Part 1
I sat on my bed contemplating where it all went wrong.
I used to be an arrogant kid who saw myself as the main character. I was mean to a girl, who then dated my ex to prove they were better off. Her friend ended up with my childhood crush, whom I had ignored while I chased an aloof girl. Finally, after years of showing off to my sister, she called me a moron and got a girlfriend too.
I feel insulted, as it seems they don't need me.
This all happened when I was in middle school, and I'm currently in my second year of high school.
I was called by a variety of names perv, scum, an enemy to all women and all that you find from mangas and everywhere else.
I ended up bullying a boy, which landed me a one-month suspension, then ended with me staying home from school and my parents forgetting about me most of the time.
Those parents of mine began to ignore a failure like me and instead focused on cultivating my other siblings to be better in academics and morality.
That one-month suspension, along with the cold shoulder and disappointed words being thrown at me, allowed me to contemplate all of this, which led me to regret those choices of mine, and in the end, I ended up alone.
I was isolated from the class, being labelled as a bully and scumbag.
I ended up making no friends, and that took a toll on my self-confidence, which ended with me not making any more friends or rather, I began to have difficulty communicating with others. Everything became harder because I made it like that with my own past actions.
This all happened that day.
In the dining room, my parents chatted with my sister, childhood friend, and my sister's girlfriend, completely ignoring me. I quietly retreated to my room, finding solace in my own company.
At the dinner table, only my sister and childhood friend acknowledged my return. My sister mumbled with slight annoyance, trying to maintain the cheerful atmosphere. My parents remained oblivious.
My childhood friend, who once found me arrogant and inconsiderate, now noticed my isolation and deepening troubles. She had observed my boredom, nervousness, and growing contempt for myself.
"How is he?" she asked my mother.
"That good-for-nothing son of mine? He's distant and compliant lately," my mother replied, worry creeping into her expression.
"Leave him be; he needs to learn from his mistakes," my mother's partner added.
Yet, despite her frustrations, my mother couldn't shake her concern. She felt a lingering care for the charming son she once had before he became insufferable.
Later that night, as I read manga, there was a knock on my door.
"Hey, are you doing okay?" It was my childhood friend.
What should I say to her?
"Hey, are you awake?"
Crap, just say you're fine.
"I...I am doing fine," I stuttered.
"Yeah, okay, good to know..." I heard her leave. She must hate me, only caring because of my mom.
I'm sorry, Mom. I let you down.
I wanted to apologize, but she went into my sister's room for a sleepover. I almost knocked but cowered out and retreated to my own room.
Early The Next Day
My younger sister went down with my childhood friend to grab a glass of water when they spot me by the front door having changed from my pajamas, showered and was wearing casual clothes with a backpack
They saw as I left without even noticing either of them Staring at my own back
Part 2
I walked to my grandfather's home in the early morning because I did not want anyone to see me leave wel even if I did leave they would not care at all in the slightest.
Well after all I grew distant with them all after that whole incident
The reason I went to my grandfather's place was because of something that happened few months after my suspension.
This was during the time when my parents were out on their dates and my sister was also on a date with her girlfriend.
I was envious but after a while I wondered if I get to be envious after all the women he used to have a connection with either good or bad are now living their best lives away from me or dissing me bad.
This was around that time when
Ding Dong!....DIng Dong!....Ding Dong!...Ding Dong! Ding Dong! Ding Dong! Ding Dong!
"Okay okay okay okay! I am coming so stop it whoever is out there!"
Mou do they even have to ring the doorbell many times after all I was coming to answer.
I opened the door and there stood my grandfather who was about in his late sixties and early seventhies despite that he looks strangely young with only a few wrinkles on his face.
Beside him was a middle age woman wearing a secretary outfit
"Hello there grandson.....may we come in?"
"Grandfather what are you doing here?"
"Let me in and we shall explain it to you."
"We?! What you mean and who is this chick with you?!"
"Ohhh allow me to introduce to you my secretary."
"It is nice to meet you, young master."
The secretary beside him made a bow to me, young master huh I will not lie I like the sound of that but I doubt I should be bossy with her so I would provoke her in anyway
"So may we come in."
"Of course come in."
"Thank you my boy."
The old man and his secretary went in and sat themselves side by side on the couch
My grandmother, his late wife passed on when she was fourty-three years old and since then grandfather has been hanging out with some women....I do not see him flirt with them and he did made me swear to not tell my parents.
