Klein Cylrit
The girl's hand was ready to let the string of the bow go. I tried to get a hold of the situation I was in but nothing could really change the outcome that was about to happen, so I made a gamble.
Even if lies are the most vicious of human nature, some lies must be told in order to protect one for another day.
I slowly lowered my hands down and took a step closer to her. Then she was the one to take a step, but she went a foot back.
"Don't come any closer!" she warned, her voice not wrathful but more awful instead.
I smiled friendly to create a warm environment, wishing that this would work, otherwise I would be in the same boat as the men lying dead on the ground.
"You see… I actually am not your enemy here." I said with a tone that sounded more malicious than friendly.
"Everyone is my enemy in this Trial!"
Her eyes found mine. She looked the same age as me, her horns making her look scary still. But she was just as frightened as me. I had so many questions that I yet to seek answers for. But if I survive whatever hell this is, then I can easily understand where and why I am here.
"Look… lady," I paused, choosing my next words carefully, then continued: "I know I sound bad but you have to trust me… I have no idea where I am. So please I just seek a hand here."
The girl's eyes glared at me up and down. Her eyes then went to the men lying limp on the ground.
"He said that I could trust him… Then he tried to kill me! There is not in a single flow of a second of Ion where I would trust another Awakened."
I gulped but my smile remained. I understood her. She was just protecting herself from danger. Survival was her priority and it seems that it was also the dead men's priority too. I may be ignorant about where I stand but I can make empathy quite well.
"I understand that you are scared, insecure and suspicious about me." I slowly pointed at myself. "But I assure you, I will cause you no harm."
My smile widened.
"I don't believe that I could cause any harm anyway. I am lost and I just need a guide."
The girl's body relaxed, her right hand slowly left the string and she lowered the bow. Her eyes were still dreadful. I do not blame her, I am scared too.
The girl moved closer to examine me, I guess. She gazed at the rune carved into my left wrist.
"Ho- How do you have that?"
I too relaxed and looked at the Rune of Space.
"I…" my mind pondered so many different possibilities and questions at the same time that I almost forgot how to think properly.
The voice had said that this was a trial of some sort. What kind of a trial and why am I here is still a mystery. Maybe if I stay calm and make a bond with her, I can both get an answer and a salvation. And maybe a friend as well.
"Someone gave it to me." I said flatly.
She lit up with a sense of unease.
"How can a 'someone' grant you a Rune of Concept? It doesn't make sense at all."
A single drop of sweat fell from my forehead.
"I'm trying to figure that out myself. You happened to not see a guy who's all dark and has glowing white eyes, right?"
Her eyes narrowed down:
"Are you acting dumb on purpose?"
I quickly shook my head and hands.
"I swear, I really have no clue where the damn I am."
The girl let out a long sigh.
"Then your ignorance is something not to be compete with."
She slung the bow over her shoulder and sat down on the dark, stone ground. She gestured to me to do the same. I sat down, my eyes never leaving her.
"My name`s Lizzie. Lizzie of Nullline Todd."
I arched a brow:
"'Nullline'?"
Lizzie for a moment looked surprised but after a second had passed she looked not surprised but… excited?
"Wait, are you from another realm?" she asked, her voice full of enthusiasm.
Lizzie started to rock back and forth. She acted more of a child than a warrior she was just a mere moment earlier. Was this a sign of dread to war, or a reminder of the child inside us all? She and I are just two people who met in this deadly place. Aether may be a source of unknown but it may also be a source of binding. I don't even know what I am saying anymore. I'm tired of all these new discoveries and pain to understand. I never asked to know the existence of aether, yet here I sit with a recondite rune etched onto my wrist.
"I… don't know of a realm… Does Earth not exist?" I asked.
A long breath of desperation and boredom escaped my mouth. I brought my hands to my face, covering them. Then my hands slipped away.
"This is all so confusing and annoying."
Lizzie tilted her head.
"You still haven't told me your name."
I glanced at Lizzie's face. Where did the girl who was about to kill me go? Should I lie to her and make up a made up name and story, or should I tell her the truth? Nah, lies are for cowards. A painful truth is always better than a pleasant lie.
"My name is Klein Cylrit." I said with a smile on my face.
Lizzie's lips curled up.
"So which realm are you from? Green Realm? Soul Realm? Or that war lover filled Dream Realm?"
