Leon's POV:
I had a dream last night that took me back to a distant past. In this dream, I found myself walking alongside a young girl who had striking light-blue hair. We appeared to be engaged in a deep and meaningful conversation about something that seemed to have captured our interest.
Suddenly, I turned to her and asked, "Have you ever seen the ocean?"
Her response caught me off guard as she tilted her head and asked, "What's an 'O-si-an'?" Her pronunciation of the word was awkward and hesitant, as if she had never heard of it before.
Intrigued by her response, I began to explain the concept of an ocean. "An ocean, you see, is a vast body of saltwater that covers a large part of the world's surface. It's a beautiful sight to behold with its endless waves crashing against the shore, the sound of the seagulls and the salty smell of the sea. It's something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime."
As my past self continued to describe the ocean, I couldn't help but wonder why I was dreaming about this particular conversation from my past. What was the significance of this moment? Why did my subconscious choose to bring it up now?
But just as I was lost in thought, the dream came to an abrupt end, and I found myself jolted awake.
***
As I sat there in my hospital room, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me as my mother informed me that it was time to leave. "Uhm, can't I just stay here?" I pleaded, my voice quivering with fear.
My mother let out a deep sigh, clearly exasperated by my resistance. With a stern look on her face, my mother shook her head. "This is a hospital, Leon. This is not your room. You need to go back to the real world."
Despite her words, I refused to budge. I clung onto the bed frame with all my might, my knuckles turning white from the force of my grip. "But I'm scared to go outside," I protested, my heart racing with anxiety.
My mother let out a deep sigh, clearly exasperated with my behavior. "Honestly, I don't even know what to do with you," she muttered, running a hand over her forehead. "You have to get your act together, Leon. We don't have that house anymore, so you have no choice but to go out there, and let your skin feel the sun, for once."
Despite my mother's stern words, I found myself unable to let go of the bed frame. The prospect of facing the outside world seemed overwhelming, and I screamed in protest. "I don't wanna!!!"
At that moment, a voice interrupted my tantrum. "Why not stay here for a while?" The source of the voice was my aunt, Lirien Asura, who stood in the doorway. With her striking red hair and gentle smile, she had always been a comforting presence in my life. I couldn't believe she was here, but then I remembered that she worked at the hospital as a healer.
As the younger sister of my father and the mother of Marcus, Lirien had always been a warm and caring person. I couldn't help but feel grateful for her presence here.
"Wait, what are you doing here, Aunt Lirien?" I asked, surprised.
"Isn't it obvious? As a healer, it's only natural for me to be here at the hospital," she replied with a smile. "It's been two years since we last saw each other, Leon. I was shocked when I heard you were sent to the hospital, but what surprised me the most was the reason why you ended up here. It's unbelievable that monsters would just barge into someone's home like that," she said, shaking her head in disbelief.
She continued, "It's okay, Leon. You don't have to leave yet. Why don't you stay here for a while longer? It's clear that you're still struggling with what happened, and I would love to spend some time with my nephew." Aunt Lirien suggested kindly. "Oh, and you don't need to worry about the money. I'm willing to take care of everything. And besides, this way, I can spend more time with you."
I looked at my mother, hoping for her approval, but she hesitated.
"It's not just about the money, Lirien," my mother said, her voice tinged with worry. "We can't stay here for too long. You know how the people in the republic feel about demi-humans like us."
My father, who had just entered the room, nodded in agreement.
"We're not welcome here. We have to leave as soon as possible," he said, his eyes fixed on Tessia, my little sister who was sleeping peacefully in his arms.
As demi-humans, we had always faced discrimination and hatred from humans, who saw us as inferior beings. My father was a human who had married my mother, a demi-human, and that made us even more of a target for their animosity.
"Have you already talked to father, brother?" asked my aunt.
"Yes," my father replied. "He said that I could have one of his residences in Mystara."
"Mystara, huh?" my aunt mumbled, deep in thought.
If I recall correctly, Mystara was where Liese lives... I wondered how she was doing. It had been a long time since we last spoke.
Aunt Lirien spoke up, her words pulling me out of my thoughts. "I think it's fine if you stay in Mystara," she said, "people there don't discriminate against demi-humans. The lord's late wife was a demi-human herself, so there is a certain level of acceptance and understanding there."
