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Multiple Settings The Mysterious Play: Hierophant of Skies (Accepting votes!)

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Ridin' the wind, baby!

Rosalina Chandra

I see his rugged handsomeness and quirky charm sufficiently flustered me enough to cause me to fumble, and press his nose with my pepper spray, instead of pressing the button on my pepper spray, aiming at his nose. Common enough mistake, perhaps I can try again on the wayto see the empress. In the meantime I should really hammer home the fact that I, as of this moment, lack the skillsets necessary to solve his aforementioned problems. In fact I lack any skillset, as I'm currently a student working my way towards learning a skillset, and I hadn't even progressed far enough to narrow my specific studies down to more than the fundamental basics of my world. And even that limited knowledge is moot in this land that is so foreign to me.

Eliasand-Rosie.png

You look away for a second and hang your head...

You're glad you're getting help to do this, but... How exactly are you supposed to do this?​

First of all, how will you find them? Second, even if you do find one (by some miracle)... How will you know they bear a crest? Is it like a tattoo...? A tattoo that can be ANYWHERE on their body?

What if they're in a place that can be covered by clothes?! You can't just ask random people to strip!!

Your heart sinks and stomach lurches at the thought of just HOW ill-equipped you are to handle this situation...

You hardly have any skill sets at all, and you haven't even finished basic education in your world... And you made a good point earlier: A lot of your basic knowledge may not even help you here! You can't do this...

But do you really have a choice? If you don't you'll probably never get home and see your best friend or family ever again, and not only that but it looks like everyone in this kingdom (or worse, more than just the kingdom) will die!

You can't help but feel stuck between a rock and a hard place...

Yeah, I should take the ride. This guy is too much of an airhead to be anything but honest. Also, flying sounds rad.

Maybe with enough explanation he could give me a magic boost to the cellphone signal, ooh, or make some copies so a whole bunch of us could communicate. Mm, probably not, but it couldn't hurt to try.

Also, that doesn't explain how he knew I was around and in trouble. He seems like he'd be some kind of big-shot if his brother is the Empress's advisor, certainly some kind of nobility. Isn't it a little strange for him to be out and about this far from the city? I think someone planned this and told him to be here. Oh well, that'll be something to deal with later.

Hopefully they'll give me a ton of help finding the crest bearers. Especially since I don't know anything about this place and it sounds like everything that can be going wrong is.

You consider asking him about trying to boost your phone magically, and you keep a mental note to remember to ask him later, when you two have more time to have gotten acquainted (and he's not just about to carry you over a whole kingdom) but decide ultimately that right this second might not be the best time.

While at first you figured it was just dumb luck he found you, you do now stop to consider that while he did explain his speed and such, he didn't mention how he was even nearby the forest entrance at the time or why he would be: If he needed wind magic to traverse simply from the Palace to the outskirts, why would the brother of the Emperor's advisor be there to start?

You start to feel just a tad uneasy, since you don't want to keep questioning him right now (though once you guys get talking with the Empress all bets are off...). You think he's a good, honest, and true person so far, but you only just met him a bit ago and you probably can't solidly make that judgement call (Plus, according to Corny who almost always has to babysit you, you are a horrible judge of character)...

Though while the lurch in your stomach from thinking about the Kingdom and your lack of capability to help it is strong... Nothing but good feelings come from actually thinking about just Elias as a person. He seems like the type to wear his heart on his sleeve.

Now that you think about it: Is Elias the next closest thing to royalty aside the Empress herself? If he's the brother of the Advisor then he must live in the palace, too, right? Is he treated like he's royalty as well? Does he have servants?

Though it's not impossible, to you, it seems unlikely such a sweet boy could come from such a pampered lifestyle, right? Well, it would explain his happy-go-lucky effervescence, but... His flaws seem his intelligence, naivety, and comprehension, not being spoiled rotten or self-centered... Augh! You just told yourself you barely know him and can't make these types of judgement yet!!

You decide since now isn't the time for any of this not to ask him such personal questions about his life either, and honestly it seems a bit unnecessary since you'll know his place in the palace practically as soon as you guys get there...

Seeing the kingdom would be nice, but flying is even better! Plus, even if I tried to find more help, I wouldn't even know who or what to look for at the moment. And for that matter, Elias seems to know more about this whole prophecy and crest bearer stuff. I might as well put my trust in him for now. Also, again, flying! Flying!

"Rosie...?" Comes Elias' voice, you look up instantly to see him staring at you worriedly.

You were spaced out the whole time you were sorting out your thoughts!! Ugh, you must look like such a ditz to him!

"A-ah! Uh-uhm, sorry about that! A-about carrying me... I-I'm a bit heavy, short and stuff as I am, haha... A-are you sure you wanna carry me? M-might be uncomfortable f-for, uhm, y-you..." You ask, choosing your words carefully so as not to insinuate to him you think he's weak or whatever (you can't tell with his long, loose clothing, but he seems to have a normal, if not lanky-ish, build, tall-ish as he is) but rather that you are chubby for your height (not that 115lbs is a lot, but to lift while using magic to fly across the kingdom is another story).

"Sure! I don't mind! And I don't think you look heavy at all!" He chirps back happily.

"Ahahahahahaha, you'd be surprised..." You mumble nervously, continuing the insinuation, but also partly happy he doesn't think you're fat...

Well, naturally, because if he did, he'd basically be saying his Empress is fat if she is your true splitting image, and already you know he wouldn't do that to her...


You really don't like where this train of thought is going!

Elias gives you that comforting, understanding, sympathetic smile like he did when you were both with Calliope, and you start to feel a little better about everything.

You know, as well as you can for being in another world you know next to nothing about while being practically alone in it aside 1 new friend.

"Hey..." He starts to say to get your attention again, no doubt because his hand must be getting tired from being extended for so long, while his smile and warmth didn't falter, he adds, "Do you trust me?"

"...Yes," You respond, and finally take his hand.



Between the obvious return-flirtation of me booping his nose back as apposed to ignoring the fact that he booped me to begin with, or calling him on it and lecturing him about consent, and the fact that I'm still obviously gushing over his appearance and charm, I think it's pretty obvious even to me at this point that he's either my love interest, or a misdirect love interest. Either way it only seems natural that I'd allow him to whisk me away over the winds to the palace and/or city in question. I just hope I don't forget the lyrics to "A Whole New World" on the way. The only real downside here is that if he is a misdirect he'll probably end up dead by the end of the story. Either way I don't have much to lose as it didn't seem like boys were lining up to charm me IRL. Weighing my options here, and the likely romantic experience embracing things might allow me, I think I'll let him carry me and continue our flirtatious rapport. I just have some concerns...

As I previously thought, there's still the mystery to how and why he was in the right place at the right time, wind magic or no, but even more mysteriously, if he knows nothing about how I got here or who I am, why doesn't he think he found the empress herself if I'm a picture perfect likeness? Obviously there's magic, and I doubt every country in this 'medieval' or renascence setting knows eachother, so my strange objects and clothing could be explained away from cutlure differences or magical objects and I could easily have been brainwashed or run away. I say we accept the ride back to town, but demand answers first dammit!

A red herring interest? Wait, those sometimes can go really south! What if... What if this is all a farce and he takes me far far away to kill me himself?! All we have to go by is his word, which just because he's a friendly face/person, doesn't mean that he's really who he says he is. Or what if he doesn't even wait to take me away somewhere and just promptly takes me up super high and just... let's me drop? Maybe flying might not be so good after...


As he takes you into his arms as you accept his hand and carries you, you can help but look away and blush as a goofy grin now seems permanently etched on his face: He seems very happy with your decision to let him carry you!

Your eyebrows are raised so high you fear you may lose them as that line he said before this really did seem like it was from that movie... But before you could ask yourself if that made you the princess (or would the more accurate comparison be if that made the Empress the princess from that movie?) and him the pauper, that train of thought must be a bullet train because, upon remembering how you even GOT INTO THIS WORLD to start, you realize that you are going through the story of the book... and if this is as trope-y as you suspect it might be and Elias really isn't the heroine's love interest...

What's going to happen to him?

The thought of him dying broke your heart so much you felt sick to your stomach and just existing seemed to make you dizzy (though, that coulda just been going faster that you were used to while he's carrying you and riding the literal wind high-ish in the sky).

Sure, maybe it doesn't matter he's a character in this book, and you most assuredly do NOT have a boy or even a crush (those never ended well for you and swore those off last year...) so it's not like falling in love with him would be cheating on anyone, but... He's the only person that has been nice to you so far in this whole world (and honestly, aside your family and Corny he's high up there on the nice list even counting people in your world, too) you'd surely die if you were alone in... You already, at the least, consider him a friend (and definitely one of the better people earning that title aside, of course, Corny) and you... you don't want anything to happen to him!

You realize in this thought you're clinging to him harder and he chuckles, thank goodness, not reading your mind at all and thinking you're just scared of the speed and height (you haven't even paid attention to how high you are or anything since you kinda shut your eyes soon as you were in his arms).

...Crap. You really are going sweet on him.

You take a deep breath and try to keep things in perspective: You guys just met, you have to focus on finding the crest bearers, and its all in some book... Right now your growing crush you're trying to fight for several IMPORTANT (and some personal) reasons is not high on your list of priorities!

You realize while you are trying to strongly to keep things in perspective your breathing sounds like hyper-ventilating.

Elias looks at you and snickers a bit.

"Wh-what's s-so funny, m-mister?" You ask, pouting, hoping he's not thinking you're a total spazz or something.

"O-oh, s-sorry," He replies, sending butterflies in your stomach as now he seems to be the bumbling, shy one, explaining, "I-it's just... The empress and I, when we were little, used to play a lot of make-believe, and she can't use magic like I can, so when we wanted to go somewhere I'd have to carry her... Like I am with you now... I-it just brings me back to when we were children, is all."

His face has a slight blush, but you're unsure of how to feel about that all stemming from her. Well, almost unsure, it's definitely not a good feeling.

...Is it possible to be jealous of your supposed twin?

roohno.png

Wait... JEALOUS?!​


Oh... Oh no...

You really don't want to be falling in love with him so soon and in this situation!

"Heh, sounds like you two have been really good friends a long time...I'm glad," You smile, despite everything, still happy he's had someone there for HIM the majority of his life.

"Mmmhmm! She's the best!" He cheers, now smiling with that carefree attitude that is his staple.

"Hey, uhm... S-sorry if this is a weird question, but... If I look so much like her... a-and even Calliope mistook me for her... How come YOU didn't think I was your Empress as well when you first saw me?" You ask, wanting to get that question off your mind.

"Hee hee! Silly Rosie, it sure did take me by surprise, but of course you couldn't actually be her! I know she's back in the palace, she can't sneak out without me, and I've never seen her wear your clothes before... I don't even know where she could get them!" He answered happily.

It makes sense: If he knew she was safely in her palace, she couldn't be in two places at once. And while you look like her, its probably safe to assume you aren't DRESSED like her. Calliope must have figured you were the Empress incognito. Elias knew better because he was with the Empress probably even right before he left for the woods (you make a mental note to remind yourself to ask him why he was there again...).

"R-right, got it," You weakly chuckle back, somehow feeling a slight pang in your chest as he said "you couldn't actually be her!"




It took a bit, but you're glad you accepted his ride in the end, as Auran Kingdom was big enough for it to be a bit of a walk. While this is seemingly more of a European (well, fantasy European) type setting... You can see why her title is EMPRESS and not Queen: This Kingdom is pretty huge!

You kinda wish you had had the time to look around and see all there is to see here, but also that might have taken the better part of a week, if not a month!

Now that you think about it, you wonder if they have calendars or something... how do they mark the passage of time? Sun dials for hours? Do they still use their moons lunar cycles for months?


You try to keep these questions in mind as you both start to land, surprisingly, in the middle of the palace!

Your breath is taken away with just the first glance, however: There is a large courtyard and reflecting pool the palace was seemingly built centered upon and the building itself seems like it is a combination of eastern and western architecture, of course with some other styles you imagine would only be seen in this fantasy like setting. There are some gorgeous flowers as well, though you've never seen them before (though one kiiinda looks like a bird of paradise with a different color scheme).

As soon as you two land some palace servants come and rush to the both of you, in an odd combination of freaking out and relieved.

"Elias!" One of them shouts as they run over to him, she has dark hair that is tinted red (odd, you wonder if most others or at least some others in the kingdom have odd colored hair as well?) and looks to be a little older than the two of you.
"Hi, Cora!" He greets back, almost chuckling, setting you down and waving at her.
"D-don't you "Hi Cora" Me--" She begins, irritated and exasperated when suddenly she notices you and gasps, "O-o-o-oh your highness! I keep telling you that you and Elias can't keep sneaking off like that and- Oh, what happened to your hair?! A-and where did you get those clothes?! What is that on your face?!"
She seems to be torn between disciplining you and clearly knowing she wasn't your mother. She must be a close, long time servant of the Empress.

"Actually, Cora, this isn't the Empress, she just looks like her!" Elias explains.
"Wh-what?! Bu- H-how?!" The stunned servant responds, unsure of how to react.
"This is the girl of prophecy from another world... I knew I'd find her eventually!" Elias cheers, making your stomach sink as he has waaaaayyy too much confidence in you.
"Ahahaha... H-hi... I'm Rosie..." You squeak softly with a nervous chuckle and small wave.
"...Also I have been meaning to ask you what is on your face as well..." Elias mutters cutely, almost giving you a pleading look with slightly pouted lips.
"Th-they're called glasses... They're to help people in my world see better when their eyes aren't 100% working..." You try to explain as best you can.
"Ooooh! So that's glass in there? Glass helps you see? Should I put some in my eyes, too?!" Elias gasps, apparently happy to be learning something new.
"N-no, please don't put glass in your eye, you'll cut it and hurt yourself..." You beg him, thinking maybe you should hold off on introducing him things from your world for his own physical health and safety.
"Wait, your eyes don't work 100%? Are you ok? Do you want my magic to heal you?" He asks, genuinely concerned about your eyes, disregarding personal space and getting really close to you to examine your face.
"I-it's fine! Don't worry about me! It's just a slight astigmatism!" You say, slightly pushing him away, hoping he didn't notice how red your face is.
"Elias! The Empress will want to see you and this girl right away if she is who you say she is!" Cora warns, trying to get both of you back on track, adding, "Ah! But perhaps I should go ahead and warn her of how... similar... this girl may be to her."

You notice that the guards that are passing by seem to be doing a double take, gaping at you no doubt wondering how the Empress went from one place to another and why she looks a little different in strange clothes. You think Cora going ahead to help ease the "blow" isn't a bad idea, at least until Elias speaks up disappointed.

"Awwww, I wanted it to be a surprise..." He almost whines.
"Elias, this isn't a game or something to be taken lightly! She needs to see you, now, and the less headaches and heart attacks the better!" Cora begs, looking at both of you.