I had no idea what the hell she was talking about. My lips shifted into a strange smile and I awkwardly scratched my neck.
"Lizzie…"
"Yeah?"
"Can you be more lucid? I... I really don't understand anything you say."
Lizzie's lips fell down disappointed.
"You don't even know which realm you came from? Which academy lectured you? And how the timeless world did you reach your Third Awakening if you're so ignorant about aether and the five realms? Forget all that. How in Ion's name you have a rune? Even an outskirt would know better."
"Ouch. You didn't have to label it like that."
She rolled her eyes. I looked down foolishly.
"Aether... Infested my life and the lives of the ones that I care for."
I stopped and thought about all of the new savvy she just said. Her words lingered in my mind for a second time. Then something clicked and a new, grand question surfaced in my mind.
"You just said 'Dream Realm' right? Tell me more about these 'realms'. More about all I don't know nor understand."
Lizzie thought for a moment. I knew how I looked like from her perspective. For her, I was an ignorant fool. She probably thought that I was dumb and maybe even feeble.
After a long minute had passed Lizzie finally spoke:
"First of all, don`t accuse aether like that. Aether doesn`t help, but always shows a way. And beside that. Realms are a divergent creation by an unknown entity. In my realm, the Absolute Realm, they believe that the aether was the one breathed life. And when that breath waved across the Universe, it led to the birth of the five realms." she paused for a moment then added: "That's what my people 'believe' at least."
I shrugged while smiling:
"At least your people are better than mine."
This girl casually confirmed the existence of other worlds and different civilizations that inhabit those worlds.
"What about this place? Where are we? Why are we here?" I asked.
The Sun was reflecting from her brown and gentle eyes.
"We're on a Battle Island." She looked around, "The Soulbattle Island, I believe."
I blinked empty a couple of times.
"Eh…? And what's that supposed to be?"
Lizzie inhaled then exhaled a long, weary breath.
"You can think of the Battle Islands as tournament arenas in a way. There are four islands and each is unique from all the others. But not always you get dropped in one. There are only two Awakenings that require an Awakened to complete the island. Third Awakening and Trancension." she stopped and thinked for a second, then proceeded: "I guess at least. In the Absolute Realm the max an Awakened has reached is Sovereignty."
I nodded like I understood everything.
"Welllllll… Uhh… Can you explain to me all of these 'Awakenings' too?"
Lizzie's mouth was left hanging open.
Maybe almost an hour had passed since I arrived here. Lizzie had told me so much about aether and the "Pillar Realms of Existence". I still have so much knowledge yet to grasp, but after I complete this Battle Island then can I truly understand more.
Lizzie told me that to complete a Battle Island Trial one must see and understand all of the island's periphery. Easier said than done. I also learned that, if an "Awakened" dies here, on this island, then they will just loop back where we were first dropped, to our inception point. But only for five times. After the fifth loop, then does death become permanent. But Lizzie also told me that true death has almost never occurred here before. Death has no meaning here. That's a good thing. I don't want to kill somebody even if it's temporary.
"So what's next?" I asked, feeling a sense of confidence within myself.
Lizzie, who was just getting ready to descend from the volcano, turned around to look at me.
"First we climb down this volcano then walk around the island without getting killed in the process. If we die, we loop back here."
I glanced at the rune engraved on my wrist, then back at her gentle eyes.
"Just promise me," my eyes danced back, to the men lying numb on the ground. "Just don't kill, even if it's necessary."
An undulation of unease washed over her.
"Killing is a necessity here. If it means survival then death has no bearing whatsoever. We are supposed to be Awakened, we are ready to face the unrest of death. If its the only choice then I would kill without even thinking for a second."
My brows furrowed:
"There is always another choice."
Her teeth clenched:
"Why are you acting like there is no looping back?"
"What about the men you just killed? He did not loop back." I said, my tone insisting.
Lizzie looked weary to her core.
"Then that men's inception was not the volcano."
I opened my mouth to argue but I knew that any more second I spoke, higher the chance of me lying limp. I closed my mouth and simply nodded. Lizzie sighed haggardly and continued the preparations for the descent. I looked back from my shoulder, to again the dead men. I wondered how he had climbed all of this volcano if his inception wasn't here. Does aether have many quirks other than terrorizing people?
