Author's Notes
Another story! If you're a reader of Shattered Assumptions then worry not, this doesn't mean I'm not going to be updating or prioritizing that story, because I am. This idea just came to me awhile ago and I wanted to get it down and see how people liked it before deciding if I should pursue it further. This is also not the first idea I've had centered on magic, but I feel this is different enough and interesting enough to be taken as its own thing. Also, this is my second attempt at a third person story, so expect some oddities here and there. Other than that, enjoy the chapter!
Sunlight streamed in past blue curtains into a bedroom. The floor was stone, carefully cut and placed with the skill of an artisan. A king sized bed with several blue curtains hiding its owner was positioned in the middle of the back wall, the bedsheets themselves were green. Vesta liked to think it invoked the image of the sky and a field of grass, it was a nice sentiment in her mind.
Chirping of birds outside the window along with the filtered sunlight stirred the fair-skinned girl. As she sat up, her long pale platinum blonde hair cascaded down and pooled at the small of her back while she stretched and yawned. Brown eyes blinked open before she began to crawl out of bed. She stood at her full 5'5'' and after she finished stretching, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
Green energy sparkled and flowed out of her hand and down to the rest of her, in a blink she was clean and her hair was as straight as she could ever hope to get it. Vesta then went about the rest of her morning routine. When she was almost done, the last thing to do was to get dressed.
Another day, and in a sea of magic lessons, etiquette lessons, and other assorted types of lessons, this was a day that Vesta had to herself. Her parents afforded her days off, along with her sisters. They didn't all share the same days off, but it gave all of them the freedom to do whatever they wished with their day.
And today, Vesta figured, was a day that should start with a morning constitutional.
She was never one to want to stay locked up in the castle she called home, even if reasonably speaking she had no reason to leave. Everything she could ever want or need was there for her: food, drink, books aplenty, and company in the form of her family. Yet, the seventeen year old had found herself going stir-crazy lately.
A day off spent inside, in her mind, was no different than any day when she was studying. So, why not mix it up?
To this end, she went to her closet and looked over her outfits. Dresses that she hadn't worn in a long time, tunics that she wore too much, other outfits that were somewhere in the middle…
Well, she figured, maybe there was one dress she could wear today. She turned her attention to her armoire, where she kept her newest outfit, the one her father called her 'adventuring gear'.
Off went her nightgown and on went a sky blue dress with her family's sigil, a staff with a sideways eye above it surrounded by the optic of a telescope, emblazoned on the back. The dress stopped above her knees, which were covered with black tights. Her hands and arms were wrapped up in bandage-style wrapping before she put on a midnight blue shoulder cape with leather padding on the shoulders. After that she slipped on a pair of black thigh-high boots, and a golden-chain belt that went around her waist with part of it dangling on the right side. The belt also had an azure colored satchel attached to it. Finally, she tied her hair back in a ponytail before she put on a rimmed black conical hat with a golden chain that circled the base, the top of the hat wilted off to the left slightly.
Fully dressed, she grabbed her staff, which was collapsed into a small metal rod on her nightstand. She extended it, the rudimentary collapsibility must have cost her parents a small fortune, not that it made a dent in their coffers, and looked it over. The body of the staff was colored bronze and the top had a blue crystal affixed to it, the focus of her magic. After giving it a once over, she collapsed it again and stuck it to her side before heading for the door.
After leaving her room, she walked through the warm and lavishly decorated hallway until she reached the dining hall. She saw two of her sisters, Venus and Meghara, eating there. The room had a large fireplace that was alight at that moment, with a chandelier above the large table in the middle of the room. Decorations and paintings were spread out over the walls, but rather than focusing on the same paintings she'd seen her whole life, she focused on her sisters.
Both were blonde like Vesta, although Venus had green eyes unlike Meghara and herself. Venus was also the second oldest sister at sixteen, while Meghara was the third oldest at fifteen. Venus had long and wavy platinum blonde hair and was dressed in a fairly relaxed no-sleeve maroon dress. Meanwhile, Meghara had messy platinum blonde hair that stopped at the top of her back, wore a dark red tunic and, while Vesta couldn't see them, black trousers. Their mother had always tried to get all of them to dress like proper ladies, but Meghara was perhaps the most resistant to that pull.
Venus waved as Vesta drew closer and smiled, "Good morning Vesta! Are you going to be eating breakfast with us?"
Vesta shook her head and smiled as she reached for a few loaves of bread that were sitting on the table, "I'm going down into the city, I'm just going to take some bread." Of course, Salem wouldn't be happy to hear that Vesta was giving bread rolls to the common folk, so even if Venus knew exactly what she was doing, she didn't say it aloud.
Instead, Venus' smile remained as she nodded, "Well, have a good day! Make sure you do-"
Vesta finished with a grin, "Everything Mom and Dad wouldn't do, I will!" Then she slipped the bread rolls into her satchel and continued towards the exit. Her youngest sister Persephone, aged ten, was probably still sleeping, so she didn't bother trying to go looking for her.
In the entryway leading to the rest of the castle, primarily the throne room for visitors, there were two guards wearing full armor and holding halberds standing dutifully at attention. Vesta stopped in front of them as they saluted her, "My lady!" They both greeted in unison, with one saying, "Greetings, Vesta! There's nothing to report! Are you heading out for a constitutional?" The one who spoke was a young man, not that much older than Vesta herself. She had found him rather amicable and charming, even if she'd never actually seen more than the bottom half of his face. Of course, that didn't stop her from wanting to treat them nicely for a job well done!
