From the moment I saw her, I had a feeling. It wasn't love, nor was it hatred. It was a sort of curiosity. An intrigue I've never felt about anyone before. I couldn't help but wonder... If I follow her, where will she take me? How will my life turn out?
Our lives our worlds apart. How is someone like me supposed to follow her? I know I can't make that leap. I can't make myself choose to follow her.
But she chose for him.
Her smile, her warmth, her kindness...
They dragged him in and now lead him down this road. But will this path bring him to where he desires? Wherever that may be?
...
Or maybe... that doesn't even matter. Because, at least for now, he's glad. Glad she's given him direction. Glad she's given him a path to follow.
...
Sirius stumbles back through the streets as best as he can. He had been moping with his head down when last on this path. He unknowingly has already made three wrong turns, each straying further from the correct route.
His mind fixates on her, Aureole. His surroundings are blurry and out of focus. She is the only clear sight he sees. Her warmth still survives on his skin. Flashes of her gentle smile and gradient eyes swarm his consciousness.
This feeling is fully foreign.
Is this... love?
He doesn't know. He hasn't felt or had the capacity to love in a long time.
Not since eighth grade. And we don't speak of eighth grade.
Whatever this feeling is, he welcomes it wholly. He doesn't want it to go away.
Realizing he's lost, he asks nearby citizens for directions. Unsurprisingly, he is met with disappointment. The contrast between Aureole and the townsfolk is night and day.
Carrying on, he meets a young girl calling out for what is presumably a pet named "Melman." Very interesting name.
Sirius almost ignores her, fearing that she'd be scared of him being a "Witch Spawn." But, his conscious gets the better of him and he offers to assist the girl. The little girl, surprisingly, happily accepts Sirius's offer.
She takes hold of one of Sirius's fingers, and they begin searching for what he gathers to be a kitty. Cats still exist in this world, huh?. Her tiny hands would fit in his palm, but he's scared he'd crush them.
It doesn't take long to find the cat. They find Melman in an alley behind a fruit stall. Melman is a shaggy, tan cat with far too many whiskers. He is still cute, but the name "Melman" does not suit him whatsoever.
The little girl excitedly raises and spins around with Melman (who does not look pleased to be found). Sirius almost feels bad for the cat... Almost.
The girl thanks Sirius and hugs his leg, dropping Melman in the process. 'Thankfully, Melman doesn't bother running away. He seems to have given up.
As the little girl embraces his leg, the cry of an old woman rings out. A lady only describable as a hag seemingly comes out of thin air and rips the little girl off of Sirius. She takes the girl's tiny hand and drags her away while scolding her on how she shouldn't involve herself with "Witch Spawns."
It seems that even in this world, children are still by far the purest of beings.
The phrase has become numb to his ears. The guy Korlin had told him about seemed to explain it best: "Mindless hatred." However, he personally gets more of a sense of fear from people rather than hatred.
Except, of course, for that man.
His eyes flash in his mind, but Sirius quickly suppresses the memory. It's best not to think about that. It's best not to think about that man.
As the hag drags the little girl off, Melman follows behind. You are a very strange cat...
Sirius, now even more lost, continues his hunt.
Thankfully, after the Melman incident, it doesn't take much longer to find who he's been searching for.
After only a couple of blocks and a run-in with a break-dancing panda, he finds four familiar faces.
Three of the four he hardly recognizes; their clothing has changed, unlike the fourth.
-Where have I seen them before?
"Look, man, I think your brain may be a little tousled." It is a younger lad with sharp eyes, dressed in baggy clothing. Two others stand behind him, one holding back a laugh and the other scratching their head.
-Ah, that's where.
"What does tousled even mean?! That is a made-up word!" It's a boy that retaliates. A boy with honey eyes and a beige hoodie tied around his waist. An odd, new satchel hangs at his side. Korlin seems to be having a similar confrontation as Sirius did.
-At least they didn't pour water all over you.
"Alright, stop your squabbling!" Tousle-guy appears to be fed up.
"Squabbling?! What is this?! England in the eighteen-hundreds?! And what the hell does tousled mean?!"
"What the hell is England?!"
"Don't worry about it!"
Korlin rubs his eyes in frustration.
"What does hell mean?" Tousle-guy questions his companions. They do not know either.
"Look, he's slightly taller than me. He's got clothes on that look just like mine, except his sleeve is cut with one veiny forearm sticking out. He's got brown hair and yellowy eyes with some bags under them. He looks kind of gloomy but in like... a handsome way."
-Handsome??
Tousle-guy, sighing, spots Sirius and points to him.
"Like that guy?"
Korlin briefly turns, "Yeah, kind of like-" He does the biggest double-take Sirius has ever seen. "Sirius?!"
"Gloomy but handsome, huh?" Sirius walks over, holding back a chuckle.
