It is with great sadness that I write these lines, that I start this diary . For my mind is not to be trusted as I find my memories drifting away with such ease that I fear if I don't start recording what has happened it may be lost to time.
I suppose I should start from the beginning, but with my story that is rather complicated. I suspect this whole endeavor shall prove difficult to accomplish; I have never been one to enjoy the literary arts very much.
I shall start by leaving something very clear.
I have saved the world two times, and both, as of this writing, have not yet occurred. I have set the stage so that I can do as it will be required of myself. As lucidity strikes me I write, but in doing so I do it with hope, so maybe I've not regained the entirety of my mind this time.
But to let this happen I have first condemned my own world to darkness and death.
I find it hard to actually do forget that world. I hope whoever is reading this holds a place in their mind for it too, for if I end up failing it will soon be theirs too.
I hope I save us all.
Percy road in his horse with intent and a bit of worry. He had almost forgotten how Whitestone had looked before the ascension of Vecna.
He felt a bit of guilt enjoying himself this much. Being able to waltz in and not hurry in the face of imminent danger and the end of the world. But he had to remind himself once again that he could not hurry even if he so desired or tried, for time did not bend to his will.
"Well, it did once." He thought with a bit of amusement.
He could try to replicate the event one more time, but something in his gut told him it would never work. It had been a miracle that it had worked at all the first time, and he could not live of miracles. If he could, all this would not have been necessary. Percy had lost his faith long before he had lost everything else in his life, he would not regain it now.
And so, he lurked in his black horse, very slowly entering the streets of Whitestone, a rural almost hidden-of-the-world town, that hadn't yet reached its "golden" age. Estelle followed him from behind, her white horse prancing with happiness imitating her rider.
Percy had objected to her company, allegating that he knew the way and that the trip was too long to leave Uncle behind to take care of the farm on his own. None of this had convinced her otherwise, even though she had no reason at all to come with him, so he resigned himself to try not to be annoyed by her. This proved increasingly difficult with the days the journey took, but entering his hometown, all his tiredness and his worries banished without even a breath.
"I must say Vic, this place has its charm." The girl said beside him. "Didn't know you a small town boy too."
"Darling, there's a lot about me you don't know and will never..."
There it was. In the middle of the place, with a presence of its own that commanded one to look at it and be awed by its visage. The Sun tree stood tall and proud, its leaves fluttering in the evening wind, its reds and yellows being showered by the light of the Dawnfather up in the sky.
It stood right there and then, as if asking a question to Percy, as if commanding him to remember and realize.
Percy had already forgotten how the tree should look, how alive and full of energy the massive trunk looked while illuminated by the light of the god that had planted it. How full of hope and illusion its branches and leaves had been before. And the tree now had something else, a kind of strange memory.
While looking at it, Percy couldn't help himself but think of Kiki. He thought of her smile and her clumsiness, and her infectious innocence yet commanding power that backed up every claim and every thought that his best friend had ever said or done. There was a not-really-there resemblance between the tones and colours of the tree in this time of year, and the red-haired half elf that had once been proclaimed the leader of Vox Machina, that had achieved in her own right the title of Voice of the tempest.
Percy was smiling, something unusual as Estelle pointed out.
He would have stopped, if just to tease her enjoyment. But for once, he wasn't remembering with sorrow and anger, but with fondness and melancholy. And that was fine with him.
So they stood there for a while, just contemplating the beauty of the majestic tree.
"You have a cute dumbfounded face." Estelle said with her already characteristic smile.
They were both sitting at a little white stone bench right by the border of the forest. People seemed to move in their routines without a care in the world.
From here they could see the castle. It was the same yet different. As with everything else, everything seemed more alive. It also looked a little less worn.
"First of all, that's rude." He said looking at her with reproval.
She laughed and he smiled.
"Oh dear, it's just that I think I had forgotten that everything could be this… cheerful and full of life." He added.
"Was it not like this before?" She asked.
"No, there everything was dead and cloaked in shadows, and nobody dreamed, nobody dared have "happy" thoughts."
