The entrance to the library looked like a box unfolding, with intricate floral inlays spreading from red double doors that had a sign that read “Welcome, weary traveler.”
Inside this humble place was an abundance of leveled bookcases, each shelf showcasing a decorative array of colorful titles and bindings. Polished, wooden floors seemed to shine as the sunlight spilled through the windows. The frames extended and wound like a mini labyrinth, designed in such a way as to obscure vision to the other areas, giving a sense of seclusion and privacy. It was there in that library that Merce, a young woman with blue eyes and her mahogany hair twisted into a bun and kept in place by various pins, wearing a cotton white shirt with an embroidered, black satin skirt, sat on a table with her legs wrapped around her friend, Copper. Copper was six feet tall, with his eyes closed and his fingers lightly digging into Merce’s body. She gently brought her lips against his, peeling his dress shirt from his body while he slipped his tongue into her mouth.
Copper stripped her naked and began tasting her body, trailing his tongue up her neck before biting her skin.
Merce cooed to his touch, clawing at his chest while undoing his belt.
They began to ravage each other’s bodies, giving into their inhibitions. Copper penetrated Merce and she moaned with abandon. Her back arched while she raked her nails down his back. Copper switched positions and gasped as she took control and straddled him, her hands running through his hair while she bit down on his bottom lip.
Time, and the surrounding world, dissolved.
The crystal ball on the middle of the counter depicted Merce and Copper having sex. The imagery fizzled and swirled inside the orb, like water running down a drain. When it disappeared completely, the crystal ball rang like a grandfather clock going off. Peering over the crystal ball were Siri and Lundon.
Siri sighed deeply, walking away from the crystal ball and having a seat at one of the many tables that occupied the inn.
Lundon brought a mug of steaming hot coffee to her lips, drinking it without taking any time to cool it down. She licked her lips clean and made her way to her partner.
“Sure you don’t want some coffee? I can easily whip up some more.”
Siri sunk into her chair. “I wish Merce stayed. Did she really think she could escape?”
Lundon pulled out a seat next to Siri. “I give the woman props for trying. It’s not like you and I are doing this because we want to.”
Siri looked away from Lundon, her eyes lost in thought, away in her own mind. “I… don’t think I can do this. I don’t think I can hunt down an old friend.”
“Merce knew what she was doing when she deserted us, and you know what’ll happen to you if you refuse.”
“I thought about running away too, but then I thought about what would happen to my parents. We aren’t close, but they’ve been through enough. I’d hate to add to their pain.”
Lundon took a deep sip from her mug, and she thought about her own life, how her life was better but also worse off for the decisions she had made. “What Merce fails to comprehend, is that you can jump off the burning boats all you like. None of that matters if the ocean is on fire.”
Tears welled in the corner of Siri’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. “I have never killed anyone before,” and she finally looked at Lundon. “Does it get any easier?”
“I hope it never does,”
Siri stood up and stretched her arms. “Oh maaaan. Can’t some hero just appear and change this world for the better? Is that too much to ask for?”
“Shouldn’t we strive to be our own heroes?”
“Cut the crap, please. Slaves can’t be heroes.”
Lundon reached out for Siri, but she shot her a glare that could cut through glass, and so Lundon lowered her hand, staring at her friend whose eyes festered with rage.
“Heroes stand up for what’s right. Heroes don’t kill their friends.”
“Heroes also know when to swallow their pride, and do what’s best for the people they love.” Siri gritted her teeth, her fingers twitching in frustration.
Lundon finished her drink. “Take some time to walk it off. When you’re ready, I’ll teleport you.”
Several hours later, gentle waves broke over black sand. A gargantuan, indigo-colored sphere floated in the sky, surrounded by the inky black canvas of space. Ewan stirred, awoken by the coldness of the water against his clothes, and his body. He looked around and saw an army of trees. Some of them had leaves like spades on a playing card, while others looked like miniature saw blades, but no matter the shape, each of them was as white as snow, and the wood was pitch black, like a night without stars.
Ewan turned his back and looked at the indigo orb in the sky and then he turned his attention to the rolling waves, and the gentle lake beyond. It reminded him of Fantasy, and he took a moment to soak in the reality that he was no longer home.
“Incredible,” and then he noticed something in the water, just beneath the sand. While the waves drew back, he walked up to pluck the object from the ground. It was a dagger with a black crossguard and a white handle.
