After Yuriel told Kanito the entire story of yesterday night, on how Kanito was brought here, Kanito first stared at Yuriel with an absurd look and then said, "You could've come up with a better story, my little brother writes better than you." Kanito chortled.
"I know it's hard to believe but this is true," Yuriel spoke in a convincing tone, "I knew you wouldn't believe it, nobody would.. but look at that coat beside you."
Kanito looked at the mate black, yellow buttoned trench coat kept beside him along with the olive green backpack. He gently pulled the sleeve of the coat to see a stain of blood on the pair of lapels, his face became serious.
"It's mine! But wait, is this.. a trace of blood?"
"Yes, because you were stabbed."
Kanito was shocked but still wasn't fully convinced by Yuriel's story, "If I was, then let me check the wound on my chest."
"You won't find any mark on your chest, I healed them."
Kanito unbuttoned his white shirt and went in front of a mirror and as Yuriel said, there was not a single scratch on his chest, but he turned around to see his back and his shoulders, they were full of scars, the scars which he got from the creature which nearly killed him, they weren't healed totally. He put his shirt back on.
'Yes, maybe I was stabbed by a psychopath, but to think I am in some other world? That's wierd.'
"I'm sorry sir, but I am not convinced." Kanito spoke with the polite detachment one reserves for strangers.
"You are a Modern Era human, aren't you? That too from the Human World – the so-called 'untouched' world. I'm sorry for using that derogatory term, but... It's only natural I suppose. Go and take a look outside from the balcony." Yuriel gestured towards the balcony with a sweep of an arm.
Kanito opened the door of the balcony and stepped outside.
Infront of him stood a very unlikely scene, a scene of a seemingly ancient city. People wore simple, light coloured chitons and strapped sandals and rode in simple carts or in grandoise chariots drawn by bulls or horses.
Alabaster cut sculptures of different saints and deities stood on pedestals, numerous alleys and lanes which were well-planned were crowded with busy people, playing children and street vendors.
Short terracotta tiled houses made of wood and iron pointed towards the clear blue sky and the glowing sun, while white doric supported pavillions surrounded by floral gardens and fountains were embedded in various parts of the city.
Yuriel's house was in front of a busy agora, comprising of different meat and fish shops, fruits and vegetable shops, dairy shops, groceries, bakeries, along with spinning potter's wheels making porcelain and ceramic pots, nurseries, restraunts and commercial offices.
The place was relatively warm, humid and windy, a mixed scent of wood, clay, chalk and candles along with the aroma of fresh oranges, blossoming flowers and the distant coast, all of them collectively came to him, making him realize his situation vividly.
"How do you like the sight of the western Bakerheim?" Yuriel in an open and cheerful posture, in order to alleviate Kanito's puzzlement.
Kanito couldn't believe his eye, he turned back to face Yuriel with a perplexed expression.
"Your name is Yu.. what?"
"Yuriel."
"Yes, and all of this.. all of this is true, sir ?"
"Yes it is, call me Yuriel simply and drink this soup, it's getting cold."
"Why did you save me? What is just going on?" Kanito said as he realized the coldness of the situation.
"I am a senior officer of the Rescue Division of the Interplanetary Defense and Resistance Force or the IDRF. The creatures you saw, we call them demons, you do not need to know any further, just live a life quietly. I will get you a job."
He shouted desperately, forgetting the polite mannerisms, "What? No! Tell me the bigger picture."
"Why do you insist?"
Kanito's expressions lowered at that question.
"Listen then, The IDRF is an alliance between our world and three other worlds namely the Fairy World, Taurus World and the Lantern World. It was created to counter and repel the demon invasions."
Kanito listened to Yuriel and questioned, "Invasions? So the demons which came in my world were there to invade and not to simply wreck havoc? But why?"
Yuriel with furrowed brows answered,
"The demonic race still remains a mystery to us. Their origins and motivations are unknown. They were first documented in the Era of Ruins, the second era of the Fifth Age, when they attacked the various worlds of mortals. But the beginning of Toesh era marked the eradication and defeat of the demonic race. However, their unexpected resurgence towards the ends of Toesh era has sparked a new wave of invasion. Their recent invasions of the Elf World and the very recent Human World, has made it clear that they are aiming for a large -scale war."
Kanito asked with an enraged face, "Then why not try negotiating with them? I don't think language will be a barrier in this world."
Yuriel chuckled after hearing Kanito's simple and 'childish' question.
