The Transience of Her

A Slice-of-Life Break from...

Monday.

I don't know how manic it will be, considering how sedate Sunday was when compared to the action-packed Friday and Saturday.

But still, I have my obligations as a student.

Don't worry, man. She's still adventuring in some far-away land in Eleftheria, and there's no way she can be KOed, right?

She just can't barge into a field or dungeon unless she knows what types of monsters are lurking there.

She's not the compulsive, hot-blooded type, I know.

Once again, I wake up from the bed, greet my parents good morning, attend to my usual morning rituals, eat my breakfast, and set off for school.

Today, I'm being introduced to laptop repair.

Laptops are of a different beast when compared to desktop PCs, as upgrade options are limited to what the processors, memory modules, and hard drive and SSD options are supported by their own motherboards.

And the motherboards in themselves are irreplaceable by design; so if one is defective, one must hunt for an exact same working replacement part, or buy another laptop altogether.

But what if the user doesn't want to spend too much cash on those options?

This is where I will step in. Because laptop motherboards are built with more advanced soldering techniques, I have to learn what factory workers do to build the priciest of gadgets available nowadays.

Ordinary solder wire just won't cut it, as I eventually learn from a teacher who has served for years as a laptop technician.

There's something called solder paste, which basically has the same composition and properties as solder wire, but is more suited for soldering tiny components such as battery connectors in smartphones, or tiny capacitors in laptops.

So if ever I get complaints from a neighbor on why their laptop doesn't power on at all, I will be on standby if ever the problems are related to the motherboard's power module.

After that intense school day, I immediately go home, get some rest, and have a little snack.

I check the ref... and what's in that plastic cup?

Oh, I remember.

Mom told me while I was resting that there's something good in the fridge.

So this is... espresso sundae?

Mmm... this tastes really good.

I can savor the strong coffee taste of the espresso fudge while also relishing in the simple cold sweetness of the vanilla ice cream.

Mom said several cups of the sundae were given to her by a long-time acquaintance of hers, because the latter was practicing her ice cream making skills as preparation for opening her own gourmet ice cream shop.

How nice of you, Mom.

Now I'm pumped up!

I go back to my room, and I can still feel the inspiration for today just by seeing the numerous alternative rock band posters plastered all over the walls.

Alright, time to turn on my PC and do whatever I feel like, since I wasn't given any homework earlier.

Oh, there's a notification on my desktop.

“You've got new mail”, it says.

Better check it out.

Amidst birthday celebration notifications, reminders for online exchange gift events, and other stuff that went through the stringent spam filter, I see an email with the subject “From your departed friend's cousin”.

Oh, it's from Levin, and it has passed through the spam filter.

I'll go take a look.

From: Levin Ingersoll

To: Soren Orr

Subject: From your departed friend's cousin

Hey there, it's Levin again.

You still remember the note that was in the package I sent to you last week, right? Good.

Our entire clan has eventually decided that all of her games, game consoles, PC, music albums, and other collectibles will end up in your hands, as they believe you are the one who will carry on her legacy best.

And because she was the eldest child, with her little brother still in the primary grades, it was also decided that he and their parents would move to where I'm currently living in.

I want to support them physically and emotionally like a good relative should.

I was personally disappointed that you weren't there yesterday for her burial, but I respect your decision and reason for doing so, though I can't know for sure what exactly.

Starting tomorrow, there will be several boxes that will be mailed to you for the entire week, containing all of her prized collections. Since you're still in college, and you're out for school most of the time, those boxes will be sent around late afternoon.

Also, I've already notified your parents of those packages beforehand, so they can prepare in advance and make some space for those items. All to take some weight off your shoulders.

I can't see her things being thrown away into a landfill or being left rotten in some nondescript warehouse in the middle of nowhere, as those would mean disrespecting her legacy.

It's all up to you to enjoy what Lianna has left behind, and playing those games she liked, as a way of preserving her memories. As I've said before, those memories can be preserved like what people do to old hardware: Make them future-proof for generations of our descendants to enjoy.

I hope you won't fail her, and I know in your heart you will never fail her.

Wishing you all the luck,

Levin

Of course, I will accept those boxes.

I will keep her things safe and secure, and enjoy them well.

Since she's in another would, the best I can do for her is to tell how awesome her tastes are in gaming and in everything else.

Because we're both kindred spirits.

After reading the email comprehensively, I go play Skypaths Online once more.

Where I last left, I was still in the northeastern part of Tulyasi.

Guess I should head back to the central plaza, then.

And on my way there, I see a familiar girl wielding a familiar spear.

“Lianna?”

“Soren?”

We then both ask each other...

“Where the heck have you been?”

Guess simultaneous questions need simultaneous answers.

“I-I was just hanging out here in town, waiting for you...”

“And I've searched everywhere for you because I wanted help on an item-gathering quest, but you didn't show up.”

“Hey, you could've at least PMed me. It's possible, right?”

“Ah... oh.”

She elicits a gasp.

“Oh, why'd I forget that, Soren?”

“Guess all that action made you forget some basic things you can do.”

“Y-yeah, you're right.”

Even veterans have to re-learn some things they've learned in the past in order not to forget them entirely for times they need them the most.

“Well anyway, about that item-gathering quest... I did succeed by myself. In fact, I scored this nice little trinket!”

She shows me a feather pendant, and I can easily identify it.

“Is it the mythical Soul Warden's Feather Pendant?“

“Yeah, you're absolutely right!”

