Before I knew it, around a year and a half had passed, and I was nearing the old age of two years old. Even though the days were beginning to blur together, and I found myself losing memory of certain things, I still remembered that day.
The day of the Dowsing.
Every single moment during that day left me filled with unanswered questions, questions that still haunted me after it had long passed. Questions about Millie's true nature, the history of the Sherwood, Cuswoth, Aldeous, Remi, and hell, even me. And.. Why did the gods show interest in me? Finally… who marked me?
I was disappointed to realize that I hadn't found any answers to those questions. Even though my once-rare sightings of the particles of energy in the air were becoming more frequent, happening month-by-month now, I still didn't know about anything else. After that "Mark" had been branded onto my body, the scent of home never left my nostrils, and my father never returned to the Sherwood again.
He did not speak of that day.
He didn't speak of why… he had changed his faith either.
Why did he believe in Serynth?
I was going to find out!
Sigh.
Although I couldn't look at Millie the exact same, I felt a profound connection to her, since she had a "Mark" as well— it was just on her forehead, instead of in the center of her chest like mine. Even though neither my father, nor my mother, nor Cidris or Sara spoke of the "Mark", I knew that they had their own thoughts about it.
Sara bit her lip while glancing worriedly at me and Millie, while we played.
My father's eyes would glaze over with a dark, dreary look sometimes.
And Cidris' passion had begun to slowly deteriorate.
My mother…
Oh, my mother!
She was the joy of the day, taking so many terrible thoughts from my mind and making them disappear! After my father returned home with the unconscious me in his arms, she scolded him, slapped him repeatedly, and put many restrictions on him. It was then when I realized my father was a great husband.
He didn't make any mistakes again after that one!
I sure as hell didn't want to go back to the Sherwood.
Not when beings like Cuswoth and Aldeous existed.
Queen Remi came to visit our humble cottage in the middle of the beautiful grassy plains once in a few months, bringing things like warm tea, cookies, snacks, and flowers. Her relationship with Sara had evolved beyond the label of some mere acquaintances, and they looked like good friends now.
It had all changed, I suspected, during that moment of the Dowsing.
I wonder why Sara had hid the fact that she was a royal…
Nobody mentioned that either.
Agh, why would nobody tell me anything?! I swear, they treated me as if I were just a little child! Fuck it, even when I looked at my father with pleading eyes, babbling and walking over to him with my hands pointed at my chest, he just chuckled, smiled wistfully, and shook his head.
"Not now, Amir. I promise… seven years old. That's when I'll tell you. Yes, just wait that long, and I'll tell you everything about the Parables." He laughed, grinning like an idiot, put his wire-framed reading glasses back on, and turned his attention towards whatever useless book he was obviously skimming through.
Idiot father.
But… I couldn't hate him.
It was strange to say…
Did I love him as my father?
I don't know.
"Li-ddle Am-Am! Li-ddle Am-Am!" I heard the bright sounds of laughter next to me as the peaceful atmosphere I had worked so hard to create disappeared in the blink of an eye. I was laid against the bottom of the couch, eyes half-open, but there she was.
Millie.
"Pah! Pah! Am-Am! Come play!" She had become a little more plump over the last year and a half, probably because of how much Cidris and Sara were spoiling her, and all the food she was eating. Her cheeks looked like marshmallows, and her dimples were soft on her skin. With large, sparkling eyes, she clapped while wearing a small frilly dress colored with a reddish gradient.
She waved her hands rapidly.
Oh… fine.
I had begun to develop a sweet spot for Millie.
Who knew the thought of something like that could scare me?
Was it accurate to say that I had been manipulated and blackmailed into liking her? Probably. Did that exactly matter anymore? Not really. Hell, if my parents and hers were happy that we were getting along, this was amazing!
Sighing, I lifted myself off the ground.
My pajamas sagged slightly.
Oh, you need to eat more, look at Millie! I heard my mother's stern voice reverberate in my ears as I waddled over to Millie, patting her on the head and snatching the toy from her arms. A numb pain filled my chest, but I gave it no regard as we chased each other around the room, narrowly dodging large wooden bookshelves and sharp corners.
I was a bit stronger than before, and faster as well.
Occasionally, my "Mark" would give off some pain, but nothing too bad.
As for any effects it had on me, they were second to none.
Except for maybe…
Those dreams.
Chills ran down my spine as I remembered the haunting nightmares that would crush my heart and my throat, leaving me unable to speak as if I had been brutally attacked and beaten. In the first dream; the one that had happened just a month after the Dowsing, I saw the grotesque, burning face of a young woman I had never met before.
Her eyes were hollow, and her nose was gone, but her lips smiled.
