Ostium: Chapter 2
Pius-Lues was certainly a very interesting town. Twice in the night, Éclair had woken up to disturbances caused by Ostium, only to fall back again to the clutches of sleep when the feeling went away.
The third time she awoke, she saw the morning light stain the thin curtains in her room. It was very similar to her old one, all the furniture the same, though of different build and color. Earnestly, she prepared for the day when she noticed a note and a map on the round oak table near the window. It read,
Éclair, here is a map detailing the ways of our Church. I hope you find it useful. Whenever you shall awaken, I will remain in the Mess Hall. There is a manner of business we must go about today in Pius Lues. I hope you slept well.
May God be With You,
Father Aleron
After she read the note, Éclair folded it up neatly on the table, and took the map, studying it, taking the bare bones of the church into her mind until she had it memorized. Nodding slightly to herself, she folded the map up and pocketed it as she left the room.
Having the map memorized made things much easier. Whenever she wasn’t sure of a turn, she would draw the image in her mind and retrace her steps, then deciding where to go next, until she finally came upon the Mess Hall. Its doors, like many other wooden materials in the church, were carved roughly of oak and the handles a worn, pale gold. Carefully, Éclair opened the doors and slipped inside, meeting the eyes of many of the church’s workers. Laborers, gardeners, children, priests, priestesses, and the like, sat on long benches with long tables, enjoying their breakfast. Éclair’s eyes scanned the heads in the room, until Father Aleron’s peppery hair caught her attention. Upon finding him, she swiftly made her way over.
“Good morning, Saint Éclair! I hope you slept well?” Father Aleron greeted as she took a seat next to him. Almost immediately, kitchen aids placed a simple pea soup and bread in front of her, as well as a glass of milk. She nodded thanks to them as they melted with the crowds.
“Good morning, Father Aleron. Yes, I slept very comfortably, in fact. Thank you very much for allowing me to stay here.” Éclair started to eat the soup while dipping the hard bread in it to soften it up as the priest talked.
“I’m very glad to hear that.” He paused, and then continued. “Today, I will bring you on a tour of Pius-Lues, and introduce you to a system that only we use.”
This peaked Éclair’s attention. “Only you use?”
Father Aleron smiled somewhat sadly. “Yes, only Pius-Lues can use this system in this dimension.”
“Dimension?”
“It’s very complicated, and I will explain it in greater detail later. However, I will disclose to you that there are certain special people living here called ‘Pathfinders’. You will meet some of them today.”
Éclair bobbed her head slightly as she drank down her milk, setting the empty glass down as she finished, amazed to see her empty bowl had already gone. Soon after, the cup was gone as well.
“Are you ready to set out?” Father Aleron smiled as she stood up.
Éclair nodded. “Yes, Father.”
Half of the day sped by quickly, as Éclair was walking all over Pius-Lues with Father Aleron as he showed her through town. She had seen the tall, spiraling bell tower with its almost unrealistically large bell, the majestic town hall where everyone gathered at the end of the week, as well as the dainty little park in the town square where children played and women gossiped. Now, at the strike of noon, she was following Father Aleron down an unfamiliar part of the town, where the houses eventually died away to reveal the colorful flower fields behind them.
“These are the Fields of Eve.” Father Aleron dictated. “Within them are the Holy Flowers. They were born when God spread the seeds of the Garden of Eden unto these fields, where they now blossom, thousands of years later.”
Éclair nodded in amazement. “They certainly are beautiful. But why the name Eve, and not Eden?”
“The name is important.” Father Aleron smiled slightly. “They are called the Fields of Eve because only her children may pass through them, leading the way for others like Eve did for Adam into banishment.”
That sent a chill down Éclair’s spine. “Then...why...?”
“Because the children of Eve are Pathfinders. They lead the way into dimensions we may never have dreamed of. And because we are children of Adam, we follow the children of Eve as they try to find God’s Realm.”
Éclair stopped dead in her tracks as Father Aleron stopped at a clearing. “What.”
Surprised, he turned to face her. “Éclair? Surely you must have felt it too? The undying need to see this God we worship.”
She realized then that she couldn’t deny it. Even though she was a Saint, she was indeed still a child of Adam and Eve- though, she wasn’t chosen specifically for Eve. Inside her was the secret forbidden yearning to see this God, to really see Him and believe in Him and His path. “I...I see.”
