I slumped on the couch, "fwooo… Hey mom." My fatigue getting over me.
My mom frowned, but didn't stop chopping some vegetables.
-Chop! chop! chop!
The rich fragrance of the soup she was cooking was enough to calm my worries down—albeit not all.
For a while, only the boiling of the pot and her chopping could be heard.
"…"
"What's wrong, honey? Tired?" She gave me her usual, kind smile, warming me up even more.
"Sure."
She smiled.
That's it.
She smiled.
But it was enough for the built-up pressure in my chest to burst.
Tears trailed down my cheek, "I-it's nothing, really…"
She chuckled, still, continuing her chopping, "You're so easy to read, child… like an open book."
I covered my eyes with my arm and laughed, "Here you are again with your metaphors."
She was always like this, she always seems to read my mind—and Kolin's.
-Chuckle
"I did not raise both of you to easily give in to anything, but I also did not raise you to beat yourselves up for whatever matters there are." She sounds like she was scolding me, but there was a super gentle tone behind every word she say.
Like a song.
I bit my lip. I know this was supposed to be a summer break, but it seemed like the stress I get from school just doubled.
"That bastard Kolin." I couldn't help but mumble—I didn't mean to.
My mom frowned, and suddenly turned to me, "Why Kolin?" She asked.
'Ah shit.'
"Ah. I-it's really nothing." I rubbed my nose.
"By the way, where is he?" She squinted her eyes, the edge of her pinkish lips curling up.
"I don't know..?" I averted my eyes, 'Ah, why can't I lie?!'
"I see. Well, that guy can handle himself, don't worry about him."
"…I finished the soup, go wash up and call your dad." She said as she wiped her hands with a towel.
"Alright." I ran up the stairs, "Dad?"
I knocked on a dark-stained door, "Dad?"
"Come in." A deep voice answered from the other side.
"Hey dad, mom's serving dinner, she asked me to call you."
He was writing with a feather quill and ink.
"What's that for?" I asked, trying to get a peak.
"Ah, it's for your grandmother." He gently said, a melancholy smile making its way to his eyes.
"I see…"
"Where's Kolin?"
"Somewhere." I shrugged.
"I heard you and your mom talking earlier."
He stood up and walked towards the door.
"...Don't mind Kolin, you know how close he is to your grandmother, he's probably just mourning."
While he talked, he patted my head.
"Sure." I gave him a smile.
I made my way into the bathroom to wash up, "Like an open book, huh?"
'Oh right, those books.' I suddenly remembered, "I'll ask Kolin about it."
"Ask me what?"
"Gah! Shit! Kolin?!!"
Kolin slid through the window in the hallway.
"Hey, brat." He said, "Ask what?"
"O-oh, about those bo—"
"Yo."
"…"
"…"
"…"
A man—or a young man—with glowing gold hair, golden blue eyes—a white glowing robe adorned his well-built body, was holding up his palm, waving it at me.
"Hello? Why are you just staring?" He asked.
Like me, Kolin froze and abruptly turned to me with his finger on his lips.
"Shhhhh! Don't shout! Don't shout!"
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
I shouted.
…
"Ah, nice to meet you…" My mom shook the golden-haired man's hand, she wore an amiable smile that would make anyone warm up to her.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am!" The man shook her hand.
He shook my dad's next, "Nice to see you, sir!"
"Robert is fine." My dad said, waving his other hand, "I don't wanna seem too old, you know?"
They both laughed, their deep voices rumbling my eardrums.
Kolin just sat there, arms on knees, and his head leaning on his hands.
'Why was that dude floating along with him? Is he also a mage?' I wondered.
"Oh, by the way, my name is Caner, Kolin's best friend." He introduced himself.
"What?" I blurted out.
They turned to me.
"…o-oh, my bad. I just didn't know Kolin had friends."
"Pftt!" Caner chuckled.
We all looked at him, "A-ah! Kolin might seem lonely, but he does have friends."
While chuckling, my mom handed him some tea, "Drink while it's still hot."
"Ah, thank you, ma'am." Caner held the cup and took a sip, "It's good tea."
"Thank you, and my name is Natasha, no need to be so formal." My mom said.
"Alright then," Caner smiled.
They continued talking, and while they did, I eyed Kolin. He shrugged and pointed to the door.
"Hey Bevie, let me show you something real quick." He said exaggeratingly.
"S-sure?"
He dragged me outside, "What's up with those kids?" My dad asked.
"Let them be, Robby." Mom chuckled.
-Bam!
Kolin closed the door, "Don't tell them!"
"Tell what?" I rolled my eyes.
