The Regressed NoBody

After realising the path’s issue I sat on the branch outside the hut as I contemplated over my thoughts and the information I had gathered so far. My mind pondered over several possibilities and idea of what might be affecting the workability and my overall perception of the pathways.

The problem was simple, the paths and my connection was simply being obscured by some kind of unknown phenomenon in between. Like there were many gaps and inconsistencies in the path—the road I needed go take forward—which severely affected the direction and information I took from the paths when using them.

I felt a few gazes from afar, some young thalassalithions were looking at me with curiosity on their mer-faces. They looked as if they were witnessing something alien for the first time.

Considering my appearance and all. The pair of eyes over me were increasing as time went on. But my mind was preoccupied by my thoughts on how to correct my use of the paths.

Just what was I lacking right now? It feels like when I try to use them the information and connection destabilises on it’s own and the network and path which I establish with the pathways tries to fleet in that exact moment if I don’t keep them held in my grasp.

Even if I had now learned to sense and hear them, the wall that I was now facing was something which I found quite difficult to overcome. The paths were like gateways for me to bypass through by maintaining the connection and stabilising that gate, those currents containing information, until I bypass through them and arrive at my desired destination.

I kept on racking my brain over the possibilities and theories formulating inside my mind one after the other. My mind cluttered with competing ideas, each one less likely than the last. My mind was a mess right now and there were too many question left unanswered.

Perhaps, could it be...

“I apologise Jiwoo for leaving so abruptly earlier, ” I heard the familiar voice of the thalassalithion, Uito, whom had abruptly disappeared somewhere a few minutes ago.

I looked above my shoulder and saw the old thalassalithion walk closer to me. My eyes went to his palms in which he held a small bowl covered by a lit. He walked closer to the edge of where I was seated as I stood on to my feet.

“You came outside? Was it not comfortable for you inside?” He asked with an almost apologetic expression for any discomfort I might have felt. “I do apologise if you were in any way.“

I lightly shook my head and matched eyes with the thalassalithion. “No, I just wanted to get some air.”

He nodded in understanding and slowly spun as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Please, let’s go inside,” he said. “I will answer the remaining questions you wanted answered before I left.”

I gave Uito a nod and then followed him inside the hut once again.

We both sat down in the same spot we had occupied previously. Uito slowly took a step towards me and handed the small palm sized bowl to me.

I showed a second of hesitation before taking it from his hands and into my own.

I took the lid off of it and peeked at the contents inside. It was clear and clean water. It’s colour was similar to the clear water of the lake I had seen.

Uito looked at me with big anticipating eyes.

“This is?” I finally asked. “This just looks like some plain clean water I can found almost anywhere, no. Well I do accept the gesture.” I harshly replied with honesty laced in each other.

For a moment I thought I saw the thalassalithion’s chest puff, but I guess I was wrong. Then he spoke.

“This is a very rare and precious beverages and elixir among us thalassalithions. We don’t serve it unless there is an occasion or some ceremony.”

My eyes went to and fro between the bowl in my palm and Uito.

“Then why give this to me?” I wryly asked as if to provoke the thalassalithion.

But he shook his head and answered without any form of anger or distress over his face. His calm demeanour and serene eyes made me question myself about his being yet again, and feel a sense of awe from him, that a creature could wield intellect to such a level.

“You are the first and only guest that we have had since the Great One left us generations ago,” the thalassalithion muttered catching my gaze.

Again with that Great One. I was really curios as to whom this guy was. There was a good possibility that he might have been human, but the gaps in Uito’s conversation made me thing otherwise.

And the possibility of another human having a system like mine was almost impossible, but not entirely. But that man used all the elements of mana.

Even I was barely able to come close to using two elements. And even after that I had barely any control over the fire element. But I had never tried otherwise to control the elements to use them as spells like mages, because I wasn’t one. But in this life I thought otherwise. And only the most talented among us humans were able to wield at most three affinities. Because of the complexity and the different natures of each element and their control and aspect of changes they brought when wielded.

But among the most talented mages I have seen in all two of my lives, I knew of only two who had affinity for three elements.

First being Adam and the other being the quack-head who taught me how to use mana.

“And taking this opportunity, I think it is only right to serve you our best elixir, us thalassalithion also have our own sense of pride.” Quickly I was stirred back from my thoughts by the mumbling of the thalassalithion who had actually puffed his chest this time. He looked quite cartoonish if I had to say.

I looked down into the bowl and kept at it for a few more seconds.

