Memories I

The night was silent in Taranios, everyone was now sleeping. The three moons were up high in the sky. They were one of the first things that had surprised Iwao when he was reincarnated in this world, but they had now become part of his everyday life.

The city was so vast that any street could lead to a place where no one seemed to go. Celi and Iwao were walking together toward the northern part of the city. However, it looked as if she was walking alone. Iwao was using his invisibility to not be seen. 

They passed streets where different creatures – too large to fit inside their owners’ houses or apartments – were sleeping, like the giant ostriches from earlier. 

A third person’s footsteps could be heard not so far away behind them.

When they were far enough from any dwellings, Celi broke the silence that had reigned between them since they had started walking.

“I want to know you better.”

“Why? Aren’t my appearance and my powers scary for you? If you’ve known me for a while now, you must have seen what I am and what I can do.”

“I’ve only seen the outside, not what happens inside, if you know what I mean.” She said this in a playful tone, as if to encourage him to talk about it.

They remained silent until they arrived near one of the city’s fortification wall. Celi immediately looked around to make sure no one was in her field of action. Then, she whispered some incantation words and a viscous material flowed from her hand, forming a cube around them.

“Don’t worry, Mister invisible. This material won’t drip from the roof of this box. No one can see or hear us inside, so feel free to drop your spell. You’re tired, aren’t you?”

“I’m not... tired. I must not tell her the truth. I have to stay on my guard. But I will cut it off just to speak face-to-face. It’s... or rather, it was a habit of mine long ago…”

Iwao became visible and sat down on a pile of boxes inside Celi’s barrier.

“Even if I saw you earlier, Mister Invisible…”

“Just call me Iwao. It will be better.”

“You’re exactly what I thought you’d be. I know my instincts are well-honed and never deceive me.”

“What are you talking about?”

Celi looked Iwao straight in the eyes, her head tilted slightly to the right, amusement dancing in her gaze.

“Now that we are bathed in the light of the moons, I can see her well. She’s beautiful. But I can’t think any further about that… I’m a monster, not a human. In fact, even as a human, I would never do anything that could corrupt my missions.” Thought Iwao, his mind heavy with responsibilities.

The surprise on Iwao’s face at seeing Celi’s appearance quickly faded, replaced by seriousness. He refused to be distracted again.

“You know, Iwao, I’m not always this serious. In fact, I like to smile a lot. When something triggers my interest, I throw myself into it with everything I have to know it better.”

“But why me? I’m just a hideous creature, feared by everyone who sees me – even by other creatures as strange and ugly as I am.”

“Because… it’s not you, right? I told you, I see things that most people can’t see.”

Iwao was taken aback by her response and let out a small gasp... He shook his head to regain his composure.

“So that’s how you knew where I was earlier?”

“Good answer, Mister Iwao!”

“Don’t call me mister, please. I’m not that old. I didn’t want to ask earlier, but now… even if you don’t tell me everything, at least tell me what you used to see me and why you followed me. I never sensed your presence once, so either you lied, or you’re incredibly good at hiding. If that's the case, you'd be unbeatable at hide-and-seek.”

Iwao couldn’t help but let out a nostalgic laugh as he remembered playing this game with his mother once. He lost, hiding under his bed. His mother found him easily, but when he crawled out, he was covered in dust. They both laughed so hard at the sight.

“Hide-and-seek? What is that?” Celi asked, puzzled.

“Don’t worry about it. Just answer me, please.”

Celi sighed deeply. She knew that, to earn Iwao’s trust, she would have to reveal things she had wanted to keep secret. She removed the long sword she was carrying on her back and laid it on the ground before sitting next to Iwao. Only then did he noticed she was carrying a sword.

“So she’s a fighter and a real adventurer after all. Who else can casually transport a sword if that’s not the case?”

All traces of joy vanished from Celi’s face.

