Chapter 255 – That Curiosity

Chapter 255

Zavi spent his early teenage years living like any ordinary child, spending his time playing, studying, and occasionally helping his mother sell goods in the town square.

Whenever young Zavi grew bored, his next-door neighbor would invite him to the nearby river to catch some small fish and other food they could find there.

The days leading up to his twelfth birthday passed without incident, except for the news of his father's death.

From that day onward, his trips to the river with his neighbor, whom he affectionately called Jasu Der, gradually but surely marked the beginning of young Zavi's waning interest in the supernatural.

It happened on the day he turned twelve.

November 8, 1531, according to the Star Calendar.

With the daily news filled with reports of mysterious deaths and missing laborers, young Zavi, who had developed an interest in the supernatural, was forbidden by his stepbrother, Ren, from continuing his foolish pursuits.

"Don't you like it when I play around with that stuff?"

"Stop it, I said!" Ren's voice rose with anger as memories of his late father flooded his mind. His blue eyes fixed on his younger brother, filled with guilt.

Ren gradually felt moisture gathering on his cheeks. Unwilling to let anyone see him cry, he tried to hide it and hurriedly wiped his eyes before placing his cold palm on his younger brother's shoulder.

"Listen carefully, Zavi," Ren said, his tone softening.

"It's not that I'm forbidding you from pursuing your hobby. But one thing is certain: if anything happens to you, I'll tell you that we're leaving you behind."

"Then just go. Besides, I want to be free from the shackles of uncertainty, too," Zavi replied curtly.

"What did you say?" Ren was taken aback and wanted to demand an explanation. However, to his surprise, his younger brother walked away and headed toward their mother's bedroom.

"Hey, where are you going? Did you really not hear a word I said?" Ren called out, trying to stop him, but his efforts were futile when he saw his younger brother's determined movements.

"Yeah," Zavi replied apathetically.

Each of his steps made the floorboards tremble for a few seconds before the twelve-year-old boy slammed the door shut.

Ren shrugged and closed his eyes. He shook his head, unable to understand what was going through his younger brother's mind. Zavi had become fascinated with ridiculous supernatural notions, such as the rumors of an impending apocalypse.

'Should I tell the others about this? This is no trivial matter. I need to find out why people around here have fallen for such ridiculous rumors. Besides, Father... tsk.'

Ren bit his lower lip, unwilling to sink into the past. After considering the possibilities, he neither regretted what had happened nor mourned over it. Now, he was focused on turning over a new leaf and living life on his own terms.

The afternoon passed quickly, and night soon fell. In the dining room, which was connected to the kitchen, the two boys sat in silence, avoiding each other after their earlier confrontation.

Their mother, Mei, was puzzled by her sons' behavior that evening. It was as though something serious had happened between them, something they didn't want anyone else to know about.

"Mother, why does Zavi look so gloomy?" Isabelle asked innocently.

Mei put down her utensils and gently stroked her daughter's head with the hands that would do anything to provide for her family.

"Don't worry too much about it. Just eat your food, and you can ask your older brother about it later, okay?"

"Hmm," Isabelle replied, her cheeks puffed out around the spoon in her tiny mouth.

Isabelle Actitus was eight years old that day.

After dinner, Mei set about cleaning and tidying the kitchen before returning to her bedroom to put little Isabelle to bed.

However, to her surprise, Ren took the initiative to help his mother clean up the kitchen before returning to his second-floor bedroom to continue studying.

"You should get some sleep, Ren. Let your mother take care of the rest," Mei said in a voice as soft as silk.

'If he's acting like this, he must want to express his feelings. He's always been so quiet, even since that day. But after his departure, I think he tried to...'

Mei smiled, unwilling to continue that train of thought. She occasionally glanced at her son with keen interest while her hands remained busy washing the dishes under running water.

After a long pause, struggling to find the right words, Ren sighed and gave a slight nod.

Mei noticed his nervous reaction and smiled faintly. The dishes were finally clean, so she turned around and carried them toward the shelf.

However, before she could put them away, she stopped when Ren finally gathered the courage to speak to her about the matter on his mind.

"...Actually, I want you to attend my graduation ceremony a few months from now, Mother. Would you be willing to grant me that request?"

Mei's mind went blank for a moment. Her hands froze at the edge of the shelf as she gripped a plate tightly.

She shifted her feet, then raised her gaze toward her son, who stood a short distance away.

As the water flowed from the sink in a steady rhythm, nearly making the kitchen atmosphere awkward, the sound of a bell suddenly rang out that night, breaking the tension between them.

Their eyes widened. Both felt their heartbeats gradually return to normal, their minds becoming much clearer than before.

"Of course, I'll be there, so don't worry," Mei replied with a smile as she continued placing the plates on the shelf.

"Thank you," Ren said as he turned off the tap.

...

