The Butterfly Effect

{-Koyana-}

They were back in an hour. Aither had left immediately to see if he could help Olle and Evelina, mumbling about telling them what happened; Tandi was immediately called into another room where the old woman sounded like she was asking a lot of questions. Koyana just had to patiently wait for Demery to come to her and tell her how it went.

He said that Jimar had promised to meet with them—all of them, if they were able—at the same spot tomorrow. There, he’d show them what was in the box. He’d apparently given some kind of weird warning, too; she was a bit too excited about learning something new to listen to what it had been, though. The way Demery said it made it sound like he didn’t really believe whatever it was anyway.

Koyana hadn’t been the first one up the next morning—Aither was quietly assuring Tandi of something and Demery was helping the old woman—but she was the most ready of them.

“When are we going to meet Jimar?” she asked. “Are we waiting for Olle or is he still going to be helping Evelina?”

“We’re leaving soon,” Demery answered from the other room. “I don’t think Olle’s coming. We can tell them both what happened later.”

“I’d rather at least one of them be there…” Aither mumbled. “This part’s important for all of you to see for yourselves. It’ll be better if Olle saw and understood it then told Evelina than one of you explaining it…”

“But I get the impression he’s very unlikely to leave her side at this point,” Tandi pointed out.

The old woman came out, putting a bowl of fruit on the table like she did yesterday. “I won’t mind watching over her. I’ve raised five boys and know a little bit of Life magic. I’m almost certain I’ll be able to help the poor thing if you’d let me near her.”

Aither sighed. “I don’t think that alone is going to be able to convince him…”

“I don’t know why those nuns kicked you out and, frankly, I don’t care. Orestis promises us a good place if we offer ourselves to help others. As long as you’ll let me, I’m willing to help in whatever way I can.”

“You’re probably one of the most sensible people we’ve come across on this whole trip, and I really appreciate that you’re trying, but… it’s probably not going to be able to do much…”

“Well, go and talk to them, at least. We’re never going to know unless you try, now are we?”

After a moment, Aither nodded and stood up. “I’ll see what they think.” Then he left to go upstairs.

It took a couple of minutes—about the time it took for everyone else to finish eating—for Aither to come back with Olle trailing behind him.

“So you know Life magic?” Olle asked, glancing at the old woman.

She nodded. “Never had the talent, but anything’s possible with some hard work. Quite practical around here—just talk to anyone, if they needed a healer, it was usually me.”

“I really don’t know how I feel about you being there without me, but Evelina needs someone who might actually be able to do something…”

She looked between all of them. “You mean, between the five of you right in front of me, none of you know Life magic? Most people are going to need to put in a lot of practice, sure, but there’s a universal, practical reason for it.”

“Well, you know how I came across my knowledge of magic,” Tandi mumbled. “If I couldn’t teach myself, then I wouldn’t be able to learn it.”

“Technically, I can’t use magic,” Aither remarked more casually.

Demery shrugged. “I know how to start fires and move water. Practical enough for making tea and washing dishes.”

“There wasn’t a need for anything else,” Koyana agreed. “But a friend taught me some travel magic.”

“I tried for a long time to learn Life magic,” Olle said, slower. “I could never get the hang of it—I’d be more likely to kill whoever I’m trying to help.”

The implications seemed to sink in to the old woman. “You were traveling when none of you knew a little beyond the basics? It’s too dangerous for kids like you to be doing that…”

Aither walked towards the door, completely moving on from the matter. “Well, if everyone else is ready, we should meet with Jimar. There’s plenty we can get done before lunch if we leave now.”

Everyone collectively got up and followed behind him—or, at least, they did in the beginning, before Tandi took the lead. Koyana’s excitement grew the closer they got to their destination, her eagerness near overflowing when she saw a man with a box.

They were going to be learning something new! Maybe she could use it to prove Demery wrong about something. Or he’d use it to prove his point to her, which was the less ideal outcome, but really, she didn't care at this point.

When they got close enough, the man stood up and smiled. There was something mildly unsettling about it, honestly. “Ah, you brought some more new faces. The other Tyrus and one of Feldr’s blood, I’m guessing? You’ve undoubtedly guessed it by now, but I’d like to properly introduce myself. I’m Jimar Reshay, the current owner of this little cursed box.” But he said it like it was more of a joke than something serious—there was something teasing about it, like testing if they’d really believe it.

“Can you show us what’s inside?” Aither prompted.

Everyone moved a bit so they could all get a good look at what was inside as Jimar slowly opened it. There was an air of anticipation in those moments—both an excited and anxious kind. Tandi, in particular, looked nervous as the box was opened and they all got to see what was inside.

“It’s a piece of paper…” Koyana remarked, trying to hide at least a fragment of her disappointment.

“It’s something a bit more than that,” Aither said knowingly. He reached in and took the paper. “It’s something written by that specific unnamed person.”

When no one else said anything, he read what was written on it.

“‘I could muster the courage to tell the three of them but, for you, not a single word would form. You have taken care of me all this time and to say goodbye to you in person would require more strength than I have. She told me who I was. She told me I could hurt you. But she said what was most important was that she was my mother and that she would happily take care of me. This is what I have wanted since I came here.

“‘So why does this feel so wrong?’”

Of course, Demery was quick to point out, “It’s just her note goodbye.”

Aither sat the paper back in the box and wandered over to another space nearby. “It was that warning she mentions that made the Tyrus family keep it. It’s the basis of their belief that she cursed their lines somehow—the thing that’s really just this little fragment and a lot of bad luck. I don’t want you to think about what the letter says directly. How did you all feel when I read it?”

None of them seemed to understand exactly where he was going, but Koyana offered, “I was confused.”

“There was a… sense of foreboding,” Tandi added. “Even putting aside who I know she is, it feels like someone is walking down a path they cannot return from.”

“Good. Now,” Aither continued, “what do you think the recipients of the letter felt? Or her three friends, for that matter, when they heard a similar reasoning?”

“Probably a stronger version of us,” Olle remarked. “They were her friends and possibly even her family. Especially when she described it like that, I don’t think they only saw it as a bittersweet goodbye…”

Aither nodded and sighed. “Mortals don’t like not knowing things. They want to be able to map out their entire lives, make it something that’s easy to understand. But our world is not one that mortals were meant to be anywhere close to complete understanding. There’s things they don’t, and likely never will, know. A sense of fear comes with the unknown. They blame good things for bad deeds, and vice versa. They find some way to explain it, even if it’s not true, and they hold on to that belief. They hurt others because they think that will make them feel better, and they can understand something, or not be so afraid. But mortals can’t explain everything. They can’t try to understand everything, because they were never meant to. They can’t live in a world where they only act out of fear, because they’re just going to end up drowning in their own superstitions.”

He glanced back at them. “It’s time the Tyrus family realizes that. Tandi, I want you to go back to your master—and I need you to take Demery and Koyana with you.”