Rudeus’s POV
…
“I HATE YOU!”
The three-year-old Laurel bawled out crying. Well, considering that Rudeus accidentally pushed Laurel, he pretty much had it coming.
Rudeus sighed. Rudeus didn’t know whether it was because he had an aversion to having a brother or he was having an aversion to Laurel, but because of that, Rudeus unintentionally reacted badly towards Laurel. So, when Laurel was wandering around his room asking him to teach Laurel how to make figurines, Rudeus said no, and it became a mess.
Rudeus had promised himself that he was going to do his best in this new life given to him. And yet, here he was escaping from the truth. He was afraid. He was afraid of repeating the same mistakes, afraid of being overshadowed by Laurel and afraid of the comparison. It was a trauma that stemmed from his previous life, and it had passed on to this life, scarring Laurel.
It was at that moment that Rudeus realized that he was inadvertently repeating his own mistakes. And that was also why he had tried to make peace with Laurel. But it was anything but easy. That kid holds a grudge. Hell, he held his grudges long.
That was why the two didn’t talk as much as he had planned. And that was why he was worried that Laurel might lock himself up. Fortunately, however, Laurel wasn’t like him.
“Just you wait! One day, I will surpass you and make better figurines than you ever could!”
Laurel was a strong kid. Much stronger than Rudeus. And Rudeus couldn’t help but laugh.
“Pft haha!”
“What are you laughing at!”
“Pft haha! Nothing. I’ll be waiting for you there.”
“Hey! Take me seriously! Damn it!”
“Pft haha! Sorry.”
Laurel’s face was in shades of red, but Rudeus couldn’t stop laughing. Maybe he was relieved, maybe he was glad. No matter what was said, Laurel was a good younger brother. There was this mature side to him, true. But then there was also this side. A pure, somewhat innocent side, like clear water flowing through spring lakes. Perhaps this was why he was adored by everyone.
…
And maybe that’s why he was in complete shock when he woke up to the news of Laurel’s sudden absence first thing in the morning the day this mess started.
After 2 weeks of restless worry, not a single trace was found. Rudeus tried to keep everyone from breaking down, but truth be told, he himself felt like going crazy. But Rudeus knew that if he also lost it, then there’s no hope for this family.
Perhaps that was why the third week brought new winds to the matter.
Dead animals with missing parts were found. Signs of deep pits built to block off smoke were spotted. It wasn’t really much evidence, but everyone held on to the hope that it was him.
However, it was only up to a whole month that Laurel was seen. Or at least, it was Rudeus who caught a glimpse of purple glowing through the red sunset. But even then, they couldn’t catch Laurel.
It was understandable how no one could find Laurel. After all, he wasn’t always walking, leaving nearly no traces on the ground. And because there were no traces, it was even harder than finding a needle in a haystack. So Rudeus changed tactics—or rather, he was the only one still capable of rational thought at that immediate moment.
If he wasn’t hallucinating and that was really Laurel in the woods, then regardless of whether he liked it or not, Laurel needed a safe shelter, food, and water. While the matter with food and water could be solved, Laurel still needed shelter. And when it was mentioned, finding Laurel became less impossible.
It was around the sixth week that they found underground burrows near the tree roots, ones big enough to hide a child inside. However, it was made like a rabbit hole, with a countless network of burrows with doors ensuring that he could escape whenever and wherever. However, it was progress.
After the seventh week, a pattern showed itself. The continued signs of Burrows pioneering through one direction had revealed where he was heading. It seemed at first he intended to wander around the corner but then charged towards the river. As the party went towards the direction, they found the field of aquamarine flowers—the carnage left from Laurel’s quake.
And here, a trail of blood dripped onto a bush by the tree. And as if promised, everyone stayed quiet for Rudeus to do the talking. Everyone was afraid of startling Laurel, fearing that he might escape again.
Knocked. Knocked. Knocked. Silence filled the area. Did he already abandon this burrow? Rudeus knocked again. Knocked. Knocked. Knocked.
“… How did you know I was here?”
A voice from underneath the burrow came. It was Laurel’s. Rudeus let out a relieved sigh. He was willing to talk. That’s good news.
“Because I know you, Laurel. Don’t you want to come out?”
“… Don’t want to.”
His voice sounded a little coarse. At least he didn’t seem angry.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“About what?”
“I dunno. How about you tell me about the Terminator Boar?”
“Th-That-That wasn’t on purpose, alright. That damn boar literally threw a dog at me, so I panicked and…”
So he panicked and spammed exploding flowers at the boar just to make sure it stayed dead. Wow, Laurel, you are merciless.
“I see. And do you want to tell me about Somar?”
“… Who?”
“Somar. I heard you punched a kid and ran away. You want to tell me about it?”
“How would I know? I never punched him in the first place.”
Rudeus was stunned at that answer. Silently, he stared at Paul. Paul’s eyes were shaking as he flinched.
“Really, now?”
“Oh please, Rudeus. If I were really the one who hit him, then I wouldn’t leave a single wound on him.”
“…”
Silence filled the area once more. This time, however, it wasn’t deliberate… Rudeus wanted to say something, but he didn’t even know how to start. That’s… That’s not what you’re supposed to use healing magic for. He etched into memory to never make an enemy of Laurel.