Unicus

  Unicus stirs as the soft glow of morning filters through the window, warmth brushing against his skin. His breath is slow, unsteady, as his eyes flutter open—moist, unfocused, tears clinging to the edges, threatening to spill.

  A gentle breeze stirs the curtains, carrying the scent of dew-kissed grass and earth. He blinks, dazed, his mind caught between the remnants of a fading dream and the quiet stillness of reality.

  His lean frame shifts as he sits up, fingers pressing lightly against the sheets. A shiver runs through him, not from the cold, but from something lingering in his chest—a weight he can’t quite name. His lips part slightly, as if to speak, but no words come. Only silence, and the fragile moment before the tears fall.

  As Unicus was contemplating, his gaze slowly turned to the figure next to him. He finds her …

  Kira, with her cherry blonde hair fluttering, sleeps peacefully seated in a chair, wearing a soft pink top with a knotted scarf detail, eyelet accents, and "Unconditional Love" printed across the front. Paired with deep blue denim jeans, slightly frayed at the hem, featuring delicate floral embroidery on both legs.

  The dam which was holding Unicus back finally breaks open as he jumps over to Kira, his girlfriend. The chair leans back and forth before settling on the floor.

  He buried his face in her chest, his body trembling as silent tears escaped his eyes. At first, they fell slowly, absorbed into the fabric of her clothes, but with each passing second, the dam broke further.

  His shoulders shook, his breath hitched, and soon, sobs wracked his body. He clung to her desperately, as if letting go would shatter him completely, his cries echoing the depth of his sorrow.

  He says between gasps, his voice quiet as the tears dry out of his glands. His embrace tightening, he mutters.

  “Don't … don't ever leave me. Never again. I say never.”

  As the minutes go by, all his ears can hear is the steady hum of a racing heart of the girl. Her heart flutters, as if running on a marathon of its own.

  Her scent tickled his nose—a delicate blend of rose and something faintly sweet, like honey warmed by the sun. It wrapped around him, soothing the storm raging in his chest.

  Each breath he took was laced with that gentle fragrance, grounding him, whispering comfort where words could not. His sobs quieted, his grip loosened ever so slightly, and for the first time in what felt like forever, his heart found a moment of peace.

  Then a doubt crosses his mind – Wait rose? I don't remember Kira using perfume based on Rose? So am I embracing Kira? Wait? Wait a sec? I'm reincarnated. Meaning I'm physically in another world. Which means this isn't her? So natural now the question becomes who am I embracing?

  He slowly lifts his head to Mellona with her eye's darting around, her cheeks slightly pink. Her lips are thin as a line, maybe she is frustrated? Only she knows.

  Unicus panics, “Ah ahh … I'm sorry to keep you held down like this.”

  He released her from embrace. For some reason, he finds it harder to look at her. Especially her eyes, he turns his gaze away from her.

  “If you excuse me. I'll pardon myself.”

  Then he tries to walk away from the scene, but he falls face down instead.

  "Why is my body not obeying me? ..."

  He wonders aloud, Mellona answers his question. She takes a moment to process all the things that happened. With a determined expression, She answers him.

  "Well ... For someone who woke up from close to two and a half years of slumber. You are awfully needy aren't you?"

  Then her expression turns into one of teasing, her lips curling, She asks "Want me to embrace you again?”

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Following that Russell and Vanilla showed up. Compared to Mellona who mostly looks the same, they both look aged, it is really subtle but to my eyes it's noticeable.

  Without wasting any time, Vanilla or my mother in this life pulls me into a hug. My cheek twitches, I feel like tiny creatures are crawling all over my body, the hair in the back of my head stands straight the whole time.

  Even if it's not comfortable, grinding my teeth, I try to push the revolution away but guess what, it's hard.

  In the midst of such a moment, Russell, my father in this life, starts to speak. “I’m Sorry, Unicus. At that time, that day, I was focused on defending the villagers from the aggressors. If only I …”

  Unicus interrupts him mid sentence, “Enough!” Russell seems surprised by his words but quickly recovers. Unicus continues, “What if thoughts are a slippery slope, you shouldn't go there. Whatever happened, happened. Focus on looking at the bright side, you are alive, I'm alive, our family is safe and sound, so are most of the villagers. What else do you wish for? Get over the regrets sooner.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  This time Vanilla tries to speak, “That's not how you talk to your father Unicus. Where's your manners?” She seems exasperated. But Unicus doesn't apologize, he just doesn't see the need to.

