Meeting (1)

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My consciousness finally returned.

This time it felt like waking up from a hazy dream.

My surroundings shifted, waded and stirred before finally coming together. I still couldn’t tell where exactly I was, but at least this time I could actually see again.

Relying on my sight could only carry me so far. The only thing I was able to vividly make sense of was the lingering smell of damp air and wood that seemed to persist no matter how much time passed.

On top of that, this place hardly had any excess illumination to begin with.

It was dimly lit by a collection of faint, emanating lights dancing across the walls. Going off the reflections and how the light interacted with the walls, my surroundings felt ‘hollow’ for some reason I couldn’t quite put my finger on yet.

Then, I tried moving.

It worked but the pain coursing through my body had yet to subside completely.

Slowly, torturously, I tried lifting a hand from my side to see if my condition was really that bad. It took a few seconds, but my limb obeyed, rising up from the depths of whatever liquid I was submerged in and reaching for the bright ball of light above my head.

The sphere in question was no bigger than a fist and as if responding to my desperate action, it began descending towards my arm. I had no idea what exactly it was, but I could tell that it was somehow ‘alive’ despite the lack of a physical body.

The instant my fingers touched the pulsating orb, a warm sensation fueled throughout my body and the swirling sphere of light immediately shattered into a myriad of other smaller fragments.

As I laid there, partially submerged in who-knows-what, the entire room brightened near instantly with a deep neon glow. I realized I wasn’t in a room at all—I was inside a massive hollowed tree, its curved walls stretching upward into darkness, save for the shimmering light cast by the floating light sources.

The tiny orbs—softly pulsing with hues of blue, green, and white—hovered weightlessly in the air, their glow illuminating the intricate grooves and patterns etched into the ancient bark. They moved as though alive, drifting lazily, yet with purpose.

Thanks to all the unconventional forms of illumination, I could finally see what I’d been laying in this entire time. It was something resembling a small well forged by aged timber and moss, caressing my body in a puddle of shimmering clear water—the cleanest I’d ever seen in my life.

The water’s temperature remained constant, its warmth dutifully flowing into me in a bid to chase away the dull pains plaguing my body.

Since nobody was around, the thought of indulging myself in this brief moment of relapse crossed my mind but the reluctant aches and creaks coming from my joints simply wouldn’t allow that, so for the time being, I decided to settle with a simple, light stretch.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

A strange sensation was evoked inside my body upon hearing that call.

Although the voice itself was unfamiliar, their presence wasn’t even though I’m certain this was the first time I’ve been whisked away to elven lands.

The footsteps drew closer, each footfall resonating a dull pitch as the sound bounced off the high-arching walls.

At the same time, the collection of floating orbs that were lazily drifting about the hollowed space immediately began darting over my head in a blitz as they rushed towards whoever was approaching.

As a result, the fragile balance required to maintain the equivalent illumination inside this place was abruptly shattered. All of the light was being concentrated at my back, making the space in front of me act as a sort of dim reflection for the approaching creature.

It had a petite feminine figure, as I expected, but other than that I couldn’t make out much else aside from the branched horns that seemed to be sprouting from either side of her head.

Unable to turn around or even move my body properly, I simply waited. Whatever was behind me couldn’t possibly be malicious or else I wouldn’t be alive right now.

Something touched my shoulder, and my body twitched nervously.

“It looks like you’re still pretty banged up. Leaving you in here for a few days was the right call after all.”

The female voice sounded relieved for some reason, which could only mean that this was off to a good start.

Were all elves this kind? I wondered to myself. That thought was swiftly abandoned after I noticed the warm sensation pouring into my back.

“Um, hello. Who are you?”

The voice started chuckling for some reason. It sounded extremely nostalgic; to the point where it reminded me of the way Julia tended to act in the rare instances where I posed a question.

“Fufufu; well, I suppose introductions are in order. You’re quite the bold one aren’t you child? I can’t remember the last time anyone has asked me that question.”

There was a hint of amusement suffused in that reply. Shortly after, the warmth that had previously been flowing into my back suddenly stopped.

The footsteps came again, this time bellowing a lower pitch that synchronized with the large shadow mounting on the walls. She was only circling around in front of me but time seemed to stretch for an instant as I let my imagination run wild.

All manner of twisted, mangled and horrid spectral forms came to mind in that brief instant—some of which I didn’t even know I was capable of conjuring in my mind.

At last, the young woman’s figure came to a stop in front of me. It was a bit reassuring to know that none of the abhorrent appearances that were vividly flashing through my mind had come to pass. In fact, her real form was far from it.