“We of Pius-Lues have come to terms with this long ago. Now, let me introduce you to the children of Eve - the Pathfinders.” The Father walked up some ways to the cluster of small buildings that lined the dirt clearing, flowers leaning in desperately as if they wanted to claim the patches of soil, but couldn’t. Éclair hurried after, glancing at the swarms of ladybugs.
When they reached the door of the first building, Father Aleron rapped his knuckles against it and called, “Ezekiel? Are you in there?”
After a moment, they heard the harsh sound of a wooden chair arguing with the floor, and heavy, yet frail footsteps towards the door. Soon it swung open with a whine, and there stood an old man. His hair was white like snow and purity, but his eyes, like most other people in Pius-Lues, were strong. He leaned over slightly, his back curving over, and he leaned on a wooden staff with a knobbed top that fit perfectly in the palm of his bony hands.
“Ah,” He spoke, his voice as old as the Earth, “Father Aleron. That must be the young Saint Éclair behind you, eh?”
Éclair smiled her welcoming smile. “Yes, I am Saint Éclair.”
“Well, it’s a pleasure to see you here, Saint Éclair. Pius-Lues is suffering quite a lot lately. Oh, come in, come in.” He ushered them inside the house.
It was a cozy room, to be sure. As Éclair looked, she noticed to her right an open doorframe that led to the bedroom (she could see the bed from the doorway), and on the wall across from her also on the right hand side, led to a bathroom. On the left on the farthest wall was a quaint kitchen, where, Éclair noticed, tea was being made.
“Please, have a seat.” Ezekiel gestured towards the table pushed up against the wall, and Father Aleron and Éclair complied. “Now,” He spoke as he brought the china teacups over, “I’m sure you already know, but my name is Ezekiel. Please call me Kiel, if you’d like.” Éclair nodded politely, and he continued. “Do you know what a Pathfinder is?”
“I explained to her briefly what it was, but I didn’t get down to the fine details.” Father Aleron said. Ezekiel nodded slowly, shuffling over to the kettle.
“Well Éclair, my two grandsons and I are Pathfinders. We reside out here, away from town, and more in the Fields of Eve- the fields outside, because we are the only ones who may travel in it. The reason being for this is because, although we are all children of both Adam and Eve, there are some born purely of Eve’s traits.
“Now, the human race has lived on this planet for plenty of thousands of years. Eve’s line of purity isn’t as quite as pure as it would be before, so we have lost much power. Many of Adam’s children thrive in this world today- that would be people like you, Éclair. Everyone else is an equal mix of both.”
“What powers did you used to have?” Éclair inquired curiously.
“Before...long, long ago...we could open up Ostium on our own accord. Change the natural flow of things. People called us Gods, sorcerers, witches, alchemists, magicians, every name imaginable for the unbelievably gifted people known as us. We were hunted down for our power, however, and now there aren’t many of us left.”
That’s only natural. Éclair thought. If people ran through the world today showing off powers that they could pull things out of literally nowhere, turn water into wine and the like, they’d be kidnapped and sold like animals. “How many are left?”
“Only me and my two grandsons.” Ezekiel looked at the ground in sorrow, and Éclair was shocked.
“What? You mean...your family is the only remaining...”
“Yes.” Father Aleron nodded slowly at Éclair, sadness in his soul, reflecting in his eyes openly. “Ezekiel’s race is a dying breed. I am afraid that once they all die out...man will cease to have meaning, and we will destroy ourselves in insanity.”
“Grandfather?” A hard knocking at the door and a male voice called, causing Éclair to jump.
“Ah,” Ezekiel’s face stretched into a warm smile. “Rune, is that you?”
“Yeah, and I got Alva with me. You got guests or something?”
Rune? Isn’t that one of Ezekiel’s grandsons? Éclair pondered for a moment. Then Alva must be the other one? She then realized that if they both really were, then the only Pathfinders in the world would be in the very same room as her. She shivered.
“Yes, so I expect you to be polite. Come in.” The door swung open ungraciously as a tall, dark haired man slouched in. After him trailed a blonde boy, who was half a head shorter.
“Hey, Ezekiel. Is that the Saint chick?” Éclair recognized his voice- he was the same speaker as the one from outside, and, she assumed, was Rune.
“Rune, I thought I told you-“
“I’m sorry, sir.” Rune smiled boyishly and walked over to Éclair, staring down at her. “So. Are you Saint Éclair?”
Upon closer inspection, she noticed he had some interestingly green eyes and almost black brown hair. “Yes. I assume you’re Rune?”
Rune stood back and laughed slightly. “You’re sharp. Yes, I am.”
