SHIRO
"What emotion am I showing?" I asked the man before me, wearing an expressionless and straight face. In normal circumstances and conditions, this man would show a scrutinizing facial distortion. After receiving nothing from him, I concluded our so-called session. "We'll try again tomorrow. Wait here. I'll just prepare our dinner."
I stood up from the table where the two of us held our session and went to the kitchen to grab the food that I had prepared even before we started with our task.
It was the task I had given to myself. I told myself that while Mister Kenshi was still on the journey to find the person who could help Mister Daku, I should at least try to help as well. Although desirable results were uncertain, I still had to try.
I started this session of ours the night when Mister Kenshi left the city. If my math was right, tonight marked the seventh night of our progress. And even in this short span of time, there were huge and significant developments.
On the first night, Mister Daku was able to stand. I could clearly remember how I jumped in pure shock and fear when I saw him standing beside me like a tree in the middle of the night. His stoic face also added a creepy vibe to it that for a second, I thought he was possessed. Although he was able to stand, walking seemed like a distant desire for him.
On the second day, I saw Mister Daku try to step forward. Though the distance was not longer than a foot, small progress was still progress.
The third day was much more exciting. Not only could Mister Daku walk a few steps, but he could also raise his hands and clench his fingers. He was able to turn his head around, and he liked to watch the view outside the window.
On the fourth day, Mister Daku could finally walk around his room. He did it several times until he got tired of it. And for the first time with his condition, I could see a glowing aura from him as if he was happy about his body's improvement.
On the fifth day, Mister Daku was able to descend and climb the stairs. Although the first try took almost an hour to finish, Mister Daku's determination granted him the ability to achieve his goal. As of now, he could use the stairs without breaking a sweat.
And finally, yesterday, Mister Daku responded to me for the very first time. I raised a few questions, and all of them he answered by bobbing his head up and down or shaking it from side to side. No verbal response from him yet, but I knew he was itching to do it, because I could see his mouth twitch and move as if he was trying to use it.
This somehow boosted my hypothesis that Mister Daku's consciousness was never gone in the first place. It was just inside of him, trapped within his disabled body and mind. And with his recent improvement, I could say that he was starting to regain control over his body. It would just be a matter of time until he was back to his usual self again.
After pouring a decent amount of food into each bowl, I covered the pot that was still steaming hot and carried the prepared dinner to the dining table. I watched Mister Daku watch me bring the food to him.
"Eat well, Mister Daku," I mumbled as I pushed his portion of the food close to him. He looked at it stoically before lifting his hand to grab the spoon. "Be careful. It's still hot."
But would he still be able to feel pain if he didn't have any emotions?
I pushed that thought aside and focused myself on the food instead. If there was something that was in need of my attention, it would be the food in front of me that could potentially burn my tongue.
I didn't get to enjoy the food even though it was cooked deliciously because of the sad atmosphere that filled this whole house ever since what happened to Mister Daku. Even with Kana, the place was no longer as lively as before. A proof that Mister Daku's condition made a huge negative impact on this once-happy abode.
I wondered how the three were doing. Did they have a hard time on the road? Did they reach Aste City already? May they find the person they're looking for and return to this kingdom safely.
***
My mind warped to consciousness after I was awoken by an unknown sensation. The first thing that greeted me was the darkness that filled this room—Mister Daku's room.
I rubbed my eyes with my right hand before glancing at Mister Daku's bed. And my brows furrowed to discover it empty. Upon realizing this, my once half-asleep mind and eyes became alert.
I searched the entire room for his presence, but not even his shadow could be seen. And I knew he left the room because of the door that was opened halfway.
Maybe he went to the bathroom?
Unsure and not trusting my intuition, I got out of my temporary bed and rushed towards the stairs and into the shop. After realizing that the door to the workshop was closed, my hunch that Mister Daku went to the toilet was instantly debunked.
If he didn't go to the bathroom, then where did he g—
I never got to finish my internal monologue when my eyes landed on the main shop's door, and in an instant, my eyes gaped in pure fear and worry upon seeing that the door was wide open.
