Finally being relieved from the eyes of others, we return hone after saying our farewells to Wil. I'd be keen on sleeping, however Reiguma was present too.
"Ehh Kiro! Why am I sleeping somewhere else?"
She whines after I told her the whereabouts of her bed.
Catching a glimpse of her pouting, I avert my eyes knowing well that I'd fall deep into her trap.
"Because I know I wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully."
I retort calmly, explaining why I set her in a different room.
Setting her up in my room might also be a bad idea, but I'm not mean enough to have her sleep on the couch. Though of course my sisters room would have been reasonable, but...
Not even I have set foot in her room after that incident.
"Fwehh, I won't disturb you, promise!"
She moans as I can't really trust her at this moment.
"Do you even know what a promise means?"
"Of course! It's a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something explicable! In other words a vow!"
Perhaps even she can be knowledgeable in some cases, yet her actions make me believe she's but a child. It makes me wonder if it's her power as a Serabrae at work. Although... She didn't know what cutlery was until recently...
"If you know so much about it, can I trust you to keep your word?"
She nods firmly as her bell resonates.
"Fine, you can take one side. It's a pretty large bed so don't say we have to cuddle or anything."
"Yay!~"
She raises her voice in joy and clings onto my back.
"If you cling onto me in bed, you get no chances and then I'll send you off to some place else."
Turning my head to face her, she submits as she releases her grasp.
Upon entering my parents room, my mind starts to wander off. About how everything still looks just the same, even without them around.
I still clean as much as I can during my leisure time, with no one else here it's my responsibility. If you start putting it off, It will do you no good. You wouldn't be able to find what you're looking for in some circumstances and that very problem would be crucial once requests start flowing in.
Reiguma jumps onto the bed and sprawls across it. She seems to be enjoying herself, able to feel so free and unrestricted... Well in some cases. After all, I'm the one who created her so of course I should set some ground rules. Even now, I can't fathom the reason why a Serabrae out of all species appeared in front of me.
"What's the matter Kiro?~ Come on, we should sleep soon. If we don't you won't have any energy for work tomorrow!"
Even if I am well rested, you would be the reason why I wouldn't have any energy.
"Don't you... Have any other set of clothes? You did wear that out, not to mention entering the tavern."
"Oh, no problem then!~"
She replies as though she has a solution, hopping off the bed, she snaps her fingers.
A thin layer of flames surround her as I my jaw drops. Her being surrounded isn't my main concern as I'm more worried about the surrounding area.
"Nononono Reiguma stop!"
I order her as my arms were flailing in every possible direction.
The flames were spiraling around her body was almost captivating as it was really beautiful. It disperses soon after as It was a miracle that nothing got burnt.
"And taa-daa.~"
She announces in excitement and being ever so oblivious to the dangers of her actions, I hit her against the head.
"Owchie! What was that for?~"
She whines as she falls upon the bed once again and covers her head.
"Idiot, don't do that again. You had me worried."
"Worried, for me? Awwwts!~ That's so cute.~ It was just cleansing, no need to be a worrywart."
She teases me as I almost feel like hitting her again.
"What would I do if the house got burnt down?"
"Don't worry-"
"You may be a Serabrae, but you're still just a young one. Something could of happened."
".... Sorry."
She apologizes as she lowers her head as well as her tail and ears.
Just... What am I doing, trying to find every possible bad outcome from everything?
"Why do I feel like the bad guy now?"
"Te-hee, I'm so glad to have such a kind master."
"Oh be quiet, just hurry up and go to sleep. I'm turning off the lights."
"I can see well in the dark also, so it's really no big deal.~"
It's not like I can get used to her being a Serabrae in a day. Nor do I even know who she really is, some information on Serabraes remain a complete mystery. No doubt people would start interrogating us on a daily basis.
"Good night, Kiro.~"
She smiles as she shut her eyes.
I guess even she must have been exhausted. Even as the lights are out, moonlight seems to find its way into the bedroom. Which emits a surreal feeling. With her eyes shut firmly, her facial muscles seemed relaxed, at peace. With deep breaths, her chest rises and falls before long. It's almost as though she's a completely different person. I even anticipate her reopening her eyes, only to witness me observing her. But not even the slightest movement appears. I might even admit that I'm captivated by this side of her.
Rolling onto my other side, I close my eyes.
...
With the following day arriving, I wake up to see Reiguma towering over me, I almost had a heart attack. With her two sharp gleaming teeth before me, I thought I was her next meal.
"Don't ever do that again, Reiguma."