“My name is Alva.” The blonde cut in, shoving Rune aside. He had a deeper voice than his brother. “Please excuse Rune and his rudeness. I’m afraid that’s just the way he is.”
“Oh yes.” Rune glared at the shorter boy. “Please, excuse Alva’s rudeness. Like he said, that’s just the way he is.”
“Enough!” Ezekiel thundered, annoyed. “I will not stand to tolerate your rudeness in the presence of a Saint!”
“Sorry.” They grumbled.
“Um,” Éclair spoke aloud, and Ezekiel looked at her with a tired look on his face. “Alva and Rune are related?”
“Yeah, though we don’t look it.” Alva grumbled. “Because we aren’t.”
“Oh, don’t lie dearest brother! You know you love me!” Rune mocked, smiling modestly. He then turned towards Éclair and said, “We don’t look alike because we came from different mothers.” She nodded understandingly. Makes sense.
“I think you youngsters need to stay outside.” Ezekiel sighed, sipping his tea. “Rune, Alva, please show Éclair the Fields of Eve.”
“Yes sir!” They chimed, and Rune took Éclair up by the elbow.
“Right this way, madam.” He winked at her and she raised an eyebrow at him. They whisked her outside right then, and the moment the door shut Rune dropped Éclair’s elbow.
“So how old are you?” He asked teasingly.
“I should ask you the same question.” She smirked. “Have you graduated preschool yet?”
Alva laughed suddenly, and Rune raised an eyebrow.
“Saint’s got spunk.” Alva chuckled. “I’m 19 years old, and so is Rune, though I’m older by a couple months.”
“I’m 18, then.” Éclair crossed her arms. “So how are you guys supposed to take me into the Fields of Eve if only you guys can get in them?”
Rune raised an eyebrow. “Gramps didn’t tell you? Other people can travel in the Field as well as long as they stay within roughly 5 yards of a Pathfinder. Of course, there are only three of us, so splitting up in large groups is dangerous.”
“What happens if you try to go in?”
“Bad things.” Alva stared out at the fields and their holy glow. “See, it’s made out of flowers and ladybugs. There is no dirt underneath, we checked.”
“Did not check! I was trying to dig my way to Hell when I was 6 and I only pulled up more flowers!” Rune glared at Alva and Éclair stared at him funny. ...He was trying to find the Devil? Isn’t that....?
“Well either way, there is no dirt underneath them. The ground is only tangible in our presence as Pathfinders, being as we’re supposedly one hundred percent Eve, though now we’re technically only somewhere around sixty-five to eighty percent. When someone who has a lower percentage of Eve in their blood than Adam, say anywhere from zero to fifty percent Eve, then they fall right through the ground and into what I assume is either a black hole or disintegrate into Primordial Soup. Both aren’t that friendly.” Alva explained.
“So it’s kind of like when you guys walk onto the flowers, you create...a path...?”
Rune bobbed his head. “Exactly. Hence why we’re called Pathfinders.”
“I see.”
“Well, are you ready to go on a magical adventure onto the space between worlds?!” Rune grinned crazily cheerfully at Éclair and she made a face at him again.
“Uh, sure?” He laughed and took her hand, then pulled her straight into the Fields.
The moment she stepped on the overpowering flower field, the world she knew disappeared. Alva, who ran after them on the circular dirt patch, as well as the fence of trees leading there, disappeared, though he reappeared shortly after almost out of thin air. A sense of curiosity and righteousness empowered Éclair and she gasped slightly.
“Feels right, doesn’t it?” Rune grinned down at her, and she nodded numbly.
“It’s...exhilarating.” She then noticed he still held her hand and stared at him quizzically. He then dropped it, chuckling and shaking his head.
“Where should we take her, Rune?” Alva asked a couple steps ahead of the duo. “Nowhere too dangerous.”
“That’s no fun.” Rune argued. “I wanted to take her to see maybe dragons, or harpies, phoenixes, something of that nature.”
“What?!” Éclair shrieked. “D-dragons?!”
Rune grinned toothily at her. “Yep. They’re very moody, you know. Especially if you try to steal their treasure.”
“I told you that was dangerous! But no, you didn’t listen to me!” Alva growled in annoyance, leading the group. “So now, you’ve got to follow me, alright?”
“Follow where? I mean, how are you supposed to see worlds?” Éclair glanced at her surroundings. “There’s only flowers, flowers, ladybugs, and more flowers.” Alva laughed slightly, and Éclair glared in his direction. “What’s so funny?”
