5 First Hurdle (1)

Time passed as I am now 3 years old. I, however, am still stuck in this room ever since I came to this world. The size of this room is nothing to complain about but I would like to experience going out, breathing the fresh air of the outside world and maybe go on an adventure but that was all wishful thinking as I am still stuck here. The room is as big as a one-room apartment in my old world and there is a veranda outside which is the size of a single room apartment. Once in a while my mother will take me to the veranda and watch the fields of flowers below us. Once in a while, a gardener would pass by while tending the flowers and wave at us. My mother would then smile and wave back at them. It seems my mother is good to the servants and people like her. The maidservants that would come to the room to clean would never mention anything bad behind her back.

While I was looking outside all you can see are different colors of flowers. This sea of flowers that were well taken care of was said to be a hobby of my grandmother though I have not met my grandmother yet, my mother keeps telling me that grandmother and grandfather are very busy. She liked to take care of flora and fauna since she said it had a calming effect. I thought it was a wonderful idea since the view is so beautiful. If you look farther ahead you can see large trees covering the vicinity of the area. This must be the reason why the air is so fresh and clean. As I inhale this fresh air it rejuvenates me, comparing to my old world the environment here is worlds apart.

My sister still visits me every day even though she is busy with training and studying. I found out how my older sister can be so mischievous with her antics. There was this one time when she decided to prank the maids, she took all of their clothes while they were all bathing and hid them in the guard's room. That made a commotion all over the mansion. you can see more than 10 ladies with wet hair all burning with fury towards the poor guards that did not do anything. My sister who was watching all the mischief that she made laughed out loud. Her bell-like laughter was heard by all the people and they all knew that this event was caused by the young lady of the house. She was reprimanded by my parents and was not allowed to see me for one week as punishment. I guess she felt down about that because the mansion did not have any mishaps for a couple of months.

There was this one time when my sister was so excited to tell me stories about her training achievements that she went into the room covered in mud and dirt. She was then again reprimanded by my mother for her actions which are unladylike. I felt like my mother's words were incorrect since they let her learn swordsmanship it is bound to happen, but since I still can't speak then I can only keep mum. They should add proper etiquette classes so Alicia can be more conscious of her actions.

Alicia one day came into the room but this time around she did not carry any book with her but even so her eyes were sparkling and her smile looking mischievous. I feel like she is up to something again.

"Max look here, I am now a certified novice swordsman." Her chest puffing out full of pride looked funny to me. And how can even one be considered certified, I wondered.

"So Max do you want to get out of the mansion? Let's go outside and roam the forest for a bit. Don't you feel sad always inside this room? Let's go play outside." My sister brimming with confidence said that. I was a bit apprehensive but the sound of adventure made my eyes sparkle with excitement. My sister saw my reaction and her eyes went crescent with a smile.

"Don't worry Max in the outskirts of the forests there are only goblins and red-eyed rabbits so I can take care of them. That was the last part of our training in order to move up as a novice swordsman. I can protect you."

My apprehension was blown away when she said those words. I felt like the outskirts will be safe enough with my sister around. I nod my head as a confirmation and my sisters' beautiful smile was a sight to behold. She started to dress me in pants and shoes, a jacket and a hat. My sister was wearing pants, a dress shirt, and a leather protector so she must have been prepared. She took me by her arms and we stealthily went out the mansion. I thought more people would be around the mansion but I was surprised when we were not caught because of the lack of people.

"Hehe, I did it, Max. Ain't I the greatest?" she said those words proudly full of happiness. While we were outside she would tell me about the things around us. I was so excited as I look around all over the place. Animals, trees, houses, grass, crops everything looked new to me so my head was spinning all over the place. The vast sky covering the plains was a grand sight. When we were going out and passed the farmlands people would bow to my sister to show respect and she would smile at them in return. We continued to work for a couple more minutes and we have reached the outskirts.

"Uncle Martis did say that you would have fun looking around and look how excited you are." The words my sister said had suddenly put doubts into my mind. I may not know who this Uncle Martis is but I have never heard of his name. I am only a normal 3-year-old boy while my sister might be a novice swordsman but she is only 8 years old.

Naïve

I was too naïve and I did not question the things that I saw around me.

Why were we able to get out the mansion without any obstructions?

Where were all the people in the mansion when it was always brimming with life before?

Suspicion grew in my heart and I started to be afraid of the consequences of me and my sister going out. We are not in the safety of our mansion and we have not told anyone about us going out. Another thing I've noticed is my sister is not carrying her sword. She used to always carry it with her all the time. My mother would even scold her when she forgets to take it off in my room.

What should I do?

I tried to open my mouth and talk to remind my sister that we have to go back but no words escape from my lips.

God damn it not again.

Will I not be able to do anything in this situation?

All I could do was tug at my sister's sleeve to get her attention but suddenly there was a movement behind the bushes not more than 10 meters from us.