Evan waved his hand at Avelia, who was going to work after leaving him at the daycare near the cathedral. After her silhouette disappeared around the corner, he went inside the large room. It was filled with kids from four to seven years old. Looking at him coming in, they all moved and made way for him. After going and sitting in his regular place in a corner, he slightly closed his eyes. It had already been six years since he had been thrust into this world.
Just when he was thinking what he would have for lunch today, his peace was destroyed by an uninvited guest.
"Evan, are you not going to even say hello to your only friend?"
There are people who are alone by their own choice, like he is. And there are people who are alone by the choice of others. And the boy who had just appeared clearly fell in the latter category.
Opening his eyes, Evan looked at the curly-haired boy in front of him. His name was Clark, age seven, and the only other loner in this place. Kids didn't associate with Evan because he was very quiet and spoke less while also giving off an air of maturity. But it was the opposite for Clark, who talked so much that now kids ran away after seeing him. It didn't mean that Evan liked him either, but Clark always got pushy and forced his way into Evan's personal space—like now. When Clark came near him, the other kids moved away, and now Clark was sitting relaxed in front of him, chatting, or to put it simply, gossiping away.
"So, yesterday afternoon when I was walking by the docks with my big sister, we accidentally stumbled upon a dock worker confessing to the daughter of the flower shop owner on Main Street. We both thought that the girl would reject him, but she accepted the confession and went to the shop owner to get his blessings. But this morning, I heard that the shop owner's daughter was beating him with a metal rod. It turned out that he was wooing several girls at the same time, and the flowers he purchased for that were all from the shop owner's shop only."
Listening to this, Evan unconsciously smiled. What an idiot the worker must be, to confess to the daughter of the only witness to his actions.
"Oh, and I heard from my father…"
This continued for quite some time. Clark was the only one speaking, and Evan was the only listener. In his small body, where he was only able to move around a little bit, these stories were a breath of fresh air. Was this guy training to be a detective, knowing the ins and outs of the docks like the back of his hand? In the background, the cacophony of the children's voices was heard. It was a very peaceful day, free from worries.
Evan's sixth birthday had happened only last week, and it was a small celebration with his father, mother, and some friends, including Clark. During these six years, he had completely adapted to life in this world. The initial awkwardness was gone, and he had slowly come to accept his identity as Evan. His memories of the previous world were completely intact. He missed his mother, father, and siblings and prayed for their well-being, but he didn't dwell too much on it. He continued to live his life, knowing this was what they would have wished for.
In these six years, he had completely learned the language of this world. The place he was currently living in was the trade city of Tehrin. Due to being a port city, it was filled with people of different nations coming and going frequently and had become a mishmash of different cultures. His father was a clerk at the docks, and his mother worked at a bakery. Since they both had to go to work in the day, they left him at the daycare and came to take him home in the evening. Initially, he thought he would get very bored here with nothing to do. But then he met Clark, and now, with Clark present, a significant amount of time was spent listening to him. He was simply baffled how the other kids didn't understand the value of this treasure.
"…so, my father said not to stay out at night until the smugglers are caught. Hey, are you even listening?" Clark slightly nudged Evan.
"Yes, I am. Don't worry, I don't have a habit of going out without my parents," Evan said. Seems like a lot of child kidnappings are happening lately.
"When are you going to go to school?" he asked, changing the topic.
"Probably next month after my birthday. Hey, Evan, why don't you come with me? Although you look young, you are more intelligent than several other guys I know from school."
"I will go when it is my time," Evan waved his hand. Childhood needs to be enjoyed. Moreover, being intelligent is appreciated, but being more than that will only get you alienated.
They continued chatting for some time, and when it was afternoon, the caretakers brought out lunches for them. It was a simple meal of rice porridge, but it tasted quite good. After the meal, everyone took a nap, and the hall was very peaceful. Soon, Clark's sister came to pick him up. She studied at the school and picked him up on her way home. In this world, there was mandatory school from age eight to age thirteen.
After saying goodbye to Clark, Evan went and started staring at one of the caretakers. After eliciting no response from her, he started to slightly pull at her dress. After ignoring him for a few minutes, the caretaker finally let out a small sigh and took his hand. "Do not, under any circumstances, move out of that place until I come to pick you up. Do you understand?"
Evan slightly nodded his head.
Since he knew that 'Luciana' was a goddess from his previous world, he spent a lot of his time around the Cathedral trying to get answers. But to others, it just looked like he was a very devout believer of the Goddess of Light and the behaviour of Priest Aron certainly didn't help in this matter.
