The lumber, the axe and the colorful palette

...Chapter 1: Epoch one — The lumber, the axe and the colorful palette...

"The life we didn't ask for, you blessed us with. The dust and fog blinded our vision. We couldn't see the land you bestowed upon us, not even a glimpse. Our vision curtained up the false, we couldn't distinguish the truth from it. "

"Thud''

"Thud"

My breath is getting heavier each time I swing the axe. The agonizing pain in my hands from swinging the axe for hours, but how much I can bear the pain? Can I even bear this anymore? My hands have reached their limits and I can't swing that cleaver anymore. Just not for now.

Well, the time has passed, but how much since the fading of the warmth that once engulfed these hands? Now the same shrouded in the chilly breeze?

I have been certainly chopping trees one after another with no sense of direction towards what will lead to where. Besides, there is no purpose for me to do this, yet I can't just get away from this prison of mine. I have been stuck in this cycle for years, even though it feels like an eternity. Well, there is not much purpose left for me and my grump's cleaver to be doing this now and then. As all the reason I had been long felled into the void, now all I have is my gramps's clever and that solitary shed of mine.

Will I ever fill the void inside of my heart with warmth again? I am just doing anything just to fill the time that runs past me. I don't have any purpose, do I?

Ah, why it's so dark here? Oh, it's nocturnal time already. My thoughts stranded me so much so that I disregarded my surrounding.

The night, it curtained the surrounding trees in pitch darkness as if someone put a thick black cloth over the entire forest, but the vague light that is coming from the lunar a'rim and serifl is still enough to see in this darkness. The chill wind blowing from the opposite side of where I am facing. I can hardly breathe in this chill wind that is blowing. The rustling noise of branches and twigs clashing against one another.

I hear some birds chirping in the shadows of the leaf and some birds coming back to their home flapping their wide and long wings that are shrouded in feathers. I also have a place where I belong, like those birds. It's my home. Should I go home and start over that cycle of nought yet again?

I suppose there is nothing considerable I can do about it then head home.

"hawoooool"

What was that sound? I must be hallucinating, but no, I am sure the loud cry of the wild beast came from a far distance. Well, it must be the hawls. But It's not even daytime yet they are on the hunt? Looks like they are starving, but they are supposed to be in their den at this time. I guess their hunger is not listening to their will.

Well, what should I do? Should I stay set and end this eternal custodial of mine or should I run away and begin the cycle of nought again? I could just run away and live this life in the sorrow of loneliness, right? But I can use this opportunity to end this prison too. The decision is mine.

"Sniff" "Sniff"

What is this smell? Ugh, Why I am feeling like my organs going to come out from my thin throat? The agonizing pain that is on my chest, it's becoming unbearable.

"Rustleeee," "grrr"

The presence of those hawls nearby, I can barely sense it. They are lurking around the bushes to hunt me down. Well, needless to say, this purposeless body can be in something helpful in some way.

Hahaha, why I am laughing? I suppose this is where I fade from this land.

Augh, the pain in my chest, I can't bear this anymore. My visions are becoming dim as my eyes are closing on their own. Well, no one can save me now except the one who created me with resonating clay. But well, I don't want to continue this journey any longer, so it doesn't matter whether he is calling me to his place or not. This is the end of my journey. I am sorry grump, I can't do it any longer. I just wanted to stay by your side.

Just by your side gran—fa—h-er

"Hahaha, seair"

"what are you doing, kid?"

Grumps, is it you? I can't believe it's you. But you were dead, but how did you? Well, you are back that is what matters to me. You don't know how much I miss you.

But where am I? All I see is the white colour around my surroundings. There is no object around us, it's just light surrounding us and the surface we are standing in, it's texture toothed, very much like paper.

"Seair, I'm aware you understand this, but everyone must face death eventually."

What are you saying, grumps? I can hear you but can't see you why?. But what you are saying is indeed the truth. And yeah, I do comprehend death is inevitable and we cannot run away from it. One day or another, it will come after us and will hunt us down. And will make us taste its presence.

"I warned you not to be intimidated by hardship, but to stand up and confront the hardship that is scaring you."

Hey Gramps, can you hear me? Gramps, gramps!!

"My child, you can't always cling to me, though you will have to face this vast world of ours. This world can be harsh at times, but it's equally beautiful. You will understand that anyway."

I don't care about this world, what you call a land of beauty and prosperity. Also, I don't want to understand anything about this land. I just want you beside me. Gramps? Why you are not saying anything? Gramps, why did your calming voice faded? Don't leave me

"hah" "hah"

I was having a hard time breathing, as it felt like someone had put a boulder on my chest. I was sweating and had a blanket; it covered my neck in sweat. My eyes were closed at that time, but after a while, my breath started to get calmer. I was covered in a wide but light blanket and my body was way too hot. I removed the blanket from my body and the sweating stopped after a while.

I tried to open my eyes, but visions of mine were quite vague. The dim vision that was of mine at that time, I looked up and the first thing I saw was the ceiling, which had a small Chandler hanging which I can barely distinguish from the white ceiling. I woke up in a place I have never been before, a place that gave me warmness. I don't remember much other than grump's words.

I was feeling severe pain in my legs, which I couldn't comprehend. I tried to move my neck but I couldn't able to do so. From the corner of my eyes, I saw someone wearing a strange façade and a black robe, sitting on a chair facing what seemed like a fireplace.

Even though visions of mine were unclear, I could still distinguish the colour palette of the mask that person was wearing. But looking at such a colourful thing does startle my eyes, which have been living in a grey-shaded world.