To that end, Vesta produced a loaf of bread and tore it in half, holding it out to the two, "Yep! And here, you guys are great." She smiled warmly as both guards took the bread and thanked her in unison.
The younger one gained a blush on his face, the upper half of it was hidden by his helmet, but the bottom half was visible. "You're most kind, my lady! The kingdom has no better heiress than you. You know, the guards are having a gathering tomorrow night, you're free to join if you wish! I could escort you!"
Vesta cooed, "Awwh, thank you! I'll have to take you up on that offer." She grinned, "I'll see you both later! Gotta leave before Mom catches me!" Then she hurried out, leaving the guards to their duties while she ran down the hill the castle was built on. She was running on a cobblestone path leading to the walls that protected the castle inside, just outside of it was the castle city that had sprung up around it, also surrounded by walls.
Vesta spent the next few hours out in the city, distributing the bread she had 'appropriated' from the dining hall to those she deemed most in need of it. It wasn't a totally selfless endeavor, when she did things like that people praised her and said she would be a great queen some day. Of course, Vesta knew this, but she wasn't going to declare it herself! So why not give people a reason to say it for her? Not that that was all she did, no, she had a few social calls to make!
First off, the baker, a kind middle-aged woman who greeted her warmly upon Vesta's approach, said, "Ah, Lady Vesta, the usual?" She asked, already preparing to get what Vesta had come here for.
"Yep! I can't get enough of those sun cakes of yours!" Vesta grinned while the older woman smiled back before heading further into the bakery. Sun cakes were a sweet pastry that Vesta had come to love, the girl was always warned that having a sweet tooth was unhealthy by her father, but she never particularly cared that much. It wasn't like she sat around doing nothing all day!
Eventually the baker returned with a few of the circular golden colored pastries in a box for the girl, "By the way, Lady Vesta. The glazier told me to tell you that he has something to give you."
Vesta's eyes lit up, "Really?! Thank you." She grinned and waved before hurrying off excitedly. The glazier was a kind old man who had, in Vesta's mind, a very cute daughter that was her age. Of course, as a princess she couldn't just show interest in anyone, but she could certainly appreciate people who were nice and looked good! For example, the cute guard and the cute girl.
When she got to the glazier's shop, she entered and spotted the old man fairly quickly, "Good afternoon! Did you want to see me?"
The old man smiled at her and nodded, "Good to see you my lady! Yes, indeed." He reached under the counter he was sitting at and produced a handheld mirror that was colored azure with gold ringing around the glass itself, "I know your birthday was a few weeks ago, I was caught off guard so I didn't have time to prepare a gift, I hope this will make up for it!"
Vesta gasped, "Oh! You didn't have to…" She smiled and accepted the gift before curtsying, "But I greatly appreciate it. I'll be sure to tell Dad about this, maybe he'll commission you for something!"
The old man seemed over the moon with that simple gesture, "Oh of course my lady, and you're too kind! Thank you."
After that, Vesta left. She had been out in town for most of the afternoon at this point, and she knew she needed to get back home. After all, if she stayed out too late then she was bound to get her ear talked off by her parents for the risk that brought.
Not that Vesta really believed there was any risk at all to her being out in the city at night. She knew how to fight! Her magic was enough to disable or, if needed, dispatch anyone who tried to attack her. That wasn't even talking about her aura, which was incredibly powerful. Apparently at least triple what a normal person had! That just drove home the idea to her that if she was attacked and if there were no city guards around somehow then she would be just fine.
Yet, her parents had always been very observant of her behavior for one reason or another. Salem said she should live like a princess and not mingle with people lesser than her for too long. Ozma said Vesta needed to be careful because even with as powerful as she was or, rather, was going to be in his words, she could still be overwhelmed if enough people tried to attack her.
Vesta wasn't entirely sure she believed him on that, sure casting magic too much made her tired, but it was nothing like it used to be! She could cast four, no, five spells a day without getting exhausted! If any assailants she faced were still able to fight after five spells, then they were unusual indeed.
Vesta put the thoughts out of her head as she returned to the castle. She greeted the two guards as she came back, although the younger one looked uneasy, "Greetings Vesta! There… actually is something to report. King Ozma is looking for you. He said it's urgent and to direct you to your room once you return." That was unusual, Vesta knew it and the guard knew it. She nodded and thanked him before heading to her room.
The castle was strangely quiet as she walked. Usually, she could hear her sisters talking amongst themselves or laughing and playing, and if not them she would hear the chatter and movement of the servants. All of the little things that brought life to the lifeless, if warm, stone walls were absent and that already planted some worry into her heart before she even got to her room.
When Vesta finally arrived and opened her door, she found her dad sitting on her bed looking rather worriedly out the window. Although when the door opened Ozma stood up and turned to her, "Vesta!" He sighed in relief, "Good, you're okay…"
Vesta stood there in confusion for a few moments before finally asking, "Is something wrong, father?" She had never seen her dad look so worried before. There were times when he was concerned, but never outright worried like he was at that moment. It was, in and of itself, concerning. Did something happen?
Ozma walked over to her, "Listen, we don't have a lot of time. Come with me." He didn't give Vesta much of a choice, immediately starting for the door. It was all the girl could do to follow, sticking the mirror into her satchel where she was also keeping her sun cakes. Luckily the baked snacks were in a small container of their own, so Vesta hoped it wouldn't get messy.
