At the end of the journey

[twohares]

[ time travel AU ]

Traveling without Raine was always more dangerous than going with her. Even though the changes in the mana levels (and Genis's own skill level) made traveling alone safer than it was during their previous journey, he couldn't let his guard down. In the end, he had to take the safer routes between towns and be more careful than ever when it came to monster encounters.

And with that in mind, he hadn't expected to run into anything more than a few weak monsters and otherwise have a peaceful trip. Finding a body lying in the open field he was passing through slapped that hope right in the face. With flowers blooming all around them, it would have probably made a nice place to relax and nap, but who really did that? Alone? Maybe it was his own caution taking over, but Genis couldn't help but assume the worst.

What a time for Raine to be all the way in Iselia.

"Hey-!" he called out, rushing across the field to the person's side. As he got closer, their features stood out more. Blond hair, white clothes. He wasn't much bigger than him. And he didn't look injured, thankfully.

But the resemblance was...eerily familiar. Finding someone already dead, he had prepared himself for that. Not this. Unsettled as he was, he still approached him, kneeling by his side. It was just a coincidence. Anything more than that was impossible.

...Yet. "Mithos?"

Comments

[willnotdespair]

When Mithos had laid down to sleep that night it wasn't in a field of flowers. It was in a forest with his companions. At that time nothing seemed out of the normal either. Why would there have been?

But the next thing he knows he hears his voice being called by a voice unfamiliar to him. He wakes up a little, opening his eyes to see the sun shining down. No, that can't be right. The forest they fell asleep in was thick. And as he wakes he can tell that the mana level has changed too. But why? Mithos rubs the sleep from his eyes and sits up a little to see that he's woken up in a field of flowers.

"Where... am I?" Definitely not the forest that he was in before.

[twohares]

He looked like Mithos, sounded like Mithos...but it really couldn't be him. Maybe he was tired? That didn't make sense, but then, nothing about this situation did.

Deep down, he really wished Mithos could have lived on in the united world with the rest of them. He wanted that from the beginning. But he killed Mithos. Lloyd destroyed his Cruxis Crystal. He was completely gone. There was no way for him to be here.

So this was someone else. Right.

"...About a day's walk east of Palmacosta," he answered distractedly. The oddness of that question didn't even register immediately with everything else. "Wait, where did you think you were? Are you okay?"

[willnotdespair]

Genis' answer seemed to only confused Mithos as if he's never even heard of Palmacosta. He can tell that the kid was distracted but he can't seem to be able to place why that might be.

"Ah... a forest not too far from a small village. My sister--" He stops as something seemed to dawn on him. He looks around at the surroundings before looking at the other half-elf again. He clearly looks more distraught than he did just a moment before where he seemed more dazed.

"My sister. Have you seen her? Or... or any of my other companions?"

[twohares]

"You were the only one here when I got here," he replies honestly. The things he says pull at his memories. It's just an uncomfortably uncanny resemblance (really uncomfortable), but he can't help but think of the story of Mithos the Hero and his companions, their journey.

That isn't as important right now, though. This person, whoever he actually is, is clearly panicking. Not helped by the fact that he's clearly out of it if he thought he was in a forest outside a small town before. The next closest forest is still a ways off, and if there's a village there, he's never found it.

He can question the other half-elf's memory problems later. Right now, his missing companions are a more pressing issue.

"What do they look like? We can try to find them together."

[willnotdespair]

It was clear that Mithos didn't like the answer that he got. For a moment he face only seemed more panicked before he forces himself to close his eyes and collect himself. Panicking isn't going to help. But accepting this half-elf's help, on the other hand, might.

"My sister has long green hair, green eyes, and she wears a long dress. She shouldn't be hard to spot. She should be with my other two companions. One of them is ... has Auburn hair, brown eyes, and Tethe'allan knight clothing. And the other one has long blue hair and a cloak."

He pauses for a moment before he speaks again. "I'd.. I'd really appreciate if you'd help me look for them." They should be okay as long as the three of them are together but... he worries.

[twohares]

If nothing else, the fact he woke up alone is disconcerting. Genis can't blame him at all for being scared or worried; he'd be the same way if he woke up in an unknown location without his companions, too.

"Don't worry, we'll find them," he tries to be reassuring. "There's a forest northeast of here; maybe you slept walked down here somehow."

It seems as reasonable as any other explanation he could come up with, anyway. At the very least, he doesn't think someone's own sister would abandon them, even if he is a half-elf. Genis pushes himself to his feet before offering out his hand with a small smile.

"I'm sure they're looking for you, too. Let's go."

And considering "Tethe'allan knight clothing" makes Genis think of full body armor, he's pretty sure that the group will have to stand out. The rest of their descriptions...is also just a coincidence. Genis isn't going to let himself get carried away.