With a subtle lean to her posture, she came in closer to tussle my bangs.

“My name is Fiona. I’m the one in charge of overseeing the vast forest of Sylvan and I also serve as something of a guardian for the elves and druids here. In short....” She said with a loud, dignified clap.

“I am what you would call a deity.”

I felt my eyes going wide.

My shock must have been obvious because her smile deepened a bit.

“I suppose I should welcome you, young one. Outside this place is our capital; the place we call Heston.”

Being in the presence of a literal deity was one thing, I was certainly surprised by that. However, there was something else in my field of view that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around yet.

I could see Fiona’s abnormally radiant soul burning brightly in her abdomen but that wasn’t the problem.

I was also seeing something else now, something that wasn’t there before.

It was a thin silver coating shrouding her body, appearing to move and sway slightly with her every motion, as if it were alive. It was my first time seeing anything like it and I doubt I was going to get any answers soon so regrettably, I chose to focus on the living anomaly in my presence.

From up close, Fiona really did resemble that form I saw Julia take not too long ago.

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Her wheat-colored hair wasn’t as long as Julia’s; it barely reached her shoulders, just enough to tickle them. Even her outfit—a flowing white dress that draped off her shoulders, cinched at the waist with a simple brown belt—while easy on the eyes was designed in a way that subtly pleaded for obscurity.

She seemed younger overall—closer to someone on the verge of adulthood but not quite there yet.

Nonetheless, the distinctive green eyes and the elaborate pattern on her forehead were unmistakable.

For a deity, Fiona didn’t look very different from a regular person and she certainly wasn’t acting like it. Still, there was definitely no room to question her statement simply because of how ‘heavy’ her presence felt.

It wasn’t as if she was trying to put on a show with her power, it was just a side effect of having that kind of power.

In comparison, it made everything else feel a lot less significant in her presence.

That must have been why these floating lights—whatever they were—naturally converged around her.

“A d-deity?” I stammered, struggling to find the words. “I-Its’ nice to meet you. Thank you for rescuing me, my name is-”

“Oh no.” She exclaimed, raising a hand to stop me from gesturing a bow.

“You certainly do have some good manners for your age, but I already know who you are my child. You’re Julia’s son and Erwin’s grandson, aren’t you?” Fiona finished with a prideful look on her face, though only half of her statement made any sense to me.

“Erwin?” I asked, my head tilting to one side.

“Goodness, that girl. She’s still as nonchalant as ever I see. Looks like she completely avoided the topic of your family history up until now. I can’t even say I’m surprised.” She said, shaking her head with a sigh.

“Um, lady Fiona, you said you already knew who I was, does that mean you know my name is Liam too?”

“Uh, well no dear, I didn’t.”

That was good to know. I was half expecting her to claim omniscience, but judging by the stumped look on her face, that clearly wasn’t true.

“Heh-Heh-Heh...”

Is this what the deities I had been so wary of are truly like?

Despite all the pain coursing through my body, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, Liam...” she started, placing a heavy emphasis on my name this time.

“You seem awfully amused for someone in your position.”

I wiped at the corner of my mouth, stinging an open wound in the process. “Sorry, it’s just... I expected deities to be a bit more, I don’t know, imposing.”

Her eyes narrowed with a suspicious glare, prompting the water bed I had been so leisurely relaxing in to stir and swirl. “Oh, trust me dear I can be...”

Ah, did I offend her?

Clumps of the shimmering liquid slowly began ascending from the small well, hanging in the air until the volume was reduced to less than half of what it originally was.

“Are you mad?” I probed, shamefully posing the question.

"Hee-hee... no, Liam, my dear," she said, her voice dripping with amusement. “There’s nothing wrong with you voicing your thoughts, most people seem to have the wrong impression of us deities in the first place so I’m glad you did.”

“Then, what was that for just now?”

“Its so I can heal you properly child. You know I’m only bringing it up now but your injuries are no joke. Once I get done, I want you to tell me exactly how you ended up like that. You were barely alive when you came here.”

Her voice took on a sharper edge, and before I could get another word in the floating orbs started spewing spurts of water at my face.

“Ack!”

“Hold on, it's almost over Liam just bear with it.”

It took a full minute for all the spurting to cease, leaving my hair a disheveled, dripping mess. At the same time, I could actually feel the stinging sensation from the wound on my face starting to subside.

“That should do it.” She said, sounding elated for some reason. “Now we can finally get this started.”