“Well, besides the fact that you’re very un-Saint-like without adults, I forgot that you can’t see other worlds.” He smiled back at Éclair and she huffed at him.
“You know, for some reason, I’m not very comfortable with the idea of having you two idiots lead me through this place where the chances of me dying is greater than not. Especially since you could ditch me.” Éclair glared holes at the backs of their heads as they laughed mischievously.
“By the way, watch out for the ladybugs.” Alva chuckled. Éclair paused and Rune followed simultaneously. “What?”
“What do you mean, watch out for the ladybugs?” Éclair glanced about nervously. There were so many ladybugs; she assumed it would be okay if she squished a couple...or...a hundred....
“Well, if you kill off too many an Ostium will appear in Pius-Lues.” Alva said innocently. Éclair almost jumped out of her skin. She did, however, jump onto Rune’s back.
“WHAT?!” She screamed as she clung for dear life on Rune.
“What the hell are you doing?!” He shouted out, stumbling, as he grabbed her legs so she wouldn’t fall.
“Do you know how many ladybugs I might have potentially stepped on?!” She spoke in a low, rapid voice, and Rune, amusedly, could tell she was very, very pissed off.
“Oh don’t worry, I do that too.” He grinned nonsensically at her and her eyes widened.
“So the reason why people are being attacked in Pius-Lues is you?!” Rune shook his head laughing as he walked.
“No, of course not. They just open up of their own accord. You have to squish a lot of these little buggers to cause an Ostium. That’s why I had you walk behind me, and me behind Alva.”
“Yep, I start a path and we walk it. If you get off the path a lot, you’ll kill a lot more than you’ll save.” Alva added, and then stopped. “Okay, here’s a place!”
“Nice choice. Though, you could’ve made it a lot more exciting...” Rune taunted, and Alva sighed in annoyance.
“Shut up Rune.” He took a step forward and suddenly, wasn’t there.
“That’s so bizarre.” Éclair commented as Rune trudged towards Alva’s disappearing area.
“I bet, since you guys can’t see it.” Rune grinned. Suddenly, when he took one step, Éclair felt the temperature rise slightly, and the airs noticeably thicken. She blinked in confusion and suddenly, there was no flower field, only buildings. Really hi-tech buildings too.
“What...where are we?” Éclair asked, looking everywhere. She slid off of Rune’s back and landed on the concrete softly, then walked over to the edge of the platform they were on, peeking over. She regretted it immediately, becoming dizzy from looking so far down, and backed off.
“This is another universe.” Alva explained, leaning against a square building with a door on it. It was short and squat and Éclair couldn’t fathom a purpose for it. “A very advanced world, I might add. Humans, or should I say people, like you and me, built these things we’re on. Rune and I snooped through this place once and found out these are called skyscrapers. They’ve got a load of interesting things here, but it’s killed off the nature in this world. There’s no way they could possibly find God in this place.”
“I can tell, there’s a lot less...” Éclair trailed off, unable to find the words. Rune and Alva nodded in agreement, however.
“Yeah.” It was silent for a moment and they listened to the strange sounds coming from below, and the angry hum of people talking and arguing, thriving below.
“What is that sound?” Annoyed, Éclair shifted the weight from where she was standing and observed her surroundings. The sky was blindingly white and she had to squint to look at it. She also saw, however, pollution - the air had the same sort of quality as the smoke from the trains, although a lot less thick, though more spread out, looming over the town.
“It comes from a car.” Rune plopped down on the edge of the building, hanging his legs off. “We don’t have them in our world, though, but they’re like carriages.”
“Carriages?”
“Yeah, except they don’t need horses and they’re a lot smaller and faster. They’ve got this steering device on the inside, like a boat, and if you hit the center of it, it makes that weird honking noise. It’s because the other people driving the other cars go too slow, or if someone steps in front of the car.” The older boy explained breezily.
“That sounds complicated, and annoying. I don’t understand how people can live here.” Éclair pursed her lips in annoyance and sat down next to Rune carefully. He might try to shove her over the edge, or something.
“You only don’t because you’re used to your own world.” Alva’s voice called from behind them. He walked over leisurely, and sat down on Éclair’s other side. “People are automatically tuned in with their world and can’t imagine living anywhere else, unless the worlds are similar. This world is too radically different, therefore you can’t understand it. Stay here long enough however, and you’ll get in tune with this one.”
“How many worlds have you two tuned with?” Éclair glanced at both of them curiously. Rune scoffed and Alva shook his head, lifting it up and looking at the sky.
