Carter was ready to invent anything at that moment, but, thankfully, Mili answered her own question.
“You were such a curious kid back then, asking the most random questions you could’ve ever asked.”
She chuckled.
“It was amazing how you were everywhere and nowhere at the same time, just asking about anything that touched your eyes.”
Reminiscing something Carter had no idea about, Mili finally went to the point.
“The last time we had ever talked, I still remember your smile when you asked me about what your father’s dream was.”
She paused.
“At that time, I couldn’t say it to you, but now here we are, son and mother, side by side.”
Mili pocked the young kid’s arm with her shoulder.
Carter looked at her. He could only guess that this was her way to cheer her son up.
Fortunately, it seemed like this kid’s character matched his own odd behaviour.
“Are you finally ready to hear the granduous dream of your chivalrous father, little boy?”
Grinning, she asked in an odd manner.
The young boy was glad he was being called another name rather than sunshine, or his new name.
Speaking of which, he was so engrossed in his own emotions that he didn’t realize she had already called him by the name ‘Ciel’.
He was’t really the biggest fan of it, and unfortunately for them, a name couldn’t change his self from being Carter.
And it may never be.
She tilted her head, recalling.
"Remember how he was always refraining himself from pursuing it, but you always kept bickering him about how much it would be cool and how much it would make him the best dad ever, that at the end he promised he would at least try?"
Beside him, Mili also laid her head on her crossed arms, which had moved themselves from her lap to the railing.
She responded her own question.
“If you do then I am happy to anounce, he accomplished it Ciel, he accomplished his dream and became a certified ray.”
A ray… Is that some kind of work? Carter thought, raising one of his eyebrows that was not in the view of Mili.
Speaking of which, after a short chuckle, her eyes became a bit hollow.
She gazed down, facing the joyous family next to their home, a sight farther to their lives than infinity.
She continued, her voice ethereal.
“He accomplished his dream, but at what cost?”
She bit her lip hard enough it would've bled without her restraining herself the best she could.
Without Carter noticing anything, Mili smiled brightly, and replied in a joking tone.
“At the cost of nothing, of course, he just needed to persevere, and finally get to his long pursued dream.”
She turned her laid head towards Carter’s.
“And it was all thanks to you. You gave him the push to keep going and, even if it took a while longer, it’s because you were there that he was able to protect so much more people, so…”
She winked at him while finally saying.
“... don’t ever give up because whatever happens, we'll be beside you, ok?"
Carter, too, felt a bump in his heart hearing that last part, he didn’t understand why, but it happened.
She grinned, bumping her fist on the kid's arm again, the first time with her shoulder.
She returned to the subject.
"Well, let's talk about rays."
She turned her head to look back at the moon, an index finger raised.
"First, they are the protectors of our land."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Carter hadn't realized how much of a talker this woman was until now.
He exhaled, feeling like a child getting to learn how beautiful and outstanding this world was.
Without Carter looking, he was already filtering most of the information, imagining her expression as like a teacher's all knowing one.
Raising another finger, she continued.
"Second, they are the closest thing you'll ever have to colorful and outstanding magic."
Looking at the fleeting, she continued with a realizing voice.
“Oh, and before I forget, since they are the closest to what's beyond, they are deeply connected to...”
She frowned in the middle of her sentence, two fingers up.
"...the fleeting..."
Carter also frowned.
What?
Initially, he was thankful that she was getting the subject of discussion to other things but that stupid moon, but too late did he realize they had a relation.
He was caught off guard.
Thankfully for Carter, he had calmed himself down a lot by thinking about other things.
So, with a bit of a sweating head, he noted that last sentence, keeping it as useful.
A bit of silence issued.
Thinking she was done, he could conclude it was a fairly informative night.
He had never asked of her the dream of his father nor anything about what ‘rays’ even meant, but all by herself, she had rambled about a history only her real son would’ve eagerly discussed and beared with.
He glanced at her by the side of his eye.
With his eyes looking more closely, Carter realized that hers were tired, and more of all regretful.
He thought more about her for the first time this night.
He realized how complex her emotions must have been when she began talking about her past like that, something he never thought a mother could hide so well.
Carter’s hand which was already reaching for her figure suddenly stopped.
Frowning? He thought trying to read her face.
Mili's two fingers were already down.
