[Valentine's Day] Miracle Dream: Sleipnir's Side Story

It’s a story I find pretty interestin’, now that I know what these miracle things are. When I really think about it, it was just that: A miracle. It looked normal for a little wolf like me, traveling around like I was. Not only was it somethin’ special in this world, but it was really an amazing thing. I think it’s got a bit of action and romance like most stories usually do. Actually, you can close your ears if you feel like it’s too much, Lehan. There’re going to be some things in this story that I find most males cringe on, if you get what I’m sayin’. You too, Shime, if you feel like it.

…Now now, don’t fight or anything. Can I get started with the story? Thanks.

Eiie. It was a place that was barely covered by the four grass hills that surrounded it. To each of the four directions was a hill that loomed over most of the stone buildings. To the top of the hill on the north, as Sleipnir remembered it, was a large house that spanned three times its height in width. It was something Sleipnir saw in a few other places, but something about this one seemed different. The fact that it was such a grand thing in the midst of older building types was a glaring comparison. Not only that, the house was much higher than the city that almost lingered like a yeiv waiting in the high grass.

Sleipnir shook his head.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the house is bad or anythin’, right? Plus, I only got into a tussle with those things twice so far. I think that’s pretty good considering how long I’ve lived so far.

It was true. Within the span of several thousands of years, it was pretty amazing that the blue wolf named Sleipnir only met a yeiv twice in his life. Then again, yeivs were a new species. Both facts about the wolf and the yeiv was something Sleipnir had learned while in Gerwe, the city of discovery.

The wolf cringed his nose at the dust he had just kicked up with his paws. He could never really fix that issue; Sleipnir had always seemed to kick up dust when he walked. I could always walk along the grass part of the path, but I’ve hit a lot of rocks lately. Sleipnir took quick looks at the underside of his paws. It was almost as if the wolf were doing some kind of weird trot down the dirt path. He looked up at the path’s direction, leading between two of the verdant hills. Well, at least I’ll get a good night’s sleep tonight.

Just before he got to the city, there was a sign posted just on the side of the road.

“’Welcome…to Eh?’ †˜Yee’? Hmmm…how do you say this? Oh,” A familiar thought ran through the wolf’s mind. “This is †˜eh-yee’.” Sleipnir had seen the place’s name somewhere in Gerwe.

“That’s right, and don’t you forget it.”

“Hm?” Sleipnir turned to the voice, just at the bottom of the hill opposite the sign. “Sorry, I’m just not too familiar with places I haven’t been to.” In front of the wolf was a girl, with a white bandanna wrapped around her hair. She wore a green cloth shirt and a long, brown tunic underneath with yellow, straw-like sandals on her feet. If Sleipnir had to guess, the girl was in her years of maturity. “You’re not scared of me?”

“Me?” The girl looked at the wolf unabashedly. “Well, I’ll admit you’re not like the usual things I’ve seen around here, but with everything that’s been coming around lately, I’m not surprised something like you has shown up.”

Sleipnir took the comment lightly. It was a common phrase that he heard whenever the person happened to be much nicer than usual.

“Are you a traveller?” said the girl.

“Mmm? Oh, yeah, I’m just a fella goin’ around from place to place. I’ve got to ask quickly if you’ve got a place to stay here.”

“Sure. There’s a little inn if you go straight down here and go a little bit to the right. Are you planning on staying long?”

“Depends.” Sleipnir sat on the road, looking at his surroundings. “Usually I stay a couple of days before I head back on the road. I enjoy seein’ new places.”

The girl made a curious hum, staring Sleipnir over. “Wait, you don’t happen to have any Ei on you, do you?”

“If you’re askin’ that because of my looks, then you’d be right, Miss.”-The girl somewhat blushed at the wolf’s choice of words.-“I plan on doin’ some kind of chore to get me through. If not, then I’ll see if I can lucky and get some shuteye somewhere inside the inn. Otherwise, I don’t mind sleepin’ out here.”

“Hmph. Well we can’t have that, can we? And my name is not just †˜miss’, although that’s very nice of you, isn’t it?” The girl cleaned off her skirt before staring fiercely at the wolf. “My name is Erren. Nice to meet you.”

“Mmm. Nice to meet ya, Erren. But what did you mean when you said that you couldn’t have me do somethin’?”

The girl brushed her hair boldly. “I don’t know. For some reason, I just feel like taking pity on you, so I’ll let you stay over at my home until you leave. You’re only going to be here for a few days, so it can’t hurt.”

“I appreciate it, but is it really okay? Is there anyone takin’ care of you?”

“No.” Erren replied a bit sadly. “I was the only child of my parents, and they left me a long time ago. I don’t want to think much of them. I’ve kind of been on my own for a while after a few people in this town looked after me for a while. After that, I just lived on my own.”

“Oh, sorry about that.”

“It’s alright, people wonder about that a lot.”

“So…” Sleipnir tried to lighten the mood. “What are you doin’ out here? Do you have chores to do or somethin’?”

The girl took a couple of glances around, as if watching for someone. “Um…yeah. I was actually waiting for a friend of mine to arrive. He said that he’d be here, but maybe it’s because I’m a bit early.”

“Ah.” Sleipnir replied. “So should I get to scootin’? Don’t wanna get in the way of your alone time.”

The girl became embarrassed. “No! …No, you don’t need to do that. I’ll explain to him that you’ll be staying here for a bit. He’s a bit easy to startle, so he won’t hurt you at all.”

“Huh. So am I really that scary?” Sleipnir wondered openly to himself.

Erren ignored the guilt rising in her chest while they waited. Sleipnir yawned a couple of times, and Erren began tapping her foot impatiently. She sighed angrily.

“Where is he?!?”

“Erren!”

A soft, masculine voice called out from the hill as a figure ran toward the two. Sleipnir sat still while the figure ran into view: A young man, no older than the girl, came running dressed in dazzling clothes that almost staggered the wolf off of his spot. His garments weren’t dazzling in color, but they were much cleaner than most people Sleipnir had seen. When he stopped right in front of Erren, his clothes were definitely brighter in tone and shade than hers. No doubt about it. Sleipnir concluded. He probably lives in that house up there on the hill.

“Geez, Tei, where have you been?” Erren shouted at the person called Tei. Her green eyes stared fiercely into the brown-eyed, timid young man who flinched.

“I had some business to take care of,” Tei used a finger to clean out his ear. “It took me a little while to finish, but at least I’m here, right?”

Erren lowered her head a bit and shot Tei a dangerous glare. Sleipnir watched with a bit of interest as the male shook on the spot. Sleipnir could only pity him.Oh man, what a bit of trouble you’ve gotten yourself into, kid.

Erren stepped forward haughtily. “No, that’s not right! This is the sixth time that you’ve been late on business now, and I think I’ve been patient enough about it. I think I deserve to know what’s been going on with you, Tei.”

Tei glanced away for a moment, and Sleipnir felt a murderous intent from Erren.

“Have you…were you with someone else?!?” She cried, closing in on the young man.

“Hey now!” Sleipnir rushed in immediately as Erren’s hand went up, dashing in between her and the now cringing Tei. Sleipnir noticed that Tei had done nothing to defend himself but turn away and close his eyes. “I know I may not have a say in this, but I don’t think you should be raisin’ a hand against a guy like that. Even if you’re a girl.”

Erren’s eyes remained locked on Tei, but she began to lower her hand.

“…You know, it’s because you’re so indecisive that you’ll never get what you want in life, Tei!”

Sleipnir watched as Erren briskly turned around and walked away. The wolf resisted the urge to sigh.

“I really have no say in this,” Sleipnir turned to Tei. “but she holds a bit of truth in her words. You need to be able to make decisions on your own, kid. Otherwise, you might end up hurting everything around ya.” The wolf nodded before following Erren into the city. Sleipnir did not hear anyone follow him from behind, which must have meant that Tei wasn’t following them back in yet.

Sorry kid. Even if I leave a bad impression on ya, I still have to get that across.

