Chapter E7: The Things I do for Children

(Effinshia’s POV)

 

I hate it. Moments like these where one could try the best one could and still fail miserably. The inner turmoil within my heart had long stopped and I could only feel nothing but a cold and solid lump inside my body.

It has already been several days since I returned and gave Korva the Kruu tea. It is as the old man says, the Kruu herbs cured the purple skin. Korva's body is now cleansed completely from the purple rash that assaulted him these past few weeks. The black shroud dispersed and never came back. The curse has been lifted from the boy too.

...

But the damage had already been done. Despite being lifted from the curse, his condition had only gotten worse. I sat right next to Korva at his bed. Just staring at the innocent child in pain. In my hands was a half-empty cup of tea made from the extract of Kruu leaves. I kept lying to him and forced him to drink the tea, telling him that everything will be alright. Today... he never finished his tea. Either he was incapable of doing so or he probably realised the lie all of this was. He may be a child but he's not dumb. I'm sure he's already figured it out by now.

It was as I feared. It was already too late for the Korva. Nothing short of a miracle could save the boy now. He was just simply too young for this kind of damage. Pair it up with his malnourished state and the lack of treatment; resulted in his body not being able to keep up. His legs were completely thrashed. His inner body and functions were slowly but surely falling one by one. Infections from the wounds on his legs were slowly spreading to the rest of his body.

There were a few ways this boy could still be saved, but it's all beyond me now. Things like turning back time or transferring the soul to another body or an immortality potion. Taboos and things that I can not obtain so easily even if I want it to happen.

A capable healer or doctor could still save him. Though he will have to live as a crippled for the rest of his life. Even then I will need a world-class healer to operate on him in a world-class facility. Healing magic in this world was just very limited. The healers just simply lack understanding of the complexity of the body to be effective at it.

"Umm..." Korva's mumbles in his sleep. His eyes slowly opened.

...

I don't like saying these kinds of things because it's easy to say things in hindsight. But, I wish I had known earlier about his true condition or maybe even met Korva much much earlier. This thing wouldn't have happened and I could have prevented so much more. I'm so sorry Korva.

"Lady?" The young boy called out to me weakly.

"Yeah? Need anything?" I said to him with a casual tone. Not even a hint of sadness or distress in my voice. Or at least I think I managed to pull it off.

"I, am I... Am I going to die?" He asked me with a trembling voice. His voice carried with it the weight of fear and resignation.

I didn't want to tell the kid, but I also didn't want to lie to him anymore. So I only kept quiet and continued staring at him.

"..."

"..."

Ahh, the silence between the two of us again. It has only been a week or two since I met the child, but it already feels nostalgic.

"Is there anything you want to do the most in the world Korva? Things you want to do when you get better?" I asked him with a serious tone.

We both knew that there is no getting better for him. Still, I wanted to at least do something for the boy. To make his last days happier. Korva just closed his eyes. Probably giving my question some thought.

"I, I got a sister... I wish I could tell her that I'm sorry about brea-"

He then let out a big cough after that line. His body curled inwards as contents came out of his lungs. It went on for a while. I just stared at the boy as he went through his coughing fit. When it stopped, he just turned to look outside his window, a beautiful view of the garden and beyond. 

So he finally mentions her sister.

"Your sister right? I'll try my best to find her then."

"You don't have to... It's not like you can find her now anyways."

"You underestimate me Corn Boy. I'll find her alright. I swear it on my pride," I answered Korva.

"It's not like you have any pride lady." The boy insulted me with his weak voice.

Cheeky brat. I pinched his nose in retaliation and the boy let out a playful smile.

"Anything else?"

Korva just shook his head slowly and gave me a bright smile. "It's alright. Thanks for everything you've done for me Lady Effinshia."

That was probably the first and last time I heard my name coming out from his mouth.

 

* * * * *

 

I searched the house one more time. More specifically the room next to Korva's room. The room with all the magic grimoires and the cauldron. The room that I presumed belongs to Korva's sister. The first time I was in the room was when I didn't really know anything and was only trying to look for things that could help with Korva's situation. The situation has changed now though, now I am here to scrape any information possible about Korva's sister.

