Eidel- A Novella

Two: Reminiscence

The air in Jacob's new house was cold.

It wasn't cold because of a dysfunction in the warming systems, however. He had windows opened, looking up at the dark, starless sky. He was covered in shadow, his pupils dilated. He brushed his hand through his hair, looking down at the green fields below. He remembered something from long ago, and instead pushing it back, let the memories come.

"Mama!" a young Jacob, about five or six years old, yelled. She picked him up and held him high, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Louise! Did those books come in today?" His father, Gregory, was walking down the emerald park that they were relaxing in, still armored from his work.

"No, Aidan. They should come next week," his mother sighed. She handed him Jacob, whom he threw up in the air.

"How's my little champ?" he laughed. Jacob was laughing too, a boyish smile across his face. The skies in Eidel had no sun or clouds, it was only blue. But it was a beautiful blue, the color of a morning glory. His hands went to his fathers stubble, then he rubbed it, giggling.

"Fuzzy!" He smiled. Gregory returned his goofy grin, then murmured about needing to shave.

That was the last day he would see him or Louise ever again, though he didn't know it yet.

He rubbed his own face, as if mirroring the movement, to feel a bit of fuzz. He walked into his new bathroom to take a shower. His house was different from his old apartment. It was quite prestigious, with marble floors and carved cedar walls. The only metals were golden, shined fresh, and were on his bed and wardrobe. The blankets were silk with fluffy pillows. And he, for one, hated it.

The steamy water covered his body as he reached for the soap, with some fancy masculine smell that he couldn't name. However, it did smell familiar. It smelled like his father.

He felt a few tears drip down his cheeks as he reached for the towel. He began to dry his face, and remembered that fateful day he found out about his parents' demise.

He was seven, and it had been a year since Gregory and Louise had departed for a mission to guard Schlau while she made her rounds to different towns. He was a rascally little boy, often getting into trouble, and pretty lean. He was making a new prank when there was a knock at the door. He put down his contraption and headed to the door, opening it with caution. A man, barely six feet tall, was at the door. His skin was pale, with a look of pity in his eyes. He sat down with Jacob, introducing himself as Mr. Plechtig, and offered him a sugar candy. Jacob refused the candy and asked him why the strange man was there. Plechtig gave him a pitiful smile and broke the bad news: his parents were killed on the mission. 

Jacob had a pit feeling in his stomach. The man left shortly after, when Jacob started wishing he could see what happened for himself. Not because he liked gore, but because he wanted to know how his parents, the strongest people he knew, met such a sudden end. He went up to his room to look for his old toy that his mother made for him. It was old and ragged, but it was precious to him. The bunny doll had a small pocket in it's faded overalls, which he used to hide stuff in. If he remembered correctly...

Yes. He had hidden his mothers old necklace in it. He held onto it tightly, the bronze making an imprint on his hand. He put the necklace around his neck and put his hand in the pocket once more, as if hoping to find something else. He felt an object and pulled it up. It was a strange, purple jewel, completely alien to him. Since he was a kid, he was used to objects appearing. It was just a part of life to him. He took the jewel and squeezed it, when it began a soft glow. The jewel floated out of his hand, revealing an image of his mother and father.

"The next city is Buntar, I believe," Louise said. She stroked her hair and smiled at her husband.

"Yeah," Gregory nodded. He brushed her hand. Suddenly, there was an explosion sounded nearby.

"Shit!" she yelled. She went to alert Schlau. Gregory went with her, as if they had a single mind.

"Mistress, Buntar is rebelling. We mustn't get closer," Louise told her, leading her out of the coach.

"Agreed," is all Schlau said in response. They rushed down to the front of  the coach to sneak around, but a sniper fired a headshot to Schlau. She reached for Gregory's shoulder and shoved him in front, saving herself from the shot. The sniper aimed for Louise and hit.

The image faded away, leaving an angry and terrified Jacob on his bed, tears rolling down his cheeks.

He reached for the most comfortable outfit in the dresser and headed out for his first report. He knew exactly what he had to do. Get close to Schlau as her Creator, and kill her when the time was right.

Breakfast was simple: eggs and toast. Jacob grabbed his tray and sat with Alicia, as she was the only one he knew.

"Hey again," he said.

"Hey," she said, sounding tired. 

Schlau entered the dining hall, a look of urgency on her face. She walked up to the front, steps heavy and a look of rage upon her face.

"Alocanalani is rebelling! I need all Creators and soldiers to report to the Military Affairs Office in five minutes!" And with that, she walked away.

Jacob only smirked. Those people finally broke free of her will. Alicia tried to snap him back to reality ("Jeigina! Jeigina!"), but he only focused on one thing: the possibilities of what could happen next.