Yet, she didn't have time to think about that. Instead, she followed her dad as he explained, "Your mother's always been a bit cruel but this is a new low…" He sighed, "I'm worried about what she might do. I managed to keep her steady for a long time, but I think she's finally snapped." Vesta had no idea what 'snapped' meant, but it didn't sound good. Salem was one to get disappointed instead of angry, she never yelled, and yet when she was upset, her pointed and sharp words cut deeper than any knife. Nobody in the family wanted to make her mad, not even Vesta. Not just because Salem was her mother, but out of a small sense of fear that she would never admit to having out loud.
Ozma on the other hand seemed fully ready to show that he was afraid, but maybe not necessarily of Salem herself, "I need to keep you girls safe. There's a ritual, I'm going to put you all through it. One at a time, it won't work otherwise. It will take you… somewhere else. Just for a time until I can get you back."
Vesta had no idea what ritual her dad was talking about, nor did she have any idea as to where this 'somewhere else' was. Somewhere outside the castle, she assumed, but where? Most of Remnant wasn't safe, she knew that, and while she could fend for herself, what about her sisters? Her voice was laced with worry as she said, "Dad, let me help you! I'm old enough, we can get the others out together!"
Ozma shook his head furiously, the tone in his voice left no room for argument, "No! No, there's… You have a lot more to lose than I do, Vesta. Just trust me, okay? I'm going to get you four out." Vesta knew better than to argue with him. Her dad wasn't usually the kind to give out commands, so when he did she knew it was best to just listen to him.
They eventually reached a large room, a chamber that was mostly empty save for the chandelier up above that lit the room and a golden circle directly underneath it. There were large windows against the back wall, allowing moonlight to stream in as well. Vesta's dad led her to the circle, "Stand on this and, whatever you do, don't get off." Once she did, he took his own staff off his back and closed his eyes.
A few moments later, Vesta felt a strange feeling coursing through her body. Ozma explained, "The spell will take a few minutes to work. Just stay there, okay? I'm going to go get your sisters." It was all Vesta could do to nod before her dad ran out of the room, closing the door behind him before his footsteps faded out.
Vesta stood there on her own for five minutes. For five minutes, her mind raced with possibilities. What had him so afraid? What was Mom going to do? Dad seemed like he was worried that Mom would hurt them, but she wouldn't, right? She'd always been a bit cruel, but never violent. Yet, Vesta couldn't deny the fear that was within her own heart as well, because while she would have never vocally admitted it, in that moment she was worried that Salem wuld do something drastic. A feeling made even worse by the fact that she had no idea what spurred this.
After those five minutes passed, the door opened and in came Dad with all of her sisters. Venus and Meghara looked worried while Persephone just looked confused. It was her who asked, "Dad, what's going on?" She sounded uneasy, "I'm hungry."
Ozma was about to speak, likely to tell her to wait, when Vesta spoke, "Ah- Here, I have something that can hold you over." She reached into her satchel and produced a sun cake from the small container she had them in, "I have enough for all of us to have one."
Her dad smiled at her, "I should have expected that. Here, let me." He took the container and gave one of the pastries to each of her sisters before closing it and giving it back to Vesta, "I'm not hungry, so just save these. We'll share them when you get back." He smiled, yet Vesta could see how uneasy he looked.
Still, she slipped the container back into her satchel after taking one of the sweets for herself and latched the bag shut before nodding, "Promise?" Her own worry was now on full display. Of course it would be, her dad had been showing nothing but fear and worry the whole night!
Ozma nodded, "Promise." He grinned reassuringly at her. She felt the magic continue to build and swell within her. It washed over her, and it felt like when her legs fell asleep after sitting down for too long. Except, it only started at her legs, and as she continued to stand there it built up to her core, and then the rest of her.
Before anything else could be said, all of them heard Salem's voice, and she sounded very, very angry, "Ozma!" She shouted like Vesta had never heard before, and it just made her feel her fear was justified, "I know you're around here somewhere!" Vesta shared a look with her sisters while the four of them ate their pastries.
It didn't take long for each of them to finish their snacks. Vesta reasoned that it would hold them over until whatever was going on was over, and then they could all eat dinner together as if nothing ever happened. Part of Vesta knew that that feeling, the yearning for whatever this was to pass, would not be satisfied. If Mom was this angry, whatever was going to happen was probably going to change everything.
If only she knew how right that little voice in her head was at the time.
When the door finally opened, Ozma directed Vesta's sisters to stand behind him while he brandished his own staff, "They're leaving, Salem! I'm leaving! What you want is nothing short of ruin, genocide! It's not right!" The three younger girls all looked scared, Meghara tried to look strong but even she had this underlying fear in her eyes.
It was Persephone who spoke, a question of curiosity and worry, the weight of her worries carried in one word, "Mommy?"
Yet, Salem didn't look at her. Instead, she was focused entirely on Ozma. Her hand began to glow red and she shot out a burst of magic. Magic that was met by Vesta's dad, his magic glowed green.
Vesta wanted so desperately to break them up, to get them to relax and talk things out. The magic they slung was powerful but a well placed shield could have blocked it all! Yet, by this point, her body was entirely numb and it was all she could do to watch wide-eyed and pray that they would realize they were both being stupid.
However, their fighting just grew more intense. It was all Vesta could do to speak in a voice hoarse and heavy, "Run! Meghara, Persephone, Venus! Run! I'll be fine!"
She saw as Venus and Meghara snapped out of their fear. Venus grabbed ahold of Persephone and she saw the three of them run back towards the window. She heard the window break but couldn't see what happened, she couldn't tell if that was from the force of the magic or from the efforts of her sisters.
She didn't have time to wonder, the force of the magic grew and she heard metal groaning above her. When she looked up, she saw the chandelier swaying dangerously above her. Her body continued to be overcome with that feeling of numbness, and her vision became ringed with green magic, her father's magic.
