17 Taking Responsibility

I can still feel that invisible connection I had with this boy. There's still half a day before midnight, when my connection with him would break naturally as any other would. By midnight, my abilities always get cut and start anew, but another way to disrupt such a connection is by overriding it with another person.

Half a day to midnight… That would give me enough time to escape if need be, but I can't escape with him watching me.

"So where did you come from?"

I remain quiet. How do I even answer this? Do I say from my Mother's womb or from some cave in the mountainside that just magically teleported me here?

"Why do you have so many wounds?"

"…." It's not like I wanted them either.

"Did you get battered up from practice fighting too?" His eyes are bright. Too bright. "You know I love practice fights too, you know when your opponent goes WHAM—!"

I startle internally at his booming voice.

"Oh, did that surprise you?" He laughs.

"…How do you even know that? Are you some sort of hybrid who can detect emotions like me???

I go rigid at the thought, but he ignores my expression, or rather the lack thereof, and continues his barrage of questions.

"Ah! I haven't asked your name yet—What's your name lost boy?"

Aren't you a boy too?

In spite of feeling a little discontented at being called a boy despite nearing my coming of age just a few days or weeks later or after my marks have all fully emerged, I answer, "Videre."

But given that he does look older than me by a few years, I suppose calling me a boy feels natural to him. At least it's better than being called a child.

"Videre", he tests out my name in his lips. "Videre…" He looks up at me, two of his fingers pinching his chin.

Why does he look like a young adult pretending to be a child, that's pretending to be serious?

I cough lightly.

"Oh", the other person says delightedly. "You're curious about my name too, right? It's Obrecht", he smiles. "My name's Obrecht, but you can call Ob. My Apa, Ama and my friends call me Ob."

Obrecht... Wait, is he considering me a friend already? Apa?? Ama??? What language is that?

He waits for me to say it, but I don't say it. I play with a few strands of hair from my forehead to avoid his staring.

Isn't he embarrassed by all that staring?

Disappointed for a split second before breaking out another broad smile, he continues his monologue, like I'm not some potential bad guy or odd stranger on the brink of death, he just met.

"I've never seen someone as pale-skinned and petite as you", he starts.

Ah, I hear the breaking of my ego at the word, petite. I have gained a lot more muscle now that I did a couple years ago when I was skin and bones, but I don't tell him that. It feels like I'd just look too defensive, and I dislike that.

Well, compared to him, I do look like a stick.

I eye the muscles showing from his sleeveless shirt, and the abdominals that he could not hide despite being well-clothed. For a moment, I deeply question both his physical and mental age.

"You're not from here are you?" He observes me just as closely as I did him.

"No."

"Then, where are you from?" He keeps asking me patiently. I can read a bit of his emotion slipping by. He seems a bit curious of me; a tad bit suspicious. That's quite understandable, given how I'd just pop up like a wild mushroom.

I answer after a moment of hesitation. "I fell into this whirlpool of water by accident", I speak softly. "Next thing I know is I'm here..." And then, I add far more quietly, "I'm actually quite surprised I'm alive."

He studies me for a second. "Whirlpool of water", Obrecht trails off as he glances at the silent ripple-less water. It was hard to say that the pond was connected to some whirlpool. It was as stagnant as it can be. I wouldn't be surprised if I he thought I was lying, because I, myself, know that I have no proof aside from my words.

"Are you alone?" He stands up to go to his barrel of dried fruits. The sight of his back makes me incapable of seeing the expression in his face. Although I can read his emotions, they seem to be a bit harder to do to him. It's like he is always on neutral; a tranquil heart, contrary to what he says, does, and looks like.

"…Yes." I shake away the momentary thoughts about my family. I have decided to forget them for the time-being. I'll lock away all my memories of them in a tight chest, until the day that I can recall them all with a smile.

"You don't have family?" He glances at me, a hint of something unknown flashing past his eyes.

"I don't."

A pair of feet stop just at my line of sight. He was wearing sandals.

"I know we just met", Obrecht starts. "And I'm not entirely sure if you're a good person, nor if I could trust you. But nothing's going to happen with me being indecisive." He shoots a slow smile at me. "So I'll take that risk and just trust you."

My breath stops for a moment, until I try to relax.

"And if one day I betray you?" I feel on edge, like how you're in a race with someone, and about to start sprinting, but you linger in anticipation for the signal that allows you to run.

"Then I'll just scold myself and think that I am poor judge of character." He smiles more broadly.

My heart falters at that smile. Avoiding his eyes, I pull the fur over my head as I shrink myself smaller into a ball. I give a small nod, though I'm not sure if he understood what my nod was for.

What is this entity? How do I handle this entity?

"And after a while, I'd probably go hunting you down to get even with you." He chuckles.

"What—?"

"Since you don't have a family anymore, then why don't you just be mine?" He shifts the conversation quite easily.

Dumbfounded, I look up to stare at him as if he truly was an entity no human-kind has ever encountered before.

Are all entities this hospitable? Do they all add people—who were practically strangers to them just a few hours ago—into the family tree?

Laughing lightly at my reaction, he says, "Isn't it fine? Since I'll be trusting you, you're gonna be like family now. Besides, I have to take responsibility for you, given how I'm not telling my elders about you." It seemed to him like he was making the most rational decision, based off his expression.

"Res… ponsibility?"

"Yeah. My people don't really like major secrets. Everyone knows a bit of everything, more or less. It's like some sort of tradition, I guess", he says in passing before clarifying my one-worded question. "I can marry you after my coming of age ceremony tomorrow", he says nonchalantly, like it's the most common thing in the world. His emotions don't stir that I hardly notice the obnoxiousness of his words.

And then it sinks in a bit. My emotions run amok, making a proper thought process was impossible.

"You're fifteen?!" I stood abruptly on the bed, the fur falling behind me.

"Today", he clarifies. "I'm sixteen as of tomorrow." He proudly says.

"How can we be the same age?!"

"Oh, so you're fifteen too?"

I hold my mouth in shock. Did I just speak my thoughts loudly?

Obrecht laughs. "You're a very interesting person, Videre."

All that I could think was that—

Neutral people are terrifying. They're…ah?

"Wait—Who did you say you were marrying", I trailed off, my voice getting smaller at the end of the question.

"You." A terrifyingly beautiful smile breaks out from his lips.