Chapter 1: Life in Mithra
Elcrest and Lisette continued walking down the dirt path towards Mithra, the village Lisette promised to take him to. To distract himself, Elcrest began relaying the story she told him a while ago in the back of his mind. He began listing the inaccuracies of the story Lisette told him. It was suppose to be an accurate presentation of his journey centuries ago.
It's ironic that 'god' was worshiped by these people when in reality, they actually feared it. Its goal was to drive humanity into extinction and watch the survivors just so it can do it again when it needs to. I was not about punishing those who didn't believe in it. Elcrest went deeper into his thoughts. It wasn't a god to begin with either. It was a monstrosity that was created by the technolomies' death wish and now... His face scrunched up a bit. And now generations that came after were forced this curse upon themselves. They were to be slaughtered, again and again. He silently sighed and looked at Lisette who was walking in front of him as she lead the way, not noticing Elcrest's tense face. That's why the Celestial Qualia was created, why I am here...to combat it. His hand reached for the Water Qualia and clutched it. And... I failed to do that. Was the duty as the Conductor not enough?
Elcrest broke out of his thoughts as he began to notice a gate in the distance. A village was clearly laid beyond it.
"We're almost there!" Lisette said joyously, she picked up the pace of her walking, as well as Elcrest to keep with up her.
It wasn't long before they reached the entrance of the village. A woman was standing there looking at them. Lisette waved towards the women and the women replied in kind. Elcrest managed to get a good look at her as they got closer. The woman was the spitting image of Lisette. Like Lisette, she had red hair but a lighter shade. Her hair was more grown out than Lisette's. It reached the middle of her back, past her shoulders. She also had the same pair of emerald eyes.
"Hey, Mom! I'm back!" Lisette said.
"Welcome back, Lisette." The woman said. She peered behind her to see that she brought someone with her. "Oh, I see you brought a guest."
"Yup! I met him while I was out visiting the pond." Lissete answered.
"Oh, I see!" She smiled at her and Elcrest. "Well, I'm glad you made a new friend."
Somewhere, you can hear a certain story writer sweating loudly (yes, loudly) because they're wondering if they're doing these personality things and convos right and it makes them afraid.
"Well, I would like to properly introduce you to my new friend, Elcrest." Lisette gestured towards Elcrest who was standing behind her. "Elcrest, this is my mom, Rosa." She gestured towards the women in front her. Lisette stepped aside to let Elcrest and Rosa meet each other personally.
"Hello, Elcrest. It's a pleasure to meet you." Rosa said with a welcoming smile.
"Hello, Miss Rosa. It's so nice to be properly introduced to you." Elcrest tilted his head in gratitude.
"So what brings you to these parts?" Rosa asked.
"Lisette invited me to come eat with her in the village." Elcrest answered. He began to worry a bit that Lisette just invited him without letting her mom know, since he just only met her. Everything should go by parents so he asked for good measure. "Are you against this at all?"
"Not at all, any friends of Lisette's are welcome." Rosa warmly smiled.
"Alright," he said.
The trio went inside the village, and, much to Elcrest surprise, it was relatively small.
The village itself was a humble little town with humble folk. Here, you can see houses banded together in small bunches with roads. They were made of uneven mix of brick a dirt between them. All the small roads meet into the village center, an open area. Here, children played, and adults socialized.
Elcrest turned his head in different directions as he observed the town with Lisette and Rosa. The townspeople turned towards their direction to see the new guest they bought. Elcrest looked at them, and in turn they all smiled and/or waved. The children paid no mind to him. They were busy tossing a ball back and forth with each other.
The three stopped by a house that was near the middle of the village. Rosa reached for a flower pot that sat in front of the window and took out what looks like a key from it. She pushed the key into the lock and turned before grabbing the knob and opening the door. Inside, the room contained a fire place on the left side of the room with a couch on the opposite side. A bookshelf filled with both new and worn books stood at the back of the room and a doorway to the left of it. Elcrest took in his surroundings as they walked in, he spotted the couch and his legs started to ache for rest.
"Miss Rosa, may I please sit there?" Elcrest pointed to the couch.
"Oh, of course." Rosa said. "Please, take a seat if you must."
He let out a mental sigh of relief as he took a seat on the couch. He started stretching his legs and then relaxed them. It was nice to take a rest after the long trek from the forest to the village.
Rosa turned to Lisette and asked, "While I go to the village market for dinner preparations, can you keep your friend here company?"
Lissete nodded and with that, Rosa went out and closed the door. Lisette sat on the couch a few inches away and faced Elcrest.
