The glow of the lunar moon poured in through the window of Elias's room, dispelling the darkness of the night and bathing the entire scene in a subtle silver glow. Elias didn't even have to put on a candle at this time, as the celestial beauty outside sufficed in brightening up the entire room.
The full moon hung beautifully in the sky, showcasing its majestic brilliance, seemingly offering encouragement to Elias for his upcoming journey.
Elias was silently seated on his bed, the midnight glow cascading across his face making him seem like a perfectly cut statue. The young man couldn't sleep, as the anticipation for the next morning kept him awake.
He slowly got up from the bed, gazing outside the window and admiring the beautiful backdrop of the moon and stars in the sky. The sky, indeed, looked very pretty today.
"Lars... Damian should have arrived at Estica by now right?"
As Elias spoke, his gaze wandered into the distance, as though he was savoring every captivating detail the night sky had to offer.
Lars slowly materialized beside Elias in silence, similarly taking in the subtle charm of the moon and stars.
After a bout of silence, he turned to Elias and said in a composed manner, "If everything went off without a hitch then yes, he should be. He might even be staring at the night sky, same as us."
Lars' response surprisingly resonated with the current mood, causing Elias to chuckle in amusement. "Since when did you become so poetic?"
Lars returned his gaze to the sky, his expression remaining unfazed. "Even I can't answer that... something about the night sky I guess."
With a smirk directed at Lars, Elias silently acknowledged that he was correct. Considering Damian's departure after his shift, he should have arrived in Estica by now, given the current time and the usual 6-7 travel hours. Elias imagined Damian might be in a motel, gazing at the sky much like they currently were.
Knowing his friend well, Elias could envision Damian being awake out of sheer anxiety and restlessness. Elias shared the sentiment as well, which explained why he, too, was awake. Tomorrow held significant importance for both of them; it could even be deemed the most important day of their teenage lives.
A lot of their hopes and dreams depended on the results of that one singular assessment.
"I hope he is doing alright..."
Lars shot him an amused glance, his face carrying a hint of playful tease. "Such a saint... aren't you supposed to be more worried about yourself? This is going to be our first time away from home you know."
Elias was momentarily taken aback, before thinking and coming to a realization. He had seemingly not thought about that at all!
His primary concern had always been the idea of leaving his family behind, their well-being overshadowing any typical fear associated with departing from home. He hadn't thought about it, not even once.
Lars observed Elias's shocked and confused face before weakly shaking his head. "Well, it's not all that bad... I'd rather have you worried about them than you being scared of leaving home. That would be way too pathetic for me to watch."
Elias was pulled out of his thoughts by his brother's jest, before rolling his eyes at him. "Oh shut up..."
Lars chuckled with amusement before speaking with relief. "At least we were able to handle the kid's issue today. That really takes a lot of weight off my shoulders."
Elias gave Lars a serious nod in response. He felt the same way.
After Elias had gotten home from work, he had a serious talk with the kids, explaining to them the importance of security and how they had to be vigilant and a little less trusting. The 5 children noticed the seriousness in their brother's voice, promising to be safe and careful in his absence. They also promised to listen to Sister Marie and not cause too much trouble, easing a lot of the burdens in his heart. Elias noticed the kids trying to hide the sadness of him leaving, which seriously made his heartache.
Elias and Lars proceeded to enjoy the beauty of the night sky in silence, both of them thinking about different things as the light of the silver moon cast its glow on them.
Lars was once again the one to break the silence, his voice laced with curiosity. "So... do you think Sister Marie was right about what we experienced on our way back from work today? I still get the creeps thinking about it."
Elias visibly shuddered at the mention of the haunting event that had happened to them on their way from work, obviously still bothered about it.
"I don't know... It sounds reasonable at least. She has the most experience dealing with things like this, so I've decided to believe her and not think too much about it."
Sometime after coming back from work, Elias had told Sister Marie about the eerie encounter he had on his way from work, expressing how uncomfortable it made him feel. Elias could have sworn that her eyes narrowed slightly while he was telling her, but quickly regained its usual softness as she smiled and explained that nothing was wrong.