Thank goodness I forgot about this for a while as it allowed my family to be in the dark about this.
My grandfather sat with a happy expression on his face and holding his cane as he sat.
I sat down across from him and then he began to spoke with a calm expression now
"You have gotten more respectful and kinder like before...I missed that about you when you were in elementary....what changed huh my grandson."
"Puberty i guess hehehe."
I gave out that reason because I was ashamed and embrassed about what happened with me so I decided to go along with this lie of mine but from the looks of his face he seems to have seen through it now
"Well then enough about you let's get down to business shall we."
"Yes we shall begin sir."
The midde aged secretary pulled out some documents from her bag and presented them to be on the table.
The moment I picked up this paper I knew what it is by the words that I first laid my eyes on.
"What is this inheritance?"
"Yes you catch on grandson."
I could not believe it but wait
"Don't you want to wait for mom, dad, and sister to come."
"Nah they have their own will but this one is for you as it is meant to be a secret from them.....also you seem to refer to them as your mother, father, and sister instead of...okay let's talk about the will of mine."
My grandfather saw that look in me and decided not to comment on it anymore.....thank you grandfather.
His own secretary had read the important sections
"In the event your grandfather dies, you would inherit his house as he considers this a gift to his eldest grandson."
I looked shocked and nearly got excited when a thought crossed my mind.
I put the paper down and looked at my grandfather
"Why are you giving this house to me and not my...."
"Why am I not giving my house to your mother and father or your sister huh is that correct well they are good folk and I do not trust them."
"What you mean grandfather?"
"Well that house of mine is special you see there is a doorway hidden by the back."
So yeah he offered me his house but I still kept wondering why and the only response he gave was "you need it!"
Even his secretary agreed that I need his house
I had some doubts but decided not to bring them up because I was tired of this.
Well, after that talk, he said his goodbyes and left then on the morning of one of the days of me being a first-year high school student, my grandfather died and received some money and things he cherished to my mom, dad, and my sister.
Meanwhile, the ownership of his house, with my signature, was given to me later that night by the secretary in secret
I didn't get a chance to go because I was busy with school. Lately, I've been feeling drowsy and neglecting exercise, so a walk to my grandfather's house was something I really needed.
Part 3
I arrived at the house and the looked to be a normal house it was not small nor big and is made by average materials of course.
I did not know why Grandpa wanted me to offer me a house
Is this some sort of way to teach me responsibility?
Even now I did not understand what my grandfather must be thinking when he made me move to his house now.
"So do you like the house young master?"
The secretary of my grandfather was tasked to accompany me
"I have no complaints about having a house but are you sure you want to live with me?"
"What do you mean your grandfather ordered me to...."
"Do you know what type of person I used to be?"
"No I do not....."
"Then why would you."
"What type of person are you now?"
"What?"
"I am asking not what type of person you...used....to be but what type of person you are....now."
"What are you trying to?"
"Your grandfather told me what type of person you are and yet you are remorseful, you were guilty and did your best and yet why are you being punished. I wondered, after hearing the full truth as to why punish a repentant and forgiving person for past actions. The meaning of forgive those who seek for it has become labelled weakness and not an act of humanity and morals."
"Hic."
"Hey your grandfather was there for you like he was with me so allow me to return the favor your grandpa entrusted to me by doing it in his favor."
"Thank you so much.....I....I.....I.....I am so sorry about....."
"It will be okay."
Later in the house they stood in front a giant door in the back of the house.
"This is where I lived."
"In this room....why the large door."
"Why don't you go ahead and take a look."
"Okay."
I decided to trust her, she is someone who believed in me changing for the better....and so she became like an older sister, a teacher, a counselor to me.
I then looked at the door then I went through that door along with my teacher and then...
I saw an amazing out of this world event
Everything was different their were now blue skies and no houses surrounding my grandfather's house anymore.
I found me and teacher on a hill, and from a distance the laid a large city that was a mix of medieval and European-esque, it was as if they were large towns with a large tower in the center.
The large town was a large circle with walls on the that surrounded.
The circumstance and radius of the circle would be difficult to measure as only being able to look at it from a bird's eye view can one see the full circle and even then one had to have a never ending measuring tape to get the exact radius of the large town.