You sigh exasperated, glad you took Elias up on his offer to use air magic to travel here, so you're not as tired (despite what you may have missed) as you would normally have been. It seems like they're looking to you to decide on what to do now: Do you want Cora to let the Empress know you're her twin ahead of time or play along with Elias to surprise her?

>>INPUT COMMAND<<


code by @Satanic Nightjar
 
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With another person finally confirming the existence of this prophecy, at least I know this dorky beefcake isn't out to get me now, so that's good. As for whether to warn the Empress... I think it's probably for the better that she has a heads up, lest she maybe freak out and have me executed for some crazy overreaction or something. Also they seriously don't have any sort of visual aid like telescopes or something? I wonder what they did before magic?
 
It would be best that the Empress knows ahead of time that I look like I could be her twin. Why make things more complicated than they already are, right?
 
Ah, ok. So he's Link from Link to the Past. That means he's probably not the Empresses love interest, though who knows what really happens behind the scenes in those games. It also means he's probably wearing his pajamas, which is an odd fashion choice, but I don't know this worlds customs so I'll go ahead and keep my mouth shut
 
Yeah, let's not surprise someone who is ruling an empire at roughly my age. Let's make sure to remember to ask about the prophecy in better detail, and what help(if any) I can get with it.
 
No offense to Elias but he seems like kind of a dummy when it comes to behaving properly in society. Nose boops, treating bandits as no big deal, sneaking out with an empress where she could get assassinated, maybe let the adult make the decisions now that you found one. Plus, it won't be as scary to see a body double if she's warned first, maybe she wont order a witch burning.
 

Rosalina Chandra

With another person finally confirming the existence of this prophecy, at least I know this dorky beefcake isn't out to get me now, so that's good. As for whether to warn the Empress... I think it's probably for the better that she has a heads up, lest she maybe freak out and have me executed for some crazy overreaction or something. Also they seriously don't have any sort of visual aid like telescopes or something? I wonder what they did before magic?
It would be best that the Empress knows ahead of time that I look like I could be her twin. Why make things more complicated than they already are, right?
Ah, ok. So he's Link from Link to the Past. That means he's probably not the Empresses love interest, though who knows what really happens behind the scenes in those games. It also means he's probably wearing his pajamas, which is an odd fashion choice, but I don't know this worlds customs so I'll go ahead and keep my mouth shut

You stop to think about this train of thought a moment: If Elias was with the Empress that would mean... That would mean he is potentially this kingdoms future Emperor...

Yeah, there is no way Cora would treat Auran's potential future Emperor like that...

You don't know whether to be relieved or not at this...

Yeah, let's not surprise someone who is ruling an empire at roughly my age. Let's make sure to remember to ask about the prophecy in better detail, and what help(if any) I can get with it.
No offense to Elias but he seems like kind of a dummy when it comes to behaving properly in society. Nose boops, treating bandits as no big deal, sneaking out with an empress where she could get assassinated, maybe let the adult make the decisions now that you found one. Plus, it won't be as scary to see a body double if she's warned first, maybe she wont order a witch burning.
You pretty much decide wholeheartedly that it would be a good idea (and in your best interest!) to warn the Empress of your "striking resemblance" before actually laying eyes on you. The ruler of this entire place, who you could apparently pass for, doesn't really sound like someone you wanna "surprise". They may "surprise" you by beheading you or something!

"E-e-e-elias... I'd really, really, really like it if we could let Cora tell the Empress of how similar we look... I-I'd rather not startle the RULER of this place..." You sort of uncomfortably shift around while trying to be loud enough for him to actually hear you.

"Awwwww..... I promise she’s a good sport and wouldn't do anything to you..." Elias mutters as he disappointingly lowers his head. He seems to be a bit saddened by your decision to take Cora's side.

"Thank goodness! It looks like she is also sensible like our Empress, too!" Cora smiles brightly, and just now realize in her stunning smile that this is actually a very beautiful woman!

Elias pouts his lips and seems a little sad, but he says no more on the matter.

With that, Cora turns around and runs off, hurriedly, to her Empress to tell her of the news: Apparently you, the girl of prophecy, has arrived... And that you look just like her.



You and Elias find and stop some (spear-wielding) guards nearby and they start escorting you to the throne room, where the Empress is. As you two are walking side by side, you catch a quick glimpse at him... Glancing at you, and then smiling, appearing to be back to his cheery, normal self.

"S-so you and the Empress must be very close..." You try to make some small talk with him, for not particular reason, while looking away.

"Mhm!" He responds back with verve, "We've known each other since we were children! I was five when we met, I think!"

Does he mean he's been living here since he was 5, or...?

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"W-wow!" You gasp, the huge blow of just how long they had known each other catching you right the heck off guard, "Your parents must have some connections to have been frequenting the palace! O-or do you live here?"

The moment you finish asking that you instantly regret it, because you don't fail to notice Elias looking away and biting his lip. How could you? He practically jerked it away from you as if repelled by your face or something...

Does he not like his parents?

Where are his parents, anyway? Are they like... sorta dukes or something and living here too?

Before you can ask Elias more questions, the guards slam the bottom of their spears on the ground (jolting you back into reality) and open the door to the throne room.



The room is beautiful! A solid gold throne in the back of the room, and this room seems to be made of pure ivory or something! It's breath-taking!

"W-wow..." You think to yourself as you approach the two people on the throne. Cora is there, too, but she smiles and waves after muttering something to your twin sitting on the throne, and then the beautiful red-headed woman promptly leaves the room.

"A-a-ah!" You and the Empress gasp as you both look at each other, still getting over the initial shock despite the warning.


EMpress-Helena.png

You realize now Elias is a FILTHY , FREAKING LIAR, because she is most assuredly NOT a mirror-like mimicry of you: Her face and body are definitely like yours... But her hair is a slightly more richer and fuller shade of brown than yours (truly resembling chocolate instead of your stupid poop brown shade of hair) and is much more shinier than yours! Longer too! Her hair is in a beautiful up-do and it is still a little on the floor! Her eyes aren't over-shadowed by gross bags under them (unlike you) and her eyelashes are longer and thicker as well. Overall her complexion is better than yours, too! Plus, you're pretty sure this girl doesn't need nerdy glasses, unlike a certain other dork...

To say NOTHING of her clothes: Her cream-colored dress is beautiful in how it looks as if it's made of silk and just as shiny, while it is also gold-embroidered! Not only does she also wear a matching beige cape that is also gold-embroidered with white fluff as its trim, her crown and necklace (which...sorta looks like a dragon scale), which seems to be made out of platinum, complements her face nicely in contrast to your glasses.


"H-hello, E-empress! M-m-m-my n-n-n-n-n-name is R-r-r-r-r-rosalina Ch-chandra, b-b-b-but y-you c-c-c-can c-c-c-call m-m-me R-rosie o-or R-ro!" You manage to stutter out in your nervous.

"Hello, hello!" The Empress runs up to you and embraces you before you can offer to shake her hand, taking you by complete surprise at how similar her voice sounds like yours... She sounds more sophisticated than you do, however...

She pulls away from her hug to take a good look at you and chuckles nervously upon being satisfied.

"M-my goodness, we could be twins!" She says, being far, far too kind, "C-corey wasn't kidding..."

"O-oh, haha, y-yeah I guess so..." You mumble, wanting to actually say "not really..." but, figuring you shouldn't argue with an Empress, decided against it.

"Elias!" The Empress then greets your savior, and you can't help but notice his face goes red as a cherry as soon as she throws herself onto him.

"Hi! I did it! I found her!" Elias cheers while holding her tight in that hug... for a while.

"You did! Thank you... You'll both practically save my Kingdom!" The Empress chirps happily and almost sighs in relief. She didn't need to sound relieved though, her face looked like she had just finished listening to ear-piercingly loud music or something and she was savoring the silence that follows after stopping it.

"E-empress..." You begin,wanting to rip the band-aid off of this as soon as possible, "I--"

"Oh! Oh, you silly boy!" The well-meaning Empress interrupts you and rolls her eyes, playfully scolding Elias, "You didn't tell her my name but you told her I looked like her?"

Elias has a bashful and goofy smile that goes ear to ear on his face while he looks away and scratches his head while muttering a near inaudible apology.

"Please," She gives you her full attention again, beaming, "You share my face, you do not have to refer to me by my title. My full name is Helena Lucienne Vivien del Auran. Please, call me Hellie for short~! It's what Elias has called me since we were children!"

No wonder Elias is crazy over her... She seems like such a kind person who treats others as equals despite her position...

You try to do that, too, but...

"Uh-uhm, a-a-alright, H-hellie," You begin, picking up right where you left off despite feeling weird about calling an Empress by a nickname, "Look, I-- I want to help you, I do... But I don't know how! I-I'm just a regular girl in my world... I'm afraid there's not much I can do..."

"Oh, but Rosie, you've heard about the prophecy, correct? Our god and the seven crest bearers?" She asks you, worry beginning to paint her face.

"Y-yes, but, how will I find them...? I-I haven't the slightest clue where to begin looking for them, o-or even how I'll know I've found them!" You practically beg, hoping Hellie realizes just how grim this situation still looks despite your arrival in this world.

"Luckily for you, that may not be an issue for some time," comes another male voice behind you, almost making you flinch and jump.


Elmiel.png
You knew who this man was. You knew who this man was as soon as you turned around and you didn't need to be told who he was: He was tall but muscular, a jaw-line that would make any male model jealous, rocking the same deep-sea-blue eyes and familiar blonde hair, but not in a messy-ish hair cut like you're used to, but rather a long and glorious pony-tail flowing like a river of gold that, while looking feminine on anyone else simply shows how elegant this man is. You don't want to stare too long for fear of drooling.

This handsome man is Elias' elder brother.

He's dreamy and absolutely perfect, wearing a more elegant and purply red version of Elias' outfit (mostly because it also shines and is embroidered in gold) and... Huh... wearing the exact same necklace as the Empress, too!


"My love!" Helena's face lights up as she see's him and she dashes towards him, throwing herself upon him (much more aggressively than with Elias!) and... KISSING HIM!?

"Uh... buh.. chuh... guh...wuh?" You attempt to say... well, anything, really, but at this moment this is the best you can muster to come out of your mouth.

You jerk your head a moment to smack your brain back to Auran and try to just... compute... what just happened!

You look over at Elias and...




sadelias.png

Oh...​

Oh, you get it now.

Elias does love the Empress... But the Empress is in love with his brother...

...Poor... Poor Elias...

Guess you were right... Helena isn't Elias' love interest...


"My word!" The Empress' love and advisor gasps while looking at you, covering his mouth slightly with raised eyebrows, "So Cora was not lying at all!"

"Of course not, beloved, Cora is never one to tell tall tales!" Helena giggles happily while latching onto his arm.

"W-well, it's not that I assumed she was a liar, it is just... To be the splitting image of someone you weren't born as a twin to..." He began, nearly trailing off while still looking at you in awe and slight disbelief (but it’s fading fast from his face by the second).

"Y-yeah, s-s-surprises all around..." You nervously mutter, trying to smile but not too much because you can only imagine what a nightmare your smile looks like under all the awkward.

"I did it, brother! I did it! I found her! Right near the forest entrance your premonition said she would be! Thank goodness I was there exactly when the sun was directly above the trees! A moment later and who knows what could have happened!" Elias cheers while also running up to his brother.

Aaaaaah, so THAT was how he knew how to find you. His brother told him to.

Wait, how did HE know?! Dang it all!

"Oh? And what exactly could have happened, brother?" The Advisor raised his brow while interrogating his younger brother.

"O-oh, uhm, n-n-nothing bad! Elias saved me just in the nick of time from a weird purple-haired bandit girl who was about to cut me up good t-to use as ransom or something because she thought I was Hellie in disguise!" You blurt out without thinking, trying to stick up for Elias and failing miserably as his brothers handsome face now has a scowl on it and Helena is covering her mouth and gasping in shock.

"Purple haired... That parasite, Calliope, again? Did you bring her in as well? I certainly hope the reason she's not before us right now is that she is in the dungeon... Awaiting her punishment..." Helena's love now has a near frown directed right at his brother, which only proves you made things worse.

"W-well... N-no, I... I didn't want..." Elias begins, but hesitates to finish his sentence under his brothers intense stare.

"My sweet Elmiel, it's fine, really... She doesn't rob them blind, only of some food and little money... She probably has a very good reason to...do what she does... Usually the people who live in the forest are very poor and hungry... She's probably only doing it out of necessity... We should try to help her if she is brought here..." Hellie speaks up and defends Elias as well.

"I-it was me," You say, not daring to let Elias take the heat for your decision, "I-I told Elias to just leave her alone. I was able to incapacitate h-her and I figured the temporary pain that brought her w-w-was punishment enough..."

Elmiel sighs and shakes his head, his expression softened by not one, but two, faces of the woman he loves begging him to ease up on his brother.

"Elias, whether that girl has "pure" motives or not, the fact is there are proper channels to deal with her predicament: We have well supplied shelters with food for her if she is having troubles. She cannot just steal as she pleases from travelers nearing the kingdom. Besides, if she is not turned in, she will most likely just keep stealing from others shortly. Her lesson won't be learned until she faces the consequences for her actions," Elias at this point has his eyes practically glued to the floor, but he nods occasionally to show he is still attentively listening, "...Look, dear little brother: While Helena is my betrothed and not making all these over-whelming decisions by herself, she is still a young Empress. Even with me by her side, we still must discuss things with the council. If the people are to see her as a paragon among women and rulers and not a joke, she must be both loved and feared. That means bringing criminals to justice, harsh as it may be. Do you understand this, Elias?"

Your heart hurts more for Elias... They're about to be married soon...

"Yes, brother, I'm sorry. I promise the next time I see her I will personally bring her to the palace dungeons myself," Elias nods for a final time, sounding so serious you almost didn't think his voice sounded like it belongs to him.

You feel awful because him getting scolded was partially your fault since he let you decide... But something about Helena's words keeps you from completely regretting Calliope isn't here to get her hand chopped off by now: She was doing it out of necessity... Was she trying to feed not just herself? Do others in the forest depend on her, too?

You hope you get to see her again for a moment, odd as that fleeting feeling is.

"Well then! Now that that unpleasantness is out of the way--" Elmiel now directs his attention to you, "I'm sorry, I never got a chance to introduce myself. I am Elmiel Desmond."

"He's my elder brother!" Elias beams proudly.

"Yes, brother, quite," Elmiel nods, acknowledging him.

"Ok, brother, I'll be quiet!" Elias complies.

Helena turns away and softly giggles while Elmiel makes a sort of... unamused growl that sounded like a sound you've heard coming from unpleased doggies before.

"I-it's very nice to meet you, Elmiel, I'm Rosalina Chandra. But please, call me Rosie!" You shyly introduce yourself.

"It's very nice to meet you as well, Rosie."

"Uhm, I'm sorry to quickly change the topic, but, you were saying finding the crest bearers might not be an issue...?" You asked, wondering if you even heard that right at this point.

