Isaac understood that he had managed to make a massive error in his first moments of true consciousness; he honestly couldn't say what had possessed him to provoke a mythical being.
If that wasn't enough, vague and foggy memories of the past six years of life finally hit him like a truck. It was hard to believe that he could function like that for so long, and clearly, he was suffering the consequences of his existence now.
As Isaac was dealing with the extreme mental shift from a vague, disinterested observer to living in the moment, his family happily handed him over to the "Goddess" and her group of Elven priestesses.
During this process, the "Goddess" kept throwing him glances filled with mirth, apparently believing she had shown him who was superior. While struggling to come to grips with the fact that he had reincarnated, Isaac had to admit that she had gotten him good.
He took a deep breath as his parents in this life sent him on his way, clearly not too broken up by having their strange son taken away to be someone else's problem.
Instead of falling into a spiral of despair and confusion, he tried to organize what he knew as he began following the group out of the village.
Above all else was Earth. This world was called Haven, yet Isaac had a strong memory of Earth. Ideas from Earth, its sciences, its cultures, and its history were a foundation upon which Isaac was formed. His knowledge wasn't encyclopedic, but he had a sense that he knew a lot of things.
However, he lacked a memory of himself. For example, he did not remember reading a book on Earth, just the contents of the book itself. His whole body of knowledge was formed like that, and it filled him with a distinct sense of loss.
Isaac was thankful that the group around him was silent as they began a journey to…somewhere. He assumed it would be wherever this unicorn lived.
The Elves gave him strange looks as they walked forward, while the "Goddess" seemed highly pleased with herself at confounding him. This reminded Isaac of something else.
This world had multiple sapient species that somehow existed simultaneously. Alongside Humanity were Elves, Drak, Roden, and Wolven. Having grown up in such a small, remote village, he had no information on the other species, except Elves, who always seemed to serve the Goddess of Purity as high priestesses.
In stark opposition to this role and the general place that Elves held in the lore of Earth, they were primarily desert dwellers who lived in a land to the east of the Cleansing Wood, which was the name of this massive forest.
Isaac hadn't paid much attention previously, but the Elves were intimidating. Glancing over at them, they were all around 7 feet tall, with tanned skin and long black hair. They did indeed sport the classic sharply pointed ears often associated with Elves in Earth fiction, and they pointed back, not outward. The three Elves in this group wore white robes with the Goddess of Purity's Symbol etched onto the back; two lines crossed over one another multiple times in a spiral until reaching a sharpened point.
They each carried a long rapier with a cutting edge that featured a twisted blade coming out of the bottom of the cupped hilt. They walked with a presence of power; death seemed only a moment away.
Isaac suppressed a sigh, worried at how little he seemed to know about the world. Thinking back to the village, he would guess this world was in some kind of medieval state of technology, but the weapons the Elves carried felt a bit farther forward than that.
It might not make sense to compare Earth's history of technological development with this world, especially considering that magic is a real thing here.
He couldn't even imagine how that had impacted cultural and societal development.
Not to mention how different species interacting with each other might change things.
It's hard to believe this world was subject to natural evolution.
Another thing of note was the language. According to what he had been taught, two languages were spoken worldwide: Language of the Land and Tongue of the Divine. Looking back on his village's lessons, Isaac felt this was impossible.
Even on Earth, the concept of a single unified language for Humanity had gained no traction; this two-language system seems unlikely at best in a world with multiple nations and species.
There were many inconsistencies, though, in the end, Isaac had to admit he lacked too much information to make real judgments.
After contemplating this for a while, Isaac realized he felt calmer.
I guess next time I'm hit with an existential crisis, I should spend some time considering the realities of this world.
Well, I should probably keep doing that regardless.
If I have to live in this world, I need to have a good understanding of it. Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power.
I've been blissful for far too long.
***
Leksha remained confused as she followed the Divine One. As the Chief High Priestess of the Goddess of Purity, she needed to hold herself to a higher standard than the others. So, she did not look back at the young boy from Vale who now accompanied them.
Though blessed by the Goddess, they were still peasants in a village far from civilization, and thus, it was expected that they were unimpressive in pretty much every way.
This child is much worse than the average villager.
She truly could not understand why her most Pure and Holy Eminence had selected him.
The boy was average height for his age, with a mop of dull brown hair. He was slightly olive-skinned, as was typical for humans in this region. He had a strange presence about him, one she noticed immediately when they had seen the line of children. She had planned to skip him outright when the time came.
His green eyes were dull, as though there was no life behind them, and deep dark crescents framed them, making him look sleep-deprived. His gaze was odd, as though something else was looking through his eyes. Even the boy's parents seemed to want to be rid of him; the mother had warned Leksha that Isaac would do whatever she asked but would not engage with others in any way. She had even revealed that the boy rarely slept, instead wandering in the pitch dark, seemingly aimless.
Of course, Leksha had no doubt that the Goddess's pure light would do wonders for the child, and surely Her vision was greater than Leksha's own.
Truthfully, all the high priestesses had been worried about the Goddess; Leksha did not know why She had suddenly declared the need to choose a husband, but they could all tell She despised the idea. Every time they traveled to a new village, She seemed filled with despair at the pathetic group before Her.
Looking at the Light of Purity walking ahead of her, Leksha felt joy in her heart, for the Goddess seemed most pleased now. She surely did not understand, but Leksha was nothing if not absolutely loyal to her Goddess, and she vowed that she would give everything to make sure the boy could protect the joy she saw in the Goddess at that moment.
***
Isaac had no memories of ever entering the Cleansing Wood before. To his knowledge, only the village priest had ever been here, and even then, only to leave offerings within the treeline for the "Goddess".
Being here now, even with this experienced group, Isaac understood why. The dense forest had an oppressive feeling, as though every leaf was judging one's sins. The trees were reminiscent of Whitespire birch trees from Earth but more imposing, especially around the trunk, and the black pattern on the white bark looked like eyes staring at the group as they moved past.
More unsettling was the feeling of traveling here. Isaac felt the sensation of being dragged somewhere deeper in, and this caused unease to sprout in his heart. He spent a great deal of willpower to keep himself from running off in a different direction just to prove he could.
Eventually, the trees grew even larger and truly towered over them. The leaves above blocked out more light, and the forest floor became shrouded. The air seemed cleaner the deeper the group traveled.
After 9 hours, the group stopped, and Isaac felt a bone-deep exhaustion. Though he had helped his family in the fields of Vale, he was still a 6-year-old child.
The pulling sensation finally stopped when the group did, and Isaac sighed in relief. He looked at the pair of worn latchets on his feet and hoped they would hold up for however long this trip would last.
"Now then, go and prepare camp. I wish to speak with my betrothed." The melodic voice of the "Goddess" sounded for the first time since they had entered the Cleansing Wood. Her followers were about to voice some protest, but she continued, "Alone."
While light and joyful, her voice carried an undertone of authority, and the Elves quickly bowed and hurried off to make camp.
She turned to Isaac and tapped her front right hoof twice on the ground. All sounds around them were immediately silenced.
"Ah, yes. Good. I do cherish them dearly, but my attendants can be quite overbearing."
She lay across from Isaac, her tail splayed out, seeming to paint the night sky onto the earth. She looked at him and huffed, "Now then, my betrothed. Be not so sour; it is unbecoming of even a child to pout for so long when losing to an adult, and certainly more so when that adult is a Goddess such as myself! There is absolutely no shame in it!" She held her head up with pride as she spoke those words.
Isaac felt his lips twitch.
I feel like she is under a bit of a misunderstanding.