I order her as I finish off my morning routines.
Not a word emits from her sealed lips, but she giggles instead. Moving into the dining room, I plan to cook breakfast. Which only results in Reiguma being quite active. There's so many things about her that remains unknown to me, as a person and as a Serabrae second. There's not much difference between the two. Just like Elves, their appearance differ only a little. But their knowledge far surpass us.
"-------Humans fear what they do not understand."
At first, I didn't quite get the meaning behind it. But slowly, I'm beginning to realize. Ever since I communicated with both Servalewi and Reiguma, it became clearer to me. It makes me wander if I'll ever come to understand them.
However, there's no reason to dive headstrong. She's to be with me, whether I like it or not. I created her, and there's nothing more shameful than abandoning your partner. Putting up with her actions and comments are just the beginning.
"Kiroo.~ What are you doing?"
She asks leaning in dangerously close.
"Making breakfast, you okay with hot soft n' rounds*?"
I ask her even though I was in the preparation of creating them.
"What are... Soften rounds...?" She asks, having no clue.
Where do I even begin to answer her question?
"It's soft n' rounds, a few years back a merchant from Illumium entered Krydon, saying he could offer some fine food no where else could offer. The guards checked his cargo and deemed him acceptable. Which was the correct choice, I mean if not for him. I doubt the residents of Krydon would even know of this delicious treat."
Upon reciting the very day of it's appearance, she doesn't appear to be paying attention.
"Hey are you even listening?" I ask I don't appreciate her ignoring me.
"Umm.. Kiro. Is it suppose to smell like that? It doesn't have a very appetizing scent." She remarks as she backs away from me, placing her sleeve beneath her nose.
Upon hearing her very words, I immediately turn towards the source. The soft n' rounds aren't golden brown, In fact I already know the bottom surface is black, smoke is emitting out from beneath it and the scent of burnt food almost makes me gag.
In the end, the first batch of soft n' rounds were a complete failure as I got too sidetracked in explaining the story to Reiguma.
An ametuar mistake as you would say.
I set the new batch on and do it correctly this time as I ordered Reiguma to stay seated at the table. She was quite reluctant as she denied it several times. It's almost as though she wanted to know the process of making them. Though she doesn't even know how to hold cutlery the correct way. How could I even think of letting her use the stove, without burning down the entire house?
Setting them upon the table, her eyes fills up with joy. She's practically beaming with excitement, like a new experience.
"Sorry for the wait... No wait a minute, why am I even apologizing in the first place? I can't believe I have to make breakfast for two now."
I complain taking a seat across from her.
If I had a normal pact, dealing with them would have been easier. More manageable.
"So these are... Soften rounds?"
"Nope, soft -n'- rounds."
"That's the same thing. What did you use to make these?"
She asks as she inspects them closely.
"Just a pan, and batter. I don't really have the luxury of creating them from scratch."
I reach for the small basket positioned in the middle of the table, which contains small cartridges of multiple jams.
"Ooo..." She sounds amazed.
Spreading red jam over one, I begin to eat in peace as I savor the taste as much as I can. Although having someone stare at you while you indulge yourself is uncomfortable.
"Come on Reiguma, eat. It's quite delicious even though it's batter made. Red jam for sweet and yellow jam for sour, take your pick. They're both quite nice." I urge as I push the basket to her end.
She hasn't even touched the soft n' rounds in front of her, let alone the fork and knife. The steam that's emitting from the soft n' rounds itself rises up as she begins to get impatient.
"But-"
"Here, hold the fork like so, and the knife with your other hand." I demonstrate to her.
Thus I begin to teach Reiguma the basics of holding cutlery. Her complaints kind of got to me during our little session. The main cause would be me taking bites at short intervals. Though her share of the soft n' rounds were cold by the end of it. Hot or cold, they're delicious either way. But Reiguma insisted on eating it hot as she heated it back up again with her fire. Even though I told her not to.
She then proceeded to try out the jam, first the yellow. But that only resulted in her dropping the slice onto the plate.
Reiguma, not a fan of sour food. Check.
I laughed a little inside as I steadily finish mine, while she starts to spread the red jam on this time.
She stabs the fork into a piece as she steadily rises it to eye level. She's inspecting it even though you can't really tell if it would meet your expectations or not. She cautiously takes a small bite out of it but unlike the attempt with the yellow jam, this one piques her interest.
Reiguma, a fan of sweet things. Check.
She happily munches on it as she picks up another piece.
"Just... don't get lazy on me and there would be no problems. After all, you're here to help me. Not to become a free loader." I mention the duties I entrusted her with.
