Hymn of Elys

Chapter Six

The environment around them was beautiful, though rural. Grass rose abundantly on either side of the dirt road, bright green and a total contrast to the area Alice had first been in. Spring flowers bloomed and reached towards the sun.

Alice was continuously surprised by how life-like the game was; she could even hear the birds singing in the woods far from the dirt path! The sun was starting to dim in the sky, sinking towards the horizon. They probably only had a few hours of sunlight left.

She watched her two companions as they walked, her hazel orbs bouncing from the road in front of her and the duo to her left. They had been walking for a good while, but still they had not answered her question. Max's gaze was trained on the horizon in front of them, while Lysbeth tried her best not to make eye contact with Alice. She looked so uncomfortable, that her facial expression was a mix of a forced grin and a grimace.

The only thing on Max's mind was the goal at hand.

"So, why does everyone seem to hate the song maidens?" Alice asked once more. One thing was for sure, her curiosity would not be denied!

"I actually don't know. I never delved that deep into the game's story. I hate to say it, but I usually just tune the NPC's out when they talk about the history, or their sad past." He was so matter-of-fact, like that was just how he was. His solid shoulders even shrugged as he glanced over at her, as if to say 'Who knows?' "I play video games for a bit of alone time away from the family; not to deal with whiny randoms." He sounded harsh, but he was just stating his opinion.

He seemed rough around the edges to Alice, but he didn't seem callous.

Lysbeth on the other hand, it was obvious that she knew something. Her hands fidgeted in front of her, her eyes bouncing around from object to object.

"Lysbeth?" Alice's tone was inquiring, and she leaned forward as she tried to catch Lysbeth's eyes. "I can tell you know something," a small smile quirked her lips, and her short blonde hair fell around her chin. "Spill it? It really can't be that serious."

The smaller woman let out a huge huff of air, flinging her hands into the air in an over dramatic fashion.

"If you really want to know!" Her voice was over exaggerated, so Alice knew she was trying to make a joke of it. It was a sudden change when she sobered and released a sigh. "It's kind of a long story."

"Well...," she watched as a machine shambled by, its joints clicking with every movement of its elongated legs. It left circular prints in the dry dirt. "We have time, don't we?"

"That's true...," Lysbeth chewed on her lip for a moment, her eyes dark. "I... don't know the specifics, per se. It is mentioned a bit, if you talk to some of the townspeople." She paused for a moment, trying to think about how to begin, "You have heard about the goddess, right?"

"I... I think so. A farmer yelled at me about stopping her, or something? And I know the new expansion is supposed to have something to deal with her." Alice laced her fingers together as she held her hands in front of her. "'The Song of the Goddess'?" Her voice was unsure as she tried to recall what Anne had said.

The other maiden paused, looking alarmed for a moment before recovering. Why had she acted so surprised? Maybe she didn't follow news about the game that closely?

Alice didn't have time to dwell on it, as Lysbeth chuckled darkly.

"I see... I'm not surprised. Outside of the main towns, the village people still have a prejudice against us, because the goddess is our mother. As maidens, she gives us our power." A small break in her voice had Alice glancing at her, but she continued like nothing was wrong. "We were born from her, and because of that they blame us for not stopping her when she went insane."