Sleipnir ran a bit to catch up with Erren. She was walking quickly, and Sleipnir wondered if the girl had actually forgotten about him all together. Just then, she stopped; Erren turned around, and let out a sigh of frustrated relief.

“I almost forgot about you. I hope that guy didn’t make you feel depressed with his gloomy attitude. Speaking of which,” Erren placed a finger on her chin. “I never got your name.”

“Well, I don’t blame ya. The name’s Sleipnir.”

“Sleipnir. Sleipnir.” Erren repeated to herself. “Okay, I think I got it. How could I forget with looks like yours?”

Sleipnir began to laugh. “Well then, how about I ask if you show me around for a bit? I want to know my way around a place I’m staying in.”

“No problem. By the time I’m done showing you around, you’ll feel as if you’ve lived here your whole life.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tei stood alone, thinking about the strange blue wolf’s words.

“It’s…it’s not like I want to make a decision….”

He recalled the events prior to his arrival, in the house on the hill where he lived.

”Are you going to see that girl again?” A young male’s voice called through the dark.

“Yes.”

The male scoffed. “I won’t stop you. I’m sure you’ll make the right decision, right?”

There was a sound of chains rattling against a stone wall, and Tei mentally winced. The shackles on the other male’s wrists put a certain weight on Tei’s heart.

“You know I’m not allowed to talk to you, Jaio. You’re just a servant under Father now. We’d both get into trouble.”

“You mean I’d get into trouble.” Jaio smirked weakly. “You’re so cute when you want to protect me.”

Tei stared at the floor meekly, putting a plate of food onto the ground in front of Jaio. “I’m just here to deliver your food. There were no more servants in the house to do so…so Father sent me to do it.”

Before he could withdraw his hands, Jaio shot forward and bit the tip of Tei’s finger. He rolled his tongue around the digit, his mouth curving into a smile.

“It’s not good to lie like that,” Jaio murmured through the finger. “We both know that there are enough servants in the house to bring food to me. Your dad would never let you come near me, not even if I had to starve.”

Tei looked regretfully at the floor, and Jaio moved his tongue across Tei’s finger one more time before letting go.

“So, how’s the girl?” Jaio licked his lips. “Isn’t she getting a bit suspicious by now?”

Tei didn’t answer, but he took to leaving the room. A part of him wanted to leave the person to die as much as his father did, but at the same time, there was a heavy ache in his heart. No more words were exchanged as Tei closed the prison door.

“It’s not like…I want to feel this way.” Tei held his head in his hands. The agony that Tei felt in his heart was something that was threatening to swallow him whole.

”I’m sure you’ll make the right decision, right?”

”It’s because you’re so indecisive that you’ll never get what you want in life, Tei!!”

“You need to be able to make decisions on your own, kid.”

Tei removed his hands, staring at the lines on them.

“The right decision….”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Whew, that was the right decision to make.”

Erren stretched herself out just as Sleipnir closed the door behind them. Sleipnir hummed in agreement.

“Glad you could show me around. You’ve got a lot of nice people here.” The wolf sat by the door, thinking back at the oddity of a second-story stone house bunched in between two larger buildings. Erren laughed.

“It’s all a matter of just seeing people. You tend to remember people the more you see them.” Erren walked over to a large stone stove, touching it in a few places before a small fire grew at the top. There was a hole-shaped top was covered with some kind of hard, black material that allowed Erren to place food on top. Sleipnir watched as the girl started to cook, placing familiar plants and meat on top, mixing them in a bowl nearby.

“Ah, so this place is a bit more advanced than I thought.” Sleipnir peeked over, leaning sideways.

“Hmm? Advanced? What do you mean?”

“Well, in other places, most of them cook like you do there. Some places make fire from wood most of the time, and a few places use a kind of thing that makes food come out automatically. I don’t really get it myself, but it always makes me get a little warmed up inside knowing that more people are havin’ an easier time cooking.”

“Wow, you’ve really seen a lot, haven’t you Sleipnir?” Erren looked back for a moment, taking her eyes off of the food. She was blindly chopping up certain plants and tossing in the contents into the stove.

And you’re quite the cook, aren’t ya? “I wouldn’t say that I’ve been everywhere, but I’ve seen most of the things out there. You know, just wanderin’ around with nowhere to go.”

“I’m jealous,” Erren turned back around, taking a long spoon that was hanging from the wall and mixing the meal around. “You get to go anywhere you want and live however you want.”

“Yeah, well, it gets to be really dangerous at times, so it’s not really anythin’ to get jealous about. But what about you? Are you planning on stayin’ here your whole life?”

Erren stopped cooking for a while, watching the flame burn.

“I…want to think that I can.” Erren continued to mix the meal in the stove. “After all, I have my own goals and dreams, too.”

“You mean gettin' close to that Tei guy, right?”

The spoon flipped out of Erren’s hand, and she shouted in frustration as she bent to pick it up.

“That’s…!” Erren dipped the spoon in a bucket of water nearby. “I don’t really…someone like him….”

Sleipnir scratched his face. “You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to. It’s just that seein’ your little fight with him earlier makes me curious as a stranger. Sorry if I was bein’ rude.”

“No,” Erren switched the stove off. She stood still for a bit. “You’re right. About getting close to Tei, that is.”

She took the meal from the stove and brought it over to a table nearby. Erren motioned for Sleipnir to come over as she sat down, and she dumped part of the meal into another bowl on the table.

“Were you expectin’ him to come over?” Sleipnir sat on his chair, eying the bed on the opposite side of the wall.

“Hm? Why do you think that?”

“Well, for a person livin’ by themselves, I don’t think it’s normal to have another bowl on the table just because it looks nice.”

Erren blushed, making flustered noises.

“Geez, Sleipnir! When did you know so much about how I live?!?”

Sleipnir chuckled. “If you have to ask, it’s because I’ve lived for thousands of years. Don’t mean to brag.” He added, picking up a large lush green leaf into his mouth.

“Years? What does that mean? How many days is that?” Erren mumbled through her food.

“According to the people who’ve studied them, they happen to be somewhere as long as three hundred and fifty days.”

Erren coughed, holding her throat and forcing the food she was swallowing to go down.

“The…Three hundred and fifty DAYS?” She exclaimed. “If you’ve lived for thousands of years, then you’ve outlived a person by about…!”

“At least a hundred times, if not more.” Sleipnir finished when Erren stopped to think. “Then again, people’ve found out some new things that make a person’s life longer. I haven’t lived long enough to figure out where everything began, but I’ve lived long enough to see just about everything.”

“No wonder you knew so much about me.” Erren put a hand to her mouth. “You must have seen everything there is to see about…well, everything!”

“Don’t be givin’ me too much credit now. Times always change, so it always gets interesting to see what comes up. That’s why I’m always travelling. Even though I’ve seen a place once, it’s always a treat to come back after a certain amount of time has passed.”

Erren gave an “ooooh” of wonder.

“Even though you’ve seen it once….” Erren repeated to herself.

“Hm?”

“Oh, it’s just that that makes me think more.” Erren took another bit of food. “I guess…about Tei.”

“Tei…you mean that boy?”

Erren grumbled to herself mindlessly. “It’s not like I hate him, don’t get the wrong idea. We used to be good childhood friends, but now that he’s grown up, I think his father’s been putting a lot of pressure onto him. I think I may be the reason for that; he’s probably seen through me and him being just †˜childhood friends.’ He was okay with Tei and me playing around as kids. As we grew older, maybe he saw my attraction to Tei as a man.

“I noticed it myself when I wanted to spend more time with Tei. As bad as Tei may seem, he’s a really nice person inside. I’ve seen my share of people come in and out of Eiie, and I’ve seen how they’re all alike. But not Tei, at least he’s one of a kind to me. Tei will offer a helping hand to a child who wants some sweets, regardless of his father’s opinion. He talks with everyone in Eiie even though he may not have enough time to finish his daily tasks for his father. He’ll even…jump off of a cliff for someone like me.

