The Other Side: A Second Chance

My stomach grumbled as we dug around the abandoned cabin, hoping for good food. Yet, alas, nothing edible was found. Isa did find a jar of "pickled" goods, yet the seal on it wasn't secured, and upon popping open the top, the rancid smell made for a great baseball-style pitch as Isa chucked the jar out of a broken window.

She looked at me sadly and said, "I'm sorry. Tomorrow we can do some foraging; there should be plenty of edible mushrooms and wild kanoroots." My stomach growled along with hers, and I grimaced and nodded.

"Alright." I took a deep breath and coughed a little after inhaling some dust.

Isa reached to her side, pulled out her canteen, and opened it. After taking a small sip, she handed it to me.

"There's not much left, but you can have the rest." I took the water and gulped it down greedily with a small sigh, whining when it was empty.

"Thank you," I said with a frown as I capped it. "Do you know if there may be water around here?" I asked her.

"There's the lake," she said softly. "Though we can always look for any small streams." I nodded once more as we walked back into the living room.

There was one door we hadn't checked yet, and it was what I assumed to be the bedroom. We both shared a glance and nodded as we approached the door.

Yet when Isa took the handle, she jimmied it, and the door didn't budge. It was locked.

"Locked the bedroom door but not the front?" She muttered curiously and glanced back at me. "I can force this open; stand back."

I nodded and stepped back as Isa gripped the handle on the old door and pressed her shoulder into it. Pulling herself back, she began to ram the door with her body once, then twice, and by the third time the frame around the latch splintered, she stumbled into the room as the door gave way.

I gasped upon seeing this and went to follow Isa, but in a slightly panicked voice, she held her hand out to stop me and said, "Luna, stay back!"

I halted and felt my heart sink as Isa turned to me with a somewhat dreadful look. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I think I see why this place is abandoned."

 

---

 

The corpse was old. The body is mostly skeletal, save for the rotten skin that still clings to its shape. The figure, which I think was a man, lay in bed with a pistol in one hand. The gun reminded me of a French Mauser, c96, I think it was called.

The man looked to have committed suicide; the blood, now black and brown, stained the wall behind him, and the top of his head revealed a ghastly hole. Isa and I stepped into the room after she had calmed, and I couldn't take my eyes off the corpse.

In less than twenty-four hours, I've seen so much death. So many people die within a flash, yet something about the lone man on the bed disturbed me greatly. I watched as Isa peeled the gun from his dead fingers and swiftly checked its ammunition.

"Still loaded," she muttered softly before switching the safety on the gun and placing it on the nightstand, where we both noticed a scrawled note.

She grabbed the note, held it up, and began to read it. I nervously came to her side and watched as her eyes scanned from left to right over the paper. Her brow knit tightly as she looked more and more perplexed.

"Bloody nut he was…" She said it softly as she glanced back at the corpse.

"What does it say?" I asked her, and Isa glanced at me.

"I-I don't know if you should read this," Isa muttered.

I gulped. "I can handle it. Please let me read it."

Isa opened her mouth to protest for a second, but closed it, looked to the ground, and sighed before handing me the paper.

I took the paper from her hand and began to read.

"I saw her again. Her radiant beauty, Charity. She whispered to me the truth. His coming; their coming. With the coming of a new dawn, she called to me; called to us to join them. My brothers and sisters, I've seen the light; I've seen paradise. True eternity. Heaven. It is beautiful. He welcomes us with open arms to rejoin our lost family.

I'm scared. I fear my end here will be filled with pain, yet I know it'll only be temporary. She told me she would catch me. Guide me to him. Forgive me if my methods seem crude or if you do not understand. But in time, all will understand, and soon we'll leave the garden together.

See you all soon.

- Reiner Fitz."

"What the fuck?" I muttered softly as I read the letter again and again.

Charity. I feel like I've heard this name before, yet I can't quite recall it. I glanced up at Isa, who was rummaging through the drawers in the small study desk on the other side of the room. She found a small, faded box and placed it on the desk, and as I came over to her, I saw it was a small box of ammunition for the handgun.

"Yes." She muttered softly. "These will be useful."

"Isa, does this letter make any sense to you?" I asked her.

Isa looked over her shoulder before glancing back at the ammunition and shaking her head. "No. It reads like a man who became too delusional with his own faith."

I nodded. "The name Charity sounds familiar to me, though."

Isa glanced over her shoulder again. "Anything related to the voice in your head?"

Is it? I asked the voice in my head.

I received no response.

"I think he's taking a nap," I muttered softly.

Isa snorted and said, "A voice in your head taking a nap?" She chuckled. "Do you think they can hear me?"