"So what do you think of Mithra so far?" She asked.
Elcrest thought for a moment. "It's nice. The people here seem nice, and I'd say it's pretty humble town. Although..." He looked out towards the nearby window. He sees the children from earlier still playing with the ball. "What do you guys do for entertainment?"
"Well, what I do is either read stories to the kids every now and then or I stay in my room to either draw or read." Lisette replied. "Although, that's just my thing. Some of the people in the village hunt in the forest to sell wolf or deer meat to our local market. Sometimes personally to people, if they want them fresh."
She unknowingly got Elcrest's curiosity. "And since winter's coming up, some people volunteer to help collect wood for fire." Lisette then moved her head to look behind him. "And lastly, you could always grab a book off the shelf behind you if you want."
"Thanks for the suggestions, I'll actually read a book if I may." He said.
"Of course!" She smiled. "Feel free to take one from the shelf."
Elcrest knew what he was gonna be doing now until dinner. He stood up from his spot and walked over to the bookshelf. He grabbed a random one from the shelf and went back to the couch. He opened the book and flipped a few pages where the story started and began reading.
Feeling satisfied, Lisette got up from the couch. She began walking towards the doorway left of the bookshelf. She stopped and looked backed at Elcrest. "If you need anything, I'll be in my room."
"Mm," was the only thing he said before Lisette walked out of the room. Elcrest put the book down next to and began taking off his boots and set them beside the couch. Putting his feet up and laying on the couch, he began reading again.
Time skip to roughly 15 minutes later
There was a knock on the door. Elcrest closed the book and got up from the couch and went towards the door to open it. Rosa was back and she was carrying a wooden container. It had various vegetables sticking out from the top.
"Ah, lemme help with that." He reached out with his hands ready.
"Oh, why thank you Elcrest." She gave the container to Elcrest as he began to get a firm hold on it.
He pulled back and held the somewhat hefty weighted container by himself. "So, where do you want me to put this?"
"The kitchen would be fine. I'll show the way." she said.
Elcrest set the vegetables down on a nearby counter. He looked around the kitchen and saw things new and old that were not from his time. The sink was the first thing he noticed. It was simply a pipe with a small valve attached to it that came up from the counter. It curved downward to a bowl-like structure on the counter. He looked at the oven which was a somewhat small metal container sat on the far side of the kitchen against the wall. It had a small door that contained wood inside and the oven itself had a flat, smooth looking top. A large steel pipe jutting out of the back that went up through the ceiling.
What is that? He asked himself. I guess 1000 certainly made unusual advances...
Interrupted from his fascination, he heard Rosa asking him for something. "Can you go get Lisette for me while I start up the oven?"
"Of course." he said
Elcrest walked out of the kitchen and through the main hallway of the house. He passed by a room that is presumed to be Rosa's room. Continuing on, he walked up a small climb of stairs that lead to Lisette's room. He knocked on the door a few times.
"Come in!" Lisette said.
Elcrest opened the door and stuck his head in. Lisette's room wasn't anything special. It had a bed that was placed by the window where it had a good view of the town. Next to it, a wooden nightstand with one drawer stood with an unlit candle on top. Towards the other side of the small room where Lisette was sitting was desk. The desk itself contains various writing utensils littered on it and a cup that held more inside. Another candle rested opposite to the cup of utensils.
Lisette looked up from her desk. "What do you need?"
Elcrest opened the door all the way stood in the doorway. "Your mom told me to come get you, I presume she needs your help to make dinner..."
She got stood up from her chair. "Okay, i'll be there in a sec."
She began picking up the littered utensils on her desk and put them back into the cup. Elcrest let her through the doorway as she walked downstairs to the kitchen as he followed after her.
Time skip to roughly 1-2 hours, it's in the evening and dusk draws near
Elcrest placed the empty bowl down after drinking the vegetable soup Rosa had made. With a full stomach and satisfaction, he felt the warm sensation of his soup overtake him. He slouched a bit in his chair.
"That soup was delicious Rosa." Elcrest commented. "Thank you for letting me stay for dinner."
"The pleasure is mine." She smiled. "I'm glad my cooking was good."
Lisette just then set her bowl down and swallowed before speaking up "Well now it's time for dessert!"
She got up and went over to one of the cabinets and took out a plate with a glass top. Inside was what looked liked what a cake with several strawberries on top. Although, the cake itself was rather unusual in color.
Is that cake...purple? Elcrest thought to himself as he looked at Lisette's bizarre dessert.