He admired the blade and briefly considered how horrifying it would be for him if that blade were cursed, but he had faith in the stranger who had guided him.
She gave me a chance at life. She wouldn't be so cruel… at least, that’s what I’m going to tell myself.
“What are you looking at?”
Ewan’s heart skipped a beat and he spun around, his eyes frenzied and panicked, but when he saw the person who had called out for him, he felt a strange peace wash over him.
Before him stood a beautiful woman with snow-white skin, long flowing green hair, and green eyes, wearing a black, semi-transparent suit punctuated with heart patterns. A red short skirt with the sides cut covered her lower body.
His eyes lingered on her chest before snapping to her eyes.
I never thought I would run into one of them so soon…
“My apologies for startling you, good sir. I was only searching for a friend. I figured I’d look around in this area, and that’s when I saw you here, alone. I was curious as to what you were doing, and I absolutely mean you no harm.”
Ewan sighed in relief, but he kept his guard up, his eyes concentrated.
He took a moment to think about what to say. “Are you unable to use magic to find your friend?”
“If magic could solve all of my problems, I would’ve found her already.”
“I hope you find her soon,” and he extended his left hand, while his right hand wrapped around the knife. “My name is Ewan. It’s nice to meet you.”
Siri cupped her face with her left hand and stared at what Ewan was doing, “You extend your hand to me. What does this mean?
Ewan’s eyes lit up and he lowered his hand. “Don’t you do handshakes around here?”
“I have heard of this before, but I’m honestly not too keen on its significance.”
“It’s a way to greet people.”
“But we’re already talking, the greeting is over. Why is there a need for this handshake?”
Ewan pondered this for a moment. “You know I’ve never put much thought into but… it’s like a sign of goodwill?”
They shook hands, but Ewan noticed that her hand felt ice cold, like a corpse long dead. Part of him was unsettled, to have such coldness intertwined with such a warm and friendly face.
Ewan held the blade up. “You don’t see this?”
Siri tilted her head to the left. “You… aren’t holding anything.”
“What you’re telling me is very concerning,” he said.
“Maybe the blade you’re holding has a special enchantment or something like that. Would you be willing to let me have a look at it?”
Ewan hesitated, but he needed to and wanted to, trust Siri, so he gingerly grabbed the knife by its blade side and presented the wooden end to Siri. He used his free hand to point to where the hilt was.
Siri reached for the blade and wrapped her hand around the hilt, but immediately recoiled. “FUCK!”
Ewan dropped the blade and grabbed her hand. It looked like it had been burned, the flesh sizzling. He looked her in the eyes when he asked. “Fuck. Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t even consider something bad could happen,” and he let go of her hand, looking around, to the lake and the forest that loomed around them. “There’s gotta be like a hospital nearby.”
“That won't be necessary,” and she reached out for him, grabbing him by the shoulder and commanding his attention to her hand, which was already regenerating, the flesh stitching itself together before their very eyes. “Hey, so, I think it’s real cute that you care so much for a stranger, I really do, but you don’t need to get worked up over nothing.”
He looked at the knife and she looked in the general direction. Siri moved around Ewan and contemplated what had just happened.
“I’m thinking the damned thing might be cursed,” Ewan ended up saying.
“No, I don't think that’s the case at all. You, my friend, might have lucked out on finding a bonded weapon. You should count yourself incredibly lucky. Such weapons are truly a rare find. But if you want my free and friendly advice, I would advise against telling people too much about this weapon. If you talk to the wrong person, you’ll find yourself attracting their unwanted attention.”
Ewan lowered his body into the sand. He felt tired, and part of him could still feel the shock of dying in his lover's arms, and part of him still felt an emptiness over losing the life he had worked so hard to build. It left him feeling cold, colder than the night that enveloped the world around him, colder than the freezing water that touched his body.
Siri squatted beside him, and a gust of wind whooshed over them.
“How did your hand heal?”
She hovered over his face and gave him a warm and friendly smile. “Asking for secrets from a woman you just met. Aren’t you awfully bold?”
Ewan blushed slightly and rolled over, sitting up so that he could face Siri eye to eye, man to woman. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“I’m only teasing you. Ease up, but in all seriousness, I’m okay with telling you about myself, but I expect you to do the same.”
