Chapter 3: Nara Phione

This night Nara woke up as usual, the sky was already dark. She went to the living room and lit the fireplace, while waiting for the fire to become stronger she went to the water tank that was ten meters away from the house –the water came from the river and was filtered with coal before entering the tank– and filled the metallic recipient she brought with her.

Once back inside she put the recipient above the fire so that the water would warm up. She took some dried herbs she found in the wood and added them to the water.

Some steam started to appear, gently floating in the air, she took the tea and went to drink it at the wooden table –the table was low so that people wouldn't need to use chairs and would simply sit on the floor– it was warm and sweet, perfect to wake up.

She took her bag and the basket that she emptied before going to sleep, the herbs were stacking up everywhere, hanged with strings to dry.

Just before leaving she lit her torch soaked with oil in the fireplace and put out the fire.

She arrived here five months ago looking for a legendary herb known as the "Blessed moonlight sage". She asked the elves where she would be the most likely to find those herbs and stayed in this abandoned house to look for it. In all this time she only found a small sample of the herb that she was preserving and studying, but if she wanted to understand it's properties completely she would need more than that. That's why every night she went in the forest equipped with a map to look for the herb, in appearance it was a completely normal herb, similar to the grass that grows everywhere in the area. It's particularity was that it shined of a dim light blue at night as the moonlight, reason of its convoluted name.

The torch illuminated her path and was essential to detect possible dangers. Her blond hair and green long robe were undulating calmly in the dark.

This time she had to go even farther than usual and look at more unexpected places where it could grow. If things continued like this she would need to go look for the herb elsewhere.

As Nara went deeper in the forest she found some broken branches and torn leaves as if a beast ran in panic which was pretty unusual in this area. She was intrigued by this incident and decided to follow the tracks. First to know in which direction the beast went she looked at the branches that were partly broken, the side of the branch broken and the side still intact would indicate how the branch was bent and so the direction.

It seemed that the beast went south-east in the direction of the frozen mountains. She followed the path made between the bushes until she found someone lying on the ground, it was a human.

«What is a human doing here?»

Finding a human here was definitely... strange.

First of all they were in the middle of nowhere in the forest, second thing it was the territory of elves which means that the number of humans here is really small –only some merchants and ambassadors came here–, last thing they were miles away from human territory, it wasn't the border but quite the opposite the deeper parts of the land.

Maybe an assassin that was sent to kill her?

Nara began to examine the body laying on the ground, her incredulity grew even more. It was a man but his body was week to the point of wondering how he could go that far. He wore torn clothes that seemed to hold no value. Not a merchant, not an assassin, not a traveler.

As if he fell from the sky.

It seems like he was bitten by a purple tree spider. It wouldn't have been dangerous if there was a healer nearby and if the wound was recent but that wasn't the case, it seemed that his body layed here for some hours.

Will that young man survive?

She took the man on her back, letting her bag and basket on the ground and brought him home.

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A few days passed since then, the young man was still asleep on the only bed of the house –Nara had to sleep on the floor with a spare blanket– she hoped that he would wake up soon it was such a hassle to take care of him all day.

Nara fed him some medicines to help him eliminating the poison, mashed berries, water and other herbs, healed his wounds.

At this moment she understood what it meant to be a parent, always checking to see if everything was alright, taking care of all his needs, yes all...

Do you know what it means?

She had to manufacture some diapers, wash him from the sweat... That was a bit uncomfortable.

Sometimes she would sit by his side and watch him, he was so calm with a peaceful face, his brown and wavy hair gently caressed his shoulders, a small mole was visible on his cheek just under his closed eyes as if it was a tear, thin lips... Well, all his body was thin. Not much fat and almost no muscles.

But, Nara thought to herself that he was pretty handsome like that, with a ray of sun illuminating his closed eye, ear and neck.

The sun rose and set eight times before his eyes opened, it was just before the first rays of light in the morning appeared, the colors of the forest were still cold with a little mist. The air was fresh.

He looked around him, everything was made of wood, the walls, doors, even the bed on which he slept was like a table made of wood. His back was sore from sleeping on this hard surface for so long. He stretched a bit before realizing that there was someone laying at the foot of the bed.

She must have heard him moving as she sat up straight suddenly, looking at him.

Their eyes met.

One.

Two.

Three seconds.

Nara blushed.

«P...Please wait here! I'll go take you something to eat and drink!»

She disappeared slamming the door behind her.

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The man was embarrassed, he had no idea where he was, he tried to remember what happened before but for some reason it was blurry.

The time he organized his thoughts Nara was back, her hair ordered, a wooden tray in her hands with a bowl of water, some berries, biscuits and a strange fruit that was perfectly round and smooth like a cherry but green and bigger.

She took a step in the room and started asking him some questions.

«I'm Nara Phione, I brought you here and healed you as you were bitten by a purple tree spider, how are you feeling?»

«I'm alright, a bit numb and my thoughts are blurry but I'm alright.»

«Good, I brought you something to eat please try it.»

«Thank you. I... I have a lot of questions...»

«Haha so do I ! But first please tell me your name.»

«Right I'm sorry I forgot to present myself! I'm Elliot, thank you so much for saving me.»

Elliot bowed down to show his thanks.

«No please don't harm yourself! You've just recovered I don't want your condition to worsen.»

And so, Elliot's new life could begin. He would stay in his room all day as the effects of the poison were still active, he had a hard time staying up. He took that time to think about everything that happened, he remembered the cataclysm, God, the reincarnation in this new world apparently named Jutengai.

Think of his friends... his mom... his sister...

Why...?

He could look at himself in something that was like a mirror, the body wasn't his. Those green eyes almost black on the edges of the iris, smooth skin, it wasn't his body.

What. Stayed. Of. Him.

Only his mind stayed the same but who was he without all the things that defined him? He was already lost enough in earth, not knowing what he truly wanted, not knowing and understanding his emotions.

After high school, when he had to go to the university he chose to do literature studies but in high school he was bad at that, to the opposite he was good in sciences, his parents and teachers encouraged him to do science studies. He was tortured in his mind, making this choice was so hard, in the end he chose literature, letting his relatives shocked by this decision. He couldn't understand himself.

He was lost.

So now that he lost the ones he knew, his world, even his body.

What. Stayed. Of. Him.

He couldn't find an answer and the hit from reality coming back to him made him despaired.

The night when Nara went outside to look for herbs he couldn't sleep, he was scared. When his eyes closed images of the past would flash in his head, like a thousand daggers ramming in his soul.

He would cry, cry so much until not enough water remained in his body to do so. And slowly, day by day as his body grew better, his eyes became darker, as if life started to leave him carried away by the tears.

Nara understood that something was wrong, Elliot didn't say much and simply avoided most of the questions she asked him. She thought that by letting him acclimate himself to the place he would end up regaining his energy but it was the opposite.

He was falling more and more into despair and darkness.

A fallen soul.

 

 

End of the 3rd chapter of Jutengai - New horizon

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If you want to make any comments to help me improve or just to encourage me I would always love it as long as it has good intention.

This story is inspired from the universe of a fantasy RP discord server I am part of named "Jutengai" so I hope to see you in the next chapters (probably weekly release or less than a week for the first chapters) and if you like it don't hesitate to join us on the discord.

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