The ashes before Strife

Episode 15 : poison to the head ; 1

As I walked down the dimly lit street carrying three large bags full of food in my left hand, I exhaled a deep breath out watching my breath become visible from the cold winters air, a smile tugged at my lips as I enjoyed the simple pleasure now crooking my head upwards looking up at the starry sky seeing the two glowing moons in the sky.

This is a sight I must have seen a thousand times already, yet no matter how much I see it. I'll never get tired of it. My smile grew wider as I didn't realize I had started crossing a bridge.

As I gazed up, I looked for familiar constellations from my last world seeing Orion's belt glowing brightly. My mind began to wander about looking for anymore I could recount but Orion was all that I could see. I did wonder at one point if I'm even in the same universe anymore, since I can see Orion I like to think I am but all the other stars are jumbled from here in different places from where I remember.

I sighed as I realized I was having useless thoughts. I don't even have any last attachments there anymore. Why am I thinking about this?

As I looked back down drowning out my thoughts I came face first with a large pile of books being carried by a girl who screamed slightly as we both fell backward.

I landed on my butt but one of my brown bags ripped open spreading all sorts of fruits over the stone-cold floor. I pressed my hand against my forehead removing my black hood realizing it was bruised as the grey hooded girl struggled to get up being crushed by her book.

I placed my two undamaged bags against the grey brick bridge wall and got up, offering my hand for her to get up "you okay? Sorry about that. I was lost in my thoughts and wasn't paying attention to where I was going." I couldn't see her eyes under her light grey hood but I could tell she was looking up at my apologetic face.

"It's fine. I'm also partially to blame since I forgot my void ring to carry my books." She took my hand and I lifted her up from her books and she quickly took away her hand and we worked together to pick them up.

The first one I picked up was a book called "mana nature and principles." It's not a book I've heard of before so I turned it around to see the Goldwheat academy shield on it "are you a student at Goldwheat?" I tried to peek under her hood as I asked but still couldn't make out her face from the darkness.

She kept facing the floor stacking up more books as she replied "I am. I've been there for two years now much like other students. Why? Are you joining this year?"

I placed the last book atop the pile next to my bags "yeah. I'm mostly self-taught but I thought it would be nice to try out proper education." She giggled slightly from my remark and I had an odd sense of familiarity but ignored it.

She looked about the floor picking up an orange handing it to me "since you were kind enough to help me with my books. Why don't I help out with your groceries?" I took the orange with a smile on my face and grabbed my bag from behind me fixing it with alchemy before I put it in between us.

"That would certainly be kind." She stared in a daze for a moment before helping me pick up all the fruits wiping them on my trousers before I dropped them back in the bag.

I wrapped the bag shut after I dropped the last apple in. "Thanks. Good luck in your studies by the way." I picked up the bag with my gloved left hand together with the other two already in it and stood up ready to depart.

"Wait!" As I was about to walk past her she called out and I slowly turned hoping there wasn't going to be some sort of knife. "Thanks again for helping me." Her right hand was stretched out asking me to shake it. This confused me slightly but I had no reason to refuse.

"It's no problem. We both share the blame on this." She giggled again slightly with that vague familiarity but I had nowhere I could place it.

I grabbed her right hand after I lifted up my hood and we stared at each other for a few seconds feeling the softness of her smooth palms against my rough calloused hand. I then felt a strange stinging pain slowly spreading up my hand into my wrist making me stare at my wrist confused while she stared into me still hiding her face.