Oblivion, A Timeless Void

Chapter 2: The Inception of Farewell

Three days passed by like clockwork. Alcestis was purposefully avoiding the neighbourhood in which the Elementals lived, still terrified of meeting her parents again after 12 years of separation. And rightfully so – she barely knew anything about them; the opposite was true.

After debating whether or not to bring along a gift, she finally decided on something. Mustering up all her courage, Alcestis finally left for where they lived. On the ride there, her wisteria eyes trailed over the landscape, watching the houses as they passed by.

Each was home to someone; each had a story waiting to be told. It engulfed her in a strange sense of peace that she'd never felt before. It was a completely alien feeling. Trees of different colours, shapes , and sizes moved past her vision, filling the world with a beautiful sort of life.

There wasn't room for doubt in her heart now. Whether her parents accepted her or not was something completely out of her control. Now, there was no backing out.

Not long after, she stood before a three-story chestnut house with a slanted roof, its garden surrounded by a seemingly aged white fence. There were a few daisies scattered around the front yard, and the chimney atop the house exuded a faint smoke that pierced through the diluted fog of the winter. It wasn't cold enough to snow yet, but it was cold enough to make use of the fireplace.

Alcestis sucked in a sharp breath and sighed; brows furrowed in anxiety. One hand clutched the handle of her bag tightly, while the other hugged the bouquet in her arms to her chest in fear it might fall and scatted.

Thus, her legs carried her towards that white door at front. Finally standing before it, her left hand let go of the bag and stopped just short of the wood of the door, enclosed in a fist. Why was she hesitating now? A cold sweat ran down her back.

Gulping down her fears, Alcestis's fist finally fell on the wood, resonating with a knocking sound that was neither too loud nor too quiet. Sure enough, a pair of quick footsteps approached the door. With a click, it opened.

Unlike her parents – who Alcestis expected to see – a woman slightly taller than her stood in the doorway, her brow raised in confusion. Her hand raised up to take the lollipop out of her mouth as she stared Alcestis up and down in an attempt to identify who she was and why she looked a little familiar.

"Uh... are you lost, kid?" she said after a period of silence. Alcestis could only stare at her, mouth slightly open in both recognition and intention to speak.

The woman had very long raven hair that she wore in a braid down to the backs of her knees, and here eyes were mismatched, which fascinated the girl before her. One was a vibrant emerald green, and the other was a snowy white colour. A golden diadem with a lightning symbol in the middle rested atop her head. Alcestis blinked a few times.

"I'm... not. I came here on purpose."

Before the woman could further inquire, she felt a taller, heavier presence weigh down on her back. She looked up to stare at the newly appeared fire-haired woman with an unamused look, only receiving a smile in return. The taller woman's twilight eyes crinkled in mischief. A flame-shaped choker clung onto her neck

"Who's the little rascal, Nao?" she asked, observing a now twice as nervous Alcestis.

"I was just about to ask," the woman, who Alcestis now knew as 'Nao', muttered in reply. "Now get off me, Dey!"

'Dey' laughed a little and stepped back before focusing her attention on Alcestis.

"So, who are ya?"

"My.. My name is Alcestis.." She couldn't lie. Both women's presence intimidated her a little. But she was determined to meet her parents today. Even if it meant getting past them.