[willnotdespair]

Mithos gives a little nod. Right, they'll find them. He won't stop until he finds them. Most importantly his sister.

"Thank you so much." He gives a small smile before looking uncertain, "Is that so? ... Perhaps I did. I suppose there's only one way to find out." Once they get to the forest he should hopefully figure out if that's the case. Maybe feel a little less disoriented on where he is.

A flash of surprise crosses Mithos' face as the other half-elf holds out his hand. But he accepts the hand with a small smile of his own. Even though he doesn't know where his companions are it's comforting that it was a half-elf near his age that found him. It could have been much, much worse.

"Okay. You may lead the way ...ah... I never got your name."

[twohares]

"Yeah. Maybe when we find your sister and your friends, we'll know what really happened. They might try to look for you in Palmacosta, too, so we might meet them along the way."

Meeting another half-elf his age still means a lot to Genis. Even with traveling so far, he still hasn't met another.

Of course, this would be a happier occasion if he weren't still thinking of his first half-elf friend. It's hard not to when it really feels like Mithos is right in front of him again, taking his hand.

It's...actually kind of sad. Of all the people to meet, it's one that reminds him of someone he'll never see again.

He keeps those feelings to himself as he releases the other boy's hand. "I'm Genis. What's your name?"

Maybe then he can stop thinking him as "the person who's not Mithos".

[willnotdespair]

"Hm.. yes, it's likely," a place of civilization would be a better place to meet than trying to find each other outside. And if this half-elf is suggesting it then the place must not be bad, right?

Mithos gives Genis a quizzical look before he responds. "It's... Mithos. You are the one who said my name, aren't you?"

He pauses before he speaks again, this time with a light smile, "Regardless, it's nice to meet you, Genis. And thank you again for helping me. If there's anything I can do in return then please, let me know."

[twohares]

Palmacosta is still in the process of rebuilding, but it's a city with residents nevertheless. "Not bad" was probably the fairest way to describe it, though.

"That's..." he starts, but stops himself short. Mithos was a common name. A lot of boys had that name. It's probably better not to explain himself.

The more he tries to justify what's going on, the crazier he feels. Is his grief that bad? Still, he ends up feeling tense even though Mithos has done nothing wrong. He's just a normal person in an incredibly odd situation.

"...It's nice to meet you, too. We shouldn't run into any trouble on the way there, but if we do, I can protect you. You don't need to worry about anything."

...And that should be that, but no. He can't get that feeling to go away, so he has to ask, "What's your last name? Mine's Sage."

[willnotdespair]

There's something going on, Mithos can tell. But until he's certain he decides not to say it, instead focusing on Genis' words instead.

"Ah.. Thank you. Though, if trouble occurs I wish to help. It's the least I could do for your help."

Even without showing how much he really can do, he can at least be a bit helpful.

"Mine? It's Yggdrasill." It was a strange question, but harmless right? There's nothing wrong with wanting to know someone's full name.

[twohares]

Seeing as Mithos was a half-elf, it wouldn't surprise him if he could use magic, too. Having help would be welcome, honestly. As would companionship since this was a really lonely, hard journey otherwise.

But his answer...really isn't reassuring. It just makes everything worse. Everything ends up getting pieced together so easily even with trying to tell himself it's not possible.

He's not sure if he's scared, hopeful, or both, but his voice turns out sounding desperate when he asks, "It is? Are you serious?"

[willnotdespair]

Mithos frowns a little at Genis' question. He can't figure out why Genis suddenly sounded desperate. He would admit that he has gotten fairly well known through his actions, but would meeting him really cause this much of a reaction to another half-elf?

It just doesn't seem likely. Not in the way Genis has been acting, in the least.

"Yes, it is. Though I understand if you have doubts," After all, being well known can sometimes cause... impostors. Though Mithos has never heard of someone doing such a thing. "However, I have no reason to lie to you and if you wish, I can try to provide some proof."

Although he can't really think of anything that would prove to someone he's never even met before that he's not fooling.

[twohares]

He probably seemed unreasonable. He's pretty certain that Mithos thinks he's a complete weirdo with all of his questions. At the same time, even with everything that's happening, he can't say he would have done anything differently. Mithos, even if he is capable, still needs his help. He shakes his head to try to get a hold of himself.

"It's not that I don't believe you. It's just... You really remind me of an old friend of mine. I've been thinking of that since I met you."

The idea of providing proof intrigues him. How could he prove his identity? The way he was talking, Genis wondered what "Mithos Yggdrasill" he thought Genis expected him to be. Mithos the Hero? He was practically a legendary figure; no-one would reasonably assume that someone would be that Mithos.

...Maybe it was just an ID of some kind.

"What kind of proof do you have, though?" he finally asks.

[willnotdespair]

"Is... that so? I see... I didn't even thought of something such as that."