"I made this cake yesterday when I had the ingredients to make it, I wanted to have today after dinner so..." She held the plate holding it a little higher. "Let's eat!"
Lisette grabbed a knive from one of the nearby drawers and began cutting the cake into eight slices. She brought it over to the table and set it down between the three of them and began serving the slices.
"For you, Elcrest." She passed a slice to him.
"Thank you." He took the plate but hesitantly looked at it for he was not sure if purple was even a natural color for cake to have. He waited for the other two get their slices.
"One for you, Mom." She passed a slice to Rosa.
"Thank you, Lisette." She took the slice and started to eat.
"And one for me!" She said excitingly, she sat down with a slice and begun eating.
Elcrest sat there in silence, looking at the slice with worry. He wasn't sure if he should eat it. Lisette looked up to notice he wasn't eating.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "Too full to eat?"
"No, that's not it...it's just..." He trailed off. "Why does the cake purple? Is it even safe to eat?"
With sudden realization Lisette spoke almost immediately. "Oh I forgot!" She explained, "For some reason, every time I cook something, it tends to turn purple for whatever might be the case... I try to cook exactly how my mom says to do it, but no matter what... It always turns out like this." Lisette frowned.
Rosa tried to comfort her. "It's okay, even though it looks a bit bizarre to look at. It's still okay to eat regardless."
"If you safe so..." Elcrest said worryingly, he grabbed his fork and took a piece off then put it in his mouth. Expecting for it to taste something other than actual cake, the sweetness and fluffy texture was what threw him off.
"How is it?" Lisette asked.
Elcrest swallowed his piece and spoke up. "It's really sweet and soft. Honestly, I didn't know what I expected, it tastes delicious." He started eating the cake this time and enjoyed it with every bite.
"Aww, that's sweet of you." she said.
Lisette felt better and went back to eating the last of her slice before grabbing another piece. Elcrest just now finished his slice and looked up only to see Lisette go at the said slice. To Elcrest's bewilderment, the slice itself was a bit bigger than the last slice than the last one she ate. I guess she really loves cake... He thought. Lisette noticed him staring at her questionably and reddened with embarrassment. She stopped eating and pushed the cake slice away from her.
"Um, I think I had enough for awhile." she said nervously.
Rosa finished her slice and set her plate into the sink and looked out the window. "Oh my, it's gotten rather dark hasn't it?" The sun was barely at the horizon as only a small sliver of it was visible and everyone in the village has gone inside. "Elcrest, are you sure you want to go home this late? If you want you could stay here for the night at least."
"Oh no, I don't...think I...should..." Elcrest felt hesitant to accept as he did stay here for most the day. Staying here any longer would feel like he was prolonging his stay.
"It's alright if you stay here for the night." She warmly smiles. "You can share a bed with Lisette."
Elcrest felt awkward that he's sharing a bed, especially with someone he just met today. "Uh, I can just take the couch if you want me to..." Elcrest said uneasily.
"Oh, I insist." Rosa said. "Lisette won't bite, and I'm sure she wouldn't mind sharing a bed."
"M-Mom!" Lisette pouted, her cheeks started turning pink.
"I was only joking." Rosa chuckled. "But really, you should share a bed with him as it's only for one night. Sleeping on the couch would be bad for your back and neck."
"Alright, if you say so..." Elcrest felt unsure.
"Well, I think i'll be turning in for the night." Rosa yawned and walked out of the kitchen. "Good night, you two."
A sound of door opening and closing was the last thing they heard. The two stood in awkward silence looking at each other.
"Just give me a blanket, and I'll sleep on the couch." Elcrest said.
"No, it's okay. I don't mind sharing a bed." Lisette sighed. "I just find it weird that I'm sharing a bed with someone, especially when I just met you today."
"Is that a yes or...?" Elcrest asked.
"It's a yes, silly." Lisette laughed a bit. "C'mon, let's go to my room. Don't want to disrupt my mom's sleep."
Elcrest nodded and followed her to her room.
Walking in to Lisette's room, he noticed the drawing Lisette was working on the desk. He decided to take a quick look at it. The drawing wasn't completely done, but he still managed to figure out what she was planning to draw.
The figure had a hat that witches would wea-wait, isn't that... a witch! Elcrest eyes widened a bit as he thought to himself abruptly. And more importantly, she kinda looks like... He looked at the picture again and this time, he was able to remember who he was thinking of. Hilda! Out of all things I forgot while I was asleep, it was her that I forgot... Elcrest clenched his teeth. I know she's still alive. I know she's been waiting for me to come back. She said it herself that she would be here for me when I woke up. But where is she?
