Memoirs of A Second Life

This World is Beautiful

A few days after my 5th birthday, I was finally permitted to go out of our house. I never realized it because I've never left the confines of our house, but our family was actually relatively wealthy compared to others.

There were townsfolk passing by the gate of our estate, and they would wave at me and smile. Some even greeted me as "young master", much like how Lianna addresses me.

Our front yard was teeming with flowers, and there was a majestic tree at the center of the garden. Lianna told me that the name of this kind of tree was "Acacia". Attached to one of the tree's sturdy branches was a swing set, which seemed to be wide enough for two people to sit down and relax.

I invited Lianna to sit with me beneath the shade of the acacia tree. Just below the canopy, I could see bird nests, and some hatchlings chirping, as if calling for their mother. Never had I seen such birds before.

The birds' chest feathers and its head were of similar color to the red gumamela flowerbeds, and the rest of their feathers were brown. "What are they called?" I asked Lianna.

"They're sunbirds, young master," she responded.

I glared at Lianna, and she seemed to sense my displeasure.

"What is it, young master?" she asked, sounding worried.

"Didn't I tell you to just call me Altair when we're alone?" I chided.

"Oops! Sorry young—Altair. I'll be careful from now on." Lianna chuckled at my expense.

I spent that morning happily speaking to Lianna, and asking everything I could about this world. My first question was to ask where we were, and she told me that we lived in a country named Liberio, in the continent of Orient.

Furthermore, she told me that we lived in a patriarchy, ruled by the benevolent king Zeldris Liberio XII, along with the guidance of the church of the goddess Artemia. They said that the goddess created the purple moon, which wards off the abyssal clan's existence in this world.

After a while, I finally asked her the question that I've been dreading to ask since the first time I saw her.

"Why do you look different than most people?" I asked with the innocence of a child. I'm not mentally a child, but in this world, I am as ignorant as one.

Surprisingly, she was not offended by my question. Instead, she smiled, tucked her hair behind her pointy ears and said, "I'm a half-elf, Altair. My kind is considered as abominations. Neither the elves, nor the humans want me. Everywhere I go, people scorn me, but when I met Lord Azlan van Astrea, and the lady Esfir, I finally found people who treated me as a person."

I could see my reflection in her eyes, and my once golden hair had now turned slightly brown—similar to my father's. In her eyes, I saw my childish face, and the bewilderment it held.

"Why do they hate you?" I asked further.

"Because there once was a half-elf, and his very existence brought our world into disarray. His hatred for everyone that lived in this continent drove him to the edge of insanity, and it made him do some very bad things," Lianna answered patiently.

"What bad things?"

But before Lianna could continue the story, Azlan entered the gates. The second he saw me on the swing, he ran to my side and carried me. And before I knew it, I was up in the air, because Azlan had thrown me up and caught me. It seemed he was very excited about something.

"Guess what, my boy?" he said with a grin.

"You gambled and finally won your money back?" I bantered.

Azlan scratched the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, no. I actually lost some more this morning, but let's not talk about that!"

"So, what is it?" I asked him. Then, I noticed Lianna bow to my father before going back into the house.

"Your mother isn't home yet, but she has finally agreed to let me train you!" Azlan declared proudly.

Train me? What is he talking about? I may have been a thirty-year-old man in my past life, but I'm just a child right now!

Azlan grinned as he tossed me a wooden sword without hesitation. I fumbled to catch it with my feeble hands, and I was surprised at how heavy it felt in my hands. I almost accidentally dropped it.

It appeared as though my father wasn't going to stop until he had had his way. Azlan had a wooden sword of his own, and he was dabbing onto his shoulder while he was circling around me.

"Hold it firmly with both hands and point it upward," he said to me.

I did as I was told, but it felt really awkward while I was doing it. Azlan corrected my posture, and firmly placed my right hand below the cross guard, and my left hand just above the pommel. It was then that I realized my right hand was my dominant hand in this world. But somehow, I knew that I could be ambidextrous.

"Good. That looks better, son!" Azlan said with pride. "Now, make sure that your dominant leg is behind you. In your case, it's right leg."

"Good! You're looking like a warrior already. Now, bend down slightly, and make sure that your posture is solid," Azlan added.