  As Vanilla releases the embrace, Unicus takes a breath in relief. He comb through his hair, thinking about why she just evokes such a response from him.

  My mother from the previous life was exactly great, maybe somehow it's still affecting my behaviour? What's it been? Like 6 years since I've reincarnated, plus a decade since she left our family.

  He tries to get to the bottom of why he has been feeling this way about Vanilla but his train of thoughts was cut short by Russell.

  “Unicus, get ready! It seems like the people of our little village keep you in high regard after what happened that day. They wish to throw a little celebration, as a way to thank you for your bravery that day.”

  Russell says smiling, Vanilla also seems relieved like a heavy weight has been lifted from her shoulder. Unicus thinks about it.

  “Fine, but when is it happening? Time?”

  Russell says it's taking place tomorrow evening and heads out to work. Vanilla goes to the kitchen to prepare a little feast of their own in celebration.

  Now left alone, ruffling his hair with his fingers, Unicus wonders “I have a promise to keep. Now I wonder, how should I go about it?”

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  In the blink of an eye, the sun dips gently beneath the horizon, its golden rays stretching one last time across the sky before fading into twilight.

  The warmth of day slowly surrenders to the cool hush of evening, as the colors soften from brilliant gold to dusky rose, then slip quietly into deepening blue. Shadows blankets most of the surface, the world exhales, and the heavens prepare their canvas for the quiet brilliance of the stars.

  As Unicus stands in the middle of his room, a quiet yawn escapes his lips as the tiredness creeps in. “I believe that's enough for today.”

  He jumps to bed, his fall makes the bed creak aloud, he shifts his body, face turning to the ceiling.

  I wonder. Just how long will the rehabilitation take, my body still refuses to move in the way I wish, but considering it's not even been a day since I woke. I think I'm making good progress.

  Another yawn escapes his lips as the sound of knocking sweeps into his ear. He answers, “It's open.”

  As he turns to face the door, he sees Mellona coming inside with a smile on face. She asks, “It's not the time to sleep, Unicus. We've yet to eat dinner, did you forget?”

  Unicus responds with, “Well that doesn't matter. Get to the point.” He is too tired to respond snarkily as always.

  He was doing some light exercises, stretching muscles till now. Considering how was laying down in hibernation for two years, his muscles aren't good plus his mind thinks it's on a around 4 year old body but he is physically around 6 years old.

  Mellona takes a towel nearby and wipes the sweat trickling on his face.

  “Thanks Mellona, but I can do this myself, you know.”

  She smiles, “In that case, here” handing him the towel and says, “ Here do it and dinner is ready. Go take a bath and come to the dining table immediately.” With that she leaves the room.

  Unicus now wiping his sweat looks confused, “Is she being nice to me?”

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  The long wooden table, rough-hewn but sturdy, bowed slightly under the weight of the feast laid across it. At the center sat a large wooden platter piled high with smoked meats, their edges dark and crisp, the scent of oak and hickory lingering in the air. Beside them, meat pies rested, golden-brown crusts flaking at the touch, with juices bubbling just beneath the surface, hinting at the savory filling within.

  Bowls of boiled vegetables—turnips, carrots, and leeks—steamed gently, their earthy aroma mingling with the richer scent of roasted fat. Thick slices of barley bread were stacked on a trencher board, dark and coarse, crusty on the outside but warm and dense within, perfect for sopping up juices and broth.

  Toward the end of the table, a fruit tart glistened with charm—thin slices of apple and plum nestled in a rough pastry shell, sweetened lightly with honey and spiced with a hint of cinnamon. Clay mugs of frothy ale were already half-drained, their contents amber and rich, while a small pot of herbal tea sat warming by the hearth, steeped with wild mint, chamomile, and a touch of lavender, ready to settle full bellies and close the evening in calm.

  When Unicus came out of the bathroom dressed lightly, his jaw dropped at the amount of stuff packed on the surface of the table.

  What in the actual freaking hell?

  He stares at them, wide-eyed and somehow can't take his eyes off the food spread out in front of him. He takes his seat in daze, the chair's feet rattle as he slides it back.

