We meet again [Elisop]

Chapter 2

A field of wheat, a blue sky, the song of birds and finally the shadow of a tree. That was the first thing the seer, Eli Clark, saw. Where was he ? Where were the others ? What happened ? Everything was so... confusing. It didn't take him long to recognize the landscape. It was a very familiar sight. This field... It was the same one where he spent most of his time with his fiancée, Gertrude. Was it back in the normal course of time ? His instincts told him yes. He raised his arm to the sky and his owl, Brooke Rose, soon landed on it before going to his shoulder. This was not a dream. He didn't know why or how, but that wasn't what mattered to him at the moment.

Gertrude, he was dying to see her after all this time. How was she ? What was she doing ? He walked across the field and down the paved roads until he found himself in front of a house he had often visited, his fiancée's house. He was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened before him. The young woman was standing in the doorway, just as shocked as he was. He immediately took her in his arms, he had missed this kind of intimate contact. After a moment, he released her to observe her face. However, the expression she wore was not really pleasant. She smiled but it was not hard to see that she forced herself, but why ? 

She invited him to come in to talk. As he stepped inside, the young man was overcome by a feeling of melancholy. The old smell of wood filling the place, the portraits hanging on the walls, nothing had changed. He smiled as he was escorted into the waiting room of the house, strange. He rather thought they would go to Gertrude's room to be able to talk more quietly. He didn't dwell too much on the details, however, and after a few minutes, the lady who had left for a moment, had returned with a tray containing a teapot and two teacups. She served one to the boy and waited for him to take a sip before speaking.

What she told him made him speechless. He learned that only one month had passed since his departure. Unfortunately, that was not all, on the contrary, the worst was yet to come. She told him that she was going to cancel the engagement. Her father's business was booming and as the only heiress, she had to prepare herself to succeed him and take over his company. The main reason for their separation was that she would no longer have time for him. She still loved him, but it was different since he left. Her love for him had changed and her career was now more important to her.

She told him all of this as hot tears streamed down her face. She felt very guilty and responsible for what had happened to Eli, the punishment he received, the pain he endured in the manor, everything. The seer didn't know what to do and just comforted her as best he could. At the end of their exchange, before leaving, Gertrude gave him back his engagement ring. Despite what had just happened, the two had decided to remain friends and keep in touch. Their disunion wasn't a reason to cut ties either and the young man didn't mind.

To be honest, Eli noticed that he didn't feel as bad as he thought he would. Maybe those two years for him had also changed his feelings for Gertrude. The wind blowing quite strongly removed his hood and caressed his hair, he then took off his blindfold to observe the landscape. He felt like he was discovering a new world after being locked up for so long. With his engagement to his ex-fiancée cancelled, he felt like he was free of a weight and could go wherever he wanted. He had the choice to pursue his own destiny. But what should he do ? He spent the last few years imagining that he would live out the rest of his life with his fiancée, but his plans had just been ruined.

Finally, a week passed and Eli made his decision. He decided to leave this country and explore the world and if possible, find his old comrades to find out how they were doing. He received some money for his long trip from Gertrude, he knew that it was her way of apologizing and thanking him for all the moments they had spent together so he didn't dare to refuse her gift. He wasn't sure if it was good or not but he didn't have much to take with him. A bag with a few supplies, the purse that was given to him and of course, his faithful friend, Brooke Rose. That was all he had and all he needed. He was now prepared for the future trials he would encounter. 

If fate would permit, he would like to see one of his precious friends, someone who had an important place in his heart. The one known as the embalmer, Aesop Carl. He had managed to get him to open up to him despite his difficulty with communicating with others and his anxiety. He was the one he most enjoyed spending time with when he still lived at the manor, he told him about his sad past and so did he in return. From what they had talked about during their long, endless discussions, it was most likely that his location was the closest to his of all the other survivors. But, how likely was it that he would be able to find it ? For now, he would first go to the nearest town. A small, quiet town called Wintervale.