Life is a temporary thing, yet it is. It made people think life is precious. But then, some people thought his or her life is more valuable than the other. We found everywhere this thinking around the world.
I wished I could ask about Father, since Mother rarely mentioned him before. But let leave it for the right moment in the future.
Even I never show Red Eyed Green Dragon, or its poison, I have read about it on the Way of Three Realms, and isn’t it just another green lizard’s dirty nails?
Well, since there was this Vast Sky of Ten Thousand Compounding, it should be able to help create a kind of universal antivenin.
I moved my little body, but it became a slight twitch.
My mother looked at me, “Ara, are you worry Eiwa? Don’t be, life always about an encounter and a goodbye. It doesn’t like we’ll separate forever, who know when we meet again, we’ll be a complete family.”
‘No, Mom, I am not worried about that. While your handsome and genius son here, who can separate us? I want to give you this old vellum.’
There was a bright light above my chest, and the vellum emerged from within.
Mother seems surprised but hurriedly caught the book.
“This is…”
It was a rare occasion when Mother got surprised, but this one took her pretty a couple of moments to calm again.
Lina and Mari came from behind the door, and their reaction was lightning fast.
“My Lady!” “Madam!”
Both ladies and the old man cried at the exact moment.
“It’s okay everyone, it just little Eiwa a bit surprised me.”
The other three seemed do not get what Mother said. Then Mother took the vellum and handed it to Grandpa Kornel.
“Grandpa Kornel, this is for you. I believe you should know how to read it. It should be useful to help this boy, and it should be helpful for your issue too.”
Grandpa Kornel took the vellum with a puzzled expression. He looked at it, and read it word per word, sentence per sentence. Sometimes he stopped, thinking for a while, then continue to read. But the more he learned, the more his hand was trembling.
After a few minutes of silent within a small hut. Grandpa Kornel could let out a little gasp.
He looked at Mother and said, “Madam, this thing is the thing of legend, no, perhaps it is a proof of a myth. Please take it back; I am not worthy of it.”
While it confused others with what this old man said, Mother’s gentle eyes observed me before saying, “That thing belongs to Eiwa. Look, he doesn’t want it again. How could you make me give him something he doesn’t want?”
Grandpa Kornel, “….”
“It’s okay, Grandpa, take your time. Saving a life would be the most important thing in our hands right now. Or you prefer that I use that magic?”
“No… no… Madam, absolutely not, I will try to plan a solution right away, thanks to this scripture, I am now confident I can save the boy.”
Mother nodded her head, “Good then.” Then she looked at the little girl, “Little one, come with me; we will only become obstructions for Grandpa Kornel to save your big brother. Come with me to our room, you’ve heard what Grandpa said, your brother will be okay.”
The girl looked at her brother with eyes of worry, then at Mother, “Yes, Madam.”
“Little One, you can just call me Aunt Flo for now.”
“Yes, Aunt Flo.”
“Good girl.”
Mother took us to our room, she put me down at the crib. And they grabbed the little girl for a bath. She seemed drenched in cold sweats since this morning, and she looked a bit tired from sleepless nights.
After a simple bath, Mother assured her again that everything would be fine, and offered a meal.
Her name was Ione, violet like the Western sky at the end of Twelfth Month when the field of snow also looks like a soft violet carpet every sunset.
“Ione, your brother would be fine.”
“Yes, I believe you, Aunt Flo.”
“But if you stay here, it would bring no good to him.”
“I…”
“Ione, you are a smart girl. Then you must know the people who chasing you both?”
“Yes.”
“Are they targeting you or your big brother, or perhaps both of you?”
“It is me.”
“So, you already think that they will return?”
The girl nodded helplessly, “Yes, they will not give up just like that. It was luck–my brother said–that we arrive here, far from our homeland.”
“Child, you have been through so much. Then let me recommend you. If you trust me, leave behind your brother with Grandpa Kornel, and follow me. I’ll protect you along the way and in the place where we will stay for a dozen years to come. How it sounds?”
“Aunt Flo, what if they come here for my big brother when we away?”
“First, if they see you leave this Inn, their priority, of course, shall be you, and you only. Second, do you believe that they believe if your big brother would survive after what they did to him? Third, based on the second assumption, will they challenge a Grand Mage over an impossible living person who is not their primary target?”
The girl made a long silence before saying, “Okay, Aunt Flo, I’ll come with you.”
“You are a smart girl, it is not surprising that they fear you.” Mother gave a small chuckle, “The rest for the night, tomorrow we will leave at dawn, and before that, say goodbye to your brother.”
“Yes.”
And this soft word of her would be the start of my endless nightmares in the future. But that story is yet to come.
Arunametta 