"Ah, yes!" Elmiel's handsome face lights up as he is reminded of what he initially was going to say to you, then turns to Elias, "And did you gather the information that I asked you to while looking for this girl?"

"Yes," Elias answers, "It's as you thought: The people up in Tarrin village, right near the top of the snowy mountains, definitely have something they're not telling others. They say even the coldest of winters there... Everyone is comfortably living with warmth in their hearths and their ovens could scorch even in a blizzard outside..."

"Oh! Uhm! B-but if you have hearths and stuff, i-isn't that, like, n-natural?" You aren't sure why you chipped in, but you guess seeing Elias so different with his brother than you and the Empress is doing strange things to you, so you keep going, "I-I mean, j-just add a little extra firewood to it..r-r-right...? M-more to it when it burns out??"

Elias, Elmiel, and Helena all exchange glances and then look at you like you're definitely missing something.

"O-or...n-no...?" You peep, feeling very, very, very, very stupid.

"W-well... I-it's not that you're wrong, but..."

"Rosie, in those mountains it is too cold for anything to grow. The inhabitants of Tarrin are miners, they dig precious jewels and metals in the caves of the mountains... Hardly any vegetation can grow if any, and there are certainly no animals that can sustain themselves there aside arctic kinds... They get all their supplies from us or other, closer towns, including: Food, blankets, and--"

"AH! LOGS TOO!" You shout, now starting to see why this all sounds so suspicious.

"Correct," Elmiel nodded, pleased you saw where he was going and not mad at all about your outburst, Thank goodness!

"Wait.. but.. Aren't they just using the supplies you gave them?" You ask, still a bit confused as to what the problem was.

"W-well, we do very much try to give them everything they need, but..." Helena began hesitantly.

"Certainly not enough to keep them comfortable in a blizzard, or to withstand a winters night up there and not at least be slightly cold," Elmiel continued.

"They'd burn though more logs than we could produce. We wouldn't even have a forest at the base of the mountains if they burned half as much logs as they should be to keep such comforts," Elias stated sadly.

"So... What... What does that--"

Wait... hold on...

The passage in the book... Getting the powers of the Heroine--

"AH! AH! SOMEONE THERE! SOMEONE THERE HAS POWERS! FIRE POWERS! REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY STRONG FIRE POWER!!!" You piece it all together.

A sweet smile graces Elias' face while a devilish smirk teases you from Elmiel's face.

"Clever girl," Elmiel slyly compliments you.

"W-wait, but, doesn't everybody here have powers?" You ask, confused.

"Hee hee, no, silly. Only people like me can use that much powerful magic that often!" Elias chuckles and beams at you.

"Yes, and while it will still take a bit to find the remaining six crest-bearers, we at least appear to have a lead on one more..." Helena begins saying absent-mindedly.

"Y-yea-- Wait... remaining.. six..?" You ask, connecting the dots slowly, very slowly, while pondering if Helena botched the math for a moment.

"Oh Elias..." Helena sighs while shaking her head at him.

WAIT...

WAIT...

Eliasofwinds.png


"He bears the Celiosian crest of winds," Elmiel drops the bomb, matter-of factly.​

"YOU'RE A CREST BEARER?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" You yell angrily at him while he pouts apologetically.



"You never asked..." He replies both matter-of-factly and confused as to why you're angry while the Empress shoots you a sympathetic smile. Intelligence is NOT Elias' strong suit. You knew this, you really have no one but yourself to blame.

You suddenly feel the urge to strangle Elias, but it subsides just as quickly as it comes when you realize what this means.



outtaseven.png

"Whatever! This is great! This is great! I found my first crest-bearer! Six more to go!" You cry in joy while throwing yourself on Elias, not believing so soon into your journey you're already one-seventh of the way through!

Maybe you'll be home in time for finals or something!

...Geez, good thing you have some textbooks to study while you're here...


"Wait, so... Does this mean you will help save us? Will you fulfill the prophecy?" Helena asks, trying not to sound desperate but sorta failing in her tone and by the look on her face.

"The role is officially called The Hierophant of Skies. The girl from another world who is said to be able to show our gods will by bringing together the chosen ones that bear their crests, destined to save our kingdom as doom draws nigh after making a wish to them," Elmiel went on to explain, then got a look on his face and added, "By the by, after you use one wish to save us from certain doom it is said that there are two more wishes they will grant their Hierophant..."

Wait, what's this about wishes?! You get wishes?! Three wishes?! Are you summoning a God or a Genie?!

Elmiel obviously added that last bit to entice you more, but honestly you just get more confused and worried everyones thrusting so many expectations on you!!!

"Please, Rosie... We need your help... We'll find the rest of the crest-bearers, somehow... Please..." Elias begs you, "We need you..."

...You hesitate to answer them all. Your earlier joy at having found a crest-bearer sort of just came out of your mouth...


You... you didn't mean...to say that...

You still have so many questions for them...



Finding six more people could prove extremely difficult, even with this lead? But if you don't do this how else will you even get home? It's not that you don't want to help, but how can you...?

Should you become the Hierophant of Skies?

>>INPUT COMMAND<<
 
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Oh shit! Dark Link coming out of left Hyrule Field, and betrothed (or was it married?) to the empress. So that means Elias is single, but he's got a deep crush on the empress, that's gonna go south down the line somewhere.

As for her appearance, I'm sure I'd look that good if I had the wealth of an empress, and a fleet of royal stylists to dress me up every morning #salt.

As far as that town goes, could they not just be burning coal if they are a mining town?

And as for becoming this "Heirophant", I guess I could dobit as long as I have a guide that knows shit, but in return they have to find a way to send me home. I'm not gonna hold them randsom or anything, but it seems like the least they could do all things considered.
 
Hm, I wonder if there is any other way for me to get home besides using one of the three wishes? Because if not, then I don't really have a choice whether or not to become the Hierophant. Not that this world isn't nice, but... Also, is there even someone else who could do this? As in, if they were able to send me home and would do so, would they get another prophecy girl? I'd feel bad about leaving this world to its destruction.

I suppose I should clear up those two questions before I decide - but I think I've actually made up my mind already. I want to help these people, and apparently, I can, so why shouldn't I?
 
The way the empress tried to get shanked (If i was an assassin) and the way they left her unguarded, I think this story book might be G or PG enough for me to not have to worry too much about serious danger becoming the Heirophant. Sure, i mean, i did almost get stabbed up, but then a hero showed up to save me and I'm sure there will be more plot devices to keep me out of near-death or near-trauma trouble. Regardless though, I should use my current social status as the person they're hoping to depend on to get some real answers.

Elias did tell me there was a prophecy, and that there were crest bearers, but honestly he was super vague after that and even hid that he was one, nobody could tell me how I got here even though everyone seemed to be expecting you (yes, prophecy, but still), and I was left to Metagame the rest of the knowledge about my job based on what I personally know about Anime from my world. I think i can get away with grilling them a little at this point to get every answer to any question i have before making a solid decision. Then sure, why not, I'm probably too nice or too much of a pushover to say no anyway to be honest. Especially with an empress asking. Besides, what if I get to keep all the cool powers when I get home? Between that and the extra wish (assuming I do need one to get home), I think there's plenty of incentive. Where in my world am i going to get an opportunity like this? Also I should demand Elias and at least one skilled warrior come with me on this quest. I need meat shields, plus the warrior can teach me how to fight, so then if there is real danger I can defend myself as well. Shit, that means I need gear too.

Summary: Answers, quest companions, gear, agree.
 
Wait, why would I want to learn to fight if I could learn magic instead? Or both I guess, but magic sounds way cooler and hopefully requires less gear to lug around.

But yeah, I should probably make sure they can at least help me with this quest before I accept. Otherwise this sounds great! I wish my prophecised duties(and powers?) had come with an instruction manual but...I should check that book ASAP.

And if Elias is anything to judge by the crest bearers should have a personality typically matching whatever aspect they represent as well as the mark and powers, this shouldn't be too hard. I hope they are all that pretty.

I mean, uh, yeah. Let's do this.
 
If the people there are relying on the Fire dude to stay warm and survive the winter, this could potentially provide some difficulties if Im supposed to GATHER ALL THESE BEARERS TOGETHER, what of the townspeople? We should ask about possible alternatives to their problem and try and see what we can do to help... Gosh it's gonna be cold... Also poor Elias. He just makes my heart hurt...
 
Facing fate!

Rosalina Chandra

Oh shit! Dark Link coming out of left Hyrule Field, and betrothed (or was it married?) to the empress. So that means Elias is single, but he's got a deep crush on the empress, that's gonna go south down the line somewhere.

As for her appearance, I'm sure I'd look that good if I had the wealth of an empress, and a fleet of royal stylists to dress me up every morning #salt.

As far as that town goes, could they not just be burning coal if they are a mining town?

And as for becoming this "Heirophant", I guess I could dobit as long as I have a guide that knows shit, but in return they have to find a way to send me home. I'm not gonna hold them randsom or anything, but it seems like the least they could do all things considered.

You chuckle as these comforting thoughts keep your jealousy in line, though you feel perhaps you might be hasty dubbing Elmiel as "Dark Link". While you don't agree with Elmiel about chopping thieves' hands off, you think he's a pretty good person overall now that you've met him... Plus, he is just looking out for his bride to be.

pondercoal.png

Hm, now that you think of coal, you ponder if maybe in this time people don't fully know how to use it properly? If they're digging it up and don't know how easily it burns, maybe...? Maybe they are already using it and that's their secret instead of a crest bearer? You think you remember reading back in medieval times they just used coal for decor purposes or something?

You desperately try to remember when coal was first found used for actual burning purposes (and not just decoration or something being mistaken for stone back then) if it's even possible this time period knows of the true use of coal, let alone how to properly use it...​

Either way, it looks like you're going to have to investigate this and pray it IS a crest-bearer and not just someone ahead of their time?

Hm, I wonder if there is any other way for me to get home besides using one of the three wishes? Because if not, then I don't really have a choice whether or not to become the Hierophant. Not that this world isn't nice, but... Also, is there even someone else who could do this? As in, if they were able to send me home and would do so, would they get another prophecy girl? I'd feel bad about leaving this world to its destruction.

I suppose I should clear up those two questions before I decide - but I think I've actually made up my mind already. I want to help these people, and apparently, I can, so why shouldn't I?

Oh!

That's a good point: Will this Celosia automatically send you home once your job here is done, or do you have to request it in a wish like you will to save Auran?

...Even if you could go home without doing this, and WERE mean enough to thrust this on another poor girl who read that book (which you are not, thank goodness), or finding some other way home... this train of thought is right: You don't want to leave this world to it's destruction upon your leaving...Another hierophant may not even get here in time to save this world as it seems things are already starting to look grim...

You can't do this to Hellie... or Elmiel... Or Cora...

Or Elias...

You take a deep breath and try to get your questions and thoughts in order.

"So... If I don't do this for you... If I, by some miracle, get home before gathering the crest bearers and summoning Celosia... Auran will perish unless you find another hierophant...?" You ask shakily, not wanting to think about this.

"Yes, it will perish..." Hellie responds sadly, adding with more hesitance, "Even if it was possible to wait for another hierophant... The last one appeared 200 years ago, and not even here... We will have long since been gone by then if we wait that long..."

The last one...? The last hierophant...? Wait... There was another hierophant before yo--

"Not just Auran, this entire isle and possibly whatever landmass is populated below us could perish as well," Elmiel also answers.

"I-I se- Wait, what?" You ask, slowly computing what Elmiel just said.

Elmiel and Elias exchange glances, and then Elias nods determinedly at his brother as if the Desmond brothers had a telepathic conversation or something Elias speeds off and returns with a piece of parchment that looks kinda like a painting--


CionIsle.png
WAIT. WHY ARE SO MUCH CLOUDS--​

IS THAT BLUE SEA... OR SKY?!

"...WH-WHY ARE THERE SO MANY CLOUDS?! I-IS... I-IS THIS PLACE FLOATING IN THE SKY!?" You gasp as you look at the map wide-eyed.

"Heh, why in heaven did you think your title is The Heirophant of Skies?" Elmiel asks, charmed and chuckled by you apparently, "Auran is on Cion, the Celestial Isle that floats in the heavens, blessed by Celosia itself to soar above the lands and seas."

YOU'RE ON A FLOATING ISLE?! A GIGANTIC FLOATING ISLE!? JUST LIKE THAT ONE MOVIE WITH THE BLUE KITTY-LIKE PEOPLE THAT HAD THE FLOATING MOUNTAINS!? OR THAT ONE ZELDA GAME!?

...That would certainly explain that, yeah! No wonder the air here feels different and the breeze is a bit chillier than you're used to, you're higher up than you've ever been in your whole life!

"Ahahaha, I-I see..." You mutter, trying to soak this all in.

"Sh-she hasn't actually accepted the title yet, brother..." Elias, while uncomfortably, tries to correct his brother... trying to be considerate of you and your feelings on this matter??? You didn't notice this before, but Elias is basically holding you up at this point since you're so taken aback by this you' almost plop onto the ground.

"Give it time..." Elmiel replied teasingly.

"So, about this other Hierophant that's been here before me..." You ask after a few moments to get over this, trying to get back on track.

"Right," Elmiel nods, agreeing with your notion, "Unfortunately, while I can tell you all that I can about the prophecy I've read about, There isn't a thing I know about the previous hierophant aside their title. They were The Hierophant of Tides, which unfortunately means any real information on their legend would be down below, where the ocean is..."

"I see... Makes sense..." You sigh disappointingly, wishing you could know about them, asking, "Wait, If they were a hierophant, that means they were also a girl from another world, right?"

Elias, Elmiel, and Helena all nod simultaneously.

"Yeah, Rosie, If they were a hierophant for Tritenas, the sea kingdom below, they were also from another world. They were the ones who brought this world the prophecy to start!"

"Really?!" You ask, now becoming ever curious about the Hierophant of Tides.

"Yes, she was the first one to gather the seven crest bearers of Neptnea, the god of oceans, and make her wishes! Before she returned to her world she also told there would be seven crest bearers each and a hierophant for the skies and the land as well, in their time of need," Elias happily informs you, sort of blatantly looking into your eyes as soon as he said "hierophant of skies".

"And... and she just went home after all was said and done? Just like that? By default?" You ask, blinking.

"I think so? We can't really know what happened after she left..." Elias looked away hesitantly.

"We do not know of any other way to send you home aside by Celosia or if The Hierophant of Tides used a wish or if Neptnea automatically took her home after her mission, if that is what you were inquiring, Rosie," Elmiel, figuring out exactly where you were going with this, answered your question intuitively. He's perceptive, this one... Better watch out not to give him too much googly eyes, or he'll figure out you're attracted to him and his brother!

"O-oh! Y-yeah..." Elias chuckled, slightly blushing at being clueless.

"I'm very sorry we can't be of more help answering your questions, Rosie..." Helena mutter sadly.