I shrugged. "He told me he can see what I see, and he feels the souls of those around us."

Isa placed the box of ammo in her bag and turned to look at me. "If he only sees what you see and can feel the essence of the soul, how does he sense the machines?"

"That is because the machines emit a powerful essence." The voice answered in my head, and I jolted and gripped the side of my head.

"Holy shit, you startled me." I said it out loud, and Isa blinked.

"Is he speaking?" She asked.

"Yeah, he is." I scratched my pointy ear.

"What did he say?" Isa asked.

"Well, he can clearly hear you because he answered the question." I sighed. "He said the machines emit a powerful essence."

Isa frowned, and her eyes widened. "That would mean… they're alive."

"In a sense." The voice muttered. "Ten miles east of here, there is one approaching your very cabin. It'll be here within a half hour."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I groaned and face-palmed.

Isa cocked her head; I could tell by her face that she was a bit surprised to hear me curse. "What is wrong? Is there more coming?"

"Yes…" I whined as my anxiety began to kick in.

I was just finally starting to calm down somewhat. I'm so sick of this shit.

"He said there's one en route to this area; we have about a half hour."

Isa cursed and glanced out the bedroom window. She wiped away much of the grime and said, "That's about how much sunlight we have left."

"What do we do? Could we hunker down here and hide?" I suggested.

"That is ill advised." The voice in my head grumbled.

"Never mind," I said. "The voice man said that's not a good idea."

"No offense, Luna, but I think I'd listen to him," Isa said.

"Oh, perhaps your friend is smart after all."

Fuck you.

"Well, this trip wasn't an entire waste. We at least got a gun out of this," Isa said as she and I went back out into the living room. Yet before leaving, I took the note left by Reiner Fitz and stuffed it into the magic pouch my mother had given me.

"I don't know how much that'll help us against those walkers," I whimpered as we made our way back into the living room.

"Perhaps not useful against those, but we could always hunt some smaller critters and get some food." Isa hummed; I could tell she was trying to sound cheerful so as not to worry me. Yet I could see her fuzzy tail flicking back and forth like an irritated cat.

Once we made sure we had all of our items in check, we left the cabin, and I thought, Okay, voice guy. Or, whoever you are, what can I call you?

"You can refer to me as the Master." He said it in a monotonous tone as we ran towards the tree line.

Well, that doesn't sound evil at all.

"It was never my intention to not sound evil either."

Well, at least you're honest. Though I'm not calling you Master, it just sounds creepy.

"You're the one who's making it out to be that way."

Anyway, where should we go? You know where all these things are; can you help guide us?

"I've already given you my instructions. As of now, I'll only step in to make sure you don't get yourself killed over something idiotic."

Well, what if we go the wrong way? Or stumble into these things.

"I'll make sure to tell you if that happens, but as of now, follow what I already told you. Find the cabin down the forked path, obtain the key, and sail across the river."

Where's the forked path?

"In the forest, as I told you."

What forest?

"Questions upon questions. You mortals never cease to stop."

Mortals? Are you not a mortal yourself?

"Ah," he sighed. "You've gone and made me speak too much. Proceed on the path you originally sought, and you'll find it. Our discussion ends here."

Oh, so I caught you on one thing, and you're going to walk off?

I received no response.

Such an asshole.

 

---

 

We continued through much of the night. Sure enough, the "Master" was right about the fighting machine. Isa and I were probably a little under a mile away when we heard the horrific train-like howl of one of the creatures in the direction of the cabin.

As we continued away from the creature, I told Isa about what I had learned.

"So I ended up making him trip up and reveal something," I said as we climbed over a fallen tree. "Apparently, he called us mortals. So I said, Aren't you a mortal yourself?" To which I took on a mocking tone of his voice by trying to mimic his, "Ah, so I said too much; blah blah, I'm going to walk away."

Isa snorted and giggled. "Is that what he sounds like? A very posh-sounding individual."

"He sounds like a guy who would do a presentation on something like animal life," I said with a giggle as I imagined this voice being someone akin to David Attenborough.

Isa had to cover her mouth to not laugh so loud. "That's oddly specific, isn't it? But still, that's good to know. If he isn't a mortal, then that could mean he's something else. Perhaps, a fae maybe?" She thought.

I giggled and nodded as we neared a large kefner tree with a partially hollowed base, and I felt a sense of fatigue hit me as I let off a squeaky yawn and rubbed my eyes.