Lizzie crafted both of us a climbing axe made of a strong material she gathered from the firm floor of the gargantuan volcano.
I glared uncertainly at the axes.
"Will these be enough to climb down?"
Lizzie did not raise her head from the axes and just shoved her hand in the tool belt wrapped around her waist. After a couple of seconds of her scrambling she pulled out a long, white rope. And then did she finally look at me.
"This will be enough."
"So we'll do this like normal climbers? Or will we tie ourselves together so that we can move in sync?" I asked.
Lizzie opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. She looked around then back at me.
"Yeah… That's a good idea actually."
I bowed sillily.
"Glad, I could've helped."
Lizzie rolled her eyes and then grabbed one of the axes and threw it towards me. I quickly ducked and catched it with my hand. The axe almost hit my head. I turned to look at Lizzie. She was giggling. I vexingly raised a brow. She merely shrugged.
We began our descent. Climbing down was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Lizzie was a good vanguard.
In the sky, there was a blue sun. The sun shined on us on our way to the ground down. Lizzie was using her axe to navigate the rocks that made up the volcano's trunk. We were slow but steady, every foot and hand movement was precise and patient. We moved as if we were a dancing couple. Lizzie leads and I follow. But even though we were at a great pace, I still felt the hunger brushing my empty stomach. When we reached the half of the descent I tiredly looked at Lizzie just a couple of meters down.
"Can't we stop for a moment? The thirst is swirling in my mouth."
Lizzie stopped and secured a spot for her foot. She then looked up at me, she was also tired.
"If we had any maybe. But I never thought of thirst until now." she glanced around pouting. "Now that you said it, I feel thirsty too."
I lowered my shoulders:
"Sorry."
Lizzie took long breaths and breaks and then continued to descend the lava filled geothermal mountain.
The sun begun to set in our third hour of descent. In the place of the sun came a greenish moon. I jabbed my axe to the rocks to admire the beauty of the world around me. The stars shining, the moon rising, space laughing… This "Battle Island" felt peaceful. Earth was… No, not "Earth", Green Realm is always in disaster. The Endless Greatness of the Five always adds new laws to the poor cities. I love Lineage City but it's without any argument is the most flawed city out of all the cities on the planet.
Our descent was tiring, yes. But it was easygoing. We completed the descent`s three-quarters in just six hours. Briefly I gazed up. Looking up at the giant mountain, I felt small as a pebble. The volcano looked much bigger when you look up at it from down here.
"Focus." Lizzie said sharply. "A single wrong move and we return to the top."
I gave her a scowl.
"I know that."
"Then focus."
We continued to climb down but as we were a couple of questions surfaced in my mind.
"When you introduced yourself, you said 'Nullline'. What's that? Your heritage or something?"
Lizzie`s feet pinned themselves to the solid rock. She did not look at me. Her eyes were down, looking at the long last yearned ground.
"In the Absolute Realm there is a social system of hierarchy. And the 'Nullline' is the lowest of them all. To the above we`re just lunatic beasts who only know how to kill in rage. We`re just slaves." she snorted. "All I wanted was to bring my family to a higher place in the world." her teeth gritted. "But all they want is to remain untouched. They refuse to take 'risks'. And they neglect my laments for more. All I want is a better life for them, yet they reject my faith in it. I hate them for it." she lastly said bitterly.
Then Lizzie went quiet. I did not know what to say. I clinged to my axe with a hand and to the rope with the other. A system like that was far worse than what I ever saw in Lineage City. Lizzie is full of zeal and hope. Even at her darkest hours, even under her family`s gentle lies, she dreamt of more than being just a "lunatic beast", hoping to be larger than a "slave". And beyond all that, she believes that it`s all her family`s fault. She hates them for it. Hating on a family... Never in my life would I ever think that a bond of a family like that would exist. My mother always guided me but also she always listened to me. Once at least. Once my whole family was one. "Once"...
The rest of the climb for the descent was absolutely silent. Even if we were from different worlds, I still understood her. I still cared for her.
When we finally touched the ground Lizzie let go of the axe and the rope and she without wasting a breath hugged the earth ground, kissing it with all the love she had.
"Oh, I so damn missed you. For in the boobies of Ion do I love you so much!" she said, laughing and crying at the same mere time.
