Paradise. The aroma of an alderwood fire would entice almost anyone to pull over and inhale it. The wonderful blending of nostalgic fire, delicious wafts of sizzling proteins and fats, and the wisp of aromatic herbs and spices produce an olfactory paradise. The peaceful scent is tinged with predatory-like yearning. The indicators that told a barbeque was taking place. That, together with the fragrance of dewy, damp grass on a July evening, reminded Kendrick of his childhood.
That feeling of being under the calm yet tepid sun.
Kendrick was safe and sound when he opened his eyes. He checked his hands before reaching for the sky, recognizing that his fleshy and podgy wrist had thinned out and his skin had paled in comparison to his previous self, as he remembered.
Kendrick chuckled, not knowing how to respond to this sudden transformation.
"Haaa…. I must be going crazy."
The last thing he could remember before losing consciousness was walking down the stairs and collapsing, but because he'd awoken beneath the sun, looking at the blue sky, he's assumed that all of it must've been a dream.
It was a miracle that he even managed to finish the game his friend recommended.
While rambling off to himself, Kendrick heard someone talking nearby.
"....Yes, indeed. You must be going crazy one of these days, young master."
It seems like he was talking to him.
Kendrick rose up from the patch of grass he was laying down on. His nose was pricked by the sweet fragrant air, as he turned his head to where the unidentifiable voice was coming from.
Kendrick pushed himself up from the patch of grass he was lying on. The pleasant aromatic air pinched his nostrils as he moved his head to where the unknown voice was coming from.
Kendrick couldn't recognize the face and so he decided to ask, "Uh …. Who are you…?"
Kendrick stared at the young man full of confusion.
The young man glanced at him blankly for a second before laughing at the top of his lungs while remaining courteous at the same time.
"What exactly are you on about, young master? Did your slumber cause you to forget who I am, young master?"
Kendrick's mind was filled with questions, in contrast to the cheerful young guy.
'Why is he addressing me as young master?'
'How come he's so sure he knows who I am?'
Kendrick had a hunch he was just mistaken. It made him feel strange for some reason as his eyes were drawn to the young man, who was still smiling respectfully.
Actually, he wanted to ask him a lot of things, but he felt he shouldn't in fear of inciting the person's anger.
Not only that, but the young guy kept calling him "young master," which led him to believe that he had lost his mind following the incident and that his family had become wealthy enough to pay a gentleman to serve the deranged Kendrick.
"How did we get here?" Kendrick inquired as he peered around. The scenery was a garden, and the ground was covered with immaculate grass that gave off the impression of being a peaceful place to sleep.
The young man smiled as he focused his eyes on Kendrick's query.
"We are at Milord's garden. Why did you ask?"
"...."
Kendrick was at a loss for words. The young guy glanced at him with an innocent expression, as if to say, 'Did you truly lose your mind?'
And, as a result of that response, Kendrick was now certain. He was convinced that his parents had gotten wealthy, and he went insane for years without realizing it.
"Where have mother and father gone?"
Even though he's still perplexed by what's going on, Kendrick asked the most crucial question.
He wanted to see his family to reassure them that he was fine.
'It must have been hard on them. They had to look after me throughout the years...'
Kendrick wanted to meet them as soon as possible and apologize for being such a burdensome child.
The young man led him into the estate where they supposedly resided. Even Kendrick couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the property, which resembles a regal manor.
'They must have worked so hard for so many years,' he thought to himself as he wiped away tears from the corner of his eyes.
The home contained a lot of rooms and was rather spacious. When compared to the two-story structure he remembered them living in, it looked like a small hut in comparison to this grandeur.
The corridor was long and tastefully adorned.
Maids were strolling around the halls. Some people looked at Kendrick with trembling brows, but he ignored them as they quickly arrived at his father's office, as the young guy instructed him.
"We've arrived, young master."
Kendrick's lips pursed as his heart began to race. Even if it appeared to be only yesterday for him, he had been mad for years while being nursed by them.
Kendrick pulled open the two massive doors in front of him.
Before he could see the scene from inside, a light overwhelmed his eyes.
Kendrick yelled out in delight as he began sprinting before even seeing who was inside.
"Father!"
What met him, though, was a very unexpected face.
Kendrick stopped moving as he recalled his father's face. Even if years had passed, there's no way his father's face would change so much, he knows it.
That's why, when he saw the man that was supposedly his father, sitting in his office, he realized he wasn't his father.
Kendrick became immobile as a result of his shock. He came to a halt in his approach to the older gentleman.
Then he stated directly, "Who are you?"
He was genuinely bewildered.
He expected to see his father's face but instead saw an entirely different one.
His eyes, which had been a little sad for a time as he considered how much his family must have suffered from nursing his lunatic self, which he assumed was what happened after his fall, had morphed into a strange glare.
Like before, he had a lot of questions in his head.
But, unlike earlier, he now demanded an explanation of what the hell was going on.