Well, even if I drank it, it won’t do me any harm. I had built immunity against most poisons—all thanks to a certain basilisk—to some extent, and I couldn’t even get tipsy if I drank alcohol. And even if there was something mixed within it, the poison resistance passive stat I possessed would just clear the toxins inside my body before they even tried to affect my body anyway.

I brought the small bowl close to my mouth, still cautiously casting a glance or two at the contents inside despite having the countermeasures prepared if things did go south. Then as my lips touched the rough wooden bowl I slowly took a small sip. The cold substance touched against my lips and slowly entered my mouth and went down my throat, the next moment I felt an enriching and refreshing taste quite similar to rose water and flower nectar bloom in my mouth.

But to all my caution there was no notification from the system if any kind of poison had entered my body. Well I guess I was just being paranoid at this point. Well could I be blamed otherwise of being cautious of a strange species which were intelligent and strong.

I raised my head and looked at the thalassalithion, but as I was about to address him, I saw a system window pop open in front of me suddenly.

I was about hurl the bowl from my hand in anger, as I was about to grab the creature by his throat, but stopped as I read the contents mentioned on the window.

----

A very potent and strong substance has entered the host’s body. The substance has a very high percentage of healing and clearing fatigue and physical damage harmed on to the body, as well as a high level of detoxification.

----

After I read the contents of the window, I looked down at the bowl and without even wasting another moment eagerly drank all of the water like substance. I felt a fresh tingling run inside my entire body as the accumulated fatigue for the last several days had started to vanish in the blink of an eye.

----

The substance's natural capacity for healing and detoxification has strengthened the host’s innate regenerative and detoxifying capacity.

Passive Stat (Regeneration) is close to levelling up.

Passive Stat (Poison Resistance) is close to levelling up.

----

After finishing the contents, I placed the bowl down and looked at Uito. I inwardly apologised to the thalassalithion for thinking of snapping his neck if it was poison.

“It’s seems like Jiwoo liked the elixir, eh?” Uito asked with a tinge of humour in his voice and a wry smile pulling his lips which looked quite genuine this time. “And I guess quite a bit.”

“It’s capacity for healing is better than any potion I have ever consumed.” I admitted. “But where did you get something like this?” I curiously asked. “Like you said earlier, it’s a rare elixir which you only use now or then.”

“That has quite a bit of a story behind it, so as I gradually explain to you as to what the cephtalurians are, you will come to understand what that elixir is too.”

I nodded at Uito and began to listen to his story.

“The cephtalurians are similar beings like us, yet their biology is different from us and so is their thinking to.” Uito shifted his seat and straightened his back. “It wasn’t like this in the beginning, you know, that we were enemies form the start. In the late time when our forefathers lived, they maintained peace where both us and the cephtalurians maintained harmony amongst each other.”

I actively listed to Uito as I tried to connect the dots inside my mind through this conversation.

“They were always superior to us in the stature of combat, and the biggest weapon they possess is the powerful poison they wield which is naturally produced inside their bodies. Yet they weren’t as ferocious in the past as they are now. They used to be a race which didn’t kill unless a need or reason to.” Uito looked me in the eye. “But after a few generations passed, they started to become more and more ferocious, like wild beasts, they started killing indiscriminately between themselves and us thalassalithions.”

“And why would they do that if they were peaceful creatures before?” I suddenly asked. Uito made an almost saddened and complicated expression over my remark.

“That we do not know to this day,” Uito said taking a slow breath. “It just suddenly happened one day and we were attacked in our previous villages where we secluded before coming here.”

“We were greatly pushed back due to their ferocity and beastly raw strength.” Uito pointed a finger near my bicep, my tattered shirt which was ripped by an arrow during my short battle with them. “The arrow which struck you had a potent poison doused on it’s head which is the same poison which the cephtalurians possess.”

“It has a very strong effect against us,” Uito’s next words made me frown. No, rather the expression over his face looked like a mask full of suppressed rage. His clear sapphire eyes reflected my visage, but all I saw in them in that split moment was anger boiling like wild fire. “Even a small amount of that poison if ingested in our bodies can cause severe effects, giving us a very slow and painful death if not treated in time.”

With a dry chuckle, the mask broke and he placed a hand behind his neck and awkwardly spoke. “I am sorry for showing you such an expression. I just remembered something which happened a very long time ago.”

I only nodded in acknowledgement. For him to make such an expression, it must have been a very painful memory for him to remember.

But after a few seconds of silence, I questioned. “But what about this elixir then? It has a very strong detoxification effect. Is it made by you thalassalithions?”