Lizzie looked just like a little kid. So my attention danced from her to our surroundings. We were inside a colossal looking forest with purple leafy trees. The trees had fruits on their branches. Big, watery, lavender looking fruits.
Lizzie glared up to see me full of desire to eat the fruit. But before my arms could even reach the branch an axe swirled through the air, its heel lodged onto the lavender fruit, tearing it into pieces. I glanced back in frustration. Lizzie was glaring back at me with an interrogative face.
"Are you sure you ain't dumb on purpose?"
I indifferently raised a brow.
"I just wanted food."
Lizzie got up from the soil and slowly walked past me and then grabbed the axe off what remained of the delicious looking fruit. She wiped the axe with her sleeve then pointed it to shredded fruit.
"We`re inside a Battle Island. Here nothing is safe and free. If we want food, then we have to earn it with perseverance."
I looked up at her navy horns. She`s wrong.
"You`re right." I said with a short sigh. "Its just I am not that careful these past days I guess."
What I said was a downright lie. I was careful more than I ever was throughout my whole life. I am always wary. And yet I don't even understand myself. Lizzie at least tries to get a hold of me. Without her I would`ve been dead five times already. I owe her my life.
Lizzie looked around to see anything unusual. She after inhaling a big, busty breath looked at me.
"Let's spend the night here. I`ll make us a campfire and gather some supply for the rest of the Trial. We don`t know how long will it take for us to journey across it after all."
I nodded my head.
"You make the camp. I can find the food and water."
Lizzie tilted her head.
"You sure you can?"
I smiled gently.
"Trust me. I promise that I`ll return in one piece."
Lizzie hesitantly dipped her head.
We marched into the forest with a level of unease. There could`ve been many other Awakened inside here. We just had to pray that they were far away from us.
When we found a neat spot next to a small river surrounded by many trees we rested a bit. Lizzie now looked dead in the eyes. She was not sad, rather she looked hungry and tired. I was too.
After enough time had passed Lizzie got up. I followed her right behind. Resting even for a short time felt refreshing. I feel a lot better now.
"Welp, get enough supplies and meet me back here." Lizzie said with a more brisk voice now.
We were surrounded by many trees, here looked safe enough.
I simply nodded. And turned around to find the essentials for us to survive. But before I walked away Lizzie called out to me. I hurriedly turned my head to meet her eyes. Lizzie was even now still looked unsure.
"Klein, just," she paused. "Just be careful okay?"
I nodded my head again.
"Don`t worry about me until I start to talk to myself."
She smiled cutely. The horns made her face look even more eccentrically cute.
Walking around these purple bushes and tropical trees made me itch for to return home. Maybe I should ask Lizzie more about what this trial is about. Little insects crawled everywhere like maggots. I liked insects. They always just mind their own business. I wish human life was just as simple as theirs. But these insects look more dangerous than those that are in Green Realm.
"Does time pass here the same?" I thought to myself suddenly.
I conceive so much here. With aether, we learned that we could warp time and space itself. Maybe if Grey`s theories are right, then we can also manipulate life and death too. I kneeled down next to a tree.
"I wish Grey and Raya was here to help." I sighed. "There is an entire unknown ahead of us, waiting for us to reach it."
I still wonder so much. I still want to know what happened to Grey more than anything. But nevertheless, there is no time to waste if I want to get out of this island quick. The voice warned me that I shouldn't even trust myself, and all that I meet here. Two hundred thousand Awakened across the five realms are scattered all around the island to reach their Third Awakening.
Finding food was harder than what I had first anticipated. There wasn`t a single trusty food for me to borrow here. I held my handmade axe gently, prepared to find a juicy piece of paradise.
Brushing the bushes out of my way I finally found a source of food that looked unsuspicious enough. The food was on the purple grass. It looked like a banana, but its color was of a weird brown. And it also looked more liquid than solid. It smelled awful too. I bent down to examine it more. Being closer to it made me smell its nasty scent more. My fingers brushed a piece of it. It looked not like a fruit, but more like a... Wait. I quickly took a step away from the piece of turd and cleaned my hand using the grass beneath me. The scent still remained.
"Fuck this!" I hissed.
I never swear so much, but here, right now. A thousand curses swayed my mind.
"Ugh! Come on." I should`ve known better. You`re not like this Klein. You are always more cautious than most others."
I tried to chill down myself but it didn't really work. I felt humiliated. I felt stupid.
