Friday, November 11, 807
5:00 PM.
Leya returns to the room, visibly distressed.
"Ban... Ban!" She calls out, panting.
I get up from the armchair and go to her.
She looks like a walking corpse.
"So, in the end, you've become a zombie... Anyway, I don't mind..." I look at her teasingly.
She opens her arms and sweetly asks: "Hug me..."
I approach and hug her tightly. Then I seek confirmation: "Is it okay, mistress?"
"Yeah... good slave, support me and take me to the armchair."
"The exercise must have worn you out... What did you guys do?"
I sit on the armchair with Leya beside me, though she soon comes closer and sits on my lap.
"We spent three days in a large maze-like area. It was a flag-hunting competition between groups. Each group had a flag to protect while the other tried to steal it and take it to their base."
"Sounds fun... But the test lasted two days? Quite long!"
"Yes... The maze was very, very, very large. Mary said this challenge was designed to improve coordination, teamwork, and strategy."
"So... how did it go? Did you capture the flag?"
"Yeah... In the end, Koto managed to steal it from Shin Soichiro's group. That psycho Toki was the only one among us who got killed."
She rests her head on my shoulder.
"You're tired, want to sleep a bit?"
She responds with a yawn and then says:"Yeah... but I want to stay close to you because I missed you..."
"Go ahead and sleep, I'll continue reading my book. I'll wake you up when it's dinner time."
She nods.
I turn off the lights to not disturb her too much, turn on a lamp, then remove the bookmark and continue reading.
...
7:30 PM.
"Ban..."
I put the book down and start stroking her hair.
"Did I wake you up?" I ask tenderly as she uses my left thigh as a pillow.
"No... Are you not curious..."
Hmm?
...
"About what?"
"... About what happened to me before you found me..."
Oh... she's referring to Sidark.
Should I say yes? What would I say if I didn't know her past?
Hmm... yes, I probably would want to know. But I don't think she'd be happy to recall those things...
"Are you sure you want to talk about it?"
She remains silent for a moment, then speaks: "You told me about your past... I should tell you about mine."
I nod, indeed, I've told her about my years in the orphanage. Although I don't think I'll tell her I come from another world, at least not immediately.
"A long time ago, I don't remember how many years ago... I should have been five or six when we were kidnapped. My brother and I were in the garden while our parents were inside. When we went back inside... Both of them were on the floor in pools of blood..."
...
"Leya, don't continue... if it hurts you to remember."
"No... It doesn't matter. You need to know everything about me..."
I remain silent and simply nod, letting her continue.
"Men came in and hooded us before taking us away. I remember my brother, much older than me, tried to protect me, but they somehow knocked him out.
I don't remember the journey, to be honest, I think I've forgotten many other things.
I remember a completely white room; there were other children like me in it. Some younger, some older. We were all scared, crying, and screaming. Occasionally, someone would come in wearing a gown, and one by one, they took a child out, saying they would take us home to our parents. When it was my brother's turn, he didn't want to leave me, but they forced him to.
'Don't worry, I'll bring you out of here.' He told me while looking into my eyes. That... was the last time I saw him."
She pauses her narrative, lifts herself onto her knees, and looks at me with eyes full of sadness, regret, and helplessness.
I hug her, trying to provide all the support she needs.
After a few moments, she continues talking to me, still leaning on me.
"When it was my turn... they took me to another room, identical to the one I was in before, but I was alone. From then on, I remember a constant stream of doctors or scientists. They took my arm and did something... Now, thinking about it, I believe they were giving me injections. I would ask every time where my brother was, but none of them would answer. So, I cried... I cried all the time. I remember my face always red and wet from tears. Another thing I remember is when I started feeling pain. I felt pain all over my body; I couldn't stand. I remember someone picking me up and rushing me to another room. Then... I don't remember what happened next... I had never interacted with those people; they never answered my questions. Except for one... I remember a female doctor. I don't remember her appearance, but she conveyed something positive to me. She was the one who taught me to write and read. But then, I never saw her again... After... what happened after? Ah... They wanted me to do something... They said I had to use powers. I guess they referred to those of the Lightning demon. But I didn't know how to do it; I didn't understand what they were talking about... I remember their screams at me... Someone... Someone even started beating me..."
Her story is momentarily interrupted by tears starting to flow down her face.
I gently stroke her back.
"Then... after a long time... they told me my brother... was dead. After hearing it, my chest became very, very heavy, and I think... I fainted.
I remember the first time I used my powers. They came into my room and brought something, I don't know what it was. There were a lot of cables around a big black box, than they connected those cables to my hands, and that's when I felt something. My body felt strange, my muscles were very tense, and I felt my blood boiling. I began to shake and move my arms, accidentally disconnecting the cables. At that point, both arms started being surrounded by electric shocks... I couldn't understand what was happening to me, so I looked at those people. They were happy, talking to each other... laughing.
'So they won't beat me anymore?' I thought, but I couldn't control them. Those shocks started increasing and becoming more intense. They screamed at me to stop, but I didn't know how... I waved my arms trying to disperse them, but in doing so, I started hitting everything around me. Those people were getting agitated, and in the end, one of them was pushed towards me.
I couldn't avoid it; when I realized it, he was already in front of my eyes. I transmitted all that electricity to him... In the end, he died burned in front of my eyes. At that point, I thought my end had come, but instead of getting angry with me, those people looked at me with joy. From that moment on, I underwent other experiments...many more experiments. They wanted me to learn to control these powers."
She distances herself from me and brings her hand to her face.
"I believe I got this scar during one of those occasions... I saw it for the first time when you brought me here... Probably, a discharge ended up on my face, and I got burned."
She rests her head on my chest, then continues, still in a melancholic tone.
"It went on like that for a very, very long time. Until realizing that I couldn't control my powers, they took me to that laboratory where you met me and eventually saved me."
"Actually, you were the one who saved me. Oh... By the way... I don't remember ever thanking you anyway... Well... Thank you..."
She lifts her head, looking at me with teary eyes.
"In class, many gave me strange looks... But you never looked at me negatively; you never said anything about this scar... Not even the group members..."
Because there's nothing to say...
"...I like it; it makes you look tough!" I confess with satisfaction.
"Oh... Thank you... " She says with a truly melancholic tone.
I kiss her forehead and then gently stroke her cheeks.
"From now on, try to be happy. If you encounter an obstacle, don't stop, don't get discouraged, keep moving forward. You are stronger than the problems you will face on your way. The past... what happened to you... is something you shouldn't forget because it has made you who you are now. Accept those events and smile because you've overcome them. You're strong, Leya, the strongest girl I know."
She nods, hearing my encouraging words, and smiles at me.
"Thanks for being here with me, Ban."
After that, we stayed embraced for a long time...