The First Fall

“You never told me about yourself, you know?”

That was the first question Erlana asked him as the two strolled across the town square. The people there were as depressing as ever from what Fumihito could tell. None of them were even bothering to hide the annoyance in their eyes at the sight of Erlana and him. It must have been because their presence was insulting. That a town was cursed but outsiders were living their way without judgment or question.

He glanced over at her bright vermillion eyes and sighed.

“What’s there to tell? My life wasn’t very special. You could say I was one of the few people going out of their way to avoid others. I know a few general facts and spent my time trying to be a doctor,” there was nothing kind he could recall.

There was never a group of friends he hung out with after class. There had never been a girl he kissed on the lips after each day. There weren’t even any people there to call him on his phone and ask him if he was sick or pushing himself to the limits. He couldn’t blame anybody but himself for that existence. After all, nobody had put him on the path that he set on but himself.

Even if his father did his very best to pull him back.

“That’s all I wanted to do. Because I wanted to stop death.”

Erlana hummed softly as she crossed her arms behind her back and moved past another section of the town. The further they went, the less of the rot he could smell. He didn’t know why it was starting to lessen, but maybe it was just somewhere he hadn’t been before. The duo were strolling through town where the tall masses of overgrowth had started to vanish. Ornate statues decorated a grand field ahead, of various creatures and beings praised on pedestals.

It felt like he was seated upon an altar.

“And this place is?”

Erlana raised a hand and motioned toward the rest of the grass that seemed overgrown. Like the wilderness had claimed an aspect of this section all for itself.

“A shrine of sorts. Statues dedicated to the gods when they first arrived,” but compared to before, Erlana’s expression was conflicted.

The grass beneath their feet crunched briefly as Fumihito glanced over at Erlana. She looked like she was struggling to say something. He nudged the conversation forward despite some part of him wanting to keep quiet.

“What is it Erlana?”

The woman looked at the ground before she raised her eyes.

“I think that wanting to stop death is a noble goal, Fumihito. I just don’t think it’s something you should aim for.”

He paused for a moment and watched her lead the way ahead. The man simply crossed his arms over one another and followed her through the field of short grass and flowers spread about.

“Why so?”

Even he didn’t notice the subtle sharp tone he had taken.

“Because we’re not meant to stop something inevitable. I think… I think a lot of people will always be scared of death. I’d be lying if I said I was never afraid of dying. It’s just that death is something we can’t stop. We can’t change that. No amount of magic will ever change that,” she mumbled and approached a single statue depicting a winged creature.

Like a dragon with wings.

“But, Erlana, you said necromancy brings the dead back to life, doesn’t it? What if someone could master it and learn to bring people back? What if it could bring someone back to life?”

Erlana whipped around and stared at him with her hat tipped upwards.

“If it could, people would have done it, Fumihito. Necromancy is one of the great old crafts for a reason. It was given to humanity, the world, by the Grand Necromancer itself. I’ve done my studies on them and do you want to know the strangest thing?”

She moved past the statue depicting the winged serpent and strolled over to a single statue that looked like it was crumbling to pieces. Cracks on the foundation, wildlife strewn across the body, and what was once something beautifully carved was now a misshapen mess of stains and markings.

“The strangest thing is that nobody knows why necromancy was gifted to humanity. Why? Why would something that governs over death want people to ignore it?”

He looked away with a grimace and clenched his fists. A memory passed through his mind. A woman once again. A faceless woman who cradled a young boy close to her chest with a laugh.

Even now, he still couldn’t see her face.

“I think that the reason necromancy was gifted to humanity in a form was so people could find a way to move forward. I don’t know the honest reasons, Fumihito. I wish I did, but I don’t. All I ask is that you consider what bringing them back truly does. For you or them.”

She brushed a hand across the statue and parted the thick vines to glance at a misshapen skull. Fumihito simply sighed and looked at the floor with a frown on his face.

It wasn’t about that.

That’s what he told himself at least. His mother died when he was young. It was simply that much, right? Still, it was his father who didn’t bother pushing himself further. It was his father who stopped trying to save her. It was…

It was Fumihito’s fault that he still couldn’t see the face of his mother no matter how hard he tried. Because even now, he couldn’t run past the fear that plagued him from the moment he learned of her passing.

“...Can we switch to something else? I’m sorry, I’m just not interested in this topic any longer if that’d be fine, Erlana.”

She didn’t bother trying to stop him. Compared to the ditzy and clumsy young woman who spoke of spells and crafting, she seemed so surreal to the image of before. The young woman walked over and offered him her hand with a small smile plastered across her face. The smile of someone who would offer their comfort within a moment’s notice.

“If that’s what you want. How about you ask me a question? Anything you’d want to know and I’ll tell you. I don’t think I’ve been too honest about myself, so I’m sure you must be a little curious, right?”

And he was.

But what did he want to ask her?