"Just nothing ever goes in with my luck."
I sat down on the grass and watched the crap silently. A long stare really wouldn`t help anything. Yet I was sitting anyway. The Verdant Moon brightened my way. If the Sun was blue then why was the Moon green? Although, in the Green Realm the Sun is purple yet we perceive it yellow. Aether`s bulshit I guess.
But after looking at the turd, I realized a promising fact. If there was a turd here, then it meant that there could`ve been an animal here recently. A smile rose in my face.
"Finally. I can find it and..."
I realized something else. If I wanted to eat the animal, first I had to kill it. I had no problem with killing it for food. But the problem was how I`m supposed to kill it. I never killed anything in my life before. Not even an insect. And I also had no experience in hunting. I looked down and my smile fell.
"I should`ve just let Lizzie be the one to find the supplies."
But I have no choice. I need to survive if I want to go home and get stronger. Lizzie was right. Killing is indeed a necessity here. At least I will kill no humans. And even when I find and hunt the animal down, I will make it quick so it won`t feel any pain in any way. I just have to convince myself that what I`m doing is the only possible outcome.
I walked around for like thirty minutes to find a lead on the animal`s whereabouts. And when I did find a lead, I was left frozen on where I stood.
There was blood everywhere. Bloody flesh and obliterated bone. Slashed arms and legs. Ripped bodies and broken skulls. Faces of people who knew they would die in a very agonizing way. I just hoped that they hadn't wasted their five lives. At least a hundred corpses were here, ripped apart by the beast who roamed here. And the more I walked, the more the death count risen. A hundred, two hundred, three hundred and then six hundred Awakened had been killed by this thing. I don't even know why I keep going. This is all messed up. I should go back to Lizzie. But if I don't stop the beast now, how many more will die? I don't want death. Even if they are people that I probably never ever know or see. I can`t just sit and let people die for trying to survive in a place they did not choose to come. But then again, how will I kill it? The green aetheric particles around me have no care to help it seems. I have to learn how to use the Rune of Space.
I stood before a cave entrance. The interior was pitch black and its horrible fragrance made the cave look even more wicked and terrifying. Why the fuck was I even here?
I raised my left hand front to try to replicate Grey. I had no idea of how to use the rune. When I stepped into the cave a scream tore through the entire dark hole. I looked around to figure where it came from, and of course, it came from deep inside the cave. Can`t I just leave it to somebody else? Can`t I just walk away? No, I can`t. I will not.
I could just go inside the cave to battle the beast. But even I am not that brave. Nobody weak enough is. I just needed to get the beast`s attention so it would come out and fight. I don`t really know how will I defeat it, but I will figure a way. At least that's how I fooled myself. I shouted a couple of times and when that did not work, I crushed some fallen tree branches. My eyes furrowed.
"I sure am biting more than I can chew. I just wish not to wake up at the top of a volcano." I murmured to myself.
When the beast still hadn't come out, I grabbed three large branches and with a rough move of my axe, I tried to make the most sound of it. The sound was itching my ears, the beast had to come out now. But it didn`t. Greeting my teeth, I threw all of what remained of the branches inside the cave, then I just turned around and walked away a couple of meters away. Sat down and waited. Nothing again. I closed my eyes and growled in annoyance. I had no idea how to get the beast's attention. I looked at the weapons of the fallen Awakened. There was a sword, an axe, a pickaxe, a knife, even a morning star. What was that doing here? But nevertheless, all these weapons had one thing in common. Their tips were all covered in blood. Blood... Maybe blood was the answer. I grabbed the knife of one of the fallen Awakened and then made a swift cut to my left palm. Blood began to fall and without wasting any more seconds I creased my bleeding hand on the walls of the cave entrance. After spreading my blood, I stepped back and waited once again. Seconds passed and then a minute, two, three and... A wrathful growl echoed from the cave. And then, in a blink of an eye a bloodlust animal appeared before me. A bear that resembled a beast. It was as large as a car. Its fur was blood red. Its eyes all red. Teeth sharp and deadly, and the claws keen and long.
"Nuh... No..."
