“…I’m very sorry.”
Ashes folded his arms in vexation. Feeling awkward, Yura looked away. She glanced around the room, trying to find something else for her eyes to land on.
There was a beautiful decoration on the wall Ashes leaned against. It was inlaid craftwork that resembled a cameo carving. It seemed to be telling a story…
It looked like a scene from a myth.
It was spread across three panels of the six-walled room but seemed to comprise one image. It was like a microcosm of the human world. Some people standing on the earth, others gazing up at the sky, and some staring down from the heavens.
“…It’s pretty,” Yura mumbled, then quickly closed her mouth.
Ashes left his spot on the wall to gaze up at the decoration with her. When his eyes met Yura’s, he gave her a wry smile.
Right in front of them was the depiction of a woman. Several angels were supporting her, their long hair blowing in the wind. She looked like a goddess with a gentle smile…
“Pateus,” Ashes said. Yura looked up at him and Ashes indicated the carving. “Numeous of the soil. Raulos, Eanis, and Celus, the children of the Four Great Gods. Alekus the God of Power and his wife Lupitel. Orsenus, the God of Triumph…”
Yura blinked. So, it was a myth. These gods, whose names she was hearing for the first time, were all beautiful. It was as if they were all actually breathing inside the image.
It was an intricate masterpiece. As if they moved within the paint, but only for a second to catch the eye.
“Are they all gods?”
“No.”
Ashes shook his head with a grin. There was one last person in the painting, a completely naked woman who looked as if she’d fallen from the heavens. She was gazing at a spot on the ground, both arms stretched out before her. But that was where the image ended. Yura tilted her head at that final image.
“Who is she?”
Ashes did not respond. He merely narrowed his eyes. After a pause, he finally whispered.
“She has no name.”
Yura was shocked. But a light flashed in his eyes as he gazed up at the image, a light Yura thought she had seen before.
“She has no name. The goddess Pateus, feeling such pity for the man, broke the head off of a flower. This girl was said to be born from the reflection in the tears that resulted. She is the Mirror Maiden.”
Yura’s eyes grew wide. It’d been a few short words, but something he had said caught her ear.
“The Mirror Maiden?”
“Let’s meet once a day to discuss what we’ve learned. Perhaps we’ll find some clues.” She heard Sei’s voice in her head.
Perhaps this might be some sort of hint? Yura began to feel the tiniest bit of hope welling up inside her as she gazed up at Ashes. He seemed interested, a face she hadn’t seen on him before, and he smiled in mild vexation.
“Where should I start?” he settled on the couch with an inquisitive look. Yura waited in silence. He finally smiled, having been worn down by Yura’s persistence, and began to talk.
“She has no name. Her legend is said to be among the oldest myths in all of Tolkinia.”
“Right…”
During his life, a previous ruler had written down the various creation myths of the land, regardless of whether or not they were true. The wall art depicted one such vignette.
“The mighty grandfather and protector of our land, Excellius, bestowed that nickname upon her. Then everyone else began to call her that. ‘The Maiden of the Mirror.’ In a time before humans walked the land. There were four gods,” Ashes went on. “They would later come to be called the Four Great Gods, and as they watched over the humans who populated the world, they created their own sort of amusement. They would create one individual, to be blessed above all their other creations.”
“…Creations?”
“All things are created by the gods,” Ashes said.
“To borrow a phrase from the Nikeans, all things emerge from the earliest gods…”
“Uh-huh,” Yura nodded vaguely.
I really don’t think I know enough for any of this to make sense. And what’s this about “…amusement?”
Yura withheld her knee-jerk-reaction from her lips. Ashes continued.
“…Finally, the gods chose one man, and bestowed upon him all the benevolence they could. His blessings never faded. His life was guaranteed good fortune and grace. He had the most handsome face. Every sword he picked up guaranteed him victory. Where he walked, glory followed. The ground upon which he rested chased away death and brought healing. Pateus, the goddess of spring, brought blessings unto him, and his heart was sturdy like steel…”
“Wow,” Yura blinked. “So, they were very kind gods.”
“In the beginning,” Ashes said with a light laugh. “The child blessed with grace grew into a handsome youth as was hoped. But those looks earned him the jealousy of the gods, and he lost the protection they’d offered throughout his life.”
“That’s horrible!” Yura said with indignation. Ashes smiled softly.
“Taking pity upon the young man as he wept through the night, Pateus created a girl from the reflection mirrored in his tears. That girl was the Mirror Maiden. The maiden reflected truth and exposed deceit. Her eyes revealed the boy’s true form, and she gave him her love for the rest of his life. That’s the gist of her legend.”
Once he finished speaking, Ashes handed Yura the book he was holding. It was the one she’d picked up off the couch earlier. She opened it to the page held by the string bookmark. There was the same illustration as depicted on the wall behind them. Yura stared down at it.
“…That’s horrible. No matter what, there are things you can and can’t do,” Yura mumbled. Her lips tapered into a pout. “They weren’t good gods at all. It’s horrible! Why do you have that picture on your wall?”
Ashes listened quietly to Yura’s discontent. He smiled and took the book back from her.
“You think so?”
“Yes.”
Ashes laughed lightly at Yura, who gulped instinctively. She was getting increasingly sullen.
“What?”
He’d been treating her like a child the whole time.
“You’re mean, aren’t you, Ashes?” Yura started to say but held her words back.
“Yes, he did suffer misfortune. But do you know how fortunate it was that he was given a ray of light in the form of someone to free him from his shackles?”
Yura’s head popped up.
He was clearly providing a counterargument. His tone was like a teacher who, unable to guide a student toward the right answer, ended up just giving it to them.
Yura hung her head. She could suddenly feel herself wilting.
“…I’m sorry.”
The words were the same ones she’d repeated time and time again. It was like a bad habit.
Tomoko’s voice suddenly ran through her mind.
“Why do you always apologize like that? Even when you’re not in the wrong…”
But maybe I am wrong here? Yura gently lifted her eyes.
“Is it about the wedding ceremony?” Ashes asked, trying to change the subject.
That’s right. That’s what I came to talk to him about. How did we end up on this other topic?
“Are you finally getting used to it?”
Ashes laughed sardonically.
“People here never seem to tire of such ill-mannered gossip. It’s complete nonsense!”
Yura’s eyes grew wide. Suddenly, she found herself voiceless.
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
Yura thought she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. A smile broke out on her face in relief.
“Ohh! That’s it! That’s what it was!”
“But—”
Suddenly, he reached out and touched Yura’s cheek.
Yura had become relaxed and innocently looked up. But now, she suddenly froze.
“Uhm…”
Ashes gazed down at her, so close she could touch his hair. She stiffened up as those aqua eyes drew near.
“But you…you might be able to do it.”
His eyes narrowed, and he gazed at Yura as if he were seeing through to something. Yura was at a loss for words as he whispered to her.
“You might be able to succeed. To release this puppet from the iron shackles of his fate…”
Yura stared in utter confusion, dumbfounded and without a clue as to Ashes meaning.