Ambiguous Reunion

Joey froze in panic, and at the same time his shirt got slightly wetter in real time. It looked like he was sweating bullets.

"No, no, you must have misunderstood, it's just that this kid..."

"Y-You know that I wasn't serious, right?" he stuttered in fear. His hands were squirming like a fish on a chopping board.

"Oh really... Does that mean I married a loser, undesired by any girl?"

"No- No. How can that be? I was desired! I was!" Joey fiddled with his hands.

"Hohhh? So you were?"

Joey and Théo widened their eyes.

A Trap!

A woman's tongue was truly the scariest.

Joey's wife stepped out of the kitchen door, and into view.

Wearing a cooking apron and a hair net, made for unobstructed vision of her thin, raised eyebrows.

Dark black hair was tied up in a bun and emerald eyes sparkled in dangerous light.

Her clothes were plain, appropriate for kitchen attire, which did not manage to diminish her pretty, lithe features in any way.

"No, no, no t-that's not what I m-meant Jessie", the stuttering became worse.

"Daddy, you make me sad..."

A little girl clinging onto one of Jessies legs sobbed in a waning voice while wearing a sad expression.

"Haha- Daddy was just joking... Lily, please don't be mad with Daddy," Joey stepped near her trying to caress her but the little kid took a step back when his hands came into reach.

...

Joey cringed and a helpless expression formed on his face.

Suddenly the two girls fell into a hearty laughter when Joey stumped down.

"Lily, did you see how scared Daddy was? He almost peed his pants."

"Hehe, yes, he almost started crying!"

Lily was visibly happy about the prank they managed to pull off on her father. Childish giggling resounded, while she held her stomach.

Théo also started laughing at the sudden turn of events .

"A young boy?" Jessie was surprised and turned to Joey.

"Ah, this is... a kid who came in earlier."

Joey thought and tried to change topic.

"We had a small talk about Cultivation. He is an aspiring Cultivator, you see. Reminds me a lot of me when I first started thinking about Cultivation. He's more mature than his appearance lets on."

"Hello Mrs."

Théo put on a confident smile and stretched his arm out for a handshake.

"Oh hello!" Jessie reciprocated the handshake with a kind expression.

"Lily say hello, too."

"Hello," Lily whispered a little bashfully.

"Hello Miss," he greeted her back with an honest smile on his lips.

"So you want to be a Cultivator?" Jessie put her finger on her chin.

"It's not that I want to be one, I will be a Cultivator for sure," Théo said lightly.

"How refreshing!" Jessie pulled her hand from her chin in front of her mouth, covering her laugh elegantly.

"It's pretty dangerous you know! Cultivators can be a violent and rude bunch. Why are men always like this?"

The woman warned while trying to hide a frown when she gave her husband a meaningful gaze.

"And yet it seems too tempting not to try!" Théo showed a white grin.

He had made up his mind from the beginning.

"Well it's time I get going. It was nice meeting you! Thank you for the information and for the beer of course."

Théo gulped down the last drops of his drink and slipped off the chair.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Jess asked in a worried tone when she saw Théo's muddy clothing.

"I do, don't worry about me."

Théo assured them nonchalantly, while knowing full well he didn't have a single inkling as to where he should stay tonight. He put his hands into his pockets and after scrummaging for a while he found what he was searching for.

"See you soon, Joey. I'll have a couple more questions for you then."

The young fellow confidently announced his next visit, before making his way to the exit. Right before opening the door he threw something to Joey.

"Catch!"

He shouted, with a light smile decorating his face meaningfully. Before he vanished through the door, he reminded the middle-aged bartender of respectful decorum.

"Ah also, stop calling me a brat. It's rude and... I am not that young."

Joey arched his eyebrows when he heard his waning remark, and caught the item in his hands.

"What is that brat talking about, he is obviously a little brat." Joey murmured, before finally taking a look on his hands.

"THIS!!!" he gasped for air and was speechless for a moment.

Jessie and Lily looked over his shoulder to see what shocked him to such a degree.

Jessie gasped in shock and joy when she discerned the item. There were tears at the edge of her eyes.

"I-Isn't this a Spirit Crystal?"

"Honey, we've been saving a lot of gold coins to buy a couple of these, right?"

"That's right, but... how did he...I don't even know his name."

Joey couldn't find it in himself to form a smile.

