Tecnomagic Engineer

Upon returning inside the house, something still bothered me. Why that hug? Why was Miss Vyresska crying when nothing had happened? And even more, why was she thanking me? As I walked toward my room, pondering answers to these questions, my mother stopped me and asked what I thought of the day, since I had been extremely anxious about the meeting the day before.

- "Hey, son... So? Did you enjoy today?" she asked me, smiling.

- "Yes, Mom, it was really nice... But there's something I can't understand. Why did Miss Vyresska hug me? Why was she crying? And why did she thank me?" I asked her.

- "Hmm... I'm not exactly sure either, but she became emotional like that after she saw Scilia smiling at you. At that moment, I noticed the astonishment on her face as her eyes filled with tears..." she said.

At that moment, it was as if a light bulb turned on, and I automatically understood the reason for all of that. I remembered our conversation at the bakery the day before and how not seeing Scilia happy was a heavy burden for Vyresska. By seeing Scilia happy, everything Vyresska had done up to that point had been worth it, even if that smile wasn't directed at her. Thinking about that made me feel happy and even more determined to give Scilia more happy moments like that because it meant so much not just to me but also to Miss Vyresska.

Days passed, then months, and during this time, Scilia would come to my house whenever she had the chance. Over the time we spent together, she began to open up more, smiling more, though she was still mostly shy, and she started speaking much more calmly with me. We had become great friends. Whenever I saw her, even when we weren't at my house, we would always talk and laugh about everything we read and practiced. The last time we met at my house, I remember giving Scilia one of the books from my collection as a sign of how much I appreciated her friendship and the time we spent together. The book I decided to give her was none other than the first book I had received when I was still a baby. This book contained most of the animals that inhabit our world, from the most common to the most fantastical. That book was always the most precious of my entire collection because it was with it that I began to be interested in reading and in the incredible animals that inhabit our world. Giving it to someone as a gift was a sign of how much I cared about that person. I was never someone who easily trusted or became attached to people, but with Scilia and Vyresska, it was different. I felt good around them. I felt happy and could have great, healthy conversations with both of them. When I handed the book to Scilia, as she was leaving my house, and told her how important she and Vyresska were to me, Scilia tried every possible way to refuse the gift. During our time together, she had often heard me speak highly of the book and knew how much it meant to me. But since I'm even more stubborn than her, I made it clear that refusing was useless — the book was already hers.

- "Scilia… Before you go, I'd like to give you something this time," I said, showing her the red cover with golden patterns and the black-outlined figures of various fantastical animals adorning it.

- "D-Dravyn, what?? No, I can't accept this book… It's yours, and I know how important it is to you. Why are you giving it to me?" she asked, surprised.

- "You see, Scilia… During all this time we've spent together — me, you, and Miss Vyresska — I realized how much I consider you both to be special people to me. Besides you two, only my parents are on that list, haha. Beyond them and you two, no one else. I'm giving you this book because I trust you'll take great care of it. It's one of my most precious belongings, and, as such, I'll give it only to people I consider equally important but who can't always be by my side. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, Scilia, so I want you to keep this book as a symbol of our friendship. Even if I'm not here tomorrow, I want you to look at this book and remember how special you are to me, and I hope it helps you move forward," I said, smiling, unaware of how much my words had moved my mother and Miss Vyresska, who were nearby, waiting for us to finish our conversation.

- "D-Dravyn… I-I…" Scilia began to speak, her voice trembling, but I interrupted her.

- "Oh, and don't even think about refusing it; it's already yours," I added, laughing.

Visibly emotional, Scilia carefully took the book and, in a swift motion, gave me a big hug. At that moment, everything stopped. The insects that had been singing in the vegetation fell silent, the sound of the wind rustling the trees ceased, and nothing else mattered. That hug brought me to a state I had never been in before but had felt every time I saw that hooded girl — every time I saw Scilia — but that, until then, I hadn't understood. What was that feeling, anyway? Was I sick? Was something wrong with me? No. At that specific, infinitesimal moment, I finally realized that I had fallen in love with Scilia. And it wasn't a simple infatuation — it was something extremely intense yet profoundly pure.

Scilia then thanked me for the book, promising to take great care of it, and with her face flushed, she ran back to Vyresska, who was watching me with a suspicious smile. I, however, was just as red-faced as Scilia and couldn't even manage to say goodbye to them. The only thing I could mutter was "See you…," which would go down in my personal history as one of "Dravyn's Great Embarrassments." Hours later, when my father returned from work and heard everything from my mother, he started laughing and teasing me, but that's a story for another time. 

One Day Later

A day had passed since the events with Scilia and me, yet I hadn't heard any news about either of them. Moreover, my mother mentioned that the bakery was closed, which hinted that Scilia and Vyresska might have left on a trip somewhere. However, this didn't mean they were gone for good. Throughout the day, the village —which now felt more like a small town — talked about nothing else but the great advances Falthur had achieved in the north. Once the forces of the kingdom of Cedrus began retreating due to a lack of men, Falthur accomplished an unprecedented feat: getting close to the heart of Cedrus — where we were located.

The hope, however, was that Falthur had already conquered enough land, nearly doubling the size of his territory, which would be reason enough to pause the war and establish new borders. Yet, those who thought this way underestimated human greed and malice. Sadly, among these people were my parents, who, to my surprise, held firmly to this belief.