"Yes I know Kiro.~ You needn't worry! I'm strong!~"
She declares as she pumps her arms.
"Whatever, anyways. I'm off, take care of the house whilst I'm gone alright?"
"Fuwehh? I'm not coming?"
"There's no reason to, besides it would be easier for me to concentrate during class."
"But!-"
"Don't worry, everything will be fine.~ Entertain yourself whilst I'm gone okay? If I come back to find my house burnt to the ground, I'll be very displeased with you."
It may be a short notice for her, we're not really suppose to bring our partners to the academy. Only on the day of their creation is the exception. Or when we're given the go ahead we can, besides there's only a few days until the test. She should be able to last while I'm away, I only hope that she doesn't mess around and entering places she shouldn't be.
...
Time ticks away as I'm currently concentrating on my creation class. Nothing is new to me as it's basically common knowledge of mana. From the influence of my parents as well as my sister. She was the bright one actually, both my parents and myself were really proud of her.
"All right class, tomorrow is your final day. You'll be undergoing a very important task with your partners. Further details will be explained in due time, but for now. Dismissed."
They're really keeping the screws on the box down. None of us have a clue, it could either be a written exam, a physical expedition or both. Having a few minutes to spare for the next class, pressure takes hold of me as I begin to revise over and over. Making sure that no new information slips by.
....
We begin to move into the next class as I'm stopped in my tracks by a tall silhouette.
"Oh morning, Kiro."
Just on the opposite ends of the hall, he begins to walk towards me.
"Morning, Kai. Next class is about to begin soon, seeing how it's our final day tomorrow. I'd rather play it safe and be the first one present."
The next class would be finance and business. Here you would learn the common business strategies, how to attract people, how to give out word that you could offer customers better deals than others. That sort of thing, but in other words the boring stuff. Though even if it is boring, I still concentrate in order to pass.
...
Class soon dismisses as we now have a long break in between our next class. People would take this time to eat, study, play around and have fun with other students. We also have the privilege of hanging out around in the artisan square or plaza. But of course we have to make it back to the academy on time, so most students would either not visit the place entirely and wait until after class hours or a select few may buy food and return before long. And of course there's me, I have nothing of real value to do whilst in these long breaks, so I usually just visit the plaza and eat either in the tavern or buy a nice fresh batch of soft n' rounds and eat it at a specific place.
Thinking of that I make my way down towards the entrance of the academy as another tall silhouette awaits me.
"You sure took your time, I was beginning to think that you wouldn't be coming."
Servalewi stands waiting.
I may still have trouble speaking with her, let alone not run away. I could feel the pressure and sudden burst of energy in my legs. My mind tells me to run, whilst my body denies it's request. After all, I'm close to positive that she has nothing to do with the death of my family.
"Is something the matter, you're trembling."
She forwards her concern as she closes the distance.
"I'm fine... But why were you waiting for me? How did you know I was going to leave the Academy grounds?"
"No real reason besides taking a stroll into the plaza... And to answer your other question. It's quite a simple matter, I've been watching you for quite some time. You usually go off on your own without the support of others. So I thought I might tag along."
"So in other words... You think I might be lonely and because of that, you want join me?"
"Hmm... Yes quite so, to put it bluntly. Is that a no?" She asks.
"Do what you want."
I know close to nothing about Servalewi, yet she seems to know so much about me. When we first met, she seemed to have known me. Escorting me to a surreal location and on top of that, she knows of my parents.
With that, Servalewi follows behind in small steps as we stroll into the plaza. Filled with life as always, we catch people's gaze as expected. No matter where you may go, elves will always catch the attention of others. Perhaps Servalewi is just using me as protection, she knows if people start to question her, or assault her that I would come and break it up.
"You know... All I'm going to do is buy some sweets and head off to a secluded area."
"Yes, that's fine. I always love walking here, it's so filled with life. Humans help each other in a way to live as they use 'gold' as some kind of currency to purchase their daily needs. What would come out of things, if they stop producing them?"
"I'm pretty sure it's always been like this, and I'm sure they will never stop using them as currency. It's just how it is, don't Elves have something that resembles this kind of system?"
I forward a question about the society of elves.
"Not really, we have no need for such things. We help out each other in exchange for words of gratitude. Whenever one seeks help, we offer our services which strengthens our bond with each other."
...
"Then I guess there really isn't much difference between us. There are some that are greedy and thus only offer their help if a large sum of gold falls upon their hands. Whilst others would offer their service for free. But in the end, humans are indeed greedy creatures. So I guess we'll never come to understand how you Elves live together in harmony. Whilst us humans always strive for power and money."