The daycare was adjacent to the Cathedral and was also run by the Church of Light, so the only thing the caretakers had to worry about was that Evan didn't cause any problems there while he was left to his own devices.
Leaving Evan in the prayer hall of the Cathedral, the caretaker gave him a final look and went back. Waving his hand Evan went to the front and, kneeling in front of the statue, prayed to the Goddess of Light for some time for the well-being of his previous family and current family. Then he made his way to the inner area of the Cathedral.
Although some priests and priestesses saw him, they just smiled, as this was a daily occurrence for them. Soon, he reached the innermost part and stood before the white door. He just stood there as if contemplating something, and after a few moments, a voice came from inside.
"If you want to come inside, then come. Otherwise, just go away."
Evan gave a wry smile and, with his small hands, turned the handle and opened the door. Sitting at the edge of the fountain was the High Priestess Lyria in her loose, all-white dress.
Just as Evan was about to speak, a priest entered carrying a newborn baby and handed it to Lyria. The infant began to struggle in her grasp. After gazing at the child for a moment with a faint, creepy smile, she lowered him into the water. When she brought him back out, he was sleeping peacefully. She returned the baby to the priest, who offered Evan a brief smile before departing.
Evan looked at Lyria and asked, "Would parents send their children here if they knew what happens here?"
"Why wouldn't they?" Lyria replied, her expression quizzical. "Besides, you've also been through this and seem perfectly fine to me."
Evan gave a slight cough and looked down. He'd only wanted to fluster her, but his question had backfired.
Evan had first entered this place by himself several months earlier, when visiting the Cathedral with his parents. Though he felt a thread of fear, the pull to see the magical fountain and to glimpse the golden threads was stronger. He slipped away while his parents were deep in prayer. And as he made his way inside, he met no obstruction whatsoever.
When he first slipped inside the room, he found High Priestess Lyria at the fountain's edge, her hand idly stirring the pool.
She looked up at him, her smile as creepy as he remembered, and beckoned him closer. Not daring to disobey, he slowly approached her. She leaned in, her voice a whisper that seemed to curl right into his ear:
"You are not from this world, little one."
That sentence scared him witless, and for quite a while, he was not able to think of anything.
"Don't worry too much," she said with a smirk. "There are sometimes people like you who have memories of their past lives. Not like that is going to make a difference in this one. You can come visit me if you want someone to talk to."
But looking at her smile, Evan felt goosebumps crawling up his back.
"Can you please stop giving that creepy smile with a teenage girl's face?" Saying this, he suddenly covered his mouth—he had said his thoughts by mistake.
Lyria was first dumbfounded, then let out a genuine laugh that shook her shoulders. She laughed until tears welled in her eyes. Slightly wiping a tear from the corner, she said, "You should go back. Your parents are searching for you."
Realizing he had been away for quite some time, Evan quickly left the room and hurried back toward the main prayer hall. His parents were there, scanning the crowd with worried expressions. The moment they spotted him emerging from the inner corridor, their tension visibly melted away. On the walk home, Evan kept turning one question over in his mind: how had the Head Priestess known his parents were searching for him?
After that first, unnerving encounter, Evan somehow became a regular visitor to the fountain room. He noticed, however, that he was the sole exception. Except for him, no one who was not affiliated with the Church of Light was ever permitted inside.
When he had finally asked Lyria why, she merely shrugged, as if the answer were obvious. "I get bored sitting here alone. If a new toy wanders in, how could I possibly say no?" She let out a light, humourless sigh. "The people here are so dreadfully predictable. And telling others about this place… well, it doesn't help much."
He soon found out that she was telling the truth. Whenever he cautiously mentioned the inner room or Lyria to someone, they would have no memory of the conversation by the next day. At first, he assumed it was just the room itself that was shrouded in secrecy. Later, a cold, creeping realization settled in. Any mention of the supernatural was completely erased from a listener's mind within moments. The discovery left him with a deep awe and silent terror.
Coming back to the present, Evan looked at Lyria. "You never answered me last time. What happened to the original soul of this body?"
Lyria gestured for him to come closer. Evan obeyed. Once he was near, she nodded toward the fountain. "Dip your hand in."
He lowered his hand into the water.
"Do you feel anything?"
"No," Evan shook his head. "Just a little warm."
"Do you know what would have happened if this body wasn't yours?"
Evan shook his head.
