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]

"That's all right. If it's only a few days I'll be okay."

Mithos is used to long walks. Him and Martel traveled from Tethe'alla to Sylvarant and back when they discovered Sylvarant's plans. And that was after they had already traveled around, and of course, before they started to travel with Kratos and Yuan.

"Really?" He seemed to perk up quite a bit with that. That's really helpful to know that the Sylph is still there after so many years.

Which made him think of something.

"Where are the other Summon Spirits?"

[twohares]

He nodded. "Okay. If you're sure."

And he didn't doubt Mithos. He must have traveled a lot in all his time. Even more than he and Raine had.

It was bittersweet. And Genis would rather focus on the Summon Spirits. The question raised more for Genis, like how long each of them could have been in their respective spots and if they'd start moving around again, like Aska had before. And maybe Mithos hadn't met all of them yet to his memory. As they continue walking, Genis hums, trying to recall all of them.

"Undine is on a island east of here, by a geyser." ...Which hasn't existed for even a thousand years, if he remembers right. "And Luna and Aska are a bit further west past the mountains, at the top of a tower."

[willnotdespair]

"Is that so..." Mithos thinks over the answers for a little bit. Undine is definitely in a different spot than he remembers. As for Luna and Aska...

"Undine's location has shifted. I do recall Luna and Aska being in the west, though ..." He's fairly certain that they weren't in a tower. Aska certainly wasn't. They had to make a panpipe out of a Linkite Tree before he could fight and make a pact with both him and Luna.

[twohares]

Whether Aska was still in the Tower of Mana is very debatable, honestly. He and Lloyd gave Mithos their flute after calling Aska themselves, so even if Aska left, they wouldn't be able to find him again.

But...

"I don't think the tower has been around for that long," he conceded. "The geyser didn't exist that long ago, either. Where was Undine before?"

[willnotdespair]

"Mm. You're right. Luna and Aska were in the west, but they weren't in a tower. As for Undine... She resided in a temple off shore. Perhaps throughout the years it had shifted into the geyser that exists now?" It's a possibility at the very least?

"What about Efreet? Or perhaps any of the ones found in Tethe'alla..."

[twohares]

So that temple was around as long as Mithos was alive. It's amazing to think about. Maybe the geyser helped to protect it in the end. So Genis nods, "No, that makes a lot of sense, actually. There are remnants of a temple there, too." A fairly well-preserved one. "The geyser must have come up later."

But moving on.

"Efreet is in a desert that's far north of here, in an old city by the mountains. In Tethe'alla..." He pauses a moment; hasn't actually visited Tethe'alla since the worlds were reunited, but hopefully the landscape hadn't changed that much.

The village of the elves hasn't changed, though, so he continues, "Origin was in Torent Forest before, and Celsius lived in a cavern in the tundra; it was isolated from the rest of Tethe'alla in a way. Volt..."

And he pauses again.

"It might be easier to explain if I draw a map myself," he admits in defeat.

[willnotdespair]

"Is that so? Yes, that would make sense." If one were to believe that most of the Summon Spirits would not change their position unless necessary. Otherwise the only thing change it would be the shifts in the earth itself.

"It seems Efreet is also in the same place as he were last, as well as Celsius. I believe Origin was in the Torent Forest, as well." Though for some reason his memory seems to be a little hazy with Origin. Perhaps it's the time jump that's causing it.

"A Map? Yes, that would be a good idea. If you don't mind?"

[twohares]

"I believe"? That wasn't exactly the most certain answer Mithos had given him, but he couldn't say why Mithos had chosen to answer that way. And Mithos probably didn't have an answer for why he only believed Origin was there, either, so it was better to just drop it. If it was important, the answer would probably come up again later.

So instead, he shakes his head.

"No. It'll be pretty rough, but it should give you a basic idea of where everything is in relation to each other."

When he thinks about it, he's never actually drawn a map before, and it's hard to really draw something you've never seen before. All he has to work with is experience.

That'd just have to do. Genis comes to a stop, pulling his bag forward and digging inside for his notebook and a pencil before he plops down onto the grass.

"Here," he starts, making a beckoning motion. "It's something like this."

He's not exactly steady as he sketches out the major landmasses (or, as far as he knows them) along with the relative location of the Summon Spirits and the places he mentioned so far, but he's focused on it, looking at the paper intently as he draws. In the end...

...well, he did say it'd be rough.

Putting his pencil aside, he shifts the book closer to his friend to examine. "I don't think it's completely accurate, but... Does it look about right? We're around here, at the X."

