26/05/1164

Amelia’s Childhood Home

Amelia’s Perspective

I-I… I’m actually… I… I’m back. No, it was supposed to be ‘I’m home!’

Warm streams of bliss flowed along my face unceasingly, with no care in the world.

My hands moved around, hugging myself, feeling my tiny face, running through my hair, everything to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

As unbelievable as it is, that man wasn’t joking. I’m actually back in the past. And in this house… this room… the bed I’m lying on… looks like my old bed, no less.

My thoughts were in a mess and even after a few minutes, it was hard to accept reality. All the suffering I had been through. It all seemed so distant, yet so close.

A warm hand touched my forehead, causing me to flinch. My hand moved at a rapid speed, grabbing the hem of my pillow, throwing it at the boy who touched my forehead.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” the boy shouted.

“Ahh!” A shrill scream escaped my mouth.

Samuel? Brother? Is that you?

My eyes opened a crack through all the warmth dripping down my eyes. A blurry image of a boy barely ten aevis old entered my line of sight. His bright chestnut hair, a shade lighter than Daddy's, and fair skin was all I could make out.

“Amelia, calm down. It’s me.” The boy said, his voice dripping with concern. “I know you’re scared by what happened yesterday, but there are no bad guys around now. Mom and Dad sent them all back. It’s alright here. Okay?”

I gave a meek nod before burying my head in the sheets to hide my expression. With a warm smile contrary to what my brother would’ve been imagining, I was looking back at the memories from back in the day.

However, just the next moment, my smile froze as I couldn’t help asking, “Umm… Brother… What happened to Brother Zack?”

Brother sighed before saying, “I don’t know. Mom and Dad went out saying they would look for him, but they haven’t returned yet. I hope they would find him.”

My eyes widened in astonishment.

Just how unlucky can a guy be? If I was only a few hours earlier, I could’ve — No, Amelia. Calm down. Take a deep breath.

Yanking out my sprouting urges, I took a deep breath, my mind returning to a state as tranquil as a sea.

Remember what you were told. The more things you change, the less accurate your information about the future would become. Don’t forget that. Don’t forget that you haven’t met him yet.

While thinking this to myself, a figure of a man covered in blood, his dusty hair coiling down his shoulders, his shaky hand grabbing a broken spear and the bitter smile he gave right before passing away while standing on his feet the whole time inevitably flashed through my head.

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath to calm myself down. With a sorrowful tone, I replied, “I see…. Brother, can I have some time alone?”

Brother heaved out an audible breath before saying, “Okay. But take some medicine first. It seems you have a fever. And don’t think too much over it. Get some rest, okay?”

“Okay.” Giving him affirmation, I rubbed my face against the sheets to wipe off the tears staining my face.

Getting up, I saw my brother holding a bottle of what looked like a medicine for stomach-ache, standing there with a worried face.

Barely holding back my laughter, I said, “Brother, that’s the wrong medicine. The one you’re holding should be the one for stomach-ache and not fever.”

“Oh, I… uh… I think I grabbed the wrong bottle in a hurry. I’ll get the right one.”

Leaving behind his words, we left the room to get another bottle of medicine.

This fool, oh… I missed this idiot brother so much.

A short while later, he came back with the correct medicine. Pretending as if the thing from a few moments ago never happened, he gave me the medicine.

The medicine tasted bitter. Yet, the taste contained a slight saltiness and sweetness, being a mixture of common herbs like Yellow Oriel Flowers or Grain Asther Flowers which grew in vast quantities in areas like the valley in which the village was in.

Gulping down the medicine, I realised how parch my throat was. Looking around, I saw no containers for water, or anything for that matter. In the end, my shifting gaze settled at the back of my brother, who was about to leave through the door.

“Brother… If you’re leaving, please bring some water and then leave.”

“Ugh… Okay.”

After another short while, he brought and placed a jar filled with water at the bed stand before preparing to leave. A sly thought flashed through my head as a sly glint flashed through my eyes.

“Um… Brother, you forgot the cup.”

“Fine!”

He walked out again, bringing me a cup. With a muffled clang, he placed it on the bed stand, next to the jar of water he had brought moments ago. Finishing that, he turned to leave.

“Um… Brother, can you please bring me a pen?”

With an expression of ‘are you for real’, he walked out before returning while holding a pen.

Tossing the pen over, he asked, “Anything else?”

I shook my head in denial, watching him leave for the umpteenth time. I remembered something as my eyebrows jumped.

“Um… Brother…”

Hearing my voice, his shoulders heaved up and down before he turned back. The glint in his eyes said all I needed to know: ‘If there’s anything more after this, you’re on your own.’

Realising I touched the limit of his patience, a sense of accomplishment welled up within me.

Hehe, who’s the one with the most sway now?

Doing my best to hold back my smile, I spoke in a gloomy tone, “Please close the door when you leave.”

He turned back again, shaking his head as he slammed the door again.

The gears in my head began whizzing a moment later as I poured myself a cup of water, took out my diary from the drawer in the bed stand and loosened the joints in my arms.

Time to plan what comes next.