'Life is boring – our interpretation of life makes it worth living.'
'I thought this was supposed to be an easy mission.'
'Yes, but the usual objective is still there for the continued progression through the worlds.'
'I don't even know if I will be allowed to back to my original world – so why do I have to do this?"
'I can't give you a reason, Host.'
'My name is [Name].'
'To further my understanding of my future Hosts, [Name] – curious as to why you develop such an attachment to certain areas. I understand the reasonings for convenience and proximity to your peers. But that is the extent of my knowledge.'
'Home.' [Name] took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts – answering Lucian internally, 'Home is where my dreams and hard work bore the most fruit. It is where my roots existed, where everything I had ever known and learnt and developed there. Through the people I interacted with and the schooling I received, where my pain and love lay first. My attachment to Home would be called whimsical at best.'
'Why would you say that?'
"Because I do not remember much of it at all," [Name] whispered out loud.
'Oh.'
••••
Alina stood at the front of the class, her robes flowing around her. The room consisted of children of all ages; the commoners of neighbouring villages to noble children of the wood-top nobles.
Alina taught literature – the one subject she had asked for when there was a delegation of extra classes supported by the Church.
"Good morning, children," she said, smiling warmly at them all. "Today, we're going to talk about the importance of language and the impact on development on society."
Alina began by explaining the different concepts within this topic, detailing their sub-topics and the interpretations they carry. The children listened intently, some taking notes in their journals while others watched and listened.
After the lecture, Alina opened the floor to questions. One of the children raised his hand tentatively.
"Is it true that the gods only help the rich and powerful?" he asked.
Alina shook her head. "No, child. The gods attend and help all who call upon them with an honest heart, regardless of station or status."
She then went on to explain the concept of personal responsibility and the importance of leading a good life according to the teachings of their faith.
The children listened and took notes while others asked more detailed questions. Alina was impressed and proud of their engagement.
At the end of the class, Alina led the children in prayer, asking for the blessings of the gods upon them all. The children left the class feeling inspired and light, with a greater appreciation of the society around them.
As they filed out of the room, Alina smiled to herself, feeling fulfilled in her role as a teacher and guide for the children of her community.
••••
[Name] woke up in a small quaint bed – the sounds of traffic on the streets below as the sun shined through his window, basking him and his surroundings in a delicate, golden glow.
'What am I doing here, Lucian?'
'Well, you mentioned that you didn't remember much about your first life.'
'Isn't this not allowed?'
A little puppy came plodding in, the little tappity-tap of his paws on the wooden floor as he started jumping on the side of his owner's bed, pawing and yelping, trying to wake up the figure on the bed. The figure got up groggily, looking around, and his face was blurred and tufts of [Hair Colour] sticking up; the whole image was the definition of content.
'How did you get this? Are these mine?'
There was no answer.
Lucian watched [Name]'s reactions, how the dimmed light of his eyes became bright – and through it all, tears streamed down the other face in the dream, barely able to contain his quiet sobs.
At that moment, Lucian continued watching – holding back the unnatural urge to reach out and comfort [Name]. A strong sense of reluctance filled his heart and crawled up his throat like bile, the powerful notion to just. Do something.
••••
"So," [Name] paused for a second, "Why am I still here?"
Darnados paused, not fully knowing why [Name] was still there.
"Seems like you don't know why either. Are there any jobs that I can do? I am bored.
[Name]'s face conveyed annoyance and boredom at being constrained to a single chamber with nothing to occupy his mind.
"What do you want to do?"
[Name] rolled his eyes, "Maybe, oh, I don't know. Let me go," sarcasm dripped from every word, "And let me go home."
"That is not possible."
"Then fuck off before I rip that tongue out."
[Name] stalked closer towards Darnados, and when he spoke, his voice came out low and dangerous, "It would be such a tragedy if a prince was to die."
"Th-there would be a war on your kind," fear seeped into Darnados' voice, shown by the quiver in his tone.
"Do you think I would not slaughter all the residents here with no remorse? I don't need to follow your authority – you don't intimidate me."
"G-guards! Someone–"
He was dropped harshly by [Name] as heavy boots thumped and entered the room, accompanied by the clanking of armour of the knights.
The knights quickly and efficiently restrained [Name], forcing the other onto his knees with harsh grips on his shoulders – preventing him from breaking away.
••••
I sat there, bound and trapped, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of cold fury and agitation. This sheltered Prince who thinks he can hold me here against my will – deserved nothing but my scorn.
The weeks went by. It felt like I was some forgotten doll – trapped in their never-ending castle, slowly driving me to insanity. Although, there is a correlation between my appearance at the residence and their so-called High Priestess.
The Prince went by Darnados, came across as a sheltered individual who's used to being told what to do – seemingly ordered around by his younger sister. He follows her wishes and demands without any regard for the consequences himself.
Although we rarely converse, even though he has been trying to make more of an effort to talk to me – an air of desperation shrouds him. Wherein anyone with a brain can see that he's acting out of a misguided sense of duty to those around him – particularly after some prior successful assassination attempt on both his parents.
Lucian doesn't seem to be much help either – he has been offline for consecutive hours throughout the day, and most of the information I need from him has always ended with 'access denied'.