Genis Sage: Not a future cartographer.

tags back a million years later

[willnotdespair]

Mithos nods his head to the idea of a map. That'll be more useful than trying to figure everything out through words. Especially since the world might be different than it was 4000 years ago.

And just as Mithos did suspect it was. Even though it was a rough sketch it only took one glance before Mithos frowns a little. It did seem like some are ... close to where they were before. But it was different. Quite different, in fact.

"I wish I could say that it did, but it's different," he admits. "But despite that, some seem to be close to where they were in my time?"

That still sounded weird to say. And it probably will for a while. One thing doe catch his eye as he points to 'Iselia'.

"Iselia. Is this a place of importance to you?" he asked. Since well ... he's never heard a place called Iselia and he's pretty sure that's not some summon spirit, either.

[twohares]

Genis's face falls slightly. The map worked, but it was still different than Mithos remembered. He wondered what exactly happened between when Mithos "left" and Sheena forged new pacts with the Spirits. It was a question neither of them could provide an answer to. "At least some of them are still in the same places..."

But then, Mithos changes the subject, and Genis blinks, following where his finger landed.

"Oh," he exclaims, his voice taking on a brighter tone. "Yeah, that's the village where my sister and I live. We can visit there if you want to."

[willnotdespair]

"Yeah. It allowed me to get some bearings. I can tell we're in Sylvarant, at the very least. And the other side of the map seems similar to the Tethe'alla I remember, as well."

That should mean something, right?

"It looks pretty far. But I'd still like to visit it, if we can." It sounds like Genis wants to visit it himself, considering the brighter tone. And to hear that Genis had a place he could go back to was nice, too. It meant things are at least a little better than 4000 years ago.

[twohares]

It means something to Genis. This way, Mithos at least had something familiar to go off of. When most of the cities and villages from his time are gone or in ruins now, having something familiar to him, even if it's just general geography, was a big thing.

Genis will do everything he can to help him adjust, but this is still a good start.

"Yeah, we can!" As if it weren't obvious before, Genis grows more excited. "It'll be a long trip, but maybe that'll help you get more accustomed to the world being like this, too," he added encouragingly. "I'll send a letter to my sister to let her know we're coming. It might be nice to take a break."

They've both been traveling for a long time now, right? Mithos especially could probably use a break. Though even if that weren't the case, there's no way he can just pop in to Iselia with Mithos like it's nothing.

[willnotdespair]

Mithos smiles in reaction to Genis brighting up once more. "All right. So we'll head down to Palmacosta for supplies, and then head back up to Iselia afterwards."

Iselia... Genis actually did mention it earlier. He didn't realize that he was talking about his home, though. Well, something tells him that he would have learned that and have made these plans with Genis sooner or later.

[twohares]

It's true: Either way, they would have needed to return to Iselia anyway. The only real question was what other places they would visit before that. And as it was, they'd still have time to see the other towns along the way.

At Mithos's suggestion, Genis nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. It'd be a while before we'd find any other cities as big as Palmacosta anyway."

And saying that, Genis packed up his notebook again and pushed himself up on his knees. "Do you want to head out now?"

[willnotdespair]

Mithos picks himself up and nods his head, "Yeah. We should probably try and get there soon."

He's not sure if they can make it before nightfall, but it'll make things easier if they did. Then they could just start heading north the next morning, rather than backtracking more before heading north. But if he was honest he was tired from all this. Hearing that he's in the future wasn't exactly the easiest thing to hear about.

[twohares]

With any luck, they'd be able to make it there by nightfall and spend the night at an inn, have a decent meal... He doesn't really know what, exactly, things were like for Mithos before he woke up, but waking up in a foreign place without anyone he knows had to be taxing on its own. More than his own shock that Mithos was actually here.

But. He was honestly glad to see him again. It was still unbelievable.

"Right. We can stay at the inn there tonight. It's not much, but..."

[willnotdespair]

"That's all right. An inn sounds good." He says this with a gentle smile, trying to keep the fact that something that 'is not much' is better than what he's had in... a long time. Every now and then there was a house that they were able to stay in, but normally they were abandoned. Inns though? There's was a point where they didn't even bother, as more often than not they weren't allowed.

Mithos is all set, so ready when you are, Genis!

[twohares]

It was true that, even in Palmacosta's condition, just being able to stay at an inn at all must be a massive improvement from Mithos's perspective. He really wondered what he'd think of the world now. It was something Genis thought about a lot after the worlds were reunited...

