Arrival

"Remember Evrin, that everything happens for a reason, no matter what. So whenever you face any difficulties, don't give up."

A gentle and soft voice echoed in the bedroom illuminated with the light of a lamp near the bed. 

Three individuals were lying on the bed under the comforter. A woman dressed in a classic nightgown was lying on her side as she said those words to her son while patting him on the head.

Just moments ago she had read a storybook to her 4-year-old son at his request.

This has become a daily habit for her as she continuously read a story before sleeping ever since her son was able to comprehend words from the age of 3.

Due to this reason, she always kept new storybooks available to her ahead of time so that she wouldn't run out of stories to tell.

She didn't constrict her choices to a particular theme and selected books of a wide range of themes and genres as she believed that this would be helpful for her child's growth, especially in the thinking aspect.

And today's story happened to be about a hero's conquest to defeat the demon lord. It was a typical story about how the hero with his companions face challenges to save their world.

But Evrin was fascinated with the story and listened to it enthusiastically. After his mother completed the story he asked a doubt that he was curious about.

'Why does the hero have to struggle so much, can't he just defeat the demon lord at the start?'

His question brought a wry smile to his mother's face as she pondered about the response that could be understood by her son.

In the end, she couldn't think of a proper response as there were multiple reasons for the story to be written in such a way.

It could be due to the author's livelihood or to just make the story more interesting. Whatever the reason, it was clear that her son wouldn't be able to understand.

That's why she decided to tell him what she believed in the most and teach him a life lesson.

Her son who couldn't understand why his mother addressed the words to him instead of the hero tilted his head in confusion.

"Doesn't it mean that everything we do is already been decided?"

"You could say that."

His mother continued to answer her son's innocent question with a gentle smile as she continued to pat him on his head.

"Then who gets to decide all that?"

"No one knows. Some say it is the Almighty God while others argue that it is the cosmos itself."

Her son was even more confused as he couldn't understand the concept of God or the cosmos. Nonetheless, he continued to ask one question after another unable to stand his curiosity.

"Then what should we do if we don't like what's decided for us?"

"Then you simply overcome it."

A voice from behind answered, causing the boy to turn around. It was his father who had been watching the pair with gentle eyes the whole time. Though, unlike his gentle atmosphere, his voice was strong and confident.

"How do I do that?"

The boy asked in response to his father's question. His mind had already forgotten about the hero and was solely focused on the answer.

As a child, his entire life being controlled by someone else was no less scary to him than the ghost that could be hiding under the bed in his mind. That's why he was eager to know the answer to his question.

"You do that by becoming strong."

"So I have to learn how to fight?"

"Not quite right. Being strong doesn't necessarily mean physical strength. It can also refer to your intelligence or your authority. Just take our king for example. He may not be the strongest in terms of strength but his authority alone is enough to keep strong individuals in check."

"But isn't becoming a king very hard?"

"You are right about that. Ultimately, the easiest way is to become strong physically. Who knows, you might even impress a princess and become a king. That's how I married your mother."

His father playfully answered as he ruffled his son's hair. His wife blushed at his words but still maintained her smile.

"It's already night. Let's talk about this sometime later and sleep for now."

The father kissed his wife and son on the forehead before ending the conversation and turning off the lamp.

*****

A man stood in the middle of the bustling street crowded with people.

He wore a ragged hood which kept both his face and the entire body hidden. His legs which were not covered by the cloth were completely bare.

The people around looked suspicious of him due to his attire but the man didn't seem to care about their stares and continued to look around the city. 

Ever since he had entered the city, he had been looking around as if for searching something all the while garnering suspicious looks.

"So this is Scintilla city. Quite different from what I imagined."

The man muttered to himself as he continued to stroll around the streets. 

He had been looking for a particular place since dawn but due to the vastness of the city he had yet to find it. Moreover, he only had a vague recollection of his destination making it much harder for him to find it.

Still, the man continued to look for the place even though hours had passed and it was now dusk. At the last moment, he felt his surroundings and the image in his mind click with each other causing the man to come to a halt.

'Is this what they call nostalgia? I guess I still have some humanity left in me.'

The man thought to himself as wandered around, following the path of his memories.

Before long he stood in front of a house which was his final destination. A house that looked exactly the same as he remembered it to be and the very house in which he grew up.

He was about to enter the house but stopped himself as he remembered something. The memories of the moment from when it all started.

Ultimately he gave up on entering as there were signs of someone else living in the house. It was only natural considering the fact that he had been away from the house for a very long time.

"HEY YOU! STOP RIGHT THERE."

Satisfied to see his home intact, he was about to leave the place before a shout stopped him in his tracks.

The man turned to look at the person who shouted at him only to see a small boy. The boy was covered in mud and had a few bruises on his body indicating that he had been playing a few moments ago.

"Are you speaking to me?"

"Yeah, do you see anyone else present here except you?"

The boy replied sarcastically confirming that he was indeed talking to him.

"So, what do you want?"

"I am the one who should be asking that. What are trying to do with that house?"

The boy looked at the man full of suspicion as he asked his question. 

"Nothing, I was just looking since I used to live in that house."

Although confused about being asked such a question, the man answered the boy's question as it wasn't something worth hiding.

"Nonsense. Our family has owned this house for a long time. Just say it, you were trying to rob the house weren't you?"

The boy accused the man while pointing his finger at him. The man was even more perplexed as he couldn't understand what the boy was saying.

After realizing that it had been a long time since he lived in the house, he considered the possibility that someone else had bought it in the meantime.

"Kid, I am not a robber. And it is true that I used to live in this house a long time ago."

"Who are you trying to fool with that outfit of yours."

The man tried to explain his circumstances but the boy wasn't buying any of it.

Upon consideration, the man realized that the boy was indeed correct regarding his outfit. He didn't find anything odd about it till now since he was already used to wearing the hood but in other's eyes, he would indeed look suspicious.

"Ah, you are right. It has been so long that I completely forgot about this."