Eternal Elysium

The stage was set as a red curtain was pulled to both sides.

The play started with a dramatic opening scene; the spotlight shone on a single actor dressed in a royal attire standing at the center of the stage. His voice resonated throughout the theater, recounting tales of valor and treachery, of kings and queens, knights and awakeners.

"However, we are not here to recount them. Those kings or queens. We are here to tell a tale, something real and something illusory. It's the tale of all heroes fighting for us, those who are beyond the lands and borders. Fighting the threats of monsters on their every wake."

I listened quietly while glancing at others from time to time. Albert and Elda continued to stare at the man without even batting an eye. Their focus was entirely on his words and the moves he made.

"Let's begin... This tale of our hero."

The actor's words sent a ripple through the theater, and the crowd leaned in, eager to be transported into the world of the story. The lights dimmed, and a backdrop of a sprawling city appeared, painted so vividly that it almost felt like we were peering through a window into another dimension.

The set changed, transforming before our eyes from grand palaces to treacherous battlefields, all while the actor recounted the epic journey of a young knight seeking answers in a world torn apart by monsters.

The story was rather simple, nothing grand, if I were to say. The Knight Estis was depicted as a kind man who has risen in status as an awakened after many hardships in life. In return for his hard work, he ended up posted to a secluded town in return by the people. Maybe they wanted him to rest and spend the rest of his life quietly in peace.

But of course fate wouldn't allow that to happen.

I watched as something similar to a monster breached through the city wall depicted on the stage. The audience gasped, their eyes not as fearful as I expected them to be. No, maybe it was because they had experienced something similar here in Atlas.

"Run! Run!" The actor shouted as chaos erupted in the play. The knight raised his sword; flames swirled around him. "I... I will stop this creature." He said bravely.

'He actually is an awakener, huh?'I stared at him as he struck the monster. The attacks were eye-catching, almost made to look appealing to eyes. In reality they held no meaning; a fight is never this clean. When people fight, they don't just exchange blows, especially with a monster at that. The exchange always ends up more brutal than the last.

But the monster here, while scary, was not that dreadful to look at. Its design was rather interesting, to say the least.

'A creature, black in color with bulging muscles and large arms, has two horns rising from its top... Almost like a devil from fairytales.' I smiled as the battle continued.

'Is the monster, the actor inside, also an awakener?' I thought wistfully and leaned back.

I wanted to voice some doubts regarding this story but decided to hold back for now.

And then—

The knight Esits seems to be losing? I squinted my eyes, barely seeing through the dark. The audience was not as surprised as I was. Well, they could have heard the whole story beforehand, maybe even watched it before by a different group of actors. But I had only heard some small talk about it.

As Estis was pushed to the brink of defeat, some came from above; I barely managed to see wife cables attached to the woman as they were pulled back in an instant.

The crowd cheered, applauding as the first hit was landed.

Estis looked up, his voice shaking.

"It's you... Mary. You came."

More monsters emerged, filling the stage as a fire was lit up. I flinched back; my mind almost went dark for a moment as my breathing quickened. A memory resurfaced, not of my long-forgotten past but of some few months ago.

A village burning, people moving like puppets, my hands filled with blood as I moved past them, cutting them down. Remembering that made my skin crawl; I almost wished to jerk back and scream, but I bit my lips, holding on to the chair arms as tightly as I could.

I could feel my hands go numb and shiver slightly.

Closing my eyes, I took quick breaths and felt the fire in my chest starting to calm down. From my right I could feel someone pressing their hand on my shoulder; I turned to face Albert staring at me with a look of concern. No, not just him; a slight tug on my left hand grabbed my attention as, from the corner of my eyes, I saw Elda squeezing my hand tightly.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

She whispered softly, her eyes glimmering in worry. "Asher, are you okay? You look pale."

Her voice felt warm in my ears as I slowly nodded.

"Ye-Yeah, I am alright. Sorry, I got lost in some thoughts." I chuckled, suppressing my sudden sickness. Then with a forced smile, I quickly dismissed their worries.

My eyes again went to look at the stage and saw the man Estis now on the ground with blood around them. The city has turned to ashes, but a big crowd has circled around him. He lay in the arms of the woman, tears streaming down her face. Gently he raised his arms, tired and hurt. And wiped those tears away.

"Mary... I never wanted you to see me like this. But I had to come back for you all."

The knight's words echoed through the theater, pulling me out of my haze. The scene had changed, the battle was over, and the city lay in ruins. The woman, Mary, cradled the knight in her arms, her eyes filled with a mix of love and despair. The emotional weight of the scene was palpable, and even though it was a play, it resonated with many.