In the large town stood many civilizations and that brought this spark of wonder.
"Welcome my young master to my hometown."
"You lived here teacher?"
"Teacher?....well yes I lived here but i stayed with my grandfather."
"Teacher what were you before you met my grandfather?"
"I used to be someone who was struggling in poverty."
"Poverty?"
"Yeah, I used to be the daughter of a baron, but my family were all convicted because of their greed, and the elders were executed for treason."
"Convicted?"
"I do not remember much anymore but I was around your age when I exprienced poverty...my family were the type to always want more money and so they all sold military weaknesses and were all tasked in helping the demon lord to raid and destroy this whole town."
"What?"
"I was still six years old when this all happened and their plan went well for many years until the guards of this world captured one of the subordinants of the demon lord and decided to sell out my whole family for the sake of it's freedom, I remembered your grandfather said that it was something the demon lord decided on, because he valued that one subordinant and was willingly to betray my family anytime."
"Ohhh."
"Selling them out shifted the attention of the city and some demons were able to infiltrate the whole city and this caused many deaths and wars."
"That all happened many years ago."
"So is this the town that...."
"No...actually I fled to this town because it was the safest."
"What?"
"That whole incident happened up north or was it south.....honestly i forgot the geopolitical landscape of this world."
"So who won in the end."
"I do not even remember; it was a traumatic experience for me, everyone was scary, and I did not look back at that city. I then moved to this city that you see in front of you."
"You doing okay now?"
"Managing."
"What not yes or no?"
"Let's walk and talk do not worry if monsters are looking to hunt for us I will protect us."
"Okay, so continue why not yes or no?"
"That is because it would be a lie to say either."
I kept on listening wanting to understand, teacher more better. Yet from the looks of teacher she has this calm face but her expression looks troubled.
Teacher seemed to have difficulty talking about it and yet she took a deep breath and let it out then she looked at me as we walked for the huge city.
"You see young master if i were to say I am okay now that would be a lie since even then I am stilll afraid of what has happened before..."
"Ohhh."
"But if I were to say to say I was not that would be accepting defeat and the efforts I made were all for nothing, so you see I want to be honest with you...whenever you exprience something and are in the process of healing and moving past that painful exprience done either by you or someone else then deep down your opinion on that past painful exprience will of course be answered in neutral."
"Does that apply to everyone?"
"No because there are some who managed to be fully okay and there are some who managed to get consume in darkness either indulging in self-loathing or criminal activity."
"I see....but my problems and pain unlike you were all my fault so the only feelings I can understand are guilt, remorse, and as you said self-loathing...teacher what do I do now?"
"Well when i was in poverty afraid of what will happen to me or if I going to be just like everyone else....your grandfather saw me and recruited me.....that was many years ago probably before you were born into the world young master."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah....so I will say the one advice to you like your grandfather said to be after he brought me into his home, fed, made me bathe, offered me clean clothes and shelter...do not focus on the past because that is something you can not change....what you can change are what you are going to do now....your past depressions and future anxieties will never leave but what you can do in the present moment can help you find your peace...but even in the present there will be a fight for control, your positive and negative emotions will never stop until you die."
"So what exactly do you want me to do?"
"Do what is right, follow the virtues and good values taught to you, and live in the present not just for yourself but for others."
"Huh?"
"Tell me now what you feel about everyone who has labelled you a bad guy."
"What do i feel?"
"Yes tell me now what you feel and how you feel."
I looked at the teacher, we were nearby the entrance to the large city and so I stopped and my teacher understood that I did not want to be seen by anyone else other than her.
"I do not want to be the bad guy, i do not want to be hated neither do I want to hate anyone, i believe there are second chances, I want to be saved, and I want to.....to....to....to live with you in peace."
Teacher smiled at me then she gave me an embrace which brought me crying my hardest.
"You did well my young master now allow me to help you and guide you."
I cried for about half an hour and my head got fuzzy and numb in the process.
"Now then young master let's go apply for a citizenship in this world."
"Yeah..."
"Hey."
"What?"
"If you want you can live in whatever world you want for how many days you want."
"What?"
"Young master you are free to do that, but I will always be there to make sure you remain a good and innocent boy."
"Teacher."
I let out a calm and natural smile as we approached the gates of the city and in my heart
Thank you teacher and to you grandpa for believing in me.
Part 4 - coming soon