“That’s the part I was getting to.” Uito said. “That elixir is something which was given to our ancestors long ago. It was created to help us fight against the cephtalurians when we were at our worse. Due to our weakness being the poison, this elixir expels the effects of that entirely from our body and helps us recover from life threatening injuries. But...”

I looked at Uito with my brows knitted. Given to them. By whom? Could it be that same guy he mentioned? That Great One!

Uito stood from his seat and gestured to me. I also stood and followed the thalassalithion out of the hut without asking any questions.

Outside the two guards from before were standing. They bowed their heads as we continued our stride forward. Both of their heads didn’t unbent until Uito had turned his back to them.

I felt their eyes burn into my back as I walked. But ignoring them I followed the thalassalithion.

Soon we came to a stop near the edge of the gargantuan tree branch which lolled down into the enormous lake.

“Are you good at holding your breath for a moderate time underwater Jiwoo?” Uito's head perked sideways as he asked.

Some bad memories began resurfacing as I took in the question—when I was stuck inside the cave with Neil where we almost drowned to our deaths.

Well I wouldn’t say it was a bad experience, but it truly was a close call.

“Well, I can hold my breath for a few minutes at best.” Just as I replied, Uito gave me a nod in understanding and leapt from the branch and with a sudden change of posture in mid-air he dived into the water.

The water rose a few feet in the air as Uito's body disappeared into the depth then after a second the water stumbled back down with a deep crash.

Was I supposed to follow after him?

I thought with knitted brows as I looked below . My eyes flicked from a few spots, some thalassalithions had taken notice of me and were observing what I was currently doing. With a shrug I took my shirt off and stored it inside the system inventory as my bare skin was exposed. Quickly I inflated my lungs with oxygen with a big and deep breath and prepared my body to dive in after the thalassalithion.

After a second, I leapt from the branch and became airborne, pushing my body into a diving position, before my body came into contact with the surface of the water.

I felt the hard crash into the lake, as my body submerged, the frigid cold bit at my skin and made with shudder for a moment.

‘Holy shit the water is cold.’ I thought as I allowed my body to adjust with the cold. Quickly my mana surged, working like a protective barrier and allowed a thin coat to coalesce around my body to protect it from the cold and current.

Without even taking a few seconds, a thin whitish glow enveloped my entire body and began to protect my body from the severe cold which had began to effect me. Small pockets of air released through my mouth and were drawn to the surface of the lake.

I snapped my head around and saw the massive colonies of branches running down to the depth of the lake as well as around. The lake went down to at least a depth of two hundred metres

For some reason the cool water was pushing downwards with a slightly strong current. My eyes went to a pack of thalassalithion swimming inside the water. The speed at which they moved inside the water was far more impressive than what it was on the land.

I saw a youngling wave his fish like hand at me as his other companions observed me with caution.

I quickly searched around for Uito and saw he was close to reaching the depth.

My mana boiled inside me and reached to my legs and feet, I slowly allowed them to reach equally into the muscles and tendons of both legs as each stroke accelerated and pushed me forward faster than the current could pull me toward itself.

My eyes caught on to the beautiful weeds and water plants which grew from the depth with a rich, enchanting light sapphire glow emanating from the depth which brightened the surrounding the closer I reached.

My eyes caught on to Uito’s figure as I saw him standing close to a depression in the depth which looked like sort of like a mirror.

I swam closer to Uito and looked at him in confusion. I was slowly running out of oxygen in my lungs to sustain myself with in the water.

I pointed at him that I was running out of air, and gesture to him where were we going now.

Uito swam closer to the peculiar mirror like depression in the ground which shined brighter than the glow emanating from the depth itself.

Soon his body touched against the depression, as the mirror smooth surface bubbled up and flickered with light, causing countless ting pockets of air to be released around him. As the light began to slowly recede he vanished from in front of me and the glow jolting out of the depression disappeared.

I didn’t understand entirely what had happened but a sudden realisation came to dawn in my mind that perhaps this depression was a barrier of some kind.

The leftover air I had escaped through my mouth as I zoomed closer to the depression. Soon I felt a strong tucking force nudge me toward itself and I found myself leaving the cold water of the lake and found my body free fall in the air.

I quickly took action as the mana within me steered and coalesced itself near my abdomen and below. Soon my lower half came into contact with damped soil as the ground effortlessly absorbed the impact of my fall with water splashing all around me, damping my already wet pants.

