Chapter 28 - Golden Seed

“AH!” Layla shot up, freaked out by a thought.

She looked around, seeing only a hillside of grass and flowers. No wind flowed, not a single sway of the flora.

She looked down to her hands, flexing them.

“Where am I?” She pondered.

Standing up, she turned around, where she expected to find something.

Nothing, only a summit to the hilltop. She crested upwards, curious to why her body was leading her to a destination.

A body laid in the grass, a man looked comfortable as he basked in the sunless air.

“Uh... Hello?” Layla greeted.

“Oh!” The man stood up. “Took you a while to get here.”

“Get here? What? Who are you, where am I?” Layla interrogated.

“Ah, don’t worry about getting those answers for now. Instead, who do you want to be?”

“Huh?” Layla was thrown off by the derailment of the questions. “I don’t know who I am, so how would I know who I want to be?”

“Hmm...” The man got lost in thought. “Then let’s start from the beginning. I’m Toshiro, and you’re Layla.”

“Oh... ‘Kay...” Layla was still confused. “That tells me nothing.”

“That tells you all you need to know for now.” The man turned smugly, staring into the empty landscape.

Layla felt off by him, unsure of what to do.

“So, having a name is the beginning, what’s the end?” She asked.

“Well. That's for you to decide. You are the Goddess of Relaxation after all.”

“Huh?” Layla was even more confused. “If I am a Goddess of something, wouldn’t that be what I want?”

Toshiro snapped his fingers. “You’re getting it!”

“You are really confusing.” Layla smiled, unsure to why this brought a feeling of joy. “So, are you a God then?”

“Oh, me? I’m the demon king.”

“Huh?” Layla's brow raised in confusion.

“Hey!” A feminine voice from afar got both their attentions. 

“Oh, it looks like we’re starting now.”

“Huh?” Layla was getting more confused by Toshiro.

“Hi! Did I take too long?” The sudden appearance of a red haired female was bewildering to Layla.

“Nope, perfect timing. This is the Goddess of Birth. Elvire. You two will be together in this journey of yours.” Toshiro smiled.

“Huh!?” Layla shouted. “I don’t really get this.... But it’s nice to meet you.”

Elvire smiled. “It’s nice to meet you too!”

“Did you bring it?” Toshiro asked.

“Oh!” Elvire paused. “Teh-heh.”

Toshiro sighed. “What will I do with you.”

Layla watched as a dark thread sprouted from Toshiro's back, bringing both fear and peace to her heart.

The thread shot far into the distance, way beyond their sights. After a moment, it grabbed something before retracting all the way back to them.

“There we go.” Toshiro's thread disappeared, dropping a small sack into his hands.

“What is this?” Layla questioned.

Without a word, Toshiro opened the bag. A small golden acorn fell out, it brought a tear to Layla’s eye, one she could not explain.

“You want to help me.” Elvire asked Layla, digging a hole into the dirt with her bare hands.

“Y- Yeah, sorry.”

The two dug a spot big enough to fit the seed. They wiped their brows of nonexistent sweat, feeling a satisfactory job well done.

“Alright Toshiro, drop it in!” Elvire cheered.

“No.”

“Huh?” Both Layla and Elvire looked to him in confusion.

“This seed must be planted with hope. By the only one here who can lead us down a better path.”

Elvire smirked, the two simulations looked to Layla.

“M- Me?” She questioned, nearly dropping the seed as Toshiro tossed it. “Woah!”

“I agree!” Elvire grinned, doing a sudden embrace of Layla nearly knowing them both over.

“HAHAHA!” Toshiro laughed, wiping his tears as Layla tried to hold herself up.

“Ah-” Layla gasped as her and Elvire drifted towards a now shocked Toshiro.

“ACK!” The three grunted, landing painfully onto the ground, tackling Toshiro.

The golden acorn launched into the air.

“Ah!” The three watched in bewilderment, unsure of its trajectory.

Pop!

It landed safely into the dugout hole, golden threads popped out of the, dragging the dirt over itself as if wrapping up in a blanket.

“Well... I guess that works...” Toshiro stated.

“Pftt.”

“Eh?” Elvire and Toshiro stared.

“AHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Layla let out a strong laugh, tearing up as the two were left in silence. “So, what now?”

She asked wiping her tears.

“Now... It’s up to you both.” Toshiro patted Both their heads as they had him pinned to the ground.

“Hm? What about you?” Elvire questioned, peering over Layla’s shoulder.

“I’m going to wander.” He stated, staring out to the landscape. “Our truth is out there somewhere. So, rather than falling into the endless void, I’m going to explore it.”

Toshiro gave the two a genuine smile.

Layla felt a twinge in her heart, unsure as to why. “Will... Will you come back...?”

The two looked to here sadden expression, there was an unspoken bond between the two as their gazes met.

Layla felt her hair get ruffled around aggressively.

“Don’t worry about him! I promise you, Toshiro, out of everyone I have met, is the one I know who this can do!”: She gave him a big smile. “He’ll be back and have things to say that we could never think of in an eternity.”

Toshiro was bewildered by Elvire’s words but let out a big smile.

“I’ll be back you two, and this time, we’ll be ready.”

“Ready?” Layla and Elvire made their way off him, giving Toshiro the freedom to stand. “What are we getting ready for?”

“That’s something you’ll find out soon.” Toshiro smiled, turning to the horizon. He began to walk.

“I look forward to seeing everyone again. Don’t wait up on me.” With a wave from his back, he continued his stride, confident as he made his distance.

“Will he be alright by himself?” Layla asked, Elvire made herself comfortable in the grass, staring up into the sky.

“He’ll be fine on his own, trust me on this.” She began to twirl her fingers, letting a golden thread bundle and make a shape of a ball. Layla noted how it looked like a glowing ball of yarn. “I hope Mallory can enjoy this life better than her last.”

“Hm...” Layla pondered that name, she watched as Elvire cradled the ball as if it were her child. “Sigh... I just hope Toshiro doesn’t cause more trouble.” 

More trouble?

This cycled in her mind, Layla stared off to the man making distance, unknowing as to what memory was popping into her head.

She chuckled to herself.

“Causing trouble is in his nature I guess... I look forward to seeing you once again Toshiro. I’m excited to see what the truth is, and what we are here for.” 

With Layla’s brimming hope, a gust of wind breezed over the hillside, letting the grass and flowers dance once more.