Messiah 6 : Talk

K : "... Roberia, we need to talk."

The boy guided the girl onto a comfortable bench, and he sat next to her.

K : "I... I am not staying here!..."

Ro : (Not staying here? Does he have another home?) "? Hmm?"

K : "I am going to continue travelling to other countries."

Ro : "! You are?"

Katachi clenched his fist a little bit, in anxiety.

K : (Her face looks shocked...) "Sorry for not telling you earlier."

Ro : "... You're... Going to continue travelling? Not staying at this church?"

K : (I knew I should have popped the question earlier when I had the chance...) "Yes."

Ro : "Where to?"

K : "I... I don't know, the whole of Rugnud, Anik, Ohde, maybe even the seas, to faraway countries, like Aiecol or Narranac, or even... Even the mythical Island amongst the Clouds, found in the Eastern region, or... Somewhere... As far as I need to go, as far as I have to walk."

Ro : "So you're just going to travel like that? Like... Like a wanderer, a crusader? Aimlessly?"

K : (She probably expected me to settle down at her family's house so I could help ward off the bandits or something...) "... Yes."

Ro : (Perfect! He's going to continue wandering about just like when we met!) "... In that case... I want to tag along with you!"

K : (Wha- What?) "A- Are you sure? You could stay here and accompany Mother Rin, or we could go and live at your vill-"

Ro : "I prefer travelling. Why do you think I set out to begin with, instead of fighting everyone in my-! ... My village?" (That was close, I almost said army there...)

K : "... I guess..."

Ro : "You don't need to worry about anything. I am your wife now, after all. Let us enjoy and appreciate all of our moments together."

K : (So she's coming along after all...) "... If you insist... We shall set off tomorrow morning."

Ro : "So... Where do you plan to go, for a start?" (Please don't tell me it's Rugnud...)

K : "... Well, I'm thinking of working my way towards Anik, which is supposed to be the language the Curse Words originally are, so... I'm thinking of heading North first, towards Eliasbury."

Ro : (Good! Eliasbury - Further away from Rugnud! That's wonderful!- ? Wait, what did he say?)" Curse Words?"

K : "Ahh, sorry. Words of Power. That's their actual name, which, well... They used to be called Curse Words."

Ro : "? Then, why call them Curse Words?"

K : "Because... Because knowing their origin is vital in boosting the, the... One's knowledge, over the Words of Power. The recognition of their origins and roots reflects upon the Scholar's knowledge of the Words' strength since its creation, and also, sort of, empowers the image power Scholars radiate by a bit..."

Katachi twiddled his fingers together unconsciously as he recalled the book's contents.

K : "... Especially since they are believed to have done intensive research, and have supposedly attained a certain understanding of the Word of Power they have."

Ro : "... Okay?..." (I don't get why he used the singular form at the back there, but I suppose it's something magi or Scholars should know...)

*Cozy's Notes : Roberia's a solid definition of a warrior by heart, mind, body and soul. She doesn't think too much about it, since she also desires for the element of surprise and uncertainty during battle. In a sense, her training has made her stop thinking over details too much, and focus on enjoying and savoring what the enemy has to throw at her.

That's actually a misconception on her part - Scholars aren't necessarily magi to begin with. Anyone with a Word of Power can become a Scholar, should they exhibit the knowledge needed to wield them. But, y'know, era difference. They aren't actually that open-minded, as we are currently. Also explains why the Words of Power, in our era where a Chinese-English dictionary is easily available through a few taps on our smartphones, is super powerful and lethal.

Should they be real, of course.*

K : "... Hmm."

Ro : "What's wrong?"

K : "... My wife, huh... *blushes* Ah! I never got to ask, but, how do you conduct marriages in Rugnud?"

Ro : "Oh, right, I never really got to that part, did I?"

Roberia clamped her hands between her thighs to warm them. Though the weather outside blanketed the lands in a gentle warm, the ritual of her being carried upon Katachi's back had yet been accepted into her comfort zone - And so her body is slightly shaky and nervous.

Ro : "... Marriages in Rugnud fall under one of two Gods - Ilpoh, and Dardicel. They are the main gods worshipped over at our place."

K : "Dardicel too, huh..."

Roberia smiled briefly at him, and continued.

Ro : "Yes. Well, for marriages under Ilpoh, we prepare a ceremonial sword."

K : "? A ceremonial sword?"

Ro : "Yes. The steel ceremonial sword is created in halves. The bridegroom receives the male half, while the bride receives the female half. Although purely decorative and ceremonial, it is not something to be looked down upon. The sword is a very, very serious symbolic object that should never be taken lightly."

K : "... Huh..."