"That brat... I can't possibly accept this. I'm not a beggar damn it!"

Contradicting her expectations, Joey wasn't happy, but even slightly furious at this exaggerated payment.

The burly bartender stormed outside in hope to catch up with the mysterious customer, but he was nowhere to be found...

A scream which could be heard from miles away rang out into the streets.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?"

Théo chuckled in a good mood, as he made his way out of the area.

"What an interesting fellow."

That evening, the most expensive beer of Monsoon City has been sold, here in Joey's little tavern.

* * *

'...I should get a place to stay for the night.'

With his newly-aquired knowledge, he knew that paying with Spirit Crystals would be a wasteful, even dangerous endeavour. It made the young man ponder about his options. Without realizing it, he came back to the destroyed area, which was still turbid and wet after the earth was softened up by the horrendous floods.

Night has fallen, and the sky turned starlit.

Right now, the deceased were lined up on the ground, covered in white muddy cloths.

It was time to identify the victims, which tragically, added up to a couple dozen at the minimum.

The atmosphere was visibly suffocating, sobs and whines were cried solemnly into the dark night.

There exists a kind of pain that is only felt when others hurt, and upon seeing all the grief and agony, its claws clutched tightly around Théo's heart, not willing to let go.

Guilt rose up in his heart, a heaviness that was hard to ignore...

Rooted in silence, Théo stood and watched.

"No, this can't be possible!" a father cried out, tears streaming down his face like rivers.

"Not my boy..."

"Y-Yes, that is Loreley Agnus, my mother," another person sobbed to a coroner.

Thick air, viscous enough to be stuck in ones gullet, made it hard to breathe.

"Spark? Sparkie is that really you?"

Someone called out in a voice spoken so softly that the slightest wind could haul over it.

"Is it– really you?"

The words quivered, and the woman had to swallow mid-way through the question because the words wouldn't leave her throat otherwise.

Théo turned around and faced the middle-aged woman, because he realized that those words were meant for him.

"It's really you." A pair of thick, red swollen eyes were shining brightly on her face, and before Théo could utter another word, her arms slung around his head in a heart-felt embrace.

"I'm so glad... I-I... I already thought of the worst."

"I'm so glad..."

She cried with immense joy, a happiness that can be heard and felt.

It was the kind of happiness that descends upon you only when seeing your kids being born or married. Her cracking voice underlined her chaotic mind.

The Otherworldler did not recognize the name he was called, but he understood the context.

...This person was the original body's mother. Without a doubt.

And the young man whose name was unavowed, the body he unintentionally inhabited, was called Spark.

He understood and he was glad.

He was glad that she wasn't aware of the face he made.... now... as she was still holding him tightly in her embrace, sniffling and crying.

Théo's expression contorted into an ugly, unsightly look and he peered onto the soggy soil.

A distorted frown, truly unfit for the happy reunion, painted his expression in dark shadows.

Watery eyes gave motion to a rolling tear. Sadness and regret twisted his face in unnatural ways, because... because he knew.

He knew of the dark fact, that the son she was searching for so desperately, the same son she mothered and brought up until today, died a couple hours ago.

It's not him. He won't be coming back.

'I'm sorry'

Dull pains clobbered his heart. He grit his teeth against each other with frantic force, they almost threatened to shatter into a bloody mosaic.

Gathering all of his resolve he managed to utter a few words.

"I am very sorry, you must have confused me with someone else."

Her grip around his shoulders loosened up and she stopped her embrace when she heard this. Taking a step back and looking him directly in the face, he saw utter shock and desperation written in her eyes.

"But Spark, it's your mother, can't you see?" she looked heartbroken and anxious, "Please don't frighten me like that. You remember your mother, right?"

Her shaky voice made his knees grow weak and he felt his resolve crumbling. Théo came from another world and is no stranger to pain and death.

He had lost his parents, and lived through difficult times, so he could hold himself together even after the gruesome disaster that accompanied his arrival.

But the sole thought of looking this woman in her puffy eyes, and telling her the absolute truth about her son made him feel nauseous and dizzy.

He had to avert his eyes when he mumbled.

"I am sorry. I cannot remember. All I know is I woke up on the ground, soaked in water, not being able to remember a thing."

Saying these words made Théo felt even more nauseous than before. Retches tried to climb up his throat but he couldn't bring himself to tell the whole truth, solely because how ludicrous it sounded.