I reinvigorated my lungs with air as I saw my feet drowned in some sapphire coloured liquid which glowed brightly and reflected my visage, which filled the entire ground, wherever I looked. I slowly turned my head, and took in the surrounding area. I had appeared in some cavern which was enormous in size. If I had to say, it was about as big and wide as an entire mansion with still some good room to spare.

There were countless star like gems which were embedded to the ceiling of the cavern which burned brilliantly and illuminated the entirety of the cavern. The hard rocky ceiling looked damped to the point that I thought it might collapse on itself. But my eyes caught on to what I had thought to be the depression just a few seconds ago. From below, it still had it’s mirror like reflecting surface, but it was releasing a teal shade, with the lake outside exposed from here. I focused the mana near my eyes and looked above and I was perfectly able to see a few thalassalithion in the distance and the outside.

But the one thing since entering this place that I had realised and instantly taken notice was that the mana’s density was extremely potent and compacted in this confined space. Even without the use of Mind’s Eye, I could easily tell that this place was enrich with the element of earth and water. Sequentially containing a good amount of air, but almost deprived of any fire particles.

I went to a knee and slowly ran my hand through the sapphire liquid. Just from a glance I could tell that it was not any simple liquid. The strongly compacted mana had seem to have effected and stimulated this liquid in some way. But I was not sure how.

As I slowly twirled my eyes studied each and everything in this cavern. Be it the small boulders in the back, the plants growing to several inches some even reaching to the ceiling, I took in all of it.

But my eyes went to the farthest end of the cavern as I manoeuvred myself to my left. I held my breath for a second as the sight before me looked extremely mesmerising and breath-taking. There stood a beautiful tree, with it’s colony of crystal clear branches coiling over one another, which shined like diamonds graded as the finest and looked like it had been carved out of something which shouldn’t exist in this world.

It’s entire existence looked otherworldly. Like it was something divine.

Without me realising my feet carried me closer to the peculiar tree. It’s beauty held in the confines of this cavern looked extremely beautiful yet it made me feel somewhat odd. Regardless, the ancient tree looked magnificent.

It’s roots were coiling and stretching around the shallow water around it as it reached above to the ceiling, pulsing with essence and life, covering the entire cavern in it's egnamtic light. Several beautiful sapphire hued flowers were growing and sprouting from it’s branches which released a strong essence.

My gaze caught on to Uito as he observed the beauty of the tree together with me.

“This is where the elixir is produced from.” Uito didn’t approach the tree but maintained a good distance from it. I stood beside him with a distance of a few feet between us. But there was a deep sorrow etched across his face as his nose wrinkled, peering at the crystal tree. He frowned clenching his teeth. “It was given to my ancestors a very long time ago, as a way to assist us in our war against the cephtalurians.”

Uito kept his eyes fixed over the crystal tree, yet the longer he looked the uglier his face became. As if he could rip the tree and destroy it if given the opportunity.

“Jiwoo...they called this place ‘sanctuary’. My father took pride in maintaining and looking after this place as long as he lived. And so did my forefathers, they worshipped this—‘thing’, as some godly relic for ages. But to me...”

I carefully listened to the thalassalithion. The sorrow contained in his words was something I had not expected.

“To me...this place is nothing more than a pathetic, confined space where the dead tradition of my ancestors is buried and kept stored.”

I felt short for words as I heard Uito’s words. His voice laced with such an extend of sorrow as he glared at the tree mounted at the end of the cavern.

“Did something happen which made you hate this place to such an extend?” I finally asked, the words leaving me with some kind of caution in mind as I spoke each word. Without being biased, I couldn’t deny the fact that this race of beasts also had emotions and different personality traits each of their own—different from one another.

I guess we all were similar to each other more than I could have ever come to have thought. I had always lacked the kind of understanding in these regards. But I had finally decided to shone light on such matter in this life. I needed to learn and grown. I knew I still had a lot of aptitude of improving myself and my mistakes which still held me back even now.

With a very long and tiring sigh, Uito turned and walked closer to me.

“I’d like to show Jiwoo something.”

I nodded in response and Uito soon touched his forehead against mine. Soon as he stimulated his mana and allowed our minds to connect, I felt his memories and emotions flood into mine like a tether had connected our minds together and soon I began to see the memories he was trying to transmitted to me.

But there was this heaviness in the air as Uito had walked closer to me.

Whatever Uito was trying to show me, I just needed to acknowledge him for now.