Ignoring the chilling cold of the night, I ran out of the shop barefooted. The freezing pavement was not a bother to me because for all I knew, there were far more important things than worrying about my feet getting cold.
I turned my head to the left, but found no one. Not even a single soul could be seen. I shifted my head to the right, and in that very moment, my fear intensified.
Where did he go?
Calling and screaming his name at this hour would only harbor complaints from our neighbors. And with the city's curfew hours, the first thing I would find would be myself behind bars instead of Mister Daku.
So I didn't have a choice but to look for him quietly and unnoticeably. But how was I supposed to do this when I didn't even know where to look for him?
Think, Shiro. Where would Mister Daku go if you were him? Argh! I don't have an idea!
This didn't happen before. This was the first time that he did this, so I couldn't think of any idea where he could've gone.
"He couldn't have thought of going after Mister Kenshi, right? But there's no other place within the city that he would go. Mister Daku spent most of his time growing up in the shop. Did he really go after them?"
With those thoughts in mind, I unhesitantly rushed towards the city gate. Every step I took was a prayer to see Mister Daku as soon as possible. What would Master Grosi feel if he found his shop vulnerable and unattended?
My speed decelerated when I heard a few voices ahead around the corner. Curious about what it was, and with hopes of seeing Mister Daku with them, I secretly took a look.
And in just a blink of an eye, without worrying about the group of people he was with, I called out his name.
"Mister Daku!"
The three strangers looked in my direction in unison, followed by Mister Daku. I walked towards him with my body heaving up and down as I caught my breath.
"You're Shiro, right? Master Grosi's new apprentice?" one of them asked, the one with a bow strapped on his back.
"Y—Yes," I answered in between my breaths.
"Hey, kid, you should watch over your friend better. If we weren't here, he could've gone outside the city and got attacked by monsters," another one said, and I could feel the annoyance in his voice. He had a sword sheathed on his hip.
"That's just a kid, Keiro. You couldn't expect him to watch over a grown man better by himself. And besides, he looks like he really cares for Daku because he wouldn't have bothered to look for him if he didn't," the third one with the grimoire explained.
The archer spoke again, "Is Grosi not around?"
I shook my head. "He left yesterday for a business trip. Sorry for the trouble, Misters," I apologized. For some reason, I found these people nice, if I were to ignore the attitude of the swordsman.
"Why did he leave the house anyway?" the mage inquired, referring to Mister Daku.
"I also don't know. This is the first time that something like this happened. And asking him is not possible as well," I honestly said.
"Yeah, we could tell. I've been asking him for who knows how long but he still won't talk. So this is what happens if you use Rupture Magic. Tsk!" the swordsman, who I believed was called earlier as Keiro, scoffed.
What did Mister Daku do with this man to make him hate him?
"You should go back now. It's freezing out here, and you're not even wearing foot coverings," the archer suggested, and I couldn't agree more.
"Thank you, Misters, for finding Mister Daku," I thanked before I reached out for Mister Daku's hand. "Let's go home, Mister Daku," I pleaded while tugging his hand for him to follow me.
But he didn't move. Not even an inch.
"Just go home already, Daku!" Mister Keiro growled.
"Keiro!" said both the archer and the mage.
"What?! I'm just helping him get back to his senses!"
"You're not helping him!" the archer protested.
"I am helping him! Someone just has to push him hard that—"
"Must... go..."
Everyone went silent when those two words escaped from Mister Daku's mouth. All of us looked at him, while Mister Daku looked at me.
"Must... go..."
Brows furrowing, I asked, "Go where, Mister Daku?"
Mister Daku averted his gaze away from me to look somewhere far in the west.
"Wset..."
"Set?" I reiterated.
"Does he mean Wset Region? The kingdom in the west?" the mage speculated.
"What else?" the archer responded.
"What is he going to do over there? Tsk! He's not even in a good condition," Mister Keiro commented.
But he was right.
What is Mister Daku going to do over there?