"N-n-no! N-no! Please! You've all been wonderful and very helpful! Promise!" You reassure the Empress, feeling bad.

You're glad you asked about another hierophant, it didn't seem relevant to talk about them to Helena, Elmiel, and Elias since she wasn't their hierophant! You wonder if when you get home you could find more information about The Hierophant of Tides? Maybe? It was 200 years ago in this book, but does that time really equate to the time back home, in your world? Could she still be alive in your world? You'll have to remember to try to look her up soon as you get home.

The way the empress tried to get shanked (If i was an assassin) and the way they left her unguarded, I think this story book might be G or PG enough for me to not have to worry too much about serious danger becoming the Heirophant. Sure, i mean, i did almost get stabbed up, but then a hero showed up to save me and I'm sure there will be more plot devices to keep me out of near-death or near-trauma trouble. Regardless though, I should use my current social status as the person they're hoping to depend on to get some real answers.

Elias did tell me there was a prophecy, and that there were crest bearers, but honestly he was super vague after that and even hid that he was one, nobody could tell me how I got here even though everyone seemed to be expecting you (yes, prophecy, but still), and I was left to Metagame the rest of the knowledge about my job based on what I personally know about Anime from my world. I think i can get away with grilling them a little at this point to get every answer to any question i have before making a solid decision. Then sure, why not, I'm probably too nice or too much of a pushover to say no anyway to be honest. Especially with an empress asking. Besides, what if I get to keep all the cool powers when I get home? Between that and the extra wish (assuming I do need one to get home), I think there's plenty of incentive. Where in my world am i going to get an opportunity like this? Also I should demand Elias and at least one skilled warrior come with me on this quest. I need meat shields, plus the warrior can teach me how to fight, so then if there is real danger I can defend myself as well. Shit, that means I need gear too.

Summary: Answers, quest companions, gear, agree.

"Uh-uhm... S-so... If I do this... B-b-big if for now, but-- If I do, Could I have Elias and at least one palace guard accompany me? M-maybe teach me combat stuff...?" You ask, thinking this is a very good precaution and excellent distraction from what you were thinking before.

"Sure, of course I'll go with you, Rosie!" Elias chirps with his sweet smile gracing his borderline angelic face, "I would never let you do this alone! Besides, I'm your crest-bearer of winds, right? I'm duty-bound to protect my hierophant!"

Heh... He called you his...

You'd savor this moment more but you see Elmiel and Helena looking like he just got pinched or something at your request.

"I-it's... It's not that you can't, but--" Helena begins.

"Rosie... Elias is plenty powerful enough to protect you on his own. Not only do we need all our guards in case of emergencies and for basic protection, but really, even if, Celosia forbid, you have to fight the crest-bearers, said guard would only be in the way. No guard could fight them, no matter how much weapons they have or combat they could teach you. Plus, not only that, but that would be more food and supplies to carry and another mouth to feed while gathering more crest-bearers, which would be worth it for a crest-bearer, but for a regular man..." Elmiel explains why they may reject your request for an extra guard.

"Besides!" Hellie cheered, clapping her hands together merrily, almost giggling, "Once you start to get more and more crest bearers, you'll be the most protected woman in all of Cion! Even me!"

...They do have a point...

Actually, while secretly a part of you did think Helena should have known a bit better than to greet a stranger the way she did... She is like you in a lot of ways... Naivety and poor judgement just come with this face and body, you suppose.

That, and, she just made a good point for herself: She's been guarded by a crest bearer practically all her life, and when you think about it, her automatically putting so much faith in you because Elias does shows just how much she trusts him. He has protected and guarded her probably better than any spear-wielding guard (and you don't dare say this out-loud, but even perhaps her future husband since Elias can wield strong wind-magic and other spells and even if Elmiel COULD use magic, it still isn't as powerful as a crest-bearer's magic) all of her life... and you came waltzing in right next to him, why would she hesitate when her most trusted and loyal guardian vouched for you?

This train of thought is still right at the end of the day, however, and perhaps, even if you are just a poor-man's (well, you're middle class in your world, but lets be real even that compared to Helena's wealth is nothing) version of his love, you know Elias will risk life and limb for you too if only for that fact...

You shake those bad thoughts out of your head and resolve to simply have a talk with Helena about caution later when it's just you her, an Elias or something...

Hold on...

"Wait... Do you think it's possible we'd have to fight the crest bearers?" You ask, wide eyed. The very LAST thing you want to do is have to fight super powerful magic-wielders when you can't use magic at all. You got lucky with Calliope not wielding it and Elias saving you, but you're not gonna gamble your life on that being the case every time you meet a potential enemy.

"Well, anything is possible, I'm afraid," Elmiel sadly answers your question with a subtle "yes". Your stomach lurches.

"Don't worry. I'll be here to protect you from now on against anyone trying to hurt you! Crest-bearer or not!" Elias reassures you while Helena nods vehemently.

"Heh, thank you..." You weakly smile at him, thinking maybe that potential scenario isn't so bad at all when you looked at his face. Maybe none of this is so bad with him beside you.

You agree more and more with these trains of thought--

Wait, why would I want to learn to fight if I could learn magic instead? Or both I guess, but magic sounds way cooler and hopefully requires less gear to lug around.

But yeah, I should probably make sure they can at least help me with this quest before I accept. Otherwise this sounds great! I wish my prophecised duties(and powers?) had come with an instruction manual but...I should check that book ASAP.

And if Elias is anything to judge by the crest bearers should have a personality typically matching whatever aspect they represent as well as the mark and powers, this shouldn't be too hard. I hope they are all that pretty.

I mean, uh, yeah. Let's do this.

You quickly realize perhaps it's best to ask Elias about exactly how magic works in this world, since he seems to be an expert... You might not even have the affinity for magic (let's be honest, you woulda discovered it already if you did, right?) until you get the heroines powers?

Huh... now that you think about it, Elmiel wanted to coerce you with wishes, but not the heroines powers? You'd have thought he would have mentioned both for a guaranteed yes, right?

You scold yourself internally for not examining the book more closely before it sucked you in... You didn't even read the author's name! You hope that doesn't come back to haunt you, but you highly doubt not reading an author's name would have that much impact... Hm.. Did the cover even show the authors name???

You think it would be nice and easy if that were the case of crest bearers and their matching personality to said crest, you would be able to spot a hot-head in the snow (if there even is one...) a mile away! You hope this is exactly how things are going to play out!

Though, even if it did, you still wouldn't know where here to find those bright personalities!

...also, you can't help but turn your head and blush as you call Elias pretty... Him and his brother are so handsome your tummy just--

GAH! NOW IS NOT THE TIME! NOW IS NOT THE TIME!

"E-elias, wo-would it be possible for you to teach me how to use magic?" You ask almost out of the blue, snapping yourself out of those puppy-love thoughts.

"Uhm... I-I'm not sure I can teach you how to use magic, exactly, you can either use it or not, but I guess along the way I could try to see if you can use it!" He responds.

You smile, though somethings telling you it might be a fruitless endeavor... Why need an affinity for it if you're going to get powers by the end of this, right?




"S-so..." Helena begins nervously after a few moments of contemplation and no more questions being asked.

"Have you made your decision, Rosie? Will you accept your role as The Hierophant of Skies?" Elmiel asks, breaking the awkward silence.

"...Heh, well... I-I don't really have a choice, right? We don't know of any other ways to get me home aside Celosia, and even if we did..." You begin bashfully, "I-I couldn't leave you guys to your doom like that. I could never forgive myself if I did!"

Elias, Helena, and Elmiel's face light up like a newly decorated and lit up Christmas tree.


Rosiesmile.png


"Yes. I'll do it. I've made up my mind. I'll formally accept the role of The Hierophant of Skies!" You beam and announce.
>>BECAME THE HIEROPHANT OF SKIES<<

"Oh Rosie! Thank you! Thank you!!!" Helena looks like shes about to cry tears of joy while she practically throws herself on you (again).

"You're the best, Rosie! Thank you!" Elias also cheers, joining in the glomp.

"You truly are like my Helena," Elmiel chuckles while looking happily at the group hug and joins in it for a moment, then pulls away and turns to the door, clapping while walking towards the door and ordering, "Guards! Please inform the cooks we'd like a feast among feasts in order to welcome our Hierophant of Skies! A celebration is in order!"

Being given orders by their future Emperor, the two guards at the door who escorted you here started running their feet off, nodding and scrambling to wherever the kitchen is.

"A-ah," You humbly state, almost wishing you were a turtle that could sink it's head back into its shell as you see them making a huge deal over an ordinary girl like you, "Th-that's very nice and all, but really, th-there's no need to go through all the trouble--"

"Nonsense! You come from another world and just accepted the role to save us all! The least we could do is feed you!" Helena cheers.

"There really is no harm in this: We've stopped eating so frivolously since the crops haven't been as prosperous, but I think in honor of our Hierophant one big dinner will not lead us to starvation," Elmiel chuckles, looking at you while possibly thinking your modesty is becoming? You can't get too good a read on him.

"It's the least we could do for you, Rosie. Please eat with us!" Elias pleads, and you can't really say no to a face like his.

"W-well... I-I guess a little splurging for one night i-is alright..." You agree, with near perfect timing, as talking of the prospect of food has reminded you you are quite hungry and you can feel and hear your stomach grumble.

You still think it's much ado about nothing, but you guess now that you're a hierophant you're kinda a big deal? Maybe not nothing?

"Elias, please show Rosie to a guest room where she may put down her bag, and my love, won't you please come with me to get Cora to set up the banquet room?" Elmiel suggests as all of you start walking towards the door, Elias and Helena nodding at him.

"C'mon Rosie, I'll take you to a nice room!" Elias cheers while extending his hand to you. He was going to lead you by the hand there!

"Mm!" You cheer and nod while taking his hand, looking away so he doesn't see you blush as your hands touch.

You fight back a sigh as you two walk, hand in hand, to your new room. Everything seems to be going amazing so far, despite the super rocky start! You're kinda a bit surprised because normally your luck is--

If the people there are relying on the Fire dude to stay warm and survive the winter, this could potentially provide some difficulties if Im supposed to GATHER ALL THESE BEARERS TOGETHER, what of the townspeople? We should ask about possible alternatives to their problem and try and see what we can do to help... Gosh it's gonna be cold... Also poor Elias. He just makes my heart hurt...

...Whoop. There it is. There's your trademark horrible luck.

If there really is a Celosian Crest-bearer of Fire and they're keeping Tarrin village warm... They aren't going to want to leave. Wonderful: If it's just someone who has figured out coal then you're at square 1 again with only 1 crest-bearer and if it is an actual crest-bearer, how will you get them to accompany you?

Hopefully, you can discover a gigantic coal deposit in the mines and show the people there how to use it properly so they don't need the fire bearer... You don't really have a solid plan to do that and your heart sinks upon that realization.

"Rosie?" Elias asks, stopping in front of a door.

"H-hm?" You ask, returning from your daze of dreary thoughts.

"We're here," Elias says while opening the door to the room.


"Whoa!" You gasp as you look around: It's bigger than your room back home! Your bed, bookshelf, desk, and dresser could fit nicely in here with enough room to spare!

The sheets look very fancy and hand-woven with fancy patterns, there is a nice table with two chairs near one wall while a king-sized (heck, maybe Empress-sized since this looks a big bigger than a king size!) bed with a nice wooden bed-frame hug its opposite wall and a huge trunk hugs the foot of the bed.

"You can leave your bag here! I'll take you to the banquet room!" He asks you.

"A-alright," You nod, setting your bag down on the bed and then turning back to Elias.

Taking you by the hand (again) he guides you to the banquet room. You look away from Elias and try not to let on your feelings as he guides you through the palace, so the walk, while a little long, is quiet.




"Rosie! How do you like the room you're staying in?" Helena asks and smiles as she sees you two enter, your heart sinking as Elias lets go of your hand right as Helena turns toward you.

This room is huge, like you suspect every room in this palace is, with a long, rectangular table in the middle, covered in a pure-white table cloth.

"Oh, uhm, it's really pretty! Thank you so much for letting me stay there for now!" You answer truthfully while you and Elias walk towards the table with some dishes set out already.

"Wonderful, I'm happy to hear it!" Helena chirps as she takes a seat at the head of the table, with Elias on her right and Elmiel on her left. You stand a little frozen for a moment before Elias looks and smiles at you, patting the seat on the chair right next to him...


guessilldie.png

Guess you'll sit down there.​

You would find it strange that an Empress just asked you about your room like a concierge at a hotel or something, but really, you opened a book and started reading it and got transported to another world. Like Elmiel said: anythings possible!

Cora comes in with a few other people dressed like her and they all have plates upon plates of food! Mmmm, the food smells amazing: It's roasted chicken with gravy and potatoes! Jugs are going around, too!

"Rosie, would you care for some wine?" Elmiel asks as he poured himself a chalice, skipping Helena entirely (though for good reason, you suspect, as Heliie just cringed and looked absolutely disgusted when Cora set the wine jug next to her).

"O-oh! N-no, no thank you! I-I'm not huge on wine, haha!" You nervously say in response.

"Heh, how alike are you and my Helena going to be, Rosie?" Elmiel chuckled as he took a sip of wine.


"Icky smelly bitter water..." You hear Elias mutter under his breath while also rejecting the jug of wine offered to him and try not to giggle in mid-response.

"Hah... Well, same face and body... You know..." You reply bashfully while beginning to eat your food.

"I do know. I think it is because of that that we may be able to locate the rest of the crest-bearers as well," Elmiel confirms, rather confidently, as he slowly eats with impeccably cordial manners.

"O-oh?" You and Elias ask at the same time.

"My love?" Helena asks, clearly begging him to explain.

"Ever since I heard The Hierophant of Skies was a splitting image of my Empress, and have had it confirmed with my own eyes, I've been thinking..." Elmiel begins, now in deep thought, "What if Rosie's likeness to you is more proof of your divine right to rule, my darling?"

"Wh-what...?" Both you and Helena ask in confusion, not only in his statement but where he's going with this.

"Think about it: We believe your ancestors were chosen to lead and rule the people in their blessed land because the legends say the first emperor of this land was a direct descendant of Celosia, and now in our most troubling times the long-awaited hierophant is a girl who looks exactly like you..." Elmiel continues.

"Weeeellll, not exactly, a much more uglier version of her would be more accurate to say... but sorta, I guess..." You think to yourself, choosing to keep that to yourself and not to argue with a future emperor.

"The hierophant who comes into this world to save us and bring forth the will of our God... Looks exactly like you..." Elmiel repeated and was now beginning to get to the point.

This isn't exactly a new concept to you, as divine right happened way back when in your world, too... But to have the very first Emperor of Auran be a demi-God! Whoa! Your twin possibly has some divine blood in her viens!

"It just got me thinking... What with your divine right to rule this isle and having Celosia's blood in your ancestry possibly being able to help save it along with the hierophant... Perhaps with your help and that old heirloom passed down to you from your parents... We may be able to find a way to track down the other crest-bearers," Elmiel proposed.

