Chapter 16

Son-con – Vol . 13 Ch . 16

I didn’t return to the forest I first arrived at in this world . My body’s physical sensations were eventually restored . I smelt the unique natural smell of wood . A sensation from my lower body reassured me . It was a totally different feeling to the waves . On the back of my head was a soft cloth material that emitted a fragrant scent . I seemed to be lying on flowers . I heard gurgling sounds by my ear; I thought something was boiling .

I slowly opened my eyes . Overhead was a red wooden roof . I turned over to look in the direction of the wind blowing . What I saw was a large window… Actually, it resembled an open folding door . Outside the building was a gradient red and orange sunset . A bright flame accompanied the clouds in the sky . The lantern hanging on the door gently swayed in the wind . At the centre of the courtyard was a huge tree . An overwhelming number of pink flower petals reflected the setting sun, generating a fiery scene .

*Clink*

I heard the sound of porcelain clink next to me . I immediately turned over to see a white soft yarn . A soft and slender pair of hands picked up a clay pot on the small flame . The heat inside the pot cheerfully burst forth . The soft pair of hands gently poured the brown liquid inside of the pot out into the porcelain bowl in front .

I turned my head again . Her long black hair resembled a black waterfall . From the side, her face was radiant white . Her eyes weren’t on me . Kneeling next to me, she gently picked up a tray with a bowl containing several things inside . She then picked up a grind stone . She slowly ground and stirred away .

I wanted to speak, but I decided it was better not to when I went to speak . I didn’t want to disturb the breathtaking beauty . I saw the sunset, ancient tree, bright flowers, steam that whisked up from the pot, soft and slender hands of the beauty, and gentle eyes of the beauty .

She turned to face me, allowing me to see the front of her face for the first time . Underneath her long black hair was a stunning indifferent face . Her appearance differed to Nier and Lucia; her face was the type I often saw when I was still alive . She had the small and delicate face of an individual of Asian heritage, and it certainly gave off that vibe . Her eyes were the same type of red as Ling Yue’s . They were a darker shade compared to Ling Yue’s bright red eyes, though .

As if she was a statue, she didn’t wear a smile, concern or any emotion on her face . She looked at the world indifferently and silently as though she didn’t care about anything in the world .

We looked at each other . She didn’t say anything . She reached her hand out to help me up . She carried a familiar scent on her . I thought I smelt her scent somewhere before . It wasn’t the scent of flowers, and, if I was correct, it was a scent I often smelt when I was still alive .

I felt her warm hand on the nape of my neck . I felt a painful sensation when I sat up despite going sitting up slowly . I was fine when I was still; however, my entire body hurt when I moved . It was as though I didn’t come back to life from the ocean but rolled down a mountain . I groaned . Her hand stopped for a moment, but she still didn’t show any emotion . I shook my head, and then she let go before handing the porcelain bowl to me .

The brown liquid inside the bowl exuded soothing warmth that also reminded one of bitter memories . It resembled the medicine from home that one missed, yet could put one at ease . Sometimes western medicines’ capsules and sugar-coated tablets felt excessively awkward to consume . Eastern medicine that had been passed down for millenniums, on the other hand, carried the care and gentleness of those from millenniums ago to the present .

I slowly drank the contents . The medicine was seriously very bitter . Still, I bit the bullet and finished it . All she did was watch me in silence the entire time . She wasn’t happy, consoled or worried . She didn’t show any emotions; it was as though she didn’t belong to this world, and my life and death was none of her concern . Indeed, my life and death had nothing to do with her .

I placed the bowl down . She placed it on the tray . She then tidied up the pot above the flame and stood up . Her bare feet beneath her white and pink robe were partially revealed . Her robe had to be a kimono . It was the exact same design as a Japanese kimono .

“Could it be that this island’s culture developed the same way? Will she understand what I say, then?” I wondered .

“Ah…”

I tried to speak by calling out to her . She stopped in her tracks at the door . She didn’t look back, or wait for me, nevertheless . I tried to say, “Umm… Hello… Umm… I want to ask who you are and where I am… Please tell me…”

She simply stood at the door without looking back or answering, maintaining her posture . I, too, just looked at her back despite feeling awkward . I thought she didn’t understand my question .

“Ying . ”

“What?”

I heard a familiar, yet unfamiliar, tone . I seemed to hear a dialect I didn’t understand . Thankfully,  I could understand her, albeit barely . She turned around to look at me upon hearing my response . In a serious tone, she repeated herself, “Ying . ”

“Ying?”

“Wow, that’s too simple for an Asian name, right? It seems overwhelmingly simple, doesn’t it? It’s as simple as the name Wang Jianguo, which means, king building the nation,” I thought .

Tone calm, she elaborated, “This is Yabuki . I found you by the shore and brought you back . You’ve been unconscious for an entire day . You’ve just come to, so don’t be emotional . ”

“Ah, mm… Thank you,” I replied with a blank look .

Ying then added, “You’ve suffered very grave injuries and been exposed to the cold . Have a good rest for some time, and then you can slowly ease back into moving around . ”

“Mm . ”

“Want something to eat?”

“Yes please . ”

“All right . ”

Ying nodded, and then turned around . She shut the door gently behind her after exiting . I turned around and sighed . I slowly attempted to try and mobilise my stiff limbs . Unfortunately, it felt as if I was a robot that hadn’t been lubricated in a long time . I felt as though I had adhesions in my joints as well as waves of painful sensations . My chest and back were wrapped in thick bandages . I also had the scent of herbal medicine on me . I stretched my arm out to find them covered in bruises, too . I considered myself lucky to not have been eaten up by a fish of some sort . Lying down was the only way to feel relatively comfortable .

I didn’t know how much longer I needed to rest for, but I felt I had a lot of injuries . Most worrisome was my injuries didn’t heal . Under normal circumstances, I recovered from wounds at a rapid rate as long as it wasn’t inflicted with the mana dissolvent . However, my body didn’t recover when I was in the desert, the North or here . In other words, there was a lack of mana here . Put another way, this place, wherever it was, was a long distance away from our continent .

I didn’t know how Lucia, Nier or my fleets were doing . I just hoped that those around me were safe and sound, particularly Lucia, as she couldn’t move last night . I didn’t know if Nier saved her . I wanted to know when they’d be able to locate me .

My necklace was missing . I placed my necklace on the bedside when I slept . It dropped into the water when the ship capsized . That meant I had no means of calling Mommy Vyvyan, either . I needed to stay here for some time to recuperate . Then, I needed to search for them on my own . Perhaps I couldn’t enjoy the sunset because I was worried about Lucia and Nier .