The Veil Between

Chapter Five | An Inquiry Of Another World

Chapter Five | An Inquiry Of Another World

It was a crisp afternoon, the wind nipping gently at Tobias as he sat out in the garden, weeding the flower beds that wrapped around the house and spread across the grounds.

He had settled into the house quite nicely over the course of a week or so now, and was quite fond of the large manor, and the building itself seemed fond of him and how he cared for it, having cleaned the entirety of the inside and was now working on repairs and tending to the grounds.

Edward, the spirit of the manor, and the biggest surprise Tobias had found since moving in, was still quite distant with him, but in the way a cat was distant with an owner. He would watch Tobias from a distance, and feigned indifference towards the human, so Tobias never bothered to point out that Edward was almost always in the same room as him, reading over his shoulder or just lingering around him. While sometimes he was unseen, Tobias could always feel his presence, the chill that crawled along his skin, and the scent of old pine, it was very much a tell that the other was lurking nearby.

Not that he minded, of course, Tobias did his best to make the other feel comfortable with his presence, even though that had not been in the description of his duties for this house, but he was happy to do it.

Looking up at the house, Tobias saw the half-transparent face of the ghost in one of the upstairs windows, though, the moment he noticed him was the moment Edward vanished, most likely embarrassed of being caught staring, something that quite amused Tobias, leaving him smiling as he plucked the last weeds in the bed and stood up, dusting off his hands and meticulously picking the dirt out from under his perfectly rounded fingernails before heading back inside.

When he entered the manor, Edward was there to greet him, floating up near the grand chandelier in the entrance hall, looking down at him through narrowed eyes.

"I wasn't looking at you, you know. Just thought I should mention it before you imagined something foolish of me." The ghost spoke up defensively, catching Tobias' attention and making him look up at the other.

"Of course not. I would never think of you as foolish, Edward," He smiled in response, and that made the ghost squeak slightly and vanish.

Tobias chuckled softly, a bit confused as to why he had that sort of effect on the spirit, but deciding not to question it, as the other's reactions made him smile and find him all the more endearing.

He walked into the kitchen and put the large black kettle onto the stove, turning on the heat so the water would boil for some much needed afternoon tea.

Despite the heat coming from the now lit stove, that familiar chill came back, and Tobias said nothing, simply summoning the book he - and Edward - had been reading, and sat down at the table while waiting on the water, starting to read and feeling Edward's presence over his shoulder as the other peeked at the book as well.

Tobias had been reading up on mortal history in connection with magical history, something he hadn't known much about before he came here, as he was now able to choose his own books instead of reading up on the subjects that his father deemed important. He found it fascinating how many magicians had crossed the veil between their worlds to assist mortals in their wars and important historical events. It went all the way from the founders of countries and famous soldiers, to actors and major celebrities that were still prominent in the mortal world, no one knowing that they came from a completely different realm, it fascinated Tobias.

After a while, it had gotten him wondering if maybe he had the chance to become someone important to history. Could he become someone that people would remember? Could he possibly help those in need or change the world? It was unlikely, but, still, he was allowed to daydream of such things, even though he knew his father would never allow him to fall into such a view of the public eye.