465 Bitter Memory
“Yuyui, is this really what you want to do?”
“Yes mother.”
“Are you sure? These are dangerous times. Evil lurks everywhere. Music won’t save you. Why don’t you learn something? Anything to defend yourself?”
“Father…”
A scrawny man sat by Yuyui on her bed. His eyes showed nothing but love and concern as he embraced his girl who had now grown up. His soft black hair which was pushed back by the tides of balding from the forehead up, made his face clearer to the girl, his words more meaningful.
The woman who remained standing, looked at the father and daughter duo and almost wept.
Their good-natured child, too good for scolding or whipping had just announced that she wanted to journey to the Belvion Union to find a renown musician she had heard about and follow in her footsteps.
Such a relaxed dream.
All she wanted was to bring melody to the world.
“I’m not good at fighting father. Singing and… strumming a lute or playing a flute is all I can do. And it’s all I want. I mean… even the Deities think so. I’m a Bard and… it may not be much but…I like it,” she said as he puckered her lips and gazed intently at her father.
The man buckled under his daughter’s gaze.
She had never disobeyed him. Or at least his bias which rose as his little girl grew up into a kind-hearted angel clouded his mind from all the bits of mischief she had committed in her earlier youth.
Still…
“I know my dear,” Yuyui’s father stroked her chin softly while brushing away the tears she was about to spill. “Your music is bliss. To me and your mother. The whole town thrives on it. But… out there, without status or strength, everywhere you go, they’ll be nothing but evil that wants to consume you.”
“At least wait until the rain blows over, then we’ll organise a carriage to go on a safe travel route. Alright?”
Yuyui had been gripped by the passion of youth to explore everything she could. To travel to all the towns and cities while playing her songs.
It was simplistic but it meant the world to her.
A visit to the local Temple had revealed her Direction to be tied to music.
Even now, Yuyui recalled the aged priest’s words.
‘Your Direction will tremble and spill a dramatic change in your path when you sing a song from the heart. A song of great pain. A song of great happiness. A song of great triumph. It may be in this order, it may not, but the Deitess Listafelle will be with you.’
Yuyui favoured the Deity Listafelle of the waters.
She dreamed of travelling across the seas one day to which she hoped Listafelle would protect her on her journey.
That was a distant goal though.
As her parents insisted that she stay the night, a plea made with nothing but love and care, Yuyui relented.
To ensure her parents didn’t think she was upset, she helped her mother cook a lovely meal. It was rather fun with the downpour outside that gave a cool and noisy aesthetic which beat away the boring silence of the evening.
The two giggled as they cooked, with Yuyui asking her mother, “Mother, have you remembered why our hair is green yet? I want to tell some epic story to Lalliana when we meet. She’ll definitely ask why I have such unusual hair.”
Yuyui’s mother wore a cheeky smile.
Unlike Yuyui’s lime green hair, hers was a lot darker, being a forest green colour that seemed a bit more natural.
“I still don’t remember, Yuyui. Your grandmother once told me but I don’t quite remember. It was beautiful tale but sadly, your mother didn’t take it to heart.”
“That’s not what you said last time! This is a different excuse! You’re lying!” Yuyui pouted.
“No its not!” her mother defended herself as she teased Yuyui with a big hug.
The rest of this night ended with smiles after a hearty meal and when the morning came… sadly the rain did not cease.
Yuyui was a bit distraught.
She had thought by today, the rain would allow a window for her leave as per her parents’ request but it seemed that was not possible.
Yuyui didn’t want to upset her parents by insisting on leaving again so she decided to just wait it out.
The rain wouldn’t pour forever.
It wouldn’t.
It certainly wouldn’t.
***
Yuyui was lost in a torrent of memory that spun chaotically in her mind.
It had been smooth sailing to recall a bit of everything that had happened but now, her memory got jumbled.
Mother.
Father.
Home.
She remembered this but…
Huff! Huff!
Yuyui started to breath heavily as she huffed in air, her emotions running amok under Skullius’ gaze.
The Hybrid Luman was alerted to Yuyui’s sudden shift through his senses, his focus getting drawn to her as he wondered what was happening.
The lime haired girl puckered her lips as flashes of memories that she vaguely remembered sparked in her vision.
That day.
That morning.
It wasn’t just the rain.
No.
There was something more.
She remembered the sky turning dark.
She remembered the town getting wrecked.
Screams, gurgles, screeches.
Rope tied on people’s necks as some were taken, some killed.
This…
This chaos..
Yuyui’s eyes started to water as the figures she had just now remembered…
Mother.
Father.
She saw them.
They were with her.
Urging her to run through the pouring rain as they fled…
As they bled…
But…
In the end, she ended up alone.
What happened?!
What caused this?!
She couldn’t find them.
These two most important people in her life?!
Where was the rest of this?
Where was all of it?!
Yuyui felt a rush of rage, a burden of sorrow and a swelling in her chest that dragged down the tears that had started to brew in her eyes.
“Yuyui… what’s wrong?” Skullius asked.
The girl in question shut her eyes, one of which was always covered by the bangs to mask its secret.
Her face swelled and moulded together around her features as she clutched her chest and exhaled a deep mourn, tears streaming from her eyes.
“Yuyui!” Skullius lightly called as he rose and clutched her shoulder.
The moment he did, Yuyui felt a sense of relief, as she was brought back to the living reality.
But the sorrow didn’t go away.
She felt the skin on her forehead hurt from the bitter face she made, her inner pain drawing her to lean in on Skullius.
As she did so, with grief painting over her formerly cheerful face, the skin on Yuyui’s forehead split, making way for something Skullius hadn’t expected at all while the lime-haired girl seemed oblivious to it!
An eye popped up within the fleshy space that emerged, its pupil turning to the nearest individual around!
…!
Skullius felt a sweeping wind that blew over him from the sharp gaze of this eye, this wind shredding something on him effortlessly like dust being carried away in a storm!
…!!!!
What in the world?!
This something that was blown away…
What was it..?
What was…
“Oh shit bro…” Skullius murmured to himself in shock.
The Penetrator stood tall within the fine eatery.