The Weight of Reality

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking a few times as I tried to recognize the place. I was lying in a bed. Looking out the window, I noticed the soft morning light filtering through the glass. Instinctively, I reached for the wound I had received, but soon realized it was no longer there. I turned my head to the side and saw Henry, alone, sitting beside me. He had a weary expression, as if he hadn't slept at all.

"I'm glad you woke up."

"What happened?"

"Yesterday, as soon as Bertha warned us, we started searching everywhere. When we saw the house in flames, we ran over and found you."

I ran my hand again over the spot where I had been wounded. The sensation was strange: my senses insisted that it was still there, but there was no trace of pain or injury. Maybe it was just the reflex of something so recent.

"You don't need to worry. Clarice healed you yesterday, and we brought you to the tavern."

"And Anne?"

Henry looked down at the floor, trying to hide the tears that threatened to fall. He carefully removed his glasses and pressed his eyes with his fingers, trying to compose himself.

"Anne lost too much blood and unfortunately… she didn't make it."

"I'm sorry."

Would she have survived if I had been a little faster? No… there wasn't much I could have done. When we arrived at the cabin, I saw how pale she already was.

"Thank you for trying to save her and for protecting my daughter. She told me that you helped her even though you had nothing to do with it. I was surprised when I saw what you did alone."

"You should have killed those bastards when you had the chance. This is what happens when you trust people."

"Everyone told me to do it. I felt the urge too, but I didn't have the courage… I didn't want to bear the burden of taking a life, but now I'll carry this weight for the rest of my life."

"What nonsense. Trash should be discarded."

Trash doesn't deserve a second chance. This is the price of a wrong decision: an innocent life was taken.

"That arm and leg of yours. Bertha was shocked when she cleaned your clothes. You must have been through a lot."

I sat up in bed, placing a hand on my head. I felt a slight headache, but I believed it would pass with time.

"How did those guys find her?"

"Some people said they saw Rowan leaving the village yesterday. It's possible that he was the one who told them."

When they saw Clarice's power, they mentioned that someone had spoken about her. It was definitely him. But that hardly mattered now. It was time to leave!

"Where are my things?"

"They're over there in the corner. I also left the supplies I promised beside them."

I got up, walked to my backpack, and started organizing my things. A moment later, a woman appeared at the door.

"Henry, everyone's already at the church. We're about to start the funeral."

"I'll be right there. Saito, safe travels."

"Thanks."

He stood up and began walking toward the exit. At the door, he stopped and turned to me.

"Oh, I almost forgot… take good care of her."

"Huh?"

As I turned to him, the church bell rang, drawing my attention to the window. When I looked back at the door, Henry was already gone. I just ignored it. I finished organizing my things, slung my backpack over my shoulders, and started walking out of the tavern.

Upon reaching the main hall, I noticed Clarice standing alone, packing some things into a bag.

"My father said you woke up. I'm glad you're okay. Are you leaving already?"

"Yes."

I walked past her, opening the tavern door. Outside, I noticed the place was empty; probably, everyone had gone to the funeral. I took out the map from my backpack pocket.

The plan now was to head to the next village, about a seven-day walk. From there, I could find a cheaper ride to the city near the forest, a journey that would take about fifteen days. Fortunately, there were some lakes along the way where I could collect water. These lands had few animals to hunt, but with the supplies Henry had given me, the journey was expected to be smooth.

As I walked a little further, I noticed something strange. Slightly turning my head, I saw Clarice close to me. I kept walking for a few more meters until I realized she was following me. I stopped and turned to her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going."

"Going where?"

"With you."

"You've got to be kidding me. Go on, go back to your daddy." I gestured with my hand while turning away to indicate that she should leave.

I continued walking toward the village exit. A few meters later, Clarice was still following me. I stopped again.

"Would you stop following me?"

"I already told you, I'm going with you!"

"And the funeral?"

"I already said goodbye to her."

"And your family?"

"My dad and my sister agreed."

"And your mother?"

"…Dad will talk to her."

"If you really want to go, go with someone else."

"There's no one else, and I don't want to go alone."

"Forget it, I don't want anyone following me."

"Why not?"

"I don't trust you."

