The House I Came Back To

The farm that Dahlia’s family owned was only a couple hundred acres in size—half of that of the average farm but still quite big in terms of walking distance. The average person would’ve been worn out by the sheer amount of walking I had done so far, but even before my training as a soldier, I was already accustomed to walking long distances as a photographer.

It didn’t mean that I wasn’t tired however, and I was still relieved upon hearing the sounds of farm animals in the distance, signifying that I was getting close to the farmhouse. It had been a while since I’d been back here, but I knew my way around because my home was located nearby.

In the distance, giant mountains loomed over the horizon. They were a part of the long mountain range that split the entire continent in two, and the valleys between the ranges made for good farmland, which was why a majority of the world’s farms, such as Dahlia’s, were located there.

As I got closer to the farmhouse, I saw a familiar figure in the distance—a tall, burly, middle-aged man who had a beard and scarlet-red hair and was built like a strong lumberjack—the silhouette of Dahlia’s father was unmistakable.

“Mr. Akizuki!” I called out as I waved over to him.

The gruff man looks up from harvesting the patch of carrots and seemed to be taken aback upon seeing me, but manages to gather himself after a few seconds.

“Lily…?” he said in slight disbelief, before dropping his trowel and running over to me to give me a big hug, “you’re alive! I’m so glad you made it back!”

When he finally releases me from his warm arms, he asks, “so… what about the others? Did they…?”

My face saddens, a painful expression forming on my face as I slowly shook my head.

“Oh… I’m sorry…” I apologized, “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s fine, you deserve to know,” I assured him, pulling out the letter from the front pockets of my bag, “but the main reason I’m stopping by is to deliver a letter from Hazel’s parents—I haven’t read what was inside, but my commander figured that he’d let me deliver it since the postal system seems have become unreliable.”

Mr. Akizuki gently takes the letter from my hand as he scratches his beard.

“A letter from those people huh?” he says, curious about what they had to say, “I wonder what the rich folk have to say to a commoner like us, but I’ll give it a read with my wife later on.”

He looks around the farm for a bit before turning back to me.

“For now, why don’t you stop by our house and I’ll get you some fresh ingredients and seeds for the month?” he offers, “The food economy’s been getting worse due to the announcement since a lot of farmers had given up and our machines have stopped working due to the gas shortage. Even farmers like my wife and I who haven’t given up are struggling to get our stuff transported since some of our sellers have stopped coming by. I know that you’re a photographer at heart and all, but you should try farming sometime. It helps keep your mind off… unwanted things, especially nowadays.”

Farming? I wonder, maybe living quietly should be how I live out the rest of my days… that’s the kind of life I had before the war anyway. It wouldn’t be so bad…

“That… would be a good idea,” I agreed, “thanks Mr. Akizuki.”

“Haha! No problem!” he chuckled before his face grew solemn. “Just take it as a token of appreciation for keeping our little girl safe for as long as you did,” he said, “and if you ever need any help with farming, feel free to stop by and ask.”

                                                                        -ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

I silently traveled along the dirt path through the forest that led to my humble cottage, dragging along a large wheelbarrow full of food and farming supplies behind me.

And just when I thought I would be done walking soon, I now have to carry this heavy thing behind me, I sighed.

This time, had I not had experience as a soldier, I was sure I wouldn’t have made the journey back alone.

Trying to distract myself from the burden on my left arm, I take note of how the now-barren trees had grown and changed since the last time I was here. Since I lived alone in the forest, no one had come to maintain the place in the two-and-a-half years I’d been gone, allowing the place to become naturally overgrown.

Now that I think about it, it would be pretty hard to farm in the forest wouldn’t it?

There were a lot of things that I had to take into account such as forest land being naturally bad for farming and needing to fend off small animals that attempted to eat the seeds.

There’s a small river nearby that I can use to water the plants, and the fallen leaves can be used to refertilize the soil, I begin to plan, and any animal that tries to steal from my food supply is going to become a part of it... There should also be a few more natural resources nearby I can use, but I haven’t explored this area much since I’m not at home very often…

A few moments later, I spotted a small clearing in the forest up ahead, signaling that my house was just a few more paces forward. Emboldened by this fact, I quickened my pace, using the last of my stamina to do so.

Finally! I excitedly think as I begin to imagine all the delicious meals I could eat again, after months of war rations, I can finally eat some real food!