Every part of the room was effectively cleaned out by the time I was done with it. There really was nothing of importance in this room that I didn't already know. What do I do now? I said all that bravado and stuff but it's not like I really have a clue on how to find the person. I simply lack information. Also, It's not like I can leave Korva alone while I go off searching for his sister either, can I? 

Ah well, no point mulling over it. I listed down in my mind the current things that I know about the target.

1)Her name is Vidya. As confirmed by the suspicious old man a few days back. I don't know if this was her true name or not but it's better than nothing.

2) She seems obsessed with the idea of being a witch or a wizard as noted from the clothes within the wardrobe of this room. Judging by the fact that the magic formation and the very worn-out magic books and grimoires lying around, I have to assume that she is, in fact, capable of using magic.

3)She disappeared for about a week before I met Korva. Vidya's last whereabouts was told to me by the old man. She was headed to Luth E'll.

4) She should be considerably tall. All the furniture in her room points out to this. Crude bronze mirrors are placed at very high places. A giant cauldron with no steps stools beside it. The height of her table and bed are also considerably higher than the ones in Korva's room. I estimate that she's around a hundred and seventy centimetres perhaps?

5) She should be significantly older than Korva too. Assumed by the level of books being read in the room and her height, she's probably someone in her late teenage years or in their early twenties. She could be older. Can't really know for sure.

And that's about it...

There's not much to go on. Most of my information came from the old man after all. I could assume her features should be very close to Korva's. They might even share the same hair and eye colour. But I can't truly know based on the information I got from this room.

Maybe I should wake corn boy and ask him for more descriptions about Vidya? No. Her sister was probably a touchy subject for him. He never really talked about her until just a moment ago, even then he told me to give up on it. If it is his wish to remain quiet then so be it I guess. He's already hurting so I don't want to hurt him any more than he is suffering.

Perhaps it would be in my best interest to seek out the old man instead? If what he said to me was true, then I could probably leave Korva under his care while I searched for Vidya. I don't really trust him, but at the very least I could ask him for Vidya's details.

I took a deep breath before leaving the room. The smell of dust attacked my nose. Before heading out, I opened up the door to Korva's room one more time and took a sneak at the young boy. The boy was just there, lying in bed sleeping peacefully. Having my fill, I closed the door and went down. I made sure every last door and entrance to the house was locked before I went out the front door. It was then when I suddenly felt a presence. A calm one.

I wouldn't exactly say I was surprised, but not sensing someone's presence until they are this close to me was definitely a rarity. Usually, I would have known it from a mile away...

...

I see.

"How long have you been here old man? About a hundred years? Maybe two?" I asked the presence. The mysterious old man who was sitting down on a bench in front of the house.

"Hoh hoh, It hasn't been that long really. Why I just came to this town only about forty years ago" The old man responded joyously.

I sat down next to the 'old man' and rested my hands near my hips. 

"Do you want to see Korva? You are here to see him right?" 

"...It's fine. I'll visit him next time. When he's better."

"There isn't going to be a next time. I may as well let you know. He doesn't really have that much time anymore." I said to the 'old man'. My voice was as cold as ice.

"..." The 'old man' kept quiet. Just staring forward into the fields.

"You are very good at hiding your presence old man. Believe me when I tell you that I don't say that to people often," I said to him.

“...”

"So? What are you really?" 

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't understand." The old man played dumb and answered me. His acting was perfect.

I let out a sigh before answering: "Something was off when you first appeared. You know too much."

"Too much?"

"It just doesn't add up the more I think about it. You shouldn't have known that Vidya will be out of Cezza, much less about the plague and the reason why she left."

"I don't see why not? Young Vidya simply told me about it before she left," The old man countered me.

"That's unlikely. You said that you come over to check on them once in a while, but I find that hard to believe when there is not a single trace that you ever step foot into the house.  Do you know that? There was no trace of entry into the house before I arrived here. The boy had been living alone for days before I came into the picture. If you are who you claim to be then It just doesn't make sense. How then, when you have never step foot into the house, know that Korva is ill and was infected with the purple skin?"

"As I say, Vidya told me about the whole situation before she left. Is that so hard for you to understand?" The old man argued back. His foot restlessly tapping the floor.