“Too many, Éclair. Too many.”
The third time she awoke, she saw the morning light stain the thin curtains in her room. It was very similar to her old one, all the furniture the same, though of different build and color. Earnestly, she prepared for the day when she noticed a note and a map on the round oak table near the window. It read,
Éclair, here is a map detailing the ways of our Church. I hope you find it useful. Whenever you shall awaken, I will remain in the Mess Hall. There is a manner of business we must go about today in Pius Lues. I hope you slept well.
May God be With You,
Father Aleron
After she read the note, Éclair folded it up neatly on the table, and took the map, studying it, taking the bare bones of the church into her mind until she had it memorized. Nodding slightly to herself, she folded the map up and pocketed it as she left the room.
Having the map memorized made things much easier. Whenever she wasn’t sure of a turn, she would draw the image in her mind and retrace her steps, then deciding where to go next, until she finally came upon the Mess Hall. Its doors, like many other wooden materials in the church, were carved roughly of oak and the handles a worn, pale gold. Carefully, Éclair opened the doors and slipped inside, meeting the eyes of many of the church’s workers. Laborers, gardeners, children, priests, priestesses, and the like, sat on long benches with long tables, enjoying their breakfast. Éclair’s eyes scanned the heads in the room, until Father Aleron’s peppery hair caught her attention. Upon finding him, she swiftly made her way over.
“Good morning, Saint Éclair! I hope you slept well?” Father Aleron greeted as she took a seat next to him. Almost immediately, kitchen aids placed a simple pea soup and bread in front of her, as well as a glass of milk. She nodded thanks to them as they melted with the crowds.
“Good morning, Father Aleron. Yes, I slept very comfortably, in fact. Thank you very much for allowing me to stay here.” Éclair started to eat the soup while dipping the hard bread in it to soften it up as the priest talked.
“I’m very glad to hear that.” He paused, and then continued. “Today, I will bring you on a tour of Pius-Lues, and introduce you to a system that only we use.”
This peaked Éclair’s attention. “Only you use?”
Father Aleron smiled somewhat sadly. “Yes, only Pius-Lues can use this system in this dimension.”
“Dimension?”
“It’s very complicated, and I will explain it in greater detail later. However, I will disclose to you that there are certain special people living here called ‘Pathfinders’. You will meet some of them today.”
Éclair bobbed her head slightly as she drank down her milk, setting the empty glass down as she finished, amazed to see her empty bowl had already gone. Soon after, the cup was gone as well.
“Are you ready to set out?” Father Aleron smiled as she stood up.
Éclair nodded. “Yes, Father.”
Half of the day sped by quickly, as Éclair was walking all over Pius-Lues with Father Aleron as he showed her through town. She had seen the tall, spiraling bell tower with its almost unrealistically large bell, the majestic town hall where everyone gathered at the end of the week, as well as the dainty little park in the town square where children played and women gossiped. Now, at the strike of noon, she was following Father Aleron down an unfamiliar part of the town, where the houses eventually died away to reveal the colorful flower fields behind them.
“These are the Fields of Eve.” Father Aleron dictated. “Within them are the Holy Flowers. They were born when God spread the seeds of the Garden of Eden unto these fields, where they now blossom, thousands of years later.”
Éclair nodded in amazement. “They certainly are beautiful. But why the name Eve, and not Eden?”
“The name is important.” Father Aleron smiled slightly. “They are called the Fields of Eve because only her children may pass through them, leading the way for others like Eve did for Adam into banishment.”
That sent a chill down Éclair’s spine. “Then...why...?”
“Because the children of Eve are Pathfinders. They lead the way into dimensions we may never have dreamed of. And because we are children of Adam, we follow the children of Eve as they try to find God’s Realm.”
Éclair stopped dead in her tracks as Father Aleron stopped at a clearing. “What.”
Surprised, he turned to face her. “Éclair? Surely you must have felt it too? The undying need to see this God we worship.”
She realized then that she couldn’t deny it. Even though she was a Saint, she was indeed still a child of Adam and Eve- though, she wasn’t chosen specifically for Eve. Inside her was the secret forbidden yearning to see this God, to really see Him and believe in Him and His path. “I...I see.”
“We of Pius-Lues have come to terms with this long ago. Now, let me introduce you to the children of Eve - the Pathfinders.” The Father walked up some ways to the cluster of small buildings that lined the dirt clearing, flowers leaning in desperately as if they wanted to claim the patches of soil, but couldn’t. Éclair hurried after, glancing at the swarms of ladybugs.
