Blind Kid (2)

Darkness and chaos, a once thriving place, was now reduced to ruins and ashes. Only death and destruction everywhere he looked, the relentless monster's tide leaving nothing in their wake but desolation.

The skies were black with smoke, and the once-beautiful trees lay in decadence, streets now teeming with bloodthirsty beasts. The once-cordial buildings crumbled to the ground, their rubble littering the streets like the bones of long-dead warriors.

And amidst all this death and decay, the little Ledo runs and stumbles.

A lone soul was lost in the darkness, struggling to understand the horrors surrounding him.

Unlike what one might imagine, he could see everything at that moment. He who always wished to see now cursed such a feat.

He heard the howls of the monsters in the distance, their laughter echoing through the streets like the whispers of the damned. He saw the eyes of the beasts glowing in the darkness, a reflection of their malevolent souls. And he felt the cold breath of death upon his neck, the shadows of the monsters reaching out to claim him.

He tried to scream, but no sound escaped his lips. He tried to run, but his legs wouldn't move.

The darkness crept closer and closer until it consumed him entirely, and he was lost in this misrepresented world.

In the most desperate moment, when his mind was on the edge of breaking, he felt something grab him. They weren't the claws of beasts, they were human arms, he could feel.

The fetid and hot wind hit his face at high speed, indicating that whoever carried him was running through the ruined streets.

Soon, Ledo felt the darkness leaving his mind, he was still terrified, but his conscience was a little clearer, and he could see who was carrying him.

It was one of the veteran adventurers. Rumors said that he was once an officer of the capital guard.

"Those damn occultists, now they've got it." cursed the old man through his serrated teeth.

He looked directly at the boy he was carrying.

"You have interesting eyes, huh... Ledo!" said the old man.

Ledo, however, felt confused and distressed by the old man's words. Does he know my name? What about my eyes?

"Hey, Ledo! Ledo! LEDO!" repeated the man insistently. The voice slowly starts to sound broken and bizarre, like the scream of a ghost.

"LEDO!"

***

"LEDO!"

In the boys' dormitory, Roan, the chubby child a year older than Ledo, tried to wake him up with a worried look.

It was the beginning of the morning, and everyone had to get up to have breakfast and start their activities.

When little Roan went to the youngest Ledo's bed, he found him sweating and his body spasming. He had never seen anyone like this before.

"Ledo, what happened? Wake up!" he tried again, his childish voice visibly shaken.

Ledo jolted awake, gasping for air as if he had just been pulled from the ocean's depths. His heart was pounding in his chest, a wild, frantic beat that threatened to burst through his ribcage.

The world around him was a blur, a confusing jumble of shapes and shadows that made no sense, much more confusing and chaotic than your vision usually is.

He could hear the blood rushing in his ears, a deafening roar that seemed to grow louder with each passing moment.

Panic seized him, a vice-like grip that threatened to squeeze the life from him. He felt trapped; he tried to breathe and calm himself, but it was no use. The fear was like a living thing, a monster that had taken hold of him and would not let go.

He could feel the sweat beading on his brow and his hands shaking as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

The colored smoke that always accompanied your vision now was dark, the shadows stretching out like fingers, reaching for him. He could feel the darkness closing in, smothering him, suffocating him.

His thoughts were a jumbled mess, a chaotic tumble of memories and fears. He remembered the village's destruction and remembered the old man.

He was consumed by overwhelming fear; it was all he could do to stay conscious. He felt like he was losing his mind and falling into an abyss that would never end.

He lay there, gasping for air, as the world around him spun out of control.

"NANNY! ERIKA! SOMEONE HELP! LEDO IS DYING! HE'S DYING REAL HARD!" Chubby Roan runs out of the dorm screaming.

He didn't know what to do. The only thing he could think of was to ask his elders for help.

The orphanage wasn't huge, so their screams were easily heard, and almost instantly, old Nanny Irena strode into view.

She walked urgently and quickly while drying her wet hands, probably from cooking, on her apron.

Close behind, with the same urgency in her stride, was Erika. Irena's 26-year-old granddaughter, who helped care for and maintain the orphanage.

The two ladies approached Ledo's bed.

"Roan, what happened?" asked Irena.

"I don't know. When I went to wake Ledo up for breakfast, he was already dying!" Answered the chubby one, who followed right behind after having recruited help.

"Hohoh~ My dear, he's not dying!" Nanny Irena could barely hold back a laugh at her child's genuine concern.

She then sat on the bed and held Ledo without her arms.

Sweat beaded on Ledo forehead, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. But then, he felt a gentle hand take yours, warm and steady. A soft voice spoke soothing words, a calming presence that slowly but surely anchored him back to reality.

"You are safe now, my child. No one else will leave you any more!"

Ledo became aware of the sound of a slow and steady heartbeat and realized it was his own. Focused on the rhythm, letting it ground them and push away the panic that had taken hold. The hand holding him squeezed reassuringly, and he felt a rush of safety.

He took a deep breath, feeling the tightness in their chest begin to ease.

"That's right, I'm safe now." thought Ledo.

His breathing slowed, heartbeat settled into a calm and steady rhythm. Ledo finally opened his eyes, feeling a sense of peace wash over him as he "looked" into the gentle, understanding gaze of Nanny Irena.

He was enveloped in a warm embrace, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he felt truly safe and protected.

"Calmed down?" she asked gently.

Ledo took another big breath.

"Yes, Nanny, Sorry for worrying everyone!" he replied as he looked at Irena, Erika, Roan, and the other children who entered the dorm after hearing all the commotion.

"You don't need to apologize for anything, Ledo! You're not to blame for anything" This time, Erika answered. She smoothed Ledo's sweat-dampened hair with her fingers.

Ledo could feel the light of understanding in the voice of the two ladies.

Of course, he knew why. They thought he still hadn't adjusted to the loss of his parents. That might have been true in the past, but it wasn't the reason this time.

"Sorry~" He apologized again as he lowered his head.

It wasn't clear if he was apologizing again for worrying everyone or apologizing for blaming himself.

Only he knew it was for not telling them the truth.

Soon, everyone surrounded Ledo's bed to console him.

"It's okay man. I know how it is!"

"I remember Shanq even wet the bed back then!"

"You who wet the bed, your whole family wet the bed!"

"Dude, his family died..."

"Mine too. I'm in my place of speech."

"My god!!! You guys have no sense of tact."

"Shut up, Ana, you wet the bed too!"

"What is a place of speech?"

Seeing all the chaos around the bed, the two caregivers sighed in resignation with light smiles on their lips.

Calm but with mixed feelings, Ledo could laugh at everything.

His worries seemed to fly away.

Only... a part of his dreams remained in his mind, something he seemed to have forgotten, but I came back to him in dream form.

"interesting eyes?" reminded him of the old man's speech.