The Two Moons

Mom came from Nizarkhas, a city on another continent. She said it was a place that kept many books from various lands. It also had many unknown tribes, cultures, and strange medications. Even with such things, Nizarkhas was abandoned due to extreme weather and powerful monsters.

Many cultures began to be lost and abandoned.

One of those cultures was a ritual from my mom's homeland. When a child reached the age of nine, they performed this ritual as a form of gratitude for the parents' hard work and love in raising their child. The activity was carried out at home and only attended by close relatives.

Frankly, Mom was hesitant. She didn't want me to be bound by traditions from a distant place. In this regard, I didn't mind. Strengthening my bond with my mom was something that could not be missed. Still, mom was hard to persuade.

Fortunately, Rosch supported my idea. With him around, persuading mom was a piece of cake. I meant, Rosch was great at it. Once mom agreed, we rehearsed for a week.

The long-awaited day arrived. I stood before them and was ready to begin. I was nervous. It was like the first time I presented my work in front of the company boss. This time, I was in front of my parents.

Breathing slowly was the only way to calm me down. It took some time, but it worked.

I stepped onto the carpet and was in front of Mom and Rosch. In the process of the ritual, they sat on chairs side by side. Both wore wooden sandals with the same pattern. A peculiar pattern.

As the subject of the ritual, I went to the kitchen to bring a basin of water. On the way back, I could not spill any drops and should not take any random steps. I had to walk at a slow pace with my head held high until I reached Rosch and Mom.

I folded my legs and sat down while moving the basin near their feet. I bowed slightly to them and spoke the opening sentence of a distant tradition.

"By the body that was born from the essence of the earth, I, Damna, come before you both. O Father and Mother, givers of goodness who fill my soul, allow me to sweep the grains of dust from your feet. As a proof of devotion, as a token of gratitude."

Rosch and Mother patted each of my shoulders gently. "We give you the honor, O my son."

As my parents' bodies leaned back again, I immediately began the next stage by washing both of their feet.

I started with Rosch. Gently, I lifted Rosch's feet with my right hand, then slid the basin directly underneath his feet. With caution, I removed his sandals and lowered his feet into the water. I cleaned his ankles, heels, and fingers. I repeated this step three times.

Afterwards, I lifted his feet, wiped them, and kissed them. Then I moved the basin and put on the wooden sandals before releasing his feet to the floor.

The first phase was complete. Next was Mom's turn.

I repeated the same thing. Washing her feet in the same way. Unlike Rosch, I solemnly kissed her feet. It took so long that Mom uttered my name, maybe she was worried. Realizing that, I quickly put the wooden sandals on her feet as before.

I lifted the basin and placed it outside the carpet. Then I sat down again in front of them, bowed, and said a heartfelt thank you. With that, the ritual was complete.

Mom flew up and hugged me close. "You are so great, dear. How did you manage to do it so perfectly?"

Rosch also came to crush me with his muscular body. "I'm touched! My son is amazing!" This man shed real tears.

Their excitement was uncontrollable. Compliment after compliment kept being showered on me. To be honest, I didn't understand why they felt so proud. This ritual was quite simple and even much easier than doing work in an office with a tight deadline. However, their bright faces were a worthy outcome. So I didn't mind.

The hustle and bustle in the house suddenly vanished when mom started crying.

Huh? Did something go wrong?

I was hesitant enough to ask so only the word "Mama" came out of my mouth. She suddenly tightened her embrace and landed a peck on my forehead.

Responding to my words, Mom shook her head and smiled. "I'm just feeling too happy, dear."

Before I could return Mom's sparkling smile, Rosch grabbed me forcefully. He held my body high in the air like a trophy.

"Look at Damna, the son of Rosch, he's going to be a great and influential man on this continent... no! In this world!" Rosch laughed loudly without a care in the world. "Isn't that right, Farida?"

Rosch's words made me realize that Farida was present as an observer. She also helped me with the entire preparation.

"That may be an exaggeration, Mr Rosch. But I'm sure Damna will become someone who will be influential in the Abbas Kingdom."

Her praise brought an innocent smile to my face. Wait, why did I blush so easily today? That was enough. If I kept it up, the child instinct inside me would start to take over the situation. Although, that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

In a happy moment, Rosch suddenly cleared his throat aloud. He gave me to mom and then adjusted his gesture. Once again, he cleared his throat.

"Today, we have important news!" he said, "Jeng! Jeng! Jeng! We have a new member in our family!"

...

Eh? Did that mean Farida became part of the family? Was Rosch that savage?

Rosch shook his head over and over again when he saw my expression.

Thank goodness. It wasn't. I would disown you as a father if that were the case, Rosch.

"Damna... you will have a sibling!"

"Huh?"

