An interruption suddenly broke the quiet atmosphere of the room.
It began with a small cough.
Elifero's eyes shifted toward the sound, but he said nothing. At first, he thought he might have imagined it. The cough had been so faint that it could easily have been mistaken for nothing more than someone clearing their throat somewhere in the house.
Then it came again.
This time, louder.
A rough, aggressive cough echoed through the walls, reaching the room where Elifero and Jon sat. It sounded deeper than an ordinary cough, carrying a harshness that made Elifero's attention linger.
Another cough followed.
And another.
Elifero glanced toward the direction of the sound.
"Aren't you going to check up on her?"
Jon remained calm.
"Don't worry about it. It's just a small cold. A fever, that's all. You shouldn't worry yourself about it."
Elifero continued staring toward the room.
Something about the coughing didn't sound like a simple fever.
But he decided not to question Jon further.
Jon shifted his attention back toward Elifero and began explaining their plan.
"We'll walk around the village tomorrow," he said. "Maybe if you see places you've been before, or people you recognize, something might come back to you."
Elifero listened.
A street.
A house.
A familiar face.
Even someone's voice.
Any of those things might shake loose something buried inside his mind.
"We don't have much else to work with," Jon admitted.
Another loud cough echoed from the other room.
Jon paused.
Only briefly.
Then he continued.
"It's not the best idea, but we have to work with what we've got, I guess."
He gave Elifero a small, reassuring smile.
"Let's just hope we can get everything figured out as fast as possible. Wherever your mother and sisters are, they must be missing you."
Elifero's eyes lowered.
His mother.
Bloom.
Raim.
Something tightened inside his chest.
He gave a small nod.
Jon stood and stretched his arms above his head.
"In the meantime, let's prepare to sleep. It'll be a busy day tomorrow."
"Uhm..."
The word escaped Elifero before he could stop it.
Jon looked at him.
Silence.
A cough came from the other room.
Elifero's hands were clasped tightly between his crossed legs. His fingers trembled slightly, and despite the coldness of the room, a thin layer of sweat had gathered along his forehead.
He wanted to ask.
But suddenly the words felt embarrassing.
Jon tilted his head.
"Huh?"
Elifero swallowed.
"I... I don't want to be a bother or anything, but..."
He hesitated.
"Can I sleep here tonight? If that's okay with your mom... and you?"
For a moment, Jon simply looked at him.
Then a small smile appeared.
"You can stay as long as you need to. At least until you get your memories back."
Elifero blinked.
"Wait. Aren't you going to ask your mom first before deciding that?"
Jon casually waved a hand.
"Don't worry about it. Leave my mom to me."
He turned toward the doorway.
"Now come on. Let's get some sleep."
*****
Morning came quietly.
Elifero woke early.
For several moments, he remained completely still.
Beside him, Jon was still asleep, his breathing deep and uneven.
Elifero looked at him.
That was unusual.
Jon had apparently been exhausted from everything that had happened the previous day.
Elifero considered waking him.
Then stopped himself.
He's probably tired.
Jon had helped him when he was terrified. He had comforted him, fed him, treated his wounds and allowed him to stay the night.
The least Elifero could do was let him sleep.
So instead, he turned onto his back.
His eyes settled on the ceiling.
The zinc roof above them had clearly seen better days.
Rust had eaten through parts of the metal, leaving patches of corrosion scattered across its surface. In the dimness of the room, the damage was barely visible except where weak morning light slipped through the curtains.
The house was almost completely silent.
Almost.
Jon's rhythmic snoring filled the room.
Elifero stared upward.
For some reason, the silence surrounding that snoring felt strangely heavy.
His eyes slowly closed.
And his thoughts drifted.
His mother.
Bloom.
Raim.
His village.
His friends.
And then...
Pedro.
******
Two Years Ago
Mid-morning —
The sky was clear that morning, almost completely free of clouds.
A cool breeze moved gently through the village, carrying the refreshing chill of the early day with it.
In front of the house, children's laughter filled the air.
Bloom and Raim played near their mother's garden while she worked among the flowers, pulling weeds and clearing tangled roots from the soil.
A little farther away, beneath the shade of a large tree, Pedro sat quietly.
Its leaves had begun changing colour, some turning orange and yellow as they swayed gently with the wind.
Pedro leaned against the trunk.
Beside him stood his horse.
One of Pedro's hands moved slowly through the animal's mane.
For a while, he simply sat there.
Then Elifero approached.
The boy lowered himself beside Pedro without saying anything.
For a moment, he simply stared at the man beside him.
Pedro's blondish hair caught the sunlight whenever the wind shifted it.
There was something comforting about sitting beside him.
Pedro opened his eyes.
"Don't you just like the weather at this time of year?"
Elifero looked toward the sky.
He didn't understand the question.
To him, it was normal weather.
The same kind he experienced every year.
"What do you mean?"
Pedro smiled faintly.
Instead of answering, he looked toward the tree above them.
"Look closely at this tree."
Elifero followed his gaze.
"It has deep roots," Pedro continued, "but its leaves are always reaching toward a sky they can never fully touch."
Elifero listened quietly.
"Right now, you're young. You probably don't think much about things like this."
Pedro's voice remained calm.
"But there will be times in your life when the wind blows so fiercely that it sweeps away everything you thought you knew."
As though responding to his words, the breeze moved through the branches above them.
Leaves rustled.
"But when that happens, you might find yourself somewhere unfamiliar. You might feel lost. You might not understand what happened or where you're supposed to go next."
Elifero's eyes remained fixed on him.
"You may even feel as though everything you've ever known has disappeared."