"You wouldn't be answering me," she said, her voice soft but clear. "You'd already be turned to ash."
"There are several cases," Lyria explained, her voice steady, "where, for reasons known or unknown, newborn children become hosts. Other entities try to devour them, to erase the original soul and take their place. The process is slow and subtle, leaving the child's spirit weakened. This fountain purifies them—it destroys those parasites and restores the child's vitality. It is one of the many blessings the Goddess left for this world. There is one like it in every major city."
She paused, letting the weight of her words settle. "And since we cannot search for every hidden intrusion, a law was put in place. Every child must be brought here within a month of birth. It gives just enough time for the ritual to work without causing lasting harm."
After listening, Evan remained quiet, his gaze fixed on his hand submerged in the glowing water. Lyria gently patted his head.
"Don't let such things trouble you. There are people to take care of things when they go wrong," she said softly. "You are a child. Try to live like one. This time, once it passes… it never comes back." A faint, distant melancholy touched her expression as she spoke.
After a while, just as Evan was about to speak, the door opened once more. Priest Aron entered, cradling an infant. Lyria took the child and gently lowered him into the water. This time, there was no struggle, and the baby simply drifted into a peaceful sleep. Lifting him out after the light had faded, Lyria studied his small face for a moment before handing him back.
"Tell his parents he needs extra warmth," she said. "His constitution is delicate."
Priest Aron nodded, accepting the sleeping child, and left without another word.
"So, what were you going to say?" Lyria asked curiously, to which Evan just shook his head. Maybe next time, he thought.
After handing the baby to its parents and relaying High Priestess Lyria's instructions, Priest Aron turned to head back inside. He had only taken a few steps when a new priestess, who had joined the Cathedral just days prior, approached him with a hesitant look.
"Priest Aron," she began quietly, "about the child who is always visiting the inner area…"
"What about him?" Priest Aron asked, a flicker of concern passing through him. Had Evan gotten himself into some kind of trouble behind his back?
"Well," she continued, her voice earnest, "is it truly appropriate to allow him such free access?"
Aron's momentary worry eased. He offered her a calm, knowing smile. "If the High Priestess did not wish someone to enter the inner area, that person would not be able to come anywhere near it, no matter how much they wished to. The fact that the boy comes and goes as he pleases means he has her tacit approval." With a slight nod, he continued on his way.
The new priestess, however, remained unconvinced. Once Aron was out of sight, she tried to approach the inner doors herself, only to find that no matter how many steps she took, she somehow ended up back in the exact same spot in the corridor. She repeated the attempt several times, growing increasingly disoriented and frustrated, until her eyes began to sting with helpless tears.
From her seat beside the fountain, Lyria watched with a faint, mischievous smile. Seeing that subtle, almost playful expression, Evan offered a silent prayer in his heart for the newest, unwitting recipient of the High Priestess's quietly unnerving hospitality.
Then looking at him, Lyria commented, "I always wanted to ask you: how did you adapt to this place? Shouldn't you always be trying to go back?"
Evan gave a wry smile, his gaze drifting slightly toward the fountain as if seeing a memory. "Six years is a very long and lonely time if you don't have anything to do," he said quietly. "During the first three years, I always dreamed of that place. But on my third birthday here, my mother flicked my forehead and said, in a cheerful voice, that I didn't look cute with a frown always on my face." A faint, genuine smile touched his lips. "That's when I realized… maybe I shouldn't think too much. I don't know if I'll have a next life or not. And besides," he added, his tone turning lighter, almost playful, "who said I gave up going back? I've just put it on the back burner"
After playing—or more accurately, being played with—by Lyria, she sent him back out, as the caretaker had arrived to collect him. There was a separate institute for training priestesses, and only those who passed a series of rigorous tests were permitted to serve in the Cathedral itself. Most of the caretakers at the daycare were still priestesses in their probationary period. Once they completed their training, they would formally join the Cathedral's service.
Looking at the young caretaker waiting patiently for him without a trace of worry, Evan was reminded once again just how safe the Cathedral grounds truly were.
She took his hand and led him back to the daycare. Evening had settled in, and with most of the children already gone home and little left to do, Evan sat quietly in his usual corner, turning over the answers he had received that day.
So, this body and its soul were truly his. That meant he had died in his previous world—though he still couldn't remember how. The more he tried to piece it together, the more his head began to ache. He decided to take Lyria's advice: to stop straining for answers and simply live in the present.
Before long, his mother arrived to take him home.