...but walking to Palmacosta wouldn't be enough for Mithos to really know. Just talking about the world wouldn't be enough, either. Even as the sun set and the more aggressive monsters began to stir, it was a relatively peaceful trip. It was just the two of them, no other travelers or anything more menacing.

The lights of the city were well within sight by the time twilight sets in. Even from a distance, the scaffolding around the buildings were visible. Several structures and the city walls themselves were patched up with mismatched stones and planks of wood.

Inside the city wasn't much better. The path to the inn is uneven, stones missing and broken in places where they haven't been replaced yet... But, overall, Genis has to say it looks better than it did last year. Night had set in by the time they reached the inn. All the vendors at the pier would have packed up hours ago, and the storefronts wouldn't be open much longer if they were at all.

So, "I don't there's anything else we can do today." Yet, he turns a small smile to Mithos. "Let's get some rest. It's been a long day, huh?"

[willnotdespair]

The peaceful trip with another half-elf his age was...nice. He knows that their whole trip isn't going to be like this, but a peaceful first day was a good sign, right. Although he didn't feel any more familiar with the area as they walked, that was far from a surprise from this point. Especially after looking at Genis' drawn map.

Mithos didn't expect Palmacosta to look as it did when they first entered the city, but he didn't comment. He figures something had happened and it likely not in his place to ask. Not while it's still in reconstruction.

So instead he simply nod his head. With the stores closed they can't get any improvisions so they might as well go and get some rest first.

"Yeah, it has been. It.. certainly didn't turn out the way I expected it to." A little joke? Maybe. But he's not lying. No one would expect a day to turn out like this.

[twohares]

"Yeah, no kidding," he laughs briefly. "I never would have expected any of this, either."

Not everyone got a chance to see the friends they've lost again. Even if Mithos didn't know him anymore, he finds it hard to complain. As they step inside the inn, all the damage to the rest of the city feels far away - at least as far as the lobby goes. And thankfully, checking in is a relatively simple process, aside from the innkeeper giving the both of them questioning looks before passing Genis their room key.

Business is business, but that doesn't mean their presence is entirely welcome, either.

Nevertheless, Genis gives a "thank you" before turning to Mithos again. "Here we go."

[willnotdespair]

Mithos let Genis do all the talking while they were checking in . How smooth it was to get a room was ... comforting, for lack of a better word for it.

"Okay. Lead the way." He responds when Genis turns to him. Better to let the person who checked in bring them to the room right.

[twohares]

Exactly. Genis smiles, nodding to Mithos before leading them upstairs. As they ascended the stairs, some of the damage to the building became more apparent: the floor creaked under their feet, and the wood was different colors where the structure had been repaired. All in all, though, it wasn't too bad - and Mithos didn't seem bothered about the check in process either.

Genis could be happy about that, too. Now that they could settle down, he was actually starting to get a little excited again. Unlocking the door to the room, Genis held it open for Mithos to go on ahead. It was just a small room with two beds and the most basic amenities, but it was infinitely better than camping out.

"Here. You can pick whichever side you want."

[willnotdespair]

Despite the creaking floor and the apparent repairs, the Inn was a lot better than anything Mithos has stayed in since ... well, a long time. Taking this over camping outside was definitely a good choice in their part.

Mithos walks into the room and takes a look around. Basic amenities or not, anything could be helpful, right? He looks at the two beds and takes the one further from the door. Not that it really mattered to him: a bed is a bed.

It was dumb, but sitting on a bed was almost surreal really. Not that Mithos says anything when he sits on it, only a small smile before turning to Genis.

"I'll take this one, if that's alright."

[twohares]

"Yeah, of course it is."

And Genis followed in after, plopping onto the other bed and dropping his bag beside him. The room wasn't anything spectacular at all, but it felt like to finally rest on something soft and get away from the biting wind that always went over the fields at night. Sitting across from Mithos—that was much more surreal.

Even in the best case scenarios he imagined before facing him at his castle, he never thought they could be like this again. It was like visiting Altessa's all over again. It made him feel really nostalgic...

But it was a little weird to think that. This was a different Mithos than the one he knew anyway.

"Are you tired? We can go to sleep right now if you want."

[willnotdespair]

"Mm. Tired, but I'm not very sleepy." Walking was exhausting, but today was an exciting day, despite everything that happened. He might have been tossed into the future and he's not with his companions nor his sister, but he did meet a half-elf friend his age. That's something that would have never happened back home.

And they'll figure out exactly what happened in time.

"What about you? If you're tired we can go to sleep."