Chapter Text
A soft wind blew over the endless wheat field as a golden owl flew overhead, observing the land below. Nearby an old, abandoned house sat a young woman deep in thought as she looked into the horizon. She sighed and looked up towards the owl. A loud screech caught her off guard as the same owl materialized on the branch close to her. Lifting herself up from the ground, she dusted herself off, brushing the locks of hair to the side.
Crossing her arms, the woman angrily spoke, "You didn't have to do that Herodes."
Turning its head sideways, the owl's beak scratched together as an ethereal voice echoed, "What is wrong Venusian, is something troubling you in any way?"
"It's nothing really," She answered halfheartedly, "I don't think you would understand all of it with your omnipresent mind."
"Even though I contain boundless knowledge of the dimensions, I will do my best," Herodes replied in a monotone voice, "Do tell Venusian, let's see what is on your mind."
Herodes hopped closer to the woman, gently perching on her shoulder, the owl pressed his face to her forehead. The land faded around her, as a cluttered room lined with posters and laundry strewn about, materialized around her. The distinct beeping filled her ears as she woke up. Sarai cursed to herself as it continued to ring, with a solid fist cutting it out midway. In the kitchen, she stared out the window to the lifeless street outside as the sun sat high in the sky. It was already halfway through summer and she had yet to decide what she was going to do with her life. Taking a sip from some tea, she ignored the pile of envelopes from various tech schools and universities she had no idea existed. Plopping herself down on the couch, she scrolled through her social media feed to distract herself from the troubles she was facing. Right in her face she was reminded of the happier lives that her friends were having. Katherine converted and became a nun, Benji and Wilhelm joined the military, Titus was accepted into a prestigious college, and Haadiyah went back to her hometown to help out family. That left her being the only one without a plan after graduation. She was an A-level student throughout high school, but had always lacked the ambition to do so. Sarai stormed off into the bathroom in a rage both towards the world and herself. Tears ran down her face as she stared at herself in the mirror, gripping her head tightly as she cursed herself out.
A loud knock came from the door of the bathroom, "Honey, is everything okay in there?"
Sarai lay there silently as the concerned voice of her father continued to talk from the other side. The sigh he gave before he softened his voice made Sarai feel worse.
"I know we haven't done a lot since your graduation party, but I was wondering if you were open for tonight. The recreation hall is having a barbecue for veterans and I know you wanted to test fire that old Athasoan rifle your grandpa gave to you."
"I'll come with you," Sarai quietly whimpered as she wiped away the tears.
"Alright take your time," Her father calmly spoke, "It isn't until an hour from now."
The recreation hall was full of music and laughter as they walked through the entrance. The lobby of the range was surprisingly sparse, as most of the patrons were either in the gymnasium or at the gun range. Sarai just scrolled on her phone as her father conversed with the old veterans and buddies he knew in his unit. The food wasn't that bad, but Sarai preferred a Central Hestaran blend of spices when compared to the Kelinian one. She knew that her dad was going to take a long time finishing the conversations with his friends, so she decided to go shoot that old rifle by herself. After checking in with a receptionist, Sarai made her way down the hallway, a corkboard on the wall caught her attention. Maybe she could get a job somewhere in the area for the time being, but most wanted people who had to support families. Sarai tore off one listing that would work, even with the dismal working hours and the lack of unionization of that field. She knew they would drop her after one week, but it would be worth the effort.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a firm wall of flesh underneath a thick coat. Falling down onto the ground, the thud from the rifle in the bag alerted the figure that stood over her. A large hand shot out in front of her to help the woman up. Sarai immediately recognized the face as she buried herself into the torso of the man in front of her. It was Wilhelm Hölderlin, one of the few friends she thought would be gone forever. His angled jawline was cleanshaven and so was his blond hair, but the deep blue eyes still told telltale signs of the gentle giant within. It had been a year since Wilhelm had joined the Imperial Marine Corps, as he had to leave early due to some his contract being botched when he had volunteered. Sarai was under the belief that he was stationed in Northern Idmania, as she was going off of the tales her father had told her about what happens in the Corps.
"Willy, I thought you were off somewhere in the empire," Sarai spoke with tears of joy, "Wasn't that what your sister told me at the graduation party."
