Chapter 18: Big Brother

"Wh-what't with the full name thing?" Erland backed away a bit as he could sense unease lingering around him.

"Nothing much really. It's just interesting that my clever little brother has somehow kept his name hidden from me for such a long time. There I thought I might have suddenly made a good acquaintance with a random little boy." said Arne as he kneeled.

"I didn't really mean to hide it from you."

"Even if you didn't it doesn't change a single thing, brother..."

"What thing?" Erland backed away a bit more.

"Come with me. I don't feel comfortable talking to you here." Arne stood up.

"No. Even though you are my brother I still don't know you yet so...I pass."

"What a pity...Well then at least take a stroll to the garden with me. There are always plenty of children. I couldn't possibly do anything shady there right?"

"I don't know but, okay I guess."

With a doubtful and curious mind, Erland went with his brother. The atmosphere once again seemed all foggy to him as if it has no joy. With so many people doubting him, he became frustrated. Even with the memory of a seventeen years old boy, he was still a mere child who has little experience about everything.

They both sat on a white bench. There were kids playing far away. They were wearing light blue and light pink robes. Erland saw them play quietly.

"So, brother. How has everything been going?" said Arne.

"Not so greatly I guess." said Erland, looking at the ground.

"My, you seem to be in love with the ground right now..." said Arne, sarcastically.

"Heh..." Erland showed no reaction.

"Why are things not so great at the moment? I wish to comfort you even though I am not certain if this will be enough since you are a bit more...logical than most kids.

"Try it then."

"Who else could be more optative when it comes to these more than Erland."

"I didn't mean to be like that. I'm not in a good mood. I'm sorry..." Erland looked at Arne at last. His tiredness was still visible and his face was almost pale and harsh.

"I wasn't blaming you Erland. I wish to comfort you saying one thing. No matter what you are going through in life, there will be a brighter path. The Lords tests us all."

"I know."

"We all have heard of it, haven't we? But have we ever wondered why they tests us and why we live such a miserable life when they can change our destiny?"

"I haven't...(I don't want to...)"

"It is because, we are free Erland. Freedom is a gift that has been given to all beings. If the Lords changed our paths on every wrong steps we took, that wouldn't be 'our' life. That would be a story led by them and we would be puppets in it. Our mistakes, our deeds and us, these all are what made the world we see today. Even if you think for a certain moment that 'Alas, why haven't I died?' Or how good would it be not to simply exist. Have we ever wondered what the last moment of the person's dying moment feels like?"

Erland smiled gently and said,

"You are quiet a speaker...

(I suddenly remember the time when I died. I heard their cries. I wanted to move but I couldn't. I wanted to cry but I couldn't. I wanted for the last time to redo things but there was no way. Maybe if I lived for long enough then I would figure it out, no matter what it was. Figuring it out now, in this world won't give me a thing.)"

"It is just that I am a Hierius and it is my duty to open others' eyes. Even if I was not a part of this place or this job, I would still do my utmost best to open others' eyes."

They both stared at each other for a moment, without any word. But it was certain that they both were observing each other despite their gazes being pure as tranquil water.

"I'm all sweaty. I better take my robe off, don't worry I have a shirt underneath it. Its called a robe in short but it's actual name is robe coat. Easy thing, it's just a coat." said Arne and took his robe coat off, trying to start a new topic as well.

"Then why call it a robe? I sometimes think of it as a bath robe or whatever." said Erland.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"Randi once mentioned it. Rich people usually has one."

"Oh, Randi. I remember that girl. The last time I saw her, she used to..."

"She used to be with you all the time?"

"No, she hated me because I am a boy. She also hated dad at the time. I think that she got the phobia from her past life."

"Past life?"

"Oh Lords, I mustn't have mentioned it. Anyway, how is she doing now?"

"She is doing fine. She doesn't hate boys that much and says that most boys are bad but not all of them. I guess that is a progress."

Arne chuckled. "Not bad. I heard that she often goes out and dismantles things. She has always been good at piercing skin-"

"W-w-what?"

"Never mind. What about mom? I don't really think that she is doing all that fine but still, how is she doing?"

"Mommy is cheerful and happy. Even though she is sick and weak she never grieves. And as for her current condition- you know it already."

"My mother...the same as always. What about dad?"

"He is doing fine." Erland let out a long sigh. "Some men attacked him on the way...he's badly injured."

Arne's eyes widened. "What? Evania never told me that..."

