“He’ll be home before Lotus turns two.” So he’s coming back before winter? It’s still summer, we have to wait for a month or two? “Why is he gonna be gone for so long?” I asked, after biting into my rice ball. Neither of us knew where or why our father left in such a hurry and no one said a word. We just woke up one morning and he was gone. 

The silence was telling a lot and so little. Did they have some type of fight? No, that can’t be it. Does it have something to do with one of us? Glancing over at Amelia she had a very similar expression on her face as me. Squinting with a frown, our eyes shifted towards one another.

Suspicious, it’s very suspicious.

“Finish eating, so you can get your cookies afterwards.” She has cookies? …Wait, I will not be fooled. My eyes followed Lydia as she stood up, leaving the two of us alone. “Do you think mommy is hiding something?” Amelia arched her brow while biting into her rice ball. 

“Yes,” was all I said in response when Lydia came back into the kitchen. “Are you two done?” Me, being the person I am, shoved the rest in my mouth before she saw anything. Amelia covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing while she finished off her food. 

I want that cookie. The sweets in this world are so good, I don’t know how they make it taste the way it does. It’s the level of sweet where it’s not overbearing, but it gives you that kick that’s indescribable and I can’t help but cave– I’m sorry. 

Handing me a cookie, my mom placed her hand on my head, smiling kindly at me. “Go play, make sure not to leave crumbs everywhere.” Nodding I hopped off the chair leaving the room. Amelia stayed behind to help clean up. I was sadly kicked out of the kitchen when I did offer, according to Amelia, “I’m too little to clean.” 

Biting into my cookie I headed down the hall, maybe I’ll read something? “Learning won’t be so bad,” I have nothing else to do. Holding the cookie in my mouth I looked around the small library, my fingers running along the spine of the books I came across. They were all so old and dusty, like they haven’t been touched in a long time. 

If I touch them, my parents will know I was in here. Sighing, I pulled one of the books off the shelf. “I should learn something useful about this world,” whispering to myself as I read the title of the book, “The Absolute?” 

Knitting my brows together I bit my cookie before opening the book. Flipping through the pages, there were diagrams and random images of a person surrounded by light… or what I assume was supposed to be light. 

What is this?  

Continuing to look through the book I noticed pages were missing, normally this would bother me but the cookie I was eating kept me calm, strangely. Who would tear pages out of this… what I could imagine was a really expensive book? 

Was it made like this? 

While flipping through pages I came across a name I recognized. Kavelius? “Where have I heard that name before?” squinting I tried to read the small letters next to the names but I couldn’t make out what it was. If only I inherited magnified eyesight. 

Realizing I was a failure with no special powers I kept reading what I could. 

“To reach enlightenment…” and become one with your greater self you must– 

Squinting, I tried to read and understand what was being said but… it was so difficult to process this form of belief, I just didn’t understand what was being said because they used words like ineffable.

“What does that even mean?” I need a dictionary. Pressing my lips into a frown, I turned the page, that name Kavelius showed up once again. Kavelius… to reach Elysian “...with illumination the.. What? What is that?” sighing I shut the book, because what is this nonsense? 

None of it made any type of sense. 

“That’s obviously a big kid book.” 

With the shake of my head I stood up, finishing up the cookie as I pushed the book right back into the spot I found it. My brain hurts, rubbing the top of my head, trying to ease the aching I looked around for something less confusing to read. 

The history books were really thin in comparison to what I was used to reading before I was born here. Maybe they just don’t have a lot of information on their people? With that thought in mind I realized something. My parents don’t really talk about politics. I still don’t know what time period this is. 

I know I was born in year ten fifty-one but that’s it. 

Elijah and Lydia don’t talk about anything that happens outside of our little town in the countryside. They rarely mention the nobles; if there are any. They also never bring up stuff that happens in the capital. I always end up hearing about the imperial family when we visit the market but it’s usually small things like the emperor throwing a party for one of his sons or something like that. 

We never celebrate holidays either, but then again I’ve only been here for a little over a year. I haven’t really experienced anything yet. Maybe things are different here and celebrations are only in the capital. That or my family just doesn’t care about the emperor. 

Pausing I frowned, would that be considered treason? 

What does treason mean again? 

All that reading I did in my past life did not pay off. 

“Here I was thinking I’d be smarter,” shaking my head, I went back to looking around the room for something to read. The history books had small pieces of information. I know the emperor’s name was something with the letter K but that was all I could remember from the book. It was pretty boring so I couldn’t focus. Plus the words were smeared as if someone forgot to let the ink dry before closing the book. 

Tsk amateurs.