"Yeah yeah, as if they are very open to negotiation. Viola, an Elven poetess from post-Toesh era, in one of her books named '99 Bloodoaths' describes demons as 'mindless beings who can only be repelled, not studied or conferred.' you understand?"
Yuriel's gaze then lowered, the regret on his face was evident, "I saw on Earth's world map, the continent of Asia. It was beautiful.. having everything nature can offer. My rescue team was assigned the task to watch over that continent and save as much as people as we can, but it was a huge.. a huge failure, I was able to save only person – you."
Kanito slowly understood what Yuriel was saying. Very slowly, an array of chaotic emotions squirmed in his heart. In disbelief, he asked, "Then, what about the other people from my world? My friends and family – where are they? Are they in some refugee camp?"
"I will sound harsh but the reports that came said not even half of the population of the human world was saved, nearly a million people were saved from the other continents but they are scattered everywhere all across different worlds. I fear that you are the only one from Earth in this country."
All colours receded from Kanito's face. A vortex of intense despair spiralled in his heart. He left the balcony and sat back on the bed.
"What do you mean I am the only one? Stop joking with me." Kanito tried to downplay the situation by flashing a smile.
Yuriel understood that this person in front of him was a self-deciever, a person who lies to live. However, such a worldview wouldn't be strong in this reality since Yuriel know one ever-stagnant rule about Reality, "Kanito, truth always gushes in from the fractures of lies. The bigger the lie, the longer it will last, but it will crumble eventually. This is Reality. It is mine, your's and everyone else's."
He took the tray from Yuriel's hands and grabbed a piece of bread, dipped it inside the soup bowl and gave it a bite.
"Is the soup warm?" Yuriel asked.
Kanito didn't answer ; he only looked down at the steaming bowl of soup. Its hot, fleeting vapours were like a cruel reminder. A cruel reminder of the life he had been robbed of, a cruel reminder of the life he will live now.
"You didn't answer me, What do you mean that I am the only one who was brought in this world?" Kanito's voice was louder than before.
He looked at Yuriel with an even fiercer look and questioned loudly, "Why aren't you answering? Is the language incorrect?"
Kanito looked down at the bowl for a moment and then breaking the odd silence, he shouted, "Stop kidding with me!"
Kanito grabbed the bowl and smashed it on the ground. He pushed the tray away, slamming it on the floor, the bread pieces tossed out of the tray and fell on the floor. He flung the flower vas in front of him, shattering it to pieces. He had a murderous look in his eyes.
Yuriel rose up from the bed and tried to calm him down. The tiredness from the surgery still lingered, added to that was this explosive outburst of emotions, all of it made him dizzy as he sat down on the bed and slapped his forehead.
"Please, just tell me that you are joking. What do you mean that Earth has been invaded? Are you crazy?"
It was as though an earthquake had erupted in his heart. The wild emotions in the form of tears ran down his eyes. He was shaken to the core, destroyed and devastated, but was too exhausted, astonished and powerless to violently express it anymore.
Certainly, to save his society imposed view of masculinity, he covered his face with both of his palms so that a fellow man is not disgusted by the sight of him crying.
'I never knew being saved would hurt so much. I never knew mercy would feel this cruel. Just what is left of me now? In this new world, I am stripped of any identity. How fragile can human life to be reduced to nothing in the period of one night?"
Kanito's mind beamed with insane thoughts, emotions and imaginations.
"You experienced adulthood too early, I'm sorry on behalf of fate."
Yuriel's frozen eyes melt and small blobs of tears appeared near his cheeks. This face of Yuriel was stained by dust and blood for as long as he can remember, his cheeks had long forgotten the touch of tears, so when they finally trickled down after thirty years, it tensed him and surprised him.
Yuriel as if exposed to an unknown stimulus, retracted his body back.
"What should I do now?" Kanito calmed down and asked in a low voice.
"Live a quiet life." Yuriel said with a sigh.
Kanito laughed at the word 'quiet' still with slight traces of tears. He stared at the wooden brown floor, stained with the cold soup.
"Ah yes, 'quiet', what a great word to hear these days."
Yuriel shrugged that kind demeanour off which he unwantedly accquired, "Die then!" He yelled.
Yuriel somewhat suppressed the kindness and let the cruelty inside speak for him.
"Crying serves no purpose. It won't undo the pain."
Kanito's face turned serious and finally accepting of the present.
"You're right, I should accept it as my fate, give me a week and I'll find a job and move out, this place, it's your house right?"
"Yes"
"I see, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"If you don't mind, can I join the.. IDRF?"
