"Lloyd, Mr. Yu, Priest Han, Mr. Doyle, and the Zoink's will be our final group." Elder Marsh declared.
Then, weapons were passed out. Lloyd was handed a shotgun and a few throwing daggers along with a handful of bullets. Each volunteer was handed similarly, a ranged weapon and a melee option. The barrel had a faint rust along the seam and the weight was light in Lloyd's hand. His dad's one was of a much higher quality, that was for sure.
When the meeting ended, Lloyd was the first to turn and leave, but he was quickly grabbed by the shoulder by one of the villagers.
"Lloyd right?" The man behind him was unremarkable in every sense. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height, average build. Nothing to distinguish him from anyone else in the village. "Appreciate you volunteering. We were running a bit short this year. You really saved us."
"Uh, you're welcome." Lloyd gave him a curt nod and put his foot forward to leave.
"If you don't mind me asking, why'd you volunteer this year? You were absent for the past three" The man asked.
A few nosy individuals turned towards them, listening in on their conversation.
"Just trying to avenge my dad." Lloyd answered shortly.
"Is that really it?"
"Yeah." Lloyd met his eyes. "What else would it be?"
The man only smiled.
"How admirable." The hand dropped from his shoulder.
Like that, the conversation was cut. Lloyd shrugged and went back home. Thinking that he had only a few days before fighting, he wanted to spend time with his family.
…
He found Nora alone in the living room, pushing her little trains back and forth along the wooden track. She let out a small sigh, her tiny shoulders carrying the weight of the world. Lloyd felt his chest tighten. He had been so consumed with training and preparation that he hadn't properly sat down with her in days. He'd told himself it was fine, that Silvia was keeping her company, that it was temporary. Looking at her now, hunched over her toys with that quiet resignation that no six year old should have, he felt like an idiot for believing that.
He sat down on the floor beside her without a word, crossing his legs. Nora glanced up at him, her hazel eyes widening.
"Brother!" She burrowed into his arms, wiggling around until she found a comfortable spot.
"What are you doing? Having fun?" Lloyd patted her head.
"No fun! It's so boring." The bunny in his arms complained.
"Aww, really? Where's Silvia?"
Nora tilted her head in confusion.
"My bad." Lloyd corrected himself. "Where's 'Pretty Sister'?"
A light bulb flickered on in the kid's brain. There was only a single hamster up there, running along a wheel.
"She's in the bathroom." Lloyd poked her forehead.
"Then spend some time with brother. What do you want to play?" Lloyd grabbed one of the trains, pushing it forward and backward.
"Trains boring! Read me a story" The bunny crossed her arms with a huff.
Lloyd snickered. "Okay okay, give me a second." He got up and went to his father's study and in there, he picked up one of the story books his dad used to read to them. Nora was quite young back then, she probably forgot all about it.
'The Tale of the Goddess of Life'
Lloyd blew off the dust. The cover depicted a pretty woman with pink hair and green eyes. Her hand was raised up, light shining from it, as the plants around her sprouted. Looking at it brought back many memories. When Lloyd was younger, his mom was quite the avid believer of gods and goddesses, while his dad didn't care, but he followed her out of love.
He remembered following his mother to the outskirts of town where there was a small shrine dedicated to the goddess of life and fertility. The stone statue was in rough shape; chipped at the edges, covered in cobwebs, worn out from years of harsh weather and neglect. He helped his mom wipe off the mess piece by piece, revealing the bright smile of the woman depicted by the statue. The stone wasn't colored, but even the monotone colors couldn't hide her glory. Even though the statue was cracked at the jaw and missing part of one hand, she was beautiful.
Tiny Lloyd was mesmerized by the sight. But the years passing left his heart cold and rigid, leaving him with no time to return to the shrine. Was it still there? Untouched, unbroken? Were there still people praying there?
He shook his head. He was never much of a believer and the gods out there (if there were any) probably forsaken him already. He made peace with that years ago. He patted the book clean and went off to read it to Nora.
Silvia had returned by then, with Nora sitting on her lap. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lloyd and she waved him over. Lloyd sat right next to her on the couch.
"I grabbed a storybook for Nora, do you want to read it with me?" He questioned. The pink-haired woman nodded eagerly.
"What's it about?" She asked.
"Uh" Lloyd read the summary. "Something about the goddess of fertility and life and her many good deeds. Sylvara Feylora appears to be her name."
Silvia stiffened.
No, surely it can't be about me.
She took a good look at the cover.
…fuck.
"Interested?" Lloyd slung an arm around her shoulder.
Silvia flinched, then caught herself. "Yeah! Get on with it already." Nora agreed.
"Okay, okay!" Lloyd opened the picture book.
Lloyd cleared his throat and began reading.
"Long ago, in times of stone-picking and hunter gatherers, there lived a goddess unlike any other. Sylvara Feylora, the Goddess of Land and Fertility, walked among the fields of the earth and breathed life into every seed she touched."
Nora listened with wide, unblinking eyes.
Silvia scrunched her nose. Ugh, it's like my diary is being read out loud.
"She was beloved by all who knew her name. Farmers prayed to her before the first seed of spring. Mothers whispered her name over newborns. Even the trees bent toward her when she passed, as if bowing."
"So cool." Nora mumbled.
"Right?" Lloyd turned a page. The illustration showed the goddess standing in a field of glowing crops with a bright smile on her face.
"Woah! She looks like Pretty Sister." Nora twisted around in Silvia's lap to look at her properly.
"R-Really? I don't think so. Like we only have our hair and eyes in common." She defended, shoulders tight.
Lloyd squinted. "Hm, I see the resemblance, but…"
"B-but what?"
"My girl is cuter" Lloyd teased her.
Silvia felt her heart drop, then speed up.
Silvia laughed, a genuine laugh. She punched Lloyd's shoulder, though it didn't hurt. She leaned in close to his ear.
"Talking sweet in front of our baby, hm?"
"Nora's just a kid, she doesn't understand it" He chuckled.
Seeing the two adults conspiring in front of her, the chipmunk huffed angrily.
"What are you guys talking about?! Come on! Tell me." She struggled in Silvia's lap, causing quite the commotion.
"I'll tell you when you're older buddy" Lloyd ruffled her hair.
"That's what brother always says!" She protested, deeply offended.
"Because it's always true." He opened the book again. "Ahem."
"Though powerful beyond measure, Sylvara Feylora was known not for her strength but for her kindness. She asked nothing of her followers except sincerity. A single genuine prayer carried more weight with her than a thousand hollow offerings."
Silvia puffed up her chest with pride.
Praise me more! Though, I never minded offerings, especially food. But, those hooligan followers of mine would always send raw food! I always had to ask stupid Hephy to cook it for me.
Thinking about the past put a smile on Silvia's face from nostalgia, but it quickly made her upset. Her power, her followers, all gone. And the gods and goddesses, people she once thought were her friends, family, and even some being her lovers, betrayed her and left her to die.
She remembered her last follower, a beautiful woman, maybe in her mid twenties with big, hazel eyes. She would come nearly every day, bringing crops from her farm. They weren't hefty gifts, a few potatoes, some kale, lettuce, etc. But, Silvia took every prayer and offering to heart, only regretting that she wasn't powerful enough to make her wishes come true. With only one follower, Silvia was effectively a normal human so she only had enough power to see the woman a few times.
After a few years, the woman stopped coming over and each day, Silvia was growing weaker until she was betrayed and left to die.
She gritted her teeth, tears threatening to fall from her eyes, but she held them back.
The picture book was short and with a clap, Lloyd closed it.