"Ughhh..."

The pale light of the moon shone through the window of his bedroom. He knew he had to sleep, but the thoughts in his head stood strong, guarding the dreams from grabbing his consciousness. Each time Isaac closed his eyes, he saw Elyse, and the face she carried when she and her husband had returned home. He didn't know what face Kit had worn, but the way he had slowly walked past his wife and opened the door wordlessly made Isaac sure he was in a similar state of mind. Something had clearly happened, and Isaac wanted to know what. He had started to get friendly with this family who had taken him in so warmly, and seeing them the way they had been this evening had wanted him to repay their kindness by doing what he could to make them smile again. Thus, he was awake, thinking of what might've happened, and what he could do.

After another thirty minutes of not coming up with anything, Isaac lifted himself from his bed and put on some nightwear. He reached for the door to his bedroom, and stepped outside, heading for the house's entrance.

The second floor was unlit, but Isaac could see surprisingly well in the dark, enough to see where things were if he focused hard enough. He reached for the stairs down to the ground floor, and once he reached it, he saw the moon once again, brightening up the lower steps. He stepped down to the first floor and saw the door to the outside in front of him. The house was eerily empty, so Isaac figured everyone had fallen asleep. He opened the front door and stepped barefoot outside.

It really was a beautiful night. The wind was calm, and the big full moon made the whole farm glow in its blue radience. Isaac looked at the sky, and not a single cloud was visible. The heavens were filled with stars, glittering across the dark blue velvet of night.

Night skies were never this beautiful back in North Dale. I guess it's the lack of light pollution. Was it Jaden who told me about that? They were always interested in science and physics and all that.

Isaac still remembered his old life, but the memories felt strangely far away, like it had all been one long dream. Some details had been lost, and he wasn't sure if his mind had started discarding them as he had spent time in this new world. Isaac wondered if the divines of this world had something to do with that fact.

I remember watching a movie once about someone waking up with memories of a different world. In that movie, it turned out that the protagonist had been created and implanted with false memories that never actually happened. Yeesh, I don't even want to think about that possibility in my case. No. I know my old life was real, I just know it.

Finally taking his eyes off the night sky, Isaac looked forward. In the distance, fields of lumitra stretched far, and beyond, he could see hills of grass. Apparently, there was a town in that direction, but it was too far away to be seen. The farm really seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Looking further down, something else caught his attention: a figure. Isaac recognized who it was. Her mournful face was still fresh in his mind, and the feeling it had given him was still causing him discomfort.

Elyse was leaning on the fence separating the farmstead from the farmland, looking outwards towards the fields and night sky. Her face was not visible, and Isaac could see her long hair flowing down, ending at her waist. She was wearing a white nightgown, and was standing barefoot on the short grass.

How long has she been standing there? Since she came home?

Isaac slowly walked up next to Elyse and leaned on the fence like she was. He looked at her, but she didn't even seem to have realized he was there, or if she had, she did not seem to acknowledge his presence. Her expression was empty, looking out in the distance at nothing in particular. The streaks of dried tears were no longer visible, but the look of pain still lingered on her. Her breathing was shaky, as if she was holding back new tears from escaping.

Man, what should I say? Is she cold? Maybe I'll find her a blanket or something to warm her...

"The night sky is beautiful, huh?"

"Yes... It's very... pretty..."

So she did know I was here. That flatness in her voice, though...

"I wanted to err... Apologize for earlier today."

"Hm?"

Elyse didn't turn her head, only her eyes moved to meet Isaac's gaze expectantly.

"The rainbow... Emryn told me she saw it, and I know you had to cover for me. I'm sorry."

With Isaac's elaboration, Elyse moved her eyes back and looked outwards again.

"Oh, that. No harm done, I suppose."

"It won't happen again, I promise I'll be more careful about using my powers in the future."

"I see."

Her dismissive tone only continued, and Isaac felt his will weakening. Still, he wanted to try and aid with whatever was troubling her. He decided to be direct and get to the reason why he approached her.

"Look, Elyse, I don't know what happened today, but if there's anything I can do to help, I want to do my best."

Isaac's words came out as sincerely as he could make them, and finally, Elyse's body reacted. Her shoulders sank, and her head drooped. She sighed, and then turned to him with sad glistening eyes.

"Isaac, I would just like to be alone right now. Could you please leave?"

Isaac could see dark circles under her eyes. Her gaze was weak and unfocused and her hair was unkempt. He wasn't particularly close with her, but seeing her like this still pained him. He felt like insisting on staying with her would only make her frustrated, so he nodded and turned.

"Oh... yeah, of course..."

Wordlessly, she turned back to the fence once more and gazed outward. Isaac started walking back to the house. As the distance between him and Elyse grew, he could hear sobs coming from behind him.