Pedro paused.
"But don't forget your roots."
He placed a hand gently against the tree trunk.
"Trees survive storms because their roots hold them to the ground. Their branches can break. Their leaves can fall. Sometimes they can look completely dead during winter."
Pedro looked at him.
"But beneath the ground, the roots remain."
Elifero didn't fully understand what his uncle was trying to tell him.
Still, he listened.
"When life becomes difficult, remember where you came from. Even when the branches are bare and the night feels endless, the sky is still there."
Pedro gave him a small smile.
"And eventually, morning comes."
A quiet breeze passed between them.
"You don't have to understand everything right now, Elifero."
Pedro gently patted his head.
"Just remember that you're stronger than you think. Whatever storms come your way, don't let them make you forget who you are."
Elifero nodded.
He still didn't completely understand.
But that didn't matter much to him.
He was simply happy to be sitting beside Pedro.
After a moment, Elifero looked at him curiously.
"Uncle Pedro..."
"Hm?"
"What's it like...?"
Elifero hesitated.
"I mean... what's it like outside the village?"
Pedro raised an eyebrow.
"Outside?"
"Yeah."
Elifero's eyes brightened.
"It must be nice, huh? Travelling through all those places."
He smiled.
"Then coming back and telling us stories about all the strange places you've visited."
Pedro remained quiet.
Elifero continued.
"Even though we know they're not real."
He laughed softly.
"You're probably just making them up to keep everyone entertained."
The words struck Pedro differently than Elifero intended.
For a brief moment, the older man's expression changed.
He looked at the boy beside him.
His nephew.
A child who had no idea how much truth was hidden behind those stories.
Pedro slowly turned his eyes toward the horizon.
"The world is big."
He paused.
"Maybe even bigger than you can imagine."
Elifero watched him.
Pedro stood and brushed the dirt from his clothes.
Then he reached down and gently ruffled Elifero's hair, a faint smirk appearing on his face.
"One day..."
Elifero waited.
"One day, you'll see it for yourself."
***
Elifero's eyes opened.
His hand was raised toward the ceiling.
For a moment, he simply stared at it.
"Uncle Pedro..."
His voice was barely audible.
"Mom..."
He swallowed.
"Bloom... Raim..."
His hand slowly curled into a fist.
He pressed it against his forehead.
And remained like that for several minutes.
Silent.
The memories hurt.
But he couldn't explain why.
Eventually, he lowered his hand.
His throat felt dry.
He was thirsty.
Elifero glanced toward Jon.
Still asleep.
It's just water.
There was no reason to wake him over something so small.
Elifero carefully slipped out of bed.
He opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
It closed behind him with a faint, breathless click.
The hallway was freezing.
Elifero walked on his toes, his bare feet pressing against the cold floorboards.
Every step felt louder than it should have.
Behind him, Jon's rhythmic snoring gradually faded.
The farther Elifero walked, the quieter the house became.
Heavy.
Almost suffocating.
He continued toward the kitchen.
Then stopped.
His eyes shifted toward another door.
Jon's mother's room.
The door wasn't completely closed.
A narrow gap remained between it and the frame, allowing a faint strip of grey morning light to spill into the hallway.
Elifero hesitated.
He had only come out for water.
He should keep walking.
Then he smelled it.
Something metallic.
It reached the back of his throat.
Elifero frowned.
Rusted iron.
Old pennies.
Then—
Cough.
Elifero froze.
This one was different.
Nothing like the faint coughing he'd heard before.
It wasn't a simple clearing of the throat.
It was wet.
Deep.
A choking, rattling sound that seemed to come from somewhere far inside a person's chest.
Elifero slowly turned toward the door.
He took one careful step.
Then another.
Another cough tore through the room.
Elifero's hand hovered near the door, but he didn't touch it.
Instead, curiosity drew him closer.
He pressed one eye against the narrow opening.
The room was dark.
A single candle flickered on a bedside table, its weak flame illuminating a tray beside it.
Dark glass medicine bottles.
Scattered white pills.
A glass of cloudy water.
Elifero barely noticed any of them.
His eyes had already found the bed.
Jon's mother sat hunched over.
Her back was curved, her body trembling with every breath. She looked as though simply remaining upright required more strength than she had.
One hand pressed a white cloth tightly against her mouth.
Her shoulders suddenly jerked.
Another cough ripped through her.
Then another.
Her entire body convulsed.
Elifero's eyes widened.
Slowly, she pulled the cloth away.
Elifero stopped breathing.
The cloth was no longer white.
Dark crimson soaked through its centre.
Blood.
A fresh drop slipped from the corner of her mouth.
It travelled slowly down her chin like a red tear.
Elifero's stomach tightened.
The woman's eyes looked sunken beneath the candlelight.
Hollow.
Exhausted.
Not the exhaustion of someone who hadn't slept.
Something worse.
She stared silently at the blood covering the cloth.
For a moment, Elifero thought about the light cough he'd heard the previous evening.
Then the second.
Jon had dismissed those too.
A cold.
That was what he'd said.
She didn't notice Elifero.
Didn't know a boy stood just beyond her door, watching from the darkness of the hallway.
Elifero remained frozen.
His thirst was forgotten.
The kitchen was forgotten.
Everything disappeared except what lay before him.
The coughing.
The medicine.
The blood.
The trembling woman.
The crimson cloth.
A cold realization slowly settled over him.
Jon had been wrong.
Or perhaps...
Jon had been lying.
Elifero's fingers tightened against the doorframe.
His heart began beating faster.
This wasn't a small cold.
This wasn't just a fever.
Something was seriously wrong with Jon's mother.