Nobody's

After Yuriel told Kanito the entire story of yesterday night, on how Kanito was brought here, Kanito first with a abrupt look stared at Yuriel and then said,

"You could've come up with a better story, my little brother writes better than you." Kanito chortled.

"I know it's hard to believe but this is true" Yuriel spoke in a convincing tone,

"I knew you wouldn't believe it, nobody would...but look at that suit beside you."

Kanito looked at the mate black, yellow buttoned suit beside him along with the olive green backpack, he gently pulled the sleeve of the suit to see a stain of blood on the pair of lapels, his visage became serious.

"It's mine ! But wait, is this..a trace of blood?"

"Yes, because you were stabbed"

"If I was then let me check the wound on my chest"

"You won't find any marks on your chest I healed them"

Kanito unbuttoned his white shirt and went infront of a mirror and as Yuriel said, there was not a single scratch on his chest, but he turned around to see his back and his shoulders, they were full of scars, the scars which he got from the creature which nearly killed him, they weren't healed totally.

Kanito was unable to accept the fact that he was brought here as a refugee, as a victim of war. He was living a decent life in his world, away from trouble, he heard tales of grand magic and ferrocious monsters in his own world but are they really true? He never asked himself that, he only thought of them as quite effective methods of disciplining troublesome kids, but are they really true? Kanito asks himself today.

"But why should I believe you?" Kanito asked oddly as if this wasn't enough proof.

"You are a mordern generation human and that too from the Human World. It's pretty natural. Go and look outside the balcony."

"Yeah, what is gonna be outside? A magic world?"

Kanito opened the door of the balcony and stepped outside.

Infront of him stood a very unlikely scene, a scene of a seemingly ancient, bustling city. People wore simple light coloured chitons, some of those dresses had intricate floral designs fastened with black belts, people rode in simple carts or in grandoise chariots drawn by bulls or horses.

Alabaster cut sculptures of different people and deities stood on pedestals, numerous alleys and lanes which were well planned and thought out were crowded with busy people, playing children and street vendors.

Short terracotta tiled houses made of wood and iron pointed towards the clear blue sky and the glowing sun, while white doric supported pavillions surrounded by floral gardens and fountains were embedded in various parts of the city.

Yuriel's house was in front of a busy agora, comprising of different meat and fish shops, fruits and vegetable shops, dairy shops, groceries, bakeries, along with spinning potter's wheels making porcelain and ceramic pots, nurseries, restraunts and commercial offices.

The place was relatively warm, humid and windy, a mixed scent of wood, clay, chalk and candles along with the aroma of fresh oranges, blossoming flowers and the distant coast, all of them collectively came to him, making him realize his situation vividly.

"How do you like the sight of the western Bakerheim?" Yuriel in an open and cheerful posture tried to ease Kanito's puzzlement.

Kanito couldn't believe his eye, he turned back to face Yuriel with a perplexed expression.

"Your name is Yu..what?"

"Yuriel"

"Yes, and...all of this..all of this is true, sir ?"

"Yes it is, call me Yuriel simply and drink this soup, it's getting cold"

"Why did you save me? What is just going on?"

"I am a senior officer of the Rescue Division of the Interplanetary Defense and Resistance Force or the IDRF. The creatures you saw, we call them demons, you do not need to know any further, just live a life quietly. I will get you a job."

"What? No. tell me the bigger picture."

"Why do you insist?"

"You have no idea how I feel now," Kanito's expression drowned.

"Listen then, The IDRF is an alliance between our world and three other worlds namely the Fairy World, Taurus World, Lantern World. It was created to counter and repel the demon invasions."

Kanito listened to Yuriel and questioned,

"Invasions? So the demons which came in my world were there to invade and not to simply wreck havoc? But why?"

Yuriel with furrowed brows answered,

"The existence of the demonic race is a big mystery to us. Their origins and goals are unknown. It is said that they were first recorded towards the end of Toesh era when they attacked the different worlds of the mortals but were defeated and were never seen again. But for some reason, they have started appearing again, more belligerent than before. Their invasion of the Elf World and the very recent Human World has now confirmed that they are looking forward to a large scale war."

Kanito with an enraged face, asked in a raised voice,

"Then why not try negotiating with them? I don't think language will be a barrier in this world."

Yuriel chuckled after hearing Kanito's simple and 'childish' question.

"Yeah yeah, as if they are very open to negotiation. Viola, an Elven poetess from post Toesh era, in one of her books named '10 Bloodoaths' describes demons as "mindless beings who can only be repelled, not studied or conferred." you understand?"

Yuriel's gaze then lowered, his face became somber and very regretful.

"My rescue team was made the representative of our world and was assigned the task of rescuing people from Earth, but it.. it was a huge failure, I was able to save you and no one else."