And maybe, the true reason was that he was just afraid of her reaction.

"You ... lost your memory?" she gasped in shock, her bearing concerned and nervous, "So you don't remember me?"

"I'm sorry, I do not," he said while bowing his head to hide his expression.

There was a short silence before the mother embraced him again.

"That doesn't matter. Sparkie, nothing matters."

"I'm just happy you're... still with us.", she sobbed before leaving the embrace and casting her gaze into his eyes, her hands still on his shoulder, "Let's go home..."

Her honest voice made Théo think about his own mother, her sweetness, her gentle touch. Old, fuzzy memories stirred up inside of him and broke the blocked dam. His tears started spilling, right next to the tears of his mother.

He was lost and nostalgic and subconsciously nodded. There were a lot of things for him to process.

'His name was Spark... so he still had family...'

Blurry memories resurfaced and lay over the sight of the crying woman in front of him. He forgot his mothers voice and her intricate details, but his heart remembered clearly. He remembered her nurturing warmth.

A shadow of two faces swirled in his mind.

'Mother, Father...'

'You both went too soon... If only we could have had more time.'

A deep, dull craving urged his soul. He wanted to see them once again, but of course he also knew

that it was impossible.

A bright canvas of stars shone onto the two while they silently made their way home. The light above sparkled and danced, apathetic of the daily tragedies they illuminated.

* * *

The house wasn't spacious or in perfect condition, but it was taken care of very meticulously. Not a speck of dust was to be found, and every item had a place it belonged to.

In addition to the living room, there were two small bedrooms built into the walls of a narrow corridor, one with a big bed and one with two seperate beds. The living room featured a hearth on the left side. All kitchen appliances, in addition to the kitchen and the big wooden table were on the right side of the apartment, arranged in a neat and orderly manner.

"I'll cook a soup first, then we will talk," the mother said and nodded assuringly, "Your father and sister will be home soon now that it is dark. They were also worried sick and out searching for you. They will be very happy to see you home."

She started cooking right away and prepared a hearty mushroom cream soup in no time. Heaving the pot on the table, she pulled out four round plates and set the cutlery neatly next to the soup bowl. Three generous heaps of the ladle filled the bowl to the brim and a delicious fragrance hit Théo's nose.

"So I have a sister?" he sighed quietly and adjoined another remark without much thought, "I hope they won't be startled and disappointed when they see me."

"What are you talking about!" the mother raised her voice, her eyes brimmering in a shiny red once again, "We thought you were dead, you know," she sniffed softly.

"After sending you to the bakery, we heard loud bangs in the distance and realized disaster had struck right at the market street where we sent you," she explained with a tear rolling down her face, "Do you know how we felt?"

"You weren't back yet, so we split up to search for you. We were anxious the whole time because we couldn't find you anywhere! I deem myself the luckiest person in the world, seeing you like this again, Spark. And your father and sister will feel the same way."

'Spark. You have a good family.

Théo felt complicated.

His emotions were stirred deeply.

"Thank you, that was good to hear." he said with a warm smile.

They continued their conversation for a bit, before Théo took a shower and after that his mother insisted on dressing and cleaning up the minor wounds he had suffered.

Sometime in that process, the door creaked open and two people entered the house.

...Who else would it be if not his unfamiliar father and new baby-sister?

On first impression, Théo guessed the girl to be around ten years old. Her reddish brown hair hung to the middle of her back in natural curves, and her eyes sported an azure-green glimmer, which she, much like himself, obviously inherited from her mother to an uncanny degree.

The only difference being a greyish trace slearing his into a strange color.

Taking her strong childlike features, and the baby fat on her cheecks into account, his sister was blessed with a heartwarming and lovable appearance.

Unlike the daughter, the father looked rather odinary. He had a trained frame that seemed very stable and robust. Coupling that stature with his straight back resulted in a seemingly perfect posture. His soft and narrow nose, short, dark hair and plain brown eyes were all too common, but regardless of that, he gave off a confident, steadfast composure.

His sister, instead, lost her composure, shouting excitedly and hurrying into her brothers arms.

"Big Bro, you're okay!"

His father didn't stand around either and embraced Théo like his mother did, only more roughly and tight.

"Spark, just where have you been?"