"Well," Korlin's demeanor relaxes; he's clearly relieved. "To be fair, you are slightly attractive. I'd kill for a face like that."
"You're not so bad-looking yourself."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Alright, now it's just weird."
"Agreed."
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Korlin grabs Sirius's shoulders and shakes him.
"Sorry, sorry-"
"I've been searching for hours, man!" He stops rocking him and pats Sirius's shoulders. "You gotta stop running off, it's getting tiring..."
"I didn't even run this time. I walked. Very slowly, in fact."
"Yeah, yeah..." Korlin has a big grin. Sirius bears a similar one. "Did something happen?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, it's just... the look on your face. It seems a little better."
-The look on my face...?
Sirius notices the tousle-trio still observing his reunion.
"I'll tell you on the way... Come on, we're going to the castle." Sirius nudges Korlin's arm and begins walking in the relative direction of the castle.
Korlin remains still for a moment.
-3...2...1...
"Wait... Like the castle, CASTLE?!"
Sirius nods to the boy; he had expected this sort of reaction. He motions Korlin to follow him, then bids farewell to the trio. "See you guys. Thanks for not splashing water on him!" Sirius gives them a shallow wave.
"You know those guys?" Korlin jogs to catch up.
"Not really."
"Wait. So... We, you and I, are going to the massive castle?" he articulates every word. He might burst with excitement at any second.
"Correct."
"...May I ask why?! Not that I am in any way complaining!"
"I got us a place to crash."
Korlin's eyeballs practically jump from their sockets. He puts a death-grip on Sirius's shoulder and opens him like a door.
"WE ARE GOING TO STAY AT THE CASTLE?!"
"Uh... Yes? Maybe? I don't actually know."
"Huh...?"
Sirius realizes he has not made any sense whatsoever. How do I even explain this?
⧗⧖⧗⧖⧗
Sirius describes his encounter with the evil-eyed man. How he had felt the unwavering weight of gravity. Korlin's takeaway is that Sirius had run into a main antagonist in some anime.
Sirius then explains his reunion with Aureole. He leaves out the part of him crying.
"Sirius. My man. You're making me feel like a side character..."
"...Sorry?"
"Mannnnnnnn..." Korlin wraps his hands around his head and squats down. "When will I meet my heroine?!"
"Heroine? That's a bit... idealistic, no?"
"Maybe we'll meet at the castle, and I'll save her from her evil stepmother!" Korlin springs to his feet. "Or perhaps I'll come across a dragon keeping her captive, and I must slay it! Ahhhhh... if only I had magic..."
"Yeah..." Sirius pats the boy's back. "One day, I'm sure you'll learn some."
"Mm," he slogs. "Still, thank you, Sirius. Thank you for coming back for me. It... means a lot."
"..." Sirius smiles. "Of course-"
"Oh! Maybe if I get injected with some mystic blood of another race, I'll be granted some superpowers! Er, no... Injecting blood never turns out right..." He sighs in defeat. "I'd probably get sick or turn into some Yharnam beast..."
"Are you talking about Bloodborne?"
Korlin's mouth gapes. If he had a liquid in his mouth, it would have shot out his nose.
"You know what Bloodborne is?!"
"I've played some video games before."
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh-" He's freaking out from excitement. "Who's your favorite boss?!"
"Uh... It's been a couple of years... But I'd say the final one. I remember liking the music and arena."
"Ah, Gherman, not Ludwig or Maria?"
"Uh... I don't remember them."
"They're like the best bosses in the whole game! They're from the DLC?!."
"Oh... I never had the DLC."
"Aw... how come?"
"I didn't have any money. And I don't really ask my parents for things. I only played it since my mom randomly bought it for me one day. I played it on my brother's console."
"Well, in my very professional opinion, I say you should have asked for it."
"My mom was always low enough on money as is, besides, the base game alone was more than enough."
"Fair enough," Korlin is giddy and itching to talk more about nerdy stuff. "Any other games? What about Dark Souls?! Did you play those too??"
"I think I played the second one..."
"AH!" Korlin aggressively shakes Sirius's shoulders again. "That's my favorite one! What's your favorite part?!"
"Uh..." Sirius can't remember any specific moments from the game. It's been far too many years. "I don't know about that... But I always used to listen to its lore videos to go to sleep."
"...Holy shit. That is the most relatable thing I've ever heard in my entire life."
"Though I don't remember half of it," Sirius chuckles.
"Mannnn, every time we interact, you just get cooler and cooler."
"Huh?"
"Well, usually you're all deadpan, but then you'll seamlessly banter with me or become super nice out of nowhere. You always seem calm and collected, but then you'll get bursts of emotion that you try to hold back. And now I know that you're a nerd like me! You're a very fascinating character..."
"...Uh... You're really analyzing me, huh...?" Sirius doesn't know if he's impressed or scared by the boy's analysis.
-Calm and collected...? But, I feel like I'm always being overly emotional...