According to her, all the stress from work, as well as Elias's apprehension about moving away from his siblings, had caused his sensory perception to be radical, making him experience semi-real illusions. She said it was similar to daydreaming in a sense, and the only reason Elias could experience it was due to his unnatural spiritual sensitivity.
Since the explanation seemed logical enough, Elias decided to throw the matter to the back of his mind, as thinking too much about it would do him no good, especially on the eve of his trip. He trusted Sister Marie, and that also meant trusting her word.
"Well, that might just be for the best. Let's just make sure to avoid that alley in the future!" Lars didn't have any qualms with expressing how uncomfortable he was with the situation, he was genuinely scared earlier!
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Elias didn't take the chance to mock Lars for his fearful display, ultimately sharing the same sentiments as him. Even if Lars didn't mention it, he planned to never pass that alleyway again!
Elias and Lars then dived into numerous conversational topics, killing time by laughing and joking about the peculiar events that had happened around them recently. They even talked about the dream, with Lars joking that the dream might be the world's way of encouraging his brother's choice of becoming an Apostle.
Elias laughed it off of course, even though he thought that what Lars said, strangely seemed to make sense.
As they were engrossed in the topic of local politics and affairs, the door of Elias's room slowly swung open, welcoming 3 figures who were holding scrawny animal toys and rubbing their eyes. It was the triplets, Lily, Sophia and Liam.
Elias and Lars were quite surprised, wondering what their youngest siblings were doing awake at such a time.
The three of them stopped to scan the room, looking like they were half asleep. After they noticed Elias by the window, they walked over to him, albeit a bit grudgingly.
Elias bent down to welcome his siblings, his eyes carrying a bit of concern. "Aren't you three supposed to be asleep? It's already past midnight."
The three children stopped before Elias, looking at him intently as if to make sure he was actually there. Lars sighed at the sight of the 3 sleepy children, obviously already aware of the reason for their late-night visit.
Liam, who was the eldest of the triplets, explained that Lily had experienced a nightmare of Elias leaving and never coming back, which obviously scared her awake. The little child then woke up her brother and sister, sharing with them the details of the nightmare and asking them to follow her to check if Elias was still around.
It was quite obvious to Elias what had been the cause of the nightmare; the kids had not come to terms with their brother leaving, even if they had acted quite mature early on. They were still only kids after all.
Elias felt an intense pang of guilt and sadness, reassuring them that he would return home regularly for the holidays and also send them occasional letters.
As Elias looked at the scared and apprehensive faces of his siblings, he seemed to have an idea, a way to cheer them up and make them go to sleep.
He stood up and walked to his table, where his floral-designed flute lay stationary. The moonlight cast a subtle glow on its surface, making it resemble a beautiful age-old relic.
Lars lightly shook his head as he watched Elias walk towards the table, obviously aware of what was about to happen.
Elias carefully picked up the flute, before walking back towards the children, looking at them for a brief moment, before breaking into a calm smile.
"I just finished learning a new piece yesterday, want me to play it for you guys?"
The 3 children instantly got excited, before bopping their heads to signal their agreement.
Elias chuckled while stretching his hand, beckoning for the 3 children to follow him.
The excited children followed him earnestly, with the only sound remaining in the room being the soft chatter of the crickets, as the phantom-like image of Lars faded away with the distant footsteps.
...
Sunflower petals and wild Yorkshire lilies twirled gracefully through the air, infusing the night sky with a touch of poetic summer romance. The moon's radiant glow cast reflections across the serene flower meadow, enhancing the distinct beauty of the full moon and evoking a sense of wonder.
The sway of the moonlight roses, the twinkling of the stars in the night sky, the periodic hoots of nocturnal owls, the tune of the crickets chirping and the luminescent glow of the moon. All of these contributed to a calm picturesque view. There was no doubt about it, the night was indeed beautiful.