"Huh? But I healed you."

"To begin with, I shouldn't even be here. I wasted my time. And you'd only slow me down."

"But my healing power could help you."

Thinking about it, it's a pretty useful power. Even so, I can't have someone by my side; it would only be a burden.

"I already said no. Leave."

"I'm going!"

Her persistence really irritated me. I turned around and approached her quickly.

"Listen here, where I'm going, do you know what happens to people like you, people with that power, people who are different? They call them witches, enslave them, torture them, hang them, burn them… and do even worse things. So forget it and go back to your quiet little saintly life with your admirers."

Her expression changed to one of surprise and fear. The truth was harsh, but this is the world we live in. I believed she would understand and give up. With that in mind, I resumed my path without looking back.

✧༺⚔༻✧

A few kilometers later, with the sun beginning to set, I found a suitable place to camp. I gathered some dry branches and started preparing the fire. As I had suspected, in these arid lands, it would be difficult to find animals to hunt. I decided to eat just a piece of bread and leave a more substantial meal for the next day. However, there was a big problem…

Looking to my side, I saw Clarice sitting next to me, eating bread. This girl had actually followed me, despite everything I had said.

"Look, like I already said, you're only coming with me to the next village. After that, don't follow me anymore!"

"Why are you so stubborn?"

Me? I'm the stubborn one? Clenching my fists in frustration, I took a deep breath to calm myself.

Shortly after, I took off my cloak and vest, leaving only my gloves, and placed them beside my backpack.

"Hey, why are you taking off your clothes? Are you some kind of pervert?"

This girl… I'm going to lose my mind before I even reach the next village.

"I'm going to train. I don't want to drench my clothes in sweat."

I stepped away and began stretching. I ran to warm up and then did some push-ups, squats, and sit-ups. I also practiced some punches and kicks, adjusting my stance and movements. I wanted to train more with my wires, but I had little metal to replace them. Since I didn't know what lay ahead, I decided to conserve them until I could get more supplies.

After a little over an hour, I returned to the fire. Clarice was still sitting there, holding some cloth in her hands. As I got closer, I realized they were my clothes. Quickly, I pulled them back.

"What are you doin—"

"Ow." She winced in pain.

Looking at her hand, I saw that it was dripping blood. Observing more closely, I noticed she had pricked her finger with something that looked like a needle. I examined my clothes and saw that she had sewn the holes caused by the wound I had received.

"Why did you fix my clothes?"

"Sorry, I just wanted to help."

She immediately healed her own wound with her power. I watched her for a few seconds.

"Than—"

"You're so rude! You could at least wait for me to finish!"

I sat near the fire, irritated. What's with this girl?

"First, I didn't ask you to do this! Second, don't touch my stuff again!"

She started rummaging through the bag slung over her shoulder. It wasn't big for someone planning to travel, but she soon pulled out what looked like a piece of paper.

"My dad gave me a map to help. Since we're heading this way, the next village is… here, Myrelis."

Looking more closely at the map she was holding, I realized it only showed the southern lands and the Kingdom of Duskrim, located past the Forest of Eternal Night. It seemed like an old, pretty lousy map, containing only major names and no references to the lands beyond the northern seas. You could say it represented only a third of the world.

"Wow, the world is huge. You came here from Bartton, right? It's going to be amazing…"

"Pfft."

"What? Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing."

I bent down to my backpack and pulled out my sleeping bag. The best thing to do was rest and recover energy for the next day. Looking at Clarice, I noticed she was still admiring her map.

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

"Sleep? Oh, right." She put the map away.

"Where's your sleeping bag?"

"Sleeping bag? Oh no! Dad told me to grab it, but I forgot."

"And now? You're going to sleep on the ground?"

"It's fine, I'll just stay here by the fire." She crouched near the fire and curled up. "See? It's not even cold."

A few seconds later, a rather cold breeze blew, and she started shivering. I let out a sigh.

"Here, take this." I handed her my sleeping bag.

"What about you?"

"I have a cloth I can use as a cover, along with my cloak."

✧༺⚔༻✧

What was supposed to be a seven-day journey ended up stretching to nine, thanks to this girl's presence.