"You speak in a tone that you care about the people living in this house, but you simply come too rarely and do too little for a person who does. If Vidya did come up to you and told you about the whole situation, then you pretty much had done nothing. You are willing to let a child suffer and die all alone. I'll have you know that I despise people like that. So what are you? A caring old man, or a scumbag?" I said to him in a cold voice. My left hand holding the hilt of my partner Kirin. I gripped Kirin just hard enough for the both of us to hear the sound of the sword sheath hitting the bench.

"..." the old man just stayed quiet.

I'm willing to give the old man the benefit of the doubt though, he did tell me about the Kruu leaves.

"You can't enter the house, can you? Is there some sort of rule you must adhere to or something?"

The old man kept up his silence and I simply waited next to him. My sword ready to draw out Kirin anytime.

"One last time. What are you really old man? You aren't just a normal person right?" I asked him one more time.

A long silence fell upon us when the old man suddenly cracked a smile.

"Hoh hoh hoh, I could say the same to you, young lady. You aren't just any normal person either," He replied back to me in his joyous tone again before suddenly looking solemn again. "You are right in your deductions. I am in fact unable to enter this house. Not without permission at least."

"Why is that?"

"It's probably better if I say it straight to you. I'm actually a fairy. I can't go into houses without consent from the people who live in it. It is just how things work."

A fairy? Is he joking or something? No... That would answer a lot of things actually. Like how he is able to hide his presence so well. There is a saying that goes: 'Wherever there is a kid, there is always a fairy'. They are always watching over something and they could transform to look like anybody or anything they like.

Which brings me to my biggest question.  Why an old man? Most other fairies usually prefer the cute and small winged forms or take the form of inanimate objects.

"Hoh hoh, I could tell that my identity is something that is hard for you to accept."

"Yeah sorry. I've seen fairies before and I don't think ageless fairies usually takes the form of an old man. Is that your fetish or something?"

"How rude young lady. Each person has a way to express themselves. This is how I express mine," The old man crossed his arms, and sat in a rigidly upright posture. It seems that the old man has decided to stop the act. Still, it was a very unusual feeling seeing a feeble old man suddenly do that. 

Also, young lady huh? If only.

"So forty years you say?"

"Yes. I've been here since the day the child's father came into this town. I've watched over their father and the father before that too and now I'm watching over Korva."

This fairy must have been considerably old then.

"So what really happened to Vidya? I assumed you watched over this house for quite a while now" I asked the old man, now less wary of him. Less enough to let go of the tight grip I held over Kirin.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I can only look from outside the window. One day the boy fell ill. Vidya did the best she could but she ultimately disappeared about a few weeks back. I panicked of course. There was nothing I could do for the boy, only look and watch from the outside. It wasn't until I started going around the town looking for help that I heard from the other fairies and people about what was really going on. You arrived on that same day."

And the rest is history... I know everything from that point on.

"So you made contact with me to help Korva huh. Then why didn't you tell me about it earlier? Why wait a week? Why wait until it was too late?" 

If he told me about those leaves earlier then maybe the boy could still have a future.

"I wanted to, but when I saw your skills in the garden in the back. I got scared. I don't know if you were a good or a bad guy, so I just..."

"I see."

Well, it can't be helped really. This was just some very unfortunate circumstances. It's my fault as much as it was his.

"I want to help the young boy. If there is anything I can do to help, just let me know." The old man said to me.

"Alright... for starters, do you have an accurate description of what Vidya looks like?"

It's a long shot but I might as well ask.

"Oh. It will be easier to just show you then," the man said before his body started to glow bright white. 

The white light then started to reassembled itself before stopping on the shape of a female body. The luminescence then grew darker before completely going away. What's left was a young girl who looked like she's in her early twenties. She had short shoulder length blue hair and tied her hair in braids that go over to her front body. She also had amber colour eyes and has features similar to Korva. Basically a feminine and older looking Korva. A twenty-year-old girl with a countryside look. She wore a dark blue wizards robe complete with a wizard's pointy hat. Underneath it, is just what a farmer will wear though. Short pants and a shirt.

"This is what she looks like the last I saw her," A young very regal voice spoke out to me. Very prim and proper.

The old man had completely mimic her looks and even her voice. Not only that, but he also somewhat mimicked her manners and personality. I would say that is great, but It creeped me out a little. Nonetheless, I got what I wanted and more. I memorized her looks as best I could.

