1 Distarter of Astral

"Climbing the mountain—uh, the mountain just exploded. No, wait, I should be singing right now. OK, repeat. Climbing mountains, descending valleys, rivers flowing beautifully in the sky—wait, wait, wait! How can a river exist in the sky?" I put my hand to my chin as if in thought. "Um… so confusing. Okay, just change the song. Ohhhhh... the widow is so beautiful, especially seeing her cleaning the terrace of her house. Very beautiful."

BUKK! A can of food suddenly hit my head.

Seeing the culprit from this food tin toss, I turned to the side, right where some farmers were resting after plowing the fields in a hut.

"You're so noisy this afternoon, Akio! Have you done your job yet?" An old man was seen talking to me.

"It's done, Uncle Gio. I've removed what I need to remove. Hehehe."

"Very nice. You want to go home now?"

"Yes. What's wrong?"

"Don't forget to join the meeting tonight, Akio."

"Alright, I'll be there later."

After holding back for a while, I walked on the side street which was filled with rice fields.

What I did is return home after working hard since early in the morning to earn money, and to pay for my parents' medical expenses. My work is only hoeing, planting rice, pulling rice crops, and sometimes I also take care of Shiva's farm.

By the way, my name is Akio Samsudin, 16 years old, and a man who has droopy eyes with slightly messy black hair. Greetings.

Since the appearance of Astral in this world and since the eruption of Mount Rfuka, humans have survived in various ways, and I am one of those trying to survive in this village. All I could do was work, work, and work, without thinking about my education.

Now and then I want to go from this village to Voniyu City and see how advanced the people there are. But because of my limitation, namely money, I can only live in this village.

Yeah, even so, this village became my refuge from the emergence of Astral Beings. Since this village does not have humans who have spiritual energy, this village will not be attacked by Astral Beings.

After all, what's with that "spiritual energy"? Look, the people here are already old, how could they have it. So, Astral Beings can't attack this place, and I'm safe.

Arriving at the house, a house that is not too big, I opened the door.

"I am home."

No one greeted me, even though I hoped someone would suddenly hug me from the front.

I took off my sandals and went inside.

Making sure that my mother was in her room, I looked into her room. And sure enough, my mother was lying there with a cloth over her head and beside her was my father lying down too.

"Oh, you're home, Akio. I will…" My mother tried to stand up but couldn't.

"Mother, you don't have to push yourself like that. I'm already home."

"I'm sorry for being weak, Akio. I should have prepared food for you after you were tired from work."

"It's okay, I can still prepare it myself."

"Forgive your father too, Akio. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!" My father woke up from his sleep with a pretty bad cough. "I'm even bothering you in earning a living, when I should be the one making a living for your mother and you, Akio."

"It is okay. After all, I'm still young and have good stamina, so I can do any job."

Since my mother suddenly became sick and my father suddenly became sick these past few days, I was the one who worked to earn money so that our needs were met. This kind of thing is natural for a boy. If I complain about this, it means it's not me.

My mother tried to get out of bed. After getting out of bed, my mother turned to me.

"You take a shower, I'll make you some food later."

"Mom, you don't-"

"It doesn't matter, I'm still standing strong."

Even though my mother said that I knew that she was lying to me by hiding her pain. But because of the mother figure who tries to look strong in front of her child, my mother will try her best even though she is sick.

My mother got out of bed and walked past me.

I saw her walking past me with a bit of a stagger, I could only look at her without saying anything.

It's kind of hard to accept that my parents have to suffer like this. I've tried various ways, taking them to the doctor, giving the potions given by some villagers, but their condition hasn't changed at all.

What I'm confused about, why do they both get this kind of disease? Why is no one able to treat them? What are they sick of?

Confused by that, I decided to take a shower.

In a bathtub, I saw my face reflected in the water. And instantly, I pose with various styles.

"Yare, yare... I'm so handsome."

After doing that, I stretched myself and relaxed after working for a long time.

"Ah..."

Thinking of how to get my parents to heal, I looked up and cried remembering their condition.

"Mother, father, how to cure you guys? If there's anyone who can heal you guys, I'll get it even if it costs my life It was you who gave me what life means, and you made me the body I am today. But when I saw you guys sick like that, I couldn't do anything. I am… I am an ungrateful child, aren't I."

After saying that, I dipped my head in the water.

"Akio, I've already made some food for you. Don't take a long bath, you'll get sick."

"Yes, Mom..."

After getting out of the bathroom and after putting on the shirt and pants, I saw fried rice already on the dining table.

I quickly ate it.

"Delicious… it's delicious."

Although this food is simple, because my mother made it, this food is special for me.

"Thank God." My mother smiled when I saw her on this bench. "You finished the food, didn't you, Akio. Remember, never throw food away."

"OK. I will always finish the food even if the food is not good."

"Eh? My food is not good?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, if I eat something made from the hands of someone other than mom, I have to finish it too."

"Oh, I see. I thought my food wasn't good."

"No, that's impossible."

Even though my mother looks healthy like that, she only pretends to look strong. She was hiding what she was suffering from. I know that 100% know. But since I don't want to see her like that, I try not to know in front of her.