"How would she know?" Erland looked at Arne with a frown.

"Oh yes. I didn't send her to gather information but to cleanse a memory."

"(Is this what cleansing is all about then. I'm not sure...let's ask away.) Is this what cleansing is about?"

"You have guessed it right." Arne sighed. 

"Hey Arne." Erland poked on Arne's arm.

"Yes, my dear brother?"

"What if someone, somewhere who has been preaching the Lords suddenly die and see that it's all fake. The afterlife and everything. What will happen then?"

"Don't you think that it's better than living your own life carelessly of other matters and figuring out that all of it is true? Besides, there are countries governed directly by the Lords. They are so...alien to people like us, many of us, who are skeptic think these are myths."

"Hm..." Erland rubbed his chin.

"Now you can tell me that what about the people who use religions. Well, the people who use religions are preaching themselves, not the Lords. No matter how true everything seems, remember that we have a mind and brain of our own. If judgment inside of us tells that it is wrong then it is wrong. We can deceive ourselves but not our soul, our consciousness nor our heart."

"(He's speaking 'soothing' and suspicious words a bit too often...He has somehow realized that there is something up with me. I've been acting carelessly after mom got sick.) Um...I don't know what most of the words are but I will ask about those to Hilda or Randi for sure."

"Ha ha ha. You've been memorizing the words to ask later and been ignoring me? Clever indeed."

"Sorry. I got so sad after mom got sick." Erland leaned back on the bench.

"I can feel your despair. Even though I have been away from her for a long time, I can still feel a bond. I hope she gets better..." Arne leans back as well.

"I hope so."

"How is Hilda doing? I don't remember her quiet well."

"She's doing quiet well."

Erland looked here and there. Then he lowered his voice and said as he leaned towards Arne a bit,

"She even has a boy she likes now. Don't tell anyone."

"Oh? It's a promise then." said Arne and took Erland's hand with one hand. He shook his hand with the other one, with Erland's having a friendly handshake.

"The boy is..." Erland lowered his voice even more.

"Hm, the boy is?" Arne got close.

"It's Ceol."

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!" Arne's long 'what' sounded somewhat like a cat doing a long 'meow'.

Arne went back to his professional demeanor in a second. "Wait a minute why am I surprised? Ceol is charming and romantic of course he grabbed attention of my little sister." Arne grinned. "

Now the only problem here is that if he even thinks of another one rather than my sister, I'm afraid I will have to fill his body with all the dirty unholy sap in my basement." Arne's face suddenly changed to a horrendous smiley expression.

"(That sap or whatever doesn't sound like something good.) Uhm...You don't have to do that. Ceol is a really good guy. He even left his family so that he could marry Hilda." Erland smiled a bit.

Arne blinked in surprise "Oh my that sounds pitiful. Why did he leave his family though?"

"I think that his family didn't say yes. He still has a lots of trouble to live. I feel really bad for him. He is doing loads of things but he still doesn't get much back. Maybe I can help Hilda sneak out to meet him."

"You cannot do that. If it was possible, Hilda would have done it herself. She knows that a boy like Ceol could easily be haunted by the people who are aiming to take her as a bride. *sigh* The little Hilda who used to eat my robe is now eligible to marry. Time flies, doesn't it."

"Yeah..." Erland gave a faint laugh, looking at Ceol.

He looked and Arne. "Were you really close with her?"

"Yes. She was so clingy back then. She would yell out saying 'Al!' whenever I got too far from her."

Erland laughed out loud. "Why did you leave our family though? Mommy and daddy never mentions you."

Arne stayed silent for a brief moment. He took a deep breath and said,

"Let's move the topic."

Erland was a bit taken back by the sudden change of topic. But he accepted realizing it would be fruitless to push it further. "Okay. Can you tell me about the box?"

"The box? Well yes. It was filled with something really scary. It took us quiet a while to take care of it. That is why the building is locked now. *sigh* The statue of the deity is also destroyed."

"The deity?" Erland tilted his head slightly, with his cheerfulness gone, now remaining a rather maturity in overall expressions.

"Oh, you have never heard of it?"

"No, can you tell me about it?" Erland sat close to Arne.

"I will if you answer my questions first."

"Pwease. I will tell you everything, I promise." said Erland with his usual forceful 'baby-act'.

Arne looked at him with the corner of his eyes and stroked his chin.