"No Sarai, I was just joking around with her," Wilhelm chuckled, "She doesn't understand that new recruits are given some time off after their training to collect their affairs."
Sarai let go and picked up the bag and walked with him to the range, "Guess your visiting with your family?"
"Yes and no," He said as his voice lowered, "I did visit my mom, but she was in a mood when I arrived, so I hung out at the park before visiting my father."
Sarai silently put her hand on his arm to comfort her friend.
"I spent an hour there before my mom calmed down," Wilhelm continued, "But ever since Elizabeth went away with her boyfriend, it has been another Tuesday at the Hölderlin household."
"Oh shit I completely forgot about that," Sarai mumbled, "I hope she comes back to visit, cause I still have that ring she gave me after that thing with Katherine."
Wilhelm tried not to laugh at the memory, as it was a painful one for all of the people in the group, but it was better to not focus on the dark parts of their lives right now.
"Hey Wilhelm, are you sure you got any safety gear with you," Sarai asked her friend, "Cause I know we're the only ones on the range, but I've heard these old rifles are fairly loud."
"Eh, I'll be fine," Wilhelm replied, brushing off the question and sticking up his index fingers, "That's why I got these gifts that God gave me to protect my ears."
"Guess the Imperial Marines want to prove their resilience at any chance they can," Sarai joked with herself in her thoughts.
Loading in a magazine into the bullpup rifle, Sarai shouldered it, and fired it down range. The loud burst of gunfire deafened and blinded Wilhelm for a good solid minute, putting him a dazed state. Sarai went over to check on her friend, though the state he was left in confused Sarai on what his exact condition was. By the time Wilhelm finally came to his senses, a wave of mental notes filled his mind. Holding the bridge of his nose, he focused on an important thought that was in his head since the start of the week.
"Hey Sarai," Wilhelm yelled over the ringing of his ears, "What are you exactly doing once summer ends?"
Sarai froze at the thought. She came to this place to avoid it completely, and meeting Wilhelm again helped distract her from it, but here he was, mentioning it.
"I-I don't know Wilhelm," Sarai shouted back in a stammer, "I just wanted to get done with high school first, b-but I'm still looking around, it's something I don't want to talk about."
"Oh, I mean as if you were open to the idea of moving in with me," Wilhelm yelled in a lowered tone, "Cause I rented an apartment way in the middle of nowhere. Didn't read the fine print when I signed the lease, and I need a roommate to split rent with."
Sarai became confused, but intrigued about this spiel. Why did he need an apartment if he was in the military? Then she was reminded of what he exactly volunteered for at the tail end of junior year, the reserves. So he had already served most of his contract, so they might've sent him home early for some odd reason.
Wilhelm was finally able to hear himself, "I was going to offer the spot to Benji, but he decided to go active duty, so I was left adrift until I found you here."
Pausing before her response, she knew she had to get out of the city to clear her mind. Perhaps it would help her focus better on the future without the hustle and bustle of the city around her. She always loved the country side, as half her life she spent out there, but her parents would be less enthusiastic about this. Her mother was especially going to be a roadblock. Wilhelm Hölderlin was not a revered name in her family except with her father, but he would be the easier pillar to knock down. Yet this was a chance to get the future she wanted.
"I'll take up the offer," Sarai spoke, holding in her emotions, "I'll talk with my parents, but who knows what they will say."
"Okay good," Wilhelm sighed as if a weight was being lifted off of him, "Cause I was going to offer this to Markus, but I don't like his twelve pack a day habit."
"Well may dad's here if you want to talk to him about it," Sarai replied gleefully, "C'mon I'm sure he'd down for me to take a gap year if I do go to college."
Dinner was silent and tense as Sarai felt the gaze of her mother pierce through her. She knew the inevitable was coming, but chose to stay silent as her father left to go clear his plate. Sarai quietly slumped down in her chair as her mother set down her drink in a slow, methodic motion. When compared to her older brothers, her mother was never as condescending when Gillian decided to take a gap year before finally getting a job in the cattle industry.
Swishing the wine in her glass, Sarai's mother tensely asked, "Sarai, I hate to ask this question, but have you looked at any colleges yet that you can apply to?"