"It's delicious. I want more." I handed my mother an empty plate.

"Wow, you eat it fast, Akio."

"Of course, because the food is delicious."

"Here." My mother took my plate and walked to the kitchen. However, when I got there, I saw her trying to defend herself by holding onto the table beside her.

I saw her like that, immediately rushed over there.

When I got there, I immediately grabbed my mother.

"Mom, are you all right?"

"A-Ah… I'm fine, Akio."

She lied to me again. Seen, however, her skin looks pale and her lips look blue.

"Let me take it." I took the plate my mother was holding. "It's better if you just get some rest." Then, I walked over to pick up the remaining fried rice.

"I'm sorry, Akio."

"It is okay." I turned around after taking the fried rice. "I am a man and a mother's child, so I am strong in overcoming anything." I smiled at her to show that she didn't bother me.

***

"Ah... are you close? What's the meeting now?"

After eating and seeing my parents resting, I left the house and walked down the road next to the rice fields to attend a meeting held by the village chief.

Each family has 1 representative to attend the meeting, and I am the one who represents my family there. And fortunately, this village does not have enough families, only 32 families. So that way, I can still ship every representative of the family.

"Third song. Ohhhh... the world is full of lies. Where is a place that has no lies, I want to go there." As usual, whenever I walk, I always sing to overcome my boredom. Even if several people saw me, I would still sing until they threw something at me.

BUUK! And sure enough, my head was hit by a drink can from behind.

I turned around.

"Whoa, who hit me? This hurts."

However, there was no one there. I who felt that someone was playing a prank on me immediately looked around.

"Hey, don't hide if you're wrong. You know, by slapping me like that earlier, you could end up in jail."

All around me was a fairly dark paddy field, but I felt that someone else was there. After all, there's no way this can of drink could aim at my head without being moved, right? So, there must be someone there.

"Um..."

As a result of this, it made me stop singing and forced me to see the darkness of the night.

Before I left this place, I took the drink can.

"Who hit me? What's a ghost? No, no, no, that's impossible."

Seeing the can, I was surprised by the words "DIE" in red.

"What is this? Is this lipstick?" To confirm that the writing was from lipstick, I smeared it with the little finger of my right hand. Then, I smell it. "Um… actually, does lipstick smell like this? Why do women like the fishy so much?" After smelling it, I looked back at the writing, "and again, you're telling me to die? I do not want."

Since to me, this was just a joke from who knows what, I took the drink can and threw it in the trash can near me. After that, I continued my journey towards the village head's house.

"Song to... to how much, huh? Oh. Seventh maybe. Okay. O babies who have been born, do not cry when you see a beautiful sister. Ohhhh... O beautiful sister, hug me..."

Walking quite a distance, 700 meters from my house, I finally arrived at the residential area where the village chief lived.

I was silent looking around this house.

"What's with this sea of ​​lipstick?"

This place is filled with red spots on every wall of the house, from the ground to the roof of the house. And, in this place, I neither see nor hear the usual human activity.

Feeling that something was wrong with this, I immediately ran towards the village chief's house.

"Oy, who spilled this much lipstick?" I said as I ran and looked around.

After arriving in front of the village chief's house, I immediately opened it slowly.

"Excuse me..."

When the door opened, I saw a man standing with his body facing back.

"Has the meeting started yet?" I asked.

When he turned to me, I knew that he was the village chief.

"Oh, Akio. You came too late."

"I'm sorry because I stopped halfway on my way here, Village Chief."

"It's okay, Akio. Come on in. The others are already inside."

The village chief looked normal in front of me even though his eyeballs turned red. But strangely enough, when I was brought inside, I didn't feel any noise in the house, it was so quiet as if no one was talking while the meeting was going on.

While walking towards a meeting room, I turned to him and asked, "By the way, is there a lipstick spill party going on? Why is there so much red out there? And... what's wrong with your eyes, did someone spill lipstick on your eyeballs, Village Chief?"

He suddenly stopped and looked at me

"Right, Akio. We're in a party spilling lipstick during a meeting."

"Is that so?"

"So true."

"No wonder, I always see the color red. So that's how it is."

Without suspecting it, I immediately started walking again.

I don't mean to be suspicious of him. It's just that he was the one who had been helping me in the treatment of my parents. So, I shouldn't have a bad feeling about him, including asking questions.

After arriving in front of the meeting room door, I smelled a very strong fishy smell in there.

"How... does lipstick smell like this?" I said while covering my nose.

"Yeah, right, it smells like lipstick."

I don't know what the lipstick smells like because I've never worn it. And a fishy smell like this, it's the first time I've smelled it.

The village chief slowly opened the door, and the fishy smell got so bad that it got into my nose so I had to cover my nose with my shirt.

When the door opened, my eyes immediately went blank when I saw what was inside.

"What is this? Why… why are there piles of people there?"

What I saw was a pile of people sitting on a round table, and they were lying there with the whole room splattered with a red stain.

And then I found out that the red color wasn't from the liquid made for lipstick but from their blood.

When I turned to the village chief, I saw he was holding something like wood but white and ready to attack me.

"Die… Akio!"