"O-oh dear... My fathers compass...? M-my most precious possession? Goodness, alright..." Helena agrees to this, but hesitantly.

You didn't show it, but you find it kind of adorable Helena is surrounded by jewels and gold and other valuable things and yet her most precious possession she even gets hesitant letting her fiance near is an old compass!

"If we imbue the compass with Helena's essence and some magic we may be able to get it to point towards the crest-bearers. I believe it will take a few days for us to make the preparations, but this shouldn't be an issue, as you both are expected to take a few days to get to Tarrin Village, make the crest-bearer your ally, and come back," Elmiel nodded to you and Helena, planning this all out already!

"A-and you really think that might work?" You ask, flabbergasted.

"Well, there is no real guarantee and all... But this just this seems like a huger hint than the dragon scale necklaces we're wearing to symbolize mine and Helena's future wedding," Elmiel chuckled.

So, as you suspected, those necklaces were this worlds version of engagement rings...

Ah! Focus! This was worth a shot! A map of the isle and a possible way to get a compass to lead the way to the crest-bearers doesn't seem like a bad start at all!

"Thank you, Elmiel! Thank you Helena!" You almost cry, relieved you weren't going to just blindly explore the isle looking for people with possibly covered crests somewhere on their bodies.

"You're very welcome, Rosie," Elmiel smiles at you while eating and sipping some wine.

"Of course, Rosie! Anything we can do to help!" Helena also beams and accepts your gratitude, either over the fact she was going to eventually surrender her precious heirloom to you or trusting you immensely to keep it in one piece.

"I promise I'll take care of your precious compass, Helena! I won't get a single scratch on it!" You vow to the Empress, knowing how hard it is to even let someone hold your favorite item let alone keep it with them and far away from you for an extended period of time.

"I know you will!" Helena replied, happy at your promise.

"Alright! Now that we know what we gotta do: Eat before the food gets cold, Rosie!" Elias hungrily cheers as he bites into his chicken more and then stuffs potatoes in his mouth.

You and Helena laugh as you both now focus on eating for the rest of dinner. The rest of dinner is uneventful for the most part and Elias escorts you back to your room as it is now very dark and late into the night.




"Mmmmmmmn~! What a day~!" You yawn to yourself as you just plop yourself right on the bed of your new and temporary room.

"It's gonna be really awkward to wake up in a strange room I've barely been in before..." You think to yourself, "I better get used to it for a bit... Elias and I may be coming back after we get the Fire crest-bearer, but once we have the compass they enchant I think we're going to be roughing it until we've found the rest of them..."

You sigh heavily and close your eyes, almost thankful to have some time to yourself (your social anxiety wasn't doing you any favors dealing with an Empress and her future Emperor)... and maybe some time away from Elias a little...

You can't help but replay that moment when he dropped your hand as soon as Helena could notice... but then he wanted you to sit next to him...?

Come to think of it, why did Elias hide he was a crest-bearer when he told you about the prophecy?

A lot of thoughts run through your head, stirring enough to keep you from immediately falling asleep, and as you figure since you have free time you could look through your bag (though you're fairly certain everything is in there) you hear knocking at your door!

You're a bit terrified, but you try to immediately comfort yourself into thinking the possibility Elias... Though now you aren't sure you want to open the door for other reasons.

Maybe he'll go away if you wait long enough? Do you want him to go away? What if it's not even Elias? What will you do? What should you do?

W-wait, hold on, why was Elias the first person you thought of when hearing that knock!?

>>INPUT COMMAND<<


code by @Satanic Nightjar
 
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I mean... If it WAS Elias, why would he even be here at this hour...? Unless he's not as pure as I had thought... which I'd rather not think about actually. x///x
It could also be someone else entirely, though what could they want? Is there some kind of emergency? Could it be Helena wishing to come tell me something? I should call out and ask who it is, then we can judge about how to proceed from here.
 
Well, I'm not opening the door without knowing who it is, obviously, but that's why I'm going to ask exactly that through the closed door. Usually, people don't knock on other people's doors in the middle of the night without some reason, so there's a chance that whatever that person has to say is important.
 
It's not like I'm indecent, and they have no reason to harm me now that I am cooperating in saving their planet. Let's just talk to them and get itnover with so I can get some rest and maybe look through my stuff.

Maybe the book has some info on the Heirophant of Tides, heck, they might be the author which insured their prophecy would come true. Maybe they had to do it to complete some cycle and I'll have to do it too to make sure the Heirophant of...dirt shows up at some point.

And I am getting some serious Jafar vibes from Elmiel. Maybe he can use mind magic and knew he could change my mind to help them? Hmm. I hope not for Hellie's sake.

Oh, and when we get back we should have someone who might have studied magic try to teach me and not a crest bearer who was born with their magic.
 
Opening up the doors!

Rosalina Chandra

I mean... If it WAS Elias, why would he even be here at this hour...? Unless he's not as pure as I had thought... which I'd rather not think about actually. x///x
It could also be someone else entirely, though what could they want? Is there some kind of emergency? Could it be Helena wishing to come tell me something? I should call out and ask who it is, then we can judge about how to proceed from here.
Well, I'm not opening the door without knowing who it is, obviously, but that's why I'm going to ask exactly that through the closed door. Usually, people don't knock on other people's doors in the middle of the night without some reason, so there's a chance that whatever that person has to say is important.
It's not like I'm indecent, and they have no reason to harm me now that I am cooperating in saving their planet. Let's just talk to them and get itnover with so I can get some rest and maybe look through my stuff.

Maybe the book has some info on the Heirophant of Tides, heck, they might be the author which insured their prophecy would come true. Maybe they had to do it to complete some cycle and I'll have to do it too to make sure the Heirophant of...dirt shows up at some point.

"H-hello?" You sort of whimper out nervously as you near the doors and call out through the crack between them, thinking you're probably right you're mostly safe but should still double check anyway.

"It's Cora! I've come here to give you some cloaks and dresses the Empress and future Emperor thought you might need!" You hear her familiar voice cry out, "Please hurry and open up, all this is heavy!"

"O-oh! O-oh, sorry!" You frantically apologize while opening one door for the pretty red-haired lady.

Coraclothes.png

"Whew! I was afraid I'd drop everything before I could get all these clothes to you!" Cora chuckled while just thrusting everything she was carrying on the bed.


rosieoverwhelmed.png

Did the Empress give you half her wardrobe or something?! She is just too nice, ack!

"O-oh my gosh, I'll have to thank her in the morning!" You state while nearly drowning in fancy clothes.

Looking at all of these, however, you can certainly see why she would have you wear these: These look like pretty typical disguise-y cloaks and such you'd see in movies when they are introducing a shadow-y figure... And considering you look like the Empress, you don't exactly want to be showing your face willy-nilly around here. You're glad Hellie and Elmiel had the common sense to give you new clothes and gear despite forgetting to really ask for some!

She put a lot of thought into these clothes: Some cloaks are heavy and winter-suited (like, say, for visiting a specific COLD village tomorrow) as are some of the dresses, while others are light and airy for summer time that come with shawls (to keep the winds slightly more cold breeze at bay you'd imagine)! They're all really beautiful as well! Some are lacy and light-colored, while others have beautiful embroidery on them, and the heavy ones more suited for the winter are also soft and fluffy with pure white trim (like on Santa's suit)!

"Wow! They're beautiful! I'll be sure to keep these nice and tidy and stain free while I'm borrowing them!" You cheer, trying to express as much gratitude as possible.

"Haha, don't worry too much about it! We can wash out any stains, and the only reason you can't keep these clothes is because you're going back to your world after all is said and done, and we aren't sure if you can bring things from this world with you back! If you can, however, you can feel free to keep these, the Empress said," Cora informs you while smiling.

"A-ah... I-I'm not sure I can accept all of this..." You hesitate, scratching your head... Borrowing is one thing, but these were too extravagant to keep as gifts!

"Nonsense! You're practically our savior, Miss Hierophant!" Cora chirps in reply, "A few dresses for some seasons is nothing compared to the reward of wishes from Celosia, I'm sure, but I hope these small tokens of our appreciation suffice for now! Besides, these were chosen not only because some were appropriate for your journey to Tarrin Village tomorrow, but they're also fairly new cloaks, so no ones really seen the Empress wear these before! You won't be in much danger wearing them!"

"Ahahaha... ha... whooo..." You nervously and weakly chuckle as you sort out the clothes on your temporary bed. Some of the dresses are also gold-embroidered... You realize they'll mostly be hidden by the cloaks and all, but still they're very, very pretty!

"Is something wrong?" Cora asks, seeing your hesitation.

"N-no! N-no! Nothing's wrong, this is just too much for me is all... Also, please just call me Ro or Rosie..." You essentially plead to Cora, clinging to your name for at least a slight sliver of normalcy.

"Well... Alright, Rosie," Cora nods and agrees after seemingly contemplating a moment, "Don't worry about it. The Empress has plenty of clothes where they come from, and you'll mostly be wrapped up in her cloaks anyway, so its not like you'll be showing off wearing them~!"

It seems Cora caught onto your small consolation of accepting these and realize perhaps the phrase "great minds think alike" was coined for a reason...

"Heh, good point," You mutter while smiling slightly, "Please, tell the Empress I said thank you!"

"Will do! Sorry to keep this brief, but I have to get going: My other duties still need to be finished up before I go to bed!" Cora cheers and takes a slight bow, scurrying off after that just as quickly as she scurried in your room.

You look around the room to see where to put all this and, sure enough, hugging a corner beside the bed, is a big, fancy wardrobe! You walk up to it and are amazed how spacious it is! You had prepared yourself for some of it based on the size, but really its a lot bigger inside than it looks! Sure enough, there are several iron hangars (like horizontal coat-racks in super old closets) nailed to the top of the inside for all the clothes to hang on and you take this cue to neatly put away all the borrowed clothing (how convenient for you at the very least that you have someone whose clothes are a perfect fit for you!).

You're surprised to find a light, sleeveless, beautiful pastel blue nightgown at the bottom of the "ocean" of clothes... The Empress must have also considered you'd not want to sleep in your day clothes and given you one of her prettier nightgowns... She really is very kind... It's a small wonder to you why Elias is so smitten with her and you can't help but feel awful for being jealous of her...

You take off your glasses and sigh to yourself as you affirm you are merely a poor mans version of her. Shaking your head to yourself, you begin changing out of your school uniform and into the pretty nightgown.

When you button up the last button on the Empresses "pajama", you reach into your bag and shuffle around it until you find your portable hairbrush (that also doubles as a mirror) and begin brushing your hair. You close your eyes and start humming a calming song to yourself... You're debating trying to convince yourself this is all a dream and you're gonna wake up home or in the library or something... But if you do all that and then wake up here, in this very room and bed, you may just have a heart attack after that...

You heavily sigh while using your compact brush's mirror to tidy your hair and give yourself a side braid (it's not very long given your hair is shoulder length).

rosiecolor.png
And I am getting some serious Jafar vibes from Elmiel. Maybe he can use mind magic and knew he could change my mind to help them? Hmm. I hope not for Hellie's sake.

Oh, and when we get back we should have someone who might have studied magic try to teach me and not a crest bearer who was born with their magic.

You... admittedly, as extremely attractive as you find Elmiel... He does talk quite eloquently and have an... Intimidating effervescence about him... You don't think he'd put you under some spell, however... He's a bit scary, but not, like, evil... Isn't being like that the norm for a future Emperor???

Pondering on these thoughts you, again, hear another knock at your chambers doors... It must be Cora again, probably forgetting something or ordered to deliver you more of the Empresses clothes or something...

"Hello! D-did you forget something Cor--" You begin greeting her, when:


Elmielfrantic.png

That's assuredly NOT Cora... Speak of the devil...​

"Hello, Rosie," Elmiel greets you with a warm smile, though its obvious he's hiding a frantic look behind it, "I'm very sorry to bother you at such a late hour, but may I come in?"

"O-oh, sure! Please, come in!" You gesture for him to come inside, thinking nothing of inviting a strange man you just met into your room after dark.


"Ah, good. Cora delivered our supplies to you with no complications, and we're already preparing your food and other necessary supplies for your trip tomorrow," Elmiel nodded, satisfied, as he eyed you up while you're wearing his fiances gown.

"Yep!" You chirp back in response, smiling back at him.

Elmiel takes a seat on the bed and pats the spot next to him, motioning for you to sit down next to him. He looks serious, grim, and frantic. You get the feeling whatever he's here to talk to you about is best told to you sitting down... And your stomach lurches at the thought.

"I-is everything alright? D-did I do something wrong?" You ask, lowering your head and not making eye contact while speaking to him, like you were a child in trouble, walking towards the bed like you would towards the principals office.

"O-oh! Oh goodness, you didn't do anything wrong, everything is alright! You're alright, Rosie, it's just--" Elmiel sorta backpedals, sensing your feelings from your tense shoulders and slow walk towards him, then sighs heavily, adding, "Well, might as well get straight to the point: Rosie, I know you'll use one wish for us, and the other we'll assume you must use to get home, but... I was wondering... Has your heart been set on your third wish?"

"H-huh?!" You gasp, taken aback by the sudden question. That's right: Even if you have to use a wish to get home, at the end of the day, you'll still have one wish left no matter what!

"I wanted to talk with you privately before you had a chance to stew on it..." Elmiel looks guilty and hesitant and you can sorta guess where this is going.

"Y-you... You have a request for my third wish?" You ask, making Elmiel's eyebrows raise high and got a chuckle out of him.

"Perceptive girl, aren't you?" He teases you while giving you a coy (almost flirtatious!) look.

"Heh, well, why else would you be here at this hour but to ask for my final wish when I summon your God?" You ask bashfully, trying hard to hide a blush.

"Now now, you don't give yourself enough credit, my dear. If I didn't already have this worlds version of you as my bride to be I'd want you all to myself!" Elmiel flatters you, causing you to have to turn away to hide your blush after saying that and flashing you a perfect smile from his face, adding now with grimace, "And speaking of this worlds version of you..."

"Hm? Yes? What about Hellie?" You ask, a bit in shock his request for your wish is turning out to be not for himself, but for his future wife.

"Well..." He starts, "She is bearing my child. I just would like you to perhaps consider that your final wish be that my future wife bears my future children safely and survives easily. I'd like her to be beside me raising them as their mother, you know..."
elmielsbomb.png


"H-hellie's... pregnant...?" You mutter, almost as if to reaffirm reality to yourself. No wonder wine repulsed her...!

"She began glowing a fortnight or so ago, I also began detecting two auras of life when sensing her..."

Elmiel's going to be a father... Elias is going to be an uncle!!

...To the child of his brother and the woman he loves...


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Oh, poor Elias...!​

"I-I see! Congratulations!" You blurt out while not really knowing how to react, and you are beyond grateful Elmiel told you this while you were sitting down because if you weren't beforehand your butt would sure be on the ground after hearing THAT!

