaten I have received over the short eleven years of my life. A single tear slips down my face as I think of a warm place. Someplace where I'd be safe forever. But then I slip into unconsciousness and the world seemed to disappear into a place of frozen darkness.
๑۞๑
"Mommy, what's wrong with him?"
"I'm not sure, dear. Get away from there! That boy has been infected!"
"But his arm looks so cool!"
"Shoo Shoo!"
The sound of a child giggling wakes me from my sleep.
"Usaph!"
I glance around the room quickly, seeing nothing but a startled woman and two children. My hair is down in my face in an overgrown mess of silver. I narrow my eyes suspiciously and frown.
"Where am I?"
"Just a town house here in Mineas."
"Why am I here?"
"We couldn't let you freeze last winter. We found you outside of town in the forest. It's especially dangerous there so I couldn't let you stay, especially with your injuries," the woman chuckles, "I still can't believe that you were asleep for half a year, though."
The woman rings out a cloth and places it on my forehead. It feels warm.
"Wait! Half a year!"
She stumbles backwards in surprise, nodding softly. Her two children, who are probably two years younger than I am, watch me from the door entrance. The boy holds a stick in his grasp, ready to attack me if I did anything to their mother. I sit back down with a grunt and examine my bandaged body. I try to remember why I am injured but nothing comes to mind. It's painful trying to think of anything from the past. I slowly unwrap my right arm, few memories flooding back. When the bandages fall, my jaw drops. My small, white arm has been replaced with a slightly muscular silver one. It's weird to look at because it's out of contrast against the paleness of my skin. I stare at it, fascinated by it.
"It's a Caravala arm."
I look at the woman.
"A...Caravala?"
"Yes. They are demons from a completely different world than us. They are beasts who feed off of the flesh and blood of human beings, devouring anything they can," the boy says from the door, "And you are one too! Monster!"
The boy hits me upside the head with the stick. Grabbing it with my new arm, I snap the stick in two. He glares at me before swinging his fists towards me. The strength in my arm surprises me so I carefully try to avoid snapping the boy like I have done to the stick.
"Hikari! Stop that now!"
I catch his hand and push him slightly. The boy staggers backwards with an enraged face before grabbing his sister's hand and dashing out the door.
"Stupid! You are a monster!"
Their mother watches as they run out across the grass and down into a riverbed. She exhales, sitting in a chair.
"I'm sorry. He's a reckless boy. Ever since his father died, he's been trying to act tough. But he's still just a little boy..."
I sit back down on the mat, examining my arm thoroughly.
"Did you do this?"
The woman shakes her head, "that's the way we found you. You were the most helpless little thing. I just couldn't abandoned you out there."
I blush slightly, thinking about how I could have possibly looked helpless.
"I wish I knew how I got there. And how I got this," I say, holding my arm up in the air, "or who I am..."
"You really don't know who you are?"
I shake my head, sighing.
"Well the only things we found with you were a white coat with the word 'Sole' embroidered on the tag and a bottle of pills. Nothing else."
I ponder what the woman said and remember something random...
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"Come on! You've had it all day!"
A silver haired boy flies a kite near the edge of a lake. A black haired boy chases him down the lake bed, trying to get to him. They fall into a heap near a small town house, the kite flying away with the passing wind. The black haired boy begins to weep as the silver haired one laughs.
"How is that funny? I never got a turn!"
"You know, Usaph. Sometimes life is cruel; All logic is lost under God's control. Sometimes we never know what to expect," the black haired boy stared at the other with an inquisitive look on his face, "But no matter what, you must keep your head held high! Like a kite!"
The black haired boy begins to laugh with the silver haired one and hugs him.
"Stupid! That made no sense!"
Then, they laugh until the sun disappears.
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For some reason the images in my head make me want to cry. The woman hands me a bowl with thick, steaming, good smelling liquid in it.
"Eat up. It has some of those special pills that I found with you in it."
I sniff the bowl, smelling only the savoury smell of herbs, potatoes and meat.
"Thank you!"
I swallow it quickly, my stomach growling pathetically. The woman laughs and refills the bowl. After two more times of refilling my dish and three bread rolls, my stomach is content. I sit back with a satisfied groan and clean my teeth of the stuck herbs.
"You no longer have to sleep in the living room, Sole."
I glance at her. My ears picking up the familiar name.
"So...le."
"Well that's your name, isn't it?'
I nod, though unsure. She picks up my futon and carries it into a bedroom carefully.