The chandelier snapped and began to fall towards her.
She heard her father's voice, "No!" He shouted. And then her ears filled with the noise of thunder. The chandelier continued to fall, before it could reach her, Vesta's vision went dark, overcome with the magic flowing through her system.
Her mind swam in a sea of unconsciousness, and she knew no more.
Waves lapped against land. The sound of birds chirping and cawing joined the chorus, and other animals whooped and hollered. On a colorful, otherworldly island, Vesta gasped awake, her lungs filled with air as she sat up and looked around in alarm, "Venus?! Meghara?! Persephone!" Her voice filled with desperation and worry, she tried to stand only to wince in pain, her body stung…
She noticed she was still wearing her outfit, it looked untouched. Covered in sand, but not tarnished. Vesta took in her surroundings as best she could without being able to stand, "Is this…?" Her voice was hushed and shaky, "Am I…?"
The voice of a kind man finished her thought, "Dead?"
Vesta's eyes widened as she looked around. Eventually, she spotted a small rowboat that appeared to have been beached on the island. Standing beside it was a man in a cloak holding a large staff that faded from gold at the top to purple at the bottom. The top of the staff curved forwards and a lantern made of off white metal was hung from the overhang, lit with a small white flame.
The man himself had blue skin and heterochromatic eyes, his left being a bright silver color, his right, a jet black. His hair was a shaggy mop of black that turned silver and blue at the tips. He also had a very distinctive pair of lantern earrings on, his left had a golden lantern with a tiny silver flame inside, and his right a purple one with a pitch black flame.
He wore a disarming smile, in spite of his strange appearance Vesta felt herself relax. His voice added to her ease, "You have not died, young one." His smile faltered, "Although the same cannot be said for your sisters. The youngest and second eldest met their end. Only Meghara remains, and I could not tell you what will become of her."
The news was like an anvil being dropped on her. Eyes wide, the news washed over her and all she could do was bury her head in her hands and begin to cry, "N-No, no no no… This- This is a nightmare… I'm gonna wake up, and it's just gonna be a nightmare…" Denial, that was all her mind could do, deny it all. Yet, deep down, she knew this was a waking nightmare, one that would never be vanquished with the breaking of a new dawn.
The sound of footsteps didn't cause her to look up. It was only the sound of someone kneeling next to her and the feeling of their hand on her back that caused her to look up, tears staining her face. It was the strange man, he wore a small frown, "They may be gone, young Vesta, but all hope is not lost for you. You have been brought here, to this island in-between realms, but one day you will return to the land of the living. To the Realm of Light. Your Remnant."
Vesta's Remnant…
That was it, she would go back! Then…
Vesta growled, but not at the kind man. She stood up, ignoring how her body complained from the movement, "That's it!" Her voice was laced with anger, "I'll go back! I don't care what it takes! I'll get back, and when I do…" She began to pace around the beach before she threw one of her hands up into the air, a gout of hellfire spewing forth, "I will bring hell to mo- No, to Salem! I will never forgive her!"
She yelled an angry roar as her magic caused the very sky above her to cloud over, thunder rumbled as she continued to storm back and forth, "She will feel exactly what I feel! Then I'll kill her!" Lightning struck further down the island, and yet she didn't seem bothered, "I will hear her BEG!"
The mystery man cleared his throat before he got up and walked over to her, "I wouldn't expend your energy like that, Vesta. We don't know how long you'll be here, and you don't want to collapse from exhaustion before you've ever had a chance to look around."
His words snapped her out of her rage and she stopped walking before just falling to her knees and punching the sand beneath her, "That artless wench! That beetle-headed, puffed up who-"
The man patted her back, "Now, now. Instead of swearing at the ground, perhaps you should look for shelter?" She looked at him and he smiled, "My name is Charan, by the way. Under normal circumstances, I would ferry you to the mainland, but… You not only have no form of payment, you are alive. Thus, you must remain here."
Huffing a large sigh, Vesta looked up at the sky. It seemed like it was going to rain, whether or not that was a reaction to her rage was something Vesta was unaware of. So, instead, she looked at him and nodded, "...Okay. How do I do that? What… shelter?" Vesta had never had to do anything like that before, everything had been given to her her whole life. Shelter? She had it. Food? Never a question. The need to do… well, anything? Non-existent.
Charan's smile grew, "I will assist you how I can. Technically, this is not one of my duties, but then again, the living aren't supposed to be here either." He pointed towards the forest, "Your best bet for temporary shelter will be to find a cave. There are a few here, and from there I can teach you about making tools. Time is convoluted in this realm, moreso on this island, the antipode to the continents. Decades, hundreds or thousands of years can pass in days and weeks. Months? Well… If you stay here long enough, you'll be returning to a very different Remnant." He thought on this for a moment before returning to the original topic, "We don't know how long you will be here, so it's best that you try to make the most of it."
Hundreds of years?
Vesta wasn't sure how to feel about that. Maybe it was just that she'd already expended a lot of emotional and literal energy in her burst of anger, but now she just felt… tired. All she could do was hope that Meghara would continue to live, and that the kingdom would survive. That they would remember her and remember her family, remember the good they had done rather than the explosive end they met.
So, Vesta moved.
She headed into the forest, that alien and otherworldly realm, and began to look for a place to stay. Part of her hoped that maybe she would find civilization, a place she could ask for help and maybe find a place where she could weather the storm. A warm home with a roof over her head, that sounded nice. Yet, this place was apparently not meant for people like her, and it wasn't where the dead ended up. So, that meant she wasn't going to meet any ghosts here…
Just walking in that strange land was a challenge for her at first. She tripped on roots several times, were it not for her aura she would have gotten her fair share of scratches and wounds because of that. She didn't get any of those, but her aura didn't prevent her from feeling the pain and getting the wind knocked out of her.
