“You know, when most people get an Essence, they don't normally look so sad.” A feminine voice said from behind me.

I quickly turned around to see a beautiful young woman in similar linens to myself, the kind a farmer would wear a few hundred years ago. She looked better in it, for sure. But I was confused about where she had come from.

“Sorry for not noticing you miss. I didn't realize that anybody else lived around here. Would you happen to know where the nearest village is?” I figured she had to have come from somewhere nearby.

She looked at me with a kind smile and a bit of regret in her expression as she said. “Unfortunately, there are no nearby villages you could easily get to. I regret to inform you that you'll need to stay here alone for a while. I am sending some people here to help you. But it will take time for them to arrive. You are quite isolated here.”

I looked at this woman before me closely. She said she was sending people to me, not me to people, which seems inefficient. I try to see if my aura can tell me anything about her. It couldn't, but I could tell my aura effect was having an odd interaction with her that I couldn't figure out.

She gave me another smile, a twinkle of something strange in her eyes. “You should know that what you just tried would be considered rude in many circles.”

I flushed slightly in embarrassment. “Apologies Miss. I didn't mean to offend.” At that moment, I realized I still didn't know her name and had not given her mine.

“I'm sorry, miss. It seems I've been rude twice over. My name is Abe Henderson; although most people call me Abe or Old Abe, it's a pleasure to meet you.” I said and held out my hand to shake.

She tilted her head slightly at my hand but took it slowly. Realizing that this probably wasn't a cultural norm here, I shook her hand and let go. She looked at me oddly for a few moments.

“I am the goddess of Fertility; it is a pleasure to meet you, Abe.” She said gently. But as she said her name, something odd happened in the magic around us, and my aura grabbed it and went about its normal task of encouraging growth.

My entire body stilled after I processed her words. Goddess? Well, that goes against almost all my beliefs, but let's get a bit more information.

“You'll have to forgive me, miss Fertility, but I could use some clarification. I come from a place far from here, and in the religion that I am a participant in, there was only one God. Now, I don't mean to be rude; I'm just confused, and this is all very new.” I said, trying to keep my feelings under control.

“Ah. Yes, I could see how that could be very concerning to you. To give you the basics, gods in this world govern the concept that they are named after. In my case, that Is Fertility; my priests tend to be farmers or workers of a more personal nature. But that is how you came to my attention. Your work here resonated with me, so I came to give you what aid I could. Does everything make sense so far?”

I gave her a tentative nod. Doing my best to reconcile everything I've heard with everything I've believed, but if I ignore the massive theological issues, does anything really change?

I'll continue to do my best to live my life in a way that is good in the eyes of my God, and if that happens to also put me in the good books of these other guys, is that bad? I may need time to adjust to the idea entirely, but it might be okay.

“Okay, I am doing my best to accept all this, but I think I got it. However, is it alright if I just call you Miss Fertility? For personal reasons, I'd feel somewhat uncomfortable referring to you as a god at the moment. I'll probably get over it and adjust to the culture, but at the moment, I think it would be too much for me.” I said, still trying to get it all in my head straight.

“Of course you can! I understand that many Outworlders can struggle to adjust given everything that's happening around them. However, I must say you are handling this better than I would have expected, given your age and how devoted you seem to your god. Why is that?” she asked, seeming interested in learning more about me and my world.

“I'll tell you happily, but I'll do it as I work. Would you care to join me?” I asked, holding out my spare hoe in case my current one ever broke.

She looked shocked, and momentarily, I thought I made a horrible error. But instead of seeming angry or upset, her face lit up with a radiant smile.

“I would be delighted to!”

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“Now, I won't lie. Many people probably wouldn't have reacted like I did. However, I've had my life turned upside down more than once. First, my wife passed away, which left me devastated; I wasn't sure I'd ever recover. If I'm honest, I'm not sure I ever really did.” I said to Miss Fertility as we went about preparing the fields, and she was a natural at it, but I suppose that's no shock.

“I'm sorry to hear that losing a partner has been the end of many powerful people. It takes a very different kind of strength to overcome.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“It got much harder once I came here to tell ya the truth.” I tried to keep hold of my tears as old and new thoughts surfaced.

“Oh, why is that?” I couldn't help but be reminded of my therapist from back home as she said that. The tone was so similar it took me off guard for a moment. I was surprised I was opening up this much, but. But I always did talk more when I was working.

“Well, I'm not sure if everyone in this world is full of magic. But in my world, age is a disease with no antidote. My memory hasn't been the best in a while. So I had one of my spare rooms in my house converted to a photo gallery with all my family and friends pictures there.”