So I simply allowed my mind to relax as Uito slowly tore one memory from his mind, carefully moving in a straight path and dispatching it to mine. A cold sensation filled my being, as a dark canvas sprouted in my mind like a lily in full bloom, which was slowly filled with dark and bright colours from the corner to the middle.

The vertigo of the sensation made me feel kind of tipsy, the sensation similar to consuming a strong elixir having rummaged through my insides, holding a firm grasp over my mind as the aftereffect.

I focused more, allowed that path to connect—which were our minds—and I was soon able to feel as well as see Uito’s memories.

I slowly looked around, the ground, trees, lakes, even the sky, and all I saw were the emptiness and loneliness of Uito’s thoughts—the spark of his emotions—banging against my mind like a smith’s hammer over his anvil. I pulled the memories faster, drinker them like consuming glass after glass of burning alcohol.

Soon the framework shifted, images running wildly from a deep greyish static like presentation to shining more brilliantly with colour, and I was able to see a silhouette dash from my right, leaping from the ground and firmly taking a hold of a vine which lolled down from the twisted bark of a tree to climb atop a branch of a tree which was twenty feet high with several of it's branches jolting in random directions.

I giggled—or Uito did. His emotions were more strongly delivered to me—like I was feeling them like my own—than the time I had done this mind talk with Imeru. There was a comprehensively big difference.

Uito followed after the thalassalithion whom had just passed him in a flurry. His feature were similar, close to Uito’s. His built, eyes, hair, tattoos, almost every feature was near identical to him.

Without a care for the world, Uito leapt from one vine to another with the other thalassalithion on his side.

As I dug deeper—extracting, appealing more information from Uito to better understand, I felt a sting—like a needle had pierced me—near my heart as the emotion of sorrow and self-deprecation began to shroud my heart and mind.

That thalassalithion. I thought to myself watching Uito and that thalassalithion joyfully play. The mer-creature was indeed Uito’s brother. His memories told me, spoke to me, guided me further.

He followed after the shadow of his brother. He went deeper, as far as he could go with him. Not having a care. Enjoying his time.

I felt relief wash over me for a moment, but just as it did, it soon crashed down like a meteor. The scenery flickered from in front of me, rippled, crumbled slightly, even distorted, as if the shape was having a hard time to form and show itself.

Perhaps sharing his much older memories were having an effect on Uito’s mind and body. But, he still continued.

Again, the darkened, distorted image began playing in my mind like I was seeing it through a broken kaleidoscope which was restoring itself slowly. Memory after memory surfaced inside my mind, slow to fast. Fast to slow. Happy to bad.

I saw him train alongside his brother and many more of his brethren, utilising the fighting style the thalassalithion had developed over ages. Uito looked truly happy.

But the scenery, the village displayed right now was different from the one I had seen. Was it there previous village Uito had mentioned in our conversation prior to coming to this cavern.

I lost the perception of time as I realised that I had seen Uito’s entire childhood to his adulthood. The trials he had to face, the battles he had to go through fighting against the Cephtalurians, as well as shouldering the responsibilities of being the second child of the chief of the village. How he was instructed from a young age to assist and aid his brother in becoming the next chief of the thalassalithions and be of help to their people. To fulfil their duty and role.

Then the memories stopped all of a sudden. Everything went blank. All colour drained from the canvas leaving it grey. Uito was perhaps reluctant to show me further of his past. But after giving it a few minutes, and recovering in the meantime from the backlash he continued.

The frame shifted, so did those memories. Slowing I felt like I was living for a third time as I witnessed the cluster of those transmitted memories opening themselves in my mind like cold water being splashed on my face.

There was also a heart-warming moment, where I saw him met a female thalassalithion, fall in love and begin to start a family of his own with her.

Everything seemed perfect in his life so far. But their was a sense of uneasy growing inside me the further I dwelled, as if my heart was warning me with each heartbeat that something was going to happen. But just as the frame shifted once again, I felt my insides stir suddenly, as I witnessed everything that Uito had held close crumble like a piece of glass shattering into countless shards.

My chest fell heavy for breath, as if it was on fire, as multiple emotions engulfed my heart, like a raging storm, burning to consuming everything.

My eyes felt heavy, something wet dripping from the side of my cheeks. Didn’t know if it was blood or tears. Uito bit his lips as they bled. Blood dripping through the wounds over his body as Uito’s emotions, his pain, his anguish was transmitted to me vividly.

I slowly turned my head and looked down at my hands and in them was laid the body of Uito’s brother. The one he had always looked up to. His breathing was shallow, barely perceived. Like he could die any moment. Some black gooey liquid was dripping from the wounds on his chest alongside his abdomen.