Sibling? Sibling? Wait. Wait a minute! Huh? I couldn't digest it well.

I never thought I would have someone share the same blood with me. From my experience, no one wants my existence. And then Rosch said I would have a sibling. It was the wildest assumption. I had no idea what to say.

"Huh? Damna, why are you crying?" Rosch was surprised, acted strangely, and then came to wipe my cheeks.

Hearing his response, I immediately noticed the tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Eh? Why am I crying?" I stammered.

Wasn't happiness usually welcomed by laughter and big smiles? And happy cheers? So, why were my tears falling?

Amid my useless questions, Mom kissed my forehead. "These tears are tears of joy, sweetheart. A reflection of your soul's beauty. Congratulations, Damna, you will become a big brother."

My mouth froze. Not a single word came out other than the whimper of a child that I couldn't control. This body was truly troublesome. However, I was glad about it.

***

Two weeks passed after the news of my mother's pregnancy. Almost every day, I was around her. While cooking in the kitchen, sweeping the house, and even waiting for her to come out of the bathroom.

Mom laughed at my madness. To the point where she said, "You're just like Rosch!"

"Eh? Is Rosch that caring about you, Mama?" The sentence slipped from my lips.

Mom laughed again. The vibrations in her voice washed away the guilt I had been feeling. Honestly, the sentence that escaped earlier was quite insolent from a child to their parents. I regretted it quite a lot. Even though I had promised Farida to treat Rosch well, somehow, I often failed.

"Of course, sweetheart. Unfortunately, he has a strange sense of humor." That sentence ended with a chuckle.

I laughed too. As it turned out, I wasn't the only one who thought Rosch had a strange sense of humor. It felt like I understood even more why blood ties were so special.

If only on Earth, I could treat my mother like this.

Enough, Damna. Regret won't bring anyone back from the dead. Right now, I needed to focus on making this little family happy. I was the son of Sonja and Rosch. Soon, I would become the big brother of my little sibling.

Mom stroked my head gently. "Sorry, dear. I can't carry you like I used to."

I folded my arms across my chest and smiled proudly. "What are you saying, Mama? A big brother shouldn't be spoiled, right?"

Mom's hand tried to block the laughter that was about to burst out of her mouth, but she failed. Her fingers quickly pinched my cheeks, perhaps as revenge for making too many jokes.

"Damna?" Farida appeared from behind. "We're going to start class."

"Hurry up and go, sweetheart. I can handle my work." She ruffled my hair.

I nodded, released a smile and left with my teacher.

Well, we didn't study inside the house today. Farida said it would be fun to go outdoors once in a while. Farida stopped at a big tree and we sat down under its shade.

"What are we going to learn today, ma'am?"

"We'll review everything you've learned."

" Yes, ma'am."

Another test. In the past few months, Farida has been doing this a lot. Could it be that I had learned all the material?

Farida asked from the simplest things. She started with basic magic, basic geography, and basic language. It was followed by heavy material such as the political conditions of the Abbas Kingdom, the Hell's Gate, and the reality of life as an adventurer.

Because Farida's class was so enjoyable, the day passed so fast. That was until my mom came to bring lunch for both of us.

"You guys... don't forget to rest."

Hearing Mom's voice finally broke Farida's focus. She checked the sunlight and the surroundings. Then she stood up and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Sonja. I got carried away."

Mom laughed at her stiff reaction. She patted her on the shoulder and said, "It feels like you two became very close, doesn't it?"

I gasped at Mom's words. I realized that it was true. Maybe because Farida had lived at home for so long, I wasn't awkward around her either.

"Hurry up and eat,"

"Huh? You're not eating with us, Mama?"

"I have to go to the village hall for a medical check-up, sweetheart."

"Do you want me to accompany you?"

"Your father is at home, let him act as an ideal husband once in a while."

I laughed at that. The ideal husband, huh?

Mom waved her hand, turned around and went back into the house. Meanwhile, Farida and I settled down to enjoy this delicious meal.

While eating, I recalled something.

"Sorry if I offended you, ma'am. Errm, I wanted to ask you something."

Farida wiped her lips and put down her bread. "Just ask. As long as it's not about classified information, then it's fine."

Classified information? Was there anything else apart from the recent magic method? Interesting. Wait a minute. I shouldn't be distracted by any subjects or sciences at the moment.

My question arose because I saw her manners and the way she communicated. Even when dining out like this, she looked elegant. If she claimed to be a noble, of course, I wouldn't be surprised.

"Are you a noble, Ms. Farida?"

Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened briefly then quickly turned into a chuckle.

"I see. However, what you have in mind is wrong, Damna. I am not a noble. I am the daughter of a servant in a royal family in the Southern Continent. After my mother passed away, I continued her work as a maid there. In addition to manners, working maids are required to be able to read, write and calculate. Perhaps because I lived in such a strict and disciplined household, I instinctively imitated the habits of the nobles there."