Stepping back out of the house a few minutes later, Isaac noticed the sobs were replaced with sniffles. He approached Elyse and covered her in the closest thing to a blanket he could find.

"You looked cold, so I wanted to at least give you something to warm yourself with. I can check in with you again tomorrow."

With that, Isaac turned once again to leave. He walked a few steps before he was stopped by Elyse's voice.

"Isaac, wait."

He turned around and saw her looking at him. She sniffled and wiped a tear off her right eye.

"I appreciate that you are trying to help, but..."

Isaac walked up to her, patiently awaiting her next words. However, those words never came. Instead, she just stood quiet, looking at the grass by her feet. Eventually, she looked up at him, still sniffling.

"There are things about our family I don't want to expose you to... You don't deserve that burden..."

Isaac nodded in understanding. He knew they had been keeping things from him, but that didn't matter. The fact was that they had taken him in and given him a place without hesitation. They had shared their bread, given him work, and educated him about the world. Isaac did not want that hospitality to go unpaid.

"Even so, I want to help if I can."

Elyse's lips moved, curling upwards. It wasn't exactly a smile, but maybe a look of relief.

"If you're sincere, I might take you up on that offer."

Then, she looked down at the grass once again. Her moment of ease had already disappeared.

Crap, what do I do now?

Isaac walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. It was a bit awkward, but Elyse didn't seem to mind it. Her breathing was heavy, and she quietly uttered:

"I just felt so isolated... Kit has never been good with emotions, and usually just ends up quiet when something challenges his mood... That's why I went outside, to think by myself and not feel ignored."

So my assessment earlier was wrong. Kit wasn't in a similar state as Elyse, he just didn't know what to do and left her be. What the hell, man? More importantly, how do I respond to that? Hmm... What would Jaden say?

"Well, whatever you're going through, I won't disregard you. Even if it's just staying up with you while you stand out here. I'm here for you."

Elyse looked up at him but didn't say anything. Her eyes indicated she was surprised. Was she processing what he said?

That came out weird. What if she misunderstood what I meant? I should probably rephrase.

"Uhm... What I mean to say is that I-"

Before he could continue, Elyse cut him off. Her tone was surprisingly calm, and the look of relief came back again.

"Thank you, Isaac. That means a lot to me."

She put her hand around him and embraced him. Isaac didn't really know what to do, so he just stood there, frozen.

After a few seconds, she let go of him. Her relieved face lingered, and she took a big breath and exhaled. It seemed she had made up her mind about something, and before Isaac could ask, she spoke up again.

"I need to stay strong, for Emryn. If you don't mind keeping me company in times like these, I think I can do that."

"Well, everything is easier if you have someone to lean on. I don't mind."

She nodded to him, and once again turned around, looking outwards into the distance.

"You are right, by the way."

"Huh? About what?"

"The night sky is beautiful in this part of the country. I grew up in a kingdom to the north, so when Kit brought me here, it was the first thing I noticed. I guess I've been taking it for granted all these years though..."

Really? I didn't know she was from another country.

It seemed like Elyse wanted to change the subject, so Isaac obliged. He asked her about the kingdom she grew up in, and she started telling him her story:

"I used to be a priestess in a temple to Othrys in the city I was born in. I never knew my parents. Apparently, they left me outside the temple after I had been born. The priests took me in and raised me to be a priestess. It's not an uncommon thing in the kingdom, so I grew up with a lot of siblings at the temple."

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"Really? When did you decide to leave the temple?"

"At the age of fifteen, I went on a pilgrimage to the holy kingdom of Otressia in the south. It has the largest temple to Othrys in the world, and I wanted to see it. However, on my way there, I encountered a certain young farmer who was trying to sell lumitra plants. I had never seen that vegetable before, so I bought one. Naturally, it didn't taste all that good, so the farm boy laughed at my expression. Long story short, I fell in love with him and canceled my pilgrimage to elope with him. That was over twenty years ago, and I've been staying here on our farm ever since."

As she was telling her story, her sadness seemed to fade more and more, as her mind was filled with happy memories she seemed to have neglected over the years.

"Do you ever miss the city life?" Isaac asked her.

She chuckled at his question, and answered almost immediately:

"Gods no! The quiet farm life is all I ever wanted. Here I can live exactly how I want, and I'm lucky enough to have a husband and daughter to keep me company..."

Elyse went quiet after she had said that last sentence and her smile disappeared. her head drooped, and she looked down in silence.

"Um... Elyse?"

She turned her head and looked at him. Her eyes were serious, and her voice was calm.

"Isaac? Can I ask something of you?"

"Sure, anything!"