“I’m disappointed, Iwao. You didn’t ask me questions to get to know me better, and I didn’t have the occasion to do so with you. It’s as if you don’t care about a newcomer in your life. But fine, we can do that later! It’s not a happy story, but I think you won’t judge me for what I’ve done. When I was still a child, I had a normal life, but my father was a strange man. He devoted his life to magic, constantly pushing its boundaries. One day, he told everyone in our small village that he was sure unseen creatures were roaming our streets, waiting for the right moment to attack. For him, it wasn’t just normal ghosts of dead people. These ones could hurt anyone if they wanted to.”

“But how can he knew that they were here if he couldn’t see them?”

“I told you he dedicated his life to magic, didn’t I? He recorded everything in his notebooks. After his death, I read some of them. I knew already a few things, but I learned more from those writings. In one, he said that when studying the flow of Firia in the village, he noticed something strange. Normally, the flow of Firia can’t be disrupted, but in the village, it was. And not only that. Impurities seemed to be floating in, always fresh, as if something had just been there or passed by moments before.”

“So that’s how he knew. But if you read his research and acquired his knowledge, does that mean you saw me the same way? I know Firia behaves strangely around me, so it must be that.”

“Yes and no. My father could not really “see” what they really looked like. After his discovery, he protected the house with spells and locked himself in his study to work. Months later, he developed a new spell to see them and see what can’t be seen usually. It wasn’t the first time he’d done something like that. He was a genius in this field, which is why he devoted his life to magic. He wanted to protect the village. In his books, he wrote that it took him many attempts before his eyes could withstand the spell to see them. It worked. But he was so terrified by their appearance that he never described them in his notebooks.”

Celi caught her breath, speaking quickly to keep sadness from overtaking her, though tears shimmered at the corner of her eyes

“He fought them. They were easy to kill, despite how they looked. My father was relieved. He had almost killed all of them. But one night, at dinner, while smiling and talking to me and my mother, he suddenly froze, as if he couldn’t breathe. A handprint appeared on his neck. Before we could react, his head hit the table. Panicked, we checked for breath. He was dead…”

She broke down in tears. Iwao, at a loss for words, tried to comfort her, but nothing came out of his mouth. The tragedy she had lived was too great for empty reassurances. 

Minutes passed. She calmed down on her own. She had dried her tears. Neither of them noticed the small holes appearing in the viscous barrier, the spell disturbed by Celi’s emotions.

“Don’t worry, Iwao. I had to tell you all this so you could trust me. I don’t know what you’ve been through, and I’m not trying to outdo your suffering. We’ve only just met, but while following you during all this time, even if we didn’t talk once, I felt that you were suffering like me, that you would understand. I want you to be the one to free me from this burden. I'll finish this quickly, I promise.”

“Take your time. I know how heavy certain events can weigh on the mind and body.” Iwao replied softly.

Iwao wanted to be the listener no one had ever been to him. He didn’t want to repeat the neglect of his parents and others in his past life. He couldn’t ignore the problems of someone who trusted him. Once calm again, Celi continued.

“I always believed my father about these monsters. Even if I didn’t fully understand the scope of his work back then, he had already told me about his eyes and what he saw. I knew one of those creatures had killed him. My mother and I cried so much… I was only eleven. Before we cremated him, I asked to take his eyes, but only one was intact. The other… well… was ruined, the result of all his failed experiences. I took the good eye and studied healing magic. With what I learned, I then removed my own eye and replaced it with his. I healed myself, reconnecting all the nerves, and even changed its color to match my other eye. I could now see the invisible things, though I never encountered the creatures that my father fought. They weren’t in the village anymore. I only saw their impurities. I didn’t give up. I became an adventurer to be stronger and be able to kill them all, to fulfill my father’s mission. But if I can use my power for other things along the way and after that, I will. I’m ambitious.”

Celi stood from the boxes and turned to face Iwao. She looked soothed.

“Between missions, I wandered a lot, lost in my thoughts, desperate to find something. Two years ago, I came near a strange forest. The aura that emanated from it gave me goosebumps. I leapt onto the tallest tree near the entrance of the forest, and used the Gazer spell to see from afar. That’s when I saw you, or rather, with the help of this eye, I saw the real you. You’re human inside, aren’t you?”

Iwao shot to his feet, stunned. The boxes toppled over, and for seconds that felt like eternity, the only sound was silence.