Having bid farewell to Cerila yesterday, I was confused to see her the following morning. I was in the middle of my training with Dad when she came all the way back to my home just to fulfill her promise of learning sign language. 

After I finished my morning training, I began teaching her. Since she lacked a way to communicate, I thought that her ability to learn and comprehend would be far below average. However, my concerns about her were unfounded, as I had also thought Cerila to be a shy and meek girl, but the resolve she had to learn dismantled any notion of that. 

If anything, she was driven and motivated to keep her promise to me, and I admired that greatly. For I was someone who wanted to uphold promises, so seeing the same thing in my new friend made me happy.

Of course, learning sign language was an arduous task for anyone, let alone a child. Sign language is a language that is complex and has all the nuances of a spoken language. Like nearly all languages, learning the basics isn’t impossible, but mastering the language is extremely difficult. 

Especially since nobody else in this entire world will be able to speak to her using it unless she or I teach them, and learning a language comes with practice and exposure.

But maybe since she is young, she will pick up on it faster. I had underestimated the power of a youthful mind before. It took me no time at all to become a master of Elvish, and I am well on my way to learning another language. But that might have more to do with the fact I’ve lived one life already.

Even though she was working hard, it would be some time before she learned the language. After reading lips and drawing words in the dirt for the first half of her life, she got her hands on this magical stone tablet, which has improved her life significantly.

But this was just a bandaid for the problem. 

A conversation with Cerila was long and drawn out since you had to pass the heavy tablet back and forth to each other. And many children and even some adults didn’t have the mana control to use the tablet or couldn’t read and write as well as her. And some just simply didn’t have the patience to bear with the task of communicating with Cerila.

This led to Cerila being completely isolated from others. That was until I came along. I have no intentions of abandoning Cerila now or ever just because she was deaf. Even if it took her many years to learn sign language, I would still continue to be her friend.

And having said that, it’s only been a day and a half, and I can firmly say I enjoy being around her.  When we weren’t outside around other people and it was just me and Cerila, her entire demeanor was different. She didn’t hide in her hood or avoid eye contact at all. It was a night and day difference. 

Her positive outlook on everything was refreshing. I could learn a thing or two from her.

Cerila spent the entire morning and early afternoon yesterday learning without complaining or wanting to take a break. Not only that, she took the lessons in stride and was always smiling. Eventually, I was the one who had to step in and force her to take a breather. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we have plenty of time to learn. But she seemed hellbent on learning.

---

Today, Cerila came back to my home at the same time and watched me train with Dad. After the usual training session, we practiced sign language together once more. Then she took her break, and we continued afterward. I feared she might push herself too hard or even burn out at this rate, so I decided to end things around lunchtime today. I also had lessons with Grandpa today, and I didn’t want to miss out on that either.

Currently, we were just outside of Grandpa’s office in the center of the village. Cerila stopped and asked me a question, "Wait, this is Mr. Jacobs's office. I thought you said you were going to your Grandpa’s?" Her ears twitched and she furrowed her brows in confusion as she asked me.

"Yeah. Dr. Jacobs is my Grandpa." I told her.

"But isn’t he Human? You are a Dark Elf, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Dr. Jacobs isn’t my blood family, but he is still my Grandpa."

"But don’t you have to be related by blood to be family?" She asked, the confusion evident on her face.

"I don’t think so. I think you can choose whoever you want to be a part of your family."

She seemed conflicted about my answer as she closed her eyes and twitched her ears under her hood again. I noticed she did this whenever she was thinking hard about something. I had seen this look many times in the last day and a half of studying. 

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she began to write again. "Can I be a part of your family?" she asked me.

Now it was my turn to be confused. I didn’t understand what Cerila wanted, but in a way, I guess she already is family. I always heard that people would consider close friends to be members of their family. So even though we had only known each other for a few days, I was confident that we had a lot in common and would become fast friends.

"In a way, you already are family to me," I told her. 

I could see her fangs as she beamed a smile at me. Just then, a very angry old man barged out the door. “What are you doing just standing outside the door? Wait, what,” Grandpa’s anger was quickly replaced with surprise as he just stood there and stared at us. Welp, here we go again.

“Kaladin and Cerila? Why are you two together?” My grandpa asked as his old face contorted into confusion. But wait, I didn’t introduce Cerila. Does he know her?

“We are friends,” I replied simply.

“You have a friend?!”

I think I’m about to cry.

—

I explained the events of the last few days to Grandpa. He didn’t seem surprised about anything I did other than the fact that I made a friend. And his reaction to my fight with the boys was completely opposite of my parents.

“Aha, I should have known it was you that fought them.” Grandpa was slapping his knee, and I could even see some tears roll down his eyes. “You should have seen them! They looked like they just got out of a life-or-death battle! You crushed that poor kid's family jewels with a single punch! Hahaha!”

Well, to be fair, I didn’t want to do it. I simply had to. And what kind of doctor laughs about a patient's injury... then again, what kind of teacher teaches a five-year-old dangerous magic? 

Maybe my grandpa is a psychopath?

“Eh, I knew they were lying. They said some older kids were bullying them. But that dang Paul is a real troublemaker. To think he nearly gave himself mana sickness that way. But for you to take them all down by yourself, you are a real monster, huh? Guess that might be my fault,” Grandpa said with a hint of pride.

“I just defended myself, that’s all. And helped Cerila, of course,” I said casually while flicking my hair in an exaggerated way. 

Anyways, I had a more pressing question. “Hey grandpa, how do you know Cerila?” 