As if catching my fatigue, Isa yawned herself and said, "This could be a good resting spot for tonight." Looking at the hole in the tree. "It doesn't look like any critters are using it." She got down and crawled into the hole. "No bugs either. Not that I can see, at least. Luna, can you assist me by getting some branches and large leaves to cover this up?" She gestured to the hole. "We'll sleep here tonight."

If I had a gold piece for every time I slept in a hole this week, I'd have two gold pieces. Not a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice.

I nodded and went a little bit off, but not too far from Isa, to grab some fallen branches and large bits of foliage. I dragged them over to her and piled them up outside the hole. I shivered as a cool breeze blew through the forest.

"Why don't you go in while I work?" Isa said as she gestured to the entrance to the hole. "It's a little warmer in there than out here."

I wanted to protest, but when the second gust of wind blew past us, I immediately backed down and nodded. Crawling into the hole beneath the tree, I watched as Isa lashed together some basic camouflage around the base of the tree, essentially making a fake bush before crawling into the hole with me.

Neither of us had any bedrolls or any form of covering as we lay on the hard dirt and roots that made up the base of this small tree cave. At first, neither of us said anything as we lay there.

I positioned myself on my side and closed my eyes, yet after a few moments, sleep wouldn't come to me despite feeling so exhausted. My mind began to wander, and soon I found myself thinking about my family.

"Isa," I said softly.

"Hmm?" Isa purred, and I glanced over to see the woman practically curled in on herself, her fuzzy, soft tail wrapped around her knees, the tip of it flicking her face gently. Her feline eyes opened, and she looked at me adorably.

"Do you think my parents and Varis are okay?" I asked her once again.

Isa uncurled from herself, scooched towards me, and pressed herself upon me as a big spoon as she then pulled me into a very warm hug. The woman was practically a space heater, as I could hear and feel the purring coming from her chest.

"Of course I do, Luna," she said softly as her clawed hand lightly patted my head. "As I said before, your parents are wonderful people, strong too, and Varis. While young. He's very brave and a good shot too." She chuckled.

I felt my muscles relax and my body grow heavy as Isa shared her warmth with me as she held me close. Her embrace was comforting, like Momma's, yet slightly different.

I never really thought about it, but Isa does kind of feel like a cool aunt to me, I thought with a smile.

"Can you tell me about them?" I asked softly. "You worked with them, right? What were Momma and Papa like as adventurers?"

Isa thought about it for a second, and as I looked at her face, I could see that she was contemplating if she should say anything or not. Yet after a moment, she took a deep breath and said, "I'll tell you what I personally know about them. If anything else, you'll have to ask them."

I nodded, and her purring grew a little louder as her clawed hands stroked the top of my head, which made me squirm due to the ticklishness.

"I met your parents about fifteen cycles ago, back in my adolescent years, or as the humans and elves refer to it, teenage years. I was sixteen. I met your parents when I was exploring Yankston with Pomni, if you recall from my story the other day."

"I fell asleep during that." I blushed.

"How dare you?" Isa teased, and we both giggled.

"Sorry," I said as she booped my nose, and I smiled. "Mother and Father have been to Yankston?"

"They've been all over," Isa said with a nod. "They were the ones who helped Pomni and me in our search for the life-bringing seed. You see, back then, your mother and father were traveling adventurers, one of the last remaining."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Well, the world is changing, Luna. Adventurers aren't really a thing anymore. It's a bit of a history lesson in itself, but traveling adventurers and mercenaries. Most of which are illegal now as nations are taking most matters into their own hands."

I nodded slowly as Isa continued, "Though not all places have them outlawed, like Yankston. With the Great Migration happening, the Yanks are more than happy to hire out mercenaries and adventurers, and when Pomni and I were having trouble with our task, we decided to pool our money and hire the best of the best. The Spellbound Rangers."

I snorted and covered my mouth as I giggled, and I heard Isa's purring get even louder as the woman sounded like a motorboat. "Such a goofy-sounding name," I laughed, and even Isa couldn't help but giggle along with me.

"Don't go telling your parents that! They both seemed to really like it." She snickered and held me close. "Madam Moonweaver and Deadeye."

"De-Deadeye?!" I gawked and fell into a fit of giggles.

Oh my god, the cringe is real. Really? Dad called himself Deadeye?!

Isa laughed with me and said, "Oh, Slyran is going to die of embarrassment once he finds out you know this. Whatever you do, don't call him that anymore. He'll surely keel over."

I giggled and said, "I'll make sure to call him it next time I see him." I snickered.

Isa smiled. "I forgot to mention that they had another friend, a cleric by the name of Cyrus, who was referred to as Luminary. Cyrus was a kind girl, a cleric of Slyondra. She was a beautifully stunning woman, and the magic she could perform was divine, both figuratively and literally."

