Between Dreams and Reality.

Chapter 4: More Flames Ignite

Lumien descended the wooden stairs of the small house with slow steps, observing every detail around him. The creaking of the wood under his feet, the smell of fresh bread coming from the kitchen, and the sound of low voices in conversation seemed to form a mosaic of experiences that he still did not fully understand. His presence continued to be magnetic, and even unintentionally, his almost surreal beauty made everyone pause for a moment upon seeing him enter the main room.

"Good morning!" said the woman who had given him the blanket the previous night, with a gentle smile. It was Mara, the mother of the family. She seemed a bit nervous looking at him, perhaps because of the constant changes in his appearance. At that moment, his pointed ears and golden and silver eyes contrasted sharply with the rustic environment.

Lumien tilted his head slightly, trying to process the words. He recognized the sound but took time to understand the meaning. "Good... morning," he replied, his voice slow and hesitant, as if testing each syllable.

"You spoke! That's great!" exclaimed Mara, clapping her hands softly. Beside her, her husband, Tomas, just observed with a curious and suspicious look. The children, on the other hand, could not contain their curiosity.

"Why are your eyes different colors?" asked a boy with messy hair and a mischievous smile.

"And how do you make your ears change like that?" added the younger girl, holding a piece of bread.

Lumien looked at them, blinking slowly. He did not know how to respond. To him, it was as natural as breathing – although he also didn't know exactly why he breathed. After a few seconds, he simply said, "I... don't know."

The children laughed, but not maliciously. There was something about Lumien that made them feel at ease, despite his strangeness.

Mara placed a plate with eggs, bread, and a small bowl of fruit in front of him on the table. He looked at the food with a mixture of curiosity and caution. Tomas cleared his throat, catching his attention.

"So, boy. Where do you come from?" he asked, crossing his arms. His tone was not hostile, but he clearly wanted answers.

Lumien remained silent for a moment, trying to find something in his mind that would answer the question. Nothing came up. He just shook his head slowly.

"You don't know?" Tomas insisted, frowning.

"I... don't... know," Lumien repeated, now with a bit more confidence in the pronunciation. The answer seemed to frustrate Tomas, but Mara intervened with a reassuring smile.

"Tomas, maybe he really doesn't remember anything. Let's give him time."

As Lumien tried to understand how to use the utensils – holding the spoon incorrectly and dropping a piece of bread – the children laughed and tried to show him how to do it. He watched them attentively, imitating their gestures clumsily but eventually succeeding. When he finally ate one of the fruits, he felt the sweetness explode in his mouth. Another flame ignited: pleasure.

After breakfast, the family decided it would be good to teach Lumien about the world. Tomas took him to the porch of the house and pointed to the fields around.

"This is arable land. Here we plant wheat, barley, and other things we need to survive. Do you understand what this is?"

Lumien looked at the field and then at Tomas, processing the words. He did not respond, but he seemed interested. Tomas sighed and continued explaining, while Mara and the children showed him objects from the house – pots, tools, old books – trying to make him understand their uses.

At one point, the younger girl picked up a children's book and placed it on Lumien's lap. "Here, this is how we learn to read. Do you know how to read?"

He looked at the book, confused. The letters were just symbols to him, but something in his mind seemed to want to decipher it. He ran his fingers over the pages, feeling the paper, while the children tried to teach him simple words. Despite the initial difficulty, he seemed to learn quickly, imitating the sounds they made.

"You learn fast, huh?" Tomas said, observing from a distance. "But I still don't fully trust you. Something about you is... different."

Lumien looked up at him without saying anything. He did not fully understand what "different" was, but he knew he was not like them. Even so, this did not seem to bother him.

Later, while helping Mara in the kitchen – or at least trying to – he accidentally dropped a bowl of flour, covering himself and the children nearby. The scene was followed by laughter, including from Mara, who wiped her eyes as she tried to clean up the mess. Lumien did not know why they were laughing, but something about their laughter seemed contagious. Another flame ignited: joy.

At the end of the day, Lumien felt he had learned something, even if he could not put it into words. He began to understand that this world was full of small complexities – work, laughter, connections – that he barely scratched the surface of. And, looking at the starry sky that night, he felt something different again. Another flame burned within him: desire. Not a desire for possession or power, but to continue learning, to explore more, to understand what it meant to exist in that world.

He knew that this family had been the first step, but much more awaited him.