The starlight that night appeared once more-soft, shimmering, and dancing upon the face of a young man sitting beneath its glow.
This time, there was no longer the shadow of a boy by his side.
"What is your purpose...?"
The voice echoed gently-deep, calm, and soothing.
"What is it that you truly seek in this world?" he continued, his gaze still fixed upon the sky filled with scattered light.
One question after another left his lips, as if he wanted Averroes to listen to his own heart-to search within for the line between desire and true purpose.
Each time they met, Averroes felt something he could never quite explain: a warmth that comforted him, yet carried a firm weight.
The man's demeanor was like that of a teacher... or perhaps a father-gentle in his lessons, but forcing the heart to think.
But slowly, the shadow vanished-blown away by the night wind, swallowed by the starlight.
"Wait...!"
"Who are you!?"
Only the echo of his voice lingered in the empty space. No answer came.
No sound remained... except the slowing beat of his heart.
Suddenly, something warm and soft touched his skin.
Pain crept along his side.
"Ahh... this feeling... it hurts," he muttered weakly.
"Hurt? Then that means... I'm still alive."
The scent of medicine began to fill the air.
Srraakk
The sound of fabric being torn.
His body was lifted slightly, and this time, a faint floral scent drifted gently into his senses.
Averroes slowly opened his eyes. The sunlight piercing through the window blurred his vision, turning the world hazy.
But amid the glare, he saw a girl-wide, clear eyes, long silver hair, and a tiny mole near her eye.
She was right in front of him.
"Lucia...?"
The moment those words left his lips, the girl flinched. Her face turned bright red.
"Ehh!!" she squeaked, then pushed Averroes away in panic.
Bam!
"Oww... that hurts, Lucia!" Averroes groaned, clutching his bandaged side.
"Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Lucia stammered, her face growing even redder.
The air turned awkwardly quiet. Both of them tried not to laugh.
Lucia, still blushing, took a deep breath to calm herself-but before she could say anything, a small voice came from the doorway.
"Ah... Brother Verroes is awake?"
A little girl with short hair peeked in, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Uncle! Brother Verroes is awake!" she shouted, her speech slightly lisped.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside, growing louder until the door burst open.
"Averroes!!"
Alistair appeared at the doorway-his worried face shifting instantly to relief. Without thinking, he rushed in and hugged Averroes tightly.
"Ow! Ow! Dad, not so hard!" Averroes yelped, but Alistair ignored him.
"I thought you were dead, you stubborn brat!" Alistair fake-cried dramatically. "Huwaaahh! Come here, let me kiss you, muaaahhh!"
"Eh! Stay away, Dad!" Averroes pushed his father's face away.
Lucia, watching nearby, could only shake her head and smile.
She wasn't surprised-this wasn't the first time she had seen Alistair behave this way.
"Lucia... sorry, my dad's always been like this," Averroes said, sounding exhausted.
"Brother Verroes!"
The little girl, Icia, who had been quietly watching, finally spoke up and walked closer.
"Icia has something to show Brother Verroes," she said, eyes sparkling.
She reached into her worn burlap bag and carefully pulled out a small butterfly. Its wings glimmered softly beneath the sunlight streaming through the window.
"I found this in the forest earlier when Grandma Oya was picking herbs," she said proudly.
The butterfly suddenly flapped its wings and took flight-circling above them, leaving behind a golden trail like stardust.
Lucia stared in awe, eyes wide.
Averroes and Alistair were silent, as if time itself had stopped.
But the beauty didn't last. The butterfly soon drifted down, its glow fading.
"Ih... why did it fall?" Icia asked, confused.
Lucia knelt beside her. "Maybe it's just tired from flying, little Icia."
Averroes gently patted the girl's head. "It's okay. At least it showed us its beauty first."
Icia paused, scratching her head.
"Hmm... but I think I stepped on my bag earlier..."
Everyone stared at her-then burst out laughing.
Lucia bent forward, laughing so hard she nearly fell, while Averroes facepalmed.
Alistair laughed the loudest among them.
The room was filled with laughter and warm morning light pouring through the wooden window.