"Y-yes, but..." Elmiel explains, "I... My mother... She... She gave birth to me well enough, but... She died giving birth to Elias... I... I don't want my precious Helena to suffer her same fate..."

"I... I understand..." You reply with some hesitance and contemplation. This is basically the middle ages, and there is no modern medicine or emergency C-section to help save the Empress once her baby is ready to be born... It would probably take a lot of healing magic to even just keep her alive until the baby is born... and if she dies during delivery you're pretty sure there's no spell to wake the dead...

"I'm so sorry to be so selfish and ask for your only wish you could keep to yourself, but... To save my future wife... May I please request this wish of you...?" Elmiel asks like he's asking you to yank a knife out of his ribs.

You hadn't really thought about what you wanted for your wish, if you're honest with yourself, though you're sure with more time you'd know what you want. The closest thing on your mind wish-wise was just to do well on your finals so you can get into better classes and colleges, but that can all be obtained through hard-work and dedication... No amount of hard-work or dedication could save Helena if complications arrive during childbirth...!

"I... I... Yes! I'll give you the last wish to save Helena! Please, save her!! Besides, I'm doing this to save everyone, right? It wouldn't really do this place a lick of good to save them from catastrophe when their ruler dies nine months or so later, right?" You ask him in return while accepting his request to give him and Helena your final wish.

Elmiel looks relieved and over-joyed and at your agreeing he, not being able to help himself, scoops you up into a tight hug and kisses your forehead.

"Thank you, Rosie! You truly are a gift to this Kingdom from Celosia themself, just as Helena is," Elmiel praises you right after the forehead kiss and hug.

"A-a-a-ah! I-I'm just trying to help!" You try not to squirm and blush as he does so.

"Heh, well, we're all grateful for you and your immense help," Elmiel smiles at you while letting you go and patting your head, nodding and continuing, "As much as I'd love to stay and talk further, it is very late and I must return to my Empress. Thank you for everything, Rosie! Even when you return home, I know we'll never forget you!"

"Haha! You're welcome!" You say, waving him off.

He pauses a brief moment at the door and turns back to you, "Oh! I almost forgot: Do you think we should tell Elias about this right now? It's really too soon to announce it to our people, but my brother--"

"AH! A-A-AH! UHM, WHY NOT WAIT UNTIL HELLIE'S FURTHER ALONG!?!" You shout, stunning Elmiel silent and getting a stare back from him in confusion a moment.

"I-I mean, it's a bit soon to announce this sort of thing, right?? Maybe once her belly starts showing a bit more, y-you know?" You suggest (not so) discreetly, praying Elmiel doesn't mentally shatter the only person on Cion Isle willing and actually able to help you get home.

You really don't want Elias crushed by this mini soap-opera/love triangle the Desmond brothers have with the Empress while you're gathering extremely powerful magic users you may or may not have to fight, and more importantly, you don't want Elias hurting!



ohelmiel.png

"Heh, you're right, we should tell him later, like a surprise when her stomach is more bigger! I'm sure he'll be thrilled when he sees it! Mmhm, you're absolutely right, we'll wait a little later to tell him, but still before we announce it to the public, to be sure!" Elmiel gasps in naive excitement and anticipation at telling his brother in exact Elias fashion. You... You're beginning to see how these two are related.​

"Aheh... Oh he'll be... something... alright..." You manage to grit forcibly while waving him good bye, resolving to definitely NOT tell Elias about Helena being pregnant.

"I'm sure he will! Thank you Rosie! I'll see you off tomorrow!" Elmiel cheers, again in Elias style, while leaving your room, happily waving and smiling.



Now that you finally have some time alone and there are no more knocks at your door, you decide its time to look through your bookbag and see exactly what you have:
  • 1 skinny history workbook
  • 1 skinny math workbook
  • 1 Mini-dictionary for students (courtesy of your school)
  • 1 school binder with your student planner that is also full of dividers, class handouts, and homework (you'd also had a notebook with notes, but you left that on the library table back in your world...)
  • 1 empty thermos (it smells awful from a few left-over drops of milk rotting in it!)
  • 1 sandwich container that has two paper towels covered in bread crumbs in it (it once contained a turkey sandwich, but you ate it during lunchtime)
  • 1 bunny-shaped pencil case filled with pens and mechanical pencils
  • 1 small tube of magenta lipgloss
  • 1 phone charger and its outlet extension (your phone is on your uniform, which you put on a chair near the table in your room)
  • Your pretty pink and frilly wallet (it has some art store club membership card, your school ID, and a shiny dime you found on the way to class that morning!)
  • Your house key on a heart-shaped keychain
  • Your glasses case (that has a micro-fiber cleaner inside, your glasses are on the table next to your phone)
  • Hand lotion that smells of roses
  • Your small, portable magenta hairbrush that doubles as a mirror (you put it back in your bag)
You smile as you give yourself this small victory: Aside the notebook left behind, everything you packed to school with you is present and accounted for!

You immediately are thrust back into reality as your put your bag down, however...

You exhale as long as humanly possible as you plop on your bed right after finally checking your items, mentally and physically exhausted from everything. You don't want to keep things from Elias, but... You know this would shatter him! It would disintegrate his achy break-y heart! You can't do that to him! That would be like stomping on a butterfly! O-or kicking a puppy!

Plus, it's really not your place to tell him, only Elmiel's and Helena's... But, you did suggest they wait... When that wasn't your place either... You feel awful about that and ponder how bad a person it made you to essentially hide this from him... You were only trying to protect him, but...

The path to hell is often paved with good intentions...

Did you screw up???

You place your forearm over your head as you finally get comfortable enough in bed to fall asleep.

Maybe in the morning you'll tell Elmiel to break the news (as gently as he can) to Elias?? Should you? What if this crushes him to the point he can't journey with you to find the rest of the crest-bearers? Without his help, you're doomed, but despite that was it really right of you to decide what was best for him and hide this from him, even if it was for both your sakes????

Things are getting... complicated...



Hm? That's odd... After a bit laying in bed, you open your eyes to find you're back home! In your room!

Huh???

W-was it all just a drea---
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oH...eLiAs Is hErE, too?
sHoUlD u SaY hElLo 2 hIm?????


>>INPUT COMMAND<<


code by @Satanic Nightjar
 
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I think in the morning i should really discuss more options for protection... one wizard does not a safe traveling party make in my opinion. I can understand if they don't want to spare one of the soldiers or guards, although I'd wager they'd offer the best self defense training, but maybe we could talk about at least hiring a sell-sword? if they won't put out the money for it maybe i can sell one of these dresses and get the funds to hire someone myself.

Elemiel does seem to be a little... forward, especially considering his relationship with the empress, but so far i dont see a reason to suspect him for any misdeeds. i would have pegged him for the "murder my wife and rule with an iron fist" type, but he asked me to use my wish to keep her safe and alive, so i feel like that can't be it. unless he just wants to ensure the child doesnt die if she does, then murder her, maybe it would be better to snoop into his business somehow when i have more resources or mages to do so.

Definitely still worth finding out if magic is something one can teach, maybe i'll look into that tomorrow when I look into the sell-sword idea. I feel like these things could easily be on my mind both before and after the distractions tonight, as being safe in a strange place should usually be a top priority.

That being said, Elias' feelings for the empress are sort of inappropriate, although I can understand why he would feel that way. She's set up to be married, they're in love (or at least claim to be), and they're going ot have a child together. She seems like a nice girl, and i'm sure she cares for him, but any hope that she finds a way to be with elias instead of elemiel seems like it would be misplaced, unless there's a love affair i don't know about from my point of view. I really wish i had the chance to read this book before it ate me.

On that note, is pre-marital sex alright in this culture? I mean, as the empress, I'm sure she can do what she wants, but in general... does that mean she was being naughty? and if she's willing to bend the rules in that regard.... what if she and Elias are together? behind elemiel's back? That would make for an interesting experience.

So far i've been getting fairty tale vibes based on how nicey nice and cutsie wutsie people are toward, even the bandits, but maybe this is more of a cheesy romance fantasy. Maybe I should grill Elias for information once we're alone. Since i'm thier hero and he seems to consider me a friend, or maybe more secretly, i think i could use that to get him to be honest and figure things out.

Either way, whether it hurts his feelings or not i'm not sure the advice i gave Eliamiel was the best. It's not really my business so it was certainly a good deflection move, but maybe Elias knowing how serious things really are between them would help him gain a motivation to snap out of his attraction for the empress. Maybe it would help him move on. and if it is secretly his, maybe that would make him happy and help motivate the empress to run away with him or something. Elemiel seems to be calling the shots already anyway, at least since i've been here, so maybe that wouldnt be so bad for thier kingdom.

wait, am i in a dating sim as a wingman character or am i supposed to save thier world? eh, so much to worry about i guess.

At any rate, back to the matter at hand: im in my room, and i see Elias. what's all that dark stuff around him? I'm clearly in a dream, but can dream lucidly or are these thoughts about it being a dream after the fact? If it's a lucid dream I think I'll look around for any clues before interacting with the 'objective'. I'm not sure about stories, but at least in video games lucid dreams can give you freedom to look around before progressing the dream itself, so i'll try that if i can i think. otherwise, yeah i'll just go along for the ride. maybe ask him what he's doing or if he's ok. i really don't trust the way this looks though, its probably some kind of metephorical vision where i'm supposed to sense danger, and maybe suspect elias is the source of the danger. since elias could easily be a 'stand in' for his brother in this type of scenerio, that certainly doesnt make me feel better about the whole jafar comparison, but whatever lets talk to him before we wake up and miss out i guess. :)
 
Aww, poor, poor Elias. If there only was a way to break these news to him gently, but I'm afraid there isn't. But maybe it's not such a bad idea to wait until Hellie's pregnancy is visible to the eye, at least he won't be able to go into denial and distrust everything his brother or the Empress say. He'll still feel crushed, though. I'm so sorry for him.

I think it's not quite fair of Elmiel to push us to use the third wish for Hellie, but I wouldn't want anything happening to her, either. Maybe there's a way to include this in the world-saving wish, though? Like, if I restore the world already, I might as well wish for a utopia where nobody dies from giving birth anymore? If not, oh well. At least the third wish will go to good use, then.

As for this... dream - this is odd, so I don't think I should trust anything I see or hear right now. Before I do anything else, maybe I can pinch myself to make sure that it's not an ordinary dream? If it doesn't hurt, at least I'll know it is just that, though the opposite doesn't hold true, I'm afraid. I'm slightly suspicious that this is some sort of trick or illusion, but as Elias is already there, I might as well talk to him. Though I'm not sure I can or should believe everything (or even anything) I hear in this "dream", it can't hurt to listen to what he might have to say.
 
If these wishes are coning from a deity-level power then I should be able to do anything with them, including making a perfect utopia without disease, injury, illness or anything like that. Is it even morally right for me to use something so powerful to send me home when I could instead use it to improve the world permanently? It's not like they'd treat me poorly here if I did that instead of going home. Besides, if I'm a poor man's Hellie then Elias is looking pretty poor at the moment.

Ooh, maybe this dream is how my chosen one powers take shape! We should probably talk to the shadowy Elias. Look around first if we can, but I doubt there will be anything worthwhile.
 
WHY DID I DO THAT. WHY DID I SAY THAT. IF ELIAS FINDS OUT LATER THAT I KNEW ALL ALONG AND DIDN'T TELL HIM, HIS TRUST IS GONNA BE BROKEN FOREVER AND I'M GONNA HAVE TO GO ELOPE WITH CALLIOPE OR SOME SHIT TO STILL HAVE A LOVE INTEREST. I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO TELL HIM AT SOME TIME. ABOUT THE WISH REQUEST, THE PREGNANCY, EVERYTHING. And yes, now that I think more about it, Elias definitely should be prompt in stopping his feelings toward Hellie, it is rather inappropriate. Though, the heart wants what the heart wants I guess. I hope everything works out remotely okay...
REGARDLESS, if I want him to trust me and stay a loyal friend while he fricking TRAVELS THE WORLD WITH ME AND TRIES TO SAVE THE WORLD AND PROTECT ME, we need to not do anything to betray that and-
Oh. Shadow Elias huh? I hope I don't need an oversize key to take care of this... I think I should go up immediately and greet him as if nothing were wrong, because this is a dream, right? What's the worst that can happen, other than a minor case of severe mental trauma.~
 
So Elias was Dark Link! That's one hell of a twist. If he doesn't have a bushy beard and scream "WHAT YEAR IS IT?!" at me I'm gonna be severely disappointed. In all seriousness, (or perhaps more seriousness considering the fantastical circumstances) I'm probably just dreaming that I'm in my room. I would say that the book fiasco was a dream, but Elias is still here, and I was most certainly in between bookshelves when I blacked out. I should probably figure out wtf is going on just in case, any thoughts about what happened in my other room can be back-burnered until I resolve the current issue.
 

Rosalina Chandra


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oH lOok, He HeArD mE...
hE iS tUrNiNg 2 fAcE mE--

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wAiT...tHaT's nOt eLiAs...
iT's...eLmIeL...?!

"Don't worry, Rosie--"

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"i'Ll tElL hIm lAtEr"
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tHaT's DeFiNiTeLy nOt eLiAs!




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Your eyes flutter open so quickly you barely comprehend you are even staring at anything until you feel your eyes hot and wet. You take a moment to sort out your final thoughts before (and during, possibly) losing consciousness...
I think in the morning i should really discuss more options for protection... one wizard does not a safe traveling party make in my opinion. I can understand if they don't want to spare one of the soldiers or guards, although I'd wager they'd offer the best self defense training, but maybe we could talk about at least hiring a sell-sword? if they won't put out the money for it maybe i can sell one of these dresses and get the funds to hire someone myself.

Elemiel does seem to be a little... forward, especially considering his relationship with the empress, but so far i dont see a reason to suspect him for any misdeeds. i would have pegged him for the "murder my wife and rule with an iron fist" type, but he asked me to use my wish to keep her safe and alive, so i feel like that can't be it. unless he just wants to ensure the child doesnt die if she does, then murder her, maybe it would be better to snoop into his business somehow when i have more resources or mages to do so.

Definitely still worth finding out if magic is something one can teach, maybe i'll look into that tomorrow when I look into the sell-sword idea. I feel like these things could easily be on my mind both before and after the distractions tonight, as being safe in a strange place should usually be a top priority.

That being said, Elias' feelings for the empress are sort of inappropriate, although I can understand why he would feel that way. She's set up to be married, they're in love (or at least claim to be), and they're going ot have a child together. She seems like a nice girl, and i'm sure she cares for him, but any hope that she finds a way to be with elias instead of elemiel seems like it would be misplaced, unless there's a love affair i don't know about from my point of view. I really wish i had the chance to read this book before it ate me.