She walked on anyway, because ultimately there was nothing else to do. Vesta could sit around and starve, get a cold from the rain and lament her circumstances, but then everything her dad sacrificed would be for nothing.
Her sisters would have lost their lives for nothing, nobody would be able to live for them. She had no idea if her mother was alive, she was always strange, but if she was then she had a lot of things to answer for. That fire burning in Vesta's heart was the thing that kept her going.
One foot forward.
Then the other.
Repeat.
On and on until she stumbled upon a cave. She never imagined that she would be so relieved to see something like that, but by then it was already pouring rain. Her whole outfit was soaked as she made her way into the cave. It wasn't warm, but it was dry, and that was what mattered.
Vesta allowed herself the relief of using magic to dry her and her outfit to avoid getting sick, but knew that using too much magic would tire her out. If she got tired, then she couldn't do anything but sit around, and she needed to try to get her energy back so she could make a fire.
How do you make a fire without magic?
She pondered this question while she sat against the cave wall. It was rough and uncomfortable, but at least the ground was mostly smooth. Vesta reached into her satchel and was moderately surprised when she felt a familiar container within it. She had almost forgotten about it, buried in the back of her mind as it was.
Yet now, her mind's eye was filled with the final sight she had of all of her sisters together. Nervously snacking on the sun cakes she had given them. There were so many things Vesta never got to say, so many things she should have said, but she didn't. Now, she couldn't.
Because two of her sisters were already dead, and given how time flowed here, the other would follow not long after. At least when that happens the three of them would be together again. They could be a family, watch out for each other even in the afterlife. That, however, was cold comfort when she remembered she would likely never hug them again. Never joke with Meghara, or teach Persephone the things she learned when she was young, never face the world's challenge with Venus…
…With any of them.
Then there was Dad.
He was trying to protect them. He even promised to share a sun cake with her later. He promised… Now, that would never happen, would it? Vesta found herself lowering her head and pressing her forehead against the container holding the last two pastries she had. Once again, she allowed herself to sob.
Then, she heard his voice again, Charan, "I know what you're thinking. Your father is gone too, right?" She didn't look up, she just nodded, and for some reason he chuckled. That is what caused her to look up as he shook his head, "Ozma is alive, as is Salem. Ozma's body perished, but his soul will reincarnate into another body and he will continue his fight against her. Salem is an immortal, she is incapable of being killed. At least, right now."
So they were both alive?
Tears still streamed down her face, but Vesta felt a new kind of resolve in her heart. Earlier, she had promised to deliver hell unto Salem, and now Vesta knew that no matter when she returned, Salem would still be there. She could carry out her promise, and dad…
That meant dad would be alive, but…
She had a question, "Will he remember everything? Will he… still be Dad?"
Once again, Charan chuckled, "Yes, indeed. His personality will be altered somewhat, thousands of years of fusing with others will do that, but he will still remember you. He will still mostly be the same man who raised you."
The resolve and fire in her heart burned all the brighter. He was truly alive, and that meant she could carry out her promise! Vesta looked at the container for her sun cakes and then slipped it back into her satchel before pulling out the mirror she had and looking into it.
Tears stained her face, she was glad she didn't wear makeup. Her eyes were red and her hair, still held in a ponytail, was starting to fray. No use in making it look good, though, so she would keep it that way. The look of pure sadness in her eyes steeled with this knowledge, "I will see him again. Then, we're going to share these sun cakes! I won't let him break his promise."
First, though, she would have to learn to survive…
First came fire.
It was difficult with the rain, but Charan offered her guidance. He told her that she should gather up some wood and grass, assemble it in a specific way just far enough into the cave to not get extinguished by water, and then use magic to dry the logs and light the fire.
That took her a full ten minutes of trying to actually get it to work. The flame that warmed her and the area around her was a welcome reward. There she would sit, and eventually sleep, for the rain didn't abate for the rest of the day.
The next day, thankfully, the rain had ceased and the sun shone on another beautiful day. Yet, it was the first day that her family was not there to see it with her. They would never share another morning like that…
Vesta tried to not let it weigh her down. Instead, she focused on what she needed to do. Objective number one was to get food. Charan appeared again and instructed her that she would find that many of the same plants, fruits, and vegetables that grew wild on Remnant grew wild on the island. She was also told she could go fishing provided she could make a spear or a rudimentary fishing rod.
Making a spear was simpler and easier. All she had to do was find a sharp rock to whittle down the end of a long and sturdy piece of wood. However, after trying spear fishing, she learned that it was a lot harder than regular fishing.
She had to take off her boots and stockings, first of all. She was lucky her dress was short or else she'd have needed to take that off as well. Not that it didn't get wet, because it turned out that trying to spear a fish needed speed, precision, and strength. Three things Vesta didn't have.
After the third time falling into the water trying to fish she finally just gave up, walked back onto land, dried herself off, and then asked Charan how to make a fishing pole.
…It turned out to not be that hard. Charan was kind enough to tell her that she should look for and use a vine as the fishing line. After that, she found a sturdy stick and (with the help of a sharp rock) made a hole at the top of it. A bit of this and a bit of that later she had herself a fishing pole. It took more brain power, but less strength and speed. Not that Vesta was weak or slow! Well, she was physically not very strong, but she was fast!
