Eternal Love [Druig]

Nine

1721
Amazon

Ira spent the next few years just traveling, marveling at the little wonders he was able to experience. Isaac Newton's reflecting telescope in 1668, Champagne two years after that created by Dom Pérignon, the pocket watch in 1675, and the piano in 1709.

He watched what he could tell were going to be superpower countries evolve and expand, saw the great wall of china, Taj Mahal, The Colesseum in Italy, and the beginning ideas of a great palace in Beijing that they were thinking of naming the Summer Palace. He never stayed longer than necessary as he had found that traveling the world and staying in one place only long enough to discover every little secret the area held was much preferred. This way, he maximized his time spent exploring instead of watching empires fall before his very eyes.

Currently, Ira was in between destinations. He had just come back from exploring Ayutthaya; one of what he thought was the largest cities in the world and had no destination in mind. He had caught a ride with some other travelers who let him sit in the tightly packed wagon that was being pulled by a mule and a horse. The traveler who had offered him a ride chatted with him for hours on end as they rode, asking him about his journeys. Ira was more than happy to share his stories and loved the looks of sheer fascination that developed on their faces as he talked. They liked how he could speak their tongue, how he would switch over sometimes to account for the young widow who only spoke Portuguese or her deaf daughter that Ira signed to.

There were four of them in total, five now that Ira had joined. And each night, they took turns, midnight shifts where one person would guide the horse and mule on the right path for a few hours before switching off with the next person. Ira had had his turn last night so he was free to fall asleep once more under the stars, drifting off and dreaming not of burning cities, but of future possibilities.

He was maybe four hours into his rest, using a sack of grains for a pillow when he heard it-- or rather, felt it. The entire night had been thus far uninterrupted, the night like any other with the steady feel of calmness that was associated with clear nights like these. But as they traveled across a stretch of land, Ira's brows furrowed and his eyes opened on their own accord.

There was something strikingly different. He could easily tell there must be some kind of village nearby but that was normal. The unexpected came with the fact of the emotions he felt. They were weak because he was further away but despite the distance, he could feel something was off about them. No one was in danger, no rapid spikes of fear or anger. It all just seemed so... muted.

"Ramses, stop here." He said in Egyptian, the man's native tongue. He did so without question but his face portrayed confusion. Ira bowed his head and thanked him for his kindness and generosity in letting him be a part of their journey towards new beginnings, tucking four coins into the man's palm in hopes he will share them when the rest of the travelers awoke, and started walking.

The ground was loud underneath his feet as he trudged forward, even as it was replaced by grass and dirt as he moved through the forest. Ira kept a wary eye out, eyeing the shapes the branches made as they were cloaked in palpable darkness, the view of the winding river to his right, the glowing eyes of owls and birds hiding within the trees, and the sound of distant pattering of nocturnal animals out to make the most of the silence and the peace that came with it.

Ira followed the strange feeling he had felt back in the wagon deeper into the forest until he came across a clearing. His footsteps slowed into a cautious tread. There were the beginnings of buildings littered around the edges, little cottages that looked to be perhaps a month into building. There were people here. None that Ira could see but he still sensed them, their emotions were clear now. Muted in ways that he had never come across before.