For a while, Icia's innocent antics made Averroes forget the strange dream that had been haunting him.
But as the laughter faded, his expression darkened-as if something troubling had resurfaced.
Alistair noticed. "What's wrong, Averroes?" he asked softly, his tone suddenly serious.
"Nothing..." Averroes quickly replied, trying to hide the unease that rose unbidden in his chest.
Lucia, sensing the shift, stood up.
"I'll go to the kitchen," she said quietly.
She knew there were things between father and son that outsiders shouldn't hear-matters too personal to touch.
"Come, Icia. Help me, okay?"
"Okay, sis!"
Once Lucia and Icia left, the room fell silent again.
"Are you sure it's nothing?" Alistair asked, still unconvinced by his son's gloomy face.
Averroes shook his head slowly.
"Yeah, Dad... don't worry. I'm fine," he insisted, still hiding the truth about the shadow that haunted his dreams.
Alistair nodded lightly. "Hmm... if you say so. Anyway, I should get ready. It's my turn to guard the ancient artifact vault this week, replacing Uncle Herman."
Averroes quickly stood up. "Dad, can I come along? You can teach me swordsmanship again when you have time there!"
Alistair smiled. "You should rest first. Your wounds haven't fully healed. Training can wait until next week."
"But Dad..." Averroes said seriously. "Back in Xeno City, I felt like I was just a burden. I need to train harder-so I won't slow anyone down again."
Hearing that, Alistair walked over and gently ruffled his son's hair.
"Hey, stubborn boy. Rest is part of training too. If you don't have strength, how will you get stronger? Don't push yourself."
Averroes fell silent. This time, he couldn't argue.
Srakk - the door creaked open.
Alistair slipped on his boots and stepped out. His shadow vanished behind the door.
Averroes sighed. "Haah... Dad never changes."
"Ah, one more thing!" Alistair's voice suddenly came from the doorway.
Averroes flinched. "What now, Dad?"
"Don't forget to thank Lucia. She took care of you while you were unconscious for two days. She helped a lot."
"Got it, Dad..." Averroes replied with a small sigh.
"Oh, and one more thing..." a mischievous grin spread across Alistair's face. "Don't do anything weird while I'm gone, alright? Hahaha!"
"Just go already, Dad!" Averroes shouted, blushing furiously.
Alistair laughed heartily as he left.
His laughter echoed long after his footsteps faded away.
Shush-
The sound of wings slicing through the blue sky.
A giant eagle soared above the mountain village, its cry loud and fierce.
"Hey, Coco!" Averroes shouted, looking up.
Arrkk!
The enormous brown eagle circled above him, its call answering his voice.
Averroes waved, smiling faintly.
Arrkk!
The bird cried again-but this time, another voice came from above, loud and full of cheer.
"Averroes! Bye! Love you!"
Alistair's voice echoed from atop the eagle's back, fading into the mountain winds.
Averroes chuckled, slapping his forehead. "ahh... my dad, seriously..."
The cold mountain breeze brushed his face. Golden leaves swirled gently in the air before landing at his feet.
He took a deep breath, his gaze drifting toward the clear blue sky. For a moment, the world felt peaceful.
That small tranquility led him to sit outside the house, watching the villagers go about their day-some fetching water, others carrying lumber from the forest.
He waved occasionally, smiling without realizing it.
"Brother Verroes!"
A small voice called from inside the house.
"Brother Verroes!"
He didn't answer-his thoughts were elsewhere, haunted again by that mysterious shadow.
"Yah!"
Icia suddenly hugged him from behind. He smiled faintly, finally aware of her presence.
"Can I sit here?"
Without him noticing, Lucia had come and sat beside him, holding a bowl.
"Hmm." Averroes responded vaguely.
For a while, they sat in silence-only the soft mountain wind whispering between them.
"Can I ask you something?" Lucia finally said.
"What is it?"
"Did you... experience something strange, Averroes?"
He flinched. "Why do you ask that?"
"Just look at your face," Lucia teased casually. "When you were unconscious, you kept mumbling weird things... like 'who are you?' or 'where am I?'. Oh, and something about a peak or something."
