The End Draws Near

I fell to the ground with a thousand wounds covering my skin. My eyes refused to open after witnessing the brave boy clashing against the ogre. Thanks to the monster who hurled me from kilometres away, that toss broke all the bones inside my body.

My skin did not remember touching the rough texture of the platform. All I could recall was that fight in the forest, and the trees kissed my body. The wind whistled through my mind, telling me I both lost and won the battle. The ogre's cry looped through my ears, still echoing until that monster dropped off the cliff.

'Where am I?' I thought, and continued feeling the ground.

But the chilling touch of the surface welcomed my fingers, not the warm and mushy soil from the forest. I knew that Afenos and I won that match. However, if I could not walk after this, my body might pose a problem soon. It might hinder me from taking on an adventurer and fulfilling my goal as a hero.

My body survived the injury, considering that I could still feel the churning pain radiating all over my cells. I can still remember my arm cushioning my head as I slammed against the gigantic rock waiting for me at the other side of the woodland. However, I became accustomed to these tingling senses. It was as if these experiences became natural for me to feel from my appendages.

As I peeled my eyes open, a ceiling made of wooden planks and hays welcomed my sight. A cloud of smoke coming from behind alerted my nostrils, making me want to bark everything out from my lungs. There was a light bulb dangling from the roof, shining upon my injured face. The light was bright enough for my eyes as I squinted at my orbs, but the smog blocked it for me. I could not lift my hands to shield myself from the light, since I had yet healed from my wounds.

"Thank the heavens that you're finally awake…" a man whispered behind me.

The splashing sounds of water echoed at my rear, as if rinsing it dry. The man who spoke with me walked in my direction and knelt beside my head.

'Was the man boiling something?' I thought, but I could hardly tell without seeing the scene with my eyes. I could not move a muscle, considering the damage that my body received from the fight.

He placed the warm but drenched towel on my forehead while sprinkling some sliced herbs. My system told me that these plants that the man placed on my forehead had healing properties that worked best for wounds.

"Who… are…. you…?" I tried asking for the identity of the man, but my voice became meek from our ears.

The man sat beside me and gazed into my eyes. He had a stern look carved on his face as the farmer looked at me with a worried expression. The bloke sighed to himself and placed his straw hat on the ground. Within that moment, I knew the bloke who mended my injuries.

"It's your old man. Thank you for protecting us back then. If you didn't distract the monster, that monster would have killed us by now. I thank you for your bravery, lad. You have a heart of steel inside of you." A soothing voice escaped from the guy's mouth as he expressed his gratitude to me.

I wanted to laugh after hearing such undeserving praise. Saved? More like I placed everyone in danger! I went into the woods, feeling horrible about myself, and felt like running away.

And I did.

If I did not sprint off from the cabin, maybe this would never happen. We would not meet that wandering ogre inside the forest.

But before I could put those puzzle pieces in their order, the old farmer cut my train of thoughts off. Aferous opened his mouth and explained.

"You might think that it was your fault for placing us in danger. Believe me, Arthur, I had thought about that too. But that monster we saw in the forest has been lingering around our village. During that time, we blocked the beast before he could enter the town. If that happened, you and my son might not have the chance to push the ogre to the cliff."

Although those lines complimented me, I did not believe it. I knew I caused that madness that happened with the ogre.

Footsteps that came outside resonated inside the room. Those sounds grew more crystal as that person stepped foot beside me. A feminine voice came afterwards, followed by a gasping sound for air.

"Is Arthur awake?!"

"Yes." The old man replied.

Rain rushed towards me and hugged my immobile body. Instead of feeling welcomed, my soul almost escaped from my physical vessel. Every muscle inside my body winced in pain as soon as Rain wrapped her around me. It took the little girl a few seconds before knowing that she already crushed my femur.

"Whoops… Sorry, Arthur… I Didn't mean to do it." Rain looked at the ground and played with the pebbles, using her feet.

Her cheeks flushed bright red as Rain continued staring at the floor. The father chuckled to himself as he witnessed the scene. Aferous invited Rain to sit at the close-by table for a meal.

A high-pitch sound reverberated through the room, with the smog reaching to the ceiling. I recognised that sound, since it was the same tune I hear every damn morning from my previous world.

"The water's ready and boiling. And, Rain, can you help me feed Arthur with this porridge I made?"

"Of course, dad!"

Rain sprinted towards Aferous and helped him into the kitchen. Dozens of utensils clanked against each other, telling me they needed more than a pair of hands to finish the work. But Aferous and Rain proved me wrong.

Since the shack was not big enough for the three of us, those two had to bump with each other almost all the time. Sometimes Rain almost tripped over to me, but it was a good thing that Aferous dragged her back to the sink.

I got to keep my body intact with me for the time being.

After a few minutes, Rain sat next to me. She had a bowl of steaming porridge and a spoon made of wood. The girl elevated my head and added more pillows at the make-shift, preparing to feed me with the nourishment.

"Say Aah~. It feels like I'm feeding a baby, tehee~." Rain said, and urged me to open my mouth wide.

I did as she told and gobbled the wet rice inside my mouth. The food singed my mouth, but I did not want to vomit the rice. I would turn out rude if I did that in front of Rain, who just wanted to feed the food that her dad made for me.

As I ate my fill, I looked around at the gate outside, hoping to see the boy that saved me from the ogre. Afenos was the one who pushed the monster at the cliff, ending its life. However, the two of us did not receive any experiences after killing the beast. I expected some points, since the ogre died from that fall.

But we didn't. All I could do right now was to think positive and tell myself that

"Afe... nos… Afen... os…" I mumbled, hoping that Rain could understand my croaking voice.

Rain widened her eyes after perceiving my words. She placed the bowl at the side and gave me a nod.

"Oh, you're looking for Afenos? He's training right now. We have three days before the demons would attack," Rain explained, and resumed feeding me with the porridge. "My brother told me he felt powerless against the ogre. He could not sleep for three days after that event happened. During that event, my brother told me about a power that he unlocked during the fight. It happened when he was saving you…"

I finished the entire bowl, which made Rain widen her eyes once again. She checked for the last time that I ate all of it. She did not realise that the girl was feeding me the porridge while telling me what happened before. Rain constantly stuffed my mouth with that mushy rice. But I was not mad at all, since my abdomen begged for something to eat.

"Afenos told me that if that happens again, he could save everyone else with his power. He's training right now in the field. Can you believe this, dad, Arthur? He can summon fire and unlock a master with the sword! He's like a knight, just like Roger told us!" Rain continued.

After hearing the news, Aferous nodded to himself, proud about what happened. With a line, 'I knew my boy was a genius,' escaped from his mouth as he hummed a strange tune.

'So I had been asleep for three days, huh?' I thought, unsure of what to do with my current situation.