When they reached the door of the first building, Father Aleron rapped his knuckles against it and called, “Ezekiel? Are you in there?”
After a moment, they heard the harsh sound of a wooden chair arguing with the floor, and heavy, yet frail footsteps towards the door. Soon it swung open with a whine, and there stood an old man. His hair was white like snow and purity, but his eyes, like most other people in Pius-Lues, were strong. He leaned over slightly, his back curving over, and he leaned on a wooden staff with a knobbed top that fit perfectly in the palm of his bony hands.
“Ah,” He spoke, his voice as old as the Earth, “Father Aleron. That must be the young Saint Éclair behind you, eh?”
Éclair smiled her welcoming smile. “Yes, I am Saint Éclair.”
“Well, it’s a pleasure to see you here, Saint Éclair. Pius-Lues is suffering quite a lot lately. Oh, come in, come in.” He ushered them inside the house.
It was a cozy room, to be sure. As Éclair looked, she noticed to her right an open doorframe that led to the bedroom (she could see the bed from the doorway), and on the wall across from her also on the right hand side, led to a bathroom. On the left on the farthest wall was a quaint kitchen, where, Éclair noticed, tea was being made.
“Please, have a seat.” Ezekiel gestured towards the table pushed up against the wall, and Father Aleron and Éclair complied. “Now,” He spoke as he brought the china teacups over, “I’m sure you already know, but my name is Ezekiel. Please call me Kiel, if you’d like.” Éclair nodded politely, and he continued. “Do you know what a Pathfinder is?”
“I explained to her briefly what it was, but I didn’t get down to the fine details.” Father Aleron said. Ezekiel nodded slowly, shuffling over to the kettle.
“Well Éclair, my two grandsons and I are Pathfinders. We reside out here, away from town, and more in the Fields of Eve- the fields outside, because we are the only ones who may travel in it. The reason being for this is because, although we are all children of both Adam and Eve, there are some born purely of Eve’s traits.
“Now, the human race has lived on this planet for plenty of thousands of years. Eve’s line of purity isn’t as quite as pure as it would be before, so we have lost much power. Many of Adam’s children thrive in this world today- that would be people like you, Éclair. Everyone else is an equal mix of both.”
“What powers did you used to have?” Éclair inquired curiously.
“Before...long, long ago...we could open up Ostium on our own accord. Change the natural flow of things. People called us Gods, sorcerers, witches, alchemists, magicians, every name imaginable for the unbelievably gifted people known as us. We were hunted down for our power, however, and now there aren’t many of us left.”
That’s only natural. Éclair thought. If people ran through the world today showing off powers that they could pull things out of literally nowhere, turn water into wine and the like, they’d be kidnapped and sold like animals. “How many are left?”
“Only me and my two grandsons.” Ezekiel looked at the ground in sorrow, and Éclair was shocked.
“What? You mean...your family is the only remaining...”
“Yes.” Father Aleron nodded slowly at Éclair, sadness in his soul, reflecting in his eyes openly. “Ezekiel’s race is a dying breed. I am afraid that once they all die out...man will cease to have meaning, and we will destroy ourselves in insanity.”
“Grandfather?” A hard knocking at the door and a male voice called, causing Éclair to jump.
“Ah,” Ezekiel’s face stretched into a warm smile. “Rune, is that you?”
“Yeah, and I got Alva with me. You got guests or something?”
Rune? Isn’t that one of Ezekiel’s grandsons? Éclair pondered for a moment. Then Alva must be the other one? She then realized that if they both really were, then the only Pathfinders in the world would be in the very same room as her. She shivered.
“Yes, so I expect you to be polite. Come in.” The door swung open ungraciously as a tall, dark haired man slouched in. After him trailed a blonde boy, who was half a head shorter.
“Hey, Ezekiel. Is that the Saint chick?” Éclair recognized his voice- he was the same speaker as the one from outside, and, she assumed, was Rune.
“Rune, I thought I told you-“
“I’m sorry, sir.” Rune smiled boyishly and walked over to Éclair, staring down at her. “So. Are you Saint Éclair?”
Upon closer inspection, she noticed he had some interestingly green eyes and almost black brown hair. “Yes. I assume you’re Rune?”
Rune stood back and laughed slightly. “You’re sharp. Yes, I am.”
“My name is Alva.” The blonde cut in, shoving Rune aside. He had a deeper voice than his brother. “Please excuse Rune and his rudeness. I’m afraid that’s just the way he is.”
