When he returned that evening to clean up his offering, Seto had expected to see Kisara there. While he wasn't upset by her not being there, it still would have made for a more "interesting" visit with her there. He found it odd that his view of her flip flopped so easily. From an irritation to a decent acquaintance. She only had a few days to be here on the edge of Atlantis, and then he was sure that he'd never see her again.
But somehow, the thought of not seeing her again plagued his mind for the rest of his afternoon, up until he stood before his offering. The incense still burned on the wick, with just barely a few minutes before it would break and fall into the spiced water in the bowl below it. Usually, at this point, he'd put the wick out himself, and dip it into the water. This time, he just wanted to watch it, and let his thoughts just build up.
Within his mind, a new prayer formed. He closed his eyes as the thought felt even stronger. Even though he questioned why it was suddenly there, he still leaned down as he had earlier and pressed his fist into his opposite palm, and gave a short prayer before the wick finally fell apart. He couldn't remember the last time his prayers weren't the typical prayer for his harvest, but felt an inkling of influence from his meeting Kisara.
For a moment, he tinged a smile before standing back up, and finally cleaning up this offering. He discarded the produce, wheat, and spices into the compost that was created in the garden area. With a sigh of relief, he knew his day was finally coming to an end. Though it was earlier than he would have liked, Seto was very ready to settle in to bed and make up for his lack of sleep.
However, looking back at his hand, he was reminded that he needs to restock on more alcohol to clean his current and future wounds. Another sigh, but this was for a lack of motivation. After gathering the rest of his things, Seto turned to make his leave, taking no more than a few steps down the short set of stairs before halting once more. He stared towards the sea above, as a very light, chilled bit of wind tickled the back of his neck. He quickly covered the spot where he felt it with his hand, warming it back up.
Slowly, he turned to look back, expecting to see… something. Only there wasn't anything out of the norm. He began to wonder if there was a spirit trying to contact him. It was no myth that spirits were connected to the people of Atlantis, and even the Oracle had the eyes to see the spirits, both living and ghosts of the beyond. It's not often that there's a spirit strong enough to make itself known, at least not anymore. It's not unheard of though.
"Hello?" He asked aloud, his tone very typical for his normal speech.
But there was no response, and the feeling that someone, or something that had been there had vanished after his voice had been heard.
Seto gave another minute to accept the calm and the silence before continuing to take his leave. First to the town, and then homeward bound. As he made his way down the path, he hummed again the tune he had heard Kisara sing in the shrine. How easily she crept back into his mind. He questioned how often this was going to happen to him at this point. Perhaps it was a past self that has drawn him to her again in this life? What else could explain this phenomenon better?
As he hummed the tune during his trot, he hadn't noticed as he had already walked through the entrance of the village. He tried not to look around to see if anyone was looking his way. Seto was not exactly liked by everyone, and he was sure that there wasn't a single person who didn't know who he was and what his father had done. No matter how much he denied his family name, he couldn't escape the fact the he is a spitting image of his father.
"Hey there, stranger!" The voice that caught his attention wasn't someone whom he wanted to see.
But Seto acted as if she hadn't caught his attention, ignoring her as he continued to walk away. In truth, he knew he would be bound to see here again eventually. He really would rather avoid her at all costs though. Pretending that he hadn't heard her at all.
"Seto? Hey! Did ya' hear me?" her footsteps quickened and trailed behind him. "Hello!?"
At this point, he knew that that the woman would be aware that he's ignoring her. She was even louder as she called out to him. There's no way he hadn't heard her. And yet, he continued forward still. With a sigh, he refused to utter a word to her. When the woman acknowledged that she was being ignored, she scoffed.
"Really? Giving me the silent treatment?" her voice was as peachy as ever.
The girl's hair was dark like coal, long and wavy. Her eyes were bright like embers. She was unique in her own right. Her skin was surprisingly darker than most anyone else in Atlantis. Everyone else was pale, but she so very much stood out with her honey skinned tones. Though her smile was bright with her pearl white teeth, Seto no longer liked the smile she bore. He used to adore her, so much that she had at one point consumed his every thought and he had even considered spending his entire life by her side. But every curve she now carried… He couldn't stand to look at.
She was no longer his. She betrayed that trust.
"I have nothing to say to you right now, Dezi." Seto continued forward without turning her way. "Forgive me for wanting to hold my tongue."
"I just wanted to invite you to the wedding." She continued to follow, which made Seto roll his eyes. "I'm sure you heard about Alistair and I?"
Seto stopped in his tracks. He didn't look at her. "Of course I heard. Word spreads like fire around here. And I'm sorry, Dezi, but I'm declining the invitation. It's nothing to do with how things ended. In fact, I'm truly happy that you found someone you can have for the rest of your living life."