The Soul Warden's Feather Pendant is an accessory that has a 50% chance of predicting an enemy's next action. It may be just an ordinary bird's feather on the surface, but in actuality, this feather in enchanted by a nomadic shamanic tribe specializing in predicting the future. The feather's imbued powers allow one to look deep into the soul of someone in order to know its next course of action.

“Niiiiiice. Seems you weren't entirely bummed out that I was a no-show yesterday.”

“I can't be dependent on you or the rest of the guild all the time, you know. Sometimes, you have to fend for yourself before any sort of help comes.”

“Makes sense.”

“Well, we need to chat somewhere else.”

“OK, to make up for my absence yesterday, I'll decide our spot. It'll be on the mini-park on the southern portion of this town.”

“Ah, it's accessible via the main road, right?”

“Absolutely.”

We both then take a nice leisurely walk from the northeastern rotunda, then onto the main road, then onto the mini-park.

Here, we can spot some adventurers either talking, eating, or simply taking a nap.

It's a slow Monday for them, judging from the atmosphere.

We pick an empty bench nearest to the main road, and then let our bodies rest as we continue our talk.

“I really miss my little bro so much. We're now on separate worlds, and there's no way we can see each other again. Same applies for my parents.”

“Yeah, I remember you came from a good, stable family like I do.”

“And I do miss them so much.”

She sighs as she continues.

“Many say that if you grew up in a healthy family, you'll grow up to be a healthy person. And I was destined to become one, but...”

“I know how you feel. You were being taken away, like a thief in the night.”

“Why... why me, out of more than seven or eight billion people back on Earth? Why did I deserve an early death?!”

Oh no, now she's descending into sadness.

But I also know that she's pouring out her real feelings, so I can't just stop her.

“But I know I can't blame myself nor the heavens for this. I reminisce that I believe in reincarnation, and so... I got my wish, in a pragmatic yet weird way.”

From sadness, her face evolves back to its happy disposition.

“I can't cry over spilled milk, anyway. Well, back to my younger bro.”

“Yeah. It can't all be gloom and doom, right?”

Breathing deeply and exhaling afterwards, she goes on narrating a significant event with her brother.

“I remember the day when I went out with him, as a treat.”

“Lemme guess... that was the day when he completed third grade, right?”

“You have a great memory. Anyway, right after the commencement ceremonies, where he got ninth place in the academic rankings in his class, I treated him to a smorgasbord of awesomeness. He said I can pick whatever what I want to him, and I said yes.”

“That's a good opportunity for him to be introduced to new things, something out of the ordinary.”

“Indeed. With our parents' permission, we both went to a newly-built shopping mall that's not that far from where we live.”

“Hey, I know that mall! That's the same mall I frequent to when I want to have my monthly game fix!”

“It can't just be coincidence, right? Well anyway, I noticed that the socks he was wearing for the entire school year loosened, and so I bought him a new pair at the department store. He liked the design, which was some simple black-and-white plaid pattern.

“Next, we headed to an appliance store and saw an ad, in bold letters, '15% off on all LED TVs for this day only'!”

“W-w-wait a minute, here. You can't possibly afford a living room-sized TV with your daily allowance, right?”

“That's where you're wrong! Our parents gave us a $2000 bonus for that occasion alone!”

I guess I should never press her on where her parents got that much moolah to spend. After all, her family's a decent one, so I can't see her parents engaging in shady activities.

“He picked an OLED TV that advertises a billion colors, which is good for a more awesome cinematic experience at home, I guess. Guess his choice was well-decided, as our old TV broke down the day after. Hee hee!”

“That must be happenstance.”

“I guess you can call that. Anyway, after availing of the discount, we checked out at the counter, and had the TV delivered to our home. We then both agreed to dine in a posh cafe, just because a famous young chef he wanted to meet was the cafe's guest chef for a day.”

“Oh, so he's a fan of the cooking reality show where kids are competing, right?”

“Yes. He knows he can't cook, but he's so inspired by fellow kids with skills matching those of professional chefs. Anyway, at the cafe, we ordered 2 half-pound burgers, six pancakes, and two glasses of caffe mocha, all cooked by the young chef himself. After we've finished our meal, my bro asked him for an autograph, and he was so excited. The chef even gave him a coupon for a free skin check-up at the nearest beauty clinic in exchange. How nice of him!”

“Oh, I'd wish I were there to see that enthusiasm on his face.”

“Yeah, you should. So after dining, we went home that night, and our parents greeted us with an extravagant dinner.”

Again, no asking where her parents got money for such a dinner. It's possible they cooked up a luxurious feast from affordable ingredients, right?

“All that to celebrate my bro passing one grade in primary school... but as my parents told me earlier, it was a special day. Because of another reason.”

“And that reason is?”

“They were promoted to senior positions at the company they both work at!”

See? That money was hard-earned!

“It just so happened that the day of the commencement ceremonies was also the day of their promotions. Of course, they couldn't be there at the ceremonies, so I took their place instead. That bonus I talked about earlier? That was made possible by digital money transfer, which takes seconds and doesn't need to go through banks, even.”

“Yeah, all that hard work has paid off.”

“And we did work hard and paid off, too.”

As they say, when there's a will, there's a way.

The story of her treating her brother out turned out to be more than just that.

Just as we and our guild worked hard and smart to defeat that once-notorious boss, her entire family also worked hard and smart to be at the top of their own games.

But achievements can be fleeting, too. Like life itself.