Chapter 6:
A Dream Come True and My Faith
“I THINK WE’VE DONE ENOUGH here to get by,” remarked a pretty girl with long brown hair. She wore a robe reminiscent of a priestess, which at one time had been white. She’d look like she belonged in a church, were it not for her dirty clothes and the rubble in her arms.
“Yes. This area is basically clear.” Next to the girl stood a young woman with her gorgeous black hair tied back. She wiped sweat from her brow. As an elf, her features were androgynous, but I knew she was female.
“Why don’t we take a break?” a man called from where he was repairing the log fence around the cave. His face and arms were covered in scars, and while his behavior was aloof, he had a kind heart.
“Yes, we should. The holes in the fence have been covered. We don’t need to worry about monsters from outside anymore,” said the younger girl.
“I’m just glad the watchtower survived, though it’s a shame we lost the horses.”
The remains of several buildings surrounded the cave, their foundations all that was left. One had housed one of the cave’s couples, and the other was a stable, although there was no way to tell anymore. By some miracle, the watchtower remained unscathed.
The three of them sat down on some logs they were using for repairs, where they were joined by two others.
“Hello, Kan, Lan. Are you going to take a rest with us?”
“Yes.”
“We will.”
As usual, they didn’t say much. The two of them lay down on the bare earth. They were both beastmen with the appearance of red pandas. A couple, they were also skilled carpenters. Normally clean, bath-loving creatures, their fur was currently so filthy that it was hard to tell what color it was, a testament to how hard they were working to repair the village.
“I’ll go and see if Rodice and Lyra wish to join us.” The girl was about to stand up when her brother caught hold of her hand.
“No, leave them be. We shouldn’t crowd them.”
“Oh…you’re right. Do you think I made the right choice sending Carol to the Lord?”
Her brother took her by the shoulders and pulled her into his embrace. She closed her eyes and leaned into him.
“We didn’t know we’d survive back then. You did the right thing,” the elf said quietly, approaching the siblings.
“Thank you, Murus.”
The two beastmen nodded their agreement. The group surveyed their damaged cave, where a couple was busy working on the repairs in silence. One of them was an ex-merchant. Formerly timid and weak-willed, he now wore a stony expression as he collected tools that could no longer be used. His wife worked as close to him as she could. She was the woman who gave confidence and support to the villagers. Their faces were dull and expressionless as they toiled.
“You should rest a while, Lyra.”
“So should you.”
Though clearly worried about each other, their voices lacked energy. It was easy to tell that they were grieving and anxious about their daughter. They wanted her to know that they were safe, but they had no way to send that message.
“Lyra. Please believe that we’ll see Carol again. The Lord is just taking care of her for a while.”
“Dear…even if she’s made it to where the Lord is, how would she come back? I don’t think we’ll ever see her again.” Tears sprang to the mother’s eyes, and her husband ran to hold her tightly.
“We will see her again. The Lord must be watching over us, even now. We must have faith. Everything’s going to be okay.”
It was usually his wife who comforted him, but at times like this, he was very capable of stepping up to the plate.
Wait for me. I promise I’ll send Carol home to you safe and sound.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I knew it was just a dream.”
When I opened my eyes, the villagers were gone, and I was back on the bullet train. It was nothing but a vision created from my own wishful thinking. Still, the joy of seeing my villagers again after so long flooded through me.
“I don’t have any time to relax.” I straightened up, attempting to clear my head.
I hadn’t meant to doze off, but my full stomach and mental strain won over. I checked my phone. It was just after lunch.
“I slept for twenty minutes, huh?”
Carol was leaning against me, sound asleep. The holy book was still safely in my pocket, but I still kicked myself for being stupid. Now was the time to stay on guard.
At least no one seemed to have tried anything while I was asleep, even though that guy could easily have come back and just taken the book from me. Maybe he really was backing off. I wanted to believe it, but he didn’t seem particularly trustworthy. Maybe some other factor prevented him from coming back.
I was staring at the floor in thought when Destiny poked its head out from Carol’s backpack. It met my eyes squarely.
“Were you watching over us?”
It didn’t respond. Either way, I was just glad we were safe. Anxiety no longer clouding my mind, I checked the situation around us. The deathly silence from before I fell asleep was gone. The passengers were talking again.
“I guess whatever miracle he used on them wore off.”
Assuming that’s what it was, I had to add “surprise narcolepsy” to the businessman’s powers. Although he could have an accomplice.
Now that they’re awake, we should be a little safer.
I allowed a small wave of relief to wash over me, even as I resolved not to fall back asleep.