Ch 35 – A Boat Drifting Along a River

"Ka… leid… o…"

'Huh?' As a young child around the age of ten opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of a woman with long black hair and fair white skin staring at him with a gentle smile.

"Mom?" The young boy muttered while yawning.

"It seems like you fell asleep while on the way here," the boy's mom chuckled and ruffled his hair.

Surprised to hear this, the boy hurriedly looked around and saw the familiar interior of his family's car. Next, he stared out the window and saw the blue sky with drifting blue clouds, the wide expanse of green grass and rolling hills, and trees with rustling leaves.

As the soft gusts of wind draped his face, he heard a voice mutter right beside him, "Hmm?"

Turning his head around, the young boy finally noticed his younger brother who has just woken up rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Hehehe, we're here already, sleepyhead," Kaleido smiled and caressed his younger brother's head.

"Good morning," his younger brother smiled upon seeing his brother's face.

"Come here already, you two! Go help your father set up!" Hearing their father shout from outside the car, the two's eyes lit up and they hurriedly got out of the car.

Click!

As the car's door opened up, the two carefully planted their legs down on the grassy ground and stared around in wonder at the enormous field of nature and greenery around them.

"Uwah…" Kaleido's younger brother gasped, his eyes twinkling with adoration for the scenery he just saw.

"It's so beautiful…" Kaleido muttered, extending both of his hands out as gales of wind rushed to greet the two children.

Just as they were about to turn around, a hand suddenly patted down their heads, surprising the duo.

"What are you two dozing here for?" A warm smile greeted them as their father's face surfaced in their vision.

"Hehehe," as the two children chuckled, they hurriedly followed their father and went to the flat ground near the car and saw their mother was already setting up a white blanket on the ground.

Rushing up to her, the two quickly picked up items from a basket close to the blanket and helped their mother set up for the picnic.

Kaleido and his younger brother helped placed the food on the flat blanket in an orderly fashion, while his mother and father went to do the other chores the two children can't do, such as pouring the drinks into their respective glasses.

After a short while, the family of four sat down on the large white blanket planted over the green ground, with foods and drinks placed near them that produced a mouthwatering sight, causing the two children's stomachs to grumble.

Sensing the two were already hungry, the gentle mother of the household chuckled and smiled, and said, "Are you two already hungry?"

"Mmm!" The two nodded their heads in unison.

Seeing them react quickly, their father laughed and said, "Then let's eat already!"

Not waiting for their parents to act, Kaleido and his younger brother hastily grabbed their food and stuffed it into their mouths.

As Kaleido bit into the soft white bread and the crunchy vegetables within, he chewed and the juicy meat and crunchy vegetables swirled inside his mouth to create a cacophony of flavors.

Each bite seemed to add to the flame of flavors within his mouth, expanding and causing the flame to burn brighter and brighter until it became a blooming firework.

In only a few minutes, Kaleido already finished his first sandwich and went for the next delicacy.

Stabbing his fork into a food with a texture and sponginess of a rice cake, he lifted it up and saw a trail of cheese fall down and split into two as he pulled it closer into his mouth.

Chomp.

A burst of sweetness and slightly salty cheese engulf his senses; as he chewed on the chewy rice cake-like food, he felt as if the flavors mixed and mashed to taste better and better with each chew.

Even though it was chewy and sticky, it was also soft and pleasant to munch on, like a thing whose chewiness was between gum and soft bread.

As he ate more and more of the array of food presented to him, he finally felt like he couldn't eat anymore and let out a satisfied burp.

Feeling slightly thirsty, he went on to the grabbed the glass of orange juice placed near him, and felt the moist glass wet his palm.

Raising it, he swirled the orange-colored juice and heard the sound of ice clanking slightly.

When his lips touched the glass cup, he rotated it and sweet and refreshing orange juice guzzled down his mouth and throat, giving a cooling sensation from his mouth, down to his gullet, throat, and stomach, refreshing him of the array of flavors ranging from sweet to salty in his mouth.

Upon eating to his fill, he lets out a satisfied sigh from his mouth and looked at his younger brother who has also finished eating.

Seeing his dirty face, Kaleido lets out a soft laugh and went to pick up a napkin placed in front of them, approached his brother, and wiped his face clean.

"You need to clean yourself if you're dirty unless you want to be made fun of by others," Kaleido kissed his brother's cheek and ruffled his hair, causing him to nod his head seriously.

"I will!"

Finding that his parents were still eating, Kaleido slowly stood up with a groan and pushed his body up with his childish hands which piqued the interest of his younger brother.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To the car, I brought some stuff along because papa said there's a river nearby," Kaleido answered and saw his brother extend his arm out towards him.

Grabbing it, he pulled with a slight amount of force, and his brother quickly stood up with his help.

"Can I follow?" The boy's eyes glimmered.

"Hehe, sure," responding with a smile, the two headed off for the distant car and Kaleido grabbed a stack of paper from it.

"Paper?" the boy asked while following Kaleido into the distance.