As soon as he said those words, Kanito's eyes gradually widened in bewildered horror. Very slowly, Kanito felt an array of chaotic emotions accumulate and settle down in his heart, he asked in shuddering fear,

"What about the other people from my world, my friends and family and relatives. Where are they... are they in some refugee camps?"

"I will sound harsh but the reports that came said not even half of the population of the human world was saved, I fear that you are the only one from Earth who was brought to this world"

All colours receded from Kanito's face. A vortex of intense despair spiralled in his heart. He left the balcony and sat back on the bed.

"What do you mean I am the only one? Stop joking with me." Kanito tried to downplay the situation by flashing a smile.

Kanito took the tray from Yuriel's hands and grabbed a piece of bread and munched on it, he said to himself that since he loved bread, eating it would somewhat calm down the dark storms in him, but it didn't, the bread tasted bitter only making his fear and his helplessness more tangible to him.

He swallowed the bread and gave a sip on the bowl of hot vegetable soup.

"Is the soup warm?" Yuriel asked in a tone of concern.

Kanito didn't answer anything, he only looked down at the steaming bowl of soup, the warmth of the soup was supposed to be a symbol of love and security. But that is not how Kanito interpreted it.

At this moment, it seemed to him that the soup was mocking him with its warmth, the hot vapours the soup gave off were like a cruel reminder, a cruel reminder of the life he was robbed off, a cruel reminder of the life he will live now.

"You didn't answer me, What do you mean that I am the only one who was saved?" Kanito's voice was a little louder than before.

Kanito then looked at Yuriel with an even fiercer look and questioned loudly,

"Why aren't you answering? Is the language incorrect?"

Kanito looked down at the bowl for a moment and then out of nowhere, breaking the odd silence, he shouted like never before,

"Stop kidding with me !"

Kanito grabbed the bowl and smashed it on the ground. He pushed the tray away, slamming it on the floor, the bread pieces tossed out of the tray and fell on the floor. Kanito then rose up from the bed, took the flower vas in his hands and swung it at the wall infront, shattering it, he had a murderous look in his eyes, he clenched his teeth hard.

Yuriel rose up from the bed and tried to calm him down. The pain and tiredness from the surgery still bothered Kanito, this explosive outburst of emotions weared him down and made him dizzy. He sat back on the bed and slapped his forehead with his palm.

"Seriously, like seriously stop kidding with me."

His eyes couldn't hold back anymore, the chaotic emotions finally burst out into a train of tears from his eyes. He was shaken to the core, tarnished, but was too tired, astonished and powerless to vehemently express it anymore.

Ofcourse to save his society imposed view of masculinity, he covered his face with both of his palms so that a fellow man is not disgusted by the sight of him crying.

'I never knew being saved would hurt so much. I never knew mercy would feel this cruel.

'It is not a country or a city but a planet ! An entire freaking planet with billions of people.

'Why did I get saved? Why do I experience good fortune at the worst possible situations?'

Kanito's mind beamed with wild thoughts, emotions and imaginations.

Yuriel's stony heart somewhat softened

ever since he looked at Kanito, he felt a strange empathy for him.

"You experienced adulthood too early, I'm sorry on behalf of fate."

Yuriel's frozen blue eyes melt a little and slight blobs of tears appeared near his rough cheeks. Yuriel's face was stained by dust and blood for as long as he can remember, forgetting how it feels when tears trickle down, so when they finally did after thirty years, it tensed him and surprised him.

'My.. my eyes. What's wrong?

'No, I cannot get emotional in front of a refugee.

'This is not how I'm supposed to be, this is wrong.'

Yuriel as if exposed to an unknown stimulus, retracted his body back.

"What should I do now?" Kanito calmed down and asked in a low voice.

"Live a quiet life." Yuriel said with a sigh.

Kanito laughed a little, still with slight traces of tears.

He stared at the wooden brown floor below and spontaneously distinguished the various shades of the colour which expanded on the floor.

"Ah yes, 'quiet', what a great word to hear these days."

Yuriel shrugged that kind demeanour off which he unwantedly accquired. He returned to his usual self.

"Die then !" Yuriel yelled.

Yuriel somewhat suppressed the kindness and let the cruelty inside speak.

'F*ck my empathy'

He cursed himself inwardly for letting his kind emotions control him.

"Crying serves no purpose. It won't undo the pain."

Kanito's face turned serious and finally accepting of the present.

"You're right, I should accept it as my fate, give me a week and I'll find a job and move out, this place, it's your house right?"

"Yes"

"I see, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"If you don't mind, can I join the.. IDRF?"

Yuriel was baffled, he thought he heard the words wrong and questioned him,

"What did you say?"

Kanito pleaded with the same resolve,

"Can I join the IDRF? The alliance between worlds which fights demons?"

