A Mother's Blessing

Before I went inside the house, I examined the sheathed blade once more, admiring how valuable Akane's gift indeed was. I felt grateful to hold such a memento, but I wondered if I really should've accepted it.

I decided to push that matter off to the side for now and stepped into my home. As her custom in the evening, my mom greeted me warmly. "Welcome back, Haru! Dinner's already on the table!"

I usually cleaned up before joining my mom for some food. But part of my conversation with Akane popped into my head, so I took a very breath and approached the kitchen entrance. My mom was busy rearranging various items in the kitchen, a custom she enjoyed once a week.

"Hey, Mom… You've never left town before, right?"

"Hmm, that's an interesting question… Yes, I was born and raised here. And your dad met me in this town during his travels. He loved the town and me so much, he decided to stay here and settle down with me. So yes, I've always stayed in Kolm. Your dad would tell me so many stories about the world, I felt I was out there with him… Haru, what's brought this up?"

"Well… I've been doing some thinking…"

"That's for sure," my mom interrupted in a jovial tone. "You've had this long face for the past several days. What's been on your mind?"

"Soooo… I'm thinking about leaving Kolm and traveling around the world on a journey. And…"

"Wait! Whaaaat?" My mom placed the plates she was carrying on the counter closest to her and turned in my direction. Her tone raised an octave as she drilled into me. "But why? Everything important to you is in this town. Me, your home, the townspeople, your shop, even Akane… What could be so important you'd leave all this?"

I wanted to cower underneath the table from the weight of her words, but I had to stand my ground. With as much confidence as I was able to muster, I replied, "You've heard about the reports about the recent increase of violent activity around the world. But, I can't find it in my heart to just stay here and do nothing about it. At times… I'd think about what happens to the people I guide through the dungeon, and I feel guilty knowing some of them get hurt or even worse… and I'm here safe in this town doing nothing to help in the fight."

"And why should you feel so guilty about what happens to them?" my mom argued back. "You did all you could for them here. It's their responsibility what happens to them in the world. And besides, you have a responsibility to the people in this town…"

"No…" I hollered, raising a hand to stop my mom from finishing her next thought. "I do have that responsibility to those I've met not from this town, and I wish I discovered it sooner. Especially when one of those people can only look to me to be there for…" I paused for a moment and then whispered, "her…"

"What did you just say? For her…?" My mom looked perplexed, but she continued, "Are you talking about Akane?"

"No, I'm not talking about Akane…"

"Sooo!" At this point, my mom didn't hold herself back. "You want to leave town for some random girl you just met?!"

"She's not just some random girl!" I yelled back. "She's fought this battle to put an end to all the evil things affecting this world for so long... But, she's been doing it all alone. She's had no one to turn to, no one to even give her a chance. It looked like she felt so liberated when I was willing to listen to her. And after what she told me, I knew I couldn't just stay here and leave her to be on her own anymore…"

I clenched my right hand and slammed my fist against the wall. "Mom, I have to do this!"

"No! No! No!" Tears began to stream from my mom's eyes. "I've already lost your father… I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too…"

"You mentioned my dad traveled around the world, and he managed to survive it all… I'll make sure to watch myself even more than he did…"

"You're nowhere near the level he was at!" my mom screamed. "You'll never be as good as him…" My mom put her hands up to her mouth, realizing the mistake she just made. "Oh no…"

I quickly turned away from my mom and ran up the stairs to my room. I heard my mom's fading voice say, "Haru, I didn't mean that…"

I slammed the door and hurled the armor I had equipped across the room. An incessant barrage of thoughts swirled in my head as I laid down on my bed, my eyes staring up at the ceiling.

How could my mom say that? I'm that much weaker than my dad ever was? He was just a carpenter when he was still alive. How could he ever understand the danger of all the battles I've been through?

And she's also preaching about helping those in need… Maya felt so grateful I was there for her... And I promised I'd get stronger and be by her side to end her struggle once and for all…

And I already have Akane's blessing for the journey. Sure, she's been acting a little weird around me lately, but it's just because she suspected I'd leave town. She's just worried for me, but I know she genuinely supports my decision. And she knows I'll come back…

My thoughts continued to collide against each other, and I lost all sense of time. Hours must have passed as I teetered between sleep and consciousness. I regained some composure and was still awake when I heard on a knock on my door.

"Umm… Haru, may I come in?" my mom asked softly from behind the door.

I considered declining the offer, but thought better of it and replied, "Sure."