"The way you stare at me... It's actually pretty nerve-racking," The old man in front of me of blushed and hides her? face in embarrassment under the big pointy wizard hat.

Wow... that's super creepy how fast he is able to switch personalities.

 

* * * * *

 

"You want to what?!" The young blue-haired girl yelled out after I told her about Korva's last wishes and my plans. 

This fairy has now completely turned into a maiden huh.

"Luth E'll. I'm going to find Vidya and bring her here."

One may ask why go through all the trouble to find the real deal when I got a perfect imposter right here who can play the act in front of Korva. But, what good is a fake? What point is there to lie to the kid any further? Besides, I want Vidya to say goodbye to the kid herself if possible. She's about to lose a brother forever after all. That is if she is still alive.

"How long more does Korva has?" The fairy now disguised as Vidya asked.

"A few days. Maybe a week. Two weeks at most," I told the fairy bluntly.

"There's no way you'll make it in time! To go back and forth from Luth E'll and back to Cezza, not to mention the time it will take to actually find Vidya..."

"Leave that to me. You just handle things over here."

"Handle things?"

"I want you to take care of the kid. Keep him alive for as long as you can. Use that fairy magic of yours or something. Make his last days happy. Things like that."

"Fairy magic doesn't work like that! Besides, how am I to take care of Korva if I cannot enter the house?" The fairy asked a pretty good question, but I've already thought up an answer.

"I'm giving you permission to enter the house now. I may not look like but I actually own this house. The deed was passed down to me from my grandfather. Also, I am technically living in this house currently am I not?" I told the fairy a lie. One of my fake grandfather story in short.

She mentioned that she needs permission from those that live in the house, but I go extra to lie about the ownership as well. I believe that the truth matters not, only her perception of the matter does. Typical of a soul binding law. As with any laws, all you need to do is just to find loopholes without outright breaking it.

The fairy only stared at me. Her amber eyes give off a sceptical look. Without any words, she walked to the front door before opening it, and slowly, she stepped foot into the house. A joyful smile on her face.

"I'll... I'll do my best!"

"I leave this to you then," I replied to her.

Before she closed the door, her body glowed white once more. The white light rearranged itself before ending up on a certain familiar face...

Oi!

What she ended up looking after the rearrangement was an exact looking replica of me. The fairy who changed her form to look like me then gave me a smug expression. She tips her hat before turning around like some kind of action hero and fluttered her coat. She then closed the door on me.

Damn these mischievous fairies. I do not act like that!

 

* * * * *

 

In a forest clearing, far from civilization, I took off the sleeping tiger that resides on the top of my head. The shapeshifting weapon Torarias. I call it a shape-shifting weapon but its true nature is actually that of a tiger. Unlike Armageddon which is also a shapeshifting piece of equipment, Torarias can also shapeshift itself into a biological creature. I often use this to my advantage, letting Torarias transform itself into a creature and interrupting people from behind. It's a trick that not many people expect out of a hat. A hat trick of sorts.

"Do this for me will ya Torarias? It's your turn to shine now," I spoke to the white hat.

Torarias then glowed orange and the shape of the hat turned into a blob of an indescribable shape. The way the shapeshifting weapon changed forms was very different than that the fairy. If one doesn't know any better, they would think that they were looking at a cursed object. Torarias extrude countless tendrils from the blob before settling on a shape. A large avian creature. The tendrils then merged and melded with each other. The orange glow faded away and what is left is a large white bird with stripes like that of a tiger.

The bird flapped its wings and let out a large cry. A piercing cry like that of an eagle. Once done, Torarias bent down next to me before looking at me with its eyes, prompting me to get on top of it. 

Without hesitation, I quickly got up onto Torarias. As soon as I was firmly on top and ready to go, the large white bird took off to the skies. Large blast of wind from the wings flapping hit me as I held onto Torarias tightly. The winds zoomed past from the outside and into my clothing. The loud sound of the wind attacked my ears as we soar through the skies. Our destination? Luth E'll of course.

The distance from Cezza to Luth E'll may take several weeks to travel by foot. But taking to the air should take a significantly shorter amount of time. I expect to arrive at Luth E'll by evening at the very least. I don't really know what to do once I'm there, but I got hours to think about it.

All these efforts just to make a boy I only met for a short while happy. Geez, the things I do for children.