“I don’t know what that stupid guy thinks about me. It was completely my fault for being naive, trying to get a good look at the sunset with Tei. I know, right? It’s a stupid thing to do. As I walked towards the edge, it was as if I stepped through the ground and fell into the water below. Something hit me on the head, and everything became hazy. I think Tei’s father was watching at the time, because when I began to see again, Tei was holding me in his arms with a bunch of people surrounding us. Tei’s father was standing on the side, and he was giving me a sort of a glare.” Erren bit her lip. “I remember that as clear as Tei’s face when Tei was crying.”

Sleipnir swallowed the last of his meal, clearing his throat. He shook himself before speaking. “Let me tell ya, you weren’t bein’ stupid. I think we both know that you were just a girl in love at that point. I can see why those cliffs would be the ideal place to watch a beauty like that.” Sleipnir pictured the hills surrounding the city. Indeed, if one were standing on that hill, one could get a good look at the sunset with only water as the surroundings. And the only hill that was like that was…

“It was behind Tei’s house, the one on the hill.” said Erren. “I think that’s what angered Tei’s father the most. A girl like me was almost the reason why Tei died that day.”

There was a silence. Sleipnir hopped off of the chair and yawned.

“Well, now that we’re done bein’ sulky,” The wolf stretched, arching his back by rearing back. “How about we get some shuteye? I’m sure things’ll sort themselves out in due time. There isn’t a person out there who does things for no reason, and the same goes for that boy’s dad and why he hates you.”

Erren thought about the wolf’s words. “You’re right. Maybe we just need to let him think things over. But how long do you think that’ll take?”

Sleipnir chuckled. “Well, depends on if you’re just waitin’ the whole time. That isn’t what I’m implying though.”

“Then how about we pass over one more day? You can sleep on my bed if you want.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to pass. I prefer harder places, and I also get the beds dirty with my fur.”

“Don’t be shy. I’m accustomed to hard places, too. I didn’t camp outside with Tei some nights for nothing, you know.” Erren patted Sleipnir on the back.

“On second thought, I have an idea.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At night, Eiie was silent. Not a single person would be awake, maybe except for the house on the hill. Some nights, there were about one or two noises, but that was all. And that was only because an animal, creature, or traveling made a wrong step somewhere in the night. Any night lurkers of Eiie were deft at traveling through the night, even the young man that was acting like a drunkard.

It’s probably only because of Erren that no one has woken up yet. thought Tei. He remembered all of those night walks that the two spent together, if not just to have fun or explore Eiie at night. His father would reprimand him every time he returned home, but for some reason, that was the only consequence. It wasn’t as if his father was angry, either. Though his father would talk for a long time, his voice didn’t become loud at all. And his father knew it was because of Erren that he was returning home late in the night.

But when we talk about him, it’s a different story, isn’t it? Tei wandered through the streets, searching. When he is the subject, my father goes into a rage. Why? It’s not as if I didn’t like it.

Tei recalled the first occurrence. He had been standing near the window, watching over Eiie and wondering about Erre. Suddenly, a servant had called his name, and when he turned around, his lips were covered. Tei had known the servant personally: An untamed, black-haired young man named Jaio. He was a personal dislike of Tei’s father for his lackadaisical and rather rebellious attitude. Had Tei known how mischevious Jaio could be then, he would have stopped him right then and there. So why did he continue to let Jaio do as he pleased, pinning him by the glass window? By the time Tei knew what had happened, his father came lunging into the room in a blind fury, and Jaio skipped away from the man’s grasp.

The results of such an event were lighter than Tei thought they were going to be. He thought his father would kick Jaio out of the house for good, but instead, he was let off with a long, tedious lecture. Though the lecture was filled with tension, his father did nothing but grit his teeth as Jaio held his hands behind his head and left. Tei could not understand it at first. Most of the time, Jaio was lounging around the house anyways, which made Tei wonder why his father ever kept Jaio as a servant in the first place.

But as Jaio frequently sneaked in more time with Tei, the reason become clear: Jaio was a young man capable of performing more covert duties. The tasks he was assigned to by his master were things that no servant could ever think of doing. At least Tei thought so. The only clear example Tei ever heard of was when Jaio was sent to poison a merchant after Tei’s father had bought a faulty robe for a large amount of Ei. Jaio returned two days after chasing the merchant with a batch of hair covered in blood. Jaio’s service as a kind of mercenary was a great reason why his father had never kicked him out of the house.

That idea must have ended, however, when his father found Jaio doing something that even Tei was astonished to have played a part of. Tei shivered as he recalled the memory, trying to focus on Erren instead of the feel of Jaio on him. Immediately after his father had pried a smirking Jaio from Tei, Jaio was thrown to the lowest confines of the basement below the large house. Not even the other servants felt much pity for the smiling boy, who was unfazed by the predicament he was in. When Tei finally worked up the courage to ask why Jaio had done such a thing, the answer turned his values upside down.

“I’m in love with you.”

Love? Between two males? Tei had never heard of the sort. But oddly enough, Tei had never heard of anything opposing such a thing. So why was his father angry? Was it pure disgust at their actions? What sort of reasoning could ever stand to oppose what Jaio had done? Tei’s father had treated Tei like a stranger ever since. Whereas before there was a sort of acknowledgement, Tei neither saw nor heard of any indication that his father treated him like a son. Tei was torn between his father’s love and a servant’s love. That was how Tei viewed it. Not only that, he was also torn between Erren and Jaio.

To Tei, Erren was his ideal love. At least, no other girl had made Tei feel so happy and free. She was the light in the darkness, and she had a pureness in her character that made one happy at the sight of her. She was strong. Not physically strong, but she would stand up for herself, and she would not give up in the toughest of times. Erren stood up on her own after her parents were gone, and she was always smiling afterwards. Tei could never see himself doing such a thing.

Meanwhile, Jaio was the freedom that Tei had at home. When his father was not dealing with matters of Eiie, he was sternly teaching Tei how to do so. It was Jaio who had always seemed to pull Tei away from a life that Tei had felt tired and confined in. Strangely enough, Jaio’s free-spirited attitude had made Tei somewhat…attracted to him. Jaio often did whatever he wanted to do whenever he wanted. Every time Jaio came to Tei with a sort of dangerous aura about him, Tei could never pull himself away from the enticing sensation that Jaio brought with him. It was an attraction that Tei could not understand.

His father seemed to hate anything that stood in the way of making Tei the next leader of Eiie. Nothing stood in his father’s way once he had a goal, and that was just it. Tei felt that his father would never let Erren or Jaio near him, and that any means would be taken to get rid of them. Tei’s father had tolerated them before because they were merely small nuisances. However, once they both had become larger obstacles, his father turned them away as often as he could. Tei could no longer stand being caged in that sort of way, and his father probably become a more solitary person because of it. Now, his father lives as though he were the last person in the family.

This statement would not be totally incorrect. Mother, I’m sorry if I’m making a mistake, prayed Tei as he staggered closer to Erren’s house. Do you remember, Mother? When you held Father and my hand for the last time? Even as sick as you were, you gave us both your blessings and accepted your death. What would you say now if you saw us as we are? That another man is in love with me, even though I am in love with Erren. It was known throughout the large house that Tei lived in that he harbored loving feelings for Erren. Now, Jaio often teased him about their relationship. Jaio’s jealous. He thinks that I only love her. But, I…I love Jaio, too. But do I love him more than I do Erren? Is it right for me to be persuaded to love Erren because someone believes that it’s wrong for a male to be with a male? Am I just using Erren like that?

On the other hand, Tei had never said a word about Jaio to Erren. She probably thinks that there’s another girl involved. She also probably thinks that I hold no feelings for her. But she’s not right; I do like her. Tei could feel his heart tearing in three. One piece for his father, one for Erren…and one for Jaio. How do I explain to Father that I love Jaio? How do I explain to Jaio that he is loved? How do I explain to Erren that I am in love with another male? This is…this is…! He stopped at a familiar door.