Finding it hilarious, Yuriel let out a loud laugh. "Is this a side effect of the surgery?"

"I am serious."

"You don't have to do it." Yuriel said while looking at the balcony with a stoic face.

"I have to, it seems like this IDRF or whatever is filled with a bunch of people who have silk threads in place of spines." Kanito said as a curly smile appeared on his face.

"I think one rule is valid across all worlds, people in higher position are all buffoons." Kanito said mockingly.

Yuriel yelled "What good can you do? They are atleast saving people from the invasions" Yuriel's eyes shifted from the balcony and his voice rose, "You are alive because of them ! Because of us !"

Kanito's lips curled even more

"Oops, I stepped on your egg shell ego." By saying that, he burst into a hysterical laugh again.

The laugh made Yuriel furious. When it came to his pride, he was too sensitive. He seldom permitted anyone to trample on his warrior code.

"You luck-blind idiot, value the life you are given !" Yuriel's yell reached from one end of the room to another. It was a prolonged, silencing yell.

Yuriel thought a young man like Kanito will get scared and suppressed by a yell but his action was unpredictable to him again, as soon Kanito heard the word 'life' from Yuriel's mouth, his joking attitude and his ridiculous smile vanished.

"My life lost all value when I was brought here to live a disgusting life of a refugee, a refugee is a nobody's person but everybody's burden. It has negative value. I want to join the IDRF so that I can fight a bloody battle and end this life soon !"

Kanito's yell silenced Yuriel instead. A refugee wanting death was not rare or new to Yuriel, that is why he always referred to them as 'luck-blinds'. He believed that he will never understand why refugees who are given a new chance in life always strive to end it.

"I have to die unintentionally, I mean...I'm not brave enough to take my own life, you know?" his lips puckered and his voice quavered painfully as he covered his mouth and eyes, preserving the manliness.

Yuriel's eyes widened, he moved close to him and gave a firm grip on his shoulder.

"Don't think that way. When you will meet life's love, you will not be able to forgive yourself." Yuriel reluctantly regained his warm self and looked at Kanito.

"But why IDRF? You have little to no fighting experience."

Kanito didn't answer anything and continued to weep with his face revealed, not caring about what Yuriel will think. He released his hand from Kanito's shoulder, sighed and looked away.

When his sobbing ended, he wiped the tears away and gave his face a heavy rub with his palms, perhaps to demolish the clumsiness and the greyness from his face.

"The most inept people chase the craziest of dreams." out of nowhere, Kanito uttered abruptly in a firm tone.

Yuriel sighed heavily and then said with a neutral expression,

"Wishes are wishes, no matter how illogical or absurd."

Kanito looked at Yuriel in wonder and sincerely asked anticipating a positive reply

"So you will let me join it?"

Yuriel answered "I'm no one to let you. You are the roller of your fate's dice."

Kanito's eyes glittered brightly, his face accquired a glad smile as he said, "Thank you !"

Yuriel's eyes twitched in horror, he was terrified by the dark response, he was thankful for finding out a way to die? Yuriel's face became intensely somber and bleak

'I see, dying is the ultimate goal and finding a way to die is a reason to live, it's a prosaic world, hence proved.'

Yuriel left the room and went down to the second floor, he returned with a few clothes in his hands, he came infront of Kanito and laid before him, a loose white robe with an orange belt and a black overcloth with a few yellow pins to secure them on the back and on the shoulders of the robe.

"Change into these, don't worry they are unused."

Kanito took the white robe and entered the attached bathroom to change his clothes, he came out wearing it. Yuriel was a little surprised as he expected that it would be loose on Kanito as he was a thinly built boy, but then he nodded and said out loud,

"Oh I remember now, I bought it when I was around his age, when I visited the Emiragi Confederation, when I visited Solwynn."

Kanito confused by the unfamiliar terminology only glared at Yuriel awkwardly, he looked down and then gently held the lapels.

Yuriel thought Kanito was deeply impressed by the soft quality.

"From it's texture you can tell that it is from the southern continent, such exquisite fabric only grows in the lukewarm paradise of the south."

Kanito took the orange belt in his hands and fastened it around his waist, "Feels quiet outdated to me."

"Nah, they are in fashion these days, if you ever feel like wooing a girl or two, they will help a lot." Yuriel smirked mischievously.

Kanito wasn't able to wear the black overcloth on top. He struggled as the overcloth tossed from his shoulders every time he tried to secure it using the yellow pins.

Seeing him struggle, Yuriel came forward and snatched the overcloth and the pins from his hands

"I can do it !" said Kanito.

"No you clearly can't." Yuriel adjusted the overcloth on Kanito's shoulders, covering his back and a part of his upper arms, then attached the pins on the collars of the overcloth to secure it.

"Try to get used to this clothing now" Yuriel said softly.