Can It Stay Like This Forever...?

It was just us three… Being the oldest I took on the responsibility of raising my little brother and sister.

It has not gone well so far. The constant moving from village to village and never being able to tell them why, took a toll on all of us.

I had to be their father when I wanted to be a brother.

However, things started to seem brighter once we got a house in a village called, Unser. We started to talk to each other again, and since they are much older and can take care of themselves, I can be the big brother that they had forgotten.

The small village is located up north, snowing for the majority of the year, but incredibly hot summers.

Living in this village came with one condition, work, lots of work. The mayor of the village allowed us to live in a small two bedroom house for free; since the previous owners had just moved out, on the condition that we helped with the village. I was hired to help with blacksmithing and gathering firewood since I was strongest. My sister Circe, worked with the herbalist and Corban is a waiter for a cafe. The village is surprisingly well known, as adventurer parties would commonly travel through to rest or grab extra equipment.

I usually start my day working at the smith. My sword making skills are far from what you would call decent, but not bad for only going at it for a couple of weeks.

While slamming a hammer on the red-hot metal, Ritza, a large six foot six man, with a bear-like aura noticed me and started walking closer.

He has a black and burly beard, a heavy leather apron grey from the years he worked at this station, but never wore a shirt, and had the biggest hands.

Despite his looks he had kind brown eyes, and dark skin. He grabs my shoulder.

“Hey rookie! How's that sword coming along?”

“Fine…”

“What? Still mad about the last one? I keep telling you it’s fine!”

Ritza squeezed my shoulder a bit harder.

“Listen, you can’t expect to get good in one day! Eh! I’m happy that you're the only one in this stinkin’ village WHO TOOK AN INTEREST!” Ritza yelled twisting his head back at a boy from the communal well in the centre of the city.

“Whatever father!”

I wasn’t only mad at breaking the last sword I tried to make, which I cooled it off too fast and it shattered, but recently I have been having nightmares about my parents, that wakes me up very early.

“Listen rookie, there’s somethin’ on your mind, take the rest of the day off, I’ll pay you, don't worry, I can’t expect you to do a good job while acting like this.”

I never met someone as kind as Ritza before, my boss in the last village we stayed at forced me to work overtime, without pay of course. All I could do was smile.

I gave him his hammer back and took off my relatively clean apron.

“Thank you.”

“Get some rest kid,”

We both exchanged smiles and I headed back home. Once I got to our small bungalow, I grabbed the key out of my pocket and twisted until the door clicked open.

“Circe! Corban!”

Walking into the house, I noticed the wood in the fireplace had been replaced, and the table was clean. I took off my shoes and headed down the hall looking for Circe and Corban. I first checked their room which has two soft beds in the left and right corners and a small wooden dresser separating them. I frowned, usually Circe was in her bed lazily reading a book. I then checked the bathroom, which was a small room with a stone floor and a drain. We have a wooden bucket to get water from the well, and a mirror hung on the wall kindly donated by Ritza.

“Circe! Corban! This isn't funny!”

I finally checked my bedroom, it has a super comfortable chair made of wolf hide from the previous owner, which is why I found Circe sitting in it.

She had her arms straight up reading a book on different plants and herbs.

“Circe why the hell didn’t you answer?”

“Oh, I'm sorry Damian, I thought you didn’t like my annoying voice.”

She was referring to our last argument.

“Where’s Corban?”

“Still working at the pub–”

The sound of the door creaking open interrupted Circe, so I went over to investigate.

Corban closed the door behind him with a cloth bag filled with vegetables and another with meat in his right arm.

“Why weren't you home? Your shift should have ended an hour ago.”

I didn’t mean to sound demanding, but I came out like that.

“I was… It was busy…”

“If you went to get food you can just say that.”

Corban set the food on the table before going to the bathroom. I then got out a metal pot from beside the fireplace and placed it on a wooden counter facing the window. Grabbing the bag, I started cutting the carrots, potatoes, onions and meat.

Corban came back with the bucket from the room and left the house. He came back with the bucket full of water from the well. I poured it into the metal pot with the vegetables and meat, then I hung it from a metal rod above the fire. Corban got a lid and placed it on top.

“How was work?”

I said regretting how I got mad at him before.

“Okay…”

“Nothing bad?”

“No.”

“Any girls with…”

I started acting out having big boobs with his hands. Corban snickered.

“Sadly no…”

We talked about his work and embarrassing stories about Circe. Once the stew was ready, I set the table and called for Circe.

