Is that... my hand? Maeyurai spoke in his mind, looking at his blood-soaked hand. Closing his hand, he opened it again. He turned his wrist and wiggled each finger.
"What the hell...?" he said before lifting his head to look at his surroundings. "I can see everything!"
Maeyurai stood up in excitement, as if he didn't just go through hell earlier. Ignoring the puddle of blood that he just created, he looked at the surroundings.
From the packed dirt road he was standing on to the wooden buildings ranging from one to two stories. He saw the edge of Gangumen. And far ahead was a dense forest surrounding the nation.
So this is what everything around me looks like... This is bizarre!
Glancing at the sloped roofs of each house, curiously observing every single structure that he sees. Looking at him, it was like a newborn had transmigrated into his body.
How weird. What is that black thing? While looking up, he noticed that a crow was watching on the edge of a roof. His gaze then continued to linger around.
As he saw the puddle of blood underneath him, he recoiled back in surprise. Huh?! I have to get out of here; I can't let anybody see this!
Maeyurai turns around to run away, sprinting off back towards his house. His clothes were covered in blood, and his face was smeared in blood as well.
The strange thing was that his right arm felt healed, and his nerves were somehow alive—because he could finally feel again.
He felt ecstatic. He could run freely, straight ahead, without having to care about going straight into a wall. He could finally see; his only dream had finally come true.
Seeing the open bakery of Shikkan, The Soft Loaves, he immediately entered through the main door. On his left was where different sorts of pastries were displayed. He ran up the stairs and stood before the living room; he was met with a surprised Shikkan—who was cleaning the floor of dust.
"Huh? Maeyurai, be careful! You will hit a wall!" Shikkan warned Maeyurai, releasing his grip on the broom and going off towards the rushing Maeyurai.
Maeyurai, however, stopped running and looked directly towards Shikkan's face.
Examining Shikkan's face, he had short brown hair and a growing beard, was wearing a white long sleeve behind a beige apron with brown pants, and was 5'9.
Maeyurai sniffled. Tears trickled down his cheeks. "Shikkan, I can finally see you!" He exclaimed as he cried, running off to place his hands on Shikkan's shoulders.
"Maeyurai... You see me?" Shikkan said.
Shikkan slowly raised his hands. "How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked.
Maeyurai would pull back slightly, turning his gaze towards the hands of Shikkan. Then, he turned his eyes towards the face of Shikkan.
"Shikkan," he said. "You are holding seven fingers up."
A beat passes.
When Maeyurai answered the number seven, Shikkan couldn't believe it. His eyes lit up so brightly, smiling so widely, so much that his face gleamed like the shining sun.
"It's a miracle!" He exclaimed gleefully. "Maeyurai, we shall celebrate this new revelation! It's a miracle!" Shikkan continued, all while hopping up and down in joy, happy for Maeyurai.
The two of them would hug one another in happiness, their smiles reflecting all over the place. It was such a joyous moment that the Shikkan forgot about the blood all over Maeyurai's face and clothes.
After one more glance, he realizes.
"Maeyurai!" he shouted. "There's blood all over you! What happened?!"
Oh, right! I forgot about this... How do I explain to Shikkan...?
Pausing for a moment, Maeyurai's teeth awkwardly showing. He searched for the proper words to use, bringing his left hand to his mouth, pressing his thumb between his lips.
"It's... uh..." Maeyurai looked down at the floor. His lingering gaze continued to explore the surroundings. Then he glanced at Shikkan's eyes. His face was full of genuine worry, his mouth slightly ajar.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I saw a weird-looking eye on a pile of garbage earlier. I held it, and... I bled out profusely. But I somehow gained eyesight in my left eye. My right side is still in the same condition as before, though."
"Seriously? Are you sure you're fine? What if that was a parasite?"
"I'm unsure about what it was. But... I seem pretty fine now—"
He fell silent after speaking. Not because he chose to, but because he was interrupted by a sharp pang of pain in the left side of his head. Precisely at his left temple. Due to this, Maeyurai flinched, bringing his head down, tilted—while his left hand held his temple, pushing firmly to relieve himself of the pain.
Shikkan would react, still worried. "No, you're not fine! Let's take you to the hospital!"
Hearing the word "hospital," Maeyurai immediately lifted his head up. He didn't want to burden Shikkan with the expenses, and he also didn't want to go when he was fine.
This is most likely just the side effects... I'm fine. He thought to himself.
"I'm fine," Maeyurai replies. "I don't need nor want to go to the hospital. But if it does get worse, I know I can count on you."
Tilting his head a little, Shikkan would be slightly relieved to know that Maeyurai was still fine. But the worry does not subside. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
The tension in Shikkan's shoulders would loosen up upon hearing Maeyurai's words. "Okay." He nodded. "Just let me know once it starts becoming painful again, okay? Also, clean yourself; seeing you covered in blood gives me shivers."
Maeyurai would chuckle, his eyes half-closed. Before walking upstairs to wash himself, he gave Shikkan one last smile to reassure him that he was fine.
So this is what the house looks like... It's quite small compared to what I imagined. But it feels so good to finally be able to recognize what it looks like. Maeyurai would mentally sigh, gazing at the stairs and the level above.
Placing his hand on the wooden railing, he took one last glance downstairs. The large white wool carpet laid on the floor, the wooden table that had a vase containing daffodils in the center, and the four chairs underneath. Just behind was the kitchen, where its layout was of an L-shape, with a couple cabinets on the top and bottom of the sink.
