*Snores*
Surprisingly, i dream like usual and doesn't end to where Alk is, that white plane, means i really have to venture out there to find our way out.
Opening my eyes, i roll around my tiny bed, before facing upward looking at the little sparkles above me full of moon, sun, dragons, knights, stars, clouds and such that was put by my parents. (Aah, still haven't outed myself yet from the Dive, have i?)
I feel something around my lower body being wet. (Tch, i hate this part of being a newborn yet again). "Ngah, Mua~ah! " I cry out to my parents that is still asleep on the next bed beside me.
"Hmm? *yawn* Fiona, time to wake up, hun'. Time to take our usual bath. I'll be wiping his bottoms now" The sound of the bed creaks after i see a big figure stretching his shadows upon me getting closer and closer.
"Mmm, yes yes *yawn*. You go on ahead"
The figure of an Armenian-like man is looking from above. His chin is a little bit round, his nose long and curved, his hair dark blue, his eyes orange brown , and his skin more to the darker side. His clothes, indigo pajamas, is out of proportionate as it is a little bit too tight for him so i can roughly see his muscles all the way down to his legs.
"Alright, time to get you cleaned up" His hands that is twice the size of my face picks me up, throws the diaper to a bin, picks up wet tissues cleaning my bottom. "There, all set and now to heat up the water. Be going in first with Arlan, hun'~"
"OK, just don't overdo it!"
On the way walking towards the door, i am being cleaned by father with dry tissues before having myself in the position of sitting above my father's back with his hands holding my feet, piggy riding. *door opens and closes*
Heading out of the door, we passes through another 3 room before facing right, the sign in an unknown language that i am yet to learn.
We enter, there's lockers more than 10's that's tall as father is akin to a changing room for either gender, this tells me that this house may have served another purpose beyond my recognition.
We enter a semi-transparent door that's made of a thin layer, more that of a plastic rather than a glass. Bathtubs that takes a little of the shape hexagonal, have some lights around it's edges with the most lit being on the outer bottom.
And the toilet a little far to the right end.
I am put down in it before father turns on the shower which activates similarly from the outside world by twisting the knobs Up for Heat and Down for Cold, Left to Empty and Right to Shower.
*firy sizzle* He twists it upwards, with it comes the sound equivalent of water rushing in.
"Alright, it'll be awhile before it heats up. Let's wash up our face first" To the left, a face mirror with some body-washing soaps and shampoos named, deodorants and handsoaps, toothbrushes and their pastes, all there just for the sake of hygiene.
*metallic creak*. Below these are the sinks and water taps, and the cups for putting the waters
*water splashes* While still putting his left hand on me, father wash up his rugged face from the chin right up to the hair. "Fwaah, that does it. You want to be washed too? Even if it's a little bit cold than usual because of the weather this year, i'm sure it's fine"
(Fine? Me being Only 3 years old and Is Still susceptible to diseases that i may Not know off because this world has many and some is nigh incurable Until Kindergarten is Definitely Not Fine, man)
"Nha, no uant, pa!" I hit him times and times again on the back, making sure he gets the message.
"Ahah, ahahaha! That hurts, Arl~"
*door opens*
Mother, in her loose green pajamas still looking weary with her blue eyes, dark blue hair, ocean blue eyes, soft white skin, thick eyebrows and straight nose. "Garv, dear, what did i tell you about the water for the baby just yesterday?"
"... To only use warm or heated water for his health"
(Good Grief, i always wonder how wives were able to tame body champions back in the day, and i'm not sure how dominant they are in this world so i guess i should try my best not to anger mother)
I faces towards the mirror, looking at our reflections.
The three of us have dark blue hair, with me having slight white shades at the front and the hairstyle is always bowl cut because mother preferred it if no other than us can see my face. Raisya doesn't count.
My eyes also have some grey shades, if you were to look closely. The pupils are a mix of ocean blue and bright brown, like the sunbaked sands before the waves of the ocean and they emits the aura of a noble. Yeah, ri~ght.
Don't know if these are inherited by either or both, and i don't care 'cause for me it looks cool.
(Being born with the characteristics of an edgelord, felt uncomfortable since i'm not that kind of guy)
"Yup, and also what i said just after bed. Put him down on the bathtub, i'll be taking the bodywashes"
The water showers down, with it being a little warmer for making sure i do not get cold.
Being put down on the tub, it's size sure is magnanimous, fitting almost us 3 diagonally when mother follows after us, her facing the opposite direction.
"Make sure you close your eyes, Arl, or the e~vil flying slimes will get ya!" Mother tells me that by sounding childish, and telling the sweet little lies for kids to believe them.
I did so, and i wander on my thoughts while they wash me and each other in the meanwhile.
Crawling, Playing, Talking, Eating, Walking, Reading, Writing, Drawing, Hearing, and so on.
As expected, i had to get myself used to how i perceive everything from the viewpoint of a baby... Though my growth rate exceeds those off normal ones.