"Finally, we made it. My feet are killing me."

At last, I could get rid of her. She spent the entire trip talking and asking questions about Bartton, which was already exhausting me. As night began to fall, I decided to look for an inn; depending on the price, I could camp nearby. Still, nothing compared to the comfort of a bed to relieve my back pain.

Luckily, there was an inn right at the village entrance. As soon as I stepped onto the wooden board at the entrance, it broke, and my left foot got stuck. With some effort, I managed to free it. Entering the inn, I was met with the stench of damp, rotting wood. The place was in terrible condition, almost abandoned. No one was there except for a very skinny man standing behind the counter.

"I want a room for one night."

"Seven cruzeiros."

"Seven? What kind of robbery is this? Didn't you hear me say just one night?"

"The double-bed rooms are more expensive, or is your wife going to sleep on the floor?" He pointed at Clarice, who was sitting and rubbing her feet.

"She's not my wife. I want a single-bed room."

"Then it's five."

"Five?" I felt an immense urge to punch him in the face, but I held back.

After a lot of haggling with that bastard, I got it down to three cruzeiros. I didn't want to go back and camp. Entering the room, I noticed everything was old and worn out. When I sat on the bed, it creaked so much I thought it would break under me. On top of that, the bed linens were soaked with a musty smell, so I tossed them aside and used my own.

After a restless night due to the suffocating heat and the terrible condition of the place, I woke up with my back drenched in sweat. I left the inn looking for someone who could take me to Sylvaris. After searching for a while and dodging several annoying vendors, I spotted a man with a cart and approached him.

"Hey, do you travel to Sylvaris?"

"Yeah. It's fifty cruzeiros."

"Fifty? Is everyone in this town a thief?"

"If you don't want it, walk. It only takes a month."

I grabbed my coin pouch and started counting. I had only forty cruzeiros left. I really needed to find a way to get more money.

"All I have is forty cruzeiros."

"With those clothes? Fifty or walk."

"I'll cover the rest," Clarice said, approaching from behind me.

"I don't want your money."

"How are you going to travel? And why didn't you wait for me?"

"I already told you, you were only coming with me to this village."

"Stop being stubborn." Clarice took out a coin pouch and calmly started counting.

"Miss, could you give me some food?" asked a little girl, tugging at Clarice's clothes.

"Oh, sorry, I don't have much…"

When Clarice turned and saw the girl, her expression changed instantly. It was expected, but even I was surprised. The child was extremely malnourished, her clothes torn and filthy. Yet, she smiled, holding out her hands, her teeth, almost all rotten, revealing the harsh reality she lived in. It was impossible not to feel sorry for her.

Observing the surroundings more carefully now in daylight, I realized the village was in a dreadful state. It was hard to believe people could live like this. My master was right when he mentioned the extreme poverty of this place.

Clarice covered her mouth, trying to hold back tears. Then, she took a loaf of bread from her bag and handed it to the child. The little girl's eyes lit up with joy as she held the bread in her hands.

"Giselle, what are you doing?" a woman scolded, rushing over. She grabbed the bread from the girl's hand and returned it to Clarice. "I'm sorry for my daughter, but we don't have money to buy food."

"I'm not selling it. Here, take it." Clarice gave the bread back to the woman.

"Huh? You're giving us a whole loaf? Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's fine. It's yours."

"Thank you so much." The woman's eyes filled with tears, and she bowed deeply, expressing her gratitude.

"You're welcome."

"Come on, Giselle. I'll prepare this bread for us to eat."

The two walked away, and Clarice turned her back to me, rubbing her hands over her face. It was clear she was struggling to hold back tears. My heart felt heavy too, but I knew there was nothing more we could do.

"Shall we go? I'll count the money," she said, forcing a smile.

"AAAHH!" A piercing scream from a woman echoed from a nearby alley.

Clarice and I ran toward the sound. Upon arriving, we found the woman from before lying on the ground, pressing her hands against a wound. Giselle was beside her, sitting and crying. Further down the alley, I saw a child running away with a knife in hand and the bread Clarice had given her.

"Clarice, take care of her."