Yuriel was baffled, he thought he heard the words wrong and questioned him, "What did you say?"
Kanito pleaded with the same resolve, "Can I join the IDRF? The alliance between worlds which fights demons?"
Finding it hilarious, Yuriel let out a loud laugh. "Is this a side effect of the surgery?"
"I am serious." Kanito said.
"You really don't have to do it." Yuriel said while looking at the balcony with a stoic face.
"I have to, it seems like this IDRF or whatever is filled with a bunch of people who have silk threads in place of spines." Kanito said as a curly smile appeared on his face. "I think one rule is valid across all worlds, people in higher position are all buffoons." He said mockingly.
Yuriel yelled, "What good can you do? They are atleast saving people from the invasions." Yuriel's eyes shifted from the balcony and his voice rose, "You are alive because of them! Because of us!"
Kanito's lips curled even more, "Oops, I stepped on your egg shell ego." By saying that, he burst into a hysterical laugh again.
The laugh made Yuriel furious. When it came to his pride, he was too sensitive. He seldom permitted anyone to trample on his warrior code.
Yuriel got up from the bed and screamed, "You luck-blind idiot, value the life you are given!" Yuriel's yell reached from one end of the room to another. It was a prolonged, silencing yell.
He thought a young man like Kanito will get scared and suppressed by a yell but his action was unpredictable to him again. As soon as Kanito heard the word 'life' from Yuriel's mouth, his joking attitude and his ridiculous smile vanished.
"Life? My life lost all value when I was brought here to live the disgusting life of a refugee, a refugee is a nobody's person but everybody's burden. It has negative value. I want to join the IDRF so that I can fight a bloody battle and end this life soon." Kanito's yell silenced Yuriel instead.
"I have to die unintentionally, I mean.. I'm not brave enough to take my own life." His lips puckered and his voice quavered painfully as he covered his mouth and eyes, preserving the manliness.
Yuriel's eyes widened, he moved close to him and gave a firm grip on his shoulder.
"Don't think that way. When you will meet life's love, you will not be able to forgive yourself." Yuriel reluctantly regained his warm self and looked at Kanito.
"But why IDRF? You have little to no fighting experience."
Kanito didn't answer anything and continued to weep with his face covered. He released his hand from Kanito's shoulder, sighed and looked away.
After a while, Kanito uttered abruptly, "The cravenest people chase the craziest dreams."
Yuriel's expressions became weary, he shook his head and said with a sigh, "Well.. wishes are wishes, no matter how absurd or illogical."
Kanito looked at Yuriel in wonder and sincerely asked, "So will you let me join it?"
Yuriel answered, "I'm no one to let you. You alone should pave your path."
"Thank you." Kanito remarked.
He was thankful for finding out a way to die? Yuriel's face became bleak, "I see, dying is the ultimate goal and finding a way to die is a reason to live.. it's a prosaic world, indeed."
Yuriel exited the room and headed down to the second floor, returning shortly with an armful of clothes. He laid the garments before Kanito, it included a loose-fitting white robe, a black overcloth with sleeves and an orange belt to hold the two garments together, there were also a few yellow pins designed to adorn the shoulders.
"Change into these," Yuriel said. "Don't worry, they are unused."
Kanito took the white robe and entered the attached bathroom to change. He came out wearing it. Yuriel was a little surprised as he thought that it would be loose on him, but then he nodded and said, "Oh, I remember now, I bought it when I was around his age, when I visited the Emiragi Confederation, when I visited Solwynn."
Kanito confused by the unfamiliar terminology only glared at Yuriel awkwardly, he looked down and then gently held the lapels.
Yuriel thought Kanito was deeply impressed by the garment's gossamer quality.
"From it's texture you can tell that it is from the southern continent, such exquisite fabric only grows in the lukewarm paradise of the south."
Kanito wore the sleeved, black overcloth over the white robe and tried to fasten it around his waist with the belt, "Feels quite outdated to me."
"Trust me, they are in fashion these days. All big celebrities or socialites wear these." Yuriel replied confidently.
Kanito wasn't able to wear the pins. He struggled as the overcloth tossed from his shoulders every time he tried to secure it using the pins.
Seeing him struggle, Yuriel came forward and snatched the pins from his hands
"I can do it!" said Kanito.
"No you clearly can't." Yuriel re-adjusted the overcloth on Kanito's shoulders, making him wear it like a cloak, the sleeves draped over covering his back and a part of his upper arms, then attached the pins on the collars of the overcloth to secure it.
"Try to get used to this clothing now." Yuriel said softly.