I felt short for breath as I tried to wrap my head around all the information given to me. It was sudden but I was able to take it.

Then as the frame shifted once again. Uito was on the ground, tears dripping from the side of his face, as his brother and lover laid on the ground, barley alive.

His father was standing in front of him with an expressionless face, as well as a few of the thalassalithions.

They were all injured.

But the ones whose condition was the worst was Uito’s brother and lover.

“Chief, please, beg, help Ito...Help...Reno.” Uito pleaded with a quivering breath.

His words broken but I was still able to perceive his desperation through his thoughts.

“You are still alive, Uito.” The muscular thalassalithion said, sequentially the one who was his father. “Both of them are too far gone!” He sternly barked.

Both of their complexions had paled considerably. Like they had become dried fish, their blood dripping from their mouths.

The words left Uito struggling, his complexion paled too. His face turned expressionless, as his eyes dulled as his lips quivered.

He brought both hands forward and bowed his head on the ground as deep as he could.

“Father, please help them. Brother is the next chief. Father please!!!”

Uito shouted, pleaded, begged.

The sight made me want to pity him. The situation I was witnessing was something I had been through countless times in the past, so I understood perfectly just how he must have felt.

Having or wanting to save or protect someone you held dear, but not having the resource or power to do so. That is the fate of the weak. And I understood that the most in the world, better than anyone.

“If we give them elixir, it can help them. Save them, father.”

The Chief gave him a pitying look then changed to one of indifference quickly.

Seeing his face made my insides to stir. I clenched my teeth. Because I was the one witnessing everything right now as Uito. His emotions, his thoughts, his being, I felt everything about him to his deepest secrets. He had removed the barrier between us a while ago.

“Even if we were to give them the elixir, it is to late to save them. The cephtalurian’s poison has evaded their body and has already destroyed their metabolism. If you had brought them a little earlier then something might have changed, but the fact that you couldn’t, this is the result.”

“Don’t blame yourself Uito. It’s not your fault. This lose is also a part of life, like the Great One had taught our ancestors about. Not everything can be protect like one wishes.” His father finished with clear indifference in his speech as his face was a mask of stoicism. Like he didn’t even care if his own son was the dying here.

“Then why the fuck we have that elixir in the first place. Rather to waste it by storing it, why not give it, to save life. We might be able to save them, but you are barking that rubbish about the past now.” Rage boiled up within Uito, his face puffed with anger as he snarled in his beastly voice, his eyes flared with blood which shook everyone around them.

Uito coughed with blood dripping from his mouth with which each cough. His hoarse voice echoed in the village, his eyes blood shot. “Is it that important to save the elixir than saving your own son’s life?” Uito was short of breath as he shouted, taking all of his grief anger, sorrow, putting everything into those words.

But he didn’t receive an answer. The silence grew as time passed, Uito's consciousness began to fade as well. He held on to the last bit of energy he had left inside him as he kept glaring at the Chief of thalassalithions.

“Your brother may die, but you still live Uito. It is now your duty to fulfil the role your brother has left vacant. That is your responsibility.”

With that the conversation ended. The memory beginning to crumble on itself like a collapsing building hit by some cataclysmic disaster.

Uito felt short for breath. The emotion being dispatched to me pinched my heart. His pain was something I couldn’t have ever expected. He had only appeared aloof and idle to me, but from observing him I knew there was something he was hiding.

And this was the burden he had carried all his life with him.

Uito dragged his body closer to his brother and lover like a snail slowly wiggling on the ground. He silently held their hands. Both of them barely opened their eyes to peer at Uito.

“I’m sor—”

“Don’t brother. It’s not...your...faul—”

But before he finished his sentence his eyes dulled and his cold body laid lifelessly on the ground. Uito barely tore his gaze away from his brother and saw his lover warmly smiling at him as she also took her last breaths.

At that moment, the canvas completely shattered and I pulled away from him. I felt short for breath as heavy beats of sweat ran down the side of my face and forehead.

Same was the case with Uito. His complexion had paled considerably and he also was taking long breaths to steady himself.

I supported his limb huffing body and laid him against a boulder close by.

“That’s...what I meant by what...I said about...this place earlier.” His voice came out broken, as his chest heaved for air.

I didn’t say anything back. I only needed to acknowledged Uito in this shared moment. He had trusted me enough to share his happy and cruel past with me. A painful memory which he has been carrying with himself for a long time.

I caught his eyes and that was all we needed to come to an understanding.