The Night Before Departure

Struck by the Forest Lord’s curse, I collapsed to the ground, my vision blurring into a scene from what felt like six years past.

“Greetings, my dear villagers!” the Village Chief boomed, standing atop a makeshift platform in the heart of the street. “Our village’s annual fireworks display is officially underway!”

A wave of cheers erupted as the Village Chief, a wide grin plastered across his face, descended the platform and ignited the first barrel of fireworks.

A sudden burst of light shot forth from the ignited barrel, soaring skyward before blossoming into a vibrant, colorful flower against the dark canvas of the night.

“Ooh, ooh, ooh!” Helter exclaimed, clapping his hands together with the excited crowd.

‘How tedious,’ I thought, my gaze sweeping over the familiar scene. ‘It’s the same every year; I can’t fathom why these villagers adore fireworks so much.’ I clapped a few times, purely out of obligation.

“Lu Ren! Look, it’s so beautiful!”

“Indeed…”

My mind was far from the spectacle; instead, I was desperately trying to figure out how to escape this dream. ‘Damn it,’ I fumed internally, ‘I’ve pinched the left side of my face crimson, but why won’t it work?’

“Lu Ren, what exactly are you doing?”

“Trying to wake myself up,” I replied without a moment’s hesitation.

“Wake up? Are you truly still half-asleep and confused?”

“Ah…” I started to speak, but the words died on my tongue.

I decided against explaining it to a person within a dream; it would be a pointless waste of breath and time. Moreover, Helter was an utter simpleton, and no amount of explanation would ever get through to him.

“Are you unhappy?” Helter inquired.

“Unhappy? What could possibly make me unhappy?”

It was always like this, both when we were children and now that we’re older; for some inexplicable reason, Helter always seemed to pinpoint my emotional vulnerabilities.

“Is it… because of me?”

‘Ah… because of you? What’s gotten into you? I don’t recall you being such a narcissist when we were children.’

“Yes,” I replied offhandedly, still intent on pinching my face.

With a thoughtful expression, Helter took my hand and gently led me away from the bustling crowd.

“What are you doing?” I exclaimed, annoyed. ‘I was still trying to pinch myself awake! Why are you interfering?’

“It’s not good to talk about it amidst the crowd…”

Helter pulled me along, leading us all the way to the bridgehead at the village entrance, putting a significant distance between us and the other villagers.

‘What exactly isn’t good to talk about?’ I wondered, a vague sense of unease stirring within me. ‘Why can’t I quite remember?’

“Hoo-hoo,” we both panted, catching our breath.

We both paused, panting to regain our breath after the short sprint.

“Lu Ren, you didn’t tell anyone, did you?”

‘Tell what?’ I thought. ‘Given the bond between us, I would never betray a secret.’

“No,” I confirmed.

“That’s excellent then…” Helter murmured, leaning heavily against the bridge’s railing.

Back then, he wasn’t particularly strong; his physique was quite ordinary, just like any other village boy.

“What’s wrong?” I prompted him.

“What’s wrong? Lu Ren, shouldn’t I be asking you that? What’s troubling you? Didn’t we promise each other that our emotions wouldn’t waver before I left?”

‘Leave…’ The word struck me like a stone, a sudden, brutal blow to my forehead as memory surged forth.

That’s right! This was that day! The very night before Helter was set to depart for the Royal Capital!

“You…”

“I know you’re sad, but these past three years, we truly shared so much happiness together,” Helter confessed softly. “Perhaps we’re quite similar, both having been found by the Village Chief and coincidentally losing our memories of the past…”

Three years. He had grown from eight to eleven, and I from seven to ten. During those years, he was my sole confidant, the only friend I could truly speak with, and I, in turn, was the only brother he trusted. That’s why he confided in me alone about his impending departure.

“Are you truly going to leave?”

Once immersed in the moment, I found myself instinctively uttering the very same words I had spoken all those years ago.

“Yes, truly. I’ve made all my preparations,” he confirmed, his voice firm. “My luggage, everything, is packed and ready. Since the Village Chief is preoccupied with the fireworks, he’s unaware I’ve even packed. You are the only one who knows I’m leaving.”

“When are you leaving…?”

“Soon. Once the fireworks have finished and the villagers gather for their feast, I’ll slip away alone with my bag.”

Perhaps his life wouldn’t be as vibrant and colorful as the fireworks exploding in the sky, yet he genuinely loved this village. The fireworks, then, would be his final, cherished remembrance as he departed.

“You’re still so young!” I cried out, my voice laced with desperation. “You have all the time in the world to chase your dreams! Why are you in such a rush?”

Familiar! So incredibly familiar! These very words! I had uttered them precisely the same way all those years ago. I was, in essence, reliving my own history.

“Time isn’t meant for squandering,” Helter countered, his voice steady. “Since I now possess the ability to make a living, I shouldn’t remain here, living a life of idleness.”

His words brought to mind a passage from a book: ‘A person’s life should be lived such that when they look back, they will not regret wasted years, nor be ashamed of a life lived in vain!’

‘What an absolute joke!’ I fumed internally. ‘He’s only eleven years old; how could he possibly possess such profound awareness? Such a deep understanding of life’s values? Impossible! Even I, now, haven’t fully grasped the true meaning of that quote. Helter certainly couldn’t have known it back then!’

“You’re not steel!” I retorted, my voice rising. “There’s no need to forge yourself now! Besides, going there won’t make you stronger! It certainly won’t make you a useful person!”

My emotions surged, overwhelming me. I lunged forward, grabbing his collar, and blurted out words that, even then, I knew should have remained unspoken.

“How do you know that?”

“I just know!” I yelled back, my voice cracking. “Do you remember when you returned, utterly defeated and covered in grime? It was absolutely humiliating!”

Later, his three-year journey to the Royal Capital utterly broke Helter. Though he still smiled, his eyes had already lost all glimmer of hope for life.

“Don’t get so worked up! What are you even saying?” Helter roared back, his voice strained. “We agreed there would be no outbursts like this!”

“But…”

My eyes welled up, blurring my vision.

“I’m sad too,” Helter admitted, his voice softening, “but my heart tells me I can’t stay here, truly. I must make myself stronger, even if I don’t fully understand why I feel this way…”

Slowly, gently, Helter began to pry my hands from his collar.

‘Please! Don’t go!’

“It’ll be alright,” he promised, a faint smile touching his lips. “Once I achieve success and renown, I’ll return! And when I do, I’ll bring unparalleled glory to our entire village!”

‘Bullshit glory!’ I screamed internally. ‘I only beg you not to leave!’

“If, by then, I’ve somehow forgotten you,” he continued, a wistful look in his eyes, “remember to call my name, Wolfer Helter. Or, if you prefer to be less formal, call me the wild child carried here by wolves! Either way, I promise I’ll instantly remember you and the Village Chief!”

‘Carried by wolves… more like carried by dogs, you idiot!’ I thought, my frustration mounting. ‘Why are you so utterly oblivious to reality? The darkness of the Royal Capital is common knowledge, so why are you so determined to go?’

“Please… don’t go, okay?”

The cold wind whistled around us, and my tears flowed freely, blurring the world.

‘Forgive my selfishness,’ I pleaded silently, ‘but leaving won’t bring anything good. I truly can’t bear to see you return home in such a wretched state. I don’t want to watch that innocent boy transform into a drunken brute… I truly don’t want that.’

Helter remained silent, his gaze distant.

Another burst of fireworks soared skyward, streaking across the darkening expanse.

It bloomed like a blood-red flower against the velvet blackness of the night.