After that it was just a matter of using a worm as bait. It took her about thirty minutes to get over how gross it was before she used it for its intended purpose. Then, it was just a matter of sitting on the beach until she got a fish!
…Then she had to figure out how to cook it. It turned out that was a whole thing, something that Vesta would have vowed to never do again if she didn't need to in order to cook her food.
She had to admit, it wasn't good, she'd overcooked it a little, but… It was cathartic. Seeing all the work she put into that one meal pay off felt good. Vesta figured this is what people meant when they talked about having 'fulfilling work', except they weren't doing it for survival, but for pay.
Vesta thought that really wasn't so different. From what she knew about 'working' and 'getting paid' she figured that it was as crucial to common folk as what she was doing for herself.
The next important lesson came a few days later, how to avoid angry wildlife. It turned out the animals that were on the island (Ever After, she remembered Charan calling it) were sometimes hostile. She allowed herself to use magic to fend them off, but she was also advised by Charan that she needed to use her staff as a blunt weapon when possible.
Three weeks passed, with Vesta finding herself falling into some strange routine during her days. Sleep in a bed made of grass and straw, wake up, go and catch fish and forage berries, cook and eat, then explore the island for a while before returning to her cave shelter for the night.
She found the island strange and alien, not just from the foliage that was so close to what she already knew and what she didn't, but also the animals. Vesta could have sworn that she heard some of the rats talking, but she wrote it off as her hearing things. An unfortunate side effect of the fact that she was incredibly lonely and missed her family and friends. Charan was good company, but after Vesta got a hold of the basics of survival he wasn't around a lot.
Vesta never asked why, after all she had no idea what he even really was other than a boatman of some kind. Was he just projecting himself out to her? He looked real, and those times he had patted her back felt real, but a lot of things on the island didn't make sense. If he had some sort of obligation that kept him away, she couldn't really blame him.
On the third week though, he returned. Vesta was sitting in her cave one evening when he appeared there near her.
Charan had a small frown on his face, "You will not be surprised to hear that I met your last living sister. She died some time ago, actually, but I thought it best to not bring it up to you until you were ready for news like that."
Vesta understood, she knew that if she had been told that earlier she would have been outright devastated. Now, she at least had something of a grip on her mental state. Yet, she knew that there was more to it than just her dying, she needed to know the specifics just to know how her sister's life had gone, "What… happened?"
He frowned, "Your sister lived for a few years on the run. Salem found her before Ozma did, and she decided to kill her instead of letting her live. This was after your sister refused to work with her mother."
That stung for several reasons. She had lived, but not very long in the grand scheme. Then, to make matters worse, it was Salem who killed her. Vesta wasn't shocked at that information, but it just drove home even more that her mother really had gone off the deep end. There would be no redeeming her. Vesta had no doubt that her dad was torn to pieces by the death of Meghara.
Vesta took a deep breath and shook her head while looking down before looking back up, "Was there… anything else?" She hoped that Charan had something good for her, she needed every bit of motivation she could find
In spite of the grim news, he managed a smile, "I'm still not entirely sure, but I believe you could be close to your time of departure." At her surprised appearance, he nodded, "It's been three thousand years already, the world has changed a great deal, but I will spare you the details. Your soul, however, seems to be getting brighter."
Vesta wasn't quite sure what that meant, it sounded like a good thing but also, was her soul dimmer before? She voiced her question, "What does that mean, exactly?"
Charan chuckled at the question, "Your soul was unusually dim for your first two weeks. However, recently it has begun to return to its intended brightness. Far brighter than any on Remnant, save for your parents. When that process completes, I believe you will be returned to your realm."
That made Vesta enthusiastic, the grim news from earlier banished from her mind for a moment, "Oh! That's wonderful!" She had just recently taken her first bath in a lake further into the island. Two weeks without washing had not been pleasant, but she was afraid to bathe on the island. Charan advised against wasting her magic on cleaning herself every day, so she put it off before eventually just deciding to wash the traditional way. The experience of taking that bath was frightening, not because anything happened, but because she was afraid something would happen, like a bear coming out of the woods and trying to maul her.
That didn't happen, thankfully, but the experience was still enough to make her much more desperate to get off the island. She had no idea how that was going to happen, but she had been wishing for it every night before bed.
Charan nodded and elaborated, "I believe your soul will return to its true luminosity in a week, provided nothing slows it down. When that happens, we will see if my hunch is correct." After that, Charan left, walking out of sight outside of the cave. Yet, she didn't mind, because the news that the end of her time on Ever After was near did more than enough to help her mood.
Just one more week and then she'd finally be back on Remnant. One more week and she would see what the world had become in her absence. She knew the chances of her kingdom still being around were miniscule, but she still wished to return and see what had changed. Maybe, one day, she'd have new subjects and be able to use her powers to protect people like Dad had done and like Mom was supposed to.
…Granted, she knew she wasn't going to be ruling over anyone at first when she got there. Not only did Charan mention that the world was already drastically different from the one that she had left and was bound to get even stranger, but he also mentioned that Remnant was beginning to form kingdoms on their own. Not small ones like all of the other kingdoms back in her time, but true continent-spanning nations.
Maybe, she thought, it was better to let the 'commonfolk' rule by themselves, but she still wasn't completely sure of that. As much as she hated Salem now, she couldn't lie and say that her mom's lessons and views had not affected her own. No, she still caught herself thinking poorly of people sometimes, although unlike her mother her anger was a lot quicker to build.
Maybe that was just the circumstances she was in at that point, though, anyone would be a bit frustrated if they ended up stranded on an island for so long. At least, Vesta told herself that.