I couldn't talk properly. Before me stood a monster. The beast lunged at me, opening its large mouth. I quickly ducked to the side. But the bear was smarter. It plunged its claws to a fallen branch and threw it towards me. I had no time. I got hit by it and then went flying back. I fell on the trunk of a fallen tree. And the beast kept getting closer. My jaw clenched as I examined my surroundings, there had to be a way to kill it. Had to be. The bear was walking slow but steady, it knew I was planning something and so was cautious. I looked around the aetheric particles to show me a way but nothing happened. I needed Lizzie`s help. My head quaked.
"Lizzie! Yes Lizzie."
Lizzie`s words rose in my head.
"Aether doesn`t help, but always shows a way. "
I looked around, to the aetheric particles and then to the Rune of Space. I didn't need to use the rune, I wanted to use it. And with that thought, the aetheric particles gathered around me, circling me. The bear looked confused, but when it realized that something was wrong, it bursted forward. The beast was too late. The Rune of Space shined in white as it my hair and eyes also gleamed in white. I saw all the color drain of the world. The bear looked tiny. My eyes could even perceive what was inside the bear. I saw its heart. In just a single step, I materialized before it. I lunged my hand inside its transparent body. And grabbed its heart. But the moment I did, I was thrown backwards.
"What the? How?"
I plonked to the ground. Color came back and my vision once again became normal, with the white glow fading I realized that I was doomed. I stood but for nothing.
"Ugh! No... Why did it not work?" I muttered. "This is bad. Really bad."
The beast dashed in a speed I couldn't even grasp. I saw its sharp teeth just inches away from me. But they never reached as an arrow pierced through its head.
I quickly got away and tried to fathom what the hell was happening. But all I saw was the bear lying numb, limp and bloody on the ground. I looked to see where the arrow had come from. And there she was, on top of a tree branch. Lizzie, holding her bow fierce and steady. She looked tired and liverish. But the bear was not done. It tried to raise its claw, another arrow pierced through its head. This time, truly killing it.
"This time, you ain't getting back up." Lizzie said frustrated.
When I knew I was safe, I drew in air. I panted long enough to see my grandma. I can even see her face.
"Grandma?" I whispered.
Her brown hair and eyes. Her gentle face. And her hand slapping my face.
"Aw!" I quaked. "Hey, what was that for?"
I sulkingly looked at Lizzie. She was pouting like a little kid, and glared at me with all the wrath she had.
"Call me 'granny' again and I shoot you."
I scowled. Accepting her soft deal. Lizzie hanged the bow on her shoulder. My eyes then danced to her waist, where she kept her arrows.
"What happens once you run out?" I asked.
"Then were fucked." she said flatly.
"Fair enough." I said under my breath.
Lizzie looked at the dead bear lying on the grass.
"Come on, let's carry it back to the camp." She said, careless.
I made a weird face.
"And how are we going to carry a one ton animal?"
She just shrugged.
"I don`t know, find a way."
Lizzie turned around and gestured for me to follow her. I did as she said. I was dragging the bear from its feet, it was easier than I expected. I guess aether really did help the body get stronger.
While we were walking back, she actually almost fell down a couple of times. Every time she faltered to a rock, she cursed something obnoxious. It was a funny sight to witness.
When we finally arrived back at the camp Lizzie`s stomach growled in hunger as she moaned tiredly. I was hungry too. I knew that we both wanted to eat this meat pie dearly. I let go of the bear and sat down next to the fire Lizzie made earlier, when I went hunting. Lizzie sat down next to me, her eyes up at the dark sky, watching the stars beyond.
"You know," I looked at the Verdant Moon. "I wanted to tell you that..."
I paused, choosing the best words to tell her what was about to be said.
"Tell me what?" she asked, tilting her head.
My gaze met hers.
"You shouldn`t be so rageful towards the ones who are the most dear to you. For even the holiest of flames fade. Just like humans do."
Lizzie didn`t argue back. There was absolute silence between us. It felt like eternity. I wanted to break it.
"How`d you find me?" I asked out of nowhere.
Her eyebrows knit together. She answered only after a long minute had passed.
"There was a large roar that came from the direction you went, so I thought you might be in danger." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "And you were in fact in danger."
I smiled slightly.
"Thanks. Glad that I am not on the menu of a gourmand bear."
"It was a bloodbear." she corrected. "But you`re right. And now, it's our menu."
She laughed. She laughed like a little kid. Her voice was full of joy. And when I saw her like that, I started to laugh too. We laughed together until our empty stomachs roared in pain.