- "Mom, Dad, have you heard what everyone is saying about the war?" I asked.

- "I think we should start preparing for what's coming or maybe even try to escape. There might still be time…" I said, slightly apprehensive.

- "I don't think they'll reach here. After all, they've already gained enough land. What more would they gain by taking this village? There isn't much here. Besides, we have no soldiers, which makes negotiations with them much easier if they do come. Honestly, I wouldn't mind being annexed by them. Perhaps the kingdom of Falthur is even better than Cedrus, which only housed corrupt and greedy nobles," my father said calmly, sipping from his familiar mug of ale and eating a large piece of Kaorthernung steak hunted earlier in the forest.

- "Hmm… I agree with your father, son. Even if we tried to run, they would catch up with us. And by fleeing, they might even think we're nobles hiding here," my mother said, concluding my father's thoughts.

In the end, I decided to trust what my parents said and ignore the growing unease inside me. It was something that had been keeping me up at night and, in the end, proved to be true.

That night, I couldn't sleep, but eventually, exhaustion overtook me, and I fell asleep believing the next day would be just like all the others and that nothing would happen to me or my family. After all, we had never done anything that would give us cause for concern. However, the following morning was nothing like that dream. In fact, it was as if I were leaving a dream and waking into a nightmare that would never end.

On that cloudy morning, without a hint of sunlight, a massive rain of arrows covered the village. Many people, already outside their homes and ready to work, were struck. My father and mother, who were still having breakfast inside the house, were startled by the noise and heard the screams of terror and cries for help. My father quickly stood up, grabbed his large axe, and asked my mother to take me to the basement and stay there until he returned with answers about what was happening. So, we did.

Our basement was well-hidden, designed for moments like this—moments we had only imagined but now proved to be all too real.

Hours began to pass, and with them, the sounds of galloping horses and neighing grew louder. Suddenly, we heard footsteps from people dismounting their horses. They opened the door to our house and started rummaging through the upper level, likely searching for valuables or hidden people, laughing and talking as they went:

- "Ha, a bunch of fools! They really thought they could negotiate with us, hahaha…" said one of the riders.

- "Yeah, hahaha. But I wouldn't mind negotiating with a pretty lady if we found one," another rider joked, laughing.

Suddenly, heavier footsteps approached the door. Someone opened it, and the riders fell silent as a raspy, macabre voice asked if they had finished what they were supposed to do. This time, with a more respectful tone, they responded:

- "Did you finish what you were supposed to do?" the voice asked in a chilling tone.

- "Yes, sir! We found no sign of people in the house," the soldiers said.

- "Did you check everything? Even the basement?" the voice pressed.

- "Sir, this house doesn't have a basement. It's too small," one of the soldiers replied.

- "Idiot. Did you check to be sure?"

A chill ran down my spine. I looked at my mother and saw her expression of panic as the sounds of footsteps grew closer to the basement entrance. She seemed paralyzed. But in that moment, we couldn't afford to remain still. I whispered for her to follow me to the secret exit leading outside the house, straight into the forest.

I began pushing the hidden door, but it was stuck from disuse. My mother tried to help, but at that moment, we heard one of the soldiers say:

- "Well, what do you know? There really is a basement!"

At that moment, horrifying images flashed through my mind. Images of everything that could happen to me and, worse, to my mother if we were discovered. Then, as if a sudden burst of strength surged within me, I pushed the door slowly until it gave way with a loud crack. I pulled my mother outside, but the noise alerted the soldiers, who heard it and began chasing us.

- "Mom, RUN AND DON'T STOP!" I yelled, holding her hand.

- "KEEP GOING UNTIL WE REACH THE RIVER. GOT IT? DON'T STOP UNTIL THEN!"

The forest behind our house stretched along the edge of a hill, and at the base of the hill ran a river that was said to flow all the way to the sea, with a long course. We raced down the hill toward the river as arrows whizzed past us and the soldiers' shouts drew closer. At one point, exhausted from running, we tripped over a log and tumbled to the bottom of the hill.

We were bruised and battered but couldn't stop. The river was just ahead — only a few steps away from escape. But the soldiers' footsteps and screams grew ever closer, making me wonder if we would survive this.

I could no longer stand, no matter how hard I tried. My mother was in no better shape. Would this be our end? I wondered.

Suddenly, my mother, who was perhaps in even worse condition than I was, somehow managed to stand. She picked me up in her arms and, using the last of her strength, staggered toward the riverbank. She stepped into the water, kissed my forehead, and said with difficulty:

- "... Ugh... huff…huff…huff ..S-son, I'm sorry for all of this… cough… cough… This is my fault. If it weren't for me, maybe… maybe none of this… cough… cough… would have happened… huff… huff… But you'll survive. I-I won't let you die here."

Her tears mixed with the blood streaming from her head.

At that moment, I couldn't say anything — whether from my injuries or everything that had happened. The only thing I could do was let the river carry me away as my vision darkened and I saw my mother grow smaller in the distance.

Then, a soldier's arrow struck her head, and she too fell into the river. After that, everything went black.

I wished it would stay that way forever because, regardless of whether I woke up or not, I had already died the moment I failed to save my mother — or my father.

But, as things often go against what we wish, I suddenly woke up on the riverbank, surrounded by trees and strange creatures...