"If you're over it, then why won't you come?" Dezi stepped in front of him, forcing him to look down to her. "We were best friends before we decided to start a relationship! It really sucks that you just don't even talk to me any more!"
"Dezi." He closed his eyes and bit the inner of his bottom lip. "How many people want the son of the only murderer at their wedding? Alistair, your parents, your friends, your family; do you honestly think a single one of them would want me to be there?"
"It doesn't matter what they think." She rose her voice. "It never did."
"And yet, they're the ones who 'convinced you' to leave me, right?" He rose his voice back at her. "That's what you told me. You didn't have to lie to me Dez. Had you just told me that you didn't want to be with me, and that you had fallen for someone else instead of me finding you two together before you even tried to end it, I would have happily supported you… While I've gotten over that it happened at all, the thing that still bothers me is that you'd so easily try to act like it never happened in the first place!"
Other villages began to eye the two, as they bickered in the street. Seto looked around, knowing that no matter what he said, it wouldn't make a difference. He would always be in the wrong, because of his blood and who his family was. One last time, he looked down to Dezi.
"I'm not here to yell at you. I didn't even plan to see you any further." Seto tried to calm his breathing, even though he couldn't steady the racing of his heart beat. "I'm here on my personal errands. Please excuse me."
"We're never going to actually sit and talk about this, are we?" Dezi's eyes fell to her feet.
"There's no need to." He finally just walked passed her. "I stopped waiting for an apology a long while ago. And I've already said the things I needed to say."
Though he pushed his way past her and began walking away, she still turned to try to follow him. "I'm sorry, okay?"
But Seto kept forward, not caring if she was there or not. He had full intentions of just getting to the market and getting his alcohol and leaving. If she followed him all the way home, than so be it. He tried to do his best to tune her and the rest of the people who started to stare at the two as they passed by. He wasn't even sure when she stopped chasing after him, but when he finally glanced over his shoulder to see her no longer there, he finally felt relieved.
"I knew I shouldn't have come here today…" He spoke to himself, before again being enveloped by the tune that he hummed.
Everyday, all he ever wanted to do was follow his routine. Work on his farm. Tend to his fields. Dezi never liked that he spent so much time working instead of trying to have fun. But Seto wasn't her equivalent. He was his own person. Ironic though, seeing as her new fiance, Alistair, was also one of the local farmers. At least she found someone who wouldn't work as much, and Seto was fine with that. He didn't need the company of others. He didn't mind the solitude.
He preferred it... At least he thought he had for the longest time. But as he paid for his items at the market stall, and he made his way home, the thoughts of that woman danced in his head.
The way she walked. The way she held herself so high. The way she stood out among all else, and caught his eye where no one else could. Her beautiful voice, and distracting atmosphere. Her slender curves. Her stunning complexion. And those damn eyes.
As he walked along the village roads, he looked to the top of the dome. His mind was full of her, and time was just passing by far to quickly. Looking at the dome made him remember the words that appeared in his head as she sung her song. The feeling over wanting to be touched by the sun's warmth, but never being able to grasp its heat... Where had her sun gone? Where had the day gone? Where had the time disappeared to?
And as he soon reached his home, he couldn't help but go straight inside and walk to his bedroom. He would now be cursed with the dreams of her while he slept. It's only been a short amount of time, and yet she's eating away at his conscious. Setting the alcohol he purchased to the stand within the room, he took to his cot. As he lied, Seto stared to the planks above him. His head still hummed the quiet tune. The memory of her was still freshly there. Seto held his wounded hand above his face. The cuts would leave their scars. It would be a reminder of her. Did he want to remember her after she leaves? Or should he even bother?
"You have… a presence like nothing else I've ever felt…"
He let his hand fall over his face, rubbing it up into his hair to push the bangs off his forehead. He closed his eyes and just left his arm over his face. He wanted to sleep, but the hazy image of her still clouded his mind. He didn't want the burden of feeling attachment to her. The few interactions they shared were so insignificant… But they are still consuming him. Why? Why was she so overwhelmingly stuck in his head?
"Would you… come back to the shrine sometime? So that we can meet again?"
Barely, he opened his eyes again, staring to the planks of the ceiling above him. "Why did I agree to go? I wonder…"
He blinked several times, the weight of his eyelids feeling particularly heavy. Giving in, he finally let them fall shut. Succumbing to the visions of her once more, the dreams he had were taking shape. Vividly, she appeared to him. Clear as day. Lucid as reality.
Where was it? This place in this dream seemed so familiar. The grass covered field, riddled with bits of flowers and weeds beneath a sun filled sky. The kingdom walls seemingly far off, but no so much that you couldn't see them. Brittle, white walls… She blended with the wall as scenery. Seto watched as she walked further away from the walls, her hands behind her back and each stride slow. Her feet were bare, and her hair swayed as though the wind had caught the two of them.