Elias and his 3 siblings sat under a graceful summer tree, which overlooked the entire meadow at the periphery of the city. The calming smell of flowery allure flowed through the meadow, making each of them relax and forget about their afflictions and worries.
They just wanted to sit back and enjoy the view!
Elias took a moment to compose himself, raising his flute to his mouth under the expectant gazes of the 3 children.
He put the flute to his mouth, gently blowing into it and causing a clear and crisp melody to sound out, his firm and slender hands gliding across its shaft in tune with the melody.
The initial note, soft and smooth, carried a weighty resonance capable of stirring the emotions of its audience. It seemed to weave a narrative in the minds of the young listeners – the sad tale of a wife bidding farewell to her husband as he departed for war.
Elias's body and expressions further emphasized the portrayal of the story, his form blending into the tone of the music as though he had taken up the role of a narrator.
The children watched Elias's hands, as they subtly stretched the start of the first note, as if he was trying to convey the reluctance of the wife to say goodbye to her husband. Fear, sadness, and apprehension, Lily, Sophia and Liam gripped the grass beneath their feet in fright, as if understanding the heavy emotions of the woman.
As the note stretched on, Elias's body movement displayed a bit more vigor, a testament to the expectant promises the husband made to his wife. He had promised to come back home, because home was all he knew.
The eyes of the children sparkled as if understanding some untold promise Elias seemed to be conveying to them. They felt it, Elias was promising to come back!
Amidst their newfound joy and expectation, Elias's fingers abruptly paused, signaling an end to the first note of the tune. The children held their breath as if sensing the arrival of a looming cloud of despair.
The meadow was silent, the trees swayed in the wind and the veil of the night seemed to get a bit deeper, as though it was sharing the sentiments of the young listeners.
All of a sudden, Elias's fingers moved once again, only this time, it lacked any form of energy, moving only for the sake of doing so. It communicated zero emotions, blank and dull like an empty canvas.
The children could see the image of the wife's sad and despaired figure, as the uniform of her husband was mailed home to her with nothing but a note that said, 'He fought well.'
Tears welled in the children's eyes, and Lily buried her face in the arms of her brother and sister, crying without a care in the world.
Elias's visage turned dull and bleak, looking like a narrator who had witnessed the tragic end of a hopeful story.
The children could almost picture it, their brother's personal items being mailed home with an apology letter. The tone made the image so imaginable that Sophia and Liam also broke down in tears, joining their sister, Lily, to wallow in sadness.
As the tone of heartbreak and sadness reached its peak, Elias suddenly broke rhythm, swiftly shifting to a vibrant and beautiful melody, akin to a bright summer afternoon. The children were so caught off guard by this that they looked up, noticing the smile that adorned Elias's face as his hands danced across the flute.
The cheerful and happy image created the scene of a wounded husband rushing home under the moonlight, his weeping wife there at the door to welcome him home. He did it, he fulfilled his promise, he came back home!
The teary-eyed children stared at the translucent image in the moonlight as they watched the scene morph into the image of Elias returning home after successfully becoming an Apostle.
The tone instantly caused them to smile, forgetting the pain that was once in their heart. The story had reached its happy end!
Once again, the playing style of Elias changed, switching from a happy and cheerful mood to a calm and soothing one. His hands and lips gently ran across the body of the flute, communicating a calm and pure tune.
The children felt calm and peaceful, lost in the mood of the melody, as the glow of the moon shone down once more. They felt their eyes grow heavy and as Elias's hand landed on the last note of the tune, they were taken away by the calming embrace of sleep, subtle bright smiles etched across their face.
Elias looked at the children for a brief moment before redirecting his gaze toward the horizon, his eyes betraying profound, unspoken emotions. Lars joined him wordlessly, materializing by his side and sharing in the contemplative silence as they both gazed upon the silent world before them.
The gentle night breeze swept up the flower petals on their path, the subtle calming smell acting like a bout of well wishes for the journey to come.