I knew that with Clarice's power, she could heal the woman. I ran after the boy, and at the end of the alley, I saw him enter a house. I hurried over and, upon arriving, forcefully pushed the door open. Walking carefully, I examined the rooms until I reached one.

What I saw was a horrible scene: the malnourished boy stood in front of me, gripping a knife with both hands. He seemed to be protecting a woman lying on the bed, probably his mother. She was in terrible condition, completely emaciated, and didn't seem to have the strength to survive for many more days.

I turned around and slowly walked toward the exit of the house. That scene really shook me. Once outside, I stood still, my head lowered.

Where is the king? How can he allow his citizens to be abandoned like this?

I took a deep breath and raised my head, gathering the strength to move forward.

What am I thinking? Humans only care about themselves, greed, power… that's all that matters to them. They couldn't care less about the lives of others.

I returned to the alley where the girls were. The woman was sitting against the wall while Clarice was kneeling beside her. Giselle, still crying, remained close to them.

"How is she?"

"I healed her, but she seems really weak."

"How did you do that? My wound just disappeared."

"That doesn't matter right now. Can you stand up?"

"Will Mommy be okay?" Giselle, sobbing, clung to Clarice's arm, and Clarice hugged her tightly.

"I'm fine, sweetheart, don't worry."

She tried to stand but didn't have the strength. Due to malnutrition, that small wound had been enough to leave her dangerously weak. She urgently needed rest, proper nutrition, and hydration. But that was the problem, where would we find food in a place so miserable?

"Where is your house?" I asked.

"A little past the end of the alley, over there." She pointed with her trembling hand.

"I'll carry you there."

"Can you?"

I lifted her with ease, she was very light. I started walking in the direction she had indicated, and soon after, we arrived at her home. I entered and carefully laid her down on her bed. Clarice brought her some water, placing the cup within her reach with care.

"How can someone do this?" Clarice asked. "Saito, you didn't find that boy, did you?"

"No…"

I didn't want to mention what I had witnessed. He had stolen and hurt someone, but I didn't know what to do. After all, he was only trying to save his mother, who was on the verge of death.

Would I have done the same in his place?

I opened my backpack, took out a piece of bread and a boiled potato I had prepared for later, and placed them near her.

"You don't have to give me your food."

"It's fine. What's your name?"

"It's Isabella."

"Why is this village in such a state?"

"The villages around here have always been very poor, but things have gotten much worse in recent years."

"Is there a reason for that?"

"We used to receive supplies from the capital and the city of Sylvaris, but for some reason, Sylvaris stopped sending them. And the little that comes from the capital barely covers everyone's needs."

"That's impossible. Why would they do that?" Clarice asked angrily.

"No one knows, they just stopped… Here and Caltrus were hit the hardest; the others still manage to get fish from the sea. Every day, it gets harder to find food."

I walked over to my backpack, slung it over my shoulders, and started heading for the exit. That uneasy feeling remained, but I needed to leave.

"Where are you going, Saito?"

"Away."

"But… sorry, I wanted to stay a little longer, but I need to go."

"It's okay. Thank you both so much."

Before leaving, Clarice quickly opened her bag, took out a loaf of bread, and handed it to Giselle.

"I'm going to Sylvaris. I'll try to find out what happened."

With no better options, I had to accept Clarice covering the rest of my fare, walking wasn't a viable alternative. On the way, I looked at Clarice and noticed she was looking down, visibly upset.

"Once we get to Sylvaris, I'll pay you back, and from there, we'll go our separate ways."

"You don't have to…"

"What were you expecting? That this would be a happy journey, like in fairy tales? Forget it. This is reality."

"We have to help!"

"Help? How? Can your power create food? Just be grateful that you were born in a stable place, because these people never even had that chance."

"…"

"While many worry about what they'll eat, these people just want anything to survive. When people talk about them, it's easy to say they feel bad while sitting comfortably in their homes, but only those who live this reality truly understand it."

Clarice lowered her head, remaining silent. That was a fact, while some have everything, others have nothing. It had always been that way and would probably continue to get worse. Humans had hunted down and exterminated other races purely out of greed, and in the end, they didn't even help their own kind.

With the weight of that silence and the harsh reality surrounding us, we continued toward Sylvaris.