I quickly park the wheelbarrow outside on the steps of my small porch and grab a few bags of vegetables before making my way through the door, however, upon entering my home, I immediately freeze upon seeing what was inside.

“Woaahhh this is where you live? This place is amazing! And to think that you didn’t live that far away from me this entire time!” a bright, cheerful voice says as a girl with short, scarlet red hair with matching eyes and a pair of goat horns on her head rushes past me.

“Haha.. it’s just a small cottage Dahlia,” I hear a past version of myself humbly say.

“Nice photowall you got there,” a deeper, tired, and almost mother-like voice says, as Hazel enters from behind, “you didn’t tell us you were a photographer.”

She had bright, lemon-colored, asymmetrical hair—her right side slightly longer than her left—tied in a short ponytail on the shorter side to balance out the disparity, and wore a brown doctor's coat specialized for combat. Her long black fingertips were sharpened like spider claws, and her slightly tired eyes seemed to reflect the fact that she was the oldest amongst them.

“It’s… kind of a hobby of mine,” I hear myself say again, “having a good memory isn’t always good… it overwhelms my mind with information, so I take pictures and seal my ability away so I can selectively remember the things I want. That wall over there holds some of my favorite pictures and memories, and I often like to stare at it when I’m feeling gloomy so that I can instantly take myself back to the good times.”

Suddenly, a tall black lady with fish scales along her right arm, walks up to the wall and stares at a picture of a tall waterfall with gentle eyes.

“That’s the waterfall in my hometown of Sacromos, isn’t it?” Iris asked, her voice gentle but mature and authoritative. She had wavy, dark blue hair and wore golden earrings that matched the color of her eyes.

“And that’s the Grand Library of Rau, the place I work at,” Hyacinth adds, staring at a picture of an enormous, regal, gothic library, her voice deep and softly masculine.

She had emerald green eyes and dark purple hair that was tied into a short ponytail, and had a large sniper rifle strapped behind her black tactical cloak that she wore over a modest scholar's outfit. It wasn’t obvious at first glance, but her skin was soft and squishy like a cuttlefish.

“Is there anywhere you haven’t been?” a harsh, disciplined voice says as I turn to look at Peony—a girl with silver eyes and pink hair tied behind her in a thick braid. She wore a black kevlar vest and a white combat jacket similar to Dahlia’s that hid her large gray exoskeleton of an ironclad beetle on her back.

“Hmm, probably the tourmaline cities of the Lotus Order on the other side of the continent,” I said.

“Then, after the war, let’s all go visit the Lotus Order together!” Dahlia enthusiastically suggests, “I hear they have giant lotus-shaped buildings built on top of their giant lakes, and their capital building is said to be so tall it reaches past the clouds!”

“Heh… that does sound interesting.” Hazel said, “make sure to take a picture of me when I get caught climbing it Lily. I want to see how high up I can get before they catch me.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea…” Hyacinth mumbled.

“Well in either case, you seem to be our new team photographer now,” Iris says, patting my shoulder.

Dahlia gives me a rough smack on the back and says, “hehe, then let’s take our first picture together right now, so we always have something to look back to.”

The sounds of Peony’s unphotogenic complaints and Dahlia’s insistent pressuring along with the rest of the team’s knowing sighs and chuckles slowly drift off into the past as I stare at the photo of my team that was now plastered onto the wall along with the other pictures.

I stand there completely still, as if frozen in time, before my hand holding the bag of vegetables starts to tremble. Just as I'm about to drop it however, I take a deep breath, regain my grip, and calmly place it on a nearby table.

I then walk over to my lights and turn on my fridge to restart the cooling process once more. Luckily, the power source for my home came from the large nearby windmill farms along the mountainside, and the fact that everything seemed to be working so far implied that they hadn’t been destroyed yet.

I should go start the garden…

I walk outside and take a few tools along with a bag of seeds, and mindlessly begin tilling the soil, having completely lost my appetite despite being so hungry just moments ago. Upon digging into the dirt with the hoe, Dahlia’s voice echoes in my mind.

“When tilling the soil make sure to remove any obstructions first, and then start tilling in parallel lines. Then you have to—”

I smack away a small nearby rock, and as I do so, the voices of the past disappear once more, leaving me alone in my silence with nothing but a calm wind blowing past me.

What’s the point? I asked myself, why am I doing this?

“Because you have to eat,” Hazel’s voice suddenly says.

“But… why?” I ask out loud this time, but no one responds back.