A greedy part of himself wanted to prod and ask about what her deal with him and necromancy truly was. Why did she always stray away from Scrimgeour and him when the undead tried to help him with advice? It wasn’t like she disliked him or Scrimgeour, but it was almost like necromancy was something taboo in her eyes. This entire conversation went against that idea though,

However, he still remembered Scrimgeour’s words.

Maybe…

The words escaped his lips.

“What about your family? You never told me about them. Do you have a good relationship with your parents?”

To his surprise, she looked a little nervous before she pressed the brim of her hat down and took a deep breath. Her vermillion eyes were like stars. They glittered even when she struggled to find the right words to piece together.

“My family, huh? Well, I guess that’s not a bad question. Here I thought foreign men liked to ask more ‘exotic’ questions…”

Was he wrong or was she somewhat flustered? His eyes twitched and he ignored the hot flush that crept across his expression. He didn’t acknowledge it. Not at all. No way would he ever think of such a thing. The man simply pretended that the blush across his face was just because of the heat. It just had to have been because of that and absolutely nothing else.

“Erlana…”

She yelped once and dragged her hat down, trying to obscure her face while berating herself in front of him. Neither of the two was quite so comfortable about such things from what he could see, but it seemed like a good way to distance themselves away from the earlier topic.

“Sorry a-about that, I just heard a lot of things from my colleagues when I was younger. As for my parents? We… We sort of get along.”

He raised his brow once she kicked her feet a bit and crossed her arms behind her back.

“Do you have a bad relationship with them?”

She simply shook her head from side to side and glanced back at him.

“No, nothing like that. It’s more like we struggle to meet on the same footing. My parents love me. I love them. That’s not something new, but they have certain feelings about my profession as a researcher. We tend to argue about it,” she paused and took a deep breath.

“We argue about it every time because they offer me something ‘safer’ for their little girl. We’re at odds a lot and that’s what makes our relationship so complicated. Especially for the daughter of a noble family.”

A noble family? He raised his brow at the mention of such a term. Did she mean something like royalty? The look on his face must have been obvious because she looked a little flustered underneath the curious gaze he gave her.

“N-Nothing like what you’re thinking! My family just has a few connections because of our heritage. It’s n-nothing that special, s-so please stop l-looking at me like that. It’s not that special!”

He wanted to doubt that. No, he did doubt it, because he recalled how she seemed to have been treated back in the previous town. With respect and a bit of dignity. It almost seemed like her name carried a weight to it. A look of doubt, something plain, was the only thing that could describe his face at that moment.

It seemed like it worked because he left Erlana with a few tears crawling up to the corners of her eyes.

“...Right.”

“Fumihito, do N-NOT just say that! Say you won’t think of me like that!”

“I won’t.”

“Your face is still the same!”

“I doubt it as much as I doubt that statement before.”

“Guh, you… you… you’re a big JERK!”

Why did he feel something thumping inside of his chest? Like a spring ready to burst out of his body. The corners of his mouth had curved before he even knew it and a small sound escaped his lips when Erlana’s flustered face was thrust into his vicinity. It was strange to him. How everything around Erlana always seemed to perplex him.

She wasn’t the first person who had ever caught his attention. There were people before who intrigued him. Some stray thoughts that always pondered the what-ifs. At the time, he had never once bothered giving it any thought. This, however, was different.

She was different.

And he enjoyed that.

“Hmph, I’m only a jerk because you don’t want to accept the truth, right?”

He also enjoyed the large pout that seemed to inflate across Erlana’s face before she huffed and stomped her boots into the ground. The young woman crossed her arms over one another and simply jabbed a finger into his chest.

“Just because I’m going to help you get back to your world doesn’t mean you can go around trying to bully me! I’m just Erlana, okay? Nothing other than my name and nothing about Dagny, got it?”

He might have taken her a little seriously if it weren’t for the hot blush across her pale expression. However, just for the sake of easing her down before she passed out from becoming red like a tomato, he’d appease her. A wave of his hand and a roll of her eyes was all Erlana would receive before her pout lessened.

“I promise I won’t mock you for the name again, alright? You’ll be just Erlana to me, okay?”

She seemed calmer after he said that. The mage simply sighed and looked back over Fumihito’s shoulder and back to the town center. They had gone to the outskirts, right where the sigils ended close to the range. It seemed that even they had decided to place it out here from what he could tell.

“Well, s-see to it that you do just that. I promised to show you around some more. I admit, the town isn’t what it used to be, but there’s still one spot beyond the statues I know you might like. It had the best view when I was a kid. Trust me!”

So, there was another section of the town she wanted him to see. He wouldn’t bother trying to resist, but he didn’t expect the woman’s expression to grow in excitement before she lunged over to him and took his hand into hers. That warmth spread across his chest yet again and he was met with a radiant smile before she slowly dragged him along through the streets once again.

“E-Erlana, slow down!”

How was she so much stronger than him too?