She turned her head to his direction.
When she spoke again, Carter had already retracted his hand.
“Sorry Ciel but I have to go now.” She smiled, her hand clenched, trying her hardest to not try and put it on Carters head or shoulder.
She continued trying her best to respect her son’s own feelings towards all this. “The night is still young and if you don’t feel like sleeping, the book that you like are all still on the library.”
She seems hasty to get out… Still looking at her face, Carter realized his mother was sweating a bit.
He wondered if her being tired was the cause of that.
Watching Mili leave, Carter exhaled quietly. It wasn’t that big of a deal if his mother was tired and just wanted to go to sleep.
But he was curious and, most importantly, he wasn’t sure why his mother would leave so soon.
So he watched every single one of her gestures.
Time passed with Carter looking at Mili slowly walking towards the door.
Next to it, her mother halted, looked at him with her head turned and smiled warmly.
Carter seeing that familiar smile with the moon’s white shine, felt a tinge of what appeared to be contradiction in his heart, one appreciating the smile, the other feeling the lighting of the scene undeserving of such warmness.
Thinking back to what she said, Carter realized something.
Wait, do I know how to read? Obviously he knew, but he wasn’t sure about the language this world held.
He frowned, thinking about the words he spoke.
He felt like it was a recognizable language and didn’t distinguish any differences. He should have an answer by reading the books.
He had already seen the library but had no time to check since he was dragged out the first time and the second time, he was frozen in place by the fleeting.
Changing his thoughts, he wondered what he would do if he couldn’t read anything, sleeping was obviously out of the question since he had already slept enough.
Then, Carter realized he would have nothing to do.
Like a bird in a cage, he could only entertain himself with what’s in reach.
He looked around to see the same furniture he had already mapped in his head from the morning.
It was just a simple mundane room.
He sighed, reflecting on his ancient chamber in his apartment.
Sneakily glancing at the woman walking out the door, Carter narrowed his eyes.
Before Mili was completely out of his view, he noticed her frowning, her gaze, much like his, stealing a glance in the young boy’s direction.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to see his.
Carter’s heart was still spooked, his hair standing on end, but waiting further, he realized her gaze was mostly behind him.
He saw her murmuring to herself the words fleeting and stupid before going out.
Fleeting, eh? Carter now understood that her oddity was not directed at him, but the strange moon behind in the sky.
Even to those used to it, it was still a problem, as Carter realized.
Before he got more and more spooked, he breathed, trying to relieve his body.
The immidiate danger gone, he could relax himself again.
He rehearsed his own mindset before doing anything further.
If they realize, or do not realize, both were good.
He got out of his bed, taking a look at the cheesed moon; as he began calling it to lessen its effect on his mind; here and there while taking his little body to the bookshelves on the left side of his room.
He ran through most of the things Mili had said in his head, some running past like fleeting memories that were hard to remember.
Such a weird but specific name for a moon. He paused, changing his perspective. That also would mean it has great symbolism.
From what I had, it was definitely related to events, but what kind? it’s still too foggy.
He kept it in his mind, trying not to entirely block the other information by overthinking the vaguest one he had.
He thought further.
According to the second half of that prayer and its name, it shares some relations with the values of life and everything that isn’t eternal, it was also created by some sort of god. He bit his lip, trying to recollect the first half of the prayer, but failed, the only thing he could remember his own heartbeat.
He shook his head.
The young boy started to string what he knew with what he just learned, like a detective on a case.
I’m still curious about what system and rules this world holds.
It has gods, lords, humans. What role do each take? He thought back to what Noir had informed him, the bits and pieces of hierarchy that he had to forcefully remember in his head.
Near the table on the left side of the room, Carter’s head began spinning and feeling nauseous.
Huh?
Suddenly, memories of knowledge he had never learned of flooded his head.
Carter, overwhelmed by the words and symbols, couldn’t keep himself straight as he kneeled down, his head so full, he didn't even hear his own voice.
His body numb, his head twitching, he couldn’t help but make a sound.
From outside, a quiet grunt of pain could be heard in Carter’s chamber if listened well, in it was a boy clenching his head while kneeling on a cold wooden floor.
The two people seated outside of the house narrowed their eyes, their attentive gaze turned towards the first floor, on the windows of the far left room.