6 The Girl Blessed by the Gods

KADEN drops the ax he is holding and sits on the nearby log to take a short rest. He is currently outside of the back of their house to cut some firewood to use as kindling. The young girl they saw a few days ago is still sleeping soundly inside his home. It's been three days since then. The moment their eyes met, she collapsed in an instant. He had to transform into his spirit beast to catch her before she fell into the precipice. It is good that they are somewhere deep in the woods where no humans can see them. Despite his refusal to take in the girl, his grandfather insisted and threw a tantrum until it felt like his ears will tear off because of his shouts. 

While resting, Kaden couldn't help but reminisce about what happened ten years ago. His first encounter with the dark-haired young woman talks about the arrival of a girl blessed by the gods. It was the same scenery with the cold and dreary weather, and they were about to welcome the harsh winter season. It's late in the afternoon when they're out in the woods to hunt for food. 

Kaden is busy lifting the bear's massive carcass into the sled along with the other pile of beasts they hunted. He is currently waiting for his grandfather, who decided to stay a bit longer to scour over the woods one last time before heading home. In preparation for the long deadly winter season, they have to fill their storage house with food to avoid starving to death while some meat will be given to the neighbors. In the land of Lyriboña, the winter season is long-lasting and severe. At the same time, summer is short-lived and almost impossible to experience.

For Kaden, it is a dark and gloomy place to live.  However, their clan lived in the Wheepingthorne village on the kingdom's northern tip for generations. It consists of less than a hundred of the population. The place is almost deserted and forgotten by the previous rulers and became a perfect place to become their hideout. It is also impossible for an average human to travel to the far north because of its dangers, mainly because of the prolonged, drawn-out freezing weather. Even those who are well prepared in their travels still meet their deaths in the end. That is why Kaden couldn't believe what he saw at that moment.

He freezes in his tracks and watches in shock as a frail, tattered young woman walks with a stick in her hands in the thick, trodden snow.  When the woman collapses on the road, Kaden impulsively runs towards her. He carried her tiny body and placed her on the log beside the large tree where he was resting just earlier. When she regains consciousness, Kaden lifts the water skin to her mouth. The woman immediately grasps it and squeezes it dry. She wipes the spilled water in her mouth and gives back an empty waterskin to him.

"Thank you for the water. Boy, can I borrow your fleece? I'm freezing," Kaden's ears prickled with annoyance. He doesn't like how she talks to him when she looks younger than him. He may not seem like it, but he is already an adult. He became twenty years old just a few days ago. Not wanting to pick a fight, Kaden silently takes it off and gives it to the rude girl. She wraps it around her body without hesitation. 

"Who are you?" Kaden couldn't help but ask. "It's unusual for a traveler like you to visit this far-off place." 

And it's the first time he sees someone with the color of black hair and eyes just like her. Though, Kaden decided not to voice it out. 

"To be honest, I'm here to look for someone, but I'm glad that I don't have to travel that far anymore because I found what I'm looking for." 

Kaden meets her dark, curious gaze, but he can't stand how she looks at him.  It's as if she can see right through him, invading the deepest part of him that he decided to hide from everyone. He avoided her gaze and decided to remain silent. It's better not to associate with her anymore. Kaden returns the water skin in his sack and turns towards the sled when the young woman suddenly grabs his hand and squeezes it hard that he can't escape from her grasp. 

  "Are you not curious to know who I'm talking about?" she asks, her voice raising an octave. It sounded like she was desperate.

"I'm not interested. So, let go of my hand." Kaden replies curtly. However, the woman didn't let go. Instead, she stands up and walks toward him until their body almost touches.  Kaden looks down at her because of the big height difference. He can see her dark eyes closely that keep pulling him in.

"Kaden Osmon Ashnard. That's you, right?" 

Kaden jolts in surprise and forcefully removes his hand from her grip. "How did you know my name?"

She ignores his question and delves straight into her real intention. "I have traveled far just to meet you, and I'm here to tell you something urgent. In ten years, when the sky turns pitch black and a pillar of light shines down from the sky, a girl blessed by the Gods will arrive in this place. I want to appoint you as her guardian."