"We're making paper boats," Kaleido answered while looping his arm around his brother's neck and shoulder, pulling him closer.

"Really!" as his eyes sparkled with joy, Kaleido chuckled softly and raised the paper near his younger brother's eyes.

"Yeah, and we're having a competition to see who can have their boat travel further," Kaleido smugly replied.

His reply seemed to have grabbed his younger brother's competitive heart, and he answered, "Bring it on!"

…

After walking for a short while, the sound of a distant river entered their ears, and their eyes lit up.

Quickly taking off into a sprint, the two rushed up a small mound and saw the river in the distance, with clear water traveling downstream, with wet rocks and grass near its periphery.

Even from a distance, they can see numerous fishes and other creatures swimming or living near the river, causing their eyes to shine brightly at this magnificent beauty of life and nature.

Walking down the mound at a brisk pace, they approached the river with stars in their eyes and stopped a few meters away from it to then sit down on the ground.

Passing multiple pieces of paper to his brother, Kaleido smirked and said, "You better hurry up and not be a slowpoke."

"Hmph, just because you're older doesn't mean you'll win."

Focusing on his own paper, he swiftly moved his hands and folded the paper to form a triangular head and a flat bottom. Next, he folded the bottom upwards, enveloping the triangle that was created previously.

After that, he followed the steps inside his mind and created a simple paper boat in minutes.

Moving his gaze towards his brother, he saw that he has also finished his own paper boat, and the two nodded at each other.

Just as the two were about to stand up and approach the river to finally compete against one another, they suddenly heard a voice behind them, spooking the two who were completely focused on creating their paper boats.

"What are you two doing here?" Hearing the familiar voice of their father, the two turned their eyes behind them and saw him walking up to them down the mound.

"Papa!" The two quickly rushed over, hugging the tall man into a tight squeeze.

As he quietly laughed, the man noticed his two boys were holding onto paper boats, instantly knowing what the two were planning on doing, "So you two want to compete to see whose paper boat would go further?"

"Eh? How did you know?" Kaleido's younger brother asked, surprised at the correct guess of their father.

"Hehehe, you think that two geniuses like you two wouldn't have a genius father?" Smugly replying, the trio fell silent for a second before the two replied.

"That's cringe, dad."

"Mmm!"

Seeing his very own children making fun of him, the man snorted and ruffled their hair.

He then smiled, saying, "Why didn't you guys invite me to play with you? Are you afraid that I would win easily?"

Provoked by his words, the two replied, "No!"

…

A few minutes later, a group of three stood before a river, each holding a white paper boat in their hands.

Each of them had their own design for their paper boats; some were complex, while others were simpler.

As they squatted down, the father said, "Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Letting go of their boats, they watched as they were quickly grabbed by the stream of water and drifted along the shores of the river.

Staring at the boats floating away into the distance, the father of the two suddenly said out of nowhere, "Did you two know, but our lives can be considered similar to those three boats traveling the river."

"How? Aren't they boats while we're humans?" Kaleido's younger brother asked, confused by what their father said.

"I'm only speaking metaphorically."

"We can be considered just like those three boats, traveling and drifting along the streams of fate and time."

"Because of the chaotic nature of the river, the boats would randomly face tough situations at any given moment," their father explained, pointing at the three boats that were shaking and trembling under the might of the river.

"It's just like how fate isn't a smooth path. We sometimes face our own problems and rough situations in life as we travel further downstream on this river of time."

"But if we are weak, with a feeble will and fragile hearts…" The man paused, and the trio saw that one of the boats, his boat, suddenly sunk down, "Then we would be devoured by the river, unable to return afloat."

"Remember, you two," their father grabbed their shoulders tightly, continuing with a deep voice, "Only those who are weak fail to persevere and are left unable to see the brighter future ahead."

"You must remain strong against any adversaries in the world, endure and persist with all your might in the present and past to see what lies ahead downstream in that vast river of time; if you find that your fate is one of misfortune, then just break through the restrictions of destiny and pave your own path."

As Kaleido's eyes shone with brilliance, his vision suddenly warped while staring at the river where his boat burst through all adversaries and disappeared from his vision.

A magnificent palace appeared floating atop an endless river of white, and as his vision pierced through countless walls and obstacles, he saw a man.

A man with hair and eyes split into black and white, wearing a simple black and white robe; his eyes were cold and distant, but they suddenly turned and stared right at him, and a strange yet familiar feeling suddenly bloomed within him.

Like glass shattering into countless illusory fragments, a pair of eyes opened, and Kaleido muttered, "Huh?"

AN: This chapter has 2010 words.

Spoiler, but Arc 2 is where things are gonna get truly rowdy because Kaleido will acquire a certain ability that can allow him to start playing the mysterious marionette behind the curtain of shadows.

Anyways, remember to send power stones, comment your thoughts, and save the book to your library because...

I might drop this novel soon and go full scumbag and write a harem smut dual cultivation eldritch deity devil plot twist novel with a little bit of pure wholesome gay romance on the side.

(February 7, 2023 – 439th day of writing)