  With his palm on his cheeks, he just stares at food. Forgetting to even blink, as he lives in the moment.

  “--cus. Unicus. Unicus …”

  He Blinks. Once. Twice. Then, It snaps him out of the daze, he looks around to see Russell, Vanilla and Mellona seated beside him looking with a worried expression.

  “Ah! I'm alright. No need to worry about me, anyways the dinner looks great. I say why don't we dig in?”

  And so everyone starts eating, after years the family is whole and discusses what happened while Unicus spends his time sleeping till the dead of night.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  As the dinner continues, then suddenly the talks quiets down. As Vanilla looks guilty for some reason and Russell taps her back, to give her courage.

  Then with her lips quivering, Vanilla opens her mouth, her lips moving like a fish gasping for air. Unicus is casually chewing a slice of fruit tart, his mouth exploding in various tastes of the food.

  “Unicus … listen I have something important to tell you okay.”

  The silence stretched on, even Mellona is unusually quiet since the start of dinner. Vanilla's lips get thinner, somehow she doesn't know how to get the point across.

  Unicus gulps the piece of tart in his mouth, then wiping his mouth using his kerchief. He speaks, “Stop hesitating. It doesn't matter what it is, you have to tell me some day.”

  Vanilla's gaze falls to her lap, maybe she is feeling the guilt? embarrassment? lonely? Whichever it is, Russell places his hand over her, giving her quiet strength. Nodding to Russell, her gaze once again turns back to Unicus, who is already chewing another piece of the fruit tart.

  “It's that … you have a sister now, Unicus…”

  As the words left her mouth, a sound of a spoon falling to the plate rings loud. Unicus for his part, looks at them like “WHAT!!” his thoughts came to a sudden halt like a train using emergency brakes.

  Bewildered, He mutters, “You're kidding me.”

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  The computer science lab features rows of desktop computers equipped with coding software, compilers, and programming environments.

  The space is organized with a whiteboard for teaching concepts, a projector for demonstrations, and a teacher’s workstation at the front.

  The lab is equipped with networking tools, circuit kits, and hardware for projects like robotics or app development.

  Here two figures are engaged in a heated debate on which approach is the right and optimal for the application one of them is developing.

  “Like I said, Instead of using a greedy approach, I think you should use branch and bound instead.”

  “Orzic I don't understand why I should use branch and bound for my content recommendation algorithm?”

  Orzic think’s for a moment and answers confidently, “look branch and bound is best for solving combinatorial and permutations where the solutions must be retrieved from a finite set of solutions. So using a greedy approach here to solve the problem is suboptimal at best.”

  The guy thought for a moment and finally agreed to remake the algorithm using a branch and bound approach.

  “Unlike me, I think you are smart. You have the capability to recognise how an algorithm should be designed and all that … honestly I'm jealous man.”

  Orzic just smiled and walked out of the lab, “Well then I'll be going. Can't be late to the first day of my second year now can I?”

  “I'll join you in the afternoon, inform the teachers I'm having on duty today for me okay.” He waves his hands heading out.

  After a few days, Orzic is walking around his new school. As he turns a corner, his ears pick up on a few people talking about him.

  “You know, if you haven't finished last year's CS mini project yet, all you have to do is take it to Orzic.”

  “Him? But isn't he a loner? What can he do? He is quiet most of the time in class.”

  “Even if I said it out, it's still hard to believe. That guy can give quite a few solid advice on how to fix our mistakes. He's quite knowledgeable, and I say we should take advantage of that fact and use him.”

  “I heard our class teacher gives him favourable treatment, I don't wanna get involved in anything like taking advantage. I'm going back to class.”

  “Coward!” The guy Orzic helped that day sneered, “It doesn't matter what he thinks, if he can help us then we should get help from him.” His gaze scans the people next to him, “Don't you guys agree?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, we totally agree.”

  Orzic, who witnessed this, sighs as he heads back the way he came from.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  “Unicus are you alright?”

  Unicus blinks for a few seconds and as the realisation settles in, he grinds his teeth in frustration. He clicks his tongue for a moment.

  Why did I remember my time in high school? This sucks …

  “Tsk. I'm alright … I just need some fresh air.”

  And walks away leaving the piece of fruit tart in his plate untouched.

  Mellona looks at his fading presence and wonders, “Maybe it was too soon after all?”