Then, Tessia's eyes fluttered and when she saw me, she smiled with her eyes still sleepy. "Good morning, brother..." she said, and waved her hand a little.
I waved back, feeling a sense of relief that my sister was still too young to understand the discrimination we faced. Seeing that Tessia was awake, Aunt Lirien came towards her and hugged her.
"Ahhh! Good morning! You are a real cutie, Tessia! Oh yes, you are!" Aunt said, showering Tessia with affection.
"Hehehe! Hi, Auntie!" Tessia said, hugging Aunt Lirien back.
"Do you want sweets? I have some in my office!" Aunt offered.
"I want! I want!" Tessia said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"You're so cute, Tessia! I don't think a single being could hate someone as cute as you!" Aunt Lirien said, pressing her cheeks against Tessia's, and Tessia giggled.
"That said...." Auntie's voice trailed off as she looked around, noticing that many people had turned their attention towards us. "No matter what the era is," she continued, "it seems that not a thing has changed."
As I glanced around, I noticed that many of the patients seemed to be giving us disdainful looks. Their eyes lingered on my sister and mother in particular, and I knew that look all too well. It was a look of disgust, one that I had seen many times before.
Aunt Lirien sighed. "It's been a thousand years since that war, and they still can't let go of their hatred for demi-humans."
I was puzzled by her words. What war was she talking about?
"The war between all the races in the world," my aunt explained, sensing my confusion. "Though, I only had vague knowledge about it, as it happened more than a thousand years ago, I knew that it was a catastrophic war that had caused so much destruction in the world," my aunt continued, her voice filled with emotion. "Entire cities were destroyed, families torn apart, and countless lives were lost."
Tessia remained quiet, sensing the tension in the room, but I couldn't keep silent. I wanted to know more about this war that had happened so long ago.
"What was the reason for the war?" I asked.
"It all started with the fear of the unknown," Aunt Lirien continued. "Humans and demi-humans were so different from each other, and that scared both sides. Humans feared the demi-humans' magic and powers, while demi-humans feared humans' strength and weapons. It was a constant power struggle, and eventually, it erupted into a war."
Aunt Lirien then gazed off into the distance, lost in thought. "It was a time of great turmoil," she said. "The world was a very different place back then."
My mother nodded in agreement. "I remember hearing stories from my parents about the war," she said. "It was a time of great darkness."
"What happened during the war?" I asked.
"It was a brutal conflict," Aunt Lirien replied. "There were killings and murders, of course, but what was perhaps even more disturbing was the way people turned on each other. Demi-humans who had once lived peacefully alongside humans were suddenly hunted down and killed, and the same was true on the other side."
She paused for a moment, as if lost in thought before continuing. "The leaders of each race were consumed by their own greed and power-hungry desires. They used the fear and hatred of their own people to justify their actions, and soon, the war became a battle for supremacy. Even heroes weren't immune to the madness of war. They fought each other to prove who was more powerful, and many died as a result."
When I heard the mention of heroes, I almost stood up from my seat.
"Can you tell me more about the heroes?"
My aunt's face grew grim. "There were many heroes during the war, people who fought for what they believed in and tried to protect those who were weaker than them. But even they were not immune to the darkness that consumed the world. Some of them became power-hungry and corrupted by their own strength. They turned on each other, fighting to see who was more powerful, even if it meant killing their own kind."
As my aunt spoke, I felt a sense of déjà vu wash over me. This tale of corrupted heroes sounded all too familiar, like a story I had heard before.
Feeling a growing sense of apprehension, I couldn't help but ask, "What was the cost of this war? How many people died?"
As I asked, my family members looked at me in shock. My mother, father, and aunt seemed particularly taken aback by my question, exchanging concerned glances with one another. Even Tessia looked at me with wide eyes, though she couldn't understand the gravity of our conversation.
"Why...do you want to know?" my mother asked, her eyes wide with astonishment. I detected a hint of apprehension in her gaze, but perhaps it was just my imagination.
"Nothing. I'm just...curious." I lied, trying to mask my growing unease.
My aunt's voice was somber as she answered, "Ninety percent of the population, both humans and demi-humans, were killed."
The weight of her words hit me like a ton of bricks, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of impending doom. As the memory of a dream flooded my mind, I felt a chill run down my spine. "The twilight is coming," a voice had said, "and you need to be ready for it."