Something that particularly got to her was the fact that, according to Charan, faunus were still being treated poorly. Vesta remembered how her kingdom tried its best to be welcome to everyone, but bigotry was rampant and hard to stamp out. Salem never seemed to care, on some strange level Vesta felt like Salem thought it was funny. Dad did care, though, she knew that much, because dad was the one who led the effort to outlaw bigotry towards the faunus.
It was always such a stupid debate to her. They have wings, or tails, or some other animal feature, and suddenly they're just too different? No, that never made any sense to her. The faunus knights who guarded her were just as noble and true as the human ones that did the same. The perception that faunus were just animals waiting to go feral annoyed her to no end.
As the days progressed and Vesta continued her efforts to survive, she found the updates on how the world was unfolding to be a good way to tether herself to reality. Really, she would have gone insane if it wasn't for Charan, if she hadn't starved first. Still, it was hard for her to really comprehend how much time she'd spent on the island. Charan said that it had been around four-thousand years when she asked, and that was… staggering, to say the very least.
And then, one day, not that far into the fourth week, which Vesta hoped was going to be her last, Charan had more news. Vesta was sitting outside watching some squirrels bound around on the trees when she heard his footsteps. Then, when she looked, she saw him smiling at her. However, she had gotten used to his expressions, as strange and subdued as they are, and she knew that the news he bore that day was not going to be pleasant. So, she asked, "What's happening on Remnant?"
Charan's smile dimmed ever so slightly, "Grave tidings. Remnant is in the throes of the greatest war it has ever seen." Vesta's eyes widened and she nodded for him to continue, "The Kingdoms of Mantle and Mistral believe that banning art, creativity, and other expressions of emotion is the way to stop the Grimm. Vale and Vacuo disagree, and so the so-called Great War is underway."
Vesta shook her head, "That's… such a stupid idea. Making people need to cage their emotions would just make it all worse, wouldn't it? I'm… not super well versed on the Grimm, but I know they love negative emotion. It doesn't seem like it would solve anything."
Charan nodded, "You're correct on that. It looks as if Vale and Vacuo will win, however." He smiled, "Your father fused with the King of Vale when the lad was your age, he was quite the nervous wreck for several years. Now, though? Ozma has turned him into a proper hero."
That was a relief, to hear that her dad was still fighting on the side of righteousness. She laid back on the grass and stared at the sky, "I'm glad to hear, then… How is he doing?" Vesta realized that she had gotten lucky with how the spell ended up working. She wasn't sure if it was intentional to make her end up on the island and not somewhere else, but the fact of the matter was that the thousands of years she had been there had gone by extremely quickly all things considered.
Her dad had lived through all of it. Every minute, hour, day, year, and so on. Vesta was unsure if she could have handled that, she might well have lost any will to go on. Maybe that was why her dad fused with people, so that he kept finding people who had the same drive he was supposed to have.
From what she knew, the mission he had was a grave one. To unite the world and see the Gods return, or to somehow defeat her mother, who was just outright immortal. She felt magic could handle that, if a mage that was powerful enough came along, but she certainly knew that wasn't her. She was an Adept according to her dad, and she had been slacking on her magical training lately in order to focus on survival.
Vesta's mind wandered, she thought of what she might say when she saw her dad again. Would she talk about how she felt? Would she chastise him for not telling her about his burden sooner so that she could help?
No…
She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. All around her flowers began to spring up out of seemingly nowhere, with such speed that the petals shot into the air and were caught by the wind. Vesta watched them dance and seemingly play with each other, some petals eventually drifting onto her person, even as she sat up and looked at what she had created.
A whole grove of flowers, all a special kind that she had found on the island. Everblooms, they were called, named for the island they inhabited. Beautiful flowers that normally were white in the center with a gradient of colors the further out the petals went from the stem, but when in the presence of a person with an unlocked aura…
A kaleidoscope of colors, influenced by one's mood. She had never seen a flower like it before on Remnant, and perhaps she never would. Yet, sitting there watching a veritable rainbow of flowers reacting to her presence, she felt herself smiling. Vesta plucked on, and it continued to change colors, "A flower, yes…" She smiled and closed her eyes, "Upon my return, I will gift him a beautiful flower."
Charan's voice was soft and clearly pleased, "I think your mere presence will be enough of a gift to him, but…" She looked at him and he smiled, "An Everbloom will serve your purpose as well." Vesta nodded and picked a few of them, the magical flowers would not die removed from the earth like normal ones, which served her purpose well.
It took time, effort, and a bit of magic to make it work, but eventually she surrounded the base of her hat with Everblooms, a crown of flowers for the princess. She believed it would add to the rest of her outfit, and she was right. The first one she picked was slipped into her satchel, to be given to her dad when she saw him again.
Vesta still had those sun cakes as well, preserved with the aid of her magic so they wouldn't go bad. She was determined to make sure Ozma kept his promise, and if that meant using a bit of magic to keep the pastries as fresh as the day she got them, then she would.
Then, they would be gone after she shared them, but she still had things to remember the Kingdom of Everday by. Her outfit, her staff, and the mirror she'd been given. The mirror reminded her of that day in particular, but she wasn't going to get rid of it. It was a reminder of what she had lost and what she was still living for. A better tomorrow would come, the metaphorical rain would stop, and she would still be there.
She looked at the sky again, "Meghara, Persephone, Venus… You might be gone from Remnant, but I'll be there. I will carry your memory, just like Dad does… Then I'll… defeat Salem." Vesta looked down, "...Somehow. I'm still working on that…"
How was she supposed to kill an immortal? Charan had told her that it was a divine act that gave her that immortality, so how did one undo something done by the Gods? Gods who were supposedly real, and not her parents, who were called Gods by the commonfolk in the kingdom. If those Gods were strong enough to give both of her parents immortality, then what was Vesta supposed to do to circumvent that?