Ro : "If one wishes to wed another, they would carry this sword about them in broad daylight, and should a partner show interest, they start dating. Should they marry, the two halves will be joined as one, and never be separated, symbolizing their eternal bond with each other."

*Cozy's Notes : Holy shit. Marriage without separation. 2gether 4ever to a crazy level. Do want!*

K : "I see."

Ro : "However, one must exercise extreme caution. When the swords are joined, the couple is sworn to Ilpoh. Should one betray the oath, their half of the sword will become blood red. Those with half-red or fully red swords are often ostracized by the people around them for their infidelity. Moreover, should the couple be forced upon each other unwillingly, for example, a forced wedlock over rape or adultery, the steel... It turns from silver into a dull black for the victim to indicate the defilement, and a disgusting amber for the perpetrator to mark him for death."

*Cozy's Notes : ...
I want to live in this world, but I also don't~...*

K : (That sounds really serious...) "... Ah..."

Ro : "... Of course, there are... There are cases where the ceremonial sword is completely black, that is, when two victims of abuse fall in love, and their ceremonial sword becomes a beauty of black steel. In those cases, the two whom have found their love receives a daffodil crest, which is... Which is, well, the most beautiful and romantic symbolism."

K : "Of what?"

Roberia's hands reached for Katachi's, and held them tight.

Ro : "Of the hardships they have endured and overcome to find true love."

*Cozy's Notes : That is so sweet and romantic. But, to push two people into a yellow tint so two black, scarred halves may merge... Kind of twisted, in a sense, but also kind of... Kind of...
... Beautiful...*

*TW's Notes : inb4 plot twist - black means perpetrators and yellow means victims lol*

*** ***

Night fell.

Katachi helped wash the dishes in the basin, while Roberia was thoroughly engrossed in a conversation with Mother Rinnesfeld over the general information of Mielfeud.

Ro : "There's a place to grow plants and trees?"

Ri : "Yes. It's very close to the marketplace and a bakery I often visit with Katachi, and it has some of the sweetest fruits you can imagine. There's a merchant there that harvests and sells the fruits there."

Ro : "That seems nice..."

Ri : "It's also one of the only regions in Findel that you can find the much-coveted Dragonfruit."

Ro : "!! The fruit of dragons?!... I have heard rumors about this fruit of dragons, which is mildly sweet and also very majestic! But I've never actually seen it with my own eyes..."

Ri : "Oh, don't you worry. We can visit it tomorrow if you'd like."

The talk they had beforehand surfaced into their heads upon the mention of 'tomorrow'.

Ro : "Oh, about that, Mother Rinnesfeld..."

Ri : "?"
Ro : "You see, we're... Going to travel together."

... A silence that emphasized how loud a draft of air could actually sound befell the room.

Ri : "Eh?"

Ro : "We... We are going to travel the world together, see. I've made my decision to marry him, so as his wife, you see, I have an obligation to be by his side, see, to serve my sire."

Ri : "Sire?!"
K : "Roberia! Don't use the term 'sire'! You're not pregnant!"

Ro : "? Why not? I will be pregnant eventually, wouldn't I- ?!"

Katachi scuttered towards the doorway quickly, and ran out of the dining room. The drops of dishwater still on his hands were spattered across his path, as his footsteps repeatedly tapped the ground.

Ro : "What was that? My pregnancy can't possibly be the end of the world, can it? So what's with his attitude?"

Ri : "... Roberia dear, Katachi's still young. Teasing him is fine, but don't go too far, okay?"

Ro : "He didn't seem to be the type to be so embarrassed about it, though. It should come naturally, unless-"

Ri : "As you've said, it ought to come naturally, but hold back for a bit, Roberia dear. A wife ought to serve her sire properly, after all, especially when it comes to dealing with each others' fears."

Ro : "... Okay."

Ri : "Also, Roberia dear... There is something you should know."

*** ***

The truth was, Katachi's tears had already begun flowing since he had heard the word "sire".

Katachi sobbed silently on his uncomfortable bed. What had filled his mind wasn't simple thoughts of how his life with Roberia would proceed, nor what future plans he had, nor was it about how many children he wanted.

Flashbacks.

A brown and yellow patch, amidst the green... Flashbacks of the painful memory surfaced in Katachi's head.

K : "... I can't..."

The lucid and miserable memory hasn't faded at all since his childhood. He could forgive and forget about many things, about the juvenile children beating him up and bullying him, about the unreasonable adults and their biased mindsets, about the agony he has had to suffer to protect other children who didn't even want his 'pity', about the growing desperation in his heart regarding the Words of Power being misused by unscrupulous scoundrels.

All but one could he forgive - Himself.