She looked down for a moment, as if she was second-guessing whether or not to ask him. However, she made up her mind and looked back up at him.

"Please protect my daughter. Protect Emryn."

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A few days passed. Today was Sun's day, the last day of the week. Isaac was standing outside, looking into the distance. His focus: the road leading to the town. According to Kit, there would be someone traveling along that road today, and the family would be receiving visitors. These would be the first people Isaac met other than these three.

Looking to his right, he saw Elyse's face. She too was staring out into the distance.

She seems to be doing a little better. That's good.

After their talk the other night, Elyse had tried to put on her brave face for her daughter's sake. Some nights, however, Isaac still found her standing outside, staring out in the distance for seemingly no reason in particular.

Looking past her stood her husband. The stark differences in their expression and behavior were apparent.

As cheerful as ever, huh? Whatever Elyse is going through, it's like it's not bothering him at all. He is aware his wife is in some sort of constant distress, right?

Isaac made a mental sigh.

No, I know he's aware. For all I know, he could just be processing the same situation too. He just has a different way of going about it.

Suddenly, Isaac felt something barely grazing him. The sensation caught his attention, but disappeared again before he had a chance to react to it. Looking, he saw Emryn's gaze pinned to where he had just felt something touching the back of his hand. Then, she slowly reached out to it, but before she could reach it, she looked up and realized she had been spotted. Instantly, she retracted her hand once again and looked away.

Though she tried to hide her face, Isaac could see it was turning as red as a tomato. He couldn't help himself, and reached out to her, his lips curling upwards.

"You want to hold my hand, Emryn?"

She looked up, her eyes turning wide. She didn't say anything, but nodded eagerly and grabbed it. As she did, Isaac smiled at her, and she beamed back. She looked past him. The redness in her face returned, and she looked away, back at the horizon. Isaac rotated his head and saw the parents looking at the two of them with an 'aww' expression on their faces. Especially Elyse seemed pleased by the sight she saw. Now it was Isaac's face that was turning red, and he too averted his gaze while scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

Suddenly, he heard Emryn calling out.

"Look! There it is!"

Isaac and the parents reflexively looked at her and saw that she was pointing at the road in the distance. Turning their gaze to follow hers, they saw two horses appearing on the horizon, drawing a large and magnificent carriage. Isaac couldn't see it all too well yet, but it seemed to be painted purple, with trimmings sparkling as if they were made of pure gold. Behind, multiple horse-drawn wagons appeared. These wagons looked more ordinary, which only made the one in front stand out even more. From his right, Isaac could hear Kit muttering to himself:

"I swear, every time he comes here his wagon gets more and more over the top. When I met the man, his carriage was just as shabby as the carts behind it."

"I guess one needs to look the part when doing business. That's probably why he spends so much on the carriage's appearance."

The big man turned and looked at the one who had answered him.

"Hm? You think so, Isaac?"

He pondered the boy's hypothesis, before looking back at him.

"Hmmm... Yes, now that you mention it, that does make sense."

"What an interesting way to look at it. I guess that's why the temples are so highly decorated as well. Were your parents merchants by chance, Isaac?"

"No, Elyse, nothing like that. I just thought logically. If you want to trade with someone wealthy, isn't it best if they see you as an equal? That way it's easier to get a fair trade. If you show people you're a wealthy merchant, other merchants will want to do trade with you."

"I see. Well, you do make a good point. It's like when I was working in the temple, and had to wear certain clothing so people would recognize me as a priestess."

I guess that's sort of similar. It's like they say, dress the part.

"In any case, that was just my hypothesis. It could also be that this merchant just likes to show off his wealth by spending his money on expensive décor."

As their conversation was going on, Isaac felt his left arm being jolted up and down in an almost rhythmic motion. When he looked, he saw that Emryn was jumping up and down, completely ecstatic from seeing the excessively ornate carriage.

Oh, right. I guess she did want to go to the town in hopes of seeing something shiny. Instead, the 'something shiny' came to her.

"Are you having fun, Emryn?"

At the mention of her name, her bouncing stopped, and her eyes looked back at Isaac. Once more, her overly dramatic embarrassment caused her to freeze and let go of his hand so she could cover her face. Isaac, Kit, and Elyse all chuckled.

----------------------------------------

"Greetings! My name is Mykal. A pleasure to make your acquaintance young sir."

A short man now stood in front of Isaac. His hands were folded together, and he had given a small nod in greeting. Isaac nodded back and turn.

"I'm Isaac. Likewise."

He studied the short merchant. Compared to the carriage he rode, his clothes were surprisingly tame. The only thing of note other than the overall good quality of the fabric was an ornate small brooch fastened to the navy blue capelet the man wore. He was so short that at first, Isaac thought he might've been a dwarf. But then, he remembered that Kit had said he had never seen one, and scratched that idea from his head.