There’s really no other choice, is here? I must…!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the darkness of the house, Sleipnir opened an eye.

Someone’s outside. Shame I can’t do anything, really. Sleipnir thought to himself as he considered the position he was in. He was currently lying on the floor, head on his paws while Erren was curled up with her head on his furry body. Figures that I get caught with girl on my body. I’ll have to curse whatever made my fur so soft and warm. Sleipnir let out a growl. May be a bit primitive of me, but this’ll have to do.

“E-Erren?!? Are you okay?” Shouted a familiar voice.

Hold on, I know that…!

“Hmnh?” Stirred Erren, who began to rub her eyes. “Sleipnir, whatsa matter?”

Well, I’ve gotten myself in trouble again because of my lovable fur….

“Erren! Open the door!”

“Wha…?” Erren shakily got to her feet. “Tei, is that you?”

Sleipnir groaned to himself for having to stay awake while Erren opened the door. Tei stood nervously as it opened.

“What’s this?” Tei stammered, holding the side of the doorway in reactionary fright. “What are you doing with that in the house?!?”

“What’s it to you?” Erren placed her hands on her hips. “What are you doing out so late? Did you really come all this way to see me?”

“…yes. Yes, I came from my house to here just to see you. There’s something I need to show you.”

When Erren turned around in embarrassment at the young man’s answer, Sleipnir decided to take the lead.

“Is it really so important that we need to see it now? I mean, we can wait until morning, can’t we?”

Even though Sleipnir was aware of what he was saying, he knew what Tei’s answer was going to be as his face had a determined look to it.

“Yes. I have to show Erren something now.”

At that moment, timed stopped for Sleipnir. It was a subtle sensation, but Sleipnir could feel it in his mind that something big was about to happen. My instinct’s tellin’ me that something’s going to happen, and that I should probably go find out. But there’s no way that I’m gonna get to go, is there? If I don’t go, though, I have a feelin’ that things are going to spiral out of control. Sleipnir watched as Erren turned around and agreed to follow Tei. Suddenly, a sense of urgency hit Sleipnir. I have to go, otherwise that something’s going to happen to that girl, and I’m not lettin’ that happen. Darn it all, I need to go!

“Err…” Tei suddenly turned around. “If you want, you can come too.”

“Huh?” Erren stopped, looking over at Sleipnir, who was now staring between the two in a confused manner.

Sleipnir blinked, then shook himself off. “Is it really okay? I mean, I have nothin’ to do with you all, so….”

“No, it’s just that,” Tei looked downwards. “What you said to me back then really made me think about this. I think I should thank you in some way. I can provide you a night in a more comfortable location. I think that that will-Ouch! What was that for?” Tei held his hand after Erren had given him a head-butt.

“Who’s house is not as comfortable?!?” Although he is right….

“Sorry.” Tei felt down. “I was just speaking in a general sense….”

Sleipnir had to laugh. It was as if a huge stone was taken off of his back.

“No problem. Let’s go.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The house on the hill was really a sight to behold. It was something that was built over days and days of work, and even more as it expanded. That made sense, since it belonged to E Redios, a family well-renowned for its contributions to the creation of Eiie. Eiie was built to be a sort of checkpoint between Ferine and Lilione, the two nearest locations. Those who did not enjoy either of the latter two had built Eiie as a sort of extension location, and the E Redios family had broken away from the feuding in Lilion, and many of Eiie’s residents had escaped from the unstable Ferine. In that respect, Eiie was a much more peaceful place, even more so under the leadership of Hert E Redios, the founder and key contributor to supplies and wealth of Eiie.

A wonderfully embellished house was created in commemoration of the man’s charity to the town, a large, white two-level building with a red top. There were many rooms and servants who take work for Ei, as well as a basement that held much of the house’s resources and supplies. For about twenty years, Hert E Redios himself had lived in that very house since Eiie was founded, along with his wife and a son that was born while he lived there. His wife died years after their son had grown to be a promising young boy, and soon after that, Hert began to realize how the importance of a successor, someone who could manage Eiie after he was gone. Indeed, Hert had taken care of how the shops were managed, giving advice as to how travelers were to be appeased, and how to place buildings and expand the town for the benefit of all. As such, Hert needed someone to take his place, and looked directly at his son, Tei E Redios, for the solution.

Now, sitting on a red piece of furniture with slanted arms, Hert sighed to himself, stroking his brown goatee. He smoothed over his hair to relieve more stress, then laid his glove covered hands onto the arms of the furniture. Hert looked down at himself, at how his red, yellow buttoned profiteer’s shirt was well-organied and clean. He’d have to thank the servants for that, but lately, he was feeling very tired. And he knew what the cause of it was.

Jaio. That boy was threatening to ruin everything that was important to him. Did that little scoundrel not know how important it was for the town to prosper? He had even explained it in clear detail one time as they both were in the same room. But little as he knew, Jaio had other evil motives on his mind, the likes of which would shatter his mind completely. Hert could not even begin to fathom how such a thing could happen. Oh, how his wife Eufii could see it now! Their innocent son Tei…seduced somehow, into doing something so unspeakable, so…so unknown! Jaio had merely waited for the wife to die just for a moment like this!

I know what you were scheming. Hert thought. Jaio had always had a soft spot for Eufii, but Hert had never understood why. Perhaps Jaio was something of a second son to her, but Hert could never understand why; Jaio was just a straggler that Hert had picked up outside of the town just days after Tei was born. No parents, no pity! But as Eufii let Jaio grow, Hert began to see his worth as a servant. Jaio was certainly much more talented at menial tasks than even the most able servants. But that made sense: Jaio grew up in secret of Tei’s own upbringing, so Jaio had no exposure to the outside world other than a life of servitude. The only difference in that factor was whenever Eufii spent time to play with Jaio. Hert recalled such days when Eufii rolled a ball around a three-year old Jaio, and Tei had always wondered as another three-year old who that boy was. Hert had never answered, so Tei grew up thinking that Jaio was just another servant. To his wife Eufii, however, Jaio was something just as special as Tei. Indeed, Hert felt he could never understand.

And now that his wife was long and gone, Jaio seemed to change. He grew dark and cold, unresponsive to orders and rested on duty. Jaio escaped from the house every chance he got. Worst of all, Jaio did such an unspeakable thing to Tei, and Tei, being the innocent person that he was, was tricked by such a fool!

What else can explain the actions of such a person. Indeed, to lose such a motherly figure like Eufii was dramatic, but to change in such regard! Unforgivable! Hert thought maliciously to himself. Fortunately enough, he had never thought of doing anything as insane as killing the boy. No, Jaio would suffer in the basement and reflect on his actions. And that still wasn’t enough! At this rate, Jaio will probably break free somehow. I must do something….

Just then, he felt the vibrations of the entrance open and close.

A servant moving? At this time? Who could it be? Hert smoothed out his shirt and tan, smooth pants. He knocked his dark boots against the floor before moving to the door of the room, set right next to a picture of the family on the wall.

With his back to a large window, he steeled his mind. Why is my son acting in this way? No matter, I will find out in due time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Mmm. A nice place you have here.” Sleipnir looked around. “Feels almost like it did at Gerwe.”

Sleipnir had to admit that it was one of the fancier places he had been to. Of course, there were a many number of places included, but for a house in the midst of more modern style buildings, Sleipnir was impressed. A dark brown rug made way to the other side of the house, which led to another double door. To the right were several different decorations and a more notable staircase leading up and down. To the left was a single staircase leading up, and long hallways that flanked on either side of the staircase.

It definitely feels smaller in here than it looks on the outside. Sleipnir moved behind Tei and Erren.

“So? What are you going to show me?”

Erren was about to talk more, but Tei moved his arm out to stop her. Sleipnir noticed it as well: Footsteps coming from the left staircase.