On that note, is pre-marital sex alright in this culture? I mean, as the empress, I'm sure she can do what she wants, but in general... does that mean she was being naughty? and if she's willing to bend the rules in that regard.... what if she and Elias are together? behind elemiel's back? That would make for an interesting experience.

So far i've been getting fairty tale vibes based on how nicey nice and cutsie wutsie people are toward, even the bandits, but maybe this is more of a cheesy romance fantasy. Maybe I should grill Elias for information once we're alone. Since i'm thier hero and he seems to consider me a friend, or maybe more secretly, i think i could use that to get him to be honest and figure things out.

Either way, whether it hurts his feelings or not i'm not sure the advice i gave Eliamiel was the best. It's not really my business so it was certainly a good deflection move, but maybe Elias knowing how serious things really are between them would help him gain a motivation to snap out of his attraction for the empress. Maybe it would help him move on. and if it is secretly his, maybe that would make him happy and help motivate the empress to run away with him or something. Elemiel seems to be calling the shots already anyway, at least since i've been here, so maybe that wouldnt be so bad for thier kingdom.

wait, am i in a dating sim as a wingman character or am i supposed to save thier world? eh, so much to worry about i guess.

At any rate, back to the matter at hand: im in my room, and i see Elias. what's all that dark stuff around him? I'm clearly in a dream, but can dream lucidly or are these thoughts about it being a dream after the fact? If it's a lucid dream I think I'll look around for any clues before interacting with the 'objective'. I'm not sure about stories, but at least in video games lucid dreams can give you freedom to look around before progressing the dream itself, so i'll try that if i can i think. otherwise, yeah i'll just go along for the ride. maybe ask him what he's doing or if he's ok. i really don't trust the way this looks though, its probably some kind of metephorical vision where i'm supposed to sense danger, and maybe suspect elias is the source of the danger. since elias could easily be a 'stand in' for his brother in this type of scenerio, that certainly doesnt make me feel better about the whole jafar comparison, but whatever lets talk to him before we wake up and miss out i guess. :)
Aww, poor, poor Elias. If there only was a way to break these news to him gently, but I'm afraid there isn't. But maybe it's not such a bad idea to wait until Hellie's pregnancy is visible to the eye, at least he won't be able to go into denial and distrust everything his brother or the Empress say. He'll still feel crushed, though. I'm so sorry for him.

I think it's not quite fair of Elmiel to push us to use the third wish for Hellie, but I wouldn't want anything happening to her, either. Maybe there's a way to include this in the world-saving wish, though? Like, if I restore the world already, I might as well wish for a utopia where nobody dies from giving birth anymore? If not, oh well. At least the third wish will go to good use, then.

As for this... dream - this is odd, so I don't think I should trust anything I see or hear right now. Before I do anything else, maybe I can pinch myself to make sure that it's not an ordinary dream? If it doesn't hurt, at least I'll know it is just that, though the opposite doesn't hold true, I'm afraid. I'm slightly suspicious that this is some sort of trick or illusion, but as Elias is already there, I might as well talk to him. Though I'm not sure I can or should believe everything (or even anything) I hear in this "dream", it can't hurt to listen to what he might have to say.
If these wishes are coning from a deity-level power then I should be able to do anything with them, including making a perfect utopia without disease, injury, illness or anything like that. Is it even morally right for me to use something so powerful to send me home when I could instead use it to improve the world permanently? It's not like they'd treat me poorly here if I did that instead of going home. Besides, if I'm a poor man's Hellie then Elias is looking pretty poor at the moment.

Ooh, maybe this dream is how my chosen one powers take shape! We should probably talk to the shadowy Elias. Look around first if we can, but I doubt there will be anything worthwhile.
WHY DID I DO THAT. WHY DID I SAY THAT. IF ELIAS FINDS OUT LATER THAT I KNEW ALL ALONG AND DIDN'T TELL HIM, HIS TRUST IS GONNA BE BROKEN FOREVER AND I'M GONNA HAVE TO GO ELOPE WITH CALLIOPE OR SOME SHIT TO STILL HAVE A LOVE INTEREST. I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO TELL HIM AT SOME TIME. ABOUT THE WISH REQUEST, THE PREGNANCY, EVERYTHING. And yes, now that I think more about it, Elias definitely should be prompt in stopping his feelings toward Hellie, it is rather inappropriate. Though, the heart wants what the heart wants I guess. I hope everything works out remotely okay...
REGARDLESS, if I want him to trust me and stay a loyal friend while he fricking TRAVELS THE WORLD WITH ME AND TRIES TO SAVE THE WORLD AND PROTECT ME, we need to not do anything to betray that and-
Oh. Shadow Elias huh? I hope I don't need an oversize key to take care of this... I think I should go up immediately and greet him as if nothing were wrong, because this is a dream, right? What's the worst that can happen, other than a minor case of severe mental trauma.~
So Elias was Dark Link! That's one hell of a twist. If he doesn't have a bushy beard and scream "WHAT YEAR IS IT?!" at me I'm gonna be severely disappointed. In all seriousness, (or perhaps more seriousness considering the fantastical circumstances) I'm probably just dreaming that I'm in my room. I would say that the book fiasco was a dream, but Elias is still here, and I was most certainly in between bookshelves when I blacked out. I should probably figure out wtf is going on just in case, any thoughts about what happened in my other room can be back-burnered until I resolve the current issue.

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...and you can't help but collapse under their weight.

Yeah, you're... not going back to sleep after all that...

You get up from your bed and--

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OOP!​

You trip over your tiny pepper-spray can that must have rolled out of your bag while checking your things (in all the craziness of today, you almost forgot you even had it!). You scold yourself for being such a ditz and put it back in your bag, adding it mentally to your inventory and scolding yourself for forgetting it considering how useful it was against Calliope to you.


You figure you're not in any real danger just stepping outside your room a tad. The light of the moon illuminates things well and even though your eyes have well adjusted to the dark, it's still nice to witness the moonlight bathe everything.

The cold floor beneath your feet jolt your feelings away from self-destructive and harmful thoughts, though a part of you worries you'll catch a cold from it, though it's not really cold for a floating isle high in the sky (does magic come into play keeping this isle sustainable? maybe it is Celosia doing this?).

You sort of wander around in a trance like state, not really having a destination in mind (except to loop back around to your room, eventually) when--

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Oh, look...sitting on the wide, stone porch-railings, you can make out a silhouette...
It's Elias.
You probably should have gathered this, but being so high up... The moon looks bigger and shines even brighter, along with the stars. The sight is really breath-taking... It's a bit comforting to know that even though you're in a different world the moon and stars still sparkle in the sky just the same. You didn't realize how comforting the sky could be for you until you went to another world with a seemingly same, but different, one. For a moment, as you take it all in, it almost seems like you and Elias aren't from different worlds at all.​

"E-elias...?" You squeak as you finally approach him cautiously, trying not to let your earlier dream deter you from him too much... though you at least wanted the night away from him, you're not really sure why you're nearing him right now. You're drawn to him in the moonlight like a moth to the flame, you suppose.

He turns around and:

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"Oh!? Oh! Hi, Rosie!" His face lights up the night more than the moonlight, and he greets you heartily, waving, motioning for you to come closer.
"Heh, hi..." You respond back, obeying, relieved to see Elias normally yet also trying not to hyperventilate, trying to make a bit of small talk first before delving right in and slightly teasing him, "H-how could you tell it was me and not Hellie without my glasses on?"

"Your hair is still shorter than hers, silly. I can still see that despite not that much light... But, it looks really pretty! I'm glad for it, without your glasses I could hardly tell you and her apart if you didn't have shorter hair!" He responds, casually stabbing your heart and twisting the dagger when telling you he couldn't tell you apart without your dork attire and short hair.

"Yeah, that's fair...So, what're you doing up so late?" You ask, switching to a (hopefully) less painful topic.

"Oh... I couldn't sleep... I flew a little with my wind magic to tire me out, I should be going to bed soon!" Elias chirps back.

"A-ah... I see..." You begin, knowing really now is your chance and it's now or never, "E-elias...?"

"Yes, Rosie?" He asks, now looking at you worriedly once he gets a good look at your face, adds, "Is everything ok?"

"N-not.. really..." You try to begin, already beginning hyper ventilating, this is one of the most difficult things you've ever had to do.

WHY DID I DO THAT. WHY DID I SAY THAT. IF ELIAS FINDS OUT LATER THAT I KNEW ALL ALONG AND DIDN'T TELL HIM, HIS TRUST IS GONNA BE BROKEN FOREVER AND I'M GONNA HAVE TO GO ELOPE WITH CALLIOPE OR SOME SHIT TO STILL HAVE A LOVE INTEREST. I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO TELL HIM AT SOME TIME. ABOUT THE WISH REQUEST, THE PREGNANCY, EVERYTHING.

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"E-elias, I am so, so, so, so, so sorry... H-hellie's... Hellie's pregnant!" You blurt, unleashing the literal floodgates and crocodile tears as the whole truth just tsunami's out of your mouth, almost like you had no control over it, "Elmiel came into my room earlier a-a-and told me she was gonna have his baby a-and that he wanted me to use my third wish to s-s-save Hellie s-so that she doesn't die during childbirth a-and I told him to wait until Hellie was further along to TELL YOU, b-b-but on second thought i-it was none of my business a-a-and I should have told him to tell you right away a-and I'm so sorry! I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry! It's ok if you hate me for this...! I-I decided what was b-b-best for you e-e-even though I barely know you... I-I can run away and find the crest bearers myself and live in the woods with Calliope i-if you hate me!"

Tears keep pouring from your eyes, hot little tear drop by hot little tear drop making your vision misty, when suddenly you feel you're being pulled and before you know it you are being tightly hugged by Elias.

"R-rosie, please don't go..." Elias began, and his smile was clearly hiding pain behind it as you look up to gaze at his face, "It's ok. I-I... I just want my beloved big brother and Hellie to be happy... and...I know about... Hellie. I-I think I've been able to tell for a few days now..."

"Wh-what...?" You mutter, blinking in confusion through tear-dripping eyes at him.

"I've known Hellie since I was a small child... I can see small changes in her normal behavior patterns, and my brother usually teases her and I about 'not having refined tastes' when we turn down wine, but as of late my brother hasn't even offered her anything of the sort, and her favorite dessert is Cora's bread pudding, which is the only way Hellie and I would ever really touch rum, and she hasn't touched that in seven or so days... She loves it and it's the only way she'll even try rum or other alcohol," Elias explains gently, still embracing you and not seeming to let go anytime soon, continuing, "A-and him and Hellie h-have been engaged for a while now, a-and I know there's no way he'd be with her for so long w-without doing anything with her..."

You try to ignore the twisting of the dagger in your heart as you definitely don't miss the (not-so-subtly) implied "I would" at the end of that last statement.

"Heh... I-I... I-I hope this question isn't too f-forward, but... Why aren't they married already? Th-they have enough money for a grand wedding and such, and are having a baby soon, plus Elmiel will be Emperor right after that, right? I-it just doesn't make sense to elongate the process, r-right?" You ask, pulling away a little while simultaneously a little saddened Elias finally did let go of you.

"W-well.." Elias answers, "Him and Hellie didn't want to throw a huge celebration while Cion Isle was facing all these dark times... He didn't want the people to think they were ignoring everything bad happening and just shoving their happiness in their faces... They figured since the Hierophant would show up soon they would just wait for her to appear and gather the rest of the crest-bearers, then have their wedding and Elmiel's coronation right after! That way everyone is safe and happy and its appropriate to attend a wedding and celebrate the new Emperor without the impending doom over their heads!"

"That's... smart..." You stare back at Elias, wide-eyed, while hearing yourself respond.

"Mmhm! My brother is the smartest and best in the universe!" Elias beams with pride, shining brighter than the moon behind him.

"Heh... You really love your brother, don't you, Elias?" You ask, managing a small smile.

"Yeah! He was the first friend I ever had!" Elias explained happily.

You recall you told Elias... almost everything...

"...He... he also told me the reason he thought Hellie might die during childbirth was because... Your mother died giving birth to you..." You add to your previous confession.

"Oh... yeah... that would explain him asking what he did..." Elias mutters sadly, losing his brilliance.

"I'm so sorry... Every boy should have a chance to be with his mother..." You offer your condolences while placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and fight off a swarm of butterflies in your stomach as he gently places his hand on top of yours.

"Heh... Thank you..." He says as he looks at you a moment, and then looks at the moon above, "You know, our first days in the palace eleven years ago, when we had to share a room and bed, He used to tell me stories about her at night, especially when we had the full moon's light, just like tonight..."

"Oh yeah?" You ask, at this point standing beside him, staring at the moon with him.

"Mmhm," He nodded, "She was a brave, noble warrior who was an unrivaled strategist... I think that's where Elmiel got his smarts from... Well, he gets it from her and my father! He was one of the wisest people on Cion Isle, and my mother admired him a long time before they fell in love and married according to what Elmiel and dad told me!"

"Speaking of your Father..." You begin hesitantly and afraid to ask, "Wh-where... Where is he?"

"Oh... H-he... he died when I was five... Elmiel said he was killed by Soldiers from the Land Kingdom... The very first time Auran discovered the land-dwellers even found a way up here was when he and I reported our fathers death... I-I don't really remember... " Elias answered sadly.

Poor Elias... At least Elmiel had their mother, for however short a time... Elias, however... He never got to even say one word to her... To meet her...

It... It would have been so easy. So easy for his heart to be filled with envy and spite... Any other man in his shoes may have been bitter... They may have let it all consume them. Elmiel has everything Elias doesn't: He had their mother before him, is engaged and sleeping with (and having a child with!) the girl of his dreams, and is about to be the Emperor...

And yet... All Elias has in his thoughts and in his heart... is nothing but love and respect for his brother...

Love for Hellie...

You've really never met anyone like him before... At least he had his father for a short time, but even still... Are all the crest-bearers of Celosia this amazing?

"I-I'm sorry about your parents... No wonder you didn't want to talk about them earlier..." You finally respond, staring at him again.

"Yeah..." He sighs back, clearly trying not to think about it.

"...If it helps, I sort of know how you feel," You hear yourself say, "I didn't have my father growing up either... When I was 4 years old, My mother took my big brother and I and ran away from him..."

"Did... did your father hurt your mother?" He asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

"Heh... I-I... I was so young then, so I-I can't really remember for sure, but... I think if we had stayed with him he might have hurt me as well..." You hurriedly respond.

"I'm so sorry..."

You, like Elias, were far too young to remember your father, or really anything about your life from back when you lived with him, and you don't really want to delve too into it because not only do you not want to have a misery measuring contest with Elias, but...

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You also really, really don't want to think about it or recall your "past life"... You can still hear the screaming and yelling in your nightmares on your worst of days...​

You're snapped out of it by Elias pulling you closer to him tenderly, and in the moment, you rest your head on his (surprisingly strong) shoulder.

"I'm... I'm sorry, too," You respond, "For... For all the hurt you must be going through..."

