Arbitrariness of the Sign

How does one communicate? Mr. Ren was going to take me back to his camp. Apparently, there were more people. How should I behave? Now that I was about to meet new people, I had to wonder what communication was. Is it words? Is it symbols? I don’t know how to read because I am a stupid wrench, yet I understand Mr. Ren. So, does that count as communication?

How do each of my actions form meaning? Why do words, symbols and actions mean what they do? If I communicate, does someone else understand it the way I intended, or do they hear something else?

I was never taught this; I was simply instructed to remain silent and compliant. However, this approach seemed flawed, especially since Mr. Ren insisted that such behaviour was far from normal.

As we walked, Mr. Ren maintained conversation, perhaps to alleviate my unease or maybe just to pass the time.

“Kid, do you know where your father went?” he inquired.

“No, I haven’t seen him or anyone else for several days,” I replied.

“A few days? Have you eaten anything during that time?” he asked, concern etched across his face.

“No, but I don’t eat much anyway,” I responded. It was true that I would often go days without eating.

“Kid, when we arrive at the camp, you can eat as much as you want,” he reassured me, though a shadow of sadness lingered in his eyes. He added solemnly, “About your family… Before I came to your place, I heard they may have left the country. Not that it will serve them well. Unless someone locates the chalice, their chances of survival are grim.”

We continued walking for a while longer. Being outside the house felt strange, almost unreal. The vastness of the blue sky stretched endlessly above me. Dotted with fluffy white things called clouds. It was very pretty. I was incredibly fortunate to witness such a lovely thing.

Eventually, we arrived at a fenced-off area with large wooden spikes. A group of unfamiliar faces stood guard at the entrance, armed with spears and wearing armour similar to that in my home.

Mr. Ren approached one of the men. He had spiky red hair and a scar that marked one of his cheeks, while an eyepatch covered his other eye. His presence made me nervous, prompting me to instinctively retreat behind Mr. Ren, gripping the fabric of his cloak.

“Well, well, look who’s back.”

“Shut up and let us through,” Ren replied.

The man ignored him, his gaze shifting to me with a playful smirk. “Oh, what do we have here? You brought back a tiny little maiden.” He crouched down to my level, peering at me curiously. “What’s your name?”

I opened my mouth, intending to explain that I had been called many things and that he was welcome to call me whatever he pleased—but Ren cut in before I could say a word.

“Kid, this idiot here is Jason. He is an idiot, so feel free to ignore him.”

“Hey! Don’t teach her that,” Jason protested, shooting Ren a look of mock betrayal.

His reaction made me hesitate. “Are idiots not supposed to be spoken to?” I asked, scared. A flicker of worry crept in. I was an idiot—at least, that was what I had always been told. Did that mean I wasn’t supposed to be spoken to either? If so, was Mr. Ren making a mistake by talking to me? Would he get in trouble?

Ren sighed. “No, kid, it was just a joke.”

“We’re pals,” Jason added, suddenly throwing an arm around Mr. Ren’s shoulders in a friendly grip. He grinned widely, and though Ren looked mildly annoyed, he didn’t push him away. From the way Mr. Jason was smiling, it seemed they really were friends.

“Are you finished?” Ren asked, mildly irritated.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve had my fun teasing you,” Jason replied with a grin. Then, his expression darkened ever so slightly. “You should probably go see Lady Scarlet now that you’re back.”

“I was planning to report to her first thing,” Ren replied. “I also need to bring the kid to meet her.”

Jason turned to me, offering a compassionate look. “My condolences, kid.”

Lady Scarlet? The name alone sounded scary. The way Mr. Jason and Mr. Ren spoke about her made it clear that she held the authority here. If she was in charge of men like them, she had to be incredibly strong.

Mr. Jason, after all, was clad in heavy armour, and Mr. Ren had demonstrated enough strength to shatter chains with a single swing of his sword. If Lady Scarlet commanded respect from both of them, she must be at least twice as strong as them.

I swallowed hard. If she didn’t like me, there was no doubt in my mind—I’d lose my head.

Mr. Ren led me through the camp, which stretched out like a sprawling town. Rows of tents stood scattered across the field, occupied by people of all ages. I had never seen so many people in one place before. I had never even realised so many people existed in the world.

Eventually, we arrived at a tent noticeably larger than the others, standing at the heart of the camp.

Mr. Ren paused outside the entrance of the large tent. “Alright, kid, this is Lady Scarlet’s tent. She’s the leader around here.”

He glanced down at me, perhaps noticing my unease. His expression softened slightly.

“It’s alright, kid,” he assured me. “Lady Scarlet is a very kind person.”

Lady Scarlet was a young woman clad in an elaborate militant outfit of deep crimson adorned with golden tassels. Her fiery hair was a crimson red, starkly contrasting with Mr. Jason’s more subtle orangish-red spikes. There was also a presence about her that made me feel an instinctive urge to cower in her presence. While my heart raced at the sight of my stepmother or father entering my room, they paled in comparison to what I was feeling in front of Lady Scarlet.

Lady Scarlet had a cigar in hand. I knew what they were since my father indulged in the same vice. I wasn’t a fan of them because whenever someone smoked them, it meant it was almost time for the burning cigar to be pressed into someone nearby. I really didn’t like that part. Though Lady Scarlet had yet to press it against anyone, I was acutely aware that I might have been brought here for that very purpose.

With a deep breath, I rolled up my sleeves, readying myself for the anticipated burn. Instead, to my surprise, she placed her cigar down delicately onto a silver tray.

“Good to see you have returned, Ren. Did you find anything useful from that bastard’s mansion?” Her gaze was cold.

“Unfortunately, there was not much of worth except for this kid.”

Her cold gaze looked down on me. Her gaze felt like it was piercing through me, like she was decoding every last bit of information about me. After some time, she leaned back on her throne.

“I think I get the idea.” She sighed. “Well, kid, answer me this. If you could have one thing in the world, what is the one thing you desire?”

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

End Chapter 3