I couldn't think straight. My brain felt like it was searching for something. Something I had forgotten.
"I… I don't even care anymore." I said.
A groan from Cecilia's bed alerted me to her waking up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes before smacking her lips. She let out a yawn as she got out of her bed, almost tripping in her tired state.
Her brown hair was messy and in a state of disarray while her night clothes were wrinkled. She had no socks on so when she stepped out of the bed, I cringed. I didn't understand how someone could walk on such a hardwood floor.
"Before you do anything else, I'm here."
She let out a shriek then turned to me in confusion. Her eyes widened in realization. That realization turned into embarrassment. Cecilia rushed into her bathroom before slamming the door shut.
I didn't blame her for that. She had forgotten she let me stay the night. Whenever Cecilia got comfortable she would do her routine without care. That meant she would have gotten into her birthday suit if I hadn't made myself known.
"I'm going to head home. Thanks for letting me stay." I spoke through the door.
She didn't respond so I made my way to the window to leave. I was interrupted by the bedroom door opening. A mature version of Cecilia had entered the room.
Cecilia's mother was a woman of, in the words of Cecilia's father, unparalleled beauty. I could agree to some extent. Her brown hair went to the nape of her neck while her bangs were part in a fashionable way. Where Cecilia had emerald eyes that could peer into your soul, her mother had forest green eyes that comforted you in the hardest of times. Her tan skin showed that she often left her home while there was very little fate on her face showing she kept herself healthy.
She was wearing a green dress that went down to her ankles and a white apron with a regular pair of shoes.
"Oh! Esther, I didn't know you spent the night." She said while smiling warmly at me.
Cecilia's mother, Caroline, often had no issues with me staying over. She actually encouraged it. Whenever asked why, she would get this strange smile on her face while mentioning or looking towards Cecilia.
Lately though, it seemed to annoy Cecilia. Like there was some big secret I wasn't in on.
"Sorry about that, Auntie. I know I usually ask but this time I forgot." I said while rubbing the back of my head.
Instead of scolding me, she chuckled light heartedly before turning around to leave.
"You're always welcome here, honey." Caroline said, "Maybe one day you'll be here calling me mom!"
I could hear a groan of frustration from Cecilia's bathroom at that remark. In contrast, my face heated up so I tried to hide from the world behind my hands. My reaction seemed to make her day even more as she began to cackle while exiting the room.
"You both can come down for breakfast. We're having pancakes, eggs, and smoked huabison."
I began to drool at the thought of such a delicacy before hurriedly making my way to the door.
"Celia, I'm going down to wash my hands! Huabison is calling me!" I announced as I left the room and made my downstairs.
The thing about Caroline was that she cooked more than what was ever needed. So there was no point in having to make another serving due to her love of cooking. I used the kitchen sink to wash my hands before I moved to the dining table. The table had four seats with plates and utensils already placed. This was how Caroline usually cooked. She made a feast and stored the leftovers using her family. I took the seat closest to the best beef dish to grace all of Spiellefelle.
"Is Uncle at work already?" I asked while making my plate.
She hummed in confirmation as she took her seat. She intersected both her hands and placed them under her chin while watching me dig into my food. There was a strange twinkle in her eye, almost as if she was admiring something only she could see the beauty in.
"Say, Esther, has Cecilia been behaving strangely lately?" She asked while observing me.
I took a bite of my food and swallowed without chewing. It was like the sacred haven had conjoined into my taste buds!
"Uh, not that I could really tell?" I answered with uncertainty. "Oh! The other day I saw her huddled up with some black haired boy. I dunno."
I felt a pit in my gut as I mentioned that recollection. I don't know why it bothered me so much. This was hard to understand. It felt like there was something I should know but I couldn't remember what. Why did I feel so unwell when seeing her like that? I hadn't interacted with any other girl besides Cecilia since…
A pain in my head stopped me from pursuing that line of thought. I shook it off before redirecting my attention to Caroline. She seemed disappointed. In me or in my words, I was uncertain. I tried ignoring the pain to eat my last pancake.
The taste was good but the pain ruined that moment of bliss.
"I see." She replied.
We sat in silence while I ate until Cecilia came down. She was in a yellow dress that had black lining along the seams. I could also tell she had makeup on. She had always looked pretty but with makeup she seemed almost like a different person. This wasn't the first time I'd seen her like this yet it always caused me to react in such a way.
I didn't know if there were any special events today that required such a state of dress so I just decided to drop it.
I was about to greet her but then I noticed she had a cold expression on her face upon seeing me. Her usually warm eyes were distant and her mouth was downturned into a frown. She only made that face if she was truly annoyed by something or someone.
I felt hurt at such a look. It reminded me of when… when… who had looked at me like that before?
I rubbed my forehead, the pain coming back worse than before. I let out a grunt before pushing myself away from the table.
Cecilia and Caroline looked at me in concern but I ignored them and rubbed my forehead.
"I need to go. Now." I said blankly.
I didn't wait for any farewells or questions, I just left. I didn't have a destination in mind. I just let my body walk by itself while I tried to fight the throbbing in my head.
The pain had finally disappeared by the time I reached the town square. I stood before the fountain with no idea of where to go.
'Maybe I could get Ryt to see if this ring is any-' I thought while reaching for my satchel.
Where my hand should have met low quality leather, it met empty space. I blinked twice in confusion before checking myself. It hit me suddenly. I never woke up with satchel next to me.
'The only way that makes sense…'
The only way I could see that having any sense to it was if that weird dream in the cave was real. I clenched my right fist in frustration only to wince in pain when I felt something hurt my palm. I inspected my hand and discovered something that disgruntled me. The ring was on my third finger perfectly. The gem was the same blue and the metal was the same silver from before.
I decided against trying to figure this out. I would have better chances asking Ryt.
'Hopefully he can figure this out.' I thought desperately.
I hurriedly made my way through the crowded streets for Ryt's workshop. It seemed the town was having one of those days where adventurers stopped through on their way to the border. I ignored any shouts or curses directed at me before rushing into the side street where Ryt's store is located.
"Ryt, I need a favor!" I declared while barging in.
The old blacksmith sat up in alarm before settling down upon seeing it was just me. He cleared off his old desk and sat up straight once I approached.
"Whaddaya need this time, Es?" He asked.
I showed him the finger that had the ring on it. On my way here, I tried taking it off. Nothing worked. No amount of force or anything.
"I need you to check this ring for any curses…"
He looked at me incredulously before sighing and grasping my hand to inspect the ring closer. I saw golden energy surrounding the ring before entering it. Everything seemed to be going fine. Until it wasn't. Ryt was blown back by some unknown force into the wall. The ring started glowing and I expected something to happen but the glow died down and nothing happened.
"Esther." Ryt called out, gaining my attention. "Where the hell did you get a divine artifact?"
'A what?' I wanted to ask my question out loud.
Why was I in possession of a divine artifact? How did Ryt know what it was? I went to reply but I was interrupted.
Bursting into the shop was Cecilia's father, Caine, and it didn't look like he was here for business. He scanned the room. His eyes searched frantically before landing on me. I saw him sigh in relief before quickly walking up to me. He nodded to Ryt for a second and I thought maybe he was here to scold me for arguing with my grandfather.
"We need to evacuate." He said, "Everything within thirty falks of the west is burning down. Some strange blue flames."
"Everything within thirty falks of the west…?"
My house was in the west. Not too far, perfectly within that range. I was about to question Caine more but then he did it. He gave me a look of pity. Pity for a loss.
My grandparents were most likely dead.