Katachi curled himself into a ball, and clutched his hands tightly, opening them only to rub them together occasionally for heat. It would seem natural, but the pink flesh that was once his palms, blanched by his grip strength, suggested otherwise. His chest constricted, and it felt as if something was gripping painfully at his heart.

K : "... I'm sorry... I'm really sorry..."

The tear from his right eye rolled over his nose, and reached the sclera of his right eye. The tears formed a uniform stream, creating a single damp pool on the pillow - Something Katachi had practiced for a long time, to deceive Mother Rinnesfeld into thinking it was drool on his pillow instead of tears.

He loved her enough to not have her worry about him. And so he quietly shed his tears.

*Cozy's Notes : Refer to Chapter 1, when it was the first time he went back to the church crying. At the age of four. It's related to it.*

*Hint : You can never really let go of the past.*

While the two women outside remain oblivious to his trauma.

*** ***

Roberia came into the bedroom, to see Katachi resting snugly in a fetal position.

Ro : (Is it really that awful to have children? I feel pretty thankful that my parents gave birth to me, but... What Mother Rinnesfeld said...)

*** ***

Ro : "He's an-... an orphan?!"

The two tried to keep their voices down as much as they could.

Ri : "Yes. That is perhaps why he's so sensitive about marriage and having a child."

Ro : "It doesn't make sense then! Wouldn't he want to challenge fate and prove it otherwise?"

Ri : "I suppose that's one way to look at it, but... He's not that fond of Dardicel's teachings to begin with, so I can't speak for him nor his thoughts. Maybe he doesn't want his children to suffer as he had."

Ro : "... Still, I didn't think it would have such an adverse effect on him..."

Ri : "In any case, please exercise caution when discussing this topic, Roberia dear. I fear he may not have the heart to stomach such a sensitive topic."

Ro : "Of course! Of course."

*** ***

Ro : (... You poor thing.) "Come here, you lovely litt- !?"

Katachi got up from his bed, and flipped his pillow to bring up its underside. He then got up from the bed, with half-open eyes to partially block his bloodshed sclera, and feign his lethargy.

K : "... Roberia, you can have my bed..."

His voice croaked with an unsuppressable sorrow. Though he had been prepared to deceive Mother Rinnesfeld by pretending to be asleep, Roberia sleeping with him was another matter altogether.

Ro : (He's crying?) "You're awake? Where are you going?"

K : "... I'm going out."

Ro : "!? In the middle of the night?!"

K : "Don't worry. I'll be fine - I'd be walking a path I... I have walked for a long time, for countless times. It's just a... A sudden urge to visit a place I've known for a long time."

Ro : "Even so, at night is-"

K : "It's okay," His voice cracked as he withheld the gradually arising guilt.

Ro : (That's anything but 'okay'...)
K : "... I'll be fine. I'll watch myself."

Ro : "If you insist."

Roberia turned and snuggled her head against the deflated pillow. Grateful that Roberia respected his wishes, Katachi headed out towards the place of loving memory.

The first memory of Mielfeud he had - The herb ledge.

*** ***

And so, Katachi looked up at the moon, from the stump he had neglected for 2 months. He stared at the shiny moss upon the rock opposite, and saw within its light, the irreparable damage he had done.

*** ***

*Cozy's Notes : You're 10 years old. What kind of irreparable damage could you possibly do? #eyeglint.*

*TW's Notes : ... Is this the part where you go 'What could possibly go wrong?' Only for it to end up really screwed up? Damn. That plot twist shit again. You really love your plot twists.*

*Cozy's Notes : Try to consider it from his point of view. Why would a 10 or 11 year old like him have such a cautious, meticulous personality? What do you think caused him to act like so? What kind of past has he suffered to result in such an intensive need to structure out his plans? Why not have him go guns ablazing like most other children, with their seemingly-limitless power of youth and energy?

Usually that sort of methodological thought pattern and joy is given to us adults whom have to play and actually rely on reverse psychology to gain an edge over the opponent. A child like him wouldn't need something this complex. In fact, most kids like him often listen to us old folk talk about stuff like this. We end up becoming the brain, and them the brawn to bring it to action.

So why has he become that much of an adult, more so than the other children around him, and enough for Mother Rinnesfeld to pamper and love him like that? How, for the love of God, did he become such a weird kid, and yet not be punished by Mother Rinnesfeld like other normal children who get punished by their parents for doing the wrong things?

Hint : Refer to Chapter 1. 'Mother Rin's love and guidance, and the townsfolk's behaviour towards him forced Katachi to mature at an abnormally fast rate' as well as 'He did not run towards her crying because he was bullied.'

Try to guess.*

*TW's Notes : You're talking cryptic again. I'm scared. This will turn into another hour-long conversation of beat-around-the-fucking-bush, wouldn't it? I'm out nigga, peace.*