Elcrest was snapped out of his thoughts by Lisette. "I see you're taking interest in my drawing."
Elcrest turned around to face Lisette. "Uh yes, it's a good drawing..." he trailed off. "So what's it of?"
"It's a witch for a story I'll be telling the kids in a few days.' Lisette said. "It's about the mystery behind witches and how they use song for magic."
Elcrest nodded. "Ah, I see. Well, good luck with the drawing."
"Thanks." Lisette yawned and got into the bed and went to the side that was closest to the window. She turned around in the bed and looked at Elcrest. "Aren't you sleepy too?"
"Uh, yeah." he said.
He lifted one of his bare feet and studied the well-worn calluses. He let out a shaky breath and crawled into the bed. He kept a fair distance from Lisette, giving her most of the bed and facing away from her. It wasn't because he didn't like her but more out of respect for having to sleep in the same bed as her. Worrying about finding Hilda, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
"Hey, Elcrest." Lisette broke the silence. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure..." He stayed unmoved from his spot at the edge of the bed.
"You don't have a home, do you?" Lisette asked. Elcrest's heart skipped a beat.
"I was afraid you might've asked..." Elcrest shifted in his spot.
"Well what kind of person lays in pond unconscious? That isn't exactly a home you know." Lisette joked.
"I suppose you're right" Elcrest let out small chuckle. "Though, I'll have to find a place soon without any complications..."
"You know, can always stay here with us..." Lisette spoke again. "I mean, if you want to stay here and live with us that is..."
Elcrest had to process that in his head twice before realizing what she said. "Wait, what?"
"Yeah, you can live with us. My mom has a room where it's just a place we put some junk in there." She turned to look at him. "We can clean it up and have it as your room..."
Elcrest thought about her offer to let him stay here and live with them. Well, I guess I can stay. I mean, I have to start my search for Hilda soon. I suppose staying here wouldn't hurt since she offered but I'm...unsure.
Elcrest rolled over in his spot to face Lisette. "I suppose I'll take you're offer. Although, what would your mom think?"
"It's not that hard to convince her." Lisette pointed out. "She loves people, and it's been quiet lonely with just me and her."
"Oh, I see."
"Well, I'll be going to sleep." She said. "Goodnight."
She turned again then closed her eyes and went to sleep.
Elcrest laid there in silence as he relayed what she said to him. He got to have a home and Lisette and her mother were kind to him and offered their hospitality to him. It was only right that he stayed and find a way to pay them back for what they did for him. He shifted closer, away from the edge and closer to Lisette.
"Goodnight, Lisette." He closed his eyes again and let the spell of sleep overtake him, finding it easier sleep now.
"Goodnight, Elcrest." was the last thing he heard as he fell asleep.
The only noise you could hear was him and Lisette snoring. An unfamilar hum came from the qualia on Elcrest's chest. It slowly crept towards Lisette, just barely touching her.
Elcrest was the first one to wake up to the morning sun. He got up and rubbed his eyes and started stretching afterwards. About to leave the bed, he noticed the Water Qualia giving off a low hum and dim glow. Not knowing what to do, he got off the bed and suddenly, he didn't hear the hum anymore. He looked at it again and the glow on it was gone. Curiously, he walked backed to the bed closer to Lisette and the qualia glowed again. He took off the qualia and held it in his hand as he brought it closer to Lisette. The hum was easier to hear and the glow brightened.
It seems the Water Qualia had found its candidate... He thought. Strange to think it was the first person I met after a one thousand years.
He grabbed the qualia by its string. With care, put it around Lisette's neck hoping she wouldn't wake up. He managed to put it on her before putting his boots back on and walking downstairs and outside the house. He decided to take a morning stroll around the village to familiarize himself with the place. If he was gonna stay here, he might as well soak in his surroundings and know where everything is.
After walking about the village, he decided to walk home but heard something in a distance. He stopped in his tracks and listen carefully of what the source might be and where it was.
Someone is...singing? He thought. But where is it coming from?
He looked around, continuing to pay attention to where the singing might come from. He walked around the village, wondering if he was getting closer or farther. After a while, he stopped by one of the village entrances.
So it's where I came from, huh? With determination, he began running through the trail and into the woods. Whoever this witch is, maybe they can help me. He thought as he continued dashing through the woods.