“Who is it?” A heavy, almost commanding male voice called out in the darkness.

“It is me, Father.” Tei replied.

“Tei? What are you doing at this time of the night? Were you out with that girl again?”

At those words, Erren almost cringed in guilt, but stood straight just as quickly as the guilt came. It was as if this was the first time that Erren had heard such words. Sleipnir had to click his tongue in a sort of disgust at the rude choice of words.

“No. I…” Am I just being foolish? What am I hoping to achieve by doing this now? “…I need to settle something, Father. I would like you to follow me as well.”

“…”

There was a short silence.

“Very well. But let’s not be too quick about it. It sounds as though this is a serious matter, and it feels as if you have guests with you.”

The voice came closer, and Sleipnir saw the man as he descended the stairs. It was a rather old-looking man, his eyes skinny and calm, his forehead wrinkled and worn. His face was rigidly shaped, his chin almost cornered on two sides as he approached. A few more people poked from the corridors in white costumes as the man’s eyes winced in surprise.

“This is….” The man stopped.

“It’s nice to see you again.” Erren spoke, her voice faltering in an unknown emotion.

Sleipnir stared between the two. Doesn’t feel like this is goin’ anywhere good….

The older man then looked over at Sleipnir. “And who…is this?”

Tei turned to Sleipnir first, then at Erren. Erren jumped in realization before introducing Sleipnir to everyone.

“Sleipnir, is it? My name is Hert E Redios,” Hert bowed deeply. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Ah.” Sleipnir nodded, sitting up. “Same to you. Sorry if I’m bein’ a bit rude here.”

“Not at all. It appears as though my son has business with everyone here.”

“No, Father.” Tei corrected. “I do not have business with Sleipnir. I…will need to show you myself.”

“Then it is with this girl?”

“…In a way.”

“Then why don’t we get some rest first? I would hope that it can wait until a time in which all of us will be in the right mind, hmmm?”

Sleipnir recalled Tei’s comment earlier at Erren’s home that it had to be taken care of now, but surprisingly, Tei complied.

“Yes. I think that is for the best, Father. But may these two stay here for tonight?”

“These two?” Tei’s father repeated in a bit of surprise. He quickly recovered. “That will be fine. I am sure we can assign some rooms for them to sleep in.”

“Ah, it’ll be okay.” Sleipnir stopped him. “Erren and I can sleep in the same room. If that’s okay with everybody.” He added.

“Sure, I don’t have a problem with that.” replied Erren. Tei said nothing, but nodded to his father briefly.

“All is well then. I wonder if there are any servants around to prepare a room for these two.” said Hert rather loudly. At the call, a few females came from the hallways and bowed in a flustered way.

“Good. Then show these two to their room.”

Sleipnir and Erren followed the female servants, but not before Erren stopped for a while.

“Come on, Erren.” Sleipnir said. “We’ll figure out everything tomorrow.”

Erren stared at Tei for another second before nodding and following the servants again. Tei and his father were left alone for a bit, but no words were spoken before they left each other and went to their respective rooms.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Here is your room.” One of the female servants pointed with a hand, the door opened by the other.

“Thanks.” murmured Erren with Sleipnir walking in right behind her.

“Well, couldn’t have asked for a more comfortable place to sleep in.” Sleipnir hopped onto of the four beds in the room, two at each wall with their heads at the wall. Erren sat onto the bed on the right nearest the door while Sleipnir moved on to the one opposite.

“I guess I’ll figure out what Tei has to say later, huh?”

With that, Erren flopped onto the bed. While Sleipnir sat on his bed, he watched Erren close her eyes. A moment passed before Sleipnir rested his head on his paws.

So far, that boy named Tei has been in a sort of slump because of something. A three-way love? Then who’s the third person? After that, Erren showed me around Eiie, and I learned about how Tei’s dad helped create it. Then could it be something about his dad? No, that’s not right. Tei was doing “business” or somethin’ like that. It could be business about his dad, of course. Then we returned home, and I found out that Erren likes the guy for sure. Not only is Tei ignoring her, though, but he’s also doin’ weird things to raise suspicion on himself. Plus, they’ve been friends since they could even think. I guess it’s a little weird that all of these things are takin’ place now.

Let’s see…and suddenly, Tei has to show us somethin’. It’s probably going to be the third person, but why would that have to include his dad? If this is really about Erren, then this would only need to include her, Tei, and the third person. So why? The weirdest thing is that Tei wanted to show us something now, but he goes and lets us sleep in his house and waits †˜till tomorrow. Was that just an excuse to get us here? I guess it’s going to be hard to get a girl and a stranger like me in here, but why do we need to come here for Tei to show us? Is it because of the third person?

Hmmm…Things are getting’ weirder and weirder every moment. Somethin’ is going to happen tomorrow, and it feels like I’m going to be caught in between. Sleipnir lowered his head further, closing his eyes.

Well, I guess it’s like me to get all nosy. Love is something I don’t really want to see broken, no matter how weird it may be.

The sound of a door opening.

Hm? Someone’s here?

“…Selepener.”

“It’s Sleipnir, kid. What are you doin’ this time of the night?”

“Oh, you are up.” Tei responded, surprised. “If it’s alright, I have to…show you what I’m going to show Erren. And what I’m going to talk to my father about.”

Show me? Why me? Sleipnir raised an eyebrow, hopping off of the bed. He looked back at Erren. Either she’s very tired, or she’s playin’ asleep for me. Guess I’ll follow Tei, though.

Following Tei into the hallway, Sleipnir shook his head to force himself out of any weariness.

“So? What’s goin’ on?”

Tei held a finger to his lips. “I…I think I need an outside opinion on this. I don’t want to talk to Father yet, and I want to show an outsider before I show Erren. So please, can you follow me right now?”

“Is it about the third person?”

Tei blinked, taken aback, but he hardened his face. “Yes. The third person…that I love.”

This time, it was Sleipnir’s turn to blink in astonishment. Boy, didn’t see this one comin’ so fast. “And Erren? You like her too, don’t you?”

“…I…Yes, I love her, too. But this is different. I need help in determining what’s right and wrong. And I hope you’ll listen to what I…and that person…have to say.”

“Oh boy, this is going to be weird.” Sleipnir rolled his tongue in his mouth while Tei walked over to the left towards the main hallway. Tei and Sleipnir moved across the hallway and followed down the staircase. Huh? The basement? I feel more and more awkward with every step I’m takin’. Sleipnir thought as the surroundings grew colder with every step. What was a rugged staircase now turned into a stone floor, surrounding by the same type of wall.

“Hey now,” Sleipnir grumbled to Tei. “You’re not plannin’ on doing anything funny, are you? This looks very suspicious to someone you don’t even know. If I wasn’t thinking about it, you would probably kill me sometime around now.”

“No, no, I’m not going to do anything like that.” Tei reassured the wolf. “I really am going to show you…”

As both of them turned two corners and went to the end of the current stone hallway, Sleipnir saw someone at the end of some sort of prison cell.

“…the third person.”

“Oh, so is this the person you like?” The person spoke, indicating that they were still awake. “I’m pretty surprised, but whatever’s fine with you, Tei.”

“This is not the person I like! She’s still sleeping right now.” Tei said, blushing. “You…you shouldn’t tease me like that.”

Sleipnir raised an eyebrow before his eyes opened a bit wider. “This is…another boy?”

“As I thought…” Tei said, disheartened. “…is it wrong?”

“Is this what you’re worried about?”

“Hey,“ Jaio called from his chains. “Don’t tell me that you did this just to see if I’m okay.”

“Kid,” Sleipnir called to Tei. “I’ve got to say, this definitely took me by surprise. But is this what you’re worried about?”

Tei nodded, his eyes narrowed in defeat. Jaio knelt back into silence, watching the other male’s face fall into the shadows of his hair.