“Circe! Get your ass over here!”

Circe reluctantly came with her face buried in the herbology book. I snatched the book out of her hands and started waving it above her head just so she couldn’t reach it.

“Damian! What the hell! Give it!”

“Not until you sit down and eat!”

“Fine!”

She sat down in a pout, crossing her arms as Corban dished out her stew, giggling. We all sat down eating our meals, afterwards we cleaned up except Circe who went straight to bed reading her book. I was the last to go to bed, making sure everything was locked up. I walked to my room and left the door open. Falling into my bed, I fell asleep instantly.

“AHHHHHHH!”

I woke up to the sound of screaming, jumping out of bed and froze. Looking around I noticed I wasn’t in my house. On top of that, I felt shorter and… Younger.

Running out the door of my childhood home, I was blinded by a red light, as my eyes adjusted, I noticed buildings on fire, people running and screaming. Pain. Fire. Destruction. Looking towards the well I noticed two people, one man and woman.

“Dad? MOM!”

My father and mother turned around, then my father spoke.

“Son! Run! Leave us! Take your brother and sister!”

I wanted to help, but didn’t want to disobey him. Pain. Regret. Were the only emotions I felt at that time. My mother spoke as well.

“Go! We love you!”

Pausing for a moment, I ran towards my house taking Corban and Circe. The sounds of flesh being pierced echoed through my head.

Waking up once again in my current house I jolted up. It was still dark, but I couldn’t fall back asleep after that. As the sun started to rise, the light shined in through the windows brightening the house.

Circe and Corban walked out of their room, rubbing their eyes.

“When did you start waking up early?”

Circe asked as she casually took a apple from the counter.

I coldly ignored the question.

“Wash your clothes, they’re starting to stink.”

I then walked out, slamming the door behind me.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,”

I didn’t want her to know, to burden her with my problems. She had enough to deal with, plus what could she do? Circe couldn’t stop my nightmares.

Like every morning, I walked to the blacksmith.

“Good Mornin!”

“Good morning Ritza.”

I tried hiding it, but Ritza noticed instantly.

“Didn’t get much sleep?”

“...no.”

“It was your fault, you realize that right?”

My head shot up, completely forgetting my tiredness. That phrase he said, that wasn’t Ritza, it was someone else.

I clenched my hand into a fist.

“What. Did. You. Say?”

“I said… Maybe working on your sword will wake you up? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry,”

His kind eyes reappeared, I must be hearing things. It must be my lack of sleep, he would never say something like that.

I went back to work, heating up the rectangle piece of iron, flatting it with a hammer, heating it up until it was red hot, smashing the hammer against it again. Once the piece of metal was at the desired length, I started to hammer the sides making a blade on either side. Moving to the top I made a triangle point at the tip of the metal, then thinned out the other end, until it was small enough to hold with one hand. Ritza came behind and slapped me on the back.

“Great job rookie!”

“Thanks, I could have heated the metal a bit more and hammer the sides more carefully.”

“Good! Each sword you forge will become stronger and stronger, and knowing where you went wrong is the fun part.”

Ritza slaps my back once more, letting out a deep laugh while doing so. I started to pack up and head home, it was sundown.

“Hey!”

I turned around acknowledging Ritza.

“Remember… You killed them both.”

I frowned but brushed it off, blaming what Ritza said on my lack of sleep. Falling into my bed, I closed his eyes.

Once again, I woke up to the sound of screaming, but this time I wasn’t young. I woke up in my current home. Listening for a while longer, I realized it was coming from Circe and Corban’s room. Jumping out of bed I kicked down their door to witness corpses burning. Charred skin. Rib cages open, organs spilling out. The smell of burnt bread floated through the air.

An indescribable feeling stabbed me.

It felt like your hair standing up before you get struck by lightning.

“If you couldn’t protect us?—”

I snapped my head back to a woman talking, but no one was there.

Turning my head to the beds again, I saw my parents standing in front, holding hands with Circe and Corban.

“—How do you expect to protect them?”

My father finished my mother’s sentence. I looked towards my mom.

“You're weak and pathetic.”

“NO!”

I jumped up from my bed throwing the fur blanket off, and sprinted to Circe and Corban’s room. Bursting the door open, but not enough to wake them, I let out a sigh of relief. Circe was sleeping with the book of herbology on top of her face, and Corban on his side.

Why is this happening to me…?