Théo was overwhelmed. The hug felt bittersweet and touched him deeply. But contorted, hypocrticial self-depracating thoughts wouldn't let him enjoy this moment in peace, weighing down on him heavily once again.

'I destroyed this family... I'm just a lost substitute not willing to leave my role in this perfect harmony. Am I even allowed to feel like this? Shouldn't I grovel to the ground and explain the situation immediately?'

That's what he really thought, but still, no matter his thoughts, he stood still in serenity, not a word leaving his mouth. He just stood there in a daze, soaking up the warmth of their hugs.

The hypocrite even put his arm around their backs and hugged back!

This development shocked him so deeply that when he completely realized his action, a subconscious shiver penetrated his body, making him jolt back in disbelief, breaking the tight hug apart. A sad frown was etched onto his face.

Luckily, the mother interrupted the strange development and addressed the two newcomers in a serious tone.

"Honey, Ki, we have something important to tell you."

Altough, still overwhelmed by his own actions, Théo raised his hand and spoke up.

"Let me explain... please" he said and motioned everyonen to take a seat.

With interlaced fingers, and elbows resting on the table, Théo went silent for a moment to arrange his thoughts, before speaking up again.

"I've lost my memories today."

A unnoticed shudder rattled through his bones.

"After being caught up in the floods of the marketplace, I woke up in the muddy dirt and didn't know who I was... And I hate to tell you this, no, I am even anxious about it, but my memories are in shambles. I do not remember anything. I didn't even know my name until it was called."

Mixing lies with truths Théo finished explaining with a pained look on his face.

The expressions of shock on Kiana, and the father were impossible to overlook.

Nausea found its way back to Théo's stomach.

"Son, you lost your memories?"

"Can you really not remember anything?"

His father asked, his body straight like a candle, but little quivers of his lips and nose betrayed his state of mind.

"No... I am sorry."

'I feel bad.'

'But what can I do? Break their heart?'

'Tell them a different person stole their son away, the same son they nurtured for 15 years?'

Tell them their son is dead?

Really tell them that a complete stranger from another planet took his place, miraculously attaching his soul onto the dead young body?

NO!

What for?

Would they think their son went insane or would they believe such an outrageous statement?

If they believed it, then how would they have to act from then on?

All sense of normalcy and joy would be lost!

Can I really burden them with such a terrible choice?

... NO!

Théo was disturbed from his monologue, when Kiana stuttered and left the house in a tantrum.

"No, No... No ! You can't forget me, Big Bro!"

"Kiana!" the father called after her in vain.

"Excuse her Spark, she knows you are not at fault..." he explained with a complicated expression.

"It's just a lot for her to take in."

The father then took Théo by the hand and came face to face, right to an intimate distance.

"You lost your memories today, but I want you to know... that you are still our son. We love you dearly, and we are truly happy you survived this disaster with only cuts and bruises. I can't imagine what I would have done if I heard... that something happened to you."

Théo didn't say anything and just nodded. His heart started aching all of a sudden. His mother was right. They cared about him deeply.

'Spark ... I am sorry.'

'I think this is for the best.'

'Someday, I will have to reveal the truth, but... it won't be today...'

Biting down his lips in a wistful face, he found the resolve to live with this situation.

"Tomorrow we will go see a doctor, I am sure the memories will be restored over time. Your body must be very shocked by what happened today."

"I'll talk to Kiana. You go and rest for the night."

Spark gave an exhausted smile and nodded, "Thanks."

Before Théo could walk into the bedroom, his mother called after him.

"Spark..." he heard, before she went silent and gave him a soft smile, "My name is Sona, and Robert is your father. Kiana is the name of your sister. We love you. Don't forget that. And rest well. We'll see you tomorrow."

Théo was rooted for a moment before he subconsciously looked at his dressed wounds and reciprocated the soft smile with a light nod.

"Thank you Sona..."

He turned around and entered the bedroom. His head was filled with a thousand thoughts after talking to his new family. The slight dull pain that accompanied every heartbeat didn't want to fade away.

And he accepted that pain as if he deserved it...

After laying down, his eyes turned heavy and droopy. All the exhaustion of the day washed over him all of a sudden. It surely was an eventful day.

A last thought crossed his mind just before everything went dark.

'Spark ... The floods took your life and I took your body. And now I'll also have to take your name. I don't expect you to forgive me but... but don't worry. Your family will be taken care of.'