"That you saw us fly through the window."
"Well, obviously I won't"
"Jeez, just making sure." He shook his head.
"Who was that anyway? Another mage?" I knit my eyebrows, asking for an answer.
Sighing, my brother gestured for me to sit on the bench. It was currently 8 pm, so the sky was dark.
I sat next to him.
"Well, he's someone from my world…it was actually the two of us who were transported here."
"Huh? You just met him?"
"Well, no. It's quite complicated…" He smiled wryly.
"I've got time." I raised the edge of my lips.
"Well, he's a deity."
"…"
"…"
"A-a what?"
"A deity. Caner is the manifestation of life. The God of Life, in easier terms." He looked up to the stars.
"Y-you're not joking?" I stuttered, 'A what…?'
"No, I'm quite serious." Although he said he was, he chuckled.
He explained how one sudden day, a voice talked in his head.
"So I was punching dad, right? And suddenly—like for real out of nowhere—someone shouted in my head, 'Oh hell no!'. I thought I was delusional and…"
I let him talk. He blabbered about their suuuuupeeer weird experiences, like how they mana slapped the teacher's butt and looked for lost children in the amber alert.
And then he stopped, his smile suddenly dropping.
"I hated him, you know? I was actually the one who killed him."
The sudden revelation made me flinch. "Y-you—why?"
"He killed my fiancé…well, I thought he did." He smiled, but that smile pained me—it stung my heart…
"…and you know what I did because of that assumption…?
"…"
"I killed. Killed millions of Orcen tribes, Elven kingdoms, Dwarven Kinds… killed them…and that somehow caused me to manifest death." He looked at me, tears lined up the edge of his eyes.
"The deity of d-death?" I asked.
"Mhm."
"...You know, to be able to manifest…one needs to have the qualifications, and for that 'thing' to be worshipped." He said absent-mindedly.
"…the idiotic humankind… they thought I was bringing them justice for the 'oppression' from the other races. The 'justice' they sought after was death; they wanted me to kill...and I did, not because of their requests, but just because I thought. These idiotic humans thought I was their God."
"But I wasn't…" He sobbed, his usually baritone voice going up an octave higher.
"I fucking wasn't! I killed, Beverly! I killed millions! Just because I thought, Just because I thought…"
Before he could continue talking, I hugged him, tears also lined up my cheek, "I understand, but it's over now…you can stay with us, you don't have to leave…" I cried.
He paused, however, "H-how did you k-know?" He asked.
"H-huh?"
"W-who told you that I was leaving?" He asked between sobs.
I stared at him, stuttering, "T-Tobin guessed so…"
"Ah, just from that interaction, huh? I guess he's pretty smart, that lad." He smiled, "But she could still be alive." He said in a stuffy voice.
"…" I looked at my feet and stayed silent.
"That's why I need someone to protect this world. It has been my home far longer than my previous one, after all." He laughed.
"Eh? How old were you when…?"
"16. I was sixteen, and I was supposed to marry on my birthday.
-Chuckle
…she said it was a gift."
"Ah, so my age…"
"Eh? You're 16?" He frowned.
"Yes? Well… 15 right now, but I'll be 16 this year."
"That fast?!" He was flabbergasted.
"Don't tell me you didn't know?" I asked in disbelief.
"No! no! no! I did! I did!…" He averted his eyes.
"H-how did you forget?! You even gave me a present last year!" I waved my arms around in madness.
Rubbing the back of his head, he explained, "It was Caner that told me…"
I facepalmed, "What were you so busy with that you forgot that it was my 15th birthday?"
"Uhhhh… some mana contraption thingy?" He chuckled nervously.
"Tch! Whatever." I headed inside.
And before I even open the door, I heard loud laughs coming from inside.
"—and he actually stepped on it! GAHAHA!" I saw the supposed 'God' clutching his stomach in laughter.
My dad laughed along with him, but my mom just chuckled, gently covering her mouth.
"What are you guys laughing about?" I asked curiously, and my dad just pointed to the man, clutching his stomach.
"Your..HAHAHAH—your brother's friend was just telling us some stories about Kolin." My dad said in-between laughter.
"Wait, what did he tell you?" My brother suddenly barged in, looking anxious.
"Pfft! I told them about your shoe." He said, holding back his laughter
"What about it?" Kolin asked in confusion.
Pinching his nose, Caner replied, "The kid who stepped on your shoe."
All of them looked quite silly. Dad could be seen clutching his stomach, while mom tried to seal her mouth shut by holding it with his left hand.
The other two…Well, they're bickering like wild dogs.
'What the heck is happening?'