3 My Dream

Eto staggered along the swiftly flowing red river.

His eyes appeared vacant, yet his body was shrouded in bloodlust.

He had survived the battle on the hill.

The countless corpses strewn about could be seen from tens of kilometers away, whether they belonged to the rebel forces or the kingdom's soldiers.

Those spared from the thirst for blood could only sit, staring blankly at the sky with empty eyes. They awaited death, whether from their wounds or their own choosing.

Carrion birds filled the sky, relishing the scent of decaying human flesh. Hungry dogs barked gleefully, no longer fighting over scraps.

Eto survived, but there was nothing left of him.

He didn't know what to do anymore. His desire to return to the rebel forces vanished with Teka's death.

Ultimately, he realized that he had been all alone, with nothing but the air he accidentally breathed in.

Recalling Teka's question brought a grimace to Eto's frozen, stone-like face.

"Eto... what's… your… dream?"

"I DON'T KNOW AND I DON'T CARE!"

That's how Eto wanted to scream his answer. But for some reason, he couldn't.

He couldn't disregard the last words of someone who might the only one he can call a friend.

He had to find his answer, but he didn't know where to start.

Eto was a quiet child who never spoke, but that didn't mean he was stupid.

In fact, he could be considered much smarter than children his age, but he was too absorbed in his own fantasies to reject the real world. Teka's death made the world so clear that he couldn't deny it anymore.

Unbeknownst to him, he had walked so far that the river beside him was no longer red.

He began to see smoke rising from households, reaching high into the bright blue sky. Eto arrived at a village settlement.

The blood that had filled his body had dried, along with his gaping wounds.

Flies buzzed around Eto's body, sensing the same putrid odor as that of human corpses.

However, Eto was not yet dead; at least, he could still walk, though his eyes were emptier than those of a dead fish.

Yet, Eto still had enough awareness to realize his current condition.

If he entered the village settlement in his current state, he would surely be stopped by guards, causing a commotion.

Eto no longer wanted to return to the rebel forces, and causing a disturbance would alert his superiors to his whereabouts.

Therefore, Eto began to submerge himself in the river, which immediately turned red from the thick layer of dried blood on his body.

The cool river water chilled his body. His mind, once clouded, slowly began to clear.

Life must go on.

Although he no longer had anything, suicide was not an option for him.

When Eto emerged from the river, changes could be seen. No longer did he have the frozen expression that earned him the nickname Stone Face; instead, his face was grim, his eyes filled with confusion.

Eto walked towards the village. His stomach ached from hunger, but there was no hint of weakness in his steps. In war, showing weakness was a sign to be attacked. And Eto whole life is war.

The village appeared deserted, but sounds of a crowd could be heard from the direction of the village center.

For some reason, Eto's feet were drawn towards the commotion.

He could see the joyful cheers of the gathered villagers.

In the midst of the crowd, a man and a woman stood facing each other, with another man in the middle wearing a black robe that Eto had never seen before.

The man and woman held hands.

The man in the black robe spoke, and the man in the black suit nodded in agreement, then spoke something that the woman in the white dress also agreed with.

Afterward, the man in the black suit and the woman in the white dress leaned in close to each other. Eto could see their lips meet for a moment before they parted again, causing the entire gathered crowd to cheer happily and congratulate them.

"What are they doing?" Eto asked, puzzled.

"They're getting married," a soft voice of a woman came from beside Eto.

Eto had been aware of the woman's presence from the start, so he wasn't startled. However, he dismissed her as he didn't sense any danger from her. But he never expected his casual question to be answered.

Eto turned to find an intriguing adult woman with a tall, slender figure, shoulder-length white hair, and wide blue eyes.

She had a straight, slender nose and slightly sun-kissed skin. She wore a long brown robe that reached her ankles, a blue shirt covering her upper body and ample chest, and dark green jeans covering her lower body.

"Marriage?" Eto tilted his head.

"Hmm... This village has a rather unique wedding ceremony. The bride and groom recite their wedding vows in front of a priest.

"Ah... a priest is someone honored with the task of spreading the word of God.

"Well... this village is one of the few that still believe in the existence of God in this world. Fascinating, isn't it?" The woman with white hair said with a smile on her face.

Eto could see a great curiosity in the blue-eyed woman's eyes.

The same enthusiasm could be seen in the eyes of the scientists in the rebel forces.

Eto disliked scientists because of the dangerous and repulsive aura they emitted. But Eto didn't feel the same from this woman; instead, he felt a warm aura that made him feel calmer being near her.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Olivia, Nico Olivia. I'm an archaeologist," smile the woman with white hair as she extended her hand.

Eto didn't understand what Olivia wanted by extending her hand, but he didn't sense any danger from her action. Eto simply shook Olivia's hand, reminded of Teka, who had also extended her hand to Eto and then taught him to shake it.

"I'm Eto... just Eto," said Eto, trying to flex his facial muscles that had long been frozen to form a smile.

"Hmm?" A question mark appeared on Olivia's face, but Eto ignored it and focused again on the wedding procession taking place.

"Do you know what the priest is saying?" Olivia asked.

Eto shook his head. Despite his hearing ability surpassing that of even adults, the place he stood was too far, and the bustling crowd in front of him made the priest's voice barely audible.

"The groom and bride are reciting their wedding vows, which go like this, 'I (name) take you (name) to be my wife/husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.'"

When Eto heard Olivia's words, his eyes widened. He turned to Olivia as if he couldn't believe what he had heard. "W-Why?"

"Hmm?"

"Why they do that?"