"That's ok! I know that protecting the Empress and you is my duty! I've accepted Hellie's only ever seen me like a brother and has been untouchable to me in that way since we were kids and Elmiel kissed her. It doesn't matter how I feel, because saving the world is bigger than me! Bigger than us! Besides, You're kind of saving me, to be honest!" He chirps.

"Huh? Saving you...!?" You gasp, the mood totally shifting as you lift your head up and stare at him in awe and confusion.


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"Yeah! I mean, you should know why I've... I-I've been needing to get away from all this, but haven't been able to because I'm duty bound to protect Hellie... A-and all my life, I've been told about being a crest-bearer and how lucky the previous late Emperor, Hellie's father, is to have found me so that the future Hierophant wouldn't have to look too far at least to have found one of us when Cion Isle was facing catastrophe!" Elias explains, shifting from sad to happy in this whole conversation like he was bipolar.
"R-really? So since you were five you... You've been groomed to be a Crest-bearer?" You inquire, feeling kind of bad for Elias... That pressure on a five year old is almost criminal, to you at least... You can't imagine a five-year-old being told they're part of some prophecy to save the world...

"Mmmhm," He smiles as he nods back.

A dark thought comes into your head: What if, aside from looking like a twin to the girl of his dreams and desires, Elias only really cares for you because you're his Hierophant? Just out of his duty as a crest-bearer? Duty to his Empress?

That would mean he doesn't really care about you as a person at all, right?



You shake your head to rid yourself of these thoughts, trying to focus on Elias instead, when something he said gets your attention.

"Wait... Hellie's late father? A-are both of Hellie's parents--"

"...Yes. Hellie lost them about five or so years ago. They were one of the first victims of the plague of the prophecy, along with half the old council..." Elias grimly answers you before you get to finish asking.

If you thought this book was a type of fairy tale before a cheesy romance novel, you definitely think that previous fairy tale assessment might have been more a Disney-type fairy tale with all the dead parents...

"Oh my gosh..." You mutter, wide-eyed.

"Ah! Don't worry! Elmiel was basically on the council, helping them strategize against the land-dwelling kingdom, since we arrived here! I think he was only 10 or so!" Elias shifted back to happy once again.

"WH-WHOA?! ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" You shout, stunned.

"Yep!" Elias chirped back.

Elmiel was a child prodigy!? Now you understand, even in your world, Empresses and royalty could only ever be married off to other royals, but you figured Hellie was Empress and could make the rules, so to heck with all that, but...

Wow! Elias may have been why he got into the palace, but Elmiel used that opportunity to prove himself ever since! No wonder he has that dragon-scale necklace around his neck and the heart of the Empress! He's so impressive!

...You hate to think this, but with Elmiel inheriting his mothers tactful nature, he probably is the better choice to be Emperor next to Hellie...

But still... Poor Elias...

Regardless, you're super duper glad Elmiel's on your side, you'd shudder to think what would happen if he wasn't...

"...H-Hey, Rosie...?" You suddenly hear Elias ask.

"Hm? Yeah, Elias?" You ponder what this sudden questioning tone in his voice could mean.

"...Do... Do you think... Do you think my mother and father would have been proud of the person I became? Who I grew into...?" And this he asked with another pained smile, just like when you told him about Hellie and when he watched his brother make out with the probable love of his life.

The question takes you by surprise and stuns you. You... You're not used to seeing a boy so vulnerable, especially one you just met!

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"Elias... I..." You begin, talking without really thinking, "I think you're the most amazing boy I've ever met. Any mother and father would be proud to call you their son. You and Elmiel both."

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"R-rosie... I-I...--"

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"Thank you. For everything."

"Of course," You respond, embracing him tightly, not ever wanting to let go.​

You two finally let go of each other (but you definitely notice Elias took your hands in his when letting go) and stare into each others eyes a moment, until you finally shake your head.

"Elias? Let's save the world, okay?" You ask him, beaming at him and tenderly squeezing his hands in yours.

"Yeah! Let's head to Tarrin village and find that second crest-bearer! I can't wait to find others like me! I'm so excited!" He cheered while squeezing your hands back in return.

"W-well, w-we had better get to bed... We have to get up really early tomorrow to travel..." You yawn, guessing now that your conscious is clear you may sleep a little more soundly.

"Mmhm," Elias agrees, and yawns as well.

You two start walking away from each other, slipping your hands away from one another gradually, like lovers saying goodbye. It feels so strange to you... You care so strongly for Elias, to the point you even almost wanna call it love (it's far too soon for that, this feeling is more infatuation)... You barely know him, truly. You just met him hardly a day ago. It feels, to you, so much longer than that, however.

You smile and wave, and Elias does the same to you enthusiastically.




You hold onto your hand a little bit and sigh... Wondering if maybe it would be better if how he treats you the way he does is because he's a crest-bearer and you're the (apparently long-awaited) hierophant he's been groomed since he was five to protect?

Ever since he saw you, if he didn't already associate you with the Empress he was in love with, he sure as sugar wanted you to be the hierophant since he knew you were from another world...

You sigh and shake your head, trying not to let self-destructive thoughts hurt you while walking back to your room.

"Of course that's why he's... There's no other reason such a sweet, kind, good-looking guy would even give me the time of day, let alone give two craps about me... Boys back in my world think I'm some ugly, dorky, little girl, of course if the only reason he isn't repulsed by my nerdiness and stupid glasses is because he's hopelessly in love with a prettier, less bespectacled, richer version of me then it must be because he's duty bound to since he's a crest-bearer to the Hierophant of skies... me..." You think to yourself, making yourself cry.

Oops.

Shoot.

Oh, what does this all matter?! At the end of the day, as much as you care for Elias, he's... He's just a character in this book, right?!

...R-Right?

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...This is why you tried to stop letting yourself get crushes.

Walking back to your room as if you were a zombie, you finally get back and into your bed. You pass out and don't even dream, being too tired to.



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You wake up to loud, constant knocking at your doors. You think you hear yelling too, it sounds like a woman. You aren't 100% positive as you are too groggy to be functional at the moment.
Cora...?

Knowing that you look like a hot mess you groan and, with all the trouble in the world, get up. You have the decency to fish out your portable comb/mirror from your bag and comb your messy, messy morning bed head back into a presentable braid and put your glasses back on, trying not to sigh as you do so.

"H-hello?" You pipe up, although you already are pretty sure you know who it is this time.

"Rosie!? Ro! Open up, please! It's me! Cora!" Your prediction was right you confirm as you hear her singsong from the other side.

"Mmm, good morning, Cora," You half murmur and half yawn as you open the do-

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oooooor.

Baby?!

Baby?!?!

ADORABLE RED-HAIRED BAAAAAAAABBYY!?!?!?!?!?​

You scoop up the baby from the arms that held it and start cooing and cradling them in your arms.

"Baby! Baby so cuuuute!!! Baaaaaaaaaby!!! You're so adorable! Soooo adorablllleee~!" You dote on them.

"Heh, I'm glad you find my son cute, Rosie," Cora giggled, happy like a proud mama should be of their baby.


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"Please take him away from me before I become Auran's most wanted for kidnapping!" You plead while handing the baby back to his mother.​

"HA! Oh Rosie, you're so funny! Auran's most wanted! Haha!" Cora laughs at your joke while taking her baby back and handing you...something.

"S-so, what are you here for this morning, Cora? Just to wake me up?" You ask, examining what Cora just handed you.

Oh! Snow boots! For Tarrin village! That's right, you don't have any shoes aside your school shoes!

"I came to give you those! And to help you get ready for breakfast! Have you decided what you're going to wear?" Cora asked while snuggling her baby.

"Gosh, Thank you! A-and, uhm, no, but I can decide quickly!" You say, staring at her and not wanting to make a mother work while being with her baby.

"Hm?" Cora, noticing your stares, adds, "Oh! Please don't concern yourself! My husband, Clifton, is in the Levi plains, where our armies train, and my mother is taking care of my little sister, so I wasn't able to get someone to take care of my little Synne this morning! I can just put him on the bed while I help! He's really no trouble!"

"I-I really don't need help, please, be with your cute baby!" You respond, still feeling bad.

Cora gently nudges you aside and sets little Synne down on your bed, making her way now to your wardrobe and looking through the clothes.

"I-I think there's a blue dress that goes well with these cute snow boots," You mutter while following her to the wardrobe.

Tarrin village... and the fire-bearer... They already sound amazing since they're using all their power to help Tarrin village and probably won't leave it behind even when you tell him about everything...

Hm, now that you think about it... How big IS Tarrin village? Elmiel said it should only take a few days, give or take the time to and fro... But depending on how big the village is, would that even be possible to find them in such a short time?

After all, rumors are just rumors... and it sounded like Elias was lucky to have even caught wind of THAT rumor...

And even if it's confirmed it isn't just coals use discovered and the fire-bearer is definitely there... The easiest thing for the fire-bearer to do to stay in the village in good conscience would be to hide themself, right? So that they don't have to be guilt-ed to leave?

And if they hide in the mines as opposed to a home in the village... Only Celosia knows how long it will take to find them!

You... You may be screwed going over there without the help of the compass you're going to get! You need a hint! A sign! Something!

"S-so... Tarrin village... That's... That's-- Ugh, Rosie..." Cora sighs as she pulls out a dress from the wardrobe, sounding newly embarrassed and hesitant, sort of discombobulated you and caught you off guard as you're not used to such a confident woman sounding mousey... like you normally do.

"Y-yes?" You squeak back, trying to figure out what caused this change.

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"I simply can't bottle this up any longer... If that guy says something rude to the Heirophant of the Skies he'll shame our family name for forever..." Cora sighed, making you wonder who exactly she's talking about, but continuing, "My... My cousin, Scias, is a guard stationed up in Tarrin village. He guards their very front gate and will probably be one the first people you meet...! Please... Please don't mind whatever rude thing my cousin says to you... He can... He can be a bit of an ill-tempered hot head..."

Cora didn't emphasize that last part... Your mind did, however.

And if Elias is anything to judge by the crest bearers should have a personality typically matching whatever aspect they represent as well as the mark and powers, this shouldn't be too hard.
Ask and thou shalt receive...

It... It couldn't possibly be that easy...

Could it be...?

>>INPUT COMMAND<<


code by @Satanic Nightjar
 
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Interesting that the royalty is worried about seeming cold hearted or selfish in throwing a wedding celebration in dark times when usually the tradition in media is that they would throw a celebration to give the people a much needed break and distraction from the horrors of real life. Personally I can't decide if that makes them more noble or more asshole, but I guess it doesn't really matter one way or another since it's not my business.

I feel like at some point I should confront Elias about his attitude. He's clearly written to be the sweet heart of sweet hearts, and that's great, but if these characters are at all effected by real world rules now that I'm here I feel like it's unhealthy that he just bottles and stifles his true emotions. Sure, he's gotten used to it, sure he wants them to be happy, but he also wants what he wants and seems to be unable and not allowed to vent. Maybe we'll do some screaming exercises once we get on the road. Hell, maybe if they're doing guard training now in town anyway, I can convince the Empress and/or Elemiel to write us a note giving us permission to do some training with the guards for a few days before leaving. sure, time might be of the essence, but a couple days training is better than being totally unprepared, and it would let us blow off some steam. Might help me with that feeling of pressure as well as help Elias by giving him an emotional outlet, and hopefully help him get past his pacifist streak by training against dummies first. besides, Even if he is just a character in a book He's clearly my love interest, why not make an excuse to spend more time together? It's not like it's motivated by selfishness, it's just an added perk to being more helpful.

Not sure what that dream meant by the way, but until i have more visions or Elemiel does something that is actually shady (besides being a low key creep toward royal guests such as myself), i think ill leave that alone.

As for Elias caring for me only because I'm his hierophant... even if it's not romantic it can't be just that. Not based on everything we've observed about him so far. Unless he's some kind of fake type person who acts one way and is secretly another, it's clear that he cares about people in general, so he obviously cares about me genuinely to some extent. Following up on that, it's still very possible he has a slight crush on me after all, so maybe I shouldn't trash myself too much. All the things that make me dorky and goofy in the real world wouldn't apply here, because the culture is way different. It's entirely possible that I'd be seen as interesting and exotic instead. People do like exotic girls. More importantly though, if he's been pouring himself into his hierophant duties since he was a child, knowing all the wile he'd never get to be with the empress, who he loves, I'm sure he's romanticized at the idea of serving the hierophant. From what he told me, apparently in this story's culture women are allowed to be heroes just as much as men. Or maybe not as much as men, but female heroes still exist. would it be unreasonable to assume that he's romanticized the idea of his hierophant rescuing him from his heartbreak? and if he has, me showing up looking exactly like the girl he was in love with, only more exotic and down to earth, couldn't it be that he has feelings for me? I think that's perfectly reasonable. I'm not really sure how to feel about that though. That still seems somehow less preferable or less genuine than getting to know and falling in love with someone over the course of an adventure.

Oh well, so far except for the horrific dream, this still all feels like a fairy tale at least in some ways. Maybe the story is like... an artistic representation of fairy tale tropes along side serious themes? Like a parody in some ways. stuck fast to unrealistic behaviors and traditions while all the while real life torments the people, with no real solutions due to a lack of ability to see outside their pre-determined responses? that would be interesting. Either way I'm sure I can effect the story more than just doing my job. Maybe I can start pointing out when things don't make sense instead of just going along for the ride. Maybe it wouldn't be seen as an insult, and maybe, just maybe, that's part of how I am supposed to save this world. Maybe I'm a bearer of insight and knowledge as well. So buckle up buttercup, where's going to start punishing bandits and training heroes! -er, that is if i can muster the confidence to tell them their way of doing things is ridiculous... Maybe I should see how important the hierophant is considered first. If this is like a high priest situation where i can tell them what to do bluntly without getting beheaded that could be fine. Otherwise it might not be worth the risk off of the assumption that things are kid friendly. After all, a bandit did try to murder me yesterday.

Also fuck this book for throwing a baby at me right after I heard that the empress was pregnant. For a minute there I thought it was Hellies already! Also Cora should probably work on her approach. Rapping on my door and shouting the way she did, especially after the spooky dreams last night, to me felt like we were in danger somehow.

All of that being said, I wouldn't be too surprised if her statement just now was some sort of exposition, and if her cousin did end up being the hot-headed fire sage, but It's probably just a misdirect or a coincidence. Worth checking out, but I shouldn't get my hopes up.
 
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Wait... you mean... if Elias is air-headed, then the crest bearer with fire powers is hot-headed? That sounds too easy to be true, but there's no harm in taking a closer look at Cora's cousin once we get to Tarrin village.

Actually, I'm a little worried about that dream... I hope it's just because of all the stress from being transported to a different world. As long as ominous dreams don't repeat themselves, though, they usually don't mean all that much, right?

Also, Elias... Aww... I kind of wish I could do more for him. Let's support each other the best we can, at least!
 

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