I just turned 3 this month, and what's wrong in all that time is that i can't access HUD and the likes at all.
Panicking won't do me a thing, and so i just try to learn more from the surroundings so that i can prepare on how to fix things from the Dive while looking for clues on the house for ruins where Alk could possibly be.
Father, Garvin Gritt, is a Knight Tutor at a Knight Academy in the city and leaves home at the Monday, Wednesday and Friday. His body is akin to a free runner.
Opposite of my mother, when i talk to him to read me one of the books, he does so while teaching me about the trivial stuffs after one or another few paragraphs later and is the one i respect the most right now.
Telling stuff about how swords aren't meant to be used against undead skeletons because they are essentially arisen because of Mana and cannot be put down unless Holy attributes such as Light from a magic imbued weapon.
He's also sick of power-seeking freaks such as Heroes because even Without a continental crisis, they still go getting stronger and eventually kills without giving it much of a thought.
I appreciate him saying these as i too, am sick of Overpowered mortals soon-to-be demigods all.
Mother, Fiona Gritt, having inherited the name Gritt from marrying father, is a Magic Researcher at a Magic Academy in the city and leaves home at Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Her body is akin to a librarian in my world and you'd think the atmosphere would end up as rather stiff and quick but when she's at home she'll talk about things i don't know at all and still make it interesting.
Like, the difference between spellcasting and incantation is that the former can be casted meters from you, forming some kind of a definite shape like rectangulars or circles, but incantation is only able to be used to oneself's body or it's surrounding, as to how it is possible i am yet to find out myself in the future. Don't know how and when i can do it but it sure sounds fun.
The technologies i have seen is a mix of sci-fi and fantasy.
Like tables that spurts out little splashes of waters before some kind of windex or glass cleaner comes out, wiping the surface with some magical lights has some texts inscribed on some of the edges; inscriptions on their own private room that could be a keyword for opening the lock; the plated coils around the lamps above is imbued with some blueish sparkles like crushed crystals.
"Here's the towel, Arl, don't move too much" Father dries my body with a soft textured towel while already exited out of the bathroom, maybe changing in her private room and goes on to make dinner.
Being picked up again walking back to my room, he does the job of wearing me my clothes. "There, now onto breakfast. Giddy up, Arl!" And so, we exit and father mimics the sound of a horse, strutting around the house before heading back to the direction going towards the dining room after passing by the bathroom.
The inside of the house as far as i know goes as follows: My bed, Parent's bedroom, Father's private room, Mother's private room, Empty room that was once sister's, Guests room, Living room, Dining room, and the Bathroom. So far, i have only known to have seen 4 of these, excluding the Bathroom:
Firstly, My Bedroom for starters, is coated in green which i can guess signifies the birth of new life and it's also nature's most associated color.
The toys like tower stacking and car race and miniature dolls is made from the materials a little bit hard like clay but not so hard like a rock as to prevent any possible injuries.
Bed's as little as you'd expect in accordance as to make sure i can not walk to the gaps and over them, with the bed beside it that is always used to tell me bedtime stories, like how my parents are 'Guardians' that defended against hordes of hideous mutated monsters.
(Do they have gun toys in this world? If not, i'll just make do with paper plane, cooking dirt and rock pebbles)
Secondly, the Living room is sets of furnitures set around to convey the sense of 'order' and 'discipline' by having tables, chairs, vases and others neatly in a way that comforts yet enlighten my mind from any stray thoughts aside from being 'safe'.
(The heck is this place used to be with all this structures all around?)
And onto the last one.
Arriving at the Dining room where it lays out a little back of the house interior.
2 tableclothed tables and 6 seats is the most we can do right now because rarely do we have guests that comes to eat with us like Raisya.
Spices, herbs, salts and sugars, coffee beans both rae and processed and what else is put on the upper shelves on their own respective jars.
Eggs, meat, noodle, vegetables and other ingredients are put to a refrigerator behind the kitchen.
Cooking utensils, washing sponges and soap, water sinks and their water taps are on the middle shelves.
There's also a bathroom behind the kitchen, almlst no different than the main bathroom except it's smaller, no lockers and no bathtub but there is buckets inside for that.
"What's for breakfast, Fiona?" With me piggy riding father on his back, i see mother bringing some dish pots, plates, eating utensils and drinking cups. "Stew with some eggs as the side dish, bread and milk for a healthy body, healthy mind and healthy soul. Porridge's for him as always, a little bit of softened fish and tofu so as to make him not being picky on food". A little bowl that looks hideous like a lump of fresh baked rice.
(Sure hope i get to eat normal rices and not just it's baby portion)
. . .
"What are you writing, Arlan?" Father standing in front of me, asking while his hand holding a spoon for feeding me.
Sitting and holding a piece of messy inked paper, i stand up from the floor walking towards him. "Papa! I'm dlawing daagon an' knigt!" I tried my hardest to speak loud and clear, what with the tiny voicebox and damp lips.