His body shook as if he could feel the chills. The walked, fighting against the gentle winds. Her outfit wasn't like anything she had worn before. The color of tree bark, surprisingly short. A dress that hung just above her knees, and the sleeves were cut to reveal her shoulders. The sleeves were long, and tight where they reached her wrists. Her hair was braided back, a tiara of gold placed upon her head that the strands gently threaded through. In her hands, she held two flowers. They look as though they had been freshly picked. She was careful not to step on the flowers they walked passed.
When she leaned down to pick a third flower, Seto could see her lips were moving. He couldn't hear her voice, but knew that she was speaking to him. There was no one else around other than him. When her lips stopped, she gazed back at him. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to look deep into his core. The curve of a smile lit her. She spoke again, but the silence was all that filled the air.
The back splashed faded around the two. The world was flooded with black, as the two stood in the emptiness. A different outfit, one of pure white. Another gown, floor length, with roses lining the stitching, leading from her breast where her heart would beat, all the way down her hip and meeting the floor. Her hair was down, small braids done throughout. Though beautiful in every way, she held an expression of sorrow. Her eyes avert from him, as her lips tremble more silent words. His dream self reached his hand forward, placing it gently on her cheek. She closed her eyes and nuzzled the warmth of his palm, before reaching up, and pushing his hand away.
But even then, she still held onto his hand. She was shaking, and didn't want to let go. When she finally looked to his eyes, she faked a smile, and the world around them melted away yet again. When he turned to look around, she was gone from his view. He was surrounded by books and scrolls, over filled on numerous shelves and even spreading across the red floor beneath his feet. He turned again, looking behind the many shelves. Rounding a corner, she burst in front of him! As if his dream self had been shocked, he jumped back slightly, but never once reached for the sword at his hilt. This was the first he had noticed that he even carried one.
The woman laughed, brightly, waling out from behind the bookcase. She held in her hands a green covered book, pressed with an emblem he couldn't recognize. The book was thick with hundreds of pages. As she trotted up beside him, she opened the book and flipped through the pages that were scribbled on with words he couldn't read in his dream state. She ranted about whatever the story told within it, but still he couldn't hear her. When she turned her head to look up at him, her face had never been so close. The warmth of a blush reddened her face as she fumbled back a bit.
Awkwardly, he looked away from her, seemingly clearing his throat before turning back to her, and yet seeing another new scene. The library that had formed around him was gone. Alone, Kisara stood before the Dragon Statue of the Southern Shrine, just as she had when he first laid eyes upon her. Her back was to him. She wore the same dress that she had when she was giving her prayer that time. Quickly, she turned to face him. But… her eyes were brightly lit. Her skin was covered in glowing veins that would trace her like scales. She was shackled with dimly lit chains that seem to fade into nothingness within the shrine. They wrapped her wrists, her ankles, and even her neck.
For the first time since he fell asleep, he could finally hear her voice. "How long have you stood there?"
And that was enough to wake him from his sleep inhaling deep breaths, as if he hadn't been breathing during the rapidly changing dreams. He was broke out in sweat, his arm still lingering over his face. Catching his breath, he sat back up, wondering just how long her had slept. It couldn't have been that long, right? He swung his legs over the edge of his cot and pushed himself to a stand. He walked to his kitchen, and then to the front door. He opened it, greeted by the dawn of the morning twilight.
"There's no way that was a full night of sleep…" He said aloud.
He stepped back inside and closed the door behind him. His mind may have felt like it slept for nothing more than an hour at most, but his body felt rejuvenated for the first time in days. He used his thumb and forefinger to rub his eyes and the bridge of his nose as he walked forward to his table, grabbing a chair and taking a seat.
At least this way, he could start on his routine early… And still have time to visit her at the shrine without it getting too late in the day.
Apologies on it being forever since I uploaded. I kept wanting to add more to this chapter, but I feel it would be a better breaking point at where I ended this chapter with a better transition into the next one. I've got a lot of chapters already planned out for this story, and I'm not having as much trouble writing out this plot, like I currently am with "Her Sapphire Sky." (I'm sorry to everyone who is looking forward to HSS, but it may be a while before I upload the next chapter for it. I promise to try and get a chapter that I'm happy with to get up. Until then, I hope you all will enjoy "A Fractured History" in the mean time.)
I hope you're all enjoying the world I've imagined for Atlantis! There will be more world building to describe how the people live. I'd love to hear your feed backs and critiques on what you think! Progression is being made, and I can only hope you all will stick with me on this one. I'll do my best not to disappoint this time around.
K.B.A.