"Well, that doesn't sound like this place at all, Vic." Estelle answered looking away. "Dare I say this place is very beautiful and alive."
"For once, I agree with you." He gave in.
"Didn't you say you was from here?" She asked posing her eyes back on him once more.
"Yeah, as I've told you it is rather a complicated topic." He answered. "I'll explain it another day."
"So you've said every day since your arrival, if I didn't know you, I'd think you are avoiding the question."
"And as I've told you, darling, you don't know me and you are absolutely right in not trusting me."
"Well that doesn't give me much hope." She said while deflating.
"The greatest lessons one can learn come with the worst realizations, my dear." He answered. "And I am not avoiding the question, I'm merely avoiding the answer."
She started to complain but he didn't hear her, for a couple was walking in their direction.
Percy watched them for a minute. His pupils widened and he stood up abruptly, scaring Estelle into silence.
The couple kept walking, two imposing figures in the middle of the street, wearing formal attire. The man had a suit, not unlike the ones Percy had used while attending parties or other occasions like that. He had a white beard and short white hair with a struck of black. The lady in the other hand wore a half dress half shirt with the colours of the reining house. She was beautiful and their smiles were as happy as he had ever seen.
And they were his parents. They were maybe even younger than him, but he would have recognized them anywhere from a mile. He could see a bit of every one of his brothers and sisters in them. Cassandra was as much as her mother as he was like his father.
The resemblance was obvious for even Estelle seemed to notice, but decided against saying anything about it.
His parents were alive. He hadn't seen them in so so long. They were alive and well and happy and...
They passed by his side. His mother bowed her head and his father looked him in the eye.
"Good evening, my lord." He said.
Percy opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out.
He stared at them while they moved on.
"I'm your son." He thought to say but didn't.
"I love you." He moved his lips, but the words were not there.
"Do not trust the Briarwoods." His mouth said instead in a loud shout.
The couple turned around, exalted by the sudden noise. Percy did the same, not sure about what had happened to him.
"Excuse me, my lord? What was that?" His mother said trying to be very gentle.
"This is my chance, I can tell them, I can avoid everything, I can stop the dying. I have to do it." He thought.
He opened his mouth, prepared to erase one of the worst events in his life.
And then he stopped. His father looked to him with concerned eyes, his mother didn't betray her emotions and smiled while waiting. Whitestone kept on with its life.
This place would be destroyed and would become a shadow of what it was. Vecna would try to ascend in this world too. He couldn't change that, could he?
A sudden idea started to grow in his mind. He couldn't stop Vecna, but he could stop his underlings. He could stop Delilah and Sylas from ever getting to them. From ever getting to his family, from destroying his life.
Suddenly Percy felt as powerful as he had ever been. He would have to wait. He would have to plan an be patient, but he had already done it for 20 years, he could do it for however longer was needed. He would fix everything.
"Sir, is something wrong?" The voice of his father brought him back.
"Ehrm, n-no, no." Percy fumbled. "I'm sorry, my lord, have a good evening."
"We will." His father replied, grabbing his mother's arm again.
"You look great together, enjoy your evening." His mother said.
And then they were gone. And he was still there, with Estelle who obviously didn't know what just happened.
"Who was them?" Estelle asked.
"Nobody." Percy replied watching them go.
"They thought we were a couple too."
"Preposterous, I know."
She gave him a side eye, he felt it even though he didn't saw it.
"So... What now?"
"I need to do some research; I actually need to do a lot of things right now. We need to go." He said.
"But we just arrived and there is no hurry." Estelle answered.
And she was right, he realized.
"I need to go to Westruun... I may have to talk with the Margrave." Percy continued rambling out loud.
"Sure buddy, but first you will sit here with me and enjoy this beautiful day in this beautiful town." She said patting the empty space next to her. "What was it called again?"
"Whitestone." He said while taking back his seat and letting her distract him. "Have I ever told you why is it called that?"
"No, why?" She asked, the perfect intrigued public.
"Well, you see. You see the stones of the castle? How they almost seem to glow? That is a material known as..." He started, with a sufficed smile on his face.