The Unbidden: A Nocuous World (3) (Long Parts)

Chapter 6 (Part 2)

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Tristan hadn't come back for a couple days, and neither did Hargen. I didn't particularly worry, though. I knew Tristan was capable enough to defend himself should anything happen, and even if he couldn't, Hargen was nearby. Then again, all they did was travel to The Frontier, so the danger was almost nonexistent.

Rosalise was a little lonely during that time. She was probably feeling left out, so I sat with her on one of those days simply talking. That particular day was hotter than the others, so we were inside The Cavern in a small lounge area I made – having brought in a bunch of dirt and shaping it into a somewhat soft set of couches. It was a temporary solution, and much more comfortable than sitting on just wood.

"Really!?" the curious excitement was strong.

I nodded, unable to keep from smiling at how amazed she was.

"Yeah. Where I'm from those carriages and wagons got people to places so fast that it makes riding a horse seem really outdated," I laughed.

"Were they powered by magic, too?" her eyes searched mine for the answer before I even gave it.

"No. They were powered by a liquid called gas. It's hard to describe, but it smells a little sweet. A lot of people absolutely loved the smell of gas," I leaned back a little more into the somewhat soft dirt-loveseat.

"Is it drinkable, then?"

"Some people sure thought so. It's actually really bad for you, and those people found out the hard way. I guess the closest thing I can relate it to is lamp oil. It's flammable and used to ignite things that make those carriages, among many other things, run fast," I placed a finger to my chin as I spoke, recollecting it all.

There was a momentary pause as she took in the information.

"Not only that, but we had machines like them that let people soar through the air at incredible speeds!" I slung one arm forward, trying to mimic the motion of something going fast.

"As fast as you and Hargen?" her brows furrowed, imagining the speeds.

"Much, much faster. Not faster than my ability to teleport, though. If everyone had the technology my home has, things would be way different," part of my mind began to wander toward how to make that even close to becoming reality.

Rosalise's awe was as obvious as the day she saw Hargen.

"I want to ride on one!" she exclaimed, looking at me as though I could do that.

"Sorry, my home is so far away that it's impossible. I'll definitely look into trying to make our own someday – just for you," a soft smile spread across my face.

Her curiosity was something that I hoped she could keep even as she grew up. If I could help her with it even a bit by giving her a similar experience to riding on a plane, then I would. It was probably going to take some time going through trial and error to figure it out, though.

We kept talking for a while after that, to include going over what cities looked like, how people dressed, and even to how so many cultures lived together in relative peace. It certainly brought me back. All the things I'd dealt with then seemed so trivial compared to a lot of what's happened.

Hell, after our conversation, I ended up going back into my study to read some of the journals I'd written memories in. That time felt all too surreal, even though it'd been less than a decade since I first got to this world.

The following day I waited until about evening time before finding Yol'Vaein and Lo'Naeri. Once again, they were on the crest relaxing in apparent silence. As my footsteps approached, Yol'Vaein was the first to open his eyes and glance in my direction.