The two continued tidying up before returning to their respective bedrooms.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom to the right of the living room, young Zavi and his younger sister sat quietly in their respective places.

Worried about her older brother, Isabelle climbed down from her bed and carefully made her way toward the cushioned wooden chair where her brother sat, lost in thought.

"Do you want me to give you some money? So you won't be sad anymore?"

"..."

Isabelle puffed out her cheeks when she saw her older brother react differently than usual. Sensing that something was wrong and unwilling to rely on their mother, she tried to find a way to get him to talk to her.

Her tiny fingers curled into fists. She turned around, walked to the right side of the bed, and opened the wardrobe by climbing onto a chair.

After retrieving what she wanted, Isabelle nodded and carefully climbed down, gripping the object tightly.

She walked back toward her brother and held it out to him.

"Hey, Zavi. I have a present for you. Will you accept it?"

Intrigued by the word "present," young Zavi turned around and looked at his adorable little sister, noticing the object in her hand.

"Isn't that Mother's watch?" Zavi murmured, trying to recall it correctly.

"Hm, hm, hm. Guess what! It'll be a fun game, just like we used to play," Isabelle said cheerfully, her enthusiasm as unchanged as ever.

Zavi fell silent, trying to figure out the answer. He closed his eyes and turned his chair toward his younger sister, who was sitting below him.

After remaining silent for quite some time without finding the answer, young Zavi finally gave up.

"I don't know. What's the answer?" Young Zavi rose from his chair and approached his little sister.

Without warning, despite knowing that doing so would strain his body, Zavi lifted his younger sister onto the cushioned chair.

Isabelle froze, then smiled when she realized that her attempt to cheer up her older brother had succeeded.

"Just sit there. It's cold down there," Zavi said softly.

"All right," she replied with an innocent nod. "So, have you figured it out yet?" Isabelle asked.

"Not yet," Zavi replied gloomily.

Suddenly, Isabelle stood up from her chair and placed the object on top of her brother's head, bursting into laughter.

"Because this pocket watch belongs to you!" Isabelle exclaimed, lifting the hem of her nightgown like a princess from a royal family.

Zavi didn't smile at his little sister's antics. Yet deep inside, as he examined the pocket watch's shape, old memories he had learned about from someone resurfaced in his mind.

...

As the sun rose in the eastern sky, the world that had once seemed gloomy and silent came alive again. Warm sunlight bathed the land below, bringing new life to the creatures that inhabited it.

It was Saturday morning. Unwilling to let the opportunity pass, young Zavi asked his mother to return home around noon before leaving for school.

His mother couldn't bring herself to refuse and agreed. In the end, they left the house and headed to their respective destinations.

Mei went to the town square to sell her goods, while young Zavi headed to school in the Tezny District.

By noon, young Zavi had returned home before his mother. After waiting for several minutes, he heard footsteps outside. He rose from his seat and made his way to the front door.

His mother had returned. Zavi could no longer contain himself as she looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"So, Mother, may I ask you something?" Zavi asked, slowly turning toward her.

Mei nodded before replying, "Go ahead. Don't worry, I won't hide anything from you."

'I set aside time for this and entrusted my stall to a friend. What's really going on with them? Why have they been acting so strangely lately?'

After spending far too long trying to figure out the answers, Mei found it difficult to understand what her children were thinking, despite having lived with them for years.

"About Father... is it true that he abandoned our family when I was still little?" Zavi asked calmly, though his gaze was like that of an eagle watching its prey.

Rather than answering, Mei stared at her eldest son almost without blinking, tears welling up in her eyes.

"So you remember, and now you want to ask about it, huh?"

Zavi nodded, eagerly waiting for his mother's story.

"If you really want to know about your father, I'd be more than happy to tell you."

After falling silent to gather her thoughts, Mei finally sighed, feeling her heart beat strangely.

"Back then, when Isabelle was only one year old and you were about to turn five, your father, whose full name was Affan Westorn, left our little family without leaving a single thing behind in this house.

"That doesn't mean your father was a bad man. He was actually a good person. I married him because I loved him. But for reasons I never understood, he grew more restless with each passing day, and his face became lined with wrinkles, as though he hadn't slept in a long time. I thought he was having trouble at work, so I never pressed him for an explanation.

"Then, on that day, June 1, his child's first birthday, your father told me something, Zavi. At the time, I understood his message perfectly. But somehow, I can no longer remember it clearly, not even what happened the day after he left.

"Day after day passed. Although I acted as though everything was normal on the outside, my heart was wounded, and it felt as though the universe itself wouldn't allow me to remember your father's final message."

That was where her story ended. Although Mei had many other things she wanted to tell her eldest son, the truth was that she couldn't remember the events clearly enough.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories from the past. But one thing is certain. You once told me that Father had died. Was that really true?"

Mei was at a loss for words for quite some time. She couldn't help smiling when she realized just how strong her son's memory was.