Elcrest finally arrived at the pond where the source of the singing was. He stopped at the shore and looked across the lake where the witch sung on top of a tree. He looked at the figure to try to determine who she was. The figure was wearing a black, pointed cap that had what looked like a silver crown surrounding the base. The hat's rim was wide enough to cover the singer's face. On her arms, she wore purple and white gauntlets and on her legs, she wore greaves that were the same color scheme. The rest of her attire was bizarre at first glance. It looked like she wasn't wearing anything. Though, if you look carefully, you can see her wearing beige leggings and gloves. She also wore a shirt of the same color hugged by a black coat with trails and purple frills.
It's...it's her! Elcrest ran around the pond towards the tree where the witch sat.
"Hilda!" He called out, stopping a few feet away from the tree.
The witch, Hilda, stopped singing and looked around to find the person who called her name. Looking down, she noticed a boy running to her from around the small lake. Sighing, she stood up from her spot and slowly climbed down the base of the tree. Finding a suitable height, she let go of the bark and dropped down. Elcrest had finally made it to where she was and stood. He took a few breaths before regaining his composure.
"Who are you?" Hilda asked. She stared with a bored look which remained unchanged as she waited for him to answer.
"I suppose it's been too long for you to recognize me right away..." He felt a little disheartened but half of him expected that kind of response from her. He was in a deep sleep for about a thousand years. It wasn't exactly the perfect scenario to just get recognized right away by her.
"Hence why I asked." She said. "So I ask again, who are you?"
No point in being cryptic about it. He thought. He didn't have time to give her subtle hints. He needed to act now or else she would most likely leave, and this may be his last chance to actually get help.
"I'm...Elcrest..." He said hesitantly.
"W-wait, what?"
Now he had the Time Witch's full attention. Hilda looked at him with widened eyes with a mix of interest and shock that he just now admitted himself who he was. And out of nowhere, no less. Questions began to fill and run free within her head. Most of them started with "how" and "why" with the occasional "when". She didn't know how to deal with this. She didn't how to think of this. One moment she was singing to herself and now this boy comes over to her almost out of nowhere and says he's Elcrest? Stranger things had happen to her but this? This is something she can't comprehend. Can she believe that it's really him?
She regained her composure and spoke again. "What makes you so sure?"
She wanted to deny it was him as he didn't exactly have any proof he was the supposed hero. Though, for some reason, the more she looked at him, the more she wanted to push that denial back.
"I don't exactly have any proof..." He trailed off. Hilda's interest dropped immensely. Feeling annoyed, she walked off into the woods.
"Where are you going?" Elcrest asked.
Hilda turned around. "If don't have any proof, then I'm not wasting my time here." She paused for a moment. "Though, promise me you will leave whatever village you live in."
Elcrest was confused. "Wait, why would I-."
"Goodbye." Hilda cut off. She turned again and walked in the opposite direction.
As she walked away from him, she kept a mental note to keep a close eye on him. She wasn't sure herself why she would but she had a feeling that she should.
Elcrest was loss at words. He didn't know what to say next. He didn't exactly know what proof he can show he was. All he knows is that Hilda didn't believe he was, only asking him to make a promise to her.
Promise. Why does that word stand out? He asked himself. Promise...
"Hilda, wait!" He ran towards the direction she took and tried to catch up to her.
"If you have something to say, say it now." She sighed, turning around to face him again. "I have things to attend to."
"A promise." He said. "You made a promise to me..."
"Yes, wasn't it the promise to leave your village?" she said.
"No, it's not that." he said. "It's another promise."
"Oh?" She paid a bit more attention to him now. "What could that promise be?"
"I don't know it by heart..." He started. "But I do know you promised me that when I was asleep, you promise to keep this world safe until I came back."
He slowly walked toward her. Hilda suddenly found it hard to stand. Her knees felt week at his response and found it hard to hold a few rain drops from falling. She hid her face by lowering her hat.
"N-no.." She stuttered. "Y-you're lying." She wanted to believe. She wanted to believe it was him. As much as she tried yet, something held her back.
"I am not." Elcrest answered. "I'm the person you've been waiting for." He spoke louder. "I'm the person who has been asleep for one thousand years! And most of all..." He lifted the witch's hat, greeted by a saddened expression with tears filling her eyes. "You've waited all these years...just for me..."
Hilda couldn't take it anymore. She lurched forward to embrace him. At first, what were whimpers turned into crying. She let her tears flow free, letting out every emotion she had. When was the last time she felt something like this? When did ever felt this happy? Living for this long, all she felt was determination. In the moment, it didn't matter. She didn't care. She just wanted to have this feeling while it lasted.
Elcrest returned the embrace and comforted her. After centuries of separation, the pair has finally reunited once again.