I don't think I'd be able to finish talking about just how much I love my grandma, if you ever wanted to hear about it, in just one sitting. She's actually one of the only people that I have left in my life - the rest has either turned their backs on my sister and I, or died - so it is the only conversation subject that I could honestly go on forever about. I'd like to say the same about my sister, however it has been over two years since our parents died and she stopped talking and smiling at me as often as she used to.
My grandma raised my sister and I, from when we were still babies, as my parents were both very busy with their work as Supers. We were fortunate, growing up, as both my parents had plenty of work going their way - requests the likes of exploring newly opened monster dens or dungeons, or lending a hand at the hospital when short-staffed, was nothing out of the ordinary - so money was never an issue. The bright and smiling faces of my family are forever stored in a special place within my heart.
It wasn't until my grandma became sick, when I was 10 years old, that things started taking a turn for the worst.
I remember the day that dad came home with half of his head wrapped in bandages - my mum nearly fainted on the spot - as he had just come back from exploring a new monster den a fortnight's trek into the Outer Lands. His body was battered and bruised, and his torn clothing showing roughly stitched up and bloody wounds here and there.
Even though he looked half-dead, his eyes lit up, just like they usually did, when he saw mum and I coming to greet him.
Dad had never come home with such serious injuries before. The work of a Super, one who ventures outside of The Wall, is the most dangerous line of work one could choose to do, however, it is also the most well-paid. With next to no need of any qualifications, one can register to become a Super, as long as you have already had your power certified.
Dad used to work in human resources for a government agency, always wanting to help where he can in terms of making the lives of those within The Wall greater, where he would work alongside Supers and organize for the protection of The Wall from the rabid beasts and monsters of the Outer Lands. He's always been the type to gung-ho everything he does, so it was only expected when he decided to change his career path from being within The Wall to going out of it alongside the many friends he had made during his time in human resources.
While mum dragged dad to the nearest hospital, grandma was there to hold us in her arms. She had softly assured us that dad would be just fine, and that mum would be back in no time. Her smile was the warmest of all. We all knew that she was unwell, by this point in time, but she never stopped caring more for us than she did herself.
One night, shortly after grandma's sickness flared up and she was admitted to hospital, I overheard my dad talking with mum in the hallway about how it was becoming harder and harder to find work due to his injuries. Dad's power was certified as 'Shield Bearer', making him an amazing front-liner during raids into monster dens or dungeons. Unfortunately, due to his power no longer being stable or reliable after his head injury, the other Supers that used to call him their comrade in arms - the same Supers that dad would always boast to us about after every raid to the Outer Lands - could no longer trust in him to be their front-liner, pushing him further and further toward the back of the group.
Eventually dad was pushed away from the group entirely.
Mum was in the same situation, finding less and less work within The Wall as a part-time healer at the hospital. Every year there came more and more graduates of the University of Supportive Roles moving into roles that suited them best in the work force - many of which replacing the part-timers that were more 'on-call' than actual part-time workers.
Even during this time, whenever I saw grandma, she would much rather make sure that my sister and I weren't affected by the frustration and stress that the family was going through. I can't even remember how many times I had refused her when she offered us her hospital food. I'm sure she already knew that dad and mum were having money problems, so she just wanted to make sure that we didn't go hungry.
By this time, I was already 13 years old, my sister was 10 years old and her power had already been certified as high-tier offensive class - 'Fire Magic'. Although she was coughing after every few words, grandma would always be excited to cheer my sister on, encouraging her to aspire to focus on her studies and join a prestigious university. Mum and dad had already decided to do as much as they could to bring money in for both the family and grandma's hospital fees. Mum even started working as a Super, going out of The Wall to treat wounds as a field medic.
Just before my 16th birthday, a special age for any teenager regardless of their power, my family received the horrifying news of mum's death during her raid into a newly discovered monster dungeon - one that had been classified incorrectly by the Department of Outer Land Affairs - when monsters, too strong for the mid-tier raid party, decimated all but one of the Supers who entered the dungeon.
It's well-known that people, with mid to high-tier powers, can already opt to start working as Supers at the age of 13. My power was certified as 'Accelerated Reactions' - a low-tier power - so I could only wait until I was at least 16 years old before I could register as a Super to be sent outside of The Wall to gather valuable materials and explore where others have not yet been.
Because of my power - all because of my power - I couldn't do anything to help my family to bring in money. Many nights were spent crying into my pillow, after mum's commemorative service, a funeral without a body, as I cursed my own powerlessness and inability to help my own family when we needed it the most.
The whole family was hit hard by the death of mum. Dad, who lost his life-time partner, had fallen into a depressed state and ended up wasting his nights at a different pub every night drowning his sorrows with whatever alcohol he could afford after a day of work. My sister, who was too sheltered by the rest of the family to understand that Supers are those who risk their lives each time they ventured outside of The Wall, couldn't focus on her studies and ended up suspended from her Hero Academy after a fight broke out between herself and another student.
During our next visit to the hospital, to see grandma, I walked into the room first and was the only one to see her wiping her tears in a rush so that she could greet us with the same old warm smile that she always does. I could feel my face getting hot, as I tried to hold back my own tears from gushing out at the sight of my grandma trying her best to be strong for those of us who could not be.
It wasn't long after mum's death that dad also lost his life. There was tension in the family, as he and I were arguing constantly about his drinking; how he was wasting the money that was meant for the family and for grandma's hospital fees. According to the raid party, that dad had gone into the Outer Lands with, they were surrounded by mid-tier monsters and dad had pushed far past his capabilities in the state that he was in. I spoke with one of dad's old colleagues, who had heard the story from one of the members of the raid party, and he told me that dad died from a backlash after he tried using his power at the level that he used to before his head injury.
To this day, I regret having argued with my dad all those times.
In this day and age, it isn't uncommon to see broken families. Children, younger than what my sister and I were, at the time, would be moved into orphanages or boarding schools. The lucky ones could find foster parents or live under the care of family members who were still alive.
Grandma took the two of us in, my sister and I, so we could live in her house while she was in hospital. I promptly dropped out of the hero academy I had been attending and registered myself as a Super. We managed to get by, paying for both grandma's hospital fees and my sister's schooling, with the money we had after selling mum and dad's house, but we all knew that that money wouldn't last.
It's been four years since then, and I'm already 20 years old. My sister is about to start her studies at the University of Heroes, being one of the youngest students to enter the institution in a decade, at the age of 17. My grandma, although being able to go home with us, still has to attend medical check ups regularly and take her prescribed medicine. Through all of this, as much of a rough patch as it is, she's been the one to keep the same old warm smile on her face whenever she sees us coming down for breakfast in the morning and coming back home from work or school at night.
Me? I've just had a life-changing encounter outside of The Wall and I have a feeling that things will finally start looking up for our family again!