"Ha... Sorry, when it comes to shows or games, I always deep-dived into them. Seems that's bled into real life... Maybe I should become a detective adventurer..."
"Right... Maybe I should have played more games... I wish I had. I wish I had watched more movies, too."
-I bet they would have kept me distracted...
"Haha! Same! My backlog is CRAZY!" Korlin is really enjoying this conversation. "Now! Back to Dark Souls! How did you clear bosses? Were you more of a strength build or a spell user?"
"Uh..." What is he talking about?? "I don't know about that, but... I always liked the sense of accomplishment I'd get when beating a boss. It's batshit hard, but then eventually... I'd pull through. It made me feel like... I actually did something for once, you know?"
"...That was awfully melancholic."
"Sorry."
"Do you not feel like you did enough in your life? You know, before you died..."
"..." Sirius grows uncomfortable. While the answer is obvious to Sirius, Korlin has no idea what his life was like. And Sirius... doesn't feel that he should tell. It'd only bring the mood down.
"Sorry, touchy subject..."
"It's alright... It's just... Not something worth talking about... Are there any other games you were into?" he switches subjects. "I haven't played many in the past couple of years, but I used to be a nerd. Especially on my Wii."
"Heh," Korlin laughs. "Well, if you really want to know..."
Korlin then gleefully proceeds to list 57 game series he's played off the top of his head. Sirius is unfamiliar with almost all of them, but Korlin's joy in explaining them is something to admire. He looks happy.
"Xenoblade Chronicles, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Pokémon, Portal, Silent Hill, Persona, Dragon Quest, Monster Hunter, NieR, Runescape, I don't know if that counts, Zelda, Ace Attorney-"
"Um," he is listing them off too fast to comprehend. "Could you slow down a bit?"
"Oh- Sorry, I get a little... passionate."
"It's alright, no need to be ashamed."
"Mm, I'm just glad to have a fellow nerd along with me."
"Though I'm not as extreme as you."
"Yeah, yeah..."
"You should be a salesman with the way you praise those games."
"Ooo, you think so? I do have the natural talent of charisma."
"Maybe our clothing partner should hire you as marketing director."
"He should, then I could earn even more money from him!"
"Assuming his business idea actually succeeds..."
"Have faith, our financial stability rides on him!"
"True..."
They continue strolling along, soaking in the sun above. Korlin hums a random theme song, skipping all the while.
"Why do all of these NPCs have such distinct character designs...?" Korlin ponders to himself. "That guy looks like a phoenix... Maybe I should go interact with him. Maybe he has a quest for me... What do you think, Sirius?"
"I don't mean to sound rude, but... Is this all just a game to you? Living in this new world and all?"
Korlin's skin begins to crawl; a striking discomfort sways his movements.
"...Of course! This is the start of my great adventure, after all! I'm telling you, once I gain magic and a heroine, I will become the greatest adventurer in the land!"
"...Uh huh..."
"Haha! Well, at least, that's the dream..."
"..."
"Who knows when I'll wake up..."
...
"What's with the purse?"
"Don't call it that," Korlin almost looks offended. He hugs the large satchel at his side. "Alzir gave it to me; it just has a bunch of papers in it." He digs through the bag as they walk.
"What do they say?"
Korlin shuffles through papers one by one, taking them out to read in the sunlight.
"This one is what I assume to be a calendar... This one has a bunch of temperature conversions... This has... age conversions?"
"Are they all in a language we can read? If so, this will be really helpful."
"Those ones are. Some of them just have random characters on them. Like this one here, I think it's a star map, but I can't read it." He hands over the crumpled page.
The tea-stained paper is insanely detailed. Perfectly drawn images of constellations with rows of text lining each one. Of course, it is unreadable, but once deciphered, it should prove fascinating.
"Dang, is that guy actually a genius?"
"A very unorganized genius, but yes. He literally ran upstairs, stuffed these papers in the bag, threw it at me, and said to go find you."
"Strange guy..." Yet, Sirius can't help but hold him in a light of respect. "Hopefully he's not messing with us and these are all real facts..."
"Aw, have a little trust. I doubt Alzir of all people is some evil scientist."
"I know, I just prefer to be cautious."
"Says the guy who's trusting some random girl's invite to a castle."
"...I do think it's odd. And I still don't really get it... But it's our best bet. We don't have any other options... Really, I... don't like blindly trusting people."
"Come on, not everyone is a horrible person. Take me, for example, you trust me, right?"
"..."
"...Right?"
"...Yeahhhh..."
"Oi."
Sirius chuckles it off, knowing full well he wasn't joking. Korlin laughs it off too, fearing it may actually be true.
The oddly quiet streets are pleasant for a stroll. The smell of a newly bought book lingers in the bag. Korlin sniffs the pages and observes the satchel as a whole...
"It does look like a purse, doesn't it?"