Jiji no. 8

The Rest of Your Life

Xin Holder Viscus still cannot believe with what had happened just earlier. He almost die. He must die that time. But he again, thinks that the god of luck, or protection, or mercy, or whoever god it was, had protected him from sure death. He wasn’t really sure. He was saved from the beast who attacked, my gods. That beast . . . it will not leave him alive for another two seconds if this miracle does not happen.

And by means of miracle, Holder sat at the infirmary of the reservists, frozen and shaking, still remembering the dead bodies torn and brutally murdered. He wish he had not seen that. He wish that it was just a dream. A very, very bad dream. But then again, it still haunt him every night, like a nightmare snatching the peaceful sleep.

What made him frozen more, however, is the thing that is moving and jiggling beside him, near his left leg. Whenever it moved and grew nearer to him, he was closing his eyes in fear and in hope that it would not go berserk—and kill him.

Please gods, no, he thought.

And when he was sure that the thing would not kill him, he would move a bit to the bench, away from the space where he was sitting at—until he was at the end, and could not move anymore.

He looked at the thing always sticking at him, on his side.

The black-colored slime, that is.

In all honesty, he wanted to scream. He wanted again to ask for help. Or that please, move this demonic creature away from me, he would scream on his head.

But he was just sure that no one would listen to him and to his help-asks. Who would, if they have witnessed how the slime ate and murdered a hundred reservist in just a snap? And then, luckily—wow! I’m seriously lucky! Holder thought—the murderer is just beside him, craving for his attention. This black slime, as he look at it, was brushing his body to the warmth of his tattered brown pants—like home cats who wants the owner to pet them. Seriously. Holder can even saw the glow of Jiji’s cheeks (he supposed it was the cheeks) to turn in pink—blushing from what it was doing.

Wait,

Holder thought that this slime is identified as male. A him.

But, he is blushing so hard from him. Does that mean he’s not a he, but she?

Or perhaps . . . this slime is a representative and identifies himself as part of rainbow community? Wow, he had never seen such a deadly creature being gay or lesbian or whatever he was.

The door of the room he was resting at, had opened. Guard Balel appeared at the doorway, peering inside, looking for him.

“H—hey, Balel!” Holder told. And then he remembered the slime at his side, brushing his shiny body to his worn pants. “D—Don’t come!” he said in panic.

Balel chuckled, and then entered the room. “Professor Zen Maxxes told me that long as the Sankt was with their owner, it won’t go berserk.” Yet, he still entered inside the room warily. He must be still afraid and traumatized from the thing that the slime are capable of doing.

“Really?” Holder asked.

Balel nodded.

“By the way, why are you here?” Holder asked.

“Ah, General Balfor ordered me to accompany you. You must be having a hard time right now. Sudden shift in your life has just happened in a snap.” And then he looked at the slime who was just busy doing nothing but brush his body at Holder’s leg.

“I—I am still confused of what is happening, to be honest.”

“Yeah, it must have been confusing.”

“s**t it was,” Holder agreed. And then, “Wh—what do you mean about . . . that?” Holder asked.

Balel’s eyebrows met from confusion. He asked, “what that?”

“I mean . . . the Sankt?”

“Ah, that. It was what that slime is called. Sankt.” Balel unequipped his armor by pressing the button on his wrist. Everytime that Balel was doing it, Holder was still, always fascinated by it.

“I—I never heard of that. Sankt, I mean.”

“You didn’t?”

“Never.” Holder shyly scratched his head.

“It’s a popular legend in the Whole Middle Continent. Every people in the lines of the middle continent have already heard the story of Sankts, and the book of Sanktas. Haven’t you?”

“Uhh . . . I am from Hem.” He was even more embarrassed when he told where he had came from. In Hem, they are entitled to do nothing but to work. Everyday. Night was the only thing that they can rest. So instead of having more leisure and quality time with the family, they would just spend it for some rest, so that they will have more energy in the coming day. Besides, stories like that never reached Hem. Only the knowledge of crop planting and everything about farming is the only thing that they have been hearing, or being oriented by other official who visited and trained them.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Balel said, remembering where had he came from. And perhaps, he too knew what is the situation of Hem. Perhaps everyone knew. Of course, everyone in the Agnosbadtt knew the scarcity and the depression of the region of Hem. There was this common errand that people are using to scare their children: “Behave and act accordingly, or else the gods will drop you on the land of Hem.” Why that? Because indeed, Hem is the hell of the Agnosbadtt.

And no one seems to care.

Because they are not the one who is suffering.

He secretly clenched his fist as soon as those realization hit him again. Well, he doesn’t actually holds grunt to the people inside the central kingdom, especially to Balel. And the General. And perhaps, even the professor. They are good people. They are just too ignorant of what is the real thing, the real pain and emotion, and the real sufferings of those people living in Hem. And so he was here, in the Central Kingdom to address that issue. He will not just be a high-ranked knight, but a spokesperson and the representative of Hem.

“I wish I could tell you more about the Sankts, but I think it would be much better if Professor Zen would be the one to do that. She could tell you more about the Sankts, about the book of Sankta, about that slime, about the legend, and even why do we need people like you in the Kingdom.”

“People like me?”

Balel nodded. “Seeing how you were able to tame the Sankt, we believe you are very much needed.”

“Seriously man, you were just giving me more headaches.” Holder rested his body on the backrest of the chair. All he was now, is but full of disappointment.

“Sorry ‘bout that, dude. But Professor Zen would come and visit you here after you had your proper rest and, uh . . . after you’ve had ‘quality time’ with the slime, as said by the professor.”

Holder laughed from it. “Yeah, I guess I have to spend more quality time with this creature.”

Balel stood, and started to head to the door. He was about to leave.

And when he was about halfway of going outside, he stopped, remembering something, and looking back at Holder who was closing his eyes and massaging his forehead.

“By the way, Holder,” Balel told.

“Hmm?” Holder continued massaging his forehead.

“Professor Zen told me not to forget telling you this: that slime beside you is named Jiji. And he will be your partner. For . . . uh . . . the rest of your life.” And then quickly closed the door, afraid there would come a great explosion.

“Great,” the only thing that Holder can tell. And then he continued massaging his forehead. Harder. He was more stressed than ever.