"This used to be my husbands work room. Sometimes he'd sit in here for hours," she smiles, "now you can call it your bedroom."
"My temporary bedroom."
She gives me a look that seems like she is disappointed. But I could be wrong.
"Have a good nights rest, Sole."
I nod as she begins to shut the door.
"Wait," she glances back in, "um...thanks, lady."
"It's Misau. Nice to meet you, Sole."
I nod again and she shuts the door silently. Laying back on the futon, I bite my bottom lip. All of the real questions I wanted to ask her yet I knew she could not answer. Where did I come from? Who am I? Why am I here?
I glance at my right arm, examining every detail of it. It is lovely in crafting and natural movement, like any normal arm would be for anyone. Besides the color and the metallic texture of it, it seemed modeled after a human arm. I stare at the sky, my arm tucked beneath me for warmth. I stare out the window before slowly slipping to sleep.
I dream of monsters who eat people alive. A girl being bitten in half and then swallowed and a woman who's stomach is torn out by monsters.
I sit up quickly, looking around for anything that I can empty my stomach into.The door slides open, the little girl slips in and I end up vomiting the contents of my stomach into the bucket she has held in her tiny hands.
This sick feeling really feels familiar.
When i'm finished, she gives me a surprised look and then carries the bucket back out. I gag again but nothing comes out. Light seeps in through the closed window, giving me the impression that it is morning time.
"Why do I have to dream of something that sickening?"
The door slides open again and the little girl is back with a clean bucket and a bag.
"If you feel sick you should throw up into this bag. Not the water bucket, silly."
She hands me the bag and places the bucket next to my futon. Then she proceeds in grabbing the rag that is submerged in the water, squeezing it out and practically pushes me down to put it on my forehead.
"This will keep the Caravala away."
I stare at the little girl. She has a sad smile on her face as she places the cool rag on my head. It smells like flowers to me but I could be wrong.
"Yeah right, stupid! He is a Caravala! Look at his arm! And his red eyes! Why are you helping him, Tsubame!"
The girl shoots a look at her brother who pouts against the doorway. I look at him, he's obviously frightened by me. His fists are twitching and he is ready to pounce on me in a second, just like earlier.
"What is a Caravala?"
Hikari glares at me.
"You should know, monster..."
Tsubame scowls at him.
"A Caravala is a dangerous monster. It's usually bigger than a human and they vary in shapes and sizes. Some can even turn into a human if they eat enough of them," Tsubame hisses beneath her breath, "they are disgusting beasts."
I nod slowly. The looks on these kids faces tell me that they've been through a lot in their lives.
"Can I ask you...about your father? He was eaten, right?"
Tsubame and Hikari both show equal looks of pain on their faces. Tsubame looks close to tears and Hikari just keeps clenching his fists tighter.
"Never mind! I don't want to make you sad..."
"That's not it! My dad wasn't eaten by those Monsters," Hikari growled, "He was a Caravala."
๑۞๑
The girl leans against a tree, watching the beast lumbering ahead. The monster devours a wandering traveler who lets out a horrified scream before being swallowed. It is headed for a nearby town called Mineas. She remembers her mother telling her that it is a farming town. To what she should do, is the real question. She can easily take it down but she doesn't feel like it. She fiddles with a leaf between her finger nails.
"It isn't my duty and besides," she scoffs, chewing on the leaf, "this may be interesting."
Her long, violet hair flipped in the wind as she followed the monster who continued wobbling along.
๑۞๑
Hikari and Tsubame soon leave after telling me their story. Apparently their father was an advanced Caravala who had been maintaining his human form by eating the mine-workers and spare farm hands. Then about a year ago, he attacked their mother who barely got away from him. Then, he went on a rampage and started to destroy part of town.
"A man came and killed, Father. He was in the military," Tsubame had said, "he was really mean though and he left without any condolences. All he said was, 'Finally got that done.'"
I ponder the military's involvement. Was it by coincidence or was it planned? I stand up and walk over to the shrunk in the room and pull it open. A white coat hangs in it that brings tears to my eyes again. I rush forwards and grab it, inhaling its scent. For some reason, it smells like death.
"Sole. Are you ready, yet?"
Tsubame opens the door and frowns.
"Hurry up! We want to show you around town!"
I slip the coat on and fasten its buttons. Tsubame and Hikari stare in surprise.
"Woah! You look like the Prince of Snow! Just like when we found you!"
"P-Prince of Snow," I blush.