"I will come visit you more and more too, I promise! I would visit you anyway but since that isn't enough for you I will visit you more." Erland pleaded at this point.

"Deal then. It's just a little fairytale by the way, don't get bored."

"What?!?(I pleaded for this crap!?!?)"

"Just kidding. The deity, the Lord, the King, the Queen, whatever you call him or her, is the one who will one day come and rule us mortals."

"Why, don't we already get ruled by the Lords, or whoever those are?"

"My my, you have no respect for them." Arne laughed realizing his brother's over-bluntness. "We mortals don't have any ruler in reality. We have just formed a government in each of our countries to rule our nations. Gaion is just a small part of it. The underworld has Hades, the upper-world has so many that even I don't remember them all despite being the highest ranked member of the Naos' first sector. But the middle-world, the world we live in, has no ruler.

It was formed after a bloodshed battle between the upper realm and the underworld. Each realm rejected us because we are inferior than them. Though one day, they came at a conclusion to let us lead a free life as we want whilst still following the principals. Thus, we started living without a leader peacefully...

But without any deity to worship many people began to worship the Lords from each main realms. Some people stayed neutral and some wished for a deity for their own. Can you guess why?"

"Um...because...uh...let me brainstorm(Probably because human easily go astray without any proper guidance. The situation there was probably like...lawless in some places or whatever. I can also sense that some of the Lords and their followers are a bit racist. Anyway, I have to answer him in a childish way.) Because they would start to do bad things like stealing apples?"

"Yes! Clever boy!"

"Hehe. So what happened after that?"

"Some people gathered and formed a church which we now know as the Naos which has many branch all across the middle-world now. They carved a statue of a figure nor man nor a woman. They prayed to it. It didn't respond. Until the day when the middle-world became blessed with more corps, children with natural talents and with supernatural powers were being born more and more even though they were never meant to be naturally among us. Some of the government heads visited the Lords and asked them if it was their blessing. All of them said that it was not theirs. It all happened after they started worshipping the unknown Lord. So from that moment forward, everyone now hopes that their deity will come."

"Woah...so the person can be anyone?" The story piqued Erland's curiosity. "(So there is more to this world than it seems...)"

"Yes and no. You are still too little to understand Erland." Arne frowned his eyebrows with a smile on his lips.

"Oh..."

"Now about the incident. How did you feel when you got in a spell?"

Erland put his index finger, bent on his lips. "I felt like...(Wait, I shouldn't tell the truth.) I was about to vomit. My whole body felt like it was on fire."

"And?"

"And I don't remember much of the moment when it possessed me..."

"Are you being honest?"

"Yes." Erland nodded.

"How do I know that you are being honest? Don't stress out, it's a mere question."

"(I really shouldn't.) I don't know how you tell if a person is lying or not. Well, I am not holding my hand close to my chest. I do that when I lie, dad told me that."

"Ha ha, you just told me a big secret of yours, you know that?"

"Awh..."

"It is fine certainly. After all I am your big brother and your Hierius. I shall keep it as a secret at any cost if you want." Arne patted on Erland's head.

"Thanks..." said Erland with a faint smile.

"Well then. That was all. Do you want to grab something?"

"No. By the way, when will mommy wake up?"

"In the next half an hour-oops...I shouldn't have said that." Arne sighed.

"Really? Then I must go. Hurry up, Ceol!!" 

Erland jumped off the white bench. When he recalled that he has forgotten to say goodbye to his brother, he came back again and said,

"Thanks Arne! The next time I come I will bring you goodies for real. I have to go now. Byeeee!"

"Bye bye..." said Arne and waved.

Arne saw Erland going to Ceol who was surrounded by many children at the moment. Hearing Erland's words, Ceol looked at Arne and nodded as a greeting. They left the Naos after biding farewell with the children.

"Mommy! Is she awake?" said Erland and slammed the door to open it.

The house was empty like before. Erland and Ceol slowly headed upstairs. They saw Erik and Hilda lying on the lap of Gunhild with their body on their chairs.

"Mommy." Erland wept.

Gunhild smiled at him and hinted him to quietly go towards her. Out of his excitement, Erland rushed off to his mother yelling. He stepped on his father and sister. Because of the ruckus, they woke up. Gunhild took all of them in her arms whilst Ceol enjoyed the sweet moment standing at a distance.

Behind the bandages, Randi expressed her joy with a faint grin, in her own room, imagining what was happening upstairs.