[From the shadows – part 1]
The field burned.
Flames spread in every direction, devouring what remained of tents, banners, and wooden structures. The air was heavy with the smell of smoke, iron, and blood. Broken swords lay on the ground among cracked shields and motionless bodies, some still with their hands clenched as if they had tried to fight until the very last moment.
In the middle of that scene of destruction, he remained standing. His breathing came out uneven, heavy. Each breath seemed to tear through his chest from the inside. His left hand pressed against the open wound in his abdomen, but the blood slipped between his fingers, warm and abundant, dripping onto the blackened ground. He lifted his eyes.
On the other side stood the one who had wounded him. His brother. His companion in battle. His friend. At least, he had been all of that once. Now, only an enemy. The silence between the two was heavier than the distant sound of the flames.
— I will not let you take possession of her. — his voice came out hoarse, tired but firm.
— Then die. — said the other without hesitation.
For a moment, something close to sadness crossed the wounded man's gaze. But it soon faded, replaced by a calm, resigned determination.
— Then we will both die… — he said, breathing deeply. — So that they may live.
The world exploded into light. A sudden flash, too intense to be endured, swallowed everything around them. It was like staring at the sun from only a few centimeters away. Heat, brightness, and absolute silence. Then everything disappeared.
Li woke up suddenly. His body jerked upright in bed in an involuntary start, like someone who had just emerged from underwater after spending too long without breathing. His chest rose and fell quickly. The room was silent, except for the faint swaying of the curtains. The window had remained open since the previous night, and the morning breeze drifted in slowly, bringing the coolness of the beginning of the day. The computer was still on, the videogame controller resting over the keyboards.
A ray of sunlight crossed the room and spread across the disorganized floor. Books stacked in a questionable manner, clothes tossed over the chair, a notebook left open on the desk. The typical bedroom of a sixteen-year-old boy. Li brought a hand to his forehead. He was sweating. His eyes were still wide when he turned his face toward the alarm clock on the bedside table.
7:28.
He let out a long, tired sigh. Another dream. No… the same dream. Ever since the family had moved from Tōhoku to the suburbs of Shinjuku, those images returned with annoying frequency. Always the same destroyed field. Always the same two figures. Always that strange feeling upon waking, as if he had just escaped drowning.
He ran a hand through his dark hair, pushing it back.
"Just a nightmare," he said to himself silently.
Nothing more than that. He got out of bed, although the weight of that feeling was still stuck in his chest. He walked toward the bathroom, his steps slow on the cold floor of the hallway. For a moment, the distant echo of screams and clashing metal seemed to cross his memory. When he faced himself in the mirror, he blinked a few times. His eyes reflected more than simple sleep. He opened the small cabinet behind the mirror and grabbed a pill for a headache. He swallowed it with a bit of water from the tap.
In the kitchen, familiar voices already filled the house.
— Li! You're going to be late for school! — his mother's voice echoed.
He forced a smile at himself in the mirror.
— I'm coming!
He brushed his teeth, took a quick shower, and got dressed. When he went downstairs, the aroma of warm bread and green tea already filled the air. Everyone was at the table. His father read the newspaper with calm attention. Shizuka, his seven-year-old sister, rocked a doll while murmuring some kind of invented story. And Ushio, his older brother, was leaning over a small notebook full of complex calculations. Nineteen years old, always too focused.
Li sat down. As soon as he did, Shizuka raised her eyes toward him with a curious expression.
— Li-nii-san… — she tilted her head slightly. — You had that nightmare again, didn't you?
He sighed quietly. Trying to hide something from an observant child was surprisingly difficult.
— It wasn't anything serious — he replied, trying to sound casual. — Just a strange dream.
Ushio calmly closed the notebook and rested his arms on the table. His gaze was serious, but there was care in it.
— Li… have you thought about talking to someone? A doctor, maybe a psychologist.
Li shook his head.
— It's not necessary.
His brother watched him for a moment.
— These dreams have been bothering you.
— I can deal with it — Li replied, a little more firmly.
Ushio remained silent for a moment, then smiled slightly. A discreet and understanding smile.
— If you say so… But remember that I'm here if you change your mind.
Li nodded.
— I know. Thanks.
Their mother returned at that moment with a tray.
— Let's eat before it gets cold!
Bread, scrambled eggs, salad, and steaming green tea were placed around the table. Shizuka attacked the bread with almost heroic enthusiasm. Their father lowered the newspaper for a moment.
— I heard your school will have a meeting about the cultural festival.
Li nodded.
— Yes. Professor Yamamoto said we're going to help at the science stand.
Ushio adjusted his glasses.
— We can divide the work. You handle the presentation and I'll build the structure.
Li smiled.
— Deal.
Shizuka raised the doll as if it were an important witness.
— You have to tell me everything later!
Their mother sighed, amused.
— Come on, little one. Otherwise the ones who'll be late are us.
She left with Shizuka shortly afterward. Their father finished his tea, grabbed his work briefcase, and also left. The house became quiet. Li put the remaining bread into his backpack. The smell of coffee still lingered in the air. For a moment, it all seemed… comfortable. Ushio stood up and adjusted the tie he wore out of pure habit.
— Shall we?
Li nodded.
The two left together. The morning sun illuminated the quiet streets of the suburbs of Shinjuku. Movement was still moderate, with a few people walking to work and the distant sound of traffic from the larger city.
— Have you gotten used to the neighborhood yet? — Ushio asked.
Li shrugged.
— More or less. I still miss Tōhoku.
— The silence?
— The clean air — Li replied.
Ushio laughed.
— Here we have convenience stores on every corner. That makes up for it a little.
Li let out a small laugh.
— Maybe.
They passed by Mrs. Tanaka's small bakery.
The woman waved cheerfully.
— Li-kun! Ushio-kun! Aren't you taking croissants today?
— Maybe on the way back! — Ushio replied.
They kept walking. Mrs. Tanaka was good to everyone, kind and gentle. She lived alone and that bakery was everything she had, and it treated her well. Everyone adored her.
After a few steps, Li spoke again.
— Do you think Shizuka will adapt well to school?
— She will — Ushio replied with calm confidence. — She has too much energy not to make friends.
Li nodded. The smell of wet asphalt from the rain of the previous night still lingered in the air. Soon the school gate appeared ahead. Students were beginning to enter. Ushio looked at his brother.
— Li.
— Hm?
— About the dreams… anything happens, you talk to me.
Li smiled. The weight of the dream was still there, somewhere deep in his mind. But something else was there too. The feeling of not being alone.
— I know.
The two crossed the gate side by side. And while the everyday life of school began to take shape around them, the shadows of the dream retreated into the depths of memory.
At least for now.