I got up into a sitting position on my bed, and my mom rested next to my feet. "I'm so sorry for what I said downstairs," my mom began, her voice steadier now. "I know you're not weak, and I can see you still want to get stronger. Your father would've been so proud of you right now."

"Thanks, Mom. But you don't need…"

My mom interrupted me. "No, there's more. I haven't told you this before, but your dad was never just a carpenter. Sure, he helped build so many houses around the world. But before he settled down in Kolm, he was a master archer…"

"Wait a minute… How is that possible? If my dad was an archer, why didn't he ever train with me?"

"Your father wanted to live a life of peace and serenity. That's one of the main reasons he chose to live in Kolm. Once he made his mind on that, he gave up his life as an archer and committed himself fully to his craft as a carpenter."

I wanted to respond, but I was speechless. My dad, to give up all of his combat ability for the sake of happiness. I had to respect him even more for making such a sacrifice and had a feeling my mom loved him even more for it.

My mom continued, "This girl you want to help… is she worth it?"

I raised my eyebrows, unsure what she was implying. "Huh? I don't know what you mean, but I think it'll be worth it to help her out. I've wondered before if there's a bigger purpose for me in life besides what I have in this town, and once I met Maya, I started to feel I was being pulled in that direction…"

My mom chuckled a little. "Ohhh…so, her name is Maya?"

I felt quite embarrassed about letting Maya's name slip out, and I knew I was obviously blushing. But, because I had put myself into that trap, I continued, "Yes, her name is Maya."

"I assume she's a wonderful girl?"

"Yes, she is… but that's not why I'm compelled to help her out!" I didn't want my mom to get the wrong impression, so I tried to shoot down any assumptions she was attempting to make. "Her plight is really terrible, and she has no one else to depend on… Honest!"

"Haha… I get it! I get it!" She continued to laugh, so I wasn't too sure if she truly believed me.

As my mom stopping laughing at me, she mumbled, "Besides, you do have Akane after all…"

"What was that, Mom?" She was barely audible, so I wanted to make sure I heard her correctly.

"N-n-nothing! It's nothing!" my mom replied nervously. "Anyway… so you've made up your mind to leave and help this girl save our world?"

"Yes, I've made my decision on it. I'm going to visit Master Takagi tomorrow and ask about where I can get further training. I'll probably need 3 days to prepare, and then I'll leave the morning after."

A minute passed after I expressed my plans. My mom then took a deep breath and stood from my bed. As she walked out of the room, she said, "Haru, come with me to the storage room downstairs."

"Okaaaay… what for?"

My mom waved her hand and said, "Just come downstairs, and you'll see."

Unsure what she intended, I got up from my bed and followed my mom down the stairs and to the storage room near the back of the house. As we entered the room, I saw plenty of antiques, mementos, and furniture scattered.

My mom pointed towards the back left and asked, "Could you clear out the space there and then pull up the handle you see?"

Still confused about her intentions, I shrugged and began to comply with her request. After moving around the items in the area, I grabbed the handle on the floor and raised a square panel. Inside the hole was a rather large leather package.

I took out the package and tore open its seal. What I pulled out was a dark green outfit, with small fades of black all over. When I stood up, I checked whether it could fit me. Not only did the outfit seem like a perfect fit, but it actually appeared to be armor of the highest quality.

As I continued to gauge the armor, my mom said, "I mentioned your father gave up being an archer, but he saved one keepsake of his previous life. And you look so much like him, I thought it'd be best to have your father right beside you on your journey."

"Oh, Mom! It's a perfect fit! And I'll always think of you and Dad wearing this!" I felt so elated by the gift, I reached out to my mom for a long hug.

"I'll bring this to the armor shop tomorrow to see if any adjustments can be made to improve its effectiveness."

"Sounds good, Haru," my mom said, smiling at me. I sensed a little sadness in her voice, but it seemed she was starting to fully accept my decision now.

"Now that that's settled," my mom continued, "how about you get a little food in you before calling it a night?"

My stomach started to rumble, as if right on cue. "Hehehehe… yeah… I did miss dinner, after all."

We both laughed as we exited the storage room. Back in the kitchen, my mom gave me a smaller portion of the dinner she made, and we shared some laughs.

After I finished eating, I was on my way to my room, when my mom said, "By the way, I know you'll always think of me, but don't forget about Akane…" I then heard a slight chuckle after the mention of my childhood friend.

I was unsure what to make about the last part of what my mom said, but I decided to put aside that concern and went upstairs to my room. Sleep invaded my body shortly after that.