“Oh yes.” Rune glared at the shorter boy. “Please, excuse Alva’s rudeness. Like he said, that’s just the way he is.”
“Enough!” Ezekiel thundered, annoyed. “I will not stand to tolerate your rudeness in the presence of a Saint!”
“Sorry.” They grumbled.
“Um,” Éclair spoke aloud, and Ezekiel looked at her with a tired look on his face. “Alva and Rune are related?”
“Yeah, though we don’t look it.” Alva grumbled. “Because we aren’t.”
“Oh, don’t lie dearest brother! You know you love me!” Rune mocked, smiling modestly. He then turned towards Éclair and said, “We don’t look alike because we came from different mothers.” She nodded understandingly. Makes sense.
“I think you youngsters need to stay outside.” Ezekiel sighed, sipping his tea. “Rune, Alva, please show Éclair the Fields of Eve.”
“Yes sir!” They chimed, and Rune took Éclair up by the elbow.
“Right this way, madam.” He winked at her and she raised an eyebrow at him. They whisked her outside right then, and the moment the door shut Rune dropped Éclair’s elbow.
“So how old are you?” He asked teasingly.
“I should ask you the same question.” She smirked. “Have you graduated preschool yet?”
Alva laughed suddenly, and Rune raised an eyebrow.
“Saint’s got spunk.” Alva chuckled. “I’m 19 years old, and so is Rune, though I’m older by a couple months.”
“I’m 18, then.” Éclair crossed her arms. “So how are you guys supposed to take me into the Fields of Eve if only you guys can get in them?”
Rune raised an eyebrow. “Gramps didn’t tell you? Other people can travel in the Field as well as long as they stay within roughly 5 yards of a Pathfinder. Of course, there are only three of us, so splitting up in large groups is dangerous.”
“What happens if you try to go in?”
“Bad things.” Alva stared out at the fields and their holy glow. “See, it’s made out of flowers and ladybugs. There is no dirt underneath, we checked.”
“Did not check! I was trying to dig my way to Hell when I was 6 and I only pulled up more flowers!” Rune glared at Alva and Éclair stared at him funny. ...He was trying to find the Devil? Isn’t that....?
“Well either way, there is no dirt underneath them. The ground is only tangible in our presence as Pathfinders, being as we’re supposedly one hundred percent Eve, though now we’re technically only somewhere around sixty-five to eighty percent. When someone who has a lower percentage of Eve in their blood than Adam, say anywhere from zero to fifty percent Eve, then they fall right through the ground and into what I assume is either a black hole or disintegrate into Primordial Soup. Both aren’t that friendly.” Alva explained.
“So it’s kind of like when you guys walk onto the flowers, you create...a path...?”
Rune bobbed his head. “Exactly. Hence why we’re called Pathfinders.”
“I see.”
“Well, are you ready to go on a magical adventure onto the space between worlds?!” Rune grinned crazily cheerfully at Éclair and she made a face at him again.
“Uh, sure?” He laughed and took her hand, then pulled her straight into the Fields.
The moment she stepped on the overpowering flower field, the world she knew disappeared. Alva, who ran after them on the circular dirt patch, as well as the fence of trees leading there, disappeared, though he reappeared shortly after almost out of thin air. A sense of curiosity and righteousness empowered Éclair and she gasped slightly.
“Feels right, doesn’t it?” Rune grinned down at her, and she nodded numbly.
“It’s...exhilarating.” She then noticed he still held her hand and stared at him quizzically. He then dropped it, chuckling and shaking his head.
“Where should we take her, Rune?” Alva asked a couple steps ahead of the duo. “Nowhere too dangerous.”
“That’s no fun.” Rune argued. “I wanted to take her to see maybe dragons, or harpies, phoenixes, something of that nature.”
“What?!” Éclair shrieked. “D-dragons?!”
Rune grinned toothily at her. “Yep. They’re very moody, you know. Especially if you try to steal their treasure.”
“I told you that was dangerous! But no, you didn’t listen to me!” Alva growled in annoyance, leading the group. “So now, you’ve got to follow me, alright?”
“Follow where? I mean, how are you supposed to see worlds?” Éclair glanced at her surroundings. “There’s only flowers, flowers, ladybugs, and more flowers.” Alva laughed slightly, and Éclair glared in his direction. “What’s so funny?”
“Well, besides the fact that you’re very un-Saint-like without adults, I forgot that you can’t see other worlds.” He smiled back at Éclair and she huffed at him.