Sarai sheepishly straightened up, muttering, "No mother I have not, most of the colleges I looked at don't offer any scholarships to families like ours."
"I am pretty sure that Providence University offers something," Her mother smoothly replied, "Though you did not like the campus, or was it because that one of your exes attends the school?"
"It was the campus mother," Sarai said while holding back her emotions, "And I'm still lost on where to look further."
"Hm, well then, I am sure that your father can put a good word to the Generalfeldmarschall on accepting your low test score," replied the mother sternly as she took a sip from her wine glass, "After all, you always wanted to join the armed forces to protect the empire, before you decided to botch your chances by dating that one girl."
Shooting up from her chair, Sarai yelled, "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED! YOU NEVER WILL! CAN'T YOU LET ME DECIDE MY OWN FUCKING LIFE FOR ONCE!"
Her mother slammed her hands on the table and yelled back, "SARAI CLAIRE FLEMINGS, YOU WILL NOT TALK TO YOUR MOTHER LIKE THAT!"
"I JUST WANT TO DECIDE WHAT I WANT TO DO, I'M NOT SOME BITCH THAT FOLLOWS COMMANDS LIKE A DOG, I AM AN ADULT NOW!"
Entering back in the dining room, Sarai's father interjected into the argument to calm down, pulling his wife out into the hallway. Sarai just stood there sulking in her emotions as the ornate clock on the china cabinet ticked by. Crashing down in her seat, she knew that she was in deep trouble. Her parents didn't take this long when calming down one of these arguments, which started to concern her. A faint buzz came from her hoodie pocket. Picking up her phone, a message from Wilhelm appeared in her notifications.
"Hey Sarai, any word on the apartment thing," Wilhelm's text read.
Typing back fast, Sarai responded, "Nothing really yet, parents are pissed at me."
Taking a few seconds to respond, Wilhelm sent a singular, "K".
The doorknob jiggled as Sarai quickly hid her phone back in the pocket. Her parents emerged, with her mother elegantly sitting back down in her spot, followed by her father. This time her father glared at her, not out of spite, but out of pity and remorse. Sarai sat there unmoved by the outburst, hoping that she could still convince her parents on Wilhelm's offer. Opening her mouth, nothing came out when she spoke. Catching herself, Sarai cleared her throat to distract her parents from that noise.
"So, I was um," Sarai stammered her words, "I was wondering if I could take a gap year and live with a friend."
Taken aback by the question, Sarai's mother spit out her wine, but before she could even respond, her husband put his hand on her forearm. Looking at his wife, he motioned over to their daughter while giving a look of contempt and understanding.
"It's just going to be for a year, and the area is needed for workers," Sarai continued to explain, "So I will have no worry for finding a way to make money."
Sarai's mother slowly exhaled, "And you're renting out an apartment with Wilhelm Hölderlin, the one kid who bullied you back in primary school?"
"I know mother," Sarai replied quickly, "But you do remember he made up for me by saving my life from that one teacher, you remember that as well?"
"Yes," She begrudgingly admitted, "But I-, we want you to be safe, and we don't want anything that would displease the Lord with that."
Sarai silently groaned at that. She knew that Wilhelm wasn't that type of guy to take advantage of a vulnerable girl. Same thing with the whole religious stuff. Wilhelm was a devout servant of the Lord, and respected her choice to worship the old spirits of the land.
"Sarai," Her father spoke with concern, "Just make sure you call us every now and then, and don't get on the wrong side of the law, that's all we ask from you."
Taking this news in, Sarai hugged her father and mother as she pranced towards the staircase.
"But before you go and do that," said her father in a booming voice, "You need to clean up your dishes first, as you're still under our roof for now."
The day had finally come as the alarm on her phone beeped on. Jumping out of bed, Sarai picked up her phone and slipped on her hoodie. The only things she still had to pack was the duffel bag that contained most of her personal belongings. Looking in the mirror she decided to leave behind, Sarai looked at the ratty, medium length hair she had in low pony tail. Grabbing the strands, Sarai made her way to the bathroom and took out a pair of scissors and began to cut away at her scalp. By the end, a messy pixie cut emerged. She knew that her mother would chew her out about this action, but she was starting a new life. Who cared about what she did with her own body, she wasn't going to see her for an entire year, if not more.