It was terrifying.
The second happened six months after that.
I vaguely remembered the two piercing crimson eyes, staring at me from the darkness. They were hollow and filled with despair. A low howl rang out like a horrifying chorus, and the last thing I remembered was the same deformed face in front of me, except it was a man this time.
After those two nightmares, the next three dreams were pleasant in comparison. Whether they were really "nightmares"... I couldn't say.
It was His face, shrouded by a gossamer veil.
Although it was faint, I could feel myself being drawn towards Him, like his very existence matched mine. I found myself wanting to speak to him after his "Mark" had touched my body, and I had even tried to pray, but it was to no avail.
The prayers never seemed to work. Since I didn't know who to pray to.
And the two dreams after that one? They were joyful scenes, though I couldn't quite place where they were coming from. One was a scene of a human that was unmistakably "me", bumping fists with a blonde-haired, blue eyed teenage boy that looked kind of like the child from before my birth.
I remembered my entrancement of the sunset rising from the horizon.
The one after that, I couldn't describe exactly, but it was a view. A view of the Sherwood… actually I couldn't be sure that it really was the Sherwood. The trees, animals, and everything else was the same, but the only trace of civilization I saw was a woman. And this woman… was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen.
And I don't mean that in an exaggerating manner.
I was disappointed to see that no other dreams containing her appeared.
"He is near."
A woman's voice pierced my mind— the same woman who had introduced me to all of the gods in that spiritual world during the Dowsing. She would attack my mind sometimes, telling me things, and usually these things were accurate.
It, along with the dreams, were probably some random premonitions.
Not very useful, but..
I'd take what I could get!
Who was near, anyway?
"Am-Am, want to go for a little walk with me?!" My father laughed as he threw the door open, covered with dust and dirt. In his right hand, he held a rusty wooden axe with splinters of wood left behind on it, but he showed no signs of tiredness. It was just the same hearty face every single day.
Walking out from the dining room, my mother pouted.
She seemed so… motherlike.
Hah!
If there was anyone I loved, it was her.
"This late? The sun's already gone down, and dinner is almost ready… I was just about to call Sara and Cidris to have their fill!" Turning towards me and Millie who were caught mid-wrestle, fighting each other for a little carriage toy (equipped with tiny figurines as well!) that my father had made a while back, she laughed.
"Well maybe those two need to let some steam off…"
My father's expression softened a little.
"I was only planning to bring Am-Am. I'm not sure if Cidris would want me to show Millie those things, y'know. Because of them, I'm seriously considering moving out of this cottage…" Stress lines appeared on my father's forehead as he frowned.
Pretending to pay him no mind, I went back to playing with Millie.
Secretly, I kept an ear outstretched.
"Ah, those." My mother nodded sagely. "I would tell you off right about now, but Am-Am needs to see something like that in his life. I can't keep telling him stories to keep him from wandering off after dark!" Lightly giggling, my mother took her apron off, laid on the couch next to Millie, and pushed me towards my father.
Glancing upstairs, she smiled.
"Sure Iyad, go ahead." She gave my father a nod of confirmation.
Seriously, I loved my mother.
Taking me in his rough hands, my father patted my head— which was full of hair, now, actually. During the time since the Dowsing, I had quickly learned to walk, which meant that I took frequent trips to the bathroom mirror.
Just to check myself out!
"Piercing" gray eyes, and a caramel honey mix of my father's and my mother's hair, they were a lethal duo. I was sure that once I grew into an adult, the women would be entranced by my charm!
Quickly, I realized I was cackling again.
… Damn.
My father looked at me strangely.
"Sometimes you seem like a grown ass man, you know that?" He chuckled while whispering into my ears. I could feel his light breath on my skin as we turned around, and he opened the door with a high-pitched squeakkk!
Good to know some things never get old.
My teeth chattered as cold air bit into my fragile arms.
Bundling me in a polka-dotted green scarf that covered my entire body, my father's chain dangled from his neck as he opened the door, blowing a kiss to my mother and then closing the door, letting me feel the "spring" winds, which felt more like winter.
A sly smile crept onto my father's face as he pointed.
"You see there? In the distance?" He asked, in a low voice.
Following his finger, I tried to peer into the shadows— and I was met with a low growl and unblinking eyes that reflected the color of moonlight within them. Growls and snarls bombarded me as I unconsciously clutched onto my father tight.
"Those, Amir, are monsters. Monsters that should only be found in the realm of the demons, close to Hell. And somehow, a whole lotta them have been showing up near our humble abode." My father sighed, clicking his teeth.
His eyes gleamed dangerously as he lifted his axe.
"The only thing left to do is kill them."