"Why didn't you run away? Why? J-Just why?!" Mary cried in despair seeing blood pool around both of them; the crowd circling them remained silent, but somehow they all looked dark, like shadows growing still.

"I... I wanted to run away. But I couldn't. So sorry...Mary. Forgive me..." His hand finally fell on the ground as he at last tenderly touched his beloved.

For a moment I forgot the pain I was going through, my mind again lost in thoughts. Maybe what I experienced was nothing more than a small trauma. Even when I had first visited Saffron City, in the following weeks I couldn't sleep. Nightmares haunted me for long hours as I stared into space doing nothing.

At last I had taken a step forward, making myself busy with everything that happened after that. This led to my mind always being busy and tired. Now that maybe a moment of peace has come, those events are starting to reappear.

'That will be problematic...' I thought and stood up, applauding along with the others towards the stage as the curtains started falling.

But I wasn't worried; I had still faced stronger beings, and there was no problem after facing Hollows. Which I assume was due to Celestia's intervention.

"Asher, are you really alright?" Elda asked as we started to leave the theater. Albert walked ahead, his eyes searching for something in the crowd.

"I am good. Don't worry." I gave her a reassuring smile but soon realized how bad the decision was to watch this play. I was about to tell them about leaving the city to venture out to dead zones. But they had seen a story of a hero dying while saving others in a monster flood.

"What are you looking for, Albert?" I asked, seeing his curious expression as he craned his head to look through the crowd.

"The actors... I wanted an autograph." Albert grumbled and clicked his tongue, with his hands inside his pockets.

"Pfft—" Elda laughed.

"Haha"

And I couldn't hold back either.

"Albert, those actors won't come out! They might get squashed to death by the crowd if even one of them were to appear!" Elda said, her lips curling up into a teasing smile.

"How was the play?" I asked, changing the topic from me to them. "Did you not enjoy it?"

Albert stayed silent, his brows furrowed up as he thought before speaking. "Somewhat... Being with you, Boss, I had seen too much action. And also seen the monster wave firsthand. So a play on stage was not as thrilling as I had imagined it to be."

Elda nodded, feeling the same as him.

"The story itself was good. The drama, those cheesy lines, and the romance. They were really heartfelt to see and hear, but the visuals, while better than anything I have ever seen, still paled in comparison to the real deal." Elda said, her cheeks flushed as she smiled happily walking forward.

"What about you, Asher?" Elda suddenly asked, looking back.

I froze.

I would have gladly answered her questions if not for not watching the play properly; even with the gears of mind moving faster than others due to the passive effect of my awakened ability, I still was unable to look at the play properly due to the panic attacks.

Seeing me silent, Albert waved his hand in front of my face with a curious expression. Annoyed, I swatted his hand away.

"I enjoyed the scene when the heroine came. I had expected him to die at the very start, to be honest, when he suddenly started losing. I said by collecting bits and pieces of the play I had managed to look at.

Elda nodded, her eyes sparkling with the memory of the play. "It was quite dramatic. But I think the best part was the chemistry between the two leads." She sighed, her eyes lost in the distant memory of the play.

"Should we all have dinner in some restaurant?" I asked, my lips curling up into a grin. "...An expensive one, I mean."

Their expressions changed immediately; Elda didn't deny it immediately, but Albert turned his gaze at me and asked in confusion. "For big restaurants we need to make reservations beforehand."

I nodded.

"I already have."

Elda's eyes widened as she nodded her head up and down.

"Let's go! It's my treat!" Elda said, walking forward.

We stepped outside, the cool breeze hitting our faces, a stark contrast from the stuffy theater air. The stars twinkled above, a rare sight in the city.

I looked at the stars for a moment and moved to follow Elda and Albert's steps.

A single sigh escaped from my lips.

The time quickly passed as we all enjoyed the night. Walking through the streets laughing, eating at an extravagant place. Well, somehow that didn't suit any of us in the end. As the dinner was too quiet and nobody was talking.

In the end we all ate in silence and continued to walk through the streets.

"Ugh! That place was just too sick! The food was just good to look at; it didn't have any real taste at all!!" Albert grumbled, his face frowning.

Elda nodded silently, not voicing any complaints.

"Hmm, Elena makes a million times better food." I said, agreeing with them.

"So, I don't make good food?" Elda asked, leaning towards me, her face blank.

"...Yes, you make even better food. I will miss that." I said.

"You will miss that?" Elda asked, catching my words, and tilted her head.

Albert stopped, his gaze falling on me. His face was sorrowful, and his eyes were down.

"I am leaving soon… and I don't know when I will come back."

"Where…?" Elda asked, her lips trembling.

I couldn't see the expression she was making.

Same with Albert.

But maybe they were the same as me and couldn't tell what face they were making.

"... I am going to Kalista, a dead zone."