Consequences

It's the 16th of February, my birthday. Today I am officially turning into a six-year-old.

It's a beautiful day out. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining with its glorious radiance and the children are playing outside with faces full of glee.

A perfect day to celebrate my birthday if I do say so myself.

"Rey dear! come on quick! everyone's waiting!"

I hear mom's voice coming from downstairs.

"Coming mom! I am nearly done!" I replied to let her know.

I take a quick look at myself in the mirror. My black and blue hair is brushed towards the back giving me a neat and noble feeling. The bright golden eyes look uninterested but hide within themselves immense excitement for what's to come. I am wearing a pure white, formal full shirt beneath a sleeveless black blazer and formal black pants to go along with the rest of the attire. The get-up accompanied by my more than appreciable body gives me quite the slick appearance.

Checking myself a couple of times more in the mirror before I head downstairs.

'It's been seven months since the incident. In these seven months, I have been busy trying to understand my newfound abilities as well as practise integrating my martial arts with magic. And I have to say that I have made quite the advancements in both fields. Now, my martial arts work more fluidly with my magic and I can dish out more attacks with more damage.

As for the darkness, I have yet to fully familiarize myself with its uses and powers but I don't fear it anymore now. It's comfortable to use and it helps me to focus and stay calm. More than that, I noticed that it's easier to control. It's just that I don't know all of the functions it can do and it consumes a whole lot of stamina, though I am getting better at controlling it and it doesn't drain me as much as it did the first time I "unlocked" it.

But there is one thing that I don't get. Like, it seems that it doesn't really have a "physical" limit. It does everything that I want, whether it be defending or attacking. It can even cast illusions and do mental attacks. I even feel like the first time it started corroding and contaminating things is because I "thought" it was supposed to do that. At this rate, I am not sure if I can even call this power "Darkness"..... it's just something that's.....black. Other than that, I don't know anything else about it. I think the only things it "can't" do are the things "I" can not imagine or visualize. But, it fits exceptionally well with my martial arts and complements my water and ice magic like they were meant to be.'

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't even realize that I had already arrived in the living room.

Mom and Dad are sitting on the central couch with a birthday cake in front of them. There is a little space in between them, I suppose that's for me?

Apart from them, there are also the uncle and aunty that live next door, and I also see Illyod and his parents and many others.

'That reminds me. After that day, Illyod didn't ask me to teach him swimming anymore. heh! guess the workout proved too much for him! Well, that works out for me, I guess. I got few extra hours to better myself thanks to that'

As I am spacing out again, mom asks me to come and sit beside her, between her and dad. 'So I was right...'

I comply and go on ahead to claim my throne. And with that, the celebration commences.

We continue to party the whole evening. Eating and drinking inside of the house and dancing and playing out in the yard. Everyone's having a good time. I am having a dance with my drunk mom right now, or rather it's my mom who's swinging me around like a madwoman under the pretext of dancing. Only after my dad interferes that I am relieved from the headache.

"Ugh..... I feel like throwing up..... who let her drink so much!?"

Usually, mom is a relaxed and laid back lady. But when she drinks.... that's when she becomes unreasonable and acts like a baby, though dad says that's what he loves about her. I guess they are still in their springtime of youth...

'wait, there's something horribly wrong with thinking like that.....yeah, let's just not.....'

I bring myself back from going down the rabbit hole and continues to relish the occasion.

............

It's 10:30 pm right now. I going down to take a jug of water before going to sleep. On my way, I pass by the living room when I hear two people talking.

"Raymond, it's not possible anymore. The land has lost too much of its vitality in these past few months. We didn't know what was causing this. So, I along with a few others went into the forest to check if something was up. there... what I saw made my blood run cold. Everything was dead.... not even a single bug was alive. The soil looked like it had aged a thousand years without anyone to care for it. Somehow..... the water became toxic... and all the fish there died, their corpses accumulating downstream in the lake... where they floated up to the surface leaking a pungent smell that made the whole area..... unbearable."

"It's that bad huh?.... what did the chief say about this?"

"He says that the land is cursed and that we should immediately leave the place. And from what I saw, I can not help but agree with him. No matter how ridiculous it sounds, I think this land is indeed cursed"

" Even you are saying that? You are supposed to be the logical one, for you to say something like that...."

"It's really that bad, Raymond...."

"So we do not have any choice other than to go back to our old ways, huh...."