Post-death Chivalry

[Volume 1] Chapter 4: Her

With the recent incident, I find myself spending most of my time outdoors either exploring the village or admiring the captivating scenery. Dad is busy rebuilding the roof of the house, so now I sleep with my parents on their king-sized bed. Mother is busy doing chores but she tries to give me a hug or a kiss from time to time. Since I'm only four, turning five in a few months, my parents have to enforce curfew standards; timings mostly before dawn. Though, I am grateful that I can go outside in the first place.

The sun shines its rays through the window next to the bed, forcing me to wake up before wincing at the harsh brightness.  I yawn while stretching my arms before exiting the room and head downstairs. I drowsily drag a chair which scraped its wooden leg on the floor, alerting my mom that I am awake. 

"Breakfast's almost done, Reyn, give me a few minutes~" 

"Yeah, sure," I replied with a dull voice while sitting on the chair.

The 'Awakening'  incident left me gravely fatigued. Adding to that, this underdeveloped body is as frail as ever. Maybe I should start exercising. I thought, nodding to myself in agreement that exercising helps my stamina as well as endurance, so it's worth it. 

"Alright! Your food is ready sweetie~" 

I look down to see a plate of bread, porridge, and chicken. The bread was freshly baked and the porridge had a lovely aroma, not to mention, the chicken is seared perfectly. This enticed my brain, making me feel more alert. Mom's food is really something else.

After breakfast, I drink a glass of water before wandering outside book in hand to find a good spot to chill. 

"Be back before dusk!" mother exclaimed while wailing her hand.

"Yeah alright!" 

I examine the lush meadows to find a good spot to relax when my ears suddenly get allured by a voice. I walk towards the sound to find a girl humming beneath a willow tree, although her face is covered by the shade of the leaves, her long, dark, black hair captivated my eyes. 

I climb the stump-shaped hill and approach the girl, her height seemed to be the same, if not taller. She didn't seem to notice me yet, since she still kept humming; the melody she sang brought a nostalgic feeling, equivalent to that of listening to a childhood song on the radio after six years. I rest my head to the opposite side of the tree, closing my eyes to fully envelop myself in the song. 

Her singing suddenly stopped, she probably had to go back home. I open my eyes again to see Aphrodite, or so I think. It was definitely the girl who allured me here, I couldn't help but notice her jade-green eyes which were now locked into my blue ones, her face less than 1 meter away from mine. My cheeks and ears started to burn and turn red, I quickly turn my head to my right when she finally pulled her face back and chuckled. 

Heeeh~, this boy's pretty cute. Although he is shorter than me, his blush is absolutely adorable. 

What the hell was that?!  I asked myself. My heart was beating as fast as when I activated 'Awakening'.  After overcoming my embarrassment, I finally gain the courage to face her. I look at her face to be greeted with a warm smile which I then proceeded to brush off by looking at the other side once again. 

It's no use, I haven't talked to a girl since kindergarten, I am utterly hopeless! My poor virgin heart cannot handle this!

"Are you okay?" The girl asks

My mind blank, unable to answer. 

She giggles. 

"My name is Aeri, what's yours?" 

"R-reyn.." I muttered.

"Hm?" 

"R-REYN!" I blustered.

Aeri steps back, reactively to my voice. 

"S-sorry for shouting... I didn't mean it.."

She starts to laugh. 

"You're cute," she says. 

Blood shoots up my head, my face red as a tomato. The maturity of this girl is unreal, I'm at a loss for words. 

"Say, Reyn. How old are you?"

"F-four... Five in a few months..." 

"Hah~ I'm two years older." 

"O-oh..." He replies. His shoulders started to relax a bit 

After that short and rather awkward introduction, we start to talk to each other. We both had interests in magic which was surprising, I thought a boy like him would look up to knights. I guess I was wrong, not only does he look up to knights, he absolutely adores them. He states that his father is a knight, and would geek out about claymores and rapiers. Though I first found it annoying, his adorable face mellowed it out. 