Though it doesn't quite provide the reason why he's asking about his name. Maybe he's making sure that he's someone else and not his old friend? Mithos frowns as he tries to think of a reasonable explanation, distracted from it only by Genis' next question.

"... To be honest I don't... I don't think I have any proof. At least, not any that would prove I am who I am to anyone besides my companions." Really the idea of being able to provide any proof was crazy to begin in. Perhaps it was that he wanted to see if Genis would think of something.

[twohares]

"I'm sorry. I should've just said that from the start."

Asking his name would have been the end of all this if they didn't have the same name. How could all this even be a coincidence? (Because the alternative is impossible.)

Genis frowns at that answer himself. Mithos was the one who said he could prove it! But actually expecting it was unreasonable. Genis would be the same if he were in his place.

In the end, he just shakes his head with a sigh. This was ridiculous; he had to be reasonable about this. It was an awful coincidence, but that was all it was. Mithos was gone and could never come back. He had to accept that.

"Never mind. I'm sorry for asking a bunch of weird questions. Let's get going."

[willnotdespair]

"... No, it's all right."

To be fair, it's likely something that people won't really say to begin with very often if it was the case, right?

Mithos face falls flat, but rather than simply what might have possibly just been the same thing again he nods his head.

"Yeah ... Palmacosta is a days walk from here, right? We should make haste."

[twohares]

'You look like my dead friend' is usually a bad start to a relationship, and Genis would rather avoid saying that altogether.

"It's also in the opposite direction of the forest. We're actually about half way between the two," Genis explains. "Do you think they'd wait for you in the forest village or in the city?"

It was something Genis couldn't answer or guess at himself. Both seem fairly possible depending on the people involved.

[willnotdespair]

Saying something like that would likely not go very well, anyways.

Mithos takes a moment to consider the options. Go to the forest and maybe, if they're heading in direction of Palmacosta. Or head to Palmacosta and hopefully meet them there one they arrive. But if there is a village closer to the forest then...

"Is there a village closer to the forest than Palmacosta? If so, they'll likely go there first."

Especially if it's a small village. Palmacosta sounds big, so it's unlikely they would choose that as an option.

[twohares]

It will never happen...

Mithos had mentioned a village by the forest, but he had never seen one. Maybe it was tucked away close to the mountains? In any case, Genis shakes his head.

"I've never seen a village over there... Unless you're familiar with the forest, we should probably head to Palmacosta."

Or they'd get lost.

"They're bound to check Palmacosta if they don't find you in the village anyway. We can just wait there."

[willnotdespair]

Mithos frowns and shakes his head.

"Normally I'd say yes but... I don't recognize any of our surroundings. I've.. I've never heard of Palmacosta, either."

Might as well admit it since it seems it's going to be their destination. Since he didn't know of the city it's likely that his companions did, but maybe it's just a place that they haven't gone to. Or avoided. But it seems it's the best option so ...

"Palmacosta it is, then."

[twohares]

It seems settled in any case, so Genis nods and begins leading Mithos back in the direction he came from.

"By the way, you're from Tethe'alla, right? Palmacosta used to be the biggest city in Sylvarant until about a year ago."

It's been about a year since the worlds were reunited, but that didn't mean everyone was familiar with Sylvarant's geography. Really, it made more sense than ever if Mithos was from Tethe'alla with the way half-elves were treated there. He couldn't blame half-elves from there for trying to come to Sylvarant.

[willnotdespair]

"We're in Sylvarant?"

Weird. He's pretty sure that he was in Tethe'alla last night. It would explain why he doesn't recognize his surroundings, but even then he's been in Sylvarant several times. So why has he never heard of Palmacosta and it being the 'biggest city'?

"... Yes, I'm from Tethe'alla. I'm a bit familiar with Sylvarant but... I guess I'm not as familiar with it as I thought I was. Maybe I'll ask a companion of mine about it when we see them."

[twohares]

"...You seriously didn't know you were in Sylvarant?"

How does someone just wander into another country? This entire continent is part of Sylvarant. Maybe he and his companions were really out of it, or they took the wrong boat in. If that was the case, though, he would have gone through Palmacosta already.

It's such a headache.

"I guess it still takes a while to get used to... Where were you trying to go before, anyway?"

[willnotdespair]

"I... Perhaps I'm recalling things incorrectly..."

Though he's pretty sure he isn't. He knows where he was yesterday and it was definitely somewhere in Tethe'alla. Trying to figure out how he managed to get to Sylvarant overnight is a headache, but if he's in Sylvarant then... what if his companions weren't anywhere nearby?

"Ah .. We had just finished helping a few villages with a sickness in Tethe'alla. We didn't have a set destination in mind. I was going to decide today but... it seems the circumstances have changed."

Unfortunately.