Shouldering her duffel bag, she made her way down to the foyer where the two large boxes sat. A knock came from the door. It was Wilhelm, who without a word, picked up both of the boxes and placed them in the back of his coupe. Sarai stared at the piece of junk he dubbed 'The White Arrow'. It was about forty years old when Wilhelm bought it to get it running again. Maybe the rental car her parents offered would've been a better choice, but this whole thing would exclude any involvement from her parents, but Wilhelm knew how to handle the backroads they would be taking to the town. Traffic in the city took up valuable daylight hours as accidents and construction closures made their time double. By the time they reached the border of the Kelinian core province, the sun was starting to set, with traffic dying down as the road started to lengthen.
"Hey Wilhelm," Sarai yawned, "Any idea where the next pitstop will be?"
Exhaling as he pointed to the glovebox, "There should be a map in there. We passed by Sieghude five minutes again. So be on the lookout for any motels or inns."
"Which one would be better," Sarai softly spoke, "Cause we got both options on the next exit. A motel would be cheaper and more consistent, but the quality is poor and we may not have a guaranteed vacancy."
"And I tend to not fall asleep at inns," Wilhelm chuckled, "They are a better experience, but you have to set reservation, but each one is unique. I don't want to be in a room with that clown mannequin thingy ever again."
Sarai winced at that memory as they parked in a surprisingly empty motel's parking lot. Well, at least there would be vacancies for them to take. Though the state of the entire building was deplorable, which included the man at the front desk. His cold, dead stare gazed off into the horizon, indifferent to the pair in front of him.
Wilhelm coughed, gaining the attention of the man, "Evening sir, are there any rooms available?"
In a low, groaning voice, the man responded, "We have one room available, for about 75 IM a night with unlimited access to recreational activities provided. "
"Alright, guess we'll take up this offer," Wilhelm sighed as he pulled a few bills out of his wallet, with a lone rusty key being placed into his hand.
The room was surprisingly clean when compared to the exterior, it almost made it seem uncanny with the dated furnishing. All of it was stuck in the era of wood paneled walls and beige colored bedsheets, carpets, and curtains. A thick layer of dust covered most of the surfaces. Crashing down onto one of the beds, Sarai let out a huge sigh as turned over and reached for the dusty remote on the side table. Flicking through the channels on the TV, there was nothing but late night infomercials and grandparent shows on air. Slipping off her hoodie, she made her way to the pool at the center of the motel courtyard. Sitting on its edge, Sarai placed her feet into the cold water, slowly moving them in the water. She stared into the moon as thin, wispy clouds blew past it. In a trance, she plunged herself deep in the water.
There, the young woman felt at peace, feeling that her life was finally complete. Yet a sliver of doubt remained in her head as she sank deeper in the water. As if in a struggle with herself, she tired to swim back upwards, yet every movement made her sink even more. The loud, booming voice of Herodes came from every direction.
"Wake up Venusian," His voice rang out, "Your time is not done yet, you will be done when fate decides."
Sarai shot up in a coughing fit with Wilhelm by her side applying CPR. Her face was pale as she through rapid, raspy breaths. Wilhelm was as soaked as she was. The words of Herodes echoed as she regained control of her body and mind, drifting away into faint whispers.
"Sarai, how many fingers am I holding up," Wilhelm shouted as he stuck his fingers in her face.
"Three fingers," Sarai groggily replied, "What happened, where am I?"
"Next time, make sure I'm with you when you pull shit like this," He sighed, "The last thing I want to happen to you is death, now let's go back to the room and get you a fresh pair of clothes."
The bath was warm and comfortable as Sarai lay there in the tub. What had gotten over her? What did Herodes want from her now, she was finally getting her life back on track. That damn owl was always explaining simple things by those cryptic riddles that always flew over her head. Perhaps it was the ride that wore her out. After all, they had been on the road for several hours at this point as they travelled from the city of Zweirath to a small dot on the map called Thannfeld.
"Sleep might be the solution to this whole problem," Sarai thought to herself as she dozed off into her dreams, feeling the soft breeze and stalks of wheat as she woke up.