Upstairs, there would be a long hallway. The hallway led to a window at the end, with a drawer and a picture frame on the side. There were three doors, all of them on the left side, consecutively.
My room should be at the end... The third door, right?
Walking straight ahead, he looked over the window. Behind was a view of dozens of buildings with similar structures and compositions, wood with a mix of clay and sometimes stone. After gazing outside, Maeyurai would then examine the picture frame, holding it with his right hand.
The picture was painted; it contained the two of them. A young Shikkan, with Maeyurai, was standing in front of The Soft Loaves. A wide smile was on Shikkan's face as his arm was draped over Maeyurai's shoulder. There was an awkward expression on Maeyurai.
Maeyurai chuckled upon seeing the picture. A tinge of nostalgia filled his heart.
Haha, I'm not even looking in the picture... I look so stupid. But still, if I remember properly, this was when The Soft Loaves first opened. Even if I couldn't see, I still remember it so well.
Smiling softly, he placed the picture frame back down to where it was resting. He took two steps back and turned to his left, facing the door to his room. Reaching his hand out, he turned the doorknob and opened it.
"So this is my room..."
On his right was the wardrobe with four drawer handles underneath. On the side in front of the wardrobe was his full-sized bed with white sheets. Adjacent to the left of his bed, which was on the other side of the door, was the window. Just beside the door was his desk, which he didn't use before because he couldn't.
This is quite spacious for one person. I wonder what Shikkan's room looks like.
Maeyurai opened the wardrobe; it contained his clothes for the upper body. While his pants were on the top left drawer underneath. On the top right drawer was where his undergarments were placed. The two remaining drawers contained his socks and miscellaneous items.
Then, a thought came to Maeyurai's mind.
"Oh yeah, I still haven't washed myself as Shikkan told me to."
He closed the drawers and wardrobe, walking out of his room while heading to the bathroom. This time, he didn't have to place his hand on the right side of the wall just so he could know where the bathroom is or guide himself so that he didn't go straight and fall down the stairs. All because he could finally see his surroundings.
It all still feels new. I don't know how to react to this. Maeyurai turned the doorknob to the bathroom door—and was met with the same sudden stabbing sensation he felt earlier on his left temple.
Instead of yelling out in pain, Maeyurai merely hissed as he flinched. Pressing his left hand once more to his temple, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. Will this be what I'm going to live with from now on? How annoying. It's like someone just stabbed my cranium.
Walking carefully towards the mirror, he rested his elbows on the sink and exhaled. He took one long, deep breath, head slumped forward as he tried to endure the growing pain. Lifting his head to look in the mirror, he was surprised by what he saw.
Long, straight brown hair that cascaded down until it reached his shoulders and an androgynous face with feminine almond eyes. With a sharp nose having a straight structure, he also had bow-shaped lips. Turning his head to the side, he noticed that he had pretty long eyelashes and his jawline was quite prominent. Taking a closer look, he had a ramus with an average length—not too long, not too short. His skin was healthy and had a bright, warm color. Mostly because of his daily intake of vitamin D, as he always walks in the morning.
"I look way too pretty for a man," he murmured. "Is this how I really look?"
The left side of his face was smothered in blood, especially around the eye area. Looking down, his clothes were also smeared in his own blood from earlier. The first action he did was take off his clothes. Staring at himself through the mirror, he was quite slim. Almost zero muscle. His height is 5'8.
After a minute of looking at his own self, he finally decided to wash up. Because his legs and arms were also covered in blood, he took a bath to wash everything.
While he was rinsing his body of the bubbles from the soap he used, the jolt of pain returned, even worse than usual.
"Ah! Damn...!"
He felt the world rotating, his head surrounded by swords. Feeling like he was about to pass out, his knees gave out. But he manages to catch himself by placing his hand on the wall in front of him.
This is bad... I can't let Shikkan know. After this bath, I'll go back to sleep...
When he finally finished washing up, he dried his body with a towel and covered his lower body with it. Stepping out of the bathroom, hurriedly making his way back to his room, he immediately put on sleeping attire and hopped on his bed, lying down on his right side.
It was currently 6:20. The pain kept Maeyurai awake, but only for a short while. Lying in bed for an hour, he finally fell asleep, making peace with the knife tormenting his brain.
*
In a dream, Maeyurai floated atop a vast, endless sea. With his mind clearly in repose, everything was still in place, except for the flowing water enveloping him.
His eyes twitched, a sign they were about to open.
When his eyes opened like curtains, the morning glow of the surroundings welcomed his eyes. A sight he never got used to. He tentatively sat up, frightened by the liquid that never touched him directly.
W-what the...? Where am I? Am I dreaming?
The dreaming Maeyurai looked around his surroundings, only to find out he was stuck in a never-ending sea, stretching out at a distance immeasurable. He pressed his right hand on his forearm and pinched himself. Not feeling any pain, he confirmed his first thought.
Damn, am I dreaming? It's my first time being able to see clearly here.
Standing up, his legs were wobbly. He was unsure of how he could stand on top of the still water, but he still stood.
Free of pain, he tilted his head from left to right, feeling relieved that in this dream, he couldn't feel that unbearable pain whilst he was trying to sleep.
Maeyurai would look around his surroundings, possibly trying to find something that would be different. And when he turned around, he saw a silhouette of someone—of his own self.
Huh? Who... Is that me?
The Maeyurai that he saw wore brown clothing, with a leather quiver diagonally strapped on his back while holding a longbow.
Taking a step forward, the dreaming Maeyurai tried to get closer to the archer Maeyurai.
However, he heard these words:
"Not enough."