Good and Bad

"Master! He is making his way towards us. We need to run!" a feminine voice screamed from afar.

"She is right, my lord. We need to make haste," an old man urged.

Surrounded by a pile of lifeless bodies—both human and monstrous—that stretched far into an endless landscape, Dan felt nauseous but couldn't throw up. It seemed his body had grown accustomed to the smell of blood and the sight of the fallen.

Dan was perplexed.

The sky was painted purple as dark clouds surrounded what seemed to be a huge, glowing orb, ready to engulf a city devoid of any life. The light it emitted was so bright that looking at it caused a burning sensation in Dan's eyes.

"Where am I?" Dan muttered, stunning the warriors around him.

"My lord, this is no time for petty jokes. We need to leave," an old man, clad in a silver breastplate and holding a broken sword, said with a frightened expression. Given the situation, he thought Dan had lost his mind.

"What is this? Where am I? Where is the village?" Questions tumbled from Dan's mouth uncontrollably.

His bewilderment caused the soldiers around him to lose their trust and flee for their lives.

Dan fell to his knees, staring at the bright purple orb as it descended. Even if he didn't know what was happening, he had already accepted his fate.

***

The sounds of birds chirping resonated clearly and serenely, accompanied by the fresh morning breeze saturated with moisture. It was a typically pleasant morning for the residents of Tufesti.

Four days ago, after hours of rain, it finally came to an end in the morning. Due to the downpour they experienced, they all resumed farming. Even with the limited cereals available, they had to make good use of the rain, believing it was sent from the gods above.

Ana was outside washing the wooden plate they had used for breakfast. Since the incident, she had taken a break from work to care for Dan.

As she washed, she heard a crashing sound coming from the hut. Knowing Dan was alone and helpless inside, she rushed in to check.

Sitting upright on a bed made of silk and hay was Dan, covered in bandages all around his body except for his face.

"Sis, is that you…?" Dan's voice was unstable and deep.

Ana couldn't speak but just stared at her brother, feeling all sorts of emotions.

"...I just woke up from a really long dream… my head hurts so bad," Dan said, tears rolling down his eyes.

"What's this…?" Dan touched his face. "...I can't see a thing," he started to panic.

At first, he thought he had bandages around his face, but touching it, he didn't feel any. His eyes were open, but he couldn't see. This could only mean one thing: Dan was blind.

"Sis, I can't see…"

"Dan, calm down," Ana tried to soothe him, but he kept shouting and touching his milky eyes.

"Daniel, calm down!" Ana shouted, making Dan quiet.

Dan held his face and cried like a baby whose candy was stolen. Ana came closer and wrapped her arm around him, easing his emotional burden.

Hours later, Dan took his afternoon medication, and the bandages were removed from his body. He had gone through many changes.

Dan's skin had become white, almost transparent. His veins popped out and were very visible and he was blind.

But those were just the physical changes.

"Sis…" Dan whispered in a low tone.

"What is it, Dan?"

"I see strange things," Dan said.

Ana was curious. She left everything she was doing and sat beside him.

"They are like waves with different colors…" Dan said, using his hand to trace what he visualized.

"...you also possess those waves," Dan continued to move his hand until he touched something soft. "What's this?" He grabbed it more.

"D-Dan!? I appreciate the fact you're my brother, but you need to watch how you move your hands!" Ana's face turned bright red.

Dan didn't understand her, but he decided to apologize. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, removing his hands and continuing to trace the flow with his eyes.

Whether he realized it or not, Dan could now visualize the flow of Ryo around him.

"You should get some rest, Dan," Ana said, returning to her chores.

Dan sat upright, looking at his hands and his body as though he could see. Unlike the flow in Ana, he noticed that his own flow was different in many ways.

In Ana's body, the flow went around and exited at the top of her head. In him, it circulated around his body with no exit point.

Dan's curiosity heightened, but he couldn't do anything about it. His body felt really tired, his eyes became heavy, and he laid on the bed, falling into a deep slumber.

Four days passed as Dan recovered steadily. He gained weight and became brighter. He could now walk at will and move around the house with the assistance of a long stick.

Dan had finally accepted that he was blind. It was hard, but it was the only thing he could do rather than wallowing in self-pity.

One day, Dan decided to leave the house. The problem wasn't just leaving, but convincing Ana.

"What do you mean you want to go out!? Have you already forgotten what happened?" Ana was furious.