I cast some spells for demonstrative purposes as well as to knock some sense of superiority into him. This backfired as he would continuously nag me on how to show it again. Though I'm not complaining, teasing him was priceless. The hours we spent together turned into days, the days turned into weeks, and for the first time, I find myself looking forward to each new day. During this time, a familiar feeling started to develop within me, what is this called again? Ah yes, it is the very same feeling I felt when I was young, the same feeling that made a gaping hole in my heart. The same feeling my mom comforted me with before she died. Love.

Every moment I spend with him I can feel my heart picking up its pieces. Time flew by, and before I knew it, he turned five. 

"Mom! Mom!" I exclaim. 

"What is it, my sweet baby boy?!" 

"Eugh, I told you not to call me that." I cringe at her.

"Aww, is my prince already growing up? You're only five!" she replies.

This woman is hopeless. 

"Yeah about my birthday. I have this friend I made, can I invite her please?"

"Aww, you have a friend? Of course you can invite her-"

Mother stopped mid-sentence, recalling what she said. Her face turned back from the 'stove' and looked dead into my eyes. I couldn't help but shudder at the sight of her face, I have never seen her so serious in my life. I am brought down by tremendous pressure, my hands start shaking.

"Her?"

 My heart rate spikes. 

"Who is 'Her'?" 

Blood shoots up my head.

"Reyn Whitemaw, who is 'her'?"

Oh god, she said my full name. I can see my life flashing before my eyes. 

"A-a friend..." I reply shakily. 

"Are you sure?" She thunders in a stern voice. 

"Y-yes!" 

"Hehe~ Of course, my son can invite his first love!" 

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" 

I bolt up the stairs, embarrassed, but at the same time grateful that Aeri can visit my house for my birthday. With that thought in mind, I happily go to sleep. 

The next morning, I hastily finish my morning routine of brushing my teeth, washing my face, and eating breakfast, and head out.

"Be back before dusk!" 

"Okay!" 

"Also tell your girlfriend I said hi!" 

I scurry to the willow tree with embarrassment, expecting to meet Aeri. Surprisingly, she's not there. Guess she's late. I thought, and plop down on the grass under the shade. I start to wait for her while enjoying the cool breeze tickling my skin. 

The first few minutes turn into hours, and before I knew it, it was noon. How long will it take before she reaches here? I thought. My eyelids start to close shut, and so, I fell asleep.

I approach the willow tree, preparing to say my goodbye, I assured myself that this would all be over in an instant, that I wouldn't have to cry again. Just a quick goodbye, I'm sure he'd understand. Tears started to roll down my eyes. Just as I promised myself to not cry anymore. 

The boy was asleep. Though disappointed, I was grateful as well. The weight of having to say goodbye to someone I loved was suddenly lifted off my shoulders. I take out the box which contained his gift, as well a piece of paper saying "To Reyn"  

I sit next to Reyn and look at him, this will be the last time I would ever see his face. He looks so calm when sleeping, not to mention, absolutely adorable. With no more tears left to cry, I mutter.

"Goodbye Reyn." 

My heart starts to clench as my throat turns tight. I walk away from the tree and enter the coach waiting for me on the stone-gravel road. 

"Are you ready to go back, Young Master?" 

"Mhm."

peck. peck. The pain of a beak hitting onto my forehead forced me awake. Damn, looks like I fell asleep again. 

I look up the sky between the gaps of the foliage on the branches. A blue clear sky aided by the sun creates the best vibes that I've felt in a while. 

Four years have passed since Aeri left, which means I'm nine now. I wear the gift she gave to me every day, a simple, non-braided nylon pendant with a blue jewel, made in the form of a tear. Ironically, that symbolized how I felt for the first few months, the letter included in the box didn't help at all. Though it made me sad, it also made me happy; the person who I had fun spending time with, cared for me as much as I cared for her. She's my first friend, my first love, and my first heartbreak. I hope I can meet her again. 

Chapter 4 END

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Extras :D

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Aeri's letter:

My dearest Reyn, 

       I regret not informing you sooner. It's sudden for you as it was for me, Father was summoned by the Grand Order, I wish I could've stayed here with you but I can't since Father is my only guardian, and well, Mother has been gone for a long time. 

I wish you a happy birthday, and I hope my disappearance does not impact you negatively. I have left you a present; may it remind you of me. I hope you do not forget me. Please forgive me for doing this. I love you.

Until we meet again,

           Aeriel Lightstracs