11.04 cycle nine, Ca’thir, of calendar Moonrachia

  I couldn’t do anything

  No amount of words could explain all of this, and calm down, Alias, right now

  I just stood there, like a complete idiot, and could only see Alias burrow her face into my legs while sobbing

  But, damn it, I could hear Eisya's words again, ‘Kaleth, I will leave Alias to you.’

  What should I even do right now?

  What is the correct thing I could do?

  Whoever—god, demon king, or anyone

  Please just tell me already!

  What should I do right now?!

  “Kaleth…” Alias once more said something while still burying her face into my legs

  Her voice isn’t clear enough since she mumbles into my legs, but somehow, I just wish I couldn’t hear anything for now

  When Alias pulled away a bit and raised her face to look up at me, I could see it

  The usual Alias barely wore any emotion, now, just looking at her expression is tearing my heart in such a way that I didn’t know was possible

  Once more, my heart is doing its weird shift again, it feels like it's twisting into a tangled thread

  Slowly, I knelt down

  My hand twitched uncertainly, hesitating whether to pat her or not

  I hugged her with my other arm

  “Mhm, it’s not your mistake.” It was mine

  Slowly patting her head, she was once more crying again on my shoulder

  “You did nothing wrong, you’re a good girl.” And I’m sure Eisya would think the same

  Because all of this is the cause of my mistake

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  *****

  11.14 cycle nine, Ca’thir, of calendar Moonrachia

  After a while, she was calmer now

  She’s now pulled away from the hug slowly, but I still could see some tears falling down the corners of her eyes

  “Is Mom really not going to come back…?”

  I could see some expectation in her eyes, and seeing it stopped my breathing for a moment

  A white lie sometimes is needed, but Alias is a smart child, and it's not a question

  It’s more like a need for confirmation

  “I’m sorry” is the only thing I could say to her

  She just stood there, looking at the ground for a moment, and asked, “Is Mom saving a lot of people…?”

  “Mhm, I’m sure she is.”

  “…Do you think I could become someone like Mom?”

  “I’m sure you can.” Eisya would definitely say that Alias could become something even greater than herself, It's how a mother usually answers their kid

  But it’s not my place to say something like that

  Slowly, Alias, raising her face once more, now wore the same usual expression of hers

  But, you could see there are still a few tears flowing slowly, and her nose is runny

  Then I pull out a handkerchief, the one Rheya gave to me, and wipe Alias's tears and runny nose

  The way Alias scrunches her nose is almost comical, given that she was crying a minute ago

  Such a strong kid

  “Let’s wash our faces first, okay? Then we eat breakfast first.” Alias then nodded to me

  When I stand back again, after a long time kneeling, I can feel my legs going numb a bit

  Then Alias just walked away after that and went into her room, entirely ignoring the plushie on the hallway floor…

  “This girl… really unique in her own way.” While my eyes twitch a bit

  Shortly after she had gone into her own room, I grabbed the plushie she had dropped before and headed into her room

  The moment I entered the room, I could almost instantly feel a warm temperature and a floral scent scattered around

  Alias's room was big, bigger than the Arnentia teacher's office

  The wall was painted in soft yellow pastel, and tons of animal plushies were around the room

  There’s also a balcony

  They were the source of all that floral scent. With the way the curtain is swaying softly in the wind rhythm, you could glance at a bunch of different flowers on its balcony

  After the sounds of flowing water stopped, Alias appeared from the bathroom

  She had changed from her pajamas and washed her face

  You could see a few droplets of water drip out from her face

  She walked over to me after picking something off the table

  When she stood in front of me, she gave me… a brush…? And then she just walks away and sits on the chair with a mirror in front of it

  This reminds me of how Rheya often forced me to brush her hair when we were still kids, and a smile curled onto my lips slightly without me realizing it

  After putting the plushie that I picked from the floor before on her bed and then walking behind the chair, Alias still sat on it firmly while hugging some shark-looking plushie

  And slowly, I began to untangle her hair with my fingers first, before gently brushing her hair

  She’s still a little girl… Yet she loses something precious in front of her

  She’s such a strong kid, no, she was acting so strong

  I could see it in the way she hugged the plushie

  I could see it in the way her eyes seemed to lose their light

  I could see it in the way she doesn’t want to be alone right now

  And…

  …This is too much for me

  How am I supposed to act fine?

  I accidentally made her lose her beloved mom…

  “Kaleth…? Are you crying…?”

  I don’t understand what she was talking about, but the moment I looked up into the mirror

  I was wearing a face that was alien to me

  “Mhm, I’m not.” Patting her head once

  “I’m just a little bit hungry right now.” While smiling at her through the mirror

  “But for now, let’s brush your hair first.” And I begin to brush her hair again

  I can’t let her see something like that again

  *****

  11.45 cycle nine, Ca’thir, of calendar Moonrachia

  When we both reach the dining room, there’s only a whole loaf of bread and other ingredients

  Which should be enough to make some sandwiches, but still, how does the Orlier family manage food?

  Maya can’t be found anywhere in the house…

  I guess I should have made a few sandwiches for both of us

  After making Alias sit on one of the chairs, I began to prepare the food

  While cutting the bread, I remember there’s breakfast in my room: some eggs, bread, and something—something I don’t quite remember

  But it must be really cold now

  Well, whatever

  The sandwich should be fine for now

  After finishing making and plating them, I cleaned the kitchen first before putting them on the dining table

  While Alias was munching on the sandwich, I walked again to the kitchen, preparing the drink

  Somehow, I can’t find any milk or even chocolate

  “Well, plain water then.” Pouring the water into 2 mugs for both of us

  When I came back to the dining room, Maya was sitting beside Alias now

  It shocked me so much that I froze on the spot

  ---END---