"But you don't need that jacket, silly! It's the middle of summer," she says impatiently, 'Oh well!"
Tsubame smiles and grabs my hand, pulling me out the door. Hikari close behind. We pass Misau who chuckles as we all go out the door.
"Be back for dinner," she calls from the window, "have fun!"
We wave back to her before Tsubame pulls me down the road. Has it really been half a year since i've been outside? I observe my surroundings. All of the houses on the street are only about three feet apart, and most of them are small. On the other side of the street there is a small stream running through the woods behind the houses, and across the stream there is a large hill that has another series of houses going up the side. Many people stare at us, actually they stare at me. I'm glad that the long sleeves of my coat cover up my new arm. I had not even been thinking about it before we left the house. Something tells me that these people wouldn't like it.
"Wow," I say, exasperated, "this place is amazing."
"In the surrounding area, there used to be a small road that went through the woods and into another neighborhood. They took this small road, dug the entire area in which it sat and placed the clinic there."
I look around some more. There's a bridge over the stream passing the hospital where an elderly man watches me carefully.
"There used to be a large forest area near the clinic. They cut down those trees because Caravala were getting in. They turned the whole forest area into a large fence and put lots of stores on the other side."
A teenager helps an old woman carry her groceries into her house. I feel as if i've never been in a small town before. I get a very warm and comfortable feeling.
"Everyone seems so friendly with each other..."
"Of course. What do you expect in such a small place? Everyone gets to know everyone eventually."
Tsubame runs up to a shop where she chats with a man and woman. They glance up at me and I try to hide myself behind Hikari.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I don't like people staring at me..."
He scoffs coldly, "well get used to it. You're a stranger."
Tsubame carries a basket over to us and smiles.
"Taka and Miki gave me these sandwiches for lunch!"
"Sandwiches? Really!"
Hikari looks excited so I decide to smile too.
"Before we eat, I want to show you one more place, Sole."
I nod even though my stomach is growling. Tsubame walks off towards the fence and we follow carefully. The crowded area makes it hard to see where she is headed. At one point I lose her, running into a man who eyes me suspiciously.
"Sorry!"
Hikari grabs my hand.
"Come on, stupid!"
We catch up to Tsubame who is at a point in the fence where there is a small hole. She climbs through, Hikari going in after her. I climb in too and look around. There is crumbling buildings that are messily painted red. Again, I smell the familiar scent of death.
"Red painted houses?"
"That's not paint, Sole. It's blood."
I look at Tsubame in surprise. Hikari leans against the fence looking at the ground.
"Our father did this. We used to live here."
"They say that they built the fence to start over but really they built it to forget," she says angrily, "if they forget then it will happen again!"
I nod, understanding why they wanted to show me this.
They don't want me to forget how dangerous Caravala are.
๑۞๑
Tsubame has the basket of sandwiches in one hand and my hand in her other as she leads us down a hill and towards a lake. Its shimmering water is beautiful and almost peaceful. I sit by the lake inhaling the smell of nature.
"Pretty isn't it?"
I nod. She hands Hikari a sandwich and then me, which I gladly accept. I hadn't gotten time to eat this morning because of how fast she had shoved me out the door. I take a small bite, the taste instantly making my stomach feel better. I am about to ask Tsubame a question when I get distracted by a dog running towards me at full speed. I stand up quickly and dodge to the right just as it snaps at me. It growls and repositions itself to strike again. I back away slowly, not knowing what to do. Hikari has an amused look on his face. I glare at him but the sound of the dog's snarling pulls my attention back. The man that I had bumped into earlier runs down the hill towards us.
"You got yourself a Caravala, Anu?"
The man aims his gun at me and the dog barks more ferociously.
"Stop it, Inya!"
Tsubame kicks the man's leg and he glances down, his gun still trained on me.
"Hikari, take your sister and get out of here."
Hikari smiles and grabs Tsubame's hand, dragging her up the hill. I watch sadly as they walk away, Tsubame struggling to pull away.
"Wait! He's not a Caravala! Inya!"
The man, Inya, unlatches his safety and puts his finger on the trigger.
"Don't think that you can disguise yourself as a little boy, monster!"
"I am a little boy," I mumble, "I am not a Caravala!"
Inya looks me over quickly and does a low whistle. The dog lunges and rips the right sleeve of my jacket, exposing my modified arm. He laughs as the dog whips the fabric back and forth in its strong jaws.
"Little boy, my ass! Die, beast!"
And then he fires.