Grandpa closed his eyes and scratched the stubble on his chin in thought. He let out a deep breath. “I’ve known her since she was born. Like many kids in this village, I helped bring them into this world. But Cerila was a different case. Normally, I do a few checkups on newborns to ensure everything is okay with them. Then, I read an old book that said you should see if an infant can respond to loud sounds after three months.”

I vaguely remembered the old man coming back to visit me and him yelling in my face, I didn't know how to react to some random old Human yelling in my face, so I just screamed at him... well, I tried to, but it just came out as a cry. 

Grandpa grew more and more solemn as he continued his monologue, “I’d not had a baby not cry after I did it. Cerila was the first. She didn’t respond to any sounds I made or shed a tear. Both her siblings reacted and had no problems,” Grandpa sat his face in his hands.

“Cerila’s parents were beside themselves. They begged me for years to help cure her ears. But there was nothing I could do. My magic can heal wounds, cure diseases, and even regrow lost limbs. But Cerila was just born this way, and no magic in the world could change her for who she is," Grandpa stopped and took a deep breath. "Two years ago, after her parents passed away, I managed to buy that magical stone at the port for her fifth birthday. It was the only thing I could do. A token of my failure, I suppose.”

Grandpa seemed defeated almost as his voice wavered, but there was no one to blame, and he shouldn’t be so hard on himself. If anything, he was stronger than most people. The average person would have given up on Cerila years ago. This only deepened my admiration for the old healer, that he could care so deeply about somebody he had no attachments to. Maybe he is just a big softy after all and not some sick psychopath.

But learning that Cerila’s parents have passed away is sad news. No wonder she doesn't talk about her family. She is a lot stronger than I am. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I lost my parents.

“Thank you for helping her, Grandpa. You did your best,” I said earnestly. 

He just eyed me and laughed. “Being consoled by a five-year-old. I must be going senile, hahaha.” 

He chuckled to himself, but suddenly, all the melancholy from his monologue got wiped off him instantly. His emerald eyes stared at me with an intensity that could burn right through you. 

“What is this sign language you are teaching her? I’ve never heard of it.”

Oh, crap. 

No one has questioned me about sign language. My parents just sort of accepted the fact I knew something they didn't. Maybe they thought Grandpa taught me.

I wanted to make Cerila’s and my life easier. I didn’t even consider the fact that it wasn’t normal for me to know a foreign language. Not only that, a language that probably didn’t exist anywhere else in this world, and it was a language you didn’t even speak verbally. I couldn’t say I read it in a book, either. All the books I have ever read have been from Grandpa. He was boring through me with his gaze. 

I managed to stammer out a half-hearted response, “I made it up.”

It was the only thing I could say in this situation.

I promised myself I wouldn’t complicate things by holding onto my old life, so I had no other choice. I had no intention of claiming to be the creator of sign language... actually have I made a crucial mistake?

I could have named it anything else. Only people from my existence would understand the meaning behind the language known as sign language. But are there other people like me? What are the odds of someone else getting a second chance at life with all their old memories intact? And if someone else like me did exist... that would be problematic.

I have no intention of upsetting the balance of this world by introducing things from my previous life. But knowing Humanity... that wouldn't be the case for everyone. Someone like me would be a threat to my way of life. But there is no point in thinking about it now. 

I'll cross that bridge if I ever get there.

“Really? You made up an entire language that uses your hands?” he asked curiously.

“Yup,” I responded with a vigorous nod. I could feel the sweat begin to pool under my long hair.

“To think you could come up with something like this within a day of meeting her,” Grandpa mumbled out. Then he whispered something under his breath.

“What did you say?” I asked. I didn’t understand what he said at the end there. Sounded like the Human language.

“Nothing, kid. Just mumbling to myself. Anyways, we should get started on your lessons today.”

Crisis averted, for now. However, I need to be more careful about these kinds of things in the future.

I looked at Cerila as she sat in silence, dangling her feet off the stool. That’s when I had an idea.

“Hey Grandpa, can you teach Cerila magic too?”

“I uhh... I don’t know. I did teach her how to control her mana and use the stone. But neither of her parents were mages as far as I know,” Grandpa said a little too fast.

Huh, that’s weird. Is he nervous or something?

Either way, I had felt Cerila’s mana control before. She had better control over mana than me. If Cerila was taught magic, she would probably surpass me in no time at all. But then again, learning a new language and magic might be too much. 

No, I should have more faith in my new friend. I've seen her resolve first hand.

“But don’t ask me. Ask her. Not everyone wants to learn magic, kid.”

“Why not?” I could understand if people couldn’t use magic. But not trying seemed like an absolute waste of potential.

“You, of all people, should know exactly why kid. Magic is dangerous? Remember?”

That is true… I did have to learn this lesson the hard way. I’ve nearly died twice from mana sickness, only surviving by pure luck and Grandpa’s assistance. 

But still, I think learning magic has far more benefits than downsides. Besides, Cerila was smart. She wouldn’t let herself get mana sickness so easily. But I should ask her anyways.

"Cerila? Would you like to learn magic with me?"

She didn’t even bother writing back to me as she just nodded quickly at me.

“Well, that settles it,” I told gramps.

The old man just sighed, “Fine. Just this once, since she is your friend. And remember, I’m not some charity. So don’t bring around any more strays.”

“Thanks, Grandpa, you’re the best.”

And from this day forward, Cerila would join me in my magic training with grandpa Jacobs.