So, this is the little surprise in the problem. Not like I can say what’s right and wrong, though. Still…this is quite the problem that I’ve run into. But since I’ve wished so much to get myself into this, I should take responsibility and do what I need to do. Sleipnir looked over at Jaio. So Tei likes both Erren and this boy? No wonder it’s goin’ to be a problem with his dad. “If you want me to tell the truth,” Sleipnir began. “then you’ll have to take my word for this. I can’t give you the answer on how to think. Actually, I don’t think anyone else can tell you what to do.”

Tei looked up at the wolf, and Jaio did the same.

“I’ll give you both my honest opinion. I’ll say what I would have said to Erren and your father, too, if they were here.” Sleipnir closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then exhaled. “There are people out there who think differently everywhere. There’s always goin’ to be a place that sees something differently than somewhere else, even if that †˜somewhere else’ is everywhere else. Believe me, I’ve lived longer than at least one hundred people put together, if not more. I’ve seen crazy things, but I’ve got to say, this is one of the weirdest, craziest things I’ve ever seen. Even so, I can’t tell you if something like this is right or wrong. It’s up to you to decide what you want to do, and once you do, you need to defend yourself against those who argue with you on things like this.”

Tei and Jaio were both still staring at the wolf, completely silent.

“But, since you also want a personal opinion on this,” Sleipnir gave a toothy smirk. “I’d have to say that I don’t want you to two to be broken up. Although this is makin’ me feel a bit awkward, I can’t see why I’d have the opposite and have you two live out your lives hurtin’ because of all of this. I doubt that both of you will ever look at each other the same way again. At the same time, kid,” Sleipnir turned to Tei. “You’ve got a girl that you were already in love with. I don’t want you to break up with her, either. This makes me feel a little bad for some reason, but you know, how about you try and love both of them? I mean, you love them both, and I’m thinkin’ they love you back. Now it’s just a question on whether or not they accept each other. I’ve seen a lot of three-way loves, and this is what makes a tragedy out of all of them. So what you need to keep in mind is this: You either make them accept one another, or you come back to the old problem of deciding which one you want. Your choice, kid.”

Tei slowly looked at Jaio, who was now staring wide-eyed at Tei.

“You know,” Jaio spoke, smiling to himself and closing his eyes. “You don’t need to choose me, you know. Just hurry up and accept the girl and get on with it. We can’t make any kids, and I’m going to make your dad angry, so-“

“No.”

Jaio stopped talking when Tei interrupted him. There was a crack in the wall of Jaio’s voice as he was speaking, and Sleipnir saw that there was only one thing that needed to be done to break that wall.

“No, Jaio. I want you to be free, and I want you to be happy. Jaio, I…I love you, too. Just as much as I do Erren. I love you.” Tei said silently, almost whispering. Jaio had heard every word.

A single tear fell.

“Geez…” Jaio couldn’t turn away. “…I guess there’s no helping it, huh?”

Sleipnir shivered. I still can’t shake the weird feeling I get from these two, even though I’m happy for them….

“Tei.”

It was an unfamiliar voice, one that wasn’t supposed to exist at that moment. Sleipnir instantly turned to the corner, and sure enough, Erren was standing with arms loose and eyes full of a sort of sadness that Sleipnir couldn’t identify. On the other hand, Tei felt his head spin at the voice, and the approaching footsteps only increased the amount of ticking noises that resounded in his head. He was afraid. This unforgivable secret that he was not ready to show to Erren, who seemed to walk faster and faster towards him-

Sleipnir winced as Erren’s hand went across Tei’s face, and Jaio reacted on a whim by attempting to move over to Tei, but to no avail due to the bindings of his chains. When the chains rattled, Erren’s eyes traveled to Jaio.

“Are you okay?” Sleipnir asked Tei, who had stumbled onto the ground. As Tei rose, Erren walked over to Jaio’s cell and stared harshly at him for a moment. When Sleipnir turned back around, Erren and Jaio were locked onto each other, eyes full of hate. Sleipnir and Tei watched the two in silence. She overheard us, and by the looks of it, she’s got no plan of sharing Tei. But if I can just get the other side of the story….

“So, Jaio.” Sleipnir called to Jaio. “How about you go tell us why you like Tei. Nothin’s going to be solved if we just leave it like this.”

“What…!” Tei began to object, but Sleipnir turned and gave the young man a hard stare.

You can’t contribute anything else to this issue. Sleipnir thought pitifully. What we need now is to let these two talk it out.

Jaio’s eyes were still locked onto Erren’s, but his face turned back to normal, though still ominously at the young girl. Then he looked at Sleipnir.

“What do you want? Isn’t it enough that I just say that I like him?”

“That may be right,” Sleipnir sat facing Jaio. “But that isn’t the whole story. As far as I can tell, you’re in here for a reason. Why don’t you tell us the history between you and this house? I’m sure we’ll get what we need to know, and we’ll see if Erren will still hate you as much as she may now.”

Sleipnir glanced at Erren’s face. Her eyes were still glaring at Jaio, but she was relatively calm compared to a few moments ago. Jaio sighed.

“I don’t think it’ll help, but I’ll try.”

“Don’t try.” Sleipnir backed up, cutting a glance towards the shadowed corner where Erren had been eavesdropping. “I think we’ll get a conclusion to this little confusion right now. I’m only askin’ that you tell the truth.” That’s pretty important, otherwise we don’t really get anywhere.

Heh. Jaio smirked to himself. And what can you possibly add to this? You don’t…know anything about me or Tei.

Sleipnir saw the expression in Jaio’s face change for an instant. “There’s something you’re hiding.”

Jaio twitched an eyebrow, not catching Tei’s eyes widening in reaction or Erren’s curious rise of an eyebrow. “How could you know? You don’t even know me.”

“No,” Sleipnir replied. “but I’ve seen enough kids like you, and I tend to know if you guys are hidin’ important things or not. Think of it as a reward for living for a very, very long time. And trust me, kid, you don’t know how long I’ve lived.”

Jaio stared hard at the wolf. I want to believe that he’s just trying to make himself look good, but I can’t sense that at all from him. What is he? He clicked his tongue.

Several memories had indeed gone through his mind when he was glaring at the girl called Erren, and again when he had thought about himself and Tei. They were very distant memories, memories of a certain woman in the house. A woman named Eufii E Redios, the lady and wife of Hert E Redios.

“That.” Sleipnir said bluntly before looking over at the shadowed corner again. “You’re thinkin’ about something again.”

Tch. Jaio clicked his tongue as well. Is he serious? It’s not like it’s going to change anything…. He stared back at Erren, who was now calmly focused on reading his face just as Sleipnir had. “Fine, but I’m just going to tell you, I don’t think it’s going to help.”

“In that case,” Sleipnir sat straight up on his hind legs. “I will. If anything, I’ll make sure that this doesn’t end badly. By the end of what you say, we’ll see if Tei has to make a decision between you two or not. If we held this up any longer, I’m afraid that nothin’ will be solved.”

Tei stared at the ground at his current situation while Erren clenched and unclenched her fists. Jaio took a moment to prepare himself, muttering something about Sleipnir that the wolf could barely hear.

“Fine. I’ll tell you all. I hope Tei will listen to this, too. I’ve never told anyone about this, so I won’t repeat myself if someone didn’t hear the first time.” Jaio sat down, giving his knees a rest. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them. “It’s about your mother, Tei. Before she died.”

Tei froze. Never, ever did Jaio speak about someone so formally as he just had. Maybe it was just an unimportant detail, but Tei also could not avoid the change in tone of voice that Jaio had just undergone. Erren suddenly looked over at Tei.

“You…never told me that your mother died, Tei.”

It was Jaio’s turn to freeze. He then stifled a laugh under a smirk. “What, so Tei actually hid that from you?”

“Jaio,” Sleipnir called over. “You have to continue. Quick.”

Jaio still had a hint of his smile before he continued.

“Yeah…it was definitely something you didn’t know about, Tei. A few days after you were born from your mother, your dad found me at the entrance of this house. It was kind of tragic really since I was a newborn at the time, too. You would have thought whoever was my parents would have the mind and will to admit to your dad that they were abandoning me. Fortunately, I didn’t want to find out who my good-for-nothing parents were.”