(I am, So~ embarassed having to say that)
He holds the spoon over my mouth. " *chuckles* Yes yes, eat big and get big to be the knight to slay those dragons, Arl. Here comes the last one, Aahm~" He opens his mouth, telling me to mimic after him.
"Aahm~" I tasted the last of the portion for my breakfast.
(*gulp* Huh, still not used to eating porridge with a horse-like meat to it, not like i can complain in the first place)
Some days ago when i try to ask around on my sister's whereabouts and identities, they say she is on a journey when they reach an age of 14 for reasons in which they didn't tell me. They told me that when i'm 7, i can ask her to play with me after my 'time' comes.
Our family's close friend is Raisya and her husband Carmine whom i haven't come to know yet.
They stay with their kids in the city and run their business there so the only times i can see Raisya is when she comes to visit us sometimes.
I still don't know the other rest of her family, currently.
The position of the 'sun' and the 'moon' that overlooks this world is not that different, aside from the calendar.
The calendar here have a slight difference. It's just that there are 575½ days a year, making it 48 days a month.
What's absurd is that the names of the days and months didn't change at all.
Way to point out either laziness or burnout of the other writer.
(Least there's more holidays for us, right?...)
Saying my father is more brawn than a brain is a distain to him.
On the 16th, 32th and 48th day of any month, all of us are having a walk out to an empty field not far from home.
The reason why is because those 3 days are the days where their headmasters head off to His Majesty for reasons which they both didn't tell
Also, on these 3 days they always have a duel for the sake of me learning both magic and knightsmanship.
While i watch from afar as a spectator, sitting on a boulder with a river close to it, i deducted that my father have the most efficient usage of both brain and brawn.
For example, while mother is evading father's wood sword slashes and counters them with Wind chant to make the sword fly.
Father, instead of evading or blocking, flows with it and jump high up and does acrobatics where he glides to the position where the sun is, blinding mother temporarily in the process and you can basically guess how it ends.
The ratio of which father won against mother is 4:3, most often than not after exhausting my mother's mana from all the chanting and spellcasting.
Sometimes mother uses magic for our daily life. Like for drying the clothes in the sun more efficiently, she uses the combination of low-powered Wind and Fire magic chant to dry off the remaining water and the outcome is that they smell... distantly melancholic?
Whatever kind of soap she used for them?
The food here is not much different, but i do miss not having rice from time to time. I'll make do with the porridges for now.
I enjoyed the days i spend with them, in and out of the house.
*bell rings*
"Honey, sounds like the guest has come just in time"
"OK, i'll be going to the front first, don't be rash on feeding him!" Mother exits the dining room, closing the curtains on the way.
"Hey! Why can't you put your trusts on me whenever it includes babies?
Ugh, anyways, i'll be washing the bowl and Don't stray too far out of my sight, okay?" Father goes on to the nearest sink to wash the bowl with a sponge, and i take that oportunity to crawl over to mother.
(Let's see whether or not Raisya's bringing some other new toys, though i'd prefer books, if only i can speak what i had in mind clearly). After some seconds of crawling, i walk up to where the front door is located, and i hear mother conversing not far.
" (faint) Pleasure to meet you, Madam Gritt!" A soft womanly voice can be heard when i get close enough to the front.
" (low-voice) Arlan, why don't you just quit sneaking up on mother again" Behind me, unknowingly and stealthily, father crouches looking me at the eyes.
He picks me up for a piggy ride again, going towards the terraces. "I know you're bored in the house, but wait for me next time before playing, yeah?
When you're out of my or your mother's sight... It's not good for the soul.
What do you say in this kind of situation, Arl?"
I pout, heads down with regret. "... I'm solhy"
"Yeah, now let us go on about greeting the guest together" Picking up where we go on passing my bedroom and the others again, i see a faint figure of a gold long-haired woman in front of mother.
One day i came to know something.
The academy they work is having a joint sessions. It occurs every 4 years and also continues for 4 years in order to the attendant and students to see from the other side's view.
And so both of father's and mother's schedule is changed to make it seem like they are in harmony.
The only days i can play with them is Saturday and Sunday. And the previous 3 days before? Delayed until this is over, what a bummer.
They both noticed i am getting lonely but they came prepared.
"Ah, here you are, Arlan! Meet the person that will take care of you for the next 4 years, our housemaid!" Mother steps aside, showing me the full figure of the young woman.
Her face noticably takes after the Caucasian, with how her skin is looking more white and smooth, her eyes brown, her golden long hair, and her clothes that of a Victorian-style maid outfit minus the headbang.
"Hi! Pleasure to meet you, Young Master Arlan!
My name is Elena and just Elena. I hope we get along well for the next 4 years~" Putting the most sincere smile i've ever seen, she introduced herself.
"... Me too. I hope the same..." Sounding tame, i can only gaze her in awe of her angelic figure. Wish i can take my thought back then and crushes it with a hammer.
And so with that, appears another occupant in the house.
. . .