“I would spend about an hour there every day looking at them and remembering all the little stories and anecdotes about times past. Just to help me remember them.” I lose control of my tears as I continue to work as tears work down familiar trails on my face.

“But I can feel it all slipping away bit by bit. I can barely picture my wife's face in my mind, and I know it will slip further and further every single day I'm here! And there is nothing I can do to bring them back!” I exclaim as I swing my hoe angrily into the dirt. I stop, take a shuddering breath, and do my best to let the anger flow out of me.

“I'm sorry for my outburst. It was wrong of me, and I shouldn't let anger take me. It's a struggle I've had for quite a while and one I do my best to master. Yet here I am swinging this thing like an ax to split wood.” I said, looking apologetically at Miss Fertility. She seemed understanding, which I appreciated. I kept going, doing my best to stay calm.

“Anyway, after my wife passed away, I had a rough go of it. Made some bad decisions, made some good ones, and they all led to me meeting Gus. He's my son and a wonderful boy. Now, to clarify, Gus wasn't always my son because some get confused, but he will be for the rest of my life.”

“He's a good kid. He had some trouble when he was younger and went to jail for several years. I was part of a program where you become a sponsor for an inmate and help them enter society once more.” I thought back to some of those early times. I was remembering arguments, laughter, and pain all in one.

“In the middle of that is when I became a part of the church. Now, I'm no scholar when it comes to all that, but I've always had a practical mindset. I remember reading the main book of the religion, and I found a passage that I have done my best to live by since.

“It goes something like “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such, there is no law,” and I've found that quite true these are the things that a member of my church should be displaying every day. And these are the things that I do my best to do every day.” I said, remembering a time when I had none of those things and being thankful that I was not there anymore.

“That's a fairly good ideal to live up to. Do many people from your homeland have the same?” She asked, and I couldn't help but chuckle sadly.

“Many do, but we have a large population back home, and while many try to live well, there will also be those who don't, and they tend to have an outsized impact on society. Most people are just living their daily life doing their best to get by.”

“It's interesting that before I came here, my world was in an odd state of flux. Many different things were happening, information and misinformation were at all-time highs, and it constantly felt like the world was on the brink of something, although I'm not sure if anyone knew what it would be. And I'm kinda glad I don't have to find out, although I still worry for the kids.” I said, thinking about all the innovative ideas and advances that have happened in my lifetime.

“So yeah, all that to say, it's just another massive change that's happened in my lifetime, and it's time to adapt and keep on going. If I didn't do that, at least I would have been left in the dust years ago.” I told her.

“But I've spent plenty of time talking about me. What about you? What's your job like?” I asked Miss Fertility. She gave me a funny look before answering.

“Well, it's mostly passive work on my part, but I often talk with and help my priests in the endeavors they undertake in my name. In a few cases, I will give people divine awakening stones or essences in my order, which is fairly rare. That's not too much, but I do that simultaneously across the planet. So I'd say I keep busy.”

I couldn't help but shake my head slightly at the absurdity of farming with someone like Miss Fertility and how odd this must be, even for someone who lived in this world.

“Well, it seems like my time is nearly finished here.” Fertility said, interrupting my thoughts as I looked over at her. She looked at the small grove of trees I planted a few days ago.

I followed her gaze and was shocked at what I saw. The trees that had been no more than a foot tall were now close to being ten feet tall! Near the foot of the tree was another essence cube. I was shocked and looked back at Fertility questions flowing through my mind like water.

“How? How Is that possible?” I asked, still astonished at what was happening. Then I noticed all the crops I had planted had reached maturity.

“It was an odd interaction between your aura and my nature. I noticed earlier, but I figured it could help you along; now, unfortunately, I must be going. I wish you the best. Abe, be safe.” With that, she disappeared before my very eyes. Once more, I was alone in the clearing.

I walked over to the new essence cube and looked at it. Thinking about everything that had happened today, I pulled out the essence cube from earlier and held them both in my hands.

“Well, I suppose it's time I dive in head first.” I told Boxy to absorb them both. Immediately, I felt a litany of sensations so incredibly uncomfortable and unexplainable that I was relieved when it finally passed, only to remember that it wasn't the end.

Plant Essence absorbed.

Growth Essence absorbed.

Forming confluence.

Then three cubes flew out of my chest and spun around each other till they combined into one, then that one floated in front of me. I accepted that one as well.

Verdant Confluence Essence absorbed.

After that, I felt forty years younger! I felt like I could do anything! This magic stuff is amazing!

“Haha! What a rush! This is incredible; I can't wait to get to work with this much energy!” I cheered and took a single step forward when my stomach made a terrible gurgle.

“Oh no…” I said, horror dawning on my face.