Ewan’s eyes darkened. “Yeah… that’s only fair. But before we get into that, is there anywhere we can eat around here? I’m getting a bit hungry.”
“I know of a good place we can hit up. It’s a bit on the pricey side though,”
“Oh… um… I, uh… I don’t have any money.”
“Oh you poor thing,” and she rose to her feet and placed her hands on her hips. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll spot you this time, but you’re responsible for the next meal.”
Ewan gazed up and appreciated her, the woman with green eyes and green hair, with the indigo-colored celestial light raining over her body like a spotlight on the stage. While her body was cold to the touch, he felt warmth when she was nearby, but part of him couldn’t relax around her. It was like a deep and primal part of him warned him about her, but he couldn’t figure out why he felt that way.
“Why are you helping me? You don’t even know me.”
Siri reached down and tousled his hair. “I like to help the less fortunate. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.”
Ewan blushed deeply, his face going almost completely red.
Siri took a moment to silently gloat over how she made him feel, before heading off to the deep and silent forest.
Ewan followed.
Nestled within a crystalline cavern was an inn built out of smooth, dark chocolate-colored wood, intricately enhanced with thin sheets of what looked like gold. A soft waterfall ran into a calm stream that led into a forest and descended into an immense lake.
On the inside, several tables of dark wood surrounded a rectangular bar, with each table accompanied by leather seats on either side. Oval-shaped crystals hovered in the air like chandeliers, their subtle, yellow light adding a touch of mysticism to the rustic establishment.
People with colorful hair and multi-colored eyes gravitated to the bar in the tavern, like moths to a flame. Others danced and exchanged partners like they did drinks and gossip, while the smell of decadent dishes filled the air.
Ewan and Siri sat at a corner table, which was shaped like a crescent moon. Siri admired the plate in front of her, a dark pudding beneath a cage of caramel, while Ewan sank his teeth into a burger. He delighted in the juices spilling in his mouth, the perfectly cooked medium rare that reminded him of the Bison burgers he’d cook for Iona, the sweet and spicy kick of the red condiment that reminded him of mustard, the leaves that gave off the crunch of lettuce, the purple fruit that had the tang of a tomato, and a bun toasted to perfection.
“This is probably the best burger I’ve ever had. Thank you so much.”
Siri stabbed her utensil through the caramel cage and plundered the pudding, happily devouring the dessert and moaning with pleasure. The taste melted away the worries in her life, if only for a moment.
“So, Ewan my man, tell me about yourself.”
“Sure, what would you like to know?”
“What do you do for a living?”
Ewan smiled, but it never reached his eyes. “I’m actually unemployed right now. I’ve taken a huge leap, and I’m sort of starting over from square one. Personally, I’d like to do something different from what I did before. I’m not exactly sure what I’ll be doing, but I’m hoping for the best.”
Siri stopped eating, and she focused completely on Ewan. “Did your old job not make you happy?”
Ewan looked at Siri as if she had stabbed him with a knife, twisted it while it was inside of him, and violently wrenched it out.
Siri frowned, and Ewan couldn’t bring himself to smile.
“It made me happy, but for all the wrong reasons. This time around, I would like to try things a little differently… What about you?”
Siri was caught off guard by his question. She turned away from him, past the people in the inn, towards the outside world and beyond.
Ewan could feel the air just around them change. It grew colder, like he was standing on the peaks of a mountain while it snowed.
“I absolutely detest my job. I hate what I do. I wake up every fucking day wishing things could be different, wishing I could be different, but that that day hasn’t come,”
“Why don’t you just leave?”
Siri glared at him, and Ewan felt his instincts tell him to run away, like he would die if he stayed any longer, but that was only a small part of him, an older part of him, a part of him from his past life. A large part of him reminded him of why he was here, so he shoved his instincts aside, and stared into Siri’s eyes, patiently awaiting her answer.
“I can’t just leave my occupation. I have my family to think of.”
“That makes sense to me. I think it can be really difficult to be in a situation where you want to leave, but doing so would cause more harm than good. If you’d like to get something off of your chest, I’m all ears.”
Siri looked at Ewan as if she were reading a book written in a different language. “I don’t wanna drag you down. My story is more on the depressing side,”
“If you ever change your mind, I’ll be willing to hear you out.”