"Did you enjoy working there?"

Farida touched her lips. A faint "hmm" sounded.

"It was a little fun. Because while I was there, my employer often rewarded me with books for doing good jobs."

"Then how did you become a teacher? Didn't you explain in your class that maids generally can't change their lives easier? I'm quite confused."

"Honestly, I'm confused too," Farida chuckled. "If I think about it, maybe it's because I was proposed to by a nobleman-"

"Eh! A proposal?" I cut her off.

She put a hand in front of her lips to stifle her giggles. "That's right. A nobleman who was a coworker of my employer proposed to me. At first, I didn't understand what that meant. I thought he wanted to hire me. I spontaneously turned him down."

Laughter burst from my mouth. In an instant, I covered my mouth with my hand. "Sorry, ma'am. Hehehe."

Farida shook her head. "When I remember it, it was indeed a hilarious experience."

"Then how did it go?" Somehow, my enthusiasm grew.

"My employer scolded me. After a few days, I was sent to a women's school. There I learned many things. Preparing to become a bride took a lot of time and effort. Then I met a teacher and because of her, I discovered what I wanted to be."

"To become a teacher?"

"That's right." She smiled. "For the first time, I had a passion for myself. It's something I'll never forget."

"Passion, huh?" All this time, I never thought about it. I just wanted to live well, to be a dutiful son to mom and Rosch, nothing else. As long as I could live comfortably, there was nothing to worry about.

"Does Ms Farida think it's okay if I don't have any goals?"

"Don't you have any?"

I shook my head.

"Not a single one?"

"No, I don't. I've never thought of anything other than living here comfortably and having a job with a stable salary."

Farida laughed again, but her tone was mocking. "Look, you're just like an old man."

"Eh! I'm still a kid, ma'am!" My heart almost stopped. I thought she was making a deduction about my identity, but it turned out to be a joke.

"I mean, what you want is not wrong, Damna. It's something very logical. To live well and be with people we consider important. But are you sure that's all you want? With your brain capacity and curiosity, you should be able to become a bigger person."

Bigger?

"Become a giant, for example?"

Farida pinched my cheek. "I mean, be someone who has a big influence. Maybe not like your father wanted, but be someone you can be proud of. That's not a bad thing, right?"

Something to be proud of? Perhaps a civil servant or a prime minister? Could a village boy like me get a job like that in this world? The socio-political conditions in this country were unlike those on Earth. If you weren't royalty, the only way to get a chance was to make a name for yourself. Whether it was through adventure or research. Both ways were equally difficult.

I simply couldn't make up my mind right now.

"Ms Farida is amazing. You managed to survive such a life until you found your passion and forged your path. I admire you more than ever."

She replied to my compliment with a sweet smile. "Thank you. By the way, you don't have to be so formal with me, Damna."

Formal? What exactly did she mean?

"You don't need to add the honorific or 'ma'am' every time you say my name, Damna. At least outside of study periods."

I shook my head five times in three seconds. "No, no, no! I don't want to be impolite to you."

She looked at me, then ducked while hugging her legs. "I feel like you're easy to discuss with, exchange ideas with, deal with problems with, and help a lot with my research. It feels...like you're an adult. A friend of the same age."

Her words were like lightning striking the heart. For the second time, she mentioned me as an adult. This was dangerous. "N-No such a thing, Ms. Farida. I'm still a child."

"You may be a child, but your mindset is so admirable. I like that part of you, Damna."

My heart was racing. Sweat poured out due to my body temperature increasing for no reason. It was strange. It was something I'd never felt before.

"Damna? Are you okay?"

A gentle touch landed on my cheek, I recoiled spontaneously and replied in a stammer. "I-yeah, I'm fine."

"Sometimes, you can act like a child, huh."

Her lips curled upwards, her eyes guarded by glasses, her rosy cheeks, the strands of hair swaying in the wind, and her heart-stirring laughter. All of it blended to form such a beautiful image. I was speechless.

What sort of feeling was this?

After lunch, the class resumed. However, I couldn't concentrate at all until Farida reprimanded me several times. I was still thinking about the strange thing I had just felt. Even on the way home or in the bathroom. This scared the hell out of me.

At night, Farida suddenly asked me out. Something unexpected.

As long as I lived here, I had never gone out at night. Maybe because the darkness out there made it difficult for me to move around. Well, that was an excuse. To be honest, I was too lazy to do something that had nothing to do with my studies and my parents.

However, tonight was different. Farida and I were walking out of the house. There should be no problem. We were both capable of protecting ourselves. So I nodded and agreed. Somehow, I found it hard to look into her eyes.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"We're going to learn a bit of astrology."