"You speak as if you're not human. But you really are quite knowledgeable, it's as expected coming from the son of the Ashenvar family."
I fall dead in my tracks.
"Kiro..? Did I say something wrong?" She asks in concern.
...
"It's nothing."
I shake off my concerns as I quicken my steps.
We eventually reach a stall that's specifically for soft n' rounds. I pay the sum required as the clerk slides three into a paper bag.
"What are these?"
She questions, peering at them with great interest.
"Soft n' rounds, it's quite a delicacy here."
I head west of the city and traverse up a steep hill. I don't always visit here as I don't really have the luxury, but at times. Visiting this place makes me feel content. Just making your way up the hill is tiresome.
After scaling the steep hill, I look behind to see her still keeping up. Which surprises me as her fragile looking frame made me question her physique. Though I know well not to judge others based on their appearance.
Soon upon arriving our destination, we get hit with the smell of salt in the air. It's always so tranquil up here, just like back home. There's no sounds of human life, no sounds of metal. The only sounds you may hear, is nature.
I rest my arms against the stone railing and observe the vast ocean. Waves crash into the cliff as birds cry out in the sky above us.
I take out one soft n' round and start to eat it while taking in this breath taking view. It breaks away cleanly from the pressure of my teeth as the I appreciate the taste. It sure beats the ones I cook at home, obviously the clerk has been doing this for years.
"This place is... Wonderful.."
"Right? It's a place to be."
"I never knew another serene location existed. It's so... Free. The gentle winds that blow by and the greenery. I could just feel the mana living in harmony with one and another."
She twirls slowly around with her arms stretched out, taking in full appreciation of the tranquility of this location.
"So it's true, that you can sense the surrounding mana?" I ask.
She nods as she closes her eyes, bathing in the joy of such a beautiful place. I'm quite pleased that this place hasn't been disturbed by development.
"This may be sudden, Servalewi but... I have you ask you this, have you met my parents? You've mentioned them yesterday before the bell sounded."
Hearing my very words, I turn back around as she wasn't twirling any longer. She stands in a daze as she closes her eyes once more. This time I wasn't due to the tranquility of this place, I could see that something is causing pain.
"Please, Servalewi. I have no know. Why was my family found the way they were just outside of Rasheingal?"
"....I can't say... I can't relive such a terrible memory.."
She turns away, denying my request.
"Servalewi! Please, I need to know. I know that you Elves have nothing to do with their deaths, but if you don't answer me. I have no choice but to think that elves were responsible, and I don't want to think that."
"I'm sorry Kiro... But we tried all we can to help. It just wasn't enough, they were mortally wounded when we came across them."
She turns around to face me, with a stern expression.
"But I assure you Kiro, we weren't responsible for their deaths. You have my word."
...
"I can trust you.. right? Servalewi, can I trust that your words are true?"
She nods.
"I'm holding you to your words. If you're lying however... I'll never, ever forgive you."
She nods firmly with no sign of hesitation as my knees drop to the floor.
For these long years, I've been searching for the answers I seek behind the death of my family. I questioned the higher ups, but they gave me no answers. Requesting help from the Lord also evoked nothing. So I was prepared to seek the answers out for myself.
Coincidentally, they were found the way they were in front of Rasheingal. Just from that I could automatically assume that the Elves were responsible. It lead me to question Servalewi, a part of me wanted to deny that it wasn't them. However, deeper inside me... I felt like I wanted them to be responsible. It's a terrible thought, but at least then I could be content. Maybe I would of started to hate Elves entirely, which would result in me cutting ties with Servalewi.
But... I can trust Servalewi's words to a certain point. I can see that with my parents death, that she too bared pain.
"Kiro.. Are you okay?"
Servalewi's words of concern hits me.
Shaken out from my daze and the abyss of my heart, Servalewi's crouching down next to me. Her eyes were filled with worry and distress, but as I answered her call. She felt relieved.
"All this time, I kept running away from you. I kept fearing your presence... Was it wrong of me? Was It wrong for me to assume that Elves were responsible?"
I forward my thoughts, as I feel astray. This very moment, I felt the most vulnerable.
She shakes her head in denial and just like that... Tears that I've been holding back for all these years begin to fall. I promised to never show my vulnerability as I take the reason for it to be a sign of strength. However, right now, I couldn't withstand it any longer. Trembling like a child, Servalewi holds my head in comfort and embraces me.