Siri smiled, and the cold atmosphere melted away, like snow thawing in the warm sun. “I’ll keep that in mind, okay? Thank you.”
“Happy to help.”
“Well if that’s the case, why don’t you figure out how to make some etherian so you can pay me back for this delicious meal I bought you?”
Ewan smiled as he slumped back into his seat, “You got any suggestions for getting into the closest Adventurers' Guild?”
“You could just go to Cottonheart, and request a membership, but your best bet would be a recommendation, preferably from someone who already has a good rapport with them.”
Ewan looked at one of the servers walking around. She had a youthful, freckled face, with fire-red hair that dropped just above her shoulders and deep, auburn-colored eyes.
“I guess I can start by asking around…”
Siri looked at the woman with fire-red hair and then back to Ewan, and back to the woman and waved to her, getting her attention. The server strolled to the table, gracefully moving around the dancing patrons. She procured her pen and notepad, expectant of an order.
“My friend here is looking for a recommendation to The Adventurers' Guild. Could you help with that?”
The server inspected Ewan and crossed her arms. “Do you trust this man?”
Siri clasped her hands together and smiled sincerely enough. “I don’t know this man very well, but he seems okay to me.”
The server looked at Siri and then back to Ewan, nodding her head without smiling. “To be honest... I view most men as complete fucking idiots, but I’m thinking that if he’s here with you, then maybe he’s not so bad. I’m thinking to myself that maybe, just maybe there’s something special about him.”
She threw her arms behind her head and smiled at Siri. “After all, how else would a man of such meager appearance be with such an incredibly dashing woman such as yourself?”
I’ll remember this.
Siri leered at her. “That’s enough. My friend has done nothing to warrant your rude and callous behavior.”
The server glared back. “I don’t do apologies,” and then she directed her attention to Ewan and placed her arms on the table, leaning towards him. “But you are in luck, boy. I happen to have some work for you. Help me out with this, and I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you.”
Ewan smiled despite the woman's antagonism. She actually reminded him of when he had first met Ana, a woman who disliked him from the get-go, and who would later go on to be one of his closest friends. A woman who had even introduced him to the love of his life, and a woman who had also supported him through some hard times. Back in his old life, she had showered him with similar comments, back when they had first met, but none of it was due to what he had done to her. She was angry, angry at how she had been treated and what had happened to her. They had that in common, and Ewan wondered if it would be that way with this one too.
Somewhere, a live band started playing, and it was a pleasant surprise for Ewan to hear that violins existed in this world as well.
“So, what job do you have in mind?”
“I'd like you to go back to my place and watch over my old man,” and her eyes became kinder. “He hasn't been doing so well.”
“What's the situation?” She took a seat next to him and got real close. “My old man is a merchant, and for a while, he was working at Cottonheart. He came back to visit like he usually does, and he told me that recently he wasn’t feeling all that great. He attributed it to the stress from work, so he came back home to get some much-needed rest and relaxation,” she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, the fatigue washing over her. “But he keeps getting worse. We had doctors come in, but none of them were able to figure out what’s wrong.”
Siri moved her plate to the side and leaned in. “Have you tried farlung?”
The lights in the room dimmed and glass shattered in some other corner of the room.
“It wasn’t enough,” the server said. “They say magic can solve anything, any problem that comes our way. A convenient lie, I suppose. But anyway, I’d like to be there more for him. He finds comfort in company, even from strangers. He always hated being alone. That’s one of the reasons he became a merchant, to be surrounded and interact with people. But now that he’s back home, he’s alone again. I can’t always be there for him, which is why I’d like you to go to my place and keep him company. Even if there’s nothing we can do to stabilize his current condition, I know that the presence of another person will bring some peace to him.”
“Do you not have any friends or family—not saying that I don’t trust you to work, Ewan—but I’m just a bit curious as to the overall situation.”
The server looked a bit dejected. “I’m the only family he’s got, and all our friends are busy caring for their own or working.” She got up and pointed a finger at Ewan. “I normally wouldn’t leave the fate of my father in the hands of a stranger, but I’m low on options and your friend is recommending you.”
“I get it,” Ewan said. “Given the nature of your request, your caution is understandable. But with that aside, I’m happy to help.”
She smiled and placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. “Good. Feel free to head out once you’re done eating. By the way, your meal is on me. Consider this an investment in a prospective partnership.”