"What the bloody he—" 

The brazen dark-haired female playfully smacks his right shoulder. "You are the most suitable person for the task, and I know that you will not abandon her."

Kaden couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was the most outrageous thing he had heard in his entire life, and he was not about to blindly follow a stranger's request. "You must be mistaken me for someone—" 

Kaden stops midsentence when she shoves a small trunk into his stomach. He grunted in pain.  "And please give this to her. You have to make sure that she will receive this" 

He inspects the small wooden trunk carved with intricate designs and characters that he couldn't understand. It was also locked, but he couldn't find any keyhole, nor was he given something to open it.  Feeling frustrated, Kaden exhales loudly. He looks up to give her an earful when he finds himself alone in the middle of the woods.

It was their first and last encounter. Kaden had already forgotten about that incident, but he was suddenly bombarded with memories when she appeared before them. He doesn't know how to deal with it, to make matters worse.

"Boy! Get your ass in here! What's taking you so long?" Elder Kenshin yells from inside the house.

He groans loudly. "Stop calling me like that! It's Kaden, old man!" he hollers back while gathering the prepared firewood. He went inside the house, headed straight to the fireplace, and tossed some woods to keep the fire going.

"Is she still asleep?" Kaden is tempted to douse her with cold water. Elder Kenshin vigorously slaps him on his backside, nearly kissing the floor.

"How many times do you have to ask that? Let her have her sleep. Just go and fetch Khalil. I prepared porridge."

"I'm already here," replies a quiet voice from the doorway. When Kaden looks in the direction of the sound, a pale and slender dark-haired boy hesitantly stands a few meters away from them. Though fitted to his size just a year ago, his clothes became loose in just a short amount of time. He gets sicker every day, and he's all stick and bones.

"Get in here, or do you want me to carry you?" Kaden offers though his voice has no trace of kindness. Khalil shakes his head vehemently. 

"I can do it myself!" he declares firmly. He let go of his grasp in the doorway and took small, unsteady steps towards the dining table. Something as simple as walking becomes a futile task for him, and Khalil is aware of that fact. If not, he wouldn't have a frustrated and helpless look written across his face. When his fragile legs couldn't stand the pressure of walking, Khalil stumbles, face flat across the floor.  Kaden immediately offers his hand to help him get up, but he pushes it away. 

"If you don't like it with him, can I carry you instead?" a soft melodic voice that belongs to their foreign visitor offers. The young girl smiles gently towards Khalil like it's the most natural thing to do, and his little brother shakily clasps the girl's hand on the verge of tears. She carries him effortlessly and places him carefully on the chair. Once seated, the girl crouches in front of his brother and softly wipes the tears in his eyes. 

"What is your name?" the girl asks kindly, focusing on his brother.

"I'm Kha-lil," her brother replies shakily. The girl grips his right hand and shakes it happily. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Selene." 

Kaden couldn't help but interrupt their conversation.  "What the hell are you doing?" 

Selene suddenly stands up and looks in his direction. "We're getting to know each other. And I know who you are. It's Kaden, right?"

A sudden sense of déjà vu overwhelms him. "How did you know my name?"

Selene shrugs her shoulders. "Someone told me. You're supposed to be my guardian, if I'm not mistaken"

"Don't tell me—"Selene cuts him off and looks towards his grandfather, who's silently watching the scene before him.

"Good day, Sir, May I know your name?" Selene asks politely, a complete opposite of his behavior towards him. His hackles rise to his surprise. It had only been less than a minute since they had a good talk, and he couldn't stand her already. To think that he was appointed as her guardian. He doesn't want to accept it.

His grandfather smiles widely. "I'm Kenshin Ashnard, but you can just call me "gramps" or "grandfather," just like my grandsons call me."

She briskly walks towards him and holds both hands, and a sudden desperate look appears on her face. "It's nice meeting you, grandfather. I'm sorry for imposing into your home, and I feel shameless for doing this, but I want to ask for your help again. I have many questions, but first, do you have a mirror?"