Tei took a hold of the cell bars, using them for support as he stood and stared at Jaio, who was giving a melancholic smile.

“You were born, and your dad doted you and took so much time to look after you that I was left alone. I remember, from your mother, that I held out my hands and cried out to your dad as if he were my real parent. Of course, I don’t think he ever had the time for me. That’s why your mother took to watching me while caring for you at the same time.

“You didn’t know it, but we were often placed in the same bed together when we went to sleep. Your dad never understood why your mother even tolerated having a son that wasn’t theirs, but…your mother was a nice person. She did whatever she could to raise me as a second son, even though she knew I wasn’t. At the same time, I don’t think your dad believed in the same idea. If anything, he could only look at you.

“Time passed, and we grew up. Obviously, your mother tried to talk your dad into introducing me as a second son to you, but your dad refused. His excuse was simple: I was not their son. More and more, I was being shoved away from the house completely. But you know? Your mother never saw it like that. She saw me as someone who was in need of a parent.

“More time passed. We were at the age where we could understand simple words and the like. I don’t know what your dad did to make your mother comply, but we were grown up separately. I was made into a servant by your dad, and you became the only son in the house. Of course, the servants knew all about us, but they wouldn’t dare voice their opinion to the master of the house. Even then, your mother took care of me in the times that she wasn’t watching over you. I remember. How I had figured out that I was abandoned in front of the house, and how I had said I hated my parents for it. I treated your mother as my own. Yes, I remember. She would always pass a red ball over to me, and I would run over to it and pick it up and show her how fast I was at getting it. Even when I was as old as I am now, your mother would smile at me and ask me if I would like to spend some time with her. And that red ball was still the way she kept in touch with the memories of me as a little child.

“Then, suddenly, your mother grew sick. I began to worry, wondering why it was she was starting to fade away. Your dad would always kick me out of her room, thinking that I was wasting on her health. He started getting people from Lilion to look at your mother, but she just kept on fading away. One day, when I saw your mother afterwards, she smiled and told me that she just wanted to see me. Her last words were that she wanted to see both of her children standing side by side, living happily as two separate people. I can’t believe I’m going to admit such a stupid thing, but I cried that day. I cried because I realized the real reason that your mother was dying. I realized that she wasn’t sick because I was there like your dad thought, or that something had been happening in her body, but because she was depressed about our separation. I think I tried to tell your dad about that one time, but he didn’t think anything about it. He just kicked me out of the room again, hid me from you, and continued to worry about your mother. And soon after that…she died.”

Tei’s hands were shaking on the bars, and Erren was doing her best to put on a straight face. But Sleipnir saw that the both of them held a sort of passion in their hearts. The same, similar passion that some people had with each other, which had the ability to ultimately bond people together.

“I was the only child of my parents, and they left me a long time ago. I don’t want to think much of them.”

“It’s about your mother, Tei. Before she died.”

“Fortunately, I didn’t want to find out who my good-for-nothing parents were.”

“What…does that change?”

Everyone turned to Erren.

“All that tells me is that you’re just someone who was abandoned and left for this house. What does that have anything to do with…?”

Jaio laughed at Erren. “You don’t understand. I love Tei because that’s the only thing that my mother wanted. I wanted to love him like a brother, but I started to see inside his loneliness, his weakness. I wanted to help him become someone who could become free. I’ve seen how his dad treats him as if his life is already determined for him. If you think it’s weird for someone like me to care about Tei farther than family, then you’re wrong. I’ve had no one else in my life after his mother died, so how could you ever understand the feeling of not wanting the one you love to feel lonely?”

Something snapped in Erren.

“You…” Erren’s voice was shaking, but not with despair or sadness. “…’how could you ever understand?’ Do you think that I love Tei for no reason? Do you?!?”

Tei realized the mistake in Jaio’s accusation, and looked at Sleipnir. Sleipnir returned the look with knowing eyes, and Tei understood his role. Jaio was confused, unaware of what was going on.

“Do you think that you’re the only one feeling lonely? Do you think that you’re the only one without parents when they grew up?” Erren grit her teeth, staring hard into the chained Jaio’s eyes. “At least you had the love of someone else growing up. Me, all I could see was Tei and that was it! You’re not the only one who wants someone else to live with more love than they did!”

“Erren…”

Erren whipped around at Tei.

“You don’t…need to say anything else anymore….”

Sleipnir took a few steps back, eyeing over the situation.

“I know this is weird, but…I love you both. I don’t want you both to leave. To me, you two are…” Tei looked between the two, tears in his eyes. “…the only other people I have. After my mother died…my father was the only one who looked after me. Sure, I know he’s harsh sometimes, but…he would never do anything to hurt me, or any of you. He’s locked up in here, Jaio, but,” Tei touched the cell bars. “He hasn’t tried to kill you, has he? Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he’s going to do it someday. But if that day comes, then we’ll escape together. And…Erren, I want you to come, too.”

Erren was about to protest with her eyes, but something in Tei’s own eyes stopped her.

“I…I think my father may hate you as well. You heard him, right? He’s…always called you †˜that girl.’ Ever since I jumped into the water for you, my father’s put a tighter watch on me. I have reason to believe that my father doesn’t want me to be with any of you. So, even if you two hate each other, please…” Tei fell to his knees. “…please, don’t leave me alone. I’m not saying this because I’m lonely, but because I don’t want to leave any of you. I…I would run away with both of you right now if I had to prove it.”

“Stop right there.”

Sleipnir turned to the shadowed corner. It’s time to see the end of this, huh?

From behind the corner, a larger, older man came from the shadows.

“Father?” Tei asked, stepping back in amazement and fright.

Erren and Tei retreated as Hert E Redios stepped forward, shifting his head to look at the glaring Jaio still chained to the wall.

“I cannot accept this.” Hert said, unmoving in tone. “I will not accept this.”

Sleipnir held his breath, and Jaio looked almost ready to kill. Erren and Tei were watching Hert as if he were ready to strike someone out of pure spite.

“No one…will speak about Eufii in that way. I will not let anyone talk about running away, either.”

“So what?” Jaio countered. “How are you going to stop us?”

“Be quiet, Jaio, or I will have you punished even worse than you are now.”

“Just keep us quiet, just like Tei’s mother? Soon, Tei will be dead too, you know.”

“Do not talk about her ever again, Jaio! That is your last warning!”

“Isn’t it enough that you forced Tei and me to live separately? Isn’t that the reason why she died?!?”

“No, you are wrong! She died because she was sick of herself!”

A quick silence.

“What?” Jaio stared at the older man. “What did you just say…? What kind of lies are you saying? How could that ever happen?!?”

“What Eufii was afraid of the most,” Hert spoke sadly. “was the thought of having the two of you grow up together. Do you know how painful it was to watch her as she thought about this? No, you were wrong, Jaio. I had nothing to do with the decision for you two to live apart. In fact, it was Eufii’s decision after a long talk in our room.”

“That doesn’t…that doesn’t make sense! Why would she…?”

“I saw how it could have played a part in it, but she was wrong. It pains me to say it. Eufii had thought that if you two had grown up together, then you would have eventually figured out that you were never a part of the family. Even if you did not, even if you never had the slightest suspicion, Eufii could still not bear the thought of hiding a secret from someone she thought of as a son. Surely someone like you, Jaio, can try to understand the decision she had been trying to make?”

Jaio was silent, his hands slack on the chains.

“But as I had said and pained to say, Eufii was wrong. Sometime after that, you had conveyed to her how much you hated your own parents. It was then that Eufii realized her mistake: You had no intentions of ever leaving the house. What would have been a secret would have been dismissed by you in time regardless, since your opinion of your parents was bad in the first place. Furthermore, Eufii could not reverse the decision she had made, because she believed that that would be an acknowledgement that she agreed with you on the matter of your parents. That is, she would have to rejoice at the thought of you hating your parents. And that is something that Eufii could not do. You, of all people, should be able to understand why, right?”