“What's your name by the way?” Ewan asked.
“Hilda,” she said. “And you would be?”
“Ewan,” he said.
“Well, Ewan. It's nice to meet you.”
“I'm Siri,” Siri said.
“Nice to meet you, Siri,” Hilda said happily. “I need to get back to work. When you're done, head north of here and then take the left road at the fork. It’ll lead you to my village. My house will be the first one to the left. No need to knock. If any of our neighbors get in your face, just tell them that Hilda von Ianthrya sent you. My old man's name is Clay, just in case.”
“I’m on it, boss.”
Hilda relaxed a bit. “I could get used to being called that,” but then her eyes flashed with hostility. “Also, and I think this goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway, if you bring any harm to my dad, I’ll hurt you.”
Ewan felt at ease from that comment. It made him like Hilda a bit more, “It’s good to care about your family.”
Hilda dropped her viciousness and warmed up to him with a smile, but she walked away without saying anything else.
Siri gave Ewan a friendly kick, but Ewan didn’t even flinch.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” “Look at you go. You got yourself employed, and you ended up being the one to pay for the bill. Value town.”
She never had an interaction with a handshake but she knows some slang colloquialism. Interesting... I wonder if she's met other people from Earth...
“Looks like I’ll be the one treating you out, next time around.”
Ewan looked at all of the dancing people, the way they maneuvered around the servers and tables as if they were on some predestined path. It made him remember all the restaurants he’d go to, once he was finally able to afford them. The simple joys of eating food always brought a smile to his face, and it was made even better when he was able to share it with the person he loved.
“I think it’s crazy that farlung didn’t work, don’t you?”
Ewan snapped back to reality, and Siri watched him become incredibly distant, as if he was seeing her and beyond her and into somewhere else entirely. It reminded her of how Lundon would describe her when she got into one of her moods.
“You’re not from here, are you?”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll tell you one day, but I don’t feel comfortable telling you right now.”
“Hey dude, from what I gathered, I’m probably the only person you can call a friend right now. I get wanting to be reserved, I get wanting to have your space, but it seems to me, and this is only my observation, but it’s almost like you have no grasp on the world around you. I’m willing to help you, but I’m not going to share much with you if you continue to be like this.”
“I want to trust you. I really do, and me being like this has nothing to do with you. I’m not only like this to protect myself. I’m doing this to protect you, too.”
Siri wanted to believe his words, but she was unsure if she could.
“You’re right,” he said. “I don’t have a good grasp on this world. There’s so much I need to figure out, but I’m afraid that if I fuck it up then it’ll bring disaster to the people around me.”
Siri reached out and grabbed his hands.
Ewan opened his mouth to say something but decided against it.
“I’m not entirely satisfied with your answer, but you say your words with a lot of conviction, so that’ll do for now.”
“Thank you. Siri… I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
Ewan tried to pull away, but Siri refused to let go. “I’m going to hold you to that. Never make a promise you can’t keep, especially to a woman.”
“A man is only as good as his actions,”
Siri let go, satisfied with what he said.
“You know I was having a pretty bad day,” Siri said. “I'm glad I met you. You helped me relax a bit. I—”
Ewan watched Siri enter a sort of trance. It looked as if she wasn’t even present in the room, like her mind was preoccupied elsewhere.
Siri stood up and smiled at Ewan, but it was more so like a person smiling through pain, through a deep sadness that made her heart turn cold, “Work is cutting our date short. What a bummer… but I’ll do you one more solid and walk you to Hilda’s village. But before we go, I want to make sure I have your contact information, so hand me your party card.”
Ewan looked at her as if she had spoken to him in another language.
“Damn, dude. You’re making this a little hard on me.” “I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine,” and she tousled his hair again. “But you should really look into getting one. When you’re done working for Hilda, I’d head to Cottonheart and get that A.S.A.P.”
“I’ll do that.”
“I tend to frequent that town myself, so I’m sure we’ll run into each other eventually.”
“Sounds like a plan,” and Ewan got up and stretched. He grabbed his knife, which was only invisible to Siri for some reason.
Siri pondered the invisible blade, her eyes pulsing with curiosity. “Let’s get going then.”
Ewan followed, thankful that he befriended an angel so quickly.