"Hear me out, sis…"

"I'm not hearing anything from you. Stay on your bed and recover," Ana said, turning to leave.

"What's your deal?" Dan stuttered.

"What did you just say?" Ana's question sounded more like a threat.

"I said, what's your deal!? You're always against everything I want to do. You're always nagging and strict. You think you're Mom? Well, you will never be like her. You just want to keep me in bondage. You are the worst!" Dan slammed the door open and ran out of the house.

He got too emotional and said things that hurt Ana and would eventually come back to hurt him.

"Wait a minute, Dan!" Ana tried to run after him, but he was out of sight before she could reach the door.

Although her actions were understandable and for the best, Dan couldn't stay at home forever. Even if that was his only choice, Dan wasn't ready to accept it.

Dan maneuvered through the people in the street as if he could see. He kept running until he lost his breath. He didn't know where he was headed; he just wanted to leave home.

Dan laid on the ground, tired and out of breath. He panted heavily, fighting for air. He opened his eyes, and though he couldn't see, his mouth and eyes were wide open as if he had entered a new place entirely. He had.

"Beautiful!"

The flow of Ryo was everywhere, in different colours and from different sources: the air, the earth, and the plants.

Unbeknownst to Dan, he had wandered out of the village. Not to his usual playground, but out of the village entirely. He didn't care; he just wanted to enjoy this moment.

"So this is Ryo?" Dan said with a light chuckle.

He sat upright and scanned around.

"If only sis could see this…" he unconsciously said, then remembered his disagreement with Ana.

"...that's none of my business. That's what she deserves," Dan scoffed and continued to enjoy the view.

***

Ana continued with her chores, not bothering to chase after Dan. She believed that hunger would inevitably bring him back, and when it did, she would scold him before feeding him. It was a masterful plan.

Ana giggled at the thought, but her amusement was cut short by a scream from outside.

"What was that?" she wondered, dropping everything and rushing to the door.

Opening it, she found the place eerily empty. Driven by curiosity, she followed the distant voices to the village square, where a crowd had gathered. She approached some elders to find out what was happening.

"Tsk, it's those guardian bastards," one elderly man grumbled.

"Those lowly bastards came to collect taxes again," another elder joined in.

"May the gods' curses rain down on them."

Unsatisfied with their answers, Ana pressed through the crowd to get a closer look. At the front, she saw two Guardians mounted on tall horses. Though not her first time seeing Guardians, these two terrified her with their imposing presence.

The female Guardian had long dark blue hair and violet eyes, wearing a red kimono with arm guards and leggings. The male Guardian had a stern look, a box-shaped face, and brown eyes, dressed in regular war attire with a silver breastplate. Behind them, soldiers stood in uniform, ready for orders.

"Where is the village chief?" the male Guardian's voice echoed, shaking everyone around.

"I-I am here, my lords," an old man emerged, wearing a farmer's hat, brown singlets, and shorts.

The male Guardian locked eyes with the chief. "There was a storm here a few days ago. We want to know who or what caused it."

The village was baffled.

"W-What do you mean, my Lord?" the village chief stammered.

"The rain was a blessing from the gods. What do you mean someone caused it?" a random villager voiced.

"Yes, my Lord, what do you mean?" the chief added.

'This is bad,' Ana thought. Realizing the severity of the situation, she decided to leave the village as quickly as possible, but she needed to find Dan first.

The male Guardian surveyed the puzzled faces in the crowd.

"I hate repeating myself. I asked who caused the storm!" His voice was more intense than before.

"M-My Lord, we have no idea what you're talking about," the chief said.

"They are just here to oppress us again! Leave the village!" another villager shouted.

"Leave the village! Leave the village!! Leave the village!!!" the crowd chanted in unison.

Seeing the villagers' resolve, the chief pointed at the Guardians and joined the chorus.

The male Guardian wore a tired expression and turned to his partner. "I told you they wouldn't comply."

She smiled, dismounted her horse, and drew her sword. "I've lost my patience with you lot. If you won't reveal who caused the storm, I'll chop you all until I find the person."

"My hand!" the village chief screamed, clutching his bleeding wrist as he rolled on the ground.

***

Just outside the village, Dan was still enjoying the flow of energy when a sudden, intense pressure hit him.

'What was that?' he wondered, feeling nauseous. He held his stomach to avoid throwing up and looked towards the source of the pressure.

"It's coming from the village," he realized.