"Peak?" Averroes repeated slowly.
He took a deep breath. "I saw a man's shadow..."
Lucia raised an eyebrow. "A man?"
"Yeah... a man. But strangely, it felt like I knew him."
"How can you tell?"
"I don't know. Maybe it was the way he spoke-firm, but there was something in his tone... hard to explain."
"Alistair?" Lucia teased with a grin.
"Not even close," Averroes replied quickly.
Lucia giggled.
Silence returned for a moment.
"But I think..." Lucia said softly, "maybe that shadow is a sign. A clue that something big is going to happen."
"I don't know. I hope so."
Lucia smiled. "Maybe one day you'll gain powers like your father."
"Or maybe... you'll find something even greater," she added.
Averroes didn't reply. He just listened, respecting the wisdom of someone a year older than him.
"Anyway, cheer up," Lucia said, changing the topic. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine. Here, drink this herb tea. Grandma Oya picked it."
"What!? Grandma Oya!?" Averroes jumped. "Ew, no way!"
Not because he hated herbs, but because he still remembered the ones he once collected with Grandma Oya-some shaped like frogs, others like slimy human mouths.
"Drink!" Lucia ordered firmly.
"No!" Averroes bolted, running as if his life depended on it.
"Where do you think you're going, Averroes!?" Lucia shouted, chasing after him.
"Yay! Let's play tag!" Icia yelled joyfully, joining in without knowing what was happening.
That warm, lively moment stayed etched in Averroes's memory-
A beautiful memory now slowly fading... devoured by the darkness that followed.
_____
But why...
WHY does fate never side with me!?
"YOU... you stole everything from me, FERRANDO! EVERYTHING!!"
Averroes screamed, his hands chained in cold iron.
He knelt on the ground-his face bruised, his lip split, blood dripping from his nose.
"You killed them all, FERRANDO!!
ALL OF THEM!!" he shouted again, voice hoarse, heavy with rage and grief.
Ferrando only smirked.
He walked closer, grabbed Averroes by the hair, and yanked his head up until their faces met.
"Hahaha... there's no need to be sad, Averroes.
Look behind you... they all used to have families too."
Ferrando jerked his chin toward the other chained children.
Averroes didn't look.
His eyes were sharp, but hollow-the poison of hatred had begun to take root in his heart.
"At least you're not alone... hahahah!"
Ferrando released his grip and shoved Averroes back to the ground.
"Kill me, Ferrando!" Averroes shouted, voice cracking. "Kill me now! Don't let me live!"
Ferrando stopped walking.
He turned slightly, a sinister grin twisting his lips.
"Everything's already been decided. He already knows everything... You can't escape, Averroes. Hahaha!"
"Oh, and one more thing before I forget-my name isn't Ferrando."
He climbed onto a massive black bear, riding it with arrogance.
Beside him, a giant man on an iron horse raised his hand in command.
The soldiers of Justice roared behind them,
"Yes, general Immanuel and general Orovera!!"
The iron chains connecting them all were pulled harshly.
Their forced steps left trails of blood in the cold, dusty ground-
including Averroes's bare, broken feet.
_____
Averroes trembled-but not from the cold.
He lowered his head, hair falling over his face. His breathing was rough, uneven.
"Haha... why can't I cry..."
His voice broke-a laugh mixed with a sob that never came.
"How stupid of me...
The people I loved died before my eyes, and yet... not a single tear falls..."
He struck his chest with his fists.
"Flow, damn it... flow!"
"Cry, damn it... don't stay empty like this!"
But nothing came.
No tears. No relief.
Averroes lowered his head again. His vision blurred-
not from tears,
but from a soul already shattered.
One by one, faces appeared in his mind-
Alistair. Uncle Herman. Lucia. Icia. Grandma Oya.
All smiling... before fading into the dark.
Only he remained-
and a silence that screamed without sound.
Though his soul howled and the world around him crumbled, his eyes stayed dry-
empty, without tears.
That was his illness.
That was his curse-
the pain that could never be eased,
the agony that brings no tears.