Astrology? I didn't find it in her teaching syllabus. Could it be some free knowledge? If so, I would gladly accept it.

"We've arrived," she said.

We stopped in front of one of the trees at the end of the wheat field. About three hundred meters from the house. Farida sat there and then used white-fire magic to create light without any heat. She used it as a temporary lamp.

"Come here, Damna. Sit next to me."

I nodded. Although there was a worry that I could not express.

"Now lie down and close your eyes."

Eh? Lie down and close your eyes. Wasn't that a bit eerie?

No! I committed to trusting Farida. No hesitation!

I went over and sat next to her. Then I closed my eyes and lay down.

"I have extinguished the magic. Now open your eyes and look up," she said.

I slowly opened my eyelids. In an instant, amazement flooded my mind. Although I've seen outer space through satellite images, the sky portrait I witnessed tonight blew my mind.

The stars looked like jewels emitting vibrations of life. They formed lines like brush marks on a painting. Every second that passed, I saw comets raining down on the horizon. However, the most amazing thing was the two celestial bodies that formed like a pair of glasses in the night sky.

I pointed at them and wanted to ask.

"Those are the Two Moons, Damna. Also known as the Twin Moons."

Farida answered the curiosity I hadn't asked.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

I turned my head while releasing the excitement in my chest. "That's right! It's so amazing-"

My tongue froze as our eyes met. Perhaps a sense of wonder flashed through and overcame me at this moment. Yet, my eyes could not blink. I saw another sky residing in her eyes. So shimmering and magnificent.

Silence overtook us. Until a sudden pain caused me to wake up instantly. A tightness in my pants.

"Are you okay, Damna?"

"I-it's okay, ma'am-I mean, Farida. I just need to pee."

My words elicited a laugh from her. "Then hurry up. Because there will be a story about the Two Moons."

I nodded and quickly ran while lighting up fire magic. I opened my pants and squatted down. The pain I felt was the same as when I held back the urge to relieve myself. Yet, time had passed and no urine came out.

Looking at it, I was sure it was a sign of urination. But other than urination, was there any other sign that made my pole stand straight up?

...

Did I get horny?

***

The Two Moons, mostly known as the Twin Moons. They were celestial bodies that decorated the sky and acted as protective satellites. That's what I thought, but these twin moons had a different story from the moon orbiting the earth.

Farida said that all the monsters in the world came from the pale moon. They descended from there because there were no resources to survive. The great crisis caused madness and forced them to descend into the world to survive. Unfortunately, the world was very different from the place they came from. Unable to survive, their minds perished and they became monsters.

Then the bluish-colored moon, that's where the holy beings reside. A world filled with great mana and all-natural wealth. However, that place cannot be occupied by humans. If a human lived there, his body would deform into a different creature within seconds.

Farida explained that researchers at the Institute of Magic had repeatedly tried to explore the blue moon. They used 100 fire dragons to traverse the atmosphere, developed technology utilizing fire and wind magic, and even tried it from the highest peak in the world, Mount Acrius. It all ended in vain.

"They stopped the experiment fifty years ago," she said.

The story told by Farida provokes curiosity. Fascinating. I thought that with magic existence, humans in this world would give up on developing technology to explore outer space. As it turned out, my guess was wrong.

Alas, something went wrong. Despite Farida's earnest explanation, I couldn't take my eyes off her sparkling eyes. My attention crawled down to her glittering lips. It went down to her chin and neck and arrived at the two moons nestled beneath her clothes.

"Damna?" A pinch on the cheek brought me back to reality. "Are you listening?"

"S-sure! I'm listening, Farida. It would be a shame if their experiments were stopped. Maybe there's something extraordinary on the blue moon, right?"

Farida let out a long sigh and turned her face to the sky.

Eh? Did I wrong?

"Sorry."

Farida glanced at me and chuckled. "No need to apologize, I was just teasing you a little."

W-this woman...

"Do you need to relieve yourself again?"

"N-no, I'm not. Just a little nauseous. But it's okay."

My hand did stroke my stomach. But, it was a disguise. My control pole suddenly rebelled again. Even though I had given it a lesson, it was still defiant.

I needed a distraction. Something silly enough to distract my body from focusing on it.

What about the horned cat? No, it wasn't funny.

Bankrupt bird?

Moonwalking frog?

An honest political party?

Uh! What was I thinking?

Probably a gorilla picking its nose. Then it licked its nose and swallowed it.

Urgh! That was gross!

"Damna, if you're not feeling well, we should go back. We can continue another time."

I smiled and tried to hide my crisis. "Thank you, Farida. Yeah, I don't feel so good tonight. Sorry."

She nodded, “No worries.”

We both got up and dusted off our clothes. I walked behind her while keeping my distance so she couldn't see me.

Thanks, Farida. You saved the night.