Once upon a time, she had been called a God as well, but she knew she was no such thing. Vesta had magic, yes, and that may appear godly to people who didn't know any better, but it wasn't. She was mortal, she could die… Just like her sisters.
Charan chuckled at her clear uncertainty, "I am certain you will find a way, but I am not allowed to speak more on the matter. Yours is a difficult trial, and along the way you will gain new friends and enemies, you will lose more than you already have, and your resolve will be tested. That is your 'royal test' to use terminology you're familiar with."
A royal test?
Well…
Vesta nodded, "I have to succeed. I don't know how I will, but I must. Without me… Dad would have to win his fight on his own, and I can't let that happen."
Charan still sounded amused, "Do not allow yourself to fall into the same trap he did, you will not be without allies. Make sure you remember that." Then, the boatman looked at the sky, "Your time will come soon. The world will be radically different from what you remember and it will be unlikely that I will get to see you again after this. Not for a long time."
That got Vesta's attention. She stood up from her bed of flowers and looked at him, "So… you're saying this is goodbye?" She knew that they would part ways eventually, but given the strange friendship they had developed over the course of the month, she had always dreaded the day. To find that it was here, and she didn't even notice… Well, it was bittersweet.
Charan's smile never wavered, "In the words of a man I once knew, if you wish to see someone again, you should never say goodbye. Instead, tell them goodnight." He turned away, looking towards the treeline, "Although that isn't necessary. We will meet again one day, Vesta. When you've reached your journey's end and have given all you can give, I will see you to your sisters. For now, though…" He looked back and grinned, "Goodnight, Vesta." Then, he looked ahead and walked into the treeline.
Vesta watched as he left, "See you soon!" She called to him, "Uh… Goodnight, I guess." That had to be some strange custom in… whatever plane of existence she was in. Not a habit she saw herself getting into, but she supposed she could appreciate it. Charan disappeared into the treeline, and Vesta stared at it for a few minutes before letting out a sigh.
She was alone.
She hadn't ever been truly alone before, because she could always look forward to seeing Charan again. That strange boatman who ferried the dead to their final homes. Yet now, her only companion was the wind that caressed her skin. Vesta knew that perhaps her mind was waxing poetic as some sort of coping mechanism, but it truly did feel like her only companion in that moment was nature itself.
As the final days ticked by, Vesta felt like she understood what Charan was talking about when speaking of her soul. She was feeling much better mentally and even physically than she did when she arrived on the island. She still felt the weight of her loss, but keeping busy prevented that from weighing her down. There was no way that bottling up her emotions would come back to bite her in the future, of that she was certain.
Come what may, that was a problem for future Vesta. Not present or past Vesta, but always the nebulous future one. Whenever that future came, she would deal with it. Until then, she would just push it away.
When the day finally came, she felt it in her bones, in her very soul. The burning light within her was begging to be free of this place. Sometimes, that felt very literal, as her midnight blue aura glowed brightly at times.
On the final night, it glowed so bright that she couldn't even try to sleep. Instead, she walked out of her cave and into the open. Vesta stared at the sky, feeling a feeling similar to the one she experienced on that fateful day. First her legs felt numb, and then the feeling built to a swell across her entire body.
It was when she finally, finally felt it reach her head and her hands, she closed her eyes and looked down.
Then, she opened her eyes again, and was somewhere entirely different.
Vesta heard talking, she understood the language but a lot of the words she heard were new to her. It seemed like she was in some kind of… room, with a bunch of other people that looked about her age. Except, from the windows that were on her left and right, she saw… the clouds? They were moving, too…
Aside from that, the people were dressed… strangely. She didn't see people wearing a lot of tunics or things like that, instead she saw… one girl with black and red hair wearing a black and red dress of some kind, another that had a side-ponytail and white hair. The white haired one looked the most normal to her, she looked like a princess of some kind. Except her haircut was very… unappealing, at least in Vesta's opinion.
There was a blonde girl near the black and red haired one that was dressed in a way that scandalized Vesta. She might as well have been wearing nothing at all with that shirt that showed her midriff and ample chest, and the shorts that showed her legs like that!
Her gaze didn't linger though, it kept moving. That was what allowed her to notice that other people had seen her too, some were looking at her and muttering, but she didn't hold their interest for very long. It seemed the midnight blue glow of her aura had drawn their gaze, but it was beginning to fade back into her. That was good, that meant that aura wasn't an unusual thing to see here…
She saw faunus among them, that was good. Nobody seemed to be treating them differently at first glance… She wondered if humanity had finally sorted out the fact that faunus were just people like them?
Vesta filed that away for something to find out later. She'd need to ask her dad… When she found him. That was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack… Maybe her magic would cause him to find her? If he could sense things like that, that is, she was never quite sure if he could.
She was taken out of her thoughts however as she heard a girl's shrill voice as she said, "Ew! Yang, there's vomit on your boots!"
When she turned to face the direction the voice was coming from, she was immediately met with the sight of a blonde guy wearing armor…
…That crashed right into her, sent her to the ground, and got vomit all over her dress.
The boy's voice was kind of high-pitched and awkward sounding as he yelled, "Sorry!" He didn't even stay to help her up, he just kept running to… somewhere.
Vesta heard people giggling and laughing at the scene while she just stared up at the ceiling, not even bothering to get up yet. Instead she just sighed and said, "Splendid."
"The future is schitte."