I blinked. "You said she was. Did something happen to her?" I asked.

Isa hesitated, and her face fell. "Unfortunately, her soul has passed into the Current. She is no longer with us."

I frowned and cast my gaze downward. "O-Oh… sorry."

Isa sighed. "It is okay. I knew her for only a short period, but her passing devastated your parents." I nodded. "But at the time, meeting the three of them was truly an interesting time. If you think their names were silly, you should've seen how they used to dress." She snickered. "Your father used to always wear this very form-fitting leather armor with a green cape, which admittedly didn't look too bad, yet your mother." Isa whistled. "Let's just say her choice of garb turned many heads."

"Oh gods, please don't tell me she was like half naked or something…" I looked at her, horrified.

When I first came to this world in the early days, I would've been snapping at the bit for that information. Yet now, seeing her as my actual mother just makes things weird.

Isa snorted. "I wouldn't say that far, but she did like to show off her skin. Yet now, you wouldn't find her getting anywhere near such outfits. Despite it not being that long ago, your parents have changed quite a lot. They've matured ever since they passed their first century."

"Well, Momma told me that elves aren't considered officially adults until their hundredth year." I looked up at Isa.

"In Elven culture, that is true." She nodded. "Elves mature at the same rate as all other races, but in the eyes of the elders and society, you aren't truly an adult till then. Many years ago, you wouldn't receive your true name till you turned a hundred," she explained. "Though much of this is changing now, as many of the elder elves are either dying off or changing their ways."

"You know a lot about elves," I said softly as I yawned.

"Well, I traveled a lot with your parents, and I've been to many places and cultures." Isa hummed. "It's how you learn, and the best way is to go in and experience it. Though what I think really made your parents mature was having Varis, that's when I noticed they really got their act together. Your father got a proper job; Cailynn started dressing and acting more properly." She chuckled. "I was shocked to hear they were having you."

I cocked my head. "What do you mean?" I asked.

Isa blushed and said, "Uh, well. If you recall on the trip to the Heinland Mountains that talk you had with your mother." I nodded. "Well, elven women don't get pregnant often. Usually once a decade or so."

Oh, the menstrual cycle. I nodded.

"However, certain… shops. Do sell ways to circumvent this. Your mother was so excited about getting another kid. She decided to buy something to have you."

I snorted. "I guess I'm special then."

Isa gasped and laughed before nodding. "Yes! Yes, you are!" She giggled.

Well, that's an interesting way to find out how I was born. A sex drug brought me into this world.

"I guess that's one way to put it." I jolted in Isa's arms as the voice came back.

Oh God, don't tell me a monster is coming.

"No. I just couldn't help but notice what you two were discussing and decided to listen in."

"Is something wrong, Luna?" Isa asked after noticing I had stiffened and gone quiet.

Do you not know what privacy is? I thought you were only going to intrude when something dangerous was coming.

I received no response.

Oh, alright, goodbye then.

"I am doing as you asked, giving you privacy."

This time, I was the one who didn't respond.

"N-Nothing. I just got distracted by a thought." I yawned.

Isa nodded. "But to bring things back, your parents were wonderful people during their adventuring days. A bit wild and a bit noisy… a lot."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked as I looked up at Isa.

"Wrestling. Lots of wrestling."

I frowned. "I know what you mean by that."

Isa blushed. "I guess you do; if I recall, you did assist me in calling them out on the Heinland trip." She giggled. "You're a very smart girl, Luna. I admit that you are a bit too mature for your age. Has anyone ever said that talking to you doesn't feel like talking to a child?"

Well, I know the answer to that.

I blushed. "Uh… I think Papa has brought that up a couple times. But I think it's because the best people around me rub off on me." I smiled and winked.

Isa chuckled and patted me on the head. "You're adorable. But yes, your parents were very rowdy but also very lovable." She yawned. "But it's getting late, kitten."

Oi, what did she call me?

"We should get some sleep," Isa said as her purring quieted a little. She pulled me in close and leaned down to kiss me lightly on the cheek. "Good night, Luna; I love you."

I froze. Excuse me? I blinked. Did she… just… she did… didn't she?

I felt my heart swell in my chest, and I don't know why, but I felt tears welling in my eyes. I sniffed and smiled as the tears streamed down my cheek. I had no idea why they were flowing, but I felt happy. I was very happy to hear that.

"G-Good night, Isa; I love you too." I squeaked out and closed my eyes.

And for the first night in ages, I slept peacefully in the warm embrace of Isa's arms, with the soothing sound and gentle sensations of her purring.