“You know, for some reason, I’m not very comfortable with the idea of having you two idiots lead me through this place where the chances of me dying is greater than not. Especially since you could ditch me.” Éclair glared holes at the backs of their heads as they laughed mischievously.
“By the way, watch out for the ladybugs.” Alva chuckled. Éclair paused and Rune followed simultaneously. “What?”
“What do you mean, watch out for the ladybugs?” Éclair glanced about nervously. There were so many ladybugs; she assumed it would be okay if she squished a couple...or...a hundred....
“Well, if you kill off too many an Ostium will appear in Pius-Lues.” Alva said innocently. Éclair almost jumped out of her skin. She did, however, jump onto Rune’s back.
“WHAT?!” She screamed as she clung for dear life on Rune.
“What the hell are you doing?!” He shouted out, stumbling, as he grabbed her legs so she wouldn’t fall.
“Do you know how many ladybugs I might have potentially stepped on?!” She spoke in a low, rapid voice, and Rune, amusedly, could tell she was very, very pissed off.
“Oh don’t worry, I do that too.” He grinned nonsensically at her and her eyes widened.
“So the reason why people are being attacked in Pius-Lues is you?!” Rune shook his head laughing as he walked.
“No, of course not. They just open up of their own accord. You have to squish a lot of these little buggers to cause an Ostium. That’s why I had you walk behind me, and me behind Alva.”
“Yep, I start a path and we walk it. If you get off the path a lot, you’ll kill a lot more than you’ll save.” Alva added, and then stopped. “Okay, here’s a place!”
“Nice choice. Though, you could’ve made it a lot more exciting...” Rune taunted, and Alva sighed in annoyance.
“Shut up Rune.” He took a step forward and suddenly, wasn’t there.
“That’s so bizarre.” Éclair commented as Rune trudged towards Alva’s disappearing area.
“I bet, since you guys can’t see it.” Rune grinned. Suddenly, when he took one step, Éclair felt the temperature rise slightly, and the airs noticeably thicken. She blinked in confusion and suddenly, there was no flower field, only buildings. Really hi-tech buildings too.
“What...where are we?” Éclair asked, looking everywhere. She slid off of Rune’s back and landed on the concrete softly, then walked over to the edge of the platform they were on, peeking over. She regretted it immediately, becoming dizzy from looking so far down, and backed off.
“This is another universe.” Alva explained, leaning against a square building with a door on it. It was short and squat and Éclair couldn’t fathom a purpose for it. “A very advanced world, I might add. Humans, or should I say people, like you and me, built these things we’re on. Rune and I snooped through this place once and found out these are called skyscrapers. They’ve got a load of interesting things here, but it’s killed off the nature in this world. There’s no way they could possibly find God in this place.”
“I can tell, there’s a lot less...” Éclair trailed off, unable to find the words. Rune and Alva nodded in agreement, however.
“Yeah.” It was silent for a moment and they listened to the strange sounds coming from below, and the angry hum of people talking and arguing, thriving below.
“What is that sound?” Annoyed, Éclair shifted the weight from where she was standing and observed her surroundings. The sky was blindingly white and she had to squint to look at it. She also saw, however, pollution - the air had the same sort of quality as the smoke from the trains, although a lot less thick, though more spread out, looming over the town.
“It comes from a car.” Rune plopped down on the edge of the building, hanging his legs off. “We don’t have them in our world, though, but they’re like carriages.”
“Carriages?”
“Yeah, except they don’t need horses and they’re a lot smaller and faster. They’ve got this steering device on the inside, like a boat, and if you hit the center of it, it makes that weird honking noise. It’s because the other people driving the other cars go too slow, or if someone steps in front of the car.” The older boy explained breezily.
“That sounds complicated, and annoying. I don’t understand how people can live here.” Éclair pursed her lips in annoyance and sat down next to Rune carefully. He might try to shove her over the edge, or something.
“You only don’t because you’re used to your own world.” Alva’s voice called from behind them. He walked over leisurely, and sat down on Éclair’s other side. “People are automatically tuned in with their world and can’t imagine living anywhere else, unless the worlds are similar. This world is too radically different, therefore you can’t understand it. Stay here long enough however, and you’ll get in tune with this one.”
“How many worlds have you two tuned with?” Éclair glanced at both of them curiously. Rune scoffed and Alva shook his head, lifting it up and looking at the sky.
“Too many, Éclair. Too many.”