“Come on, Fumihito! You’re going to love it, I promise!”

Even his cries didn’t slow her down as the two bickered back and forth with amusement laced in their voices. He was positive they were being looked at like they were the weirdest people in the world within a cursed town. A few eyes seemed to stare at Erlana and him like they were insane. Maybe they were because of this town’s curse, but it certainly wouldn’t stop Erlana and him from simply moving forward.

The streets grew less and less crowded and they eventually made their way to an exit leading outside of the city. From what Fumihito could see, they weren’t straying too far aside from a long walk back. The sun was already beginning to fall and he could see a few lamps within the city illuminating it.

It was another long walk for him before Erlana stopped, looking over at a small hill just up ahead with a single tree plopped onto the ground. He raised his brow at the sight before she pulled away and pointed up at the area.

“There, come on, Fumihito!”

He huffed and wiped the sweat from his brow before unbuttoning his shirt. How the hell could someone in a black dress make it this far without looking as exhausted as he did? Was he really that unsuited for outdoor activities or was he just horrible when it came to physical cardio?

Regardless, Fumihito took one single breath before clambering up the hill and looking over at Erlana. There, right at the base of the tree, she sat with a small smile on her face. One that looked childlike. He couldn’t help but stare at her. What was this? Why were they here?

“Take a seat with me. I know, I know, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but you’ll have a good view of it all from here.”

He sighed before he shook his head and walked over, taking a seat right by Erlana and resting his back against the tree. His body felt a little off and the rotten smell that had plagued his nostrils had practically vanished. A warm hand rested against his before it raised it and pointed it right back to the town.

The town itself wasn’t very special.

But the skies above and the land planted below made for a beautiful sight. He didn’t have as much time to observe this world for what it was and could be. After all, he was more concerned with getting away rather than sticking around. Now that he took a moment to breathe and just stare, it was…

“Beautiful,” were the only words he could use to describe the sight.

Erlana smiled softly and leaned back as she took in the sight with him.

“It’s not the grandest place, I know. There are probably hundreds of places in the land that could give you better sights, but this was… It was special to me. Back when I was smaller. I had an idea that I could take on the whole world. My parents at my back and my dreams ahead,” her hand was still wrapped around his.

He could feel the way it firmly gripped him.

“And now?”

Erlana paused before her eyes softened.

“Now I’m… It’s confusing. It’s not easy being a mage and being a researcher’s a little complicated. There’s a lot to my family that’s still following me and we still don’t see eye to eye, but I don’t regret it. I just wish it wasn’t always so hard. It always feels like the world’s against me.”

A sad smile painted her features.

“I’m not even a good mage either, am I? I couldn’t even get a simple ritual right even with preparation. I’m an idiot, huh?”

He glanced over at her and the forlorn look that crossed her features. Fumihito mulled over her words and the ideas of family. Never had he shared his past with someone in such detail. Who would listen to someone who never bothered to approach? A social pariah of his making and nobody else’s.

“I… I don’t have a good relationship with my father.”

This would be his first time admitting this. Erlana seemed curious now that he took a moment to explain himself. If only just that much.

“We never see eye to eye. Maybe that’s not so accurate. It’s more like I tend to refuse to see things from his point of view. I just… I do my best to not listen. Because I blame him for something. I blame him for trying to turn me away from my dream,” and he still remembered each time his father confronted him.

Just as much as he remembered how he hurt his father at every turn.

“I lost my mother when I was young. My… My father never told me why we stopped. She was sick and my father, a doctor of all people, didn’t help. At some point, it felt like he gave up. I can’t remember her face either. I think I just didn’t want to remember the pain that came with it. So, I blamed him. I blamed him and told myself that I’d never be like him.”

He scoffed at the idea of it.

Saying it all out loud, it sounded childish. It was. He was angry at his father because he had just given up. He despised that the most. Surrendering. When someone they loved was on death’s door, they stopped, and they never told him why.

“...I can’t even remember my mother’s face without it being blank. You’re not an idiot, Erlana. You are, without a doubt, clumsy. You’re also easily flustered, but you’re not stupid. So…,” his face grew hot before he turned over to look at her.

Just like him, she was flustered with her lips trembling.

“Don’t ever say you’re dumb again, okay? Promise me that.”

He reached out and offered her his hand before she sniffled, tears creeping around her eyes. It was making it harder to stare at her before she lunged close and wrapped her arms around him. His eyes snapped and his body froze on the spot as a gentle sound rocked against his frame. Sobbing.

Her arms were wrapped around him and he wasn’t sure how to respond at all, but…

The man reached down and wrapped his arms around her silently. Just for now, as night descended, he’d give her this much and help to the best of his ability. This wasn’t preventing death, but it was helping someone else. Someone who had gone out of their way to help him.

“Thank you…,” she mumbled against his chest before he stroked the back of her head.

And he would gladly return this favor.