Every time he gave me a command, my body would move instinctively, as if it knew just how to execute the proper forms.

"Bolt forward, and swing with all your might!" Azlan shouted.

Before I even realized it, I had perfectly executed the attack. I saw a gust of wind form into a blade-like image, and it cut some falling leaves into half.

Did that really happen? Or was it just my imagination?

I turned to my father, and I saw just how happy he was.

"You're a prodigy, son! I knew it!" Azlan laughed, and it was obvious just how proud he was of me.

"What you performed just now is the most basic attack technique of the Sword Saint's Dance of Blades," he told me.

I looked at my hands, and glanced at the sliced leaves on the ground.

I've never given it much thought because I've not seen such fantastical things with my own eyes yet, but I really am living in a magical world. And I'm surprised at how lucky I am to be born into such talented people!

After that mundane success, I felt proud of myself; my father, prouder still. He then proceeded to tell me about the different forms of fighting. First was the one he mentioned earlier, the Sword Saint's Dance of Blades.

It's a fighting style which focused on the use of bladed weapons, descended from a woman they called the Sword Saint, Mirea St. Claire. Her fighting style had both offensive and defensive techniques, but it was lacking on techniques needed to fight more than one enemy at a time. Aside from that, applying the technique to blunt weapons makes it less effective.

The second fighting style was called Eskrima. This style focused on the use of blunt weapons over bladed ones, and it also adds locks, submissions, and takedowns to make it more well-rounded. Based on the unfortunate way Azlan demonstrated this style to me, he seemed adept at it.

I earned a few bruises and cuts because of the brief demonstration of the takedowns.

You would assume that he would hold back against a child, much more, his own son, but Azlan seems to be a strict drill sergeant!

And as I groaned in pain because of my wounds, Azlan crouched next to me and asked, "Does it really hurt that much?"

I nodded as I tried to suppress my tears. Azlan sighed at me and whispered something into the wind. Suddenly, a faint glow of light appeared from his palms, and within an instant, all of my wounds had been healed!

"How did you do that?" I asked with excitement.

"It's just a simple healing spell! Nothing to be so excited about. Besides, your mother is a far more talented spellcaster than I," Azlan said with some contempt.

"You have to teach me how to do that!"

Azlan let out an exasperated sigh while shaking his head. "Alright, but you should ask your mother to teach you instead. As for me, I'll be teaching you Eskrima and the Dance of Blades every afternoon from now on!"

I nodded vigorously as I got up from my knees. This time, Azlan readied himself again as he stood beside me. I copied his stance and every movement he made. Some of my movements were still a bit awkward, but Azlan remarked that I was learning quite fast.

To be fair, this is my first time being taught how to fight. Even in my previous life, I've never done anything like this!

People passed by but we kept on training for the rest of the morning until it was finally time for lunch. My mother had also arrived and she saw us training outside. She was actually the one to remind us that it was time for lunch.

Esfir approached me and saw that my clothes had a few tears, and that I was covered in dirt from being thrown around by Azlan. She slapped the back of his head as hard as she could.

"Can't you hold back for once? For heaven's sake, he's your son, Azlan! This is why some of the royalty do not like you," she scolded him.

Azlan slowly backed away without giving her an answer and retreated into the house. He ran into Lianna and they almost bumped into each other, but his quick reflexes prevented it from happening.

Within the blink of an eye, Azlan had disappeared from our sight and had gone to the dining room.

Esfir shook her head and looked at me. "Are you hurt, my love?" she asked me.

I shook my head and grinned. "Not at all, Mother! Father actually healed my wounds every time I get hurt, so it's no big deal!"

Esfir gritted her teeth. "What did you just say?"

I was terrified by how she reacted, so I just lowered my head and pretended to be aggrieved. She couldn't stand to see me look so frightened, so she dropped her anger.

"I'm sorry, Altair. I didn't mean to get mad. I just don't want you to be as reckless as your good-for-nothing father, okay?"

I nodded firmly at her reminder. "Yes, Mother!"

Esfir smiled at my response. Right now, along with my mother's gorgeous smile, I realized that this world is indeed beautiful.