“Get started with what?” I tried to stand in the shallow pool of water and almost instantly fell flat on my back the second I attempted to straighten my knees.

“That.” She declared, settling a finger on me. “You see Liam, that water has been infused with some of these lesser spirits here.” she nudged her head to indicate the various floating lights swirling around her.

So that’s what they were. I mused silently, taking a mental note.

“The lesser spirits can lend it a bit of their essence—nothing too potent, but enough to heal wounds or grant a fleeting burst of clarity. The problem is that your condition requires quite a bit more than that, some of your bones have started to heal but I’ll have to step in for the final stretch, that’s what we’re getting ready for now.”

She swiped her hand at me—specifically, the well I was occupying—and willed it to change shape.

“Whoa!”

I tumbled around in the moving pit of moss and stone for a bit, only to realize that the entire thing was a combination of various elements—earth, wood and water. After a few seconds its form had shifted to resemble something akin to a small chair of sorts.

It was fitted with an armrest, backrest and even maintained a shallow pool of the same sparkling water at my feet.

Using the armrest as support, I wobbled to my feet with a grimace and forced a smile.

“Oh no you don’t.” Fiona snapped her fingers and the chair itself came to life. Small vines of some sort emerged from its exterior and swiftly pulled me back into place. They even went as far as to dip my feet back into the shining puddle of water to help ease my discomfort a bit.

“I appreciate the enthusiasm Liam, but we both know you’re far from being okay. Just give me a bit more time and I’ll have you back on your feet, okay?”

Her gentle voice, coupled with that radiant smile dispelled the restraints keeping me captive, as well as a bit of the uncertainty stirring in my chest.

“...Sorry, I guess I got too impatient.” I muttered heavily, then sank in the chair under the influence of my injuries.

Something crossed my mind in that instant, and the thought may have well crushed me on the spot. Unable to lift my steaming face, I stuttered out my next sentence as the weight of my embarrassment pressed down on me.

“Uhm...ca-can I... have some clothes?”

Never before have I felt the need for such modesty.

It hadn’t been especially important earlier, since most of my body was underwater, but now every nook and cranny of me was exposed.

I wanted to avoid thinking about such trivial things—at first, I even tried my best to ignore it but Julia’s reactions and demeanor eventually ended up drilling a healthy dose of bashfulness into me over time.

Fiona gave me a blank stare.

The heavy silence looming over us was allowed to settle and once it did, she started giggling away at my plight.

“Fine then, Liam how about this?”

Reaching into her dress, she produced a small white towel of sorts and flapped it to get my attention.

With unsteady motions, I nodded my head to signal my acceptance and she daintily treaded towards me with a beaming smile on her face.

She stooped down to my level and started tying the thick piece of fabric around my waist.

“Gosh there’s no need for you to get so embarrassed you know. You have nothing to hide, but then again, now that I think about it your grandfather was the same when he was around your age.”

For some reason hearing that made me feel even more embarrassed. There was a time when I could sympathize with her but after spending so much time in this world I've started to lose my grip on that kind of brutal rationality. “There, all done!”

“Thank you....”

I backed away slowly and took a seat once she finished sorting my temporary garments. Only my lower half was being covered by the large towel but it was more than enough. At times like this I felt it necessary to let some time pass before looking her in the eye.

Most of all I wanted to avoid that awkward interaction.

“By the way Liam, it looks like your mother is on her way here you know. She and a few others, although they won’t exactly get here for a while. In the meantime, I’m going to finish tending to your injuries so you can at least get back on your feet before we go outside.”

“R-really? Then let’s get started, if you don’t mind lady Fiona.” I replied earnestly, struggling to suppress the widening smile on my face.

The others were alive, and better yet they were coming here. I’m not sure how Fiona herself knew that, but the simple fact was enough to chisel my resolve.

“Well, it's good to see that you’re still gung-ho. This won’t exactly be painless you know.”

“I’ll manage, don’t worry.” I assured her. After all that happened back in Fallon, whatever she was about to do to my body was sure to pale in comparison.

“I see. I’ll do my best to ease your discomfort where I can. This is going to take a while so how about we do something to pass the time, like say, a story for example?”

She didn’t have omniscience, but her suggestion certainly struck a chord with me.

“Okay, I’m listening.”

Chuckling, Fiona slowly sauntered behind the conjured chair. I could feel the influx of mana gathering around my body as the small lights—lesser spirits as she had called them— slowly began drifting around us.

“I know just the thing to keep your little mind occupied. Since you’re a hybrid, let me tell you about how the druids came to be.”