The look in Jaio’s eyes was indescribable. He was filled with an emotion farther than self-hate: It was the feeling of sadness. Heh…you can’t be serious. All this time, all of this…all of this is because...? This really can’t be….

“But I do not blame you. The only thing I hate you for is trying to take away my son, by making him love you as much as I saw that you loved him. I admit that I was afraid; I have never, not even as a member of the Gerwe Society, heard of such a relationship before. And for that, I was afraid. For how could it be beneficial, for my son to…love…you, and not carry children? It is impossible. And for you to act the way you were, it was unacceptable.”

“No.”

At that moment, Sleipnir looked up at everyone. Everyone looked back.

“It is acceptable.”

Hert was too taken aback to respond, but Sleipnir went on.

“I’m sure your wife was a very nice person, and I’m really sorry for her and everyone here. But the thing that you have to know is that, even though this is all sad and all, your wife had one dyin’ wish that none of you ever really fulfilled. Do you remember, kid,” Sleipnir stared at Jaio. “what she said to you last?”

Jaio blinked.

”Her last words were that she wanted to see both of her children standing side by side, living happily as two separate people.”

It was then and there that I realized how powerful a miracle was. If I had known what a miracle was, I would have recognized it for what it was. The moment that man explained to us his part, I understood clearly, and I think that was a proud moment in my life. I’m shiverin’ to think of what would’ve happened if everything hadn’t played out the way it did that day. And didn’t I tell you that you’d be feelin’ weird, Lehan? Now, now. Shime, why don’t you drag him out of there? I’ll continue on, now.

“Now, this is just the opinion of an outsider, but I don’t think she’d be very happy right now if she saw you locked up in here, huh? It doesn’t matter how much you hate him,” Sleipnir added, turning to Hert. “but I’m sure that you never heard of her wish, and that’s why you wouldn’t have known. Don’t you…want to make your wife happy?”

Hert could not object to that. I…but…this is…

“You love your wife, just as much as she did for Jaio. As for Tei and Erren here,” Sleipnir turned to the two, the latter of which was eager to speak her mind. “I think you owe them a proper explanation. As a father who lost a wife and only has a son left, I think it’s proper for a father to watch over their son like a hawk. And jumpin’ off a cliff doesn’t help matters any.”

Tei blinked, surprised, then turned to his father.

“Is that…why you’ve been the way you were, Father?”

Hert could not reply. He only looked at his son, narrowing his eyes in thought. “As my son, you are the only thing that can succeed me in taking over the town. How else do I respond to losing something like that? Of course I would take care in how my son deals with someone who he would kill himself for?”

“I…!” Erren blushed, then became quiet.

“Ha!” Jaio taunted. “If that’d happened, you would be in this cell with me.”

Now to finish this off and get out of here. I don’t want to intrude any more than I already have. Sleipnir cleared his throat before leaning over and staring at Tei. “Now the only thing that’s left to solve is what we have to do here. Kid, now that you’ve got a good look at everything, it’s time to get to choosin’ what you want to do. Remember that little thing I told you about? Well, now I think is the best time to make your decision. It’s not a good idea to wait any longer than this. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for.”

Tei breathed in, standing up straight. He looked over Jaio, who was now turning away. His eyes passed over his father, who could no longer say anything else. And last, he turned to Erren, who also turned away when Tei laid eyes upon her.

“Nothing’s goin’ to be perfect when the time comes, and the choice isn’t going to be easy.” Sleipnir spoke one more. “But when it’s time to make a decision, then you’ve got to ask yourself if you’re going to make it or not. And that means you’re responsible for the consequences.”

Tei concentrated for a long time. Hert was going to speak out against Sleipnir, but something stopped him. Something in the wolf and Tei’s eyes were different, and something was in their eyes that silenced him to the very core.

“I…” Tei said. “I…!”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sleipnir nearly staggered out of the town. He stopped for a moment and breathed heavily.

“So, I’m going to be babysittin’ for a while, eh?”

Behind him was a dressed up Tei, who was wearing rather light clothes: A white shirt with smooth, brown pants. He had large brown boots strapped on, and his brown hair was more disheveled than the smooth, downed look it had had before.

“We’re only going to be traveling with you until we get near a forested area. I’m sure that Jaio is familiar with how to find food out there.” Tei pointed with a thumb behind himself.

Jaio sniffed a laugh.

“Just so you know, I’ve only killed animals so far. I actually spared that merchant’s life because he begged so badly.”

There was a laugh on the other side of Tei, and Erren patted Tei on the shoulder.

“I’m sure you did. You know, I wonder if you have any experience with gathering any plants. You’d probably get poisoned the moment you put the first one in your mouth!”

Sleipnir sighed. Well, at least I don’t have to feel bad at all about the way it all ended. The wolf thought back to the previous night, where Tei had decided to choose both Erren and Jaio and travel around for a bit. His father was a bit aggravated for a while, but Sleipnir was able to reason with him on his protective influence on Tei for the amount of time he had spent. Needless to say, Erren and Jaio were in quite the disagreement on the decision for a while, but Sleipnir quickly found that they held a common interest.

“So, Tei.” Erren slapped Tei on the back. Jaio grappled Tei around the neck.

“I wonder what we’re going to do?”

I don’t know if they still hate each other, or if they just enjoy making the poor kid feel bad. Sleipnir grumbled to himself. I guess the kid asked for more than he thought he would when he wanted to be true to himself. I’m sure Erren was a bit interested in other ways, though. Sleipnir joked to himself, watch Erren as she turned red at the sight of Jaio putting his face so close to Tei’s. As a result, Tei blushed and tried to push Jaio away, apparently something that Tei had not been so accustomed to doing.

”I’m…sure that with Erren, I can learn to be more aggressive.” Tei had told Sleipnir while packing his belongings. “I let Jaio tease me too much….”

…but it seems like now you’re gettin’ teased by both of them. Sleipnir watched again as Tei was being pulled in between Erren and Jaio, the latter pouncing onto Tei’s shoulders and threatening to put his lips on Tei’s cheek. Tei pulled away as Erren turned in the opposite direction, still blushing at the awkward relationship. Sleipnir was sure that Tei’s father was watching them from that window with the picture of his wife behind him.

“Huh. This feels so funny, for some reason….” Sleipnir whispered to himself. He raised his voice. “Everyone, are you ready to head out? Just to tell you, we won’t reach our next destination for about a couple of days. Try not to get to messin’ around too much while I’m around. Even though I’ve lived for a long time, I’m not too familiar with somethin’ like this.”

“Coming!” Erren called, running ahead of Tei and Jaio. Tei tried to chase after the girl, but Jaio kept on leaning on Tei with a sly face.

Well, Sleipnir thought to himself happily. At least the company will be interestin’ for a while. Times never do stop being interesting, do they?

After that, I dropped them off after we reached a certain place called Yelr. It was a nice, green place with plenty of trees and nice people. Yelr was a recent place, so it was nice to help out there for a bit before I moved on. Didn’t want to mess with the three on some nights, I admit. Don’t be shy, Lehan, it’s good for your knowledge. Don’t laugh, either, Shime, that’s not nice. Hm? I’m sorry, Rekka, I didn’t really hear that. Oh, how long ago was this? Well, if we had to term it in good time, I’d say about two years. It wasn’t really long ago; I think they’re about your ages now. Haha, don’t worry, Erial, I think they’re doin’ fine. Hm? I’m glad you enjoyed it, Len. I hope it was good enough for you, Rubi. I’m sure we’ll learn more about miracles as we keep goin’ on our own journey. And I’m sure, someday, we might see them again. Well, this wraps up this story. I hope everyone learned somethin’ from it. If you all ever get bored and want a story, I’ll try to tell you all something interesting.

After all, an eternity is pretty much all I have.