"Hmm… maybe because they love each other," answer Olivia.

"Love?"

"Love is care."

"Then because of care they will together till death do them apart?"

"Well… sometime… but yes" nods Olivia.

From the very beginning of Eto's life, he was stunned and didn't know what to say.

There was a secret that Eto had kept and never told anyone.

Eto had already a clear consciousness when he came out of his mother's womb.

Even now, he could vividly remember the smell of fish excrement that made his head spin.

At that time, Eto still didn't understand anything, but his survival instinct allowed him to sense the presence of the Navy officer approaching.

Eto didn't know why, but he felt that those footsteps were the path for him to survive.

Since then, Eto saw the world differently. He secluded himself so as not to see or smell how foul the people around him were. He locked his mouth and became mute.

He didn't care about the children who bullied him because from the beginning, Eto had seen the darkness in their hearts.

He also didn't care about the orphanage caregivers who sold girls as slaves because from the beginning, he had seen the horror of the place he lived in.

Eto closed his eyes and his heart until his face froze expressionlessly.

For Eto, his life was just the passage of time until death came for him.

Perhaps the training camp that killed almost all the children who came with him failed to do so. But meaningless wars could be the moment he had been waiting for.

For him, there was no warmth in this world, and humans are born alone and will die alone.

Look at Teka, who was killed in a battle that had nothing to do with her.

Teka did have meaning for Eto because she was the one who gave him something for the first time.

A name.

Perhaps the name sounded strange, and Teka herself wasn't aware that she had given him a name. But "Eto" was the only thing the boy who had nothing possessed.

But beyond that, Teka was just someone who had died a few hours ago. Just like the other soldiers who were killed in battle every minute in this land.

Eto never thought that Teka would be someone who would stay with him from this day forward.

Someone who would accompany him for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health until death came for them.

Eto always thought he would die alone as he was born alone.

But…

"Wife…"

"Hmm? That's right, a wife will accompany you for a lifetime.

"So, if one day death comes for you both, she will be the one to accompany you to meet death.

"Even on various islands I've visited, there's a tradition of burning live couples together with their deceased partners, in the hope that they will be reunited in the afterlife," said Olivia, without noticing any strangeness in Eto's face, which had now brightened up.

There was no more gloom or confusion in his eyes.

It was as if he had finally found something he had been searching for his whole life.

Like someone lost in a vast desert who suddenly sees an oasis ahead. He didn't care if it was a mirage or reality, but the sight of that oasis gave him purpose and hope to keep moving forward.

"Olivia-san! It's time for us to leave! We've found the poneglyph!" greeted a man who tapped Olivia's shoulder from behind.

"Good! Finally, we can finish this. I can't wait to see what was written 800 years ago. Ah, Eto-kun, nice to meet you. Maybe we'll meet again another tim—"

"Olivia-san. HOW? HOW CAN I GET A WIFE?" Eto interjected, gripping Olivia's hand tightly.

Olivia and her newly arrived companion were taken aback by Eto's question. They exchanged glances, and Olivia's friend looked at her with a puzzled expression. Olivia could only scratch her head, unsure of how to explain.

"Hmm... Eto-kun, to get a wife, first, you have to find a girl you love," Olivia said slowly.

"WHERE? WHERE CAN I FIND THAT GIRL?" Eto asked impatiently.

"Hmm..." Olivia paused for a moment before smiling and replying, "You can find her at sea!"

"Sea?"

"Yes, the sea. This world is vast, Eto-kun. The oceans that humans have been exploring since the dawn of civilization have not yet found their ends. There are still many secrets hidden in the vast ocean, so maybe you can find the girl you love there."

Eto fell silent, his forehead furrowed, his eyes full of contemplation. He no longer held onto Olivia's arm tightly.

Olivia saw the red marks on her hand, realizing the immense strength possessed by this boy who was not much older than her daughter.

As an archaeologist who traveled the seas to uncover forgotten history, Olivia was no stranger to violence. Pirates, bandits, and various forms of violence along her journey were encountered and faced.

So, it was no surprise that Olivia was not a weak woman. But one grip from Eto made her feel like her bones would break. This made Olivia feel that Eto's future will not be limited by a kingdom headed for destruction like the one they were in.

"Eto-kun, if one day you start sailing the seas, can you fulfill one request for me?"

Eto, lost in his own thoughts, snapped back and looked at Olivia seriously.

Just like Teka, Olivia had given him something to him who had nothing. Therefore, he would grant Olivia's request no matter what, even if it meant sacrificing his life.

"Okay!"

"Hmm? You haven't even heard my request yet," Olivia tilted her head.

"I don't care. You've already given me something very valuable, so I will grant whatever request you have!" Eto replied confidently.

"Fufufufu~ You are so manly, Eto-kun. My request is simple. If you ever meet my daughter, I hope you can look after her until she no longer needs your protection. Can you do this for me?"

"Okay, I will do it," Eto nodded without hesitation.

"Thank you so much, Eto-kun," Olivia bowed down with heartfelt gratitude.

"Olivia-san, we don't have any more time," said the man beside Olivia.

"Well, then… Goodbye, Eto-kun!"

Eto watched as Olivia disappeared into the crowd of villagers. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that he would never see Olivia again after this.

Eto could only shake his head and refocus on the wedding ceremony, which was now approaching its final session.

Initially, Eto thought it would take him a long time to answer Teka's final question. But he never expected to find the answer in this village.

Seeing how happy the newlyweds were in front of him, Eto showed genuine smiled for the first time in his life.

"Teka, I found it. I found my dream! I want to have a wife!"