Ep. 71 Road to Eldor Part 2

After another dreamless night, my eyes fluttered open to blurry images standing before me. As my vision cleared, I found Maya and Rowan grinning mischievously, their eyes squinted with excitement. The morning sun cast a warm glow over our campsite, illuminating their expectant faces.

Before I could ask what was happening, they shouted in unison: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

My eyes widened in shock, mouth hanging open. "Birthday? Is it really? I haven't exactly been counting the days recently." I rubbed my eyes and slowly stood, still groggy from sleep. The realization dawned on me slowly, like the sun peeking over the horizon. "My birthday... I completely forgot."

Maya came hopping forward like a giddy bunny, her silver hair bouncing with each step. "Yeah, well, we didn't, so don't worry!" Her enthusiasm was infectious, a rare glimpse of joy in our otherwise perilous journey.

Rowan approached too, still grinning. His usual face had softened considerably. "While we might not be able to throw a big party for you like we did back at the orphanage, we'll still try our best today." He clapped a hand on my shoulder, a gesture of camaraderie that felt surprisingly comforting.

I smiled at my two friends, a warm feeling spreading through my chest. "Thank you," I said quietly but earnestly. The simple kindness of remembering my birthday amid our dangerous quest touched me more than I cared to admit.

Back in my old world, I didn't celebrate many birthdays—or at least none I could remember clearly. When I came to this world's orphanage, I didn't know this body's exact birthday, only that it was around eight years old. When they asked, I blamed it on amnesia, which wasn't entirely untrue. Instead, they decided to make the day they found me helpless on the streets my new birthday: the 209th day of the 514th year, or 209-514AT on the calendar.

This world has a 365-day calendar year but no named months, while they do consider 30 days a month and 7 days a week they had no given names for these months instead referring to them by their order like the 7th month of the year. And instead of a birthday being marked as "July 28th" it would simply be the day number of the year—like the 209th day of the 514th year . It took me months to adjust to this system, but now it feels as natural as breathing.

After the welcome morning surprise, I discovered they had already prepared a hefty breakfast using meat from the wolves we'd killed the night before. It wasn't luxurious, but it wasn't bad either—gamey but flavorful, especially with the herbs Rowan had gathered at dawn. The effort they'd put into making this meal special was evident in the careful arrangement on my plate and the extra portion they'd saved for me.

"The birthday boy gets the choice cuts," Rowan said with a wink as he handed me the plate.

I ate gratefully, savoring each bite both for its taste and for the thought behind it. As we ate, Maya regaled us with stories of my previous birthdays at the orphanage—the time she accidentally set fire to the cake, the year they pranked me by hiding all my shoes. Her stories painted a picture of a life I sometimes struggled to remember as my own, yet they brought comfort nonetheless.

After breakfast, we packed up and continued our journey toward Eldor. The plains stretched endlessly before us, golden grass swaying in the gentle breeze. The sky was a perfect blue, unmarred by clouds—a birthday gift from nature itself.

It was a long day of walking, and our tired legs were struggling as the afternoon sun beat down relentlessly. The initial enthusiasm of the morning began to fade under the physical exertion.

"Ugh, I can't take this anymore. Kai, hold me!" Maya whined, dramatically dragging her feet.

I turned to protest, but before I could speak, she had already jumped onto my back with surprising agility. I staggered forward, trying to maintain balance under the sudden weight. "Err, y-you're too h—"

Before I could finish that dangerous sentence, the side of my face suddenly felt scorching hot. Looking for the source, I saw Maya's hand with a small summoned flame hovering eerily close to my face, barely an inch from my skin. I could feel the heat radiating from it, making my cheek flush.

"Finish those words. I dare you," she said in a terrifying tone that belied her small stature. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, the flame reflecting in them like twin infernos.

I stared at the flame in terror, sweat beading down my face. Is she serious? I had seen her burn things to cinders with that same casual flick of her wrist. I gulped audibly before turning my head forward and marching on with her on my back, adjusting my stance to better support her weight.

"I'm good," I managed to say, voice slightly higher than normal.

She extinguished the flame with a satisfied nod, and I could practically feel the smug look on her face as she settled more comfortably onto my back. Her arms draped around my shoulders, no longer threatening but companionable.

"Hurry up, birthday boy!" Rowan called from further down the road, his tall figure framed against the horizon. He had gotten ahead while Maya and I were engaged in our standoff.

"Yeah, coming!" I replied, trudging forward with Maya as my passenger. The extra weight made each step more difficult, but I found I didn't mind as much as I pretended to.

While I wasn't thrilled about carrying her, I was happy she seemed more relaxed—more like her old self. The playful threat, the casual demand for a piggyback ride—these were glimpses of the Maya I had known at the orphanage, before the darkness that had slowly crept into all our lives. Whether she was truly feeling better or just putting on a happy face for me and Rowan, seeing her act like a kid again lifted my spirits as we continued our journey down the long road to Eldor.

As we walked, I pondered how strange it was to celebrate growing older in a body that wasn't originally mine, in a world I still didn't fully understand. Yet somehow, here with Maya and Rowan, it felt right—like I belonged, at least for today.