Breathing in deeply, I close my eyes for a short moment as I lean back, before opening them once more. The constant bumping of the wagon isn’t exactly pleasant to be honest, but this is what I chose over running the whole way, thus it’s what we’re sticking with. However, I do have ways to distract myself! Specifically, Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, Jasper, is that too many J’s? One more for good measure, Jasper.
“Alright seriously, what the heck is going on with you? You’ve been very avoidant of this question for the past ten or so minutes! Why did I just watch your group of summons get mauled for existing? That was quite strange, I’ll have you know. I can’t imagine it’s unrelated and they mistook them for something else, because somebody shouted “hunt’s shade” before running after your shtuff.”
“...Mmm.”
…Non committal.
“Hmmmgh… alright, I get it, you have things you don’t want to talk about. But given this is something that could clearly result in conflict, I need at least SOME information on this. What, are you like, the Anti Christ? Surely it can’t be THAT bad.”
“...”
“Surely.”
“...”
“You jest.”
“Mmm?”
“Okay, well the Anti Christ is like the antithesis of Jesus or something, do you even know what Christianity is? Cause gonna be honest, I don’t really either.”
“Mm-Mm.”
“Yeah okay cool, but like, surely you aren’t some kind of reincarnation of some sort of god of destruction that destroyed half the world or something, like it can’t be THAT bad.”
“...”
“It cannot.”
“Mhm.”
“Okay, good. But, like, what is it?”
“...Hm. Mmm, mMmMm…-
-Some years ago, there was a conflict of immense proportion between a man and the Kingdom governing this land… With his abilities, he stood alone against the full might of Astraea, fighting on his own principle. What he used was an unknown magic, separate from necromancy or resurrection and separate from traditional sorcery.
The battle raged for years, why it started eventually no longer mattered, and all that was left were the consequences of its course. Despite his best efforts, the full weight of the world eventually came crashing down on The Wild Hunt. His power branded a heresy, and every aspect of it expunged from society. It was spread between hundreds, some willing and others not, but the command of his armies descended nonetheless… It is believed that a fragment of that man lies within every user of Wild Hunt magic, and thus… they are destroyed. So that The Wild Hunt shall never rise-
-again, could you say that again please? I don’t think I caught all of that.”
“...MMmmmMm. MmHmhmhmhm. MMMmmmmM, MmmMMm. Mmm.”
“...Right. And why are you telling me all of this then? Aren’t I a resident of this Kingdom as far as you’re concerned?”
“...MmMm.”
“That is true, you kind of already threw in your lot with me. Well, you were right either way, I’m not gonna sell you out, but I wish you’d have told me about all of this a little earlier.”
“MmM!”
“Why didn’t I know what The Wild Hunt is you ask? Uhhhhh, you do know I only came to this world like a few days ago right?”
“MMM???”
“Where do you think the thousands of new people in your old town came from?”
“...Mmm… mmm?”
“...Yes? That would mean I have no affiliation with Astraea, you’d be correct. That’s certainly a way to interpret this should be world changing information.”
“Mmm, M-M.”
Shut up?? How dare she! I’d send her to the pocket realm and everything, but she’s kind of already there… Alright, fine I’ll give her that moment to think. In the meantime…
Think it’s about time to pick up a hobby to pass the time by! I can’t just sit here in this wagon all day, speaking to nobody as my only chatting companion sits in silence. I mean, I could talk to Jerry, but they’re still dead silent and I’m not gonna break that tenuous barrier myself. So, hobby it is!
Which one to pick, which one could it be? What will the activity be that gets me through this stretch of time?!
Bird watching.
You know, a tried and true classic and everything, right? Except we’re not watching for just any birds at all here, no, we have a very specific birdy in mind this time around!
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
With my eyes locked on the sky, I stare almost unblinkingly up into the cloudless skies, eyes peeled for one very slippery avian. How do I plan to catch it? I’m not really sure, but getting my mitts on it starts with actually seeing the damn thing, right?
So, here I sit, under the proverbial stars, watching and waiting.
—
It doesn’t actually take all that long for the stars to become less proverbial and more so a real thing actually… and this is mildly inconvenient, because I just have to wonder, how the heck am I supposed to see the thing coming if it’s at dark of night?
“Mmmmh…”
Eugh, that is NOT Jasper!
Unceremoniously rocketing to my feet, a head belonging to an unconscious man falls from my arm to the blanketed wagon’s surface. Slipping away a moment later, I latch onto higher ground, pulling myself onto the roof of the wagon. You know, the bit covering the cargo they don’t want me to look at.
“What are you doing up there?” A nondescript voice calls to me from the ground below.
“...Keeping an eye out for the bird? It’s distracting to have half a dozen people snoring in circles around me.”
That’s not even a lie either, even if it’s not THAT distracting. Either way, they don’t respond to my defense, so clearly, it’s airtight.
…
I’d say I’m bored but…
The stars are kind of pretty. I might not have meant to actually pick up a new hobby, but at the moment… this one doesn’t sound too bad.
The stars in the sky have long since gone out back in the real world. Their light harvested for grand machinations far beyond any understanding that I’d claim to have. Hell, some of that same light likely resulted in the creation of these very same stars above my head in the now. The Arrays were created for a reason, after all.
Stars were always an interesting feature in any game ever since The Arrays came around. Once the night sky stopped shining… nostalgia recurved almost immediately. But, such a grand thing is hard to capture in its true glory. And not many games had reason to try to begin with.
Yet this one…
It’s nice. Their soft glow is nice, unexpected even. It’s not like I’ve forgotten what stars look like… but I wasn’t exactly old when the lights went out. And I can’t recall a single moment that’s ever resonated with me so much before… erm, star related moments, not moments in general.
…Long story short, it’s nice.
This silence is fine, the tedium of this ride is alright, if only for this one thing, I suppose Omniscient lives up to its promise of a unique experience.
The stars weave patterns in their own right now that I think about it. Each of them connect to the other, each brilliant point of light is interconnected to the wider web, a tapestry borne of their own being.
Running a hand through my hair, I sigh as I lie flat on my back, adjusting the scabbard of my sword so as to not push it out of the belt in my equipment. I don’t know how that interacts, and frankly, don’t want to bother right now.
And so… I just lay there. Connecting dots in my mind as time passes by.
“Mmm.”
“Yes?”
Six stars zig-zagging in close proximity… I’ll call this one Wave.
“Mmm?”
“...Yes? Of course I’m fine.”
“Mmh.”
What is she talking about…? No shit I’m fine, bringing a hand to my eye, I wipe at the condensation taking form, culling any possible droplets well before they have the chance to form.
It glistens in the pale moonlight, the residue on my gloved finger. Almost as brightly as the very stars that drew it out to begin with.
“It’s just… beautiful, that’s all.”
“...”
Jasper is rebelling! Forcefully being summoned!
Tilting my head at her none too amused, I raise a single eyebrow.
“Whatcha doin.”
“Mmm.”
“...That I suppose it is.”
I did say it myself after all, it’s beautiful. Why wouldn’t she want to see it for herself?
“Alright, it’s not like I had any particular reason to keep you pocketed. You can watch the stars with me instead. Maybe Jerry can as well if he feels like adding anything to the conversation while he’s here.” I comically tilt my eyes to nothing in particular, knowing full well that he should be capable of listening in.
“Mmh.”
“Oh, and you know, watch for that one bird as well.” I add on haphazardly.