A deep voice came behind the mask as the person approached me with his words.

"oh, you are awake?"

"I found you laying on the ground unconscious on the chest of the forest. I couldn't find any sign of life other than you."

"But I think you fell unconscious when a hawl attacked you, but thankfully hawls left you alone after you fell unconscious."

" From the wound of yours, red blood was flowing. So, I had to bring you to my home for the treatment. "

It was apparent the person was a male, but more evidently the voice had much weight to it. From the voice, I could guess he was the same age as me, if not older. I thanked him for helping me and saving me from that dangerous situation, even though I was the one who intentionally wanted to get involved in the situation.

"You should give rest to your eyes, which have gone red, and comfort yourself so that I can treat your wound," the person said with a generous tone of voice. I couldn't help but get dive into my thoughts about the tender person, the place I was in, and the strange mask the person was wearing.

He was aiding my wounds with some kind of medicine by applying it to my legs where the injuries took place. The texture of the medicine was kind of sticky, goo-like, but it was cool.

"rrrrrip"

"Ah," came from my mouth as he ripped a piece of cloth and tied it around my wounds. It did hurt a little, but it wasn't as much as the wound.

After a while, after treating my wounds, the person asked me hovering over his hand, "Can you open your eyes?".

"Not much. My visions are still quite vague, but where am I and what is this place?" I replied, nodding my head slowly. He put his hands on top of my hands and replied, "wherever you are now is much safer than you were before". Even though he was wearing a glove but I could still sense the warmth of his hand. I wanted to ask him further about the place where I was but I didn't want to bother him more than I have already.

The person moved away from where I was resting as his warm hands slowly moved away from my hand.

Then, a few moments afterwards, I opened my eyes, and he stared directly into my eyes with his brown eyes and asked me if my visions were still blurry. Quivering my head slowly, I replied, "I can see much clear than I could beforehand".

I got a better look at him, even though it was behind a strange façade. I was scrutinizing the mask that the person was wearing. It was stunning with crimson feathers embodied at the back as if a crimson tail bird was resting there. There was embroidery of different kinds of colourful flowers. The mask was made out of wood. I understood that from the texture of the rest of the mask. Though one thing that intrigued me was the symbol that was carved on the back of the mask. I moved my head around and looked away from that person's face because I didn't want him to get the impression strange about me. Symbol that was carved on the mask. I couldn't decipher much, but it looked like a book and quill.

The person picked up a bowl from a table that was beside the fireplace and approached me with the bowl in his hand. I stretched my hands forward to take the bowl. The bowl was made out of copper and it was quite heavy and warm. But the contents of the bowl, which was soup, didn't look like something digestible yet I still started to eat from it. The texture of the soup was quite smooth with a sweet yet quite sour flavour mixed with it. There was lime and herbs garnished which I could barely distinguish from its strange flavour. I didn't even realize that I had finished eating the soup. It was undeniably delicious and refreshing.

I was quite curious about that person's identity. Since he didn't ask about me, I approached him and asked, "What is the name of this generous soul and does he live alone?". He chuckled for a moment and answered, "Oh, you meant me? I wasn't paying much attention but the name of this soul is cerisl Rerlet. And yes, I do live by myself here and I am an artist who likes to fill a white canvas with all sorts of colours and shapes. "

"so there are people who are quite like me or maybe we are on the same boat," I Muttered lowering my head.

After I got to know his name I realized his name means "colourful" in ariath linguistics. I chuckled when I got to know his surname "rerlet", which means palette. As I could comprehend, his name means colourful palette, which is such a colourful name for such a tender person. I don't remember when the last time a laugh came out of this mouth of mine.

I put my hand on my mouth and was wondering if I was being rude to him. I felt bad about laughing regarding his name.

That person, No, cerisl asked me, "How did a laugh come out from this upset soul?". I then put a hand on the back side of my head and apologized for my behaviour and explained why I was laughing. But surprisingly, he chuckled too and asked me if I was feeling better. I nodded my head with a faint smile and told him that Even though the wound was giving me quite a pain but it didn't hurt as much as it used to thanks to his hospitality.

"Since you are quite comfortable here, may I know the name of this lonely soul who was unconscious in a forest today?" Cerisl asked.

"Seair is the name of this Kordrias," I replied with a formal face.

"Well, that is such a wonderful name," Cerisl said.

"Thanks for your kind words," I replied.

After a while, I remembered that I didn't have the grump's axe with me. I was thinking whether to ask but the axe was invaluable remaining of gramps.

"Cerisl, have you found an axe nearby where you found me unconscious?" I asked him in a desperate tone.

Cerisl strapped a question to my mouth as he asked, " Oh, the axe, I indeed found it beside you so I bring it with me but I don't get what were you doing in the forest late a t night?". I couldn't elaborate much sadly because I don't remember much. But I think he did understand my state of affairs.

I looked around the room as I moved my neck slowly. there was this window near the bed I was resting in, a bookshelf with lots of books about art and also some books I am familiar with "the goblin and his ring", "Perspective of a reader" was one of those, an alchemy table with some unknown bottle of potion on top of it, few tables and chairs. There were two doors, one to my right and the other one to my left. There was a birdcage with a bird inside, not just any bird but a melody bird just beside the door on my right.

A melody bird is a bird that is native to the grassy lands and chill winds of forthwith (Southern land)where several beasts live in. A melody bird can memorize a variety of melodies. Some merchants have been taming the melody of birds and teaching them to listen to people and memorize a variety of melodies taught by their owner. In some places, the melody bird is also called the bardbird.

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