Another page in the almanac turns. Markus is holding the book wide open, pointing to different items within the pages. Eclair and Aurora are sitting beside Markus on the rock, listening closely as he talks about home.
“I can't believe it... every year almanacs are published about my world. Specific almanacs with countries, or Earth, or the latest information.” Markus says to the girls. He then closes the book, and forcibly crams it inside his backpack with the other items from the satchel. “I've got a feeling I'm going to see a lot of familiar things in Montillo.”
“Humans from Earth have been coming to Noverra since ancient times. In fact, I'm pretty sure every nation and kingdom on our world now has a branch dedicated solely to Earth.” Aurora remarks.
Markus' curiosity peaks at her words, saying 'What do you mean?”
“When I was a scout, you pick up lots of information. For example, we are in the kingdom of Ronoa. It has a government branch dedicated to acquiring anything Earth related, and they have a special military force trained specifically to retrieve people from your world.” Aurora replies back with a serious tone.
“What!? You mean like slaves or prisoners?” Markus says with surprise.
“No! Well... I don't know?” Says Aurora with a bit of hesitation. “I've heard Ronoa has a large compound in the capital where all Earth humans live. They live well, with all their needs taken care of. But... they're under constant watch, and basically spend their days talking to government officials about Earth or items from there.”
“Fuck. That sounds like a lifetime house arrest.” Markus says before going quiet for a moment. He thinks to himself, before saying “I'm betting Ronoa has all sorts of rewards and punishments for things involving Earth.”
Aurora nods, then says “Ya. However, compared to other nations, I hear our kingdom is very fair to your kind.”
“The Acquisitions Office is a big deal.” Eclair says as she joins the conversation. “I hear they have personnel in every town and city. Information from your world is very important, which is why they seek it so badly. All the major advances, ideas, and technologies on Noverra are directly tied to Earth.”
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“Goddamnit. I'm not going to be some pampered prisoner. I need to get home.” Markus says with force. He grabs the backpack from the ground and loads it over his shoulders. The blue cape is then hastily wrapped around his rifle, concealing its shape. “We need to get to Montillo so I can figure out the next step. We can arrive at nighttime.”
Markus starts walking back towards the dirt road, leaving behind the empty rucksack on the ground. The fae quickly fly up from the rock and follow him. The trek back is quick, and the group is soon on the road west to Montillo.
As the group restarts their journey, Aurora says “At our pace, we'll arrive at Montillo around sunset. More or less.”
Markus looks up into the blue sky, and sees the weather has cleared. The sun is still bright, with the time somewhere in the early afternoon. Reaching the town at night now seems like a good idea.
The walk along the dirt road is lonely. It's clearly been neglected for a long time, without another person or animal in view. The sound of boots walking over dirt is the only constant noise. After a while, Aurora suddenly starts flying around looking at trees to the right.
Flying back to the group, Aurora says “Markus and Eclair, I want to show you something I found a long time ago. It's been there a long time since no one can see it from the road”
The group veers off the dirt road and heads north into the forest. After thirty yards or so, Aurora stops in front of a tree. She points to the northern side of it, and lets Markus walk around to see what it is.
Markus sees an unexpected sight. The tree trunk has been carved, with a name and date all in English. He runs a hand over the inscription that reads:
Edward Kelley
1954
There is a quiet moment, before Markus talks to himself “You know... in my world, there are places considered gateways to other worlds. Ancient towns and peoples have disappeared throughout our history. All over the world, people have just up and vanished. Countless four-one-one cases where people walked into forest and never come out.”
Turning around, Markus faces the fae while speaking “A lot of mysterious things have been explained or have good theories behind them. But... there have always been the unexplained. No doubt in my mind now, they all ended up in this world.”
Markus starts walking back to the dirt road. Eclair takes her time looking at the tree trunk, running her hands over the inscription with curiosity. She quickly catches up to the others when shes satisfied.
“What did it say Markus?” Eclair asks.
“It was a name and a date. It said Edward Kelley, 1954. It was a long time ago.” Markus replies. He can't help thinking about how many others have walked the same path.
The group keeps moving west at a good pace. Conversations occupy their minds to pass the time. The sky above is slowly starting to darken, but the forest begins thinning. Trees and vegetation become more scattered and spread out. Fields of crops and neglected wood fences now begin to show themselves beside the dirt road. In the distance, Montillo is now in view.