Oh well, I guess what he lacks in height he makes up for with his charisma. How else would he be able to amass such wealth? You go, short king.

"I must say, I didn't know Kit and Elyse had another child."

"Oh, I'm not actually their child. I woke up by the edge of the forest without most of my memories and they took me in."

At this, Mykal lifted a hand to his lip and started stroking his mustache with a dubious expression.

"A lost child you say. Very interesting..."

The way he answered made Isaac react. It felt almost as if he saw an opportunity.

He isn't going to try and kidnap me, right?

"Um... Do you know anything about these sorts of things? About lost children, I mean."

Mykal looked at him with a searching look, almost as if he was studying Isaac's face. After a while, he answered Isaac's question:

"I don't, sorry. The only wares I sell are inanimate, hah hah!"

What does that mean? Are there traders that sell people in this world?

"However! If you'd like, I could set you up with a contact of mine who deals in..."

Mykal trailed off and looked past Isaac, where Kit was standing. Hastily, he waved his hand and abandoned his previous sentence.

"Actually, no. That's probably a bad idea. Forget I said anything!"

"...Okay, if you say so."

Was he seriously about to propose what I think he was?

"In any case, if you ever want to do business with me or my associates in the future, just bring up the name Mykal Merrion to the Rikarian Trader's Guild. Their headquarters is in the port city of Azurath."

Well, that was... forward.

"Just like that? you're not gonna get to know me or see if I could make you a profit?"

Mykal shrugged.

"What can I say? I have a feeling about you."

Then, he put his hands on his hips and started laughing obnoxiously.

"Besides, even if you try to rip me off, that's what the guild is for."

"So the guild provides a form of insurance?"

"Precisely! That, and you'll be put on a list that ensures you won't be able to do trade with another merchant in Rikaria again. Simple, right?"

Isaac nodded. In turn, Mykal put his hand under his capelet and produced a small piece of paper which he handed over.

"Anyway, here. If the people at the headquarters ask for any form of proof, give them this."

Isaac took it and looked at it. On the outside, he could see the same symbol as the one on the short man's brooch.

This must be the guild logo. Or maybe it's Mykal's personal emblem?

Opening the piece of paper, Isaac could see writing that made this seem like an open invitation to become a trade partner for the Trader's Guild. Mykal's signature was inked in at the bottom along with a name Isaac didn't recognize. He closed the piece of paper again and put it in his pocket.

"I will. Thank you for this."

Behind him, he heard a manly voice which reminded him he and Mykal weren't the only two around.

"Don't thank him. He probably hands out dozens of those every single day."

Mykal lifted his hand behind his head and scratched the back of his hair, a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, Kit, don't say that! Just because I was desperate to find a trade partner when I met you, that doesn't mean I just hand these out to anyone anymore."

Then, the small man put his hands on his hips, acting very proud of himself.

"And I do say, that turned out to be one of the more profitable decisions I have made, wouldn't you agree?"

The man behind Isaac answered, seemingly uninterested.

"Yeah, that's obvious considering that over-the-top carriage you have brought with you."

"Now, now. Let's not start bickering over how I spend my wealth. You still get your fair share, just as our deal says."

I wonder how much a fair share would be in this world. Maybe I should ask?

"If you don't mind me asking, how much does Kit make off of your sale?"

"He gets twenty percent, or one-fifth of the profits."

"Only one-fifth? How is that fair?"

"Well, let me break it down for you. I have the highest costs, the highest risks, and the most difficult job. My share has to account for travel, food, and a safety net should deals fail to be established. I also need to pay my caravan staff and guards, and keep my horses well and fed. Therefore, I take fifty-five percent."

"Okay, I'm with you so far, but what about the other twenty-five?"

"Well, the guild takes ten percent, and the other fifteen go by the way of taxes and permits that allow me to do trade in other provinces."

I see... I guess that would make sense. Either way, Kit has never complained about the amount, so I'm not about to start arguing on his behalf. If he's happy with the amount, that's all good with me.

"I would also like to add that normally, farmers only make between ten and fifteen percent of profits. It is only because of the product and my inexperience as a merchant at the time that Kit has as good of a deal as he has."

"I understand. I hope I haven't offended you by asking. I was just curious."

Mykal laughed at Isaac's attempt at apologizing, holding up his hands to assure him.

"No harm done, my boy. It is only good to ask questions like these. Always important to make sure you're not getting swindled."

It seems like Mykal may have learned to